At High Country Yoga, there is a broad spectrum of classes offered so that you can come in and get just what you need on a day to day basis. Every class is taught to accommodate all skill levels of practitioners.
Our Instructors
Briana went to her first yoga class at the age of 12 years old at the local gym by her house. Her dad attended classes regularly and would sometimes bring her and her sister along. Growing up, she was a competitive gymnast, so she enjoyed the routine and discipline of the yoga practice. She began practicing vinyasa yoga regularly in high school and into college which is when she completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in July of 2011 in Davie, FL just outside of her hometown. She has now been teaching for over 10 years and loves to share her experience with the practice of yoga with others. Briana is a graduate from Appalachian State University and the founder of High Country Yoga which she opened in September of 2014. The first class she offered at HCY was a Friday evening “Reggae Yoga” class to set the tone of an easy-going, all-are-welcome vibe for the studio and it has been a staple HCY class ever since! Briana strives to provide a comfortable and judgment-free studio for everyone in the community and enjoys holding space for everyone to experience the practice of yoga in their own way. When Briana is not practicing yoga, she is likely to be hiking, camping, walking her dog Bear, listening to live music, paddle boarding, or relaxing by the river.
Veronica credits yoga with helping her through grief, burnout, writing a book, and open heart surgery. She began teaching in 2014 and has certifications in Bikram Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Intuitive Meditation, Meridian Yoga Therapy, Pranayama, Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Veronica moved to Boone from California with her partner in 2023 and is an associate dean and professor at App State’s University Libraries. For Veronica, yoga and librarianship go hand in hand -- both focus on critical inquiry, self-liberation, and connecting to our body, mind, and spirit as sources of information. She also offers intuitive readings and healings. You can find out more and check out her newsletter.
Mary truly trusts in the power of the yoga lifestyle and believes that the real yoga is on and off the mat. Movement has always been a part of her life as she was a dancer before she began her yoga practice. After practicing yoga for over five years, Mary took a 200 hour teacher training course to become a certified yoga instructor so she could share this practice with her community. She has found that together with breath and mindful movement, we can create a powerful and energetic vibration to cleanse our mind and body and she is excited to share some yoga with you one day!
Rachel loves sharing joy and love with all those in her life. She’s been practicing yoga for over 14 years and teaching for the past 8. Asheville Yoga Center and Durga’s Tiger School in Ecuador are held near to her heart, as she received her 200 hour Vinyasa training in 2015 and 300 hour Kaula Tantra Yoga training in 2019 from those spaces respectively. Her style is intuitive, informed by the body, flowy, and creative. Come tap into your breath and body with Rachel!
Rebecca first arrived on her mat more than 20 years ago, during which time she gradually transitioned from classroom teacher to yoga teacher. She guides alignment-based classes that are steeped in imagery and metaphor to evoke the imagination and tune the instrument of the body. She sees yoga as a potent means to use our physiology to affect our psychology. When practiced with equal measures of curiosity, humility and tenacity of purpose, we cultivate a practice where the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. It allows us the space to create alchemical shifts that serve us in the myriad ways we are asked to show up as active participants in our lives. Rebecca employs the physical practice of yoga as a way to embody archetypes that make one more poised, pliable and powerful, both on and off the mat. Forever a student first, she is always hungry to expand her understanding of this transformative practice and continuously hone her teaching. Rebecca completed her 200 hour training at Citizen Yoga in the Detroit area in 2019 and is currently working toward a second certification in Katonah Yoga. A native of Michigan, Rebecca has spent the majority of her adulthood in North Carolina and feels finally settled in Boone, the place that has always made her feel the most alive. When she's not on her mat, you're likely to find her on a trail, on her paddleboard, or chasing after her two boys.
Hannah believes that although yoga is a great way to exercise, become flexible, and express movement, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for spiritual exploration and self-study. In 2015 Hannah began her practice partly because she was looking for a more expressive movement practice, but especially due to the anxiety that consumed her daily routines. The practices of breathing, moving, singing, and just sitting with yourself have been wholesome remedies for Hannah and to this day she continues to delve deeper into the spiritual, mental and philosophical aspects of yoga. Hannah received her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in May 2020 through Neighborhood Yoga after getting her MA in experimental psychology. Her studies have led her to empirical evidence that yoga is beneficial for various mental illnesses, and as a result she would like to help her students learn more about themselves and others. She says, “Yoga will not fix your life or eliminate the storm, but instead your practice will give you a compass so that you can navigate the waters more smoothly. “
David took his first yoga class in 1978 in Los Angeles, the beginning of a rewarding and continuing dedication to the practice of yoga. His study has been eclectic with some of the most noted teachers in both the Ashtanga and Iyengar traditions. David shares, “While I have meditated off and on for some 44 years, I seldom could find a cessation to the ‘chatter of the mind’. However through a vigorous yoga practice, one which continuously challenges the body while at the same time focuses on the breath, I found I could have a profound experience of being—beyond all thought. Utilizing the standing and seated poses as well as twists and backbends, my hope is for us to experience that essence of yoga - the union of body, mind, and spirit.”
Valerie bought a yoga DVD in 2001 on a whim as a way to workout during college and quickly discovered yoga’s healing properties. She maintained a steady practice over the years, but even grew more serious in 2020 as a way to cope with stress, grief, and some serious health issues that arose for her in the midst of the pandemic. When she realized how integral yoga had been to her mental and physical health during those hard times, she knew it was time to deepen her practice through yoga teacher training. She received her 200 hour yoga certification from the Soma Yoga Institute in 2024. In her free time she spends as much time outside as possible and enjoys kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, camping, gardening, or just curling up on her front porch with her dog, a mug of tea, and a good book.
Erin found her way to the mat in 2004 while in college after playing sports her entire life and made her way to a studio in 2019. In a world full of outward challenges, the practice of yoga provides her the space to focus internally and, through the process, invites inner peace. Balancing the needs of her identities as mother, partner, professional, and others must be nurtured for her to live a balanced life. The way she seeks balance is through feeling grounded enough on her mat to create opportunities to connect her mind and body. She completed her 200 Yoga Teacher Training at Neighborhood Yoga in Boone, NC in May 2023 and is currently pursuing her 300 Yoga Teacher Training certification at Asheville Yoga Center. When not on the mat, she can be found exploring the world through the eyes of her children, cuddling up with her bulldog, or going on adventures with her partner.
James began his yoga journey in his freshman year of high school during a very confusing part of his life. He remembers being in dancer pose in one his first classes where he placed his hand on his heart and almost started crying. For the first time in over a year, he felt so alive and free. His confusion and fear was no longer there. Yoga has given James some of his biggest role models and best friends, and his practice has showed him how to love himself. The summer after he graduated high school James completed his 200 hour teacher training at Y2 Yoga in Charlotte, NC. James then began teaching his freshman year of college and has only grown more in love with the practice of yoga. He enjoys teaching a faster paced class in a power yoga style because that is what taught him the most about himself. James hopes that everyone who attends his class learns something about themselves before they leave their mat.
Macy teaches and practices yoga from a place of joy prioritizing opportunities for exploration and expression! She began practicing yoga in 2018, completed her RYT-200 at Asheville Yoga Center in 2022, and spent two months at Amritapuri ashram in 2023. These experiences and teachers have inspired a multitude of lifestyle changes and practices of wellbeing. A yoga practice provides such a unique opportunity to better understand the physical and emotional layers of the self providing us with unique opportunities to find stillness when faced with challenges. Macy’s style varies in physical intensity, but always challenges us to practice kindness and gratitude so that together we can learn how best to honor ourselves.