Teachers

Bobby Phelan @Bobby.phelan.iv
Co-founder | Co-Owner

Yoga Teacher 200 ERYT CBA

Whenever I meet new people, the most common question I get is, “Where are you from?”. Over the years I’ve learned that, 9 times out of 10, what they’re really trying to ask is, “What race are you?”. I’m Vietnamese from my mother’s side, and Irish American from my father's side. I was born in Boulder Colorado in the year 1990. My father worked for a fire department as a paramedic and my mother was a technician in a chemistry lab.

As I got a little older, my dad started medical school, while still working full time on the fire department. That crazy work ethic continues to this day. I’m constantly inspired by this, though, honestly I never quite developed that work ethic for myself. In 2000, my dad graduated from medical school and was then accepted to a medical residency program in El Paso Texas. The move was hard on me at first because it was the first taste of culture shock. Eventually I adapted. 

Upon graduating high school, I moved to Salt Lake City for college because I wanted to be back in the mountains. Technically, mechanical engineering was my major. More realistically, snowboarding was my major and engineering was my minor.

It was also in college that I began meditating. I started by studying Zen styles of mediation and philosophy at age 19. That then led to me yoga a few years later, when I was 22. Truth is, I was having a tough time handling the stress of college life and so an uncle of mine pointed in the direction of Zen to help. It definitely helped me stay somewhat straight in school, however, like snowboarding, I ended up studying a lot more Zen and Yoga than engineering. 

Upon leaving school, I fought with myself night and day. One voice in my head said I was supposed to get an engineering job, while the other voice said that path was just not right for me. When I shared these feelings with my father, he suggested that I get certified to teach yoga, since that’s basically all I was doing by this time anyways. He was living in Houston and he offered to let me come live with him. He even helped me enroll in a local teacher training program where he was also doing yoga himself. 

This turned out to be the best decision of my young life. I completed my teacher training and immediately began working and immersing myself in the Houston yoga community. The years began to fly by as I taught thousands of yoga classes, made hundreds of friends, and deepened my own practice. Most importantly, I met Annavy Nguyen, the woman who became my wife, my best friend, and my partner in all things. 

Now, as of writing this, it’s 2019 and we have made another big leap by starting Loveland Yoga. I have no doubt that teaching yoga is my path in life, and I’m fully committed to following that path, no matter where it takes me. I look forward to seeing you in class and getting to know your story as well. Every day brings a new practice and every season brings a new lesson. Thank you for being part of our story.

-Bobby

Annavy Phelan @Annavy.Phelan

Co-founder | Co-Owner

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA

I was born and raised in Houston Texas, right off of Airline and I-45. My parents come from a huge family made up of Vietnamese immigrants, and I am part of the first generation born here in America. I also have an older brother to whom I look up to, even though we fought constantly as children. 

We grew up very modestly, aka, poor. My family first owned a chain of convenience stores, and my mother owned and operated a nail salon. Yes, I know that's very stereotypical, but honestly, they were damn good at it. I remember when I was little, my father would drive an hour to Galveston for our convenience store and then drive all the way back up to the Cypress area to pick me up from daycare. To this day, I contribute my strong work ethic to both my parents. 

As I got older, my mother continued to hustle hard at the nail shop and my dad sold our convenience store to work for Schlumberger. He spent 25 years there before retiring. 

My education was pretty normal. I was an active kid in High School where I ran track, awesomely, and played tennis, terribly. My parents did not heavily focus on athleticism or sports even though I craved it much as a child. After high school, I went to UT Austin for college where I discovered yoga for stress relief for studying. Upon graduating, I moved back to Houston and started a career in the medical field as a dental assistant at a pediatric dental office. 

After moving back to Houston it was hard for me to decide what path  I wanted to go career-wise so I decided to go back to University at UH. I graduated with a degree in Chemistry and Biology, with the intention of applying to Dental school.  After numerous failures trying to get into Dental School I decided to start working in the field to see if it would help. 

From there I worked around from place to place until I eventually worked up to being a part-owner of a Free-Standing Ambulatory Surgical Center. I worked in dental for over ten years, and the truth is, I was very unhappy with this career. After fighting with myself for a very long time, I finally pushed aside my pride and decided to quit dental to do something different and more fulfilling with my life.

Now, as far as yoga goes, I found the practice in college and I continued with it throughout my career in dental. Yoga was the only consistent happy practice that I had in my life and it's what eventually led me to meet my husband Bobby. We practice yoga together now, along with JiuJitsu, and I know these shared passions are a big part of what makes our bond so strong. 

Then, in April of  2019, after talking about it for a really long time, we decided to finally take the plunge and open Loveland Yoga.

