Teacher Bios

               Alli                                Maureen                             Sherene                                                Laura

We are  fortunate to have such skilled teachers at Body Balance. All of us brings our own style to our classes. Here’s a little bit about our primary teachers:

Connie Erickson, Guest Instructor for 2024, is a co-founder of Body Balance Yoga Center. She took her first yoga class in the 1970s, has studied with over 25 different instructors, and attended numerous workshops. Connie has taught a gentle (-ish) yoga class–focusing on breath work–in Roseburg since 2000. She is committed to continuing to learn from fellow teachers, students, and her own practice. Come experience the joie de vivre that she folds into her classes and the friendships that evolve!

Alli Aruna Spooner, E-RYT-500, Director of Body Balance, was an on-and-off practitioner since 1980, always returning when her health became compromised (hello, Stress…), but is now devoted full time.

She is trained in the styles of Hatha Yoga and Akhanda Yoga, as well as Classical Kundalini, Prenatal Yoga,  Raj Yoga and Bhramaree Yoga among others. Alli is also certified in pranayama (breath work) practices. She obtained her 200-hour training through the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy and completed her 500-hour training at the Anand Prakash Ashram in India, founded by Yogrishi Vishvketu and Chetana Panwar. In 2011 Alli was an assistant teacher at the Anand Prakash Ashram in India for the YTT-200 program offered by Yogrishi Vishvketu. Her classes follow the traditional sequence of postures in the Hatha and Akhanda styles, with a focus on breath-work, alignment and safety, and includes a dash of (usually lame) humor and sometimes a couple of Oms.

She finds joy in sharing yoga with others.

Maureen Culligan (currently on hiatus), found yoga in 2015 while in college, initially using the practice as a way to ditch the freshman 15…however It didn’t take long for her to realize there was a lot more profound wisdom at hand beyond asana. (And yes, finding yoga made college worth it!)

Maureen obtained her 200hr YTT in Ubud, Bali in 2019 at Nalanda School for Higher Knowledge and Yogic Arts, where she studied Yoga Pranala. This style of yoga combines the knowledge and discipline of yoga with Mudra Pranala, an ancient Balinese energetic healing system. Maureen is also currently working on courses in anatomy training and yoga for mental health, and strives to deepen her knowledge of Kundalini Yoga and Ayurvedic studies.

Maureen has a playful outlook on life and likes to keep a light heart and an open mind in her practice. She’s a big believer in the all-mighty breath, and encourages students to be curious and explorative with their unique rhythm and subtle energies, using  the breath as their guide. She loves Ayurveda, anatomy and physiology (especially that of the energetic body) and tries to incorporate little tidbits of yogic knowledge whenever she can.

Maureen is a forever student who loves connecting with, learning from, and growing with her community!

Sherene Tolle found a true passion in yoga when she discovered how it made her feel inside and out. “It is the only path I have ever taken that lead me to feeling balanced, strong, flexible, and at peace.” She completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training course at Zen Den Yoga Roseburg and is certified through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2021.

Sherene’s unique class gently and safely guides you to become the best version of you. It is a combination of Hatha Yoga with some Vinyasa flow and Restorative poses. We all struggle with life’s challenges. By focusing on your breath and becoming able to pause in a pose or during your day, and truly acknowledge and allow your feelings to be, you will be able to overcome stressors in a calm and peaceful way, improving your overall quality of life and well being.

“I often hear my peers say they are not flexible, not strong, not skinny or balanced enough to do yoga. I wasn’t either!” Try her blend of warmth and encouragement on Saturdays.

Laura Nordeen found pilates while recovering from a ballet injury in 2013. She received her initial pilates certification in 2015 with the Pilates Center of Las Vegas under Elena Dominguez-Bartley. In 2016 she got her pre/post natal pilates certification under Alison Marsh, also in Las Vegas. Laura also holds certifications in GYROTONIC®/GYROKINESIS®, Function Range Conditioning, Flexible Steel, Original Strength and recently a certified personal trainer through NASM.

We are lucky to have Laura Join us. Beginning Tuesday, August 20th at noon, she will be offering a class focusing on Opening the Body through Pilates. Come open the hips and the upper spine through a pilates mat class. This class will have more spinal extension than a typical mat class with an emphasis on opening the front of the hips and the chest, as well as some standing work. 

And the generous teachers who help out when needed: 

Amy Salthouse began her yoga journey 20 years ago and for the 6 years prior to joining Body Balance taught Hatha and chair yoga at the YMCA, emphasizing foundational asanas and breathing. She has a Restorative Yoga certificate through Judith Lasater Hanson and continues to be inspired by workshops and fellow teachers. Amy is constantly amazed by the power of yoga and the ability to bring the whole Self back into balance. Her classes are full of loving support and compassion, emphasizing self-care, breath awareness, and cultivating the Highest Self.

Andrea Campos Smith has been teaching yoga in Roseburg for 15 years, informed by 18 years of personal practice.She deeply believes that yoga is adaptable for all bodies and all ages, and loves to help students find THEIR yoga, whether it be in Hatha, Chair, Restorative, Gentle or Flow! After learning how yoga can be a vital component of treatment for veterans (she is the back up instructor for the VA’s YogaWarriors program), she pursued further education in trauma-sensitive yoga training, with Alignment Yoga YTT200, and Fireflex Yoga for First Responders. Andrea has a unique combination of styles (scientific/playful/exploring/compassionate/inquiring) which should definitely be experienced firsthand.

There are a few other yogis who pitch in once in a while for which we are very grateful.