One of the things Tracy loves about yoga is the way it grants access to the present moment. Quieting the mind while focusing on the breath creates space for reconnecting with our true nature. Observing ourselves in yoga practice allows awareness to grow, transcend, and transform all aspects of life.

Vee Cowles

Alicia is a meditation teacher, mentor and holistic coach. She has been teaching yoga and meditation for almost 20 years and was the owner of Ashtanga Yoga Richmond for 14 years. A seeker by nature, Alicia landed in her first yoga class in her late 20’s and has since been listening and following a wish to live more consciously and awake. Her background is rooted in ashtanga yoga which eventually led her to meditation where she continues to be in an inner work with her teacher Pat Buxton. Learning to sit, peeling back the layers of her humanness, and using the material of her life - the ordinary moments to the most challenging conditions - has been most influential in creating real change and given Alicia the opportunity to experience herself differently.

Elana Aronovici is a certified Pilates Apparatus and Matwork instructor through Stott Pilates. With over 15 years of experience and multiple certifications, Elana has worked with new students focusing on fundamentals and body awareness to advanced students focusing on props and variations. She has taught a variety of group classes in addition to private and semi private instruction on the mat or on the Pilates apparatus.

Mackenzie is passionate about the attention to detail that Pilates gives to alignment, form, and engagement. She truly believes that there is a style of yoga and Pilates for everyone! Mackenzie received her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2004 at Yoga Source, and she went to Mysore, India to study the Ashtanga lineage with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath. She also studied Intensive Mat and Advanced Mat with LeeAnn Silvey and Intensive Reformer with Kimber McQueen at Balance Pilates Studio. She also received a Pilates Reformer certification from Niche Pilates in 2023 to add in more contemporary elements of execution.

Bio coming soon!

Whitney discovered her passion for yoga after a single hot power class. She completed her 200 hour training at Humble Haven in 2019 and was honored to join the teaching team in 2023.

Whitney considers herself a lifelong learner, gratefully seeking the never-ending self-knowledge and improvement that her practice confers. She approaches teaching and guiding her students as an opportunity to encourage presence, resilience and gentleness. A former marathon runner, Whitney has learned that life is not a sprint, and that the path to fulfillment, while different for everyone, is always a winding adventure.

Sydney took her first yoga class at the YMCA as a high schooler and although she wasn’t instantly hooked, it was obvious that there was something special here. The way her thoughts would actually slow and sometimes cease during practice was a new, and welcome, experience.

Jump a few years forward to Syd’s chapter living in NYC and going through an extremely dark time, she turned to yoga. Walking into the studio, rolling out her mat, it was like the outside world and all of its problems just fell away for the next hour. Learning to be in her body and move it in a way that was both challenging and easeful felt incredible. Sydney continued to practice yoga throughout her move to Richmond, and landed in a prenatal class at Humble Haven during her first pregnancy. The warmth and comfort level provided by Suzanne was what made her stay.

Shaniqua, who also goes by Nee Nee Lovee, is a mama of two. After giving birth to her second sun, Shaniqua dedicated herself to caring for her family. In an attempt to be intentional about self-care in the 4th trimester, she decided to go back to therapy to help navigate all of the changes and emotions she was experiencing. It was her therapist who told her about a position opening up at Humble Haven after Shaniqua expressed a desire to "regain a sense of independence".

Growing up attending a mixture of dance classes, gymnastics, cheerleading and tumbling, it wasn’t until the end of high school that Hailey experienced her first ‘real’ yoga class. She found it to be the perfect combination of the elements she loved from her previous experiences with artistic expression, fitness, and movement.

Hailey officially joined Humble Haven as a student and member of the front desk crew in 2018, just before her final year at VCU, and quickly realized how special the teachers and community of HHY were, along with the extensive benefits of a sustained yoga practice.Hailey completed her 200 HR YTT with Humble Haven in 2020 and continued her part time role at the studio while pursuing a career in Marketing. After a few years of working for local Marketing agencies, Hailey kicked off 2023 by taking on the role of Marketing Manager for Humble Haven, allowing her to combine her personal and professional interests (and skills), as well as her passion for wellness.

Benjamin Raymond has worked at Humble Haven Yoga since December 2021. When he is not working at the front desk or doing the laundry, he watches sports on TV, plays basketball at the gym, and goes to Richmond Spiders basketball games. He enjoys doing the Candlelight Power yoga class on Thursday nights and Next Move Alumni Yoga classes. Before working at Humble Haven Yoga, Benjamin worked at the VCU gyms and was an intern at Saint Mary’s Hospital with Project SEARCH and an intern at the University of Richmond Weinstein Center with Next Move. He graduated from Glen Allen High School in 2019. What Benjamin likes most about working at Humble Haven Yoga is meeting people as they come in and getting his tasks done before his shift ends.

Morgan stumbled into hot yoga after half a lifetime of dance and quickly fell in love.  She found that yoga filled the movement void in her life after dance and helped her gain a greater understanding of her body as well as correct her long standing alignment issues. 

After two trainings and eight years of teaching locally in Richmond, Morgan took a break from yoga to reevaluate what was most important and what yoga meant to her.  After a roller coaster of life events, she started practicing at Humble Haven and was quickly enthralled with the talent of each and every teacher.  Hoping to hone her craft, she signed up for Humble Haven’s 2023 YTT.  She is excited to begin this new chapter of her yoga journey.

Liv has been a practitioner of yoga for 8+ years now, with a consistent practice of 5+ years. Liv credits her practice with creating space for a deeper connection between mind and body, and fell in love with it over time.

May Suri found yoga in middle school and started teaching yoga classes to small groups of friends and families. Wanting to expand her practice and teach professionally, she completed her RYT-200 at the age of 15 and has been teaching ever since. She specifically gravitates towards heated yoga taught in the Journey Into Power style, and is so excited to have found a home at Humble Haven. In her free time, May loves watching movies, cooking, and meditation. Currently, May is focusing on growing her spiritual yoga practice as well as her asana practice.

Have you met our Director of Operations? Rachel B. comes to Humble Haven with a teaching background in spin and HIIT classes. In 2021, Rachel jumped on our schedule teaching bootcamp and yoga build classes. She quickly fell in love with Journey into Power practice so much so that she completed her Level One Baptiste training in 2022, and at the end of 2022, she began working full time for Humble Haven as our Director of Operations. She sees herself as a forever student both as an instructor and in her everyday life. If you find yourself in one of Rachel's classes, she's going to make you work, but she's also going to make you giggle. Life is always going to come with its challenges and Rachel's solution is simple: just do more yoga. Keep showing up for the practice, and for yourself. Come drink the kool-aid, you won't regret it. Outside of Humble Haven, Rachel volunteers with Ring Dog Rescue, a non-profit organization and rescue group for Pit Bull-like dogs, where she helps them find their forever home. If you are ever looking to adopt, foster, or simply learn more about pit bulls, she's your girl.