The Yoga Tree
The Yoga Tree
104 River Street, Haverhill MA 01832
P. 978.944.4126
Caroline Giles
Studio Owner
RYT 200-hr
Caroline fell in love with vinyasa yoga for its creativity and its profound ability to help her silence her mind after a hectic, stressful day. She is humbled daily by her practice and the physical limits of her body.
Caroline loves teaching yoga because in a short span of a class she has the potential to change a person’s day, to give them access to quiet, calm, and clearer perspective to perceive themselves in a more powerful and uplifting way. In Caroline’s classes you can expect to sweat, smile, and discover that you are capable of more than you think.
In 2010, Caroline founded The Yoga Tree in Haverhill MA to share her passion for yoga with the Merrimack Valley yoga community. She is very gracious to all of the yogis and yoginis that have infused their energy into the studio so far and loves meeting new faces everyday.
Caroline discovered yoga about four years ago and completed her 200-hr teacher training with Frog Lotus Yoga in Bali Indonesia in May 2010. She completed a 3 month teacher mentorship program with Ame Wren at Back Bay Yoga in Boston in the spring 2011. Caroline remains a diligent yoga student by studio-hopping A LOT:), and by taking as many classes, and workshops as possible to keep her practice and teachings vibrant!
Julia Tirabassi
E-RYT 500
Senior Teacher, Julia Tirabassi E-RYT 500, is a former personal trainer who came to the practice of yoga nine years ago. Her passion for fitness, movement, sweat and Handstands, quickly led to a full-time career as a freelance yoga teacher. Since 2002, Julia's spent approximately 5,000 hours traveling all over Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, sharing her love of the practice with students of every make and model, from seniors to athletes, and everyone in between.
Drawing from her days as a fitness enthusiast, her teaching style continues to include plenty of athleticism, but has evolved into a unique vinyasa-flow practice which combines her own special blend of: creative physicality, sweaty sweetness, mindful movement, and keen attention to alignment. Julia strives to share continuously fresh, contemporary, and transcendent ways to guide students towards manifesting their personal expression of empowered grace.
With her friendly teaching style, humor, and extensive knowledge guiding your yoga experience, you're guaranteed to leave the mat refreshed, renewed, and utterly resplendent!
Tina Kozik
RYT-200
Tina first stepped into a yoga studio in 1999 on the urging of a friend. She soon found that the union of body and mind, movement and breath is what keeps her grounded. Yoga has done more for her than she could have ever anticipated. It's helped her navigate through the grief of losing her father and also through her kidney donation to her cousin in 2010 -- both in mentally and physically preparing her for major surgery and in recovering from it. The yoga practice plays a key role in her life in keeping her smiling and strong and supportive to those around her.
She went back to her very first teacher, Rolf Gates, for her 200 hour Vinyasa Teacher Training, and now has the honor of being his teaching assistant for his Boston area 500 hour Advanced Teacher Training. She also completed an apprenticeship and continues to work with Jacqui Bonwell as well as Johnny Gillespie, founder of Empowered Yoga. She’s grateful to have had so many amazing teachers, and learns something from every one she has ever worked with. Even with all of her training, she’s learned that in the end the students are the ones who teach her the most.
Erica Magro
RYT-200, Musician
Erica began practicing yoga while training for the 2007 Boston Marathon. Initially, it was about building core strength and increasing flexibility, but after her first class it was apparent that yoga was so much more and she was hooked. She found balance in the midst of her everydayness, bustle of her busy job, and daily responsibilities. Feeling more centered than she had in years, Erica knew yoga was the real deal and felt compelled to share this gift with others.
Certified to teach in 2010 at Prana Power Yoga in Cambridge, MA, Erica aims to guide her students toward finding the practice that's right for them, in hopes of calming the mind, opening the heart and restoring the body. In addition to teaching yoga, Erica is a self-taught musician blessed with the incredible opportunity to weave her passion for music with her great love for yoga. Playing for dynamic teachers as they guide their students through the yoga flow, Erica offers students a sense of rhythm, soothing sounds, and healing vibrations as they practice. Music is a powerful and beautiful compliment to the ancient practice of yoga. She believes that by breathing space into our hearts, we create room for happiness, joy and the healing sound of song to enter.
