Rich Ray is a KPJAYI Level II authorized teacher. He is the director of Ashtanga Yoga Portland Maine. His first trip to Mysore, India was in 1998. Since then he has made numerous trips to Mysore in order to study and practice with Sharath and Pattabhi Jois. Coupled with a steady Ashtanga practice, Rich has been an avid student of Zen buddhism since 1995. He dropped everything for a four year period of silent monastic training. Rich has been teaching yoga and mediation since Y2K and is committed to assisting all those who wish to walk these ancient paths. May all beings benefit!

As a psychologist, yoga practitioner and Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Aura's primary focus is on body and mental wellbeing through ancient practices that foster the power of health.

Aura attended her first yoga class in 2007 seeking holistic remedies for mental health. A couple of months later she was a regular in the Ashtanga yoga class and started focusing on cleaning up her diet and lifestyle. More than 12 years have passed, and she continues to have a daily practice that brings her back to the harmony of focusing on routines and healing.

Aura has trained and studied under world renowned teachers like Doug Swenson, Day Christensen, Rich Ray, Kate O'Donnell, Bibi Lorenzetti, Kathryn Budig, and others.

Her classes and guidance are firm yet gentle, as you dive into the depth of the subtle body and mind...one breath at a time.

Learn more about Aura and her services here.

Yoga nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. The relationship between practice and student is ever-evolving, in service to that nourishment."

It is from this philosophy of service that Sara teaches, influenced by master teachers Doug Swenson, Tim Miller, and Max Strom, as well as by the ancient teachings of traditional yoga.

Sara began her study of yoga in 1997 as a complement to her dance training, and came to Ashtanga yoga in 2005, choosing her 500-RYT with Doug Swenson. She primarily teaches Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Fundamentals/Beginner, and added Yoga Wall to her repertoire in 2018. Along with varied formats, Sara enjoys an eclectic audience, having taught to community college students, corporate clients, prison inmates, and veterans.

Sara currently resides in Charlestown, MA, where she studies remotely with Gwen Lawrence (Power Yoga for Sports) to expand her teaching to athletes, while also teaching classes at Asana Charlestown and in the Mysore room of Boston Ashtanga Collective. Off the mat, Sara enjoys knitting, baking, studying neuroscience, and spending time with her nieces.

Karen’s first experience with yoga was an Ashtanga lead primary class more than 20 years ago and she has been hooked ever since. A long-time student of Kate O’Donnell and Rich Ray, she progressed her personal practice through the first half of Advanced A series and began her teaching and assisting journey under their guidance. Karen has also trained in the Ashtanga method with other noteworthy teachers including Dominic Corigliano, Nancy Gilgof, Christine Hoar, David Swenson and many others. Karen also has her 500-hour certification in the vinyasa style through Rolf Gates, is a certified children’s yoga teacher through Little Flower Yoga and has completed continuing education course work in Anatomy Trains with Tom Myers. Karen is currently enrolled in the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) teacher training pathway at Brown University and has a longstanding career in commercial and institutional real estate.

A Professor of ancient Greek at Wellesley College by day, Kate has been practicing yoga consistently since 2007. She did her 200 hour RYT teacher training with Claire Este McDonald and Gregor Singleton at Empower Yoga in Beverly MA in 2012, and has been working with Dennis Young, studying yoga off the mat since 2013, cultivating a meditation practice, and talking about how to live a life aligned with the principles of yoga. She was certified in Reiki 1 and 2 by Clara Diebold in 2019. She taught an array of hot vinyasa classes at Firefly Yoga in Westwood MA between 2013 and 2020. When she first began practicing Ashtanga in 2014, she was immediately drawn to the rigor of daily practice and the direct communication of hands-on teaching. Before coming to Ashtanga, she learned assisting techniques with Masaaki Okamura, and then learned Ashtanga assisting under the guidance of Rich Ray, Kate O’Donnell, Didi Von Deck, and Andrew Bauer. She is devoted to yoga not only for the solace it can bring in troubled times, but also for its promise of living life with more freedom and joy.

Victoria discovered yoga as a student at Boston College in 2005 and was drawn to the profound, systematic approach of the Ashtanga practice in 2011. Since then she has been a dedicated student, apprenticed with authorized teachers including Rich Ray and Alicia Orr, and made multiple trips to Mysore, India to study with Sharath Jois. Outside of the yoga studio, Victoria is a digital designer, and therefore understands the realities of balancing a rigorous yoga practice with a demanding career and integrating yogic principles into a modern life. She hopes to inspire her students to develop a consistent practice that supports and enhances their lifestyles, thus contributing to their own wellbeing and that of their communities.