Meet The Team

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. Her classes are inspired by alignment, functional anatomy, breath, the 5 elements (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and dance/music. Lotsie's classes are creative, challenging and fun, and there are always layers and options offered to accommodate all levels. 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!

Marie has been coaching gymnastics for over 20 years. It has always been a huge part of her life. "I couldn't imagine my life without gymnastics. It has taught me so much. And I love sharing the fun and sport with kids." Coach Marie knows how important it is to move and use your body and the confidence that comes with it especially at a young age. When she isn't coaching or managing Tula you can find her at the mountain snowboarding or mountain biking with her husband and daughter. 

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.

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!

Dana is a long time resident in beautiful Bend, Oregon since 1996.  Mama, yogi and midwife, Dana draws on her experience in these life teachings and brings it to her yoga classes. Dana is passionate about supporting women during their profound transformation into motherhood and is excited to offer her service as a prenatal yoga teacher and midwife.

Dana pulls from years of experience in pregnancy, birth and postpartum education. In 2010, Dana graduated from The National College of Midwifery and became a certified and licensed midwife in Oregon.  Dana studied Mayan Abdominal Massage, Earth Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Vaginal Steaming and Ayurvedic Postpartum Care. 

Yoga has been a grounding force in her life over the last 20 years and was her healing passage through anxiety. In 2010, Dana began to deepen her yogic studies and has since completed an anusara yoga immersion, 500 hours of Hatha yoga teacher training (500 RYT), 90 hours of prenatal yoga (RPYT) and certified in pelvic floor yoga. Dana has also studied trauma-informed yoga and meditation.  

Dana currently attends home births and birth center births with Bend Birth Center.  She welcomes to her classes any phase of pregnancy or experience with yoga and holds space for a fun, safe, connective and empowering experience.  

Becky Nickerson exudes tranquility, peacefulness, and calm, as you speak to her, but take one of her vinyasa flow classes and you’ll see right away that Becky has an energetic and powerful practice. Becky’s classes combine breath awareness with movement, deep meditation, and music, which offers an exciting, fun, and yet challenging way to connect the body, mind, and spirit.

Becky completed her 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification at the Himalayan Institute with teachers Rolf Sovik PsyD., Sandra Anderson, Shari Friedrichson, and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait PhD. Since Becky finished her first Power Vinyasa Yoga Certification at Green Monkey on Miami Beach, Becky has taught thousands of yoga classes, ten teacher trainings, countless workshops, and founded Infinity Yoga which grew to four locations in Atlanta, GA. After having two baby girls, Becky and her husband decided to slow down, sell the yoga studios, and move to Bend. When Becky is not on the mat you can find her adventure racing, chasing toddlers, cooking southern comfort food, or cuddling with the family’s two pugs.

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.

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. 

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!

Sinnamon Hauser is a dancer, choreographer and Pilates, yoga, dance and history teacher based in Bend, Oregon. She has taught movement and fitness classes in gyms, Pilates studios and in public education for the past 25 years. Sinnamon directed the Renaissance High School of the Arts dance program in Long Beach, California for sixteen years, and danced and choreographed professionally in the Los Angeles area for the past twenty years.  She is driven to turn students on to the joy of movement and self discovery. Her class aims to be accessible, with a focus on proper alignment and safety. She aims to meet each student where they are, and give individualized attention to help her students get the most out of class. Her mission is to make dance an empowering experience for students of all ages and experience, and a way to build community. Sinnamon, her husband Erick and children Sofia and Emerson moved to Bend because of their love of the outdoors. They spend their free time exploring the lakes, mountains and riding their bikes.  

Brooke began her journey in fitness back in 2008 when a friend took her to her first yoga class. From there she began practicing regularly and eventually began participating in a bootcamp.  When asked to take on coaching the bootcamp, she got certified in 2012 and began instructing.  She instructed bootcamp for 4 years, then obtained her 200hr yoga certification in 2017. She’s taught various forms of yoga including vinyasa flow, gentle, prenatal, as well as assisted yin. She has participated in and taught pre & post-natal fitness, getting certified in 2019.  After moving to Bend in 2020, she obtained her Barre certification and began teaching in 2021. In 2023, she obtained her Lagree Method certification. 

When not teaching, Brooke enjoys spending time with her two sons and husband exploring everything Bend has to offer.  In particular, they enjoy the lakes and hiking in the Summer, while enjoying snow-shoeing in the Winter. 

Allison first studied the work of Joseph Pilates with the distinguished Diane Diefenderfer while attending the University of California Irvine, and began intensive study of the Pilates method with master trainer Tracy Fitzpatrick of Aline Studios in Newport Beach, California, upon her graduation with a BFA in dance in 1997. Her subsequent career dancing professionally with Anaheim Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Metropolitan Ballet and then Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre, where she was a principal dancer for 15 years, has enhanced her work as a Pilates instructor. Ali enjoyed performing and teaching as she continued to grow as an instructor. In 2000 she began managing the first Pilates studio within a Yoga Works, in Laguna Beach, California. In 2006, Ali and her husband opened their very own studio, Fluid Pilates, and enjoyed running the business until moving to Bend.

