The Solar Yoga family has two strong beliefs: that we are all one big family and that every person has so much to teach and so much to learn. When you practice at Solar Yoga, you will feel like family, whether you are related or not, and no matter how often you practice. We are all connected, and we all are important members of the local and global community.

Each of the teachers at Solar Yoga is committed to his or her own yoga practice, both on the mat and off. We are all inspired to continue our education, either by attending trainings, workshops, conferences or local classes. Through our amazing collection of teachers, Solar Yoga offers wisdom from renowned yoga master such as Bikram, Baron Baptiste, Jimmy Barkan, Seane Corn, David Life, Gurmuhk Kaur Kalsa, and Sharon Gannon. Each teacher can offer inspirational books, DVD’s, CD’s, or ideas for helping in the community. We have in turn been inspired by Solar Yoga students who have shared their own experiences and resources.

We are all teachers, and we are all students.

I was introduced to Bikram Yoga by my mom, Solar Yoga co-owner Loretta Richter. I was not good at it. I did not survive my first several classes, and I only occasionally practiced with my mom and sister when I was home on college breaks. When my mom suggested I go to training, however, I was confident and I agreed; little did I know that my first spiritual awakening was awaiting me! In the summer of 2004 I attended and graduated from Bikram's Yoga College of India, a grueling nine-week training. I was humbled and empowered in ways I could not before have imagined.

My personal practice began as I began teaching; as I witnessed and encouraged others to breathe, stay calm and have courage, I practiced the same concepts. As I learned to be patient and forgiving of others as they learned, struggled, and triumphed, I learned to treat myself and my own practice with the same respect. I believe I learned more from each of my students than they ever learned from me!

Since that first year of teaching, I have attended four Baptiste Power Yoga Institute (BPYI) trainings, and continue to attend workshops and conferences on a regular basis. Today my classes are filled with lessons that I have learned from so many wonderful teachers, and lessons that I learn from life every single day. I begin each yoga class with the joy and eagerness that comes from knowing that something great could happen, and probably will. In my class you will be challenged to reach your greatest potential on all levels: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Come prepared to sweat, laugh, breathe, and find a stillness from deep inside yourself... and I'll come prepared to do the same!

Stephanie was introduced to Hot Yoga by her mother (Solar Yoga co-owner, Loretta Richter) in the fall of 2001. She soon discovered Power Vinyasa Yoga, and quickly grew to love that practice as well. In the summer of 2004 she challenged her Power Yoga practice by attending and completing the Level I Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste. The following year she trained with Bikram, and became certified to teach Hot Yoga in the spring of 2005. After returning to Colorado from training, she began teaching regularly in anticipation of the opening of the Solar Yoga studio.

In the fall of 2006 Stephanie’s requisite growth as a yoga instructor inspired her to attend Prenatal Teacher Training with Janice Clarfield at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. She is excited to share with expecting mothers, the great benefits of this specialized series of postures designed to help and prepare for the labor and delivery of their babies.

Loretta , co-owner of the Solar Yoga studio, fell in love with yoga after her first Bikram Yoga experience. Practicing before or after her regular workday, she valued hot yoga for its intense cardio workout that relieved stress and kept her feeling young and alive.

Traveling extensively for her full-time sales job, she managed to fit in yoga classes, as time permitted, in the many cities she visited throughout the world. All the while, she observed how yoga studios were operated, how instructors interacted with students, and how students responded to their teachers and to their practices. Over the next several years, she attended many yoga retreats and completed the Level I Teacher Training program with Baron Baptiste. She became certified to teach Hot Yoga in July of 2006, after her training with Jimmy Barkan of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Loretta introduces to the students of Solar Yoga, The Barkan Method of Hot Yoga (which is what Jimmy Barkan calls “the evolution of Hot Yoga”). This method is introduced in the Hot Flow and Gentle Yoga classes. Her style is quiet and calm, encouraging each of the students to listen to their bodies, to work to their edge, and relax into the process of physical and mental transformation.

Dave Richter, also known around Solar Yoga as “Dad”, graduated in July 2009 from Hot Yoga Teacher Training with Jimmy Barkan in Florida. His interest in yoga started after his wife, Loretta, began her own yoga practice and kept saying over and over again….”you know what would help that ….pain – hot yoga!” After watching his wife and two daughters, Stephanie and Stacie, all go through yoga teacher training and love their developing yoga practices, they started talking about opening a yoga studio. Dave was fascinated with the growing interest in yoga that was in his family (and all around him) and started his own practice after Solar Yoga opened. The community, the improved health, and the overall growth that has resulted from being immersed in the yoga world and his own practice inspired a life changing decision: focus on sharing yoga with as many people as possible to help facilitate change, growth and balance. Dave is excited to share his practice with you and to see you in class soon!

Tiffany Monroe began her yoga practice in 2006 at Solar Yoga. An avid advocate of health and exercise, finding yoga was like finding home for her. She was quickly amazed by the totality of the practice, enriching not only the body, but also the mind and the very spirit. Yoga gave her a sense of completeness that she had been lacking. She knew right away that teaching yoga to others would be a source of profound joy in her life.

Tiffany completed Level I Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in 2007, and began teaching Power Vinyasa yoga classes very soon after. She balances her time with teaching, her own practice, and her interior design and painting company. She has found that all of the yogic principals she has learned translate perfectly into her other endeavors, and all facets of her life. She is very excited to continue growing, learning, and sharing all of the beautiful lessons to come.

Joy, gratitude, and the belief that we all can reach our wondrous full potential, is what drives Tiffany in her teaching. It is her greatest desire to help her students realize their true strengths and their unique importance in the world.

