THE TULA TEAM
LOTSIE CASH
Lotsie is the owner and co-founder of Tula Movement Arts. She was a professional ballet dancer primarily with companies in NYC and Boston as well as touring and freelancing gigs before she chose to pursue teaching yoga as a second career. She has been teaching yoga for over a decade and has over 1000 hours of training under her belt. Lotsie is trained and certified to teach essentially everything offered at Tula, from vinyasa to yin to prenatal yoga, aerial yoga, acroyoga, slacklining, as well as leading or co-teaching the majority of the teacher trainings held at Tula. Tula is very much an expression of her passions, both what she loves to do and what she loves to teach. Her classes are inspired primarily by alignment based vinyasa, functional anatomy, breath, the 5 elements (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and dance/music and are creative, challenging and fun. Some of her main yoga style influences both in practice and in teaching include Forrest yoga, Kula Yoga Project and Threes Physiyoga. Lotsie considers herself to be a "yoga mutt" and believes that exploration and variety in movement are incredibly important for our bodies, minds and spirits. She moved to Bend from NYC in 2016 and hasn't looked back!
Kate Finley
Kate has trained with various studios in silks, sling, lyra, and straps all over the west coast since 2016. Before circus, she was a figure skating coach and choreographer in California for 10 years with 10 additional prior years of nationally competitive skating experience. She currently performs with her aerial competition team in various events and festivals throughout Central Oregon. When she's not noodling around in the air, she is either working as a pediatric nurse at St Charles or enjoying the outdoors with her 3 kids and husband. She enjoys sharing her love of aerial with her students and encourages fun and creativity while emphasizing safety, proper technique, and body alignment in her classes. She is PALS certified, a member of the American Circus Educators, has her teacher training and continuing ed from Paper Doll Militia and Aerial Physique, and has rigging education through Night Owl Circus. She is a firm believer that circus is for everyone and loves how Tula provides an inclusive community in an accessible and friendly environment!
See you in the air!
Brooke Coletta
Brooke found her love of Yoga at a small San Diego studio in 2008. She was inspired to deepen into her practice and so she and her husband decided to move to Colorado in 2013 where she took her 200 hour teacher training at Yoga Loft in Boulder. She immediately knew this was only the beginning of her path. After completing her first training, she jumped in head first taking the Unnata® Aerial Yoga Teacher Training with Michelle Dortignac; and then her 500 hour Advanced Teacher Training with Shannon Paige.
Brooke understands Asana to be one aspect of the journey that Yoga is and can be. Brooke uses oracle cards in her classes to help students create an intention and to dive deeper into their Yoga practice. She likes to challenge her students to feel each posture and experience the fullness of their breath; for it is Brooke’s belief, that the breath creates the rhythm of ones practice. Brooke also frequently speaks about the Hindu deities and engages in their mythical and fun stories reminding students that they are a part of something larger.
“Stepping into a world of inspiration in her every spoken word, chant, and instruction, Brooke’s infectious uniqueness is a call to her students to live themselves authentically alive and courageously face forward to life’s myriad come-what-mays.”-Shannon Paige
Brooke is a lifelong student and her goal is to ignite whatever it is inside you that fuels your Yoga fire!
HANNAH HEILICHER
Choosing to follow her heart over our culture's 9-5 obsession, Hannah graduated with a couple business degrees from the University of Montana before heading to Costa Rica to study yoga under NYC based studio, Reflections Yoga. Her focus and training emphasizes slow flow movements to bring awareness and breath to proper alignment within poses. After completing her 200RYT in 2014, Hannah trained and taught in Missoula Montana, studying aerial silks, aerial yoga and circus arts. After moving to Bend in 2015, Hannah tried her hand at adulting, only to discover how much she missed sharing yoga with her community. She is proud to now be a certified AiREAL Yoga & Aerial Mukti Yoga teacher (2017) and is thrilled to be teaching both aerial and floor yoga to all skill levels in Bend OR.
ANNA HAAR
Anna moved to Bend in 2016 from Minnesota. She brings with her years of experience teaching various yoga styles. A long time Ashtanga practitioner and dancer, she finally decided to become a certified yoga teacher at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis. She also completed Ashtanga teacher training with David Swenson.