Sally Hennessey
RYT 200-hr
Sally discovered yoga while taking yoga classes at a gym and a number of studios, and immediately fell in love with the practice for its ability to reacquaint her with her body and mind, while giving her a sense of ease and strength. She was inspired to become a certified yoga instructor to share this feeling with others and to be able to further her own practice.
Sally’s classes allow you to ride the waves of your breath through a series of gentle vinyasa flows and revitalizing stretches, finding your way home to your inner beauty, potential and serenity. She encourages you to let your breath be your inspiration and your guide. She believes people are like gardens, always growing, evolving, requiring care and attention. By respecting and caring for our bodies, Sally is convinced we will be rewarded with a lifetime of physical and mental wellbeing. Knowing that it is never too late to begin, Sally embraces the idea that if you can breathe, you can practice yoga!
Sally completed her 200-hr teacher training with A Yoga Practice in Georgetown. When she is not practicing yoga she can be found outdoors, working in her gardens or enjoying a walk in the woods with her dog.
Kristen Woods
RYT-200
Kristen began her yoga journey in 2004 when a studio opened locally in her hometown in New Jersey. Always drawn to physical activities such a swimming, competitive cheerleading/dance and collegiate-level rowing, Kristen was instantly intrigued with the yoga asana practice and it didn’t take long for her to become completely hooked. Though she began the practice for its physical attributes, it was the calm awareness that it brought to her daily life that continued the love affair.
Kristen completed her first 200-hr yoga teacher training at Balance Yoga Studio in NJ with Melissa Griffith and Jami Lacerte in 2006 and immediately started sharing her knowledge and passion with others through weekly Vinyasa and Hot Yoga classes. In 2008, after a move to Boston, she took time to explore her own practice as well as the amazing yoga community around her. She continued her training through a 3-month Teacher Mentorship Program with Ame Wren at Back Bay Yoga Studio in Spring 2011. She also received another 200-hr certification through the Body Awakening Teacher Training Intensive with David Vendetti and Todd Erik Skoglund at South Boston Yoga Studio in the summer of 2011.
Kristen strives to create an environment where students are comfortable exploring their physical and mental capabilities each time they come to the mat. Through thoughtful sequencing and anatomical awareness, Kristen’s classes focus on the combination of strength and power with movement and fluidity. In addition to leading dynamic vinyasa-style classes, Kristen also enjoys teaching slow-flow and restorative practices as well. She believes that yoga is for everyone and every body. But most importantly, she believes that it should be fun!
Kelly Michaud
RYT-200
After several years in the corporate world, Kelly found she wanted a more active, engaging and peaceful career path, and decided to make her passion for yoga a profession. Kelly has completed Ana Forrest’s Foundational Teacher Training, known for addressing today’s stresses and challenges using intense pose sequences, compassionately taught, to develop skills in awakening each of the senses.
Kelly strives to provide a space where students can safely explore and challenge their bodies and unplug from the outside world. She stresses linking breath with movement and listening to what the body needs. Music, physical adjustments and compassion are all an integral part of her classes. Vinyasa, Forrest and Power yoga styles, as well as her students influence her.
Sheila Wescott
RYT-200
Sheila first stepped into a yoga class in 2003 in an ongoing effort to keep her "workout routine" new and exciting. She instantly realized the yoga studio was a far cry from the gym and found an immediate connection with yoga. As Sheila's practice continued, she discovered a stretch and lengthening in her body that she had never experienced before. She also found a sense of inner peace that truly began her spiritual journey which still continues today. For the first time in her life she knew, without doubt, what she was meant to do - yoga. Sheila continued her hotel management career for several more years before life presented an amazing opportunity to obtain her teacher certification through a month-long intensive program at Frog Lotus Yoga, located in The Berkshires of Massachusetts. Sheila's studies included asana, pranayama, anatomy, and Yogic philosophy and culminated in her certification to teach both Vinyasa Flow and Hatha Interdisciplinary Yoga. She has studied under Kathleen Berney, Heidi Waddell, Jennifer Yarro and Jennilee Toner.
Sheila's intention is to create a warm, nurturing environment in which students can discover the amazing capabilities of their own bodies while remaining spiritually grounded and self-loving.