Our vision for the studio is to create a space to share our passions with genuine hearts, so our students feel cared about, appreciated, and like real people, instead of just a number.  We hope you enjoy and love the space just as much as we love it. - Annavy

Jessica Brock @yessica_jessica

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA

Jessica started practicing yoga in 2018 in order to learn to be with her body and manage chronic pain. Yoga had such a profound impact on her that she decided to pursue teacher training in 2019 under Kim Taurins of Four Dragons Institute/Union Studio. 

Jessica's classes are paced to allow the process of noticing somatic sensations and how the mind and body experience the asanas. Students can expect anatomical and metaphorical cueing, mindfulness, and varied intensity in order to facilitate this investigation. Inspired by her years in the traditional strength and conditioning community, Jessica's sequences aim to find a balance between mobility and stability, while also encouraging students to define this for themselves.

Juan Faragher 

@Juju.Faragher

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA 

Hey y'all!!. My name is Juan (pronounced JU-EN). I also go by Ju or Juju. I'm 25 years old (at the time of this writing). I grew up in Sugar Land, TX, but was originally born in England.

I received my Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Houston in 2019. I worked throughout my entire undergrad journey in the restaurant industry. Upon graduation, I had the opportunity to work in a local election campaign for Mayor Turner, an entryway into a career in politics; however, I turned it down because my intuition told me that I would be miserable had I accepted. So, I stayed in the restaurant gig and started practicing yoga late 2019 as a healing modality for years of back pain that I had been suffering.

What I discovered during that time was an enriching practice that changed the way I treated myself and my relationships around me. I felt content for the first time in a long time. Feeling empowered with my journey, I jumped into my first YTT at a local studio during Spring 2020 with the goal of sharing what I had learned. I completed my teacher training that summer and started working as a yoga teacher when I wasn't serving tables.

Since completing my training, I've grown my practice off the mat; diving into yoga philosophy and ethics and researching the politics of modern-day yoga within the BIPOC and Queer communities and finally went full-time into teaching yoga May 2021. Yoga is so much more than what is perceived within the mainstream. It's more than just yoga pants and bendy poses. Yoga is a lifestyle that shapes the way you perceive your internal and external worlds.

In my classes, you'll discover an opportunity to explore your body, mind, and soul. Everyone's body is unique, and as a result, your practice on the mat is going to be a unique journey. I encourage my students to have freedom of expression when they step on their mats; giving their bodies full permission to be their best guide, teacher, and friend. Self-acceptance, cultivating joy, and exploration of self are common themes during my classes.

Laura Bennett 

@Lauralizart @Lowhebe

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA

My yoga journey began in 2016, in a transitional period of life. Yoga provided me with the balance I needed in this new chapter and even though I felt like the wobbliest person in the room, I was hooked! Yoga gave me the confidence to meet myself, accept myself and trust myself on and off of the mat. In April 2020, amidst the thick of the pandemic I was certified through Rippy Yoga as a meditation teacher. 

Then in 2021, I gained my RYT 200. Part of the course was a Vipassana, silent retreat, in Taos, New Mexico. The silence spoke loudly and I decided to trust in my pull to teach. In August of 2021, I began teaching at Loveland Yoga and truly feel honored to guide bodies and minds, and facilitate a positive yoga experience.

Loveland has such an amazing community and I truly feel at home in this wonderful studio. I believe yoga is coming home to the self, and for that reason, students can expect my classes to be breath-centered, meditative yet approachable, friendly and open, and most importantly—fun! A “come as you are” type of class.

Students can expect my vinyasa flow to be gentle at the start, then build into active practice, and then a wonderful cool-off. Classic Hot will build in the same way but with holding poses for longer durations in order to deeply feel each posture. Yin Stretch will be meditative, breath-focused, and all about slowly melting into the joints and facia. 

When not on my mat or meditation cushion, I spend lots of time creating art and content for my creative business, being with my husband Philip and our dog, Luby, traveling, cooking, camping, telling jokes, throwing parties, spending time in nature, and just enjoying life with great friends and family. I hope to see you on the mat soon! 

Danna Karina  @DannaKarina29

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA

Hello my fellow Yogis, I started my yoga journey back in 2014 after facing a knee injury; I was attending physical therapy, but only a small improvement was made. Doctor's mentioned surgery and I immediately had a  little voice in my head that spoke  saying  to wait and to find alternatives. I started doing research and I came across youtube meditations, and the power of thoughts of healing took over my body. Within that same week I joined a Bikram yoga studio, as some call it cooking on fire. Bikram is a system of hot yoga sequences with 26 poses practised in a 104 °F (41 °C) with a humidity of 40% to replicate the climate from India.

