MEET OUR TEACHERS

Melissa Ferrigno discovered yoga when looking for an outlet to help balance her busy schedule while reducing stress and countering more active workout activities. After her first vinyasa yoga flow class she was hooked! She had found a practice where she could let go and focus on her connection of mind, body, and spirit while toning and strengthening her body.
Melissa received her 200 Hr teacher training from Breathing Room in 2013 and continued to teach at Breathing Room learning from one of her mentors Lily Dougher. In addition to teaching, Melissa soon became manager of the studio and connecting more with the Breathing Room community. In July of 2020 Melissa became the new owner of Breathing Room. Owning a Yoga Studio was a dream of hers and is grateful to be able to continue to lead and work with the community in this way.
In addition to her 200Hr teacher training, she also holds a certification in kids yoga, prenatal, restorative, yin yoga, and is a Reiki Master.

Bridgett’s love of yoga was ignited when she joined a friend for a Hatha class at a small Portland studio in 2004. After 15 years of routine practice, her desire to share her passion and lifeblood in yoga drew her to complete her 200hr teacher training through the Breathing Room. Here she found a new depth in which to build her practice and belief, rejuvenating her appreciation of life and the world around her.
Bridgett’s teaching is built on the Vinyasa foundation of pairing movement with breath, for a fluid practice to warm and stretch the body while bringing clarity and recentering into the mind. With an affinity for anatomy and physiology, and the strong belief of individual intuition, she mingles physical body awareness with subtle body knowledge into each class. Bridgett believes that Contentment begins when one becomes accepting of their imperfections, progressions, abilities and talents. Creating a full yoga practice through posture, breath and mindfulness can illuminate the path to this state of health and happy wellbeing. She is gratefully thrilled to share her knowledge and experiences for inspiration to cultivate and continue your own yoga practice.
Off the mat, Bridgett stays busy as a mom, business owner, any season outdoor enthusiast, monkeying with wrenches and motors, singing too loudly in the truck, and laughing at her own expense.

“All you ever longed for is before you in this moment, if you dare draw in a breath and whisper ,"Yes.” ― Danna Faulds

Jess Zdanys obtained her 200 hour Recovery Yoga Teacher certification in 2019 at Zen and Now Studio in Connecticut and has been dedicated to practicing yoga regularly since 2013. She loves working with students of all levels and ages enjoys teaching family yoga, vinyasa flow, and Restorative yoga. She is most inspired by introducing others to different healing tools such as meditation, sound healing, and self-care practices. She has her Reiki 2 certification and plans to complete her Reiki Master certification to enhance her instruction and healing abilities. Jess is also a guitarist and singer and loves to incorporate mantra singing and instrumental accompaniment into her classes or during workshops.

Jess’s intention for teaching yoga is to encourage others to develop a positive relationship with their bodies and minds so they can better serve themselves and their well-being on and off of their yoga mat.

After dabbling in yoga off and on for years, Alex dove into a consistent practice in 2016 and has only sought to deepen her knowledge ever since. She received her 200 hour teacher training at The Breathing Room via Maine Yoga School in South Portland in 2019. The draw to teach came from her own experience finding a life of peace and joy through yoga and her interest in sharing that with the world. Alex enjoys grounding, mindful practices that help students to build skills around living a more purposeful life. Through meditation and intention-setting in her themed classes, she strives to give students a space to work through internal challenges in an external way.

Outside of the studio, Alex works at the University of Southern Maine and lives in Windham. She loves spending time with friends and family, preferably outdoors, enjoying all the wonders that life in Maine has to offer. Learn more about her teaching philosophy and offerings at heyalexmae.com and follow her on Instagram @heyalexmae.

Morgane grew up in Paris France and moved to Maine in 2008. With her background in science and PhD in Neuroscience, her focus is to tap into the physical, mental and emotional health benefits that yoga provides. She has been practicing yoga on and off for 20 years, and is a Registered Yoga Teacher 200 and a certified Reiki Level 2 practitioner. Her Vinyasa (flow) classes can include power poses, chanting, breathing exercises and meditation. Morgane also uses essential oil aromatherapy in her classes to complement and enhance the healing power of the yoga practice

Sri Devi Melissa has forever been drawn to the union of mind and body in the present moment and the learning that can take place there. Coming from a background in theater and dance, she began sharing this as an important life skill with children of all ages through those mediums.

