This is our Yoga Sangha

Our Story

Yoga Sangha is the rebirth of Dupont Circle Yoga. Dupont Circle Yoga was established in 2012 and has been at its current location since 2016. Since then it has developed a homegrown community of students who come for our wonderful teachers and each other.

As the studio went through a tumultuous change in ownership, one thing was clear. What made the studio the beloved place it has been was its people and that had to be preserved. We wanted to honor that by reopening as soon as possible. We also decided we wanted to start over; move forward with a clean slate, a better one.

So we became Yoga Sangha. Sangha is a Sanskrit word that means association, assembly, company, or community.

"The essence of the Sangha is awareness, acceptance, understanding, and harmony. In a Sangha, no person is an island. The Sangha is more like a network of trees with deep roots. Through these roots, the trees share water and nutrients underground, supporting each other and helping each other reach toward the sky... The roots go deep; through their connection, we are transformed. It cannot happen alone… When you work on yourself, you create conditions for all to live a fulfilling life… [We] each flourish when we create conditions for all to flourish. The Sangha reminds us of this. This leads to our spiritual development.

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When we move, breathe, study, and sit together, we enjoy the collective energy. It is healing. When we are surrounded by kindred spirits doing the same thing together, it is easy to flow in the stream of the Sangha and be absorbed by it. The energy will help you, carry you, and support you. It is there to make practice easy. It is powerful when a group of people choose to follow a mindful path together. They become a positive element in society."

- Excerpts from Yoga is a Team Sport by Sharon Galindo

Meet Our Instructors

The experienced team of instructors at Yoga Sangha are an integral part of our studio's community. Each instructor's unique style and experience allows us to provide an incredible variety of classes so every student who comes to our studio can find the right fit for them.

Tate Anderson

Tate Anderson began studying and practicing Ashtanga yoga in 2018 under Brinson Leigh Kresge to create balance in her physical and mental health. In 2019, she served as work- study at an Ashtanga Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica. After completing her 200 hr vinyasa training in 2021, Tate started a job teaching yoga in a residential treatment center. Aside from her passions in mental health advocacy and integrative health modalities, Tate is a painter and loves attending local art and poetry events. Her classes are centered around intention and intuition, while exploring dynamic, restorative, and empowering movement.

Gabriela Duarte

Gabriela is a D.C. native who has completed her 200-hour certification and a 50-hour Rocket training. Finding peace and strength through her practice, yoga inspires her to live each moment with awareness, compassion, and intention. Passionate about movement and nurturing the mind and body, Gabriela aims to create a safe and inviting space for all. She hopes to empower you through your own practice, to heal, and ignite the vibrant light we all have within us.

Lydia Franklin

Lydia (she/her) approaches yoga as a tool to find mental peace and clarity, cultivate connection between the mind and body, and foster a sense of community. In her classes, Lydia provides intentional and accessible yoga sequences for all levels to help students increase flexibility, relax the body, and quiet the mind. Although her classes provide a full body stretch, she focuses on hip openers, heart openers and spinal movement. Lydia hopes her students leave class feeling restored, open, and at peace.

Trevor Guthrie

Trevor is a California native who has been practicing yoga since 2018. Having earned his 200 hour certification through CorePower yoga and a practicing ashtanga yogi, Trevor focuses heavily on challenging asanas and transitions to bring students closer to their minds, bodies, and practices with each class. Trevor also holds a 30-hour restorative yoga certification. Trevor is passionate about the healing powers of music and movement and writes some of his own music to guide students in their practice.

Jes Howard

Jes teaches Yoga, Fitness and Dance throughout the DC area. She holds an RYT-300 and additional certifications in Advanced Hatha Yoga, Barre, Interval-based Group Fitness, and Flexibility Training. Challenging, playful, and energetically focused, her class is a process-oriented space for students to pursue optimal health, performance, and self-actualization, and to connect with one another in community. An active professional dancer, you can often find her in a studio or outside on the grass somewhere playing around with new ways to move and tell stories through the body.

Natalia Jauregui

Natalia's teaching mission is to help students feel empowered and to make yoga accessible to students from all backgrounds and experiences. She began her yoga journey after 16 years of classical ballet training. During college, she found that yoga supported her transition out of ballet and helped her maintain a strong mind-body connection. She completed my RYT-200 in 2021 with Corepower Yoga. Her classes are a dynamic flow that focuses on syncing breath to movement.

Steve Krzyzanowksi

Steve Krzyzanowski is an artist and athlete who was first drawn to yoga as a form of workout filled with artistic expression. Upon discovering yoga's healing meditative properties, he developed an appetite to learn as much as he can about the craft. It is his honor to share and pass on that knowledge with the humble hope that both his students and his self may grow.

Isabella Peraertz

Isabella is a 300-hr RYT, with certifications in ashtanga, yoga nidra, meditation and breathwork methodologies. With four years of experience teaching vinyasa and meditation at studios, trauma-informed yoga at non-profit organizations, and hosting breathwork + ashtanga workshops, she guides students through breath and movement sequences that inspire them to stay fully present and connect with their authentic selves.

Griffen Saul

Griffen (he/him) is a devoted practitioner and teacher of yoga. He completed his 200 hour YTT with Flow Yoga in Washington, D.C. with the support of numerous respected teachers from diverse lineages. He is deeply passionate about holding space to foster individual and community healing, as well as cultivate strength in the mind, body, and soul. In Griffen's class, you can expect to practice various pranayama techniques to connect with your breath, explore playful movement, and move towards developing a more compassionate relationship with yourself. Off the mat, you can find Griffen rock climbing, hiking, or gardening.

Rachel Stempler

Rachel has been practicing yoga for 10 years (in this lifetime at least) as of fall 2023 and has been teaching yoga since 2016. While some might say yoga runs in Rachel’s blood due to her great-uncle Ram Dass, Rachel has been drawn to the connection between mind, body, soul, and movement at the core of yoga. Her classes are inspired by yogic philosophies, Ayurvedic teachings, and her love of her growing yogi communities. Get ready to have fun, sweat, and connect to your inner wisdom during Rachel’s classes!

Mary Sullivan

Mary is certified through Kundalini Research Institute since 2016, and a Reiki Master since 2015, Mary loves sharing this high-impact and healing practice, especially as a remedy for busy Washingtonians who deserve self-love! In Mary's classes, you can expect to try an amazing range of postures that both strengthen and relax your nervous system.