 Having so much pain wearing a knee brace, I took my first yoga class. My exact thoughts were: Oh my God, is so hot in here! I can barely breathe, my heart rate is going so fast, I feel dizzy and nauseous,  I have anxiety! how do this people do it? As I look over  to stop to catch my breath. I saw  an older lady in her 60's 70's with  beautiful long white hair, transitioning from one pose to another so gracefully and peacefully, she was radiating so much light. I slowed down my breathing and said to  myself I wanted to be just like her when I grow up, she was such an inspiration. Within a few weeks of yoga, I decided to signed up for  the 30 day challenge and I got hooked. I started to see  the physical and psychological changes on and off the mat. 

 My Doctor saw the improvement and took away medication and I no longer needed surgery. He ask me Danna what are you doing? I said Yoga, meditation, and words of affirmations.I changed my habits which included my nutrition and hydration. I became a regular studio member which it introduce me to the yoga community and  started attending  other forms of yoga practice such as Forest yoga, Yin Yoga, Rocket Yoga, Kundalini, Restorative, flow and introduction to Ashtanga.   

I wanted to deepen and expand my knowledge as a student which led me to take a yoga teacher training . I learned the physical, philosophical, anatomical, and science of yoga.   I just want to share the power of breathing healing  that yoga  offers, it truly changed my way of living. I want to expand the wonderful light and benefits that the practice can offer,  with a beginner, intermediate and advanced level, one breath at a time with his community.

Angie Wright @angieyogajourney

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT CBA

Hola! My name is Angie Wright Martinez I work within the Recruiting and Human Resources field, and I was born and raised in Guatemala City, a small city with perfect weather and beautiful landscapes. I am Guatemalan from my mother's side and north American from my dad's side, so a lot of people always ask me, "where are you from?" I was used to moving around with my family and traveling until we were able to settle. 

Since I was little, I remember watching my grandmother waking up early in the morning to do her meditations and stretching, I was so attracted to her practice, that I started to do the same thing by her side. I was not good at sports and running. But I always loved dancing and Tae kwon do. Along the way, because of different circumstances in life, I develop anxiety, to the point it affected my breathing. In search of answers, during a visit to Thailand, I discovered meditation techniques and breathing to calm myself down. So the Yoga Journey started!  

When I got back to Guatemala, I was invited to go to different meditation communities and I started to feel happy and alive, along with that transition I found yoga, and even though I did not like it, I kept going. 

Furthermore, I started to understand yoga and I fell in love with it, I felt the change in my body and my mind, and I knew I could do it anywhere and at any time.  After a year I moved to Houston, TX and my dad encouraged me to find a yoga studio, my first class was with Bobby at Yoga one while it was transitioning to YogaWorks, I enjoyed meeting new friends and meeting great teachers. 

Suddenly the pandemic hit, and I find myself doing yoga in my room and the patio, until I found Loveland Yoga Studio, Annavy, and Bobby were very welcoming and friendly, I took my teacher training with them and that is when my teaching journey started, with a lot of support and love.  Connecting with people and motivating them, is one of the things I enjoy the most, learning about different personalities and cultures, inspires me! 

My intention is to share yoga from the heart and to share different tools for healing, as well as to learn from my students, and motivate them to stay positive and strong. See you on the mat!

Taylor Boswell @TaylorBos_

Yoga Teacher 200 RYT  MBA

I grew up in a small town in Central Illinois. As a child I was always active and usually sitting on the floor, climbing on things or doing flips off the furniture. 

Realizing my need for movement, my parents signed me up for dance. I danced competitively since the age of three and continued through high school. 

As an adult, yoga replaced dance. You can now find me pulling out random yoga poses at school, work, home and of course the studio.

I attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and studied Mechanical Engineering. I choose mechanical engineering because I was not sure what I wanted to do in my career and mechanical was the broadest. 

I moved to Houston in 2015 after accepting a job as an application engineer in the electrical field. 

My first week in Houston I took my first yoga class.

I practiced regularly for a few years and felt the call to teacher training. At the time I signed up for teacher training the closest yoga studio to my hometown was 2 hours away. Watching my mother struggle to find a place to practice and thinking I would move back to a small town, I knew I needed to have the knowledge to take the practice with me. 

Years later I still love living in Houston and am so glad I attended training and have the opportunity to teach.

For me, yoga is a balance of strength, movement, and meditation. Through yoga, I have cultivated a mind-body connection that is powerful on and off the mat. Yoga has helped me settle my need for constant movement and be more present while still. 

I enjoy practicing with different teachers and trying different styles to keep going deeper into the practice and encourage students to do the same. I believe in props and enjoy the playfulness of experimenting with them in my home practice and love sharing that in class.

I am currently pursuing my MBA at University of Houston - Downtown and expect to graduate in December 2020. Can't wait to see you in class!