Finding yoga while in recovery from surgery, she realized that everything she loved most about teaching theater, she could share even more deeply through yoga. She completed her 200HR YTT with Aiyana Athenian and Krishna Perry at the ShivaShakti School of Yoga in 2016 and her 500HR YTT in 2018. She has done specialty trainings in Yoga Nidra, Pranayama and Meditation and Children’s Yoga with ShivaShakti and Restorative Yoga training with Margo Rosingana. A great lover of Sanskrit, yogic philosophy, and mantra she currently studies with Sri Vidya Ramananthan (Samskrita Bharati), Shantala Sriramaiah (Veda Studies) and Prem Sadasivananda from whom she received her spiritual name Sri Devi in 2017.

Sri is also a Reiki Master and Sound Healer and loves integrating elements of these healing modalities into her classes whenever possible. When off the mat, she enjoys writing, walking in the forest, birdwatching and putting her feet in really cold water.

Lucy Liaw is a Yoga Alliance RYT200 registered instructor. She received her teaching certification from Maine YogaFest School of Yoga in vinyasa flow and yin yoga styles, studying with Robin Ivy Payton and Andrea Gleason.

Lucy is an advocate for wellness and personal empowerment, and approaches her own yoga practice and asana teaching with a focus on stability and sustainability. She has a movement background in traditional Japanese martial arts, which has informed her yoga practice and teaching.

Lucy is a lifelong learner, and seeks to discover and guide the integration of physical, mental, and emotional strengths within herself and her students. She welcomes diversity of experiences and perspectives as a way to build a stronger community.

While trying to navigate a very challenging time in her life, Kelly found Yoga in the fall of 2001. The combination of physical postures and focused breathing provided relief from anxiety and grief that couldn't be found otherwise. Once she had completed her 200hr training she began infusing her classes with the perfect balance of energy and stillness. Her goal is to allow her students to find ease even with the challenges of physical and mental discomfort with safe and attainable practices.

Classes are grounding, non-competitive and contain creative sequencing that easily fits all levels. Kelly completed her training with Jacqui Bonwell’s Sacred Seeds Yoga School in 2017 studying with Jacqui, Erica Margo Cahill and Katie Beane. She is fluent in Vinyasa, Gentle, Restorative and Pre/Post Natal Yoga and also recently completed both levels of training in Little Flower Kids Yoga and Mindfulness.

Kelly's desire to help others to live with more ease is what led her to teach and spread the benefits of consistent yoga practice. She uses a lighthearted spirit to connect with the body, mind and spirit. When Kelly is not on her mat, you can find her exploring the natural world with her husband Dave or providing excellent taxi service to her two adventurous daughters.

Catherine Escamilla has been a student of yoga for 18 years, attending various studios and creating a routine at home practice. In 2020 she took her practice to a more consistent level with a 200 hour online yoga teacher training with My Vinyasa Practice in Austin, TX. Since this training, everything changed and she knew introducing others to various forms of yoga was an important step to add balance to our lives.

Catherine enjoys working with students of all levels with a gentle flow hatha class, Yin, Restorative, Chair Yoga and Yoga Nidra. She is also certified in Reiki Level 2 and has training in Yoga for Anxiety and Trauma Informed Yoga. Catherine loves to incorporate positive affirmations into her work and classes to create a positive and accessible yoga practice. Outside of the yoga studio, Catherine enjoys time at the beach and local parks with her family.

Alexa (she/her) has been practicing yoga since she was a freshman in college. Her classes have moments of heat integrated within breath work and strength building. Alexa is passionate about her students fully embodying themselves during her classes, and aims to create a container in which they feel comfortable and safe to explore sensations within their bodies.

Alexa holds a 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga certification and is looking forward to taking more trainings to continue to learn. She is passionate about working with queer youths and young adults. Alexa discovered yoga during a time where she felt a disconnect with her body and yoga was the only time she felt safe and whole. She hopes to share yoga with people who feel or have felt similarly.

When off the mat, Alexa likes to cook pasta, read historical fiction, color in adult coloring books for mindfulness, and spend every available second with her soul-pup Lucy.