Angelique Raptakis is an E-RYT500 Yoga Teacher, YACEP, Reiki Master, and Community Herbalist who looks to nature for inspiration, weaving its lessons into her classes. She believes that through the practice of yoga, we can more easily come to the connection between our body, our breath, our mind, and the universe we find ourselves in.

Angelique has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. Yoga has helped her recover from injuries, work through grief, and manage anxiety. She enjoys working with people to facilitate a state of balance and connection between mind, body, and spirit, from the physical/material body to the energetic subtle body, through the use of asana, pranayama, and meditation.

She completed her 200-hour training with Sky House Yoga in 2016 as well as an advanced 300-hour training in April 2019 with the Bhagavata-sevaya School of Yoga. In addition, Angelique is a Certified Grief Yoga® Teacher and has completed over 60 hours of training in Restorative Yoga, over 100 hours of training in Yin Yoga, a Yoga Nidra training with Kaya Mindlin, and the Surviving Assault (Yoga Essentials as Early Intervention Following Assault or Trauma) course with Diana Tokaji.

Mercedes Santos began practicing yoga 30 years ago and has been teaching for 18. She especially enjoys teaching older students, and has developed programs that include discussion and practices to support a variety of aging-related needs. Using her knowledge of anatomy and therapeutics she helps students learn to practice with breath awareness and somatic discernment. Mercedes’ commitment to teaching is grounded in her belief that yoga can be valuable and accessible to everyone and that the power of the individual practice is amplified when shared in community.

What to expect in class

Students can expect to move their entire bodies through a range of motion with a focus on balancing and harmonizing the physical and mental energies. Her instructions, which include the use of props and options for modifications, are clear and detailed, with an emphasis on proper alignment and nuanced body/breath awareness. Mercedes’ classes have a feeling of “flow” as she teaches with an emphasis on directing the breath to create smooth transitions and a steady deepening into the poses. In her classes, students often experience greater strength, flexibility and peace of mind than they expected.

As a Yoga Alliance certified E-RYT 500, Alex has been teaching yoga since 2009 and completed over 1,000 teaching hours. Exploring within the diverse traditions of yoga has been a profoundly transformative experience for her, and she aims to share her own sense of wonder and empowerment with each of her students and clients.

In 2017, Alex helped to launch the 200HR Circle Yoga Teacher Training as a founding lead trainer. In her role as teacher trainer, she is passionate about providing trainees with the skills they need to offer yoga beyond the confines of a traditional studio or gym setting. This includes understanding the anatomical basis for asana in a holistic, mindful and balanced way.

Additionally, since 2021 Alex has been a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT). She has worked in a variety of settings, from physical therapy clinics to yoga studios to community and workplace sites. All of these experiences infuse her approach to ensuring that each student or client is offered a balanced practice that is appropriately challenging and matched to their needs and goals.

Leyla is extremely grateful to her students and teachers. After spending a year-long residency at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, Leyla became a Kripalu certified yoga instructor in 1998. A life-long learner, Leyla continues her yoga training by learning about anatomy, yoga for aging bodies, and yoga philosophy. She is also a certified Qigong Teacher. Leyla has been teaching at Circle Yoga since 2010 and is currently serving on the CYC Board. She has been fortunate to teach at a variety of locations including Glen Echo Park, Whitman Walker Clinic, Catholic University, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Supreme Court. In 2002, she co-founded Capitol Hill Yoga and remained co-owner until 2008. In addition to teaching yoga, Leyla is a professor of social work at Catholic University, a mindfulness instructor at Sibley Hospital, and a psychotherapist.

What to expect in Leyla's class

With compassion and clarity, Leyla creates a safe space for beginners and experienced students alike to connect with their breath and bodies. Each class will have instruction on breath, alignment cues for safe poses, and end with a guided sivasana/relaxation. She choreographs her classes to progressively open and strengthen the body with plenty of "warm up" movements to ease the body into yoga poses. Since yoga is a practice for all bodies, abilities, and ages, Leyla provides modifications to ensure everybody feels comfortable.

Camille teaches yoga and mindfulness to kids and adults, and to individuals who are marginalized/vulnerable in a variety of settings—in studios, schools, at home, community centers, and homeless services organizations. She particularly likes to bring the practice to all to bolster their sense of body and spirit and encourage their self confidence and self worth.

Camille began her personal yoga practice in 1982 at a lunch time break from her historic architecture profession. She became an AFFA certified fitness instructor for the YMCA starting in 1988, where she taught aerobics, pre and postnatal fitness, body sculpting, Nordic walking, boot camp, beginner yoga, and kids' gymnastics. She became a certified children's yoga instructor shortly after Budding Yogis (the precursor to Circle Yoga) opened in 2003 and taught a variety of kids' yoga classes. She completed the 200-hour Circle Yoga Teacher Training in 2017 and now teaches Gentle Yoga classes for adults at the studio. She is particularly fond of teaching older adults who may otherwise find challenges as they age (as we all do) and have a great sense of humor.

Camille is also a mindfulness practitioner and facilitator at Opening Heart Mindfulness Community in the tradition of Thich Nhat Han, where she served on the board for several years. She is involved in several committees in this community with the Inclusivity Committee being the most relevant for her at this time, encouraging social justice to include opportunities and human rights for all. With yoga and mindfulness, and her love of nature, healthy food, and all living things, Camille hopes to bring more peace, freedom, liberation, and happiness to all beings everywhere.

Penny is a long-time staff member at Circle Yoga, and she has been practicing at the studio since 2005. In 2018, she graduated from the 200HR Circle Yoga Teacher Training, and she now teaches a regular Monday morning gentle/chair yoga class at St. Alban's church hall through Iona Senior Services. She also subs for other Iona Services classes on a regular basis. Penny loves to teach Gentle, Level 1 and especially Chair Yoga classes that focus on the breath and bodily alignment. She enjoys offering students the option to challenge themselves and go a little deeper into poses, while still moving safely with ease and joy.

Eileen practiced yoga for 16 years before completing the RYT-200 certification at Grace Studios in Silver Spring, MD, in 2022. She started teaching immediately and currently teaches Vinyasa Flow and Chair Yoga classes. Her commitment to inclusivity and strong desire to help others experience the life-enhancing benefits of consistent practice led her to complete an additional certification as an Accessible Yoga Instructor. As a teacher, Eileen believes yoga should be accessible for individuals of all ages and abilities. She has taught teens, adults, and seniors and enjoys sharing her knowledge and learning from her students. She finds that adaptations and using props can help some individuals explore a wider range of postures. Her classes offer all students a safe and supportive environment and pose sequences that flow with energy and grace, effort and ease. She is grateful to the gifted teachers whose guidance and mentoring led to teaching yoga with joy and compassion.