COVID-19 Reopening Information

To do our part to protect our community during the COVID-19 outbreak Earth Treks has cancelled all camps, classes, and events until further notice.

COVID-19 Reopening Info

Strengthen, Unwind And Restore

Earth Treks Columbia Yoga

Each of our yoga classes is specifically designed to fire up your strength, reset your mind and restore your energy. Yoga classes are taught by some of the best yoga instructors in the area and tailored to fit every experience level.

All weekly yoga classes are free for members and are included in day pass purchases.
Space is limited. Yogis are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to register online through our website's calendar or with the RGPro app,prior to the start of class. All yogis wishing to reserve their space in the studio must check in with the instructor and be on their mat 5 minutes prior to the start of class. Spots are only guaranteed until 5 minutes before class is scheduled to start. If all spaces are filled, you may add your name to the wait-list.
To ensure the safety of all students and to honor each student’s practice, yogis will not be permitted to enter the practice space 15 minutes after the class has started.

Columbia Yoga Calendar

Acro Yoga

AcroYoga is a fun and uplifting practice that can be both fun and challenging, plus it complements your climbing routine. AcroYoga combines the playfulness of partner acrobatics with the mindfulness of yoga, and the creativity of dance. Working in partnership with others, the practice builds trust, communication, connection, flexibility and strength. This class is open to all levels and no partner is required.

All Levels Vinyasa

Vinyasa focuses on integrating breath and movement through steady and fluid asana sequences called vinyasa. It can be both dynamic (flowing from pose to pose, as in sun salutations) and static (holding poses and refining the breath while being steady and stable). There’s something for everyone in a vinyasa flow class!

Beginner Yoga

Begin or refine your practice! This class is designed to give you a language and an understanding of the practice(s) of yoga. It is designed to get you feeling stable, balanced, at ease and accomplished in your practice.

Flow and Restore

Unwind from your day as you move fluidly through poses to relieve tension in the mind and body. This class incorporates deeper stretching and restorative postures held longer to increase relaxation and muscle recovery.

Intermediate Vinyasa

Breath work, moderate to difficult poses and arm balances are sequenced together to create a flowing form of yoga. Find your edge and challenge your limits in this uplifting class!

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga gets its name from the Chinese philosophy of two dualistic energies we all carry: Yin and Yang. Our Yang energy is our fire, our muscles, our circulation, and our heat. It's what we typically work in a yoga or exercise class. Yin yoga seeks to work with the subtler energies and systems in our body. Slow deep stretches target your ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissue. Poses are stretching, restorative, passive, and held for 2-5 minutes at a time. Come to slow way down and get in touch with your inner self.

Meet the Instructors

Akil Taffe

Akil obtained his 200-hour Teacher Training certification from Charm City Yoga in December 2014. He began teaching at Charm City Yoga, now Yogaworks, in February of 2015.

In addition to leading weekly classes at Yogaworks and Earth Treks Climbing Centers, he also teaches in underserved communities in conjunction with various nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas, works with city parks and recreational facilities, and curates various pop-up yoga experiences.

His approach is calming. His style is fun and energetic. He offers just the right amount of relaxation as a reward for pushing your boundaries. And all of this is accomplished in a non-judgmental environment, accompanied by the perfect multi-genred, soundtrack! One student said: “I so appreciate your teaching style, and I’ve come to feel very comfortable in your class. It really allows me to expand where I find I can and rest when my body asks. I think you create a great container for others to practice in.” He has practiced with Dharma Mittra, Shiva Rea, Faith Hunter, Hawah Kasat, MC Yogi and looks forward to practicing with you.

Ben Tipper

Ben Tipper was taught the tenets of yoga and self-care from his mother and father, an organic farmer and yoga photographer. He believes that taking care of one’s self over time is a pre-requisite to coexisting with others and the world around us in a sustainable way. He loves how yoga asks us to spend time with inner self, slow down, and stay grounded. Expect to go deep in his classes: to let go all the way in Yin and to build serious fire in Vinyasa. He likes working with all audiences and breaking challenging poses down so that everyone can practice from a good place.

“Tipper” is the Yoga Program Manager for EarthTreks Columbia and Hampden. He teaches at several other gyms and studios in the Baltimore area, runs a life coaching business in Towson, and is an Earth Treks personal trainer and fitness instructor. Tipper also has a master’s degree from Towson University and has built his work as a wellness practitioner. He loves working with people, climbing, writing, and hip hop. You can find out more about him here.

Bonnie Gebhart

Yoga means something different to everybody and every body. Bonnie first found yoga as a way to keep moving in 2014. Soon, she discovered there was more than just the physical practice and began to explore the spiritual side of yoga. This commitment to yoga has helped Bonnie find more space for love and compassion. Wanting to help others create this kind of space fueled Bonnie to pursue her RYT 200-hour Teacher Training certification in 2018. Bonnie's goal is to assist yogis on their journeys by making yoga a practice accessible to everyone regardless of size, shape, age, or flexibility.