Lauren has been an athlete since childhood – finding yoga at various times amongst her many other interests of soccer, dancing, hiking, climbing, telemark skiing and running competitively. It wasn’t until she moved to Boulder in 2000 that she took her first Ashtanga class. Thinking she was in pretty good shape with so many active sports, she was amazed by how challenging it was! Inspired by the challenge of a new physical activity, she began experimenting with various styles of yoga including Bikram, Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Turbovinyasa and Baptiste’s Power Yoga.

Lauren soon found that there were many changes taking place in her body and mind that inspired her to take her athletic endeavors to the next level. She wanted to learn more and to incorporate yoga into other areas of her life. In 2003 she completed a 200-hour Interdisciplinary Yoga Teacher Training program in Nosara, Costa Rica, at the Nosara Yoga Institute. This training encouraged her to draw from her varied background and to teach in a wide variety of settings. This included incorporating yoga into her kindergarten classroom’s daily routine! In Lauren’s class, you will be encouraged to do as her kindergarteners do – to be present in the moment, challenge yourself and most importantly have fun!

Dawn began seeking a yoga lifestyle at 16 years old. Over the years, her practice has evolved to fit her life as she grew and changed. Years ago, she first studied Iyengar style yoga and then was drawn toward Yinyasa. Dawn has completed yoga teacher trainings in Sivananda style, Amrit style, and most recently Bikram yoga. She feels that teaching yoga is an opportunity to share some of the joy that she has found in her own yoga practice. Yoga has been such an important part of her life, both physically and emotionally, always coming back to find herself through her yoga practice. Dawn hopes to see you in one of her classes soon!

Meaghan discovered yoga after years of struggling with self-esteem and body image issues, including an eating disorder. Her mat became a sacred space where she remembered the spirit within. She continues to experience her practice as a resource for healing and wholeness. Meaghan has completed trainings in Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow, and is trained to teach yoga to at-risk youth and adults. She has completed two years of course work in Somatic Therapy, and has received training hours in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and Chakra energy work. Meaghan trained with and travels to assist her teacher Seane Corn. Seane introduced Meaghan to sacred activism and Off the Mat Into the World. Through sacred activism Meaghan discovered how cultivating change is sustainable. Sacred activism is soul food. Meaghan's intention is to bring food to the masses. Meaghan has helped many students discover their passions and how to be of service. Her classes are infused with her intuitive understanding of the healing power of yoga on the mat and beyond.

Gil has been a student of yoga since 1999, developing a comprehensive understanding of proper alignment and the flow of energy within the body. Becoming a teacher was a natural transition that stemmed from his passion to share the holistic practices of yoga and the powerful transformation it has brought to his life. His classes are linked with intelligence, and exploration. His ability to bridge ancient philosophy with modern teachings through story and humor enables students to feel at ease while inspiring them to open in the journey of yoga beyond the body.

For several years I had this subtle feeling that I should try yoga. I was hooked after my first class. I then discovered yoga was the missing link in my wellness program. Journeying through my yoga practice and teaching I discovered my passion for the quiet, introspective aspects of Restorative yoga. Revealing itself as a beautiful balance to a traditional practice. A gentle exploration of being rather than doing.

My hobbies include: hiking, scuba diving, riding horses and making handcrafted soaps and lotions. Living on a farm, I feel fortunate to be surrounded by my family, wonderful animals and open space. Completing my teacher training in April 2009. I dedicate myself to the exploration of the innumerable gifts of yoga and all it inspires.

Yoga has truly transformed Tricia’s life. She had spent nearly two decades pounding the pavement in 5 and 10K races and half-marathons, and racking up miles in the saddle on her road bike. After two car accidents left her with permanent neck pain, she decided to take a hard look at what was going on in her body and mind. It was time to slow down, step back, and pay attention. She began studying Hatha yoga in 1995, and started a serious daily practice when Solar Yoga came to town. Yoga became an important and necessary part of her life. After spending hours on her mat, she began to see that life was more than checking things off her list. This realization ignited her desire to share what she learned. Completing her teacher training in May 2009 with Dana Julius, Tricia is a 200-hr Yoga Alliance certified teacher. Dana—who teaches a fusion Hatha yoga style based on her many years of training in Yoga Therapy, Power, Bikram and Sivananada Yoga—provided Tricia with a deep toolbox from which to build her classes.

Along her path, Tricia has had the opportunity to participate in workshops, intensives and immersions with many talented and studied yoga teachers. She has been most influenced by time spent with Seane Corn and Annie Pace – each teaching from a straightforward, direct, honest, & simple place, without pretense.

D’Anne’s love of yoga began unexpectedly when she took a Bikram style hot yoga class in 2006. The experience left her elated and craving more. Over time, she discovered the ability to let go of expectation and just “go with the flow” while practicing a variety of vinyasa yoga styles, especially Jivamukti and Dharma Mittra yoga. The mixture of daily wisdom, devotion and sound was powerful and set her on a path of teaching as a way to be of service to others.

D’Anne is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified teacher, completing her training with Dana Julius in 2009. This training combined all the best elements of Dana’s background in Viniyoga therapy, Bikram, Power and Sivananda yoga, providing deep knowledge in proper alignment, sequencing and breath work. D’Anne has continued her training through workshops, intensives and classes in Sanskrit (the ancient language of yoga) with Dr. Katyayani Poole of the Shruti Institute for Vedic Arts in Broomfield as well as studying with nationally recognized teachers such as Seane Corn, Sharon Gannon, David Life and David Swenson. In 2009, D’Anne also completed Off the Mat into the World Leadership Training and has had the opportunity to take the practice of yoga to women and children living at Gateway Battered Women’s Shelter in Denver.

D’Anne’s classes are spiritual and up-lifting as well as being lighthearted and fun. Her hands-on approach and goal to uncondition support of her students are hallmarks of her teaching style.