Since moving to Bend in 2011, Ali can be found teaching Pilates, Barre and Ballet classes. She is also certified in BBarreless, Barre Above, and enjoys her ongoing continued education for her Pilates certification with professionals such as Tracey Mallett, Erika Quest and John Garey, to name a few. Since the pandemic, Ali has become knowledgeable with holding zoom classes and workshops that reach people all over the globe. Ali enjoys drawing on her applied knowledge of dance and Pilates to help make a difference in the lives and bodies of all her clients!

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. 

Carrie started her yoga journey in college as a student of neuroscience and powerlifting athlete
to bring balance, ease and recovery into her highly active life. Shortly after graduating Carrie
concurrently earned her 200 hour RYT and 50 hours of aerial yoga teacher training. Since then
she has acquired 25 hours in yin yoga training and is now a graduate student of Maryland
University of Integrative Health in Yoga Therapy. Carrie is passionate about making yoga and
aerial yoga accessible to every special body by creating therapeutic sequences to support
finding comfort and ease while building physical and mental strength making yoga an accessible
practice for all students both on the mat and in the air. In her spare time Carrie is a level one
certified aromatherapist and custom aerial silk tie dyer, maintains balancing powerlifting and
functional weight training alongside her personal yoga practice and enjoys spending time
wandering the trails in Bend with her partner.

Meghan Mahealani has dedicated her life’s work to guiding women back home to their bodies after a lifetime of disconnection and dissociation. After teaching elemental yoga for 11 years, in 2012 Meghan founded the Amba Method, a system of embodiment for women that includes movement, breath, imagery, subtle body training, the 5 elements, and the unique earth resonance body-based meditation: Deep Nourishment. Meghan's approach is on remembering that nature is not a place we visit—it’s who we are.

Marisa began teaching in New York City in 2007 and has since taught Pilates and barre to people of all ages and abilities in Hawaii, Colorado, and now Oregon. Her favorite part about teaching is helping people find their inner (core) strength and watching them realize what their bodies are capable of. Her classes are up-beat, challenging, creative, and full of good music.

Marisa is also a board certified functional nutritionist, a mom, life-long dancer, and lover of pugs.

Suzanne is passionate about yoga as a way of life. She believes wholeheartedly in the transformative power of practicing yoga in our physical, mental, and emotional selves both on and off the mat.  She began her yoga journey in 2011, regularly practicing Kripalu Yoga in Maryland. She attended the intensive 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires of Massachusetts's in early 2017 prior to moving to Bend.  Once in Bend, she started practicing Aerial yoga and fell in love with it. So, in 2018, she added a new dimension to her yoga practice by taking a teacher training for Aerial yoga. She finds its therapeutic and healing benefits a great addition to traditional yoga practices and beyond.  It's a practice available to anyone - Yogi or not - it brings a reset and rebalance to our bodies after whatever other pursuits we do.  She loves teaching at Tula - beginners to advanced.

A Groupon Coupon brought Tara to the practice in 2012, and she’s been hooked ever since. After nearly a decade of daily devotion, Tara completed her 200 hr teacher training at Groove in Bend. 

Whether on the mat, skate skiing, mountain biking, running or dancing, tuning into her breath & body while listening to her heart is a vital part of her life. Her personal practice is a graceful, powerful vinyasa flow rooted in Ashtanga. Both in her practice and in her teachings, you will find her focused on breath initiated movement.

Tara’s dedication to the study of the yoga sutras and daily practice shines through in her traditional style of teaching. She views the body and time spent on the mat as a precious gift of informative self study and transformation unlike anything else. 

It is through this gift of grounding, breathing and aligning with the heart that one can alleviate suffering, and through a consistent practice of yoga that we are able to become mindful of our consciousness one breath at a time. Tara hopes to hold space for you in your journey, as her teachers have held for her, while upholding the integrity of the lineages to the best of her knowledge.

Namaskaram, Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti 

Nicole has called Bend home since 2000. Born and raised in Chicago, she is a former gymnast who discovered yoga while attending college in Colorado. As life unfolded, yoga developed her capacity to navigate grief, awaken consciousness, catalyze personal growth, and enhance wellbeing. She has instructed yoga since 2014 after completing a 500 Hour teacher training at The Yoga Lab in Bend. She recently completed Yoga Medicine’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Yoga Teacher Training. 

Nicole's experience includes leading studio classes, workshops, and teacher training intensives. Her path as a teacher also emcompasses everything from music festivals and rock climbing gyms to chair yoga for seniors. Nicole's classes are grounded in a blend of thoughtful sequencing, clear instruction, lovingly crafted playlists, and elements inspired by the teachings of yoga.

Nicole is a music lover, avid traveler, and outdoor enthusiast. In addition to pursuing her passion for yoga, she has worked professionally in our local nonprofit sector for over two decades. She enjoys a life of shared adventures with her husband and dog. 

Bio coming soon!