As a dancer, Anna loves to bring the beauty of movement into her yoga classes, finding that perfect balance between strength and flexibility.
Growing up in Latvia, Anna traveled the world extensively before moving to the US. When she is not practicing yoga, you can find her hiking with her dog, mountain biking, or watching her three kids play soccer.
Anna loves to help students grow in their individual practices, helping them get stronger and more confident in their bodies with each class.
BARB DERSCH
Barb fell in love with yoga immediately after her first experience in a led class. "I was in the middle of a difficult time in my life and it was as if someone opened a window and let in light and love. I had finally found a home for my heart and my passion in life." That passion only grew from there and led her to receive a 200 Hr. RYT certification in 2013 from the Heart of the Cascades yoga teacher training. Right away leading yoga classes felt natural and enjoyable, so Barb quickly gained teaching hours by leading an average of ten classes a week. She teaches a variety of formats including Vinyasa, Restorative Flow, Restorative, Yin, Vin/Yin and Guided Meditation. Her personal teaching style is varied as well. You will never experience the same class twice with Barb. Her approach is compassionate, fluid, ever-evolving, at once sensitive to the moment and students needs, yet challenging. Barb believes yoga is life changing and loves to help others to heal and grow.
Barb's second passion in life is a love of books. She holds a BA in English and had planned to teach English when she decided to teach yoga instead. She often incorporates inspiring readings and likes to weave a theme into physical practice. Born and raised in the mid-west, Barb moved to Bend in 2000 because she loves being outdoors and takes any opportunity to get out in our gorgeous mountains and desert. A mother of two beautiful boys, she enjoys camping and hiking with her family, and gardening. She is also accomplished violinist and self-taught pianist.
Barb is excited to be a part of the Tula community and see her practice and teaching continue to evolve.
DANA JOHNSON
Dana is a long time resident of 20 years in beautiful Bend, Oregon. Mama, yogi and midwife, Dana draws on her experience in these life teachings and brings it to her yoga classes. A 200-RYT, Dana is passionate about supporting women during their profound transformation into motherhood and is excited to offer her service as a prenatal yoga teacher.
She pulls from her 14 years of pregnancy, birth and postpartum education and experience. Each woman comes with her own power, difficulties, triumphs, relationships and grace. This is what she loves most about teaching prenatal yoga.
Yoga has been a grounding force in her life over the last 20 years and was her healing passage through anxiety. In 2010, Dana dove deeper into her yoga practice through Anusara Immersions 1-3 and continued on to graduate from Vinyasa and Hatha 200 hour ytt and 300 hour YTT. Presently Dana is enrolled in Rasa Yoga Online Teacher Training with Sianna Sherman.
Having focus on body mechanics, alignment and breath, this class will bring you deeper awareness and strength in your body, while leaving feeling relaxed and nurtured. The community that is created in this class will expand your Mama Tribe for a life time. Join the tribe today!
KELLEE BLANCHARD
Kellee grew up dancing and tumbling in Eugene, OR. She began teaching as an assistant at age 13 and fell in love. Upon graduating from the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon in 1997 with a major in Spanish and a minor in dance, she immediately opened her first dance studio. After a few years, Kellee took a break from teaching to study at the University of Hawaii's graduate program in dance education. In 2005 Kellee opened Calliope Dance Studio in San Francisco, California. She directed the program and taught most of the classes until she and her husband felt the pull to return to Oregon. Calliope, however, is still going strong and Kellee returns each year to manage backstage at the annual recitals. In 2010 Kellee started Moving Joyfully in Oregon and published a book with the same title. She specializes in ages 2-6 delighting in the magic and wonder of that age group and fostering the imagination and creativity that is so alive in the little ones. In addition to teaching young children, Kellee began to work more with children who are not typically developing. Kellee lead Sensory Story Time at the Eugene Public Library and taught DanceAbility classes for teens. She also works with teachers showing them how to include movement in the classroom. Kellee has taught in Colombia, Panama, and India but always comes back to her roots in Oregon. There is nothing Kellee enjoys more than dancing with children.