Dana Wiedel

From 2010-2012 Dana began her yoga journey strictly practicing Bikram. It was a physical, sweaty, challenging 90-minute class consisting of the same 26 postures every time. She kept going back for more until one New Years Eve she was introduced to a softer, more fluid style of Yoga, known as Vinyasa. Since then, Dana has used the flow of her practice to navigate through life with more love, compassion, and kindness. She graduated with a degree in Exercise Science in 2013 and completed her 200 hr YTT with Life Power Yoga in 2014. Dana is always striving to be a better human for her students and it shows in her classes. She challenges her students to move mindfully, purposefully, and lovingly. She encourages students to journey inward without judgment. In her class, she hopes you feel at ease, safe, and free to move (or not move) in a way that feels right for you in that moment.

Jesse Bowes

Jesse was first bit by the acrobatics bug when, in participation with the University of Maryland Gymkana Troupe, he began a practical study of partner movement. In 2008, he completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with YogaWorks, aspiring to levitate through mind control. Thai massage led him to the study of Acro Yoga in 2014. The blend of therapeutics and partner balancing inspires him to share the practice widely. He self identifies as a flyer, but has more opportunities to base because of his large size.

He has spent countless hours sharing, and studying the art of partner movement through jams, classes, workshops, festivals and immersions. Let him know if you would like to try Acro or if you have any secrets for levitation.

Kate Flewelling

Shortly after graduating from college, Kate Flewelling discovered yoga and began practicing vinyasa daily. She fell in love with the practice and decided to pursue her 200-hour Teacher Training at Charm City Yoga in Baltimore, Maryland. Kate completed her certification in 2017 and has been instructing yoga since. She teaches yoga because she believes in the practice and the many benefits it has to offer. She challenges herself to create an inviting class environment, where students have the ability to feel part of a community, as well as experience the advantages of the practice. Kate looks forward to seeing you on your mats!

Kimber Brenneman

Kimber has been practicing yoga since 2008 and completed her teacher training in 2014. Once she discovered Acro Yoga she was hooked on the athletic challenge and how much fun it is. After becoming fully enamored with the acrobatic practice, she developed a huge appreciation for the therapeutic side of Acro Yoga, which includes therapeutic flying and Thai bodywork. Kimber became a Certified Thai Bodywork Practitioner in 2015 at Thai Bodywork School of Thai Massage and Coaching the Body Institute in Evanston, IL. She became a certified Acro Yoga teacher through Partner Acrobatics in 2016. She teaches Acro in Central Maryland and a weekly Partner Therapeutics class in Baltimore.

Leslie Tomlinson

Leslie began her yoga journey in 2002 looking for a way to create stability in her loose joints. She practiced off and on for many years before truly finding a love for yoga as a way to find mental and physical health through movement. Yoga gave her peace of mind, mental clarity, and mindful moving meditation. She became certified to teach through Purple Yoga in Long Beach, CA in 2014. Leslie’s classes will help you find strong muscular engagement and alignment allowing the body to work into flexibility. Her classes feature creative flows and a perspective that encourages practitioners to seek gentleness and kindness with oneself both mentally and physically. Leslie is currently working towards her 500 Hour RYT and Masters Degree in Yoga Therapy at Maryland University of Integrative Health.

Morgan Keepers

Morgan started her yoga journey about 6 years ago when she landed on her yoga mat at a local gym in Elderburg, MD. She began her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and has been teaching ever since. She practiced/studied Power Yoga and Vinyasa Flow, although her favorite class is a balanced mix between the two. She loves to slow down the practice and focus more on the foundation of connecting breath to movement, while also valuing each individual’s freedom on the mat. You're guaranteed to leave her class feeling fresh, light, grounded and full of a few good laughs.

Nicole Demetrides

Nicole began practicing yoga to cross-train for rock climbing, but quickly realized that yoga gave her so much more than that. Soon she started integrating yoga and meditation practice into her daily routine and quickly noticed the positivity it brought to her life.

In an effort to spread this newfound balance with her community, she enrolled in a 200hr Teacher Training in 2018. She studied under Emily Lodge, Michelle Cagan, and Camille Moses-Allen.

Nicole teaches Vinyasa style yoga with a focus on alignment and flow. She loves to take a scientific approach in her classes, highlighting anatomy of postures and the neuroscience behind the sensations that yoga can bring.

When she’s not on her mat, you can find Nicole at her day job as an aerospace engineer, hanging out with her daughter, or outside climbing and adventuring!

Zahir Ringgold

Zahir was exposed to the practice of yoga, meditation, and inner reflection from a young age through the alternative lifestyles of her parents. As a cheerleader, dancer, and gymnast, she moved towards a more dedicated interest in yoga in 2013 as a way to find stillness, deeper connection, mental peace and clarity, and as a form of movement that healed rather than stressed the body.

In March of 2018, she dived into the study of teaching yoga with a 250hr flow-based yoga teacher training immersed in the tropical jungle of what she considers her other home, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. From there, Zahir went on to get additional certifications in Yin Yoga as well as Artful Adjusts and Assists. She taught the public Slow Flow yoga classes at the studio she was trained, and has assisted in 3 yoga teacher trainings. Zahir’s classes weave in themes from the world around us. They focus on linking breath with movement; establishing and fostering a deeper connection with one’s body and inner self; healing, honoring, and supporting each one of our unique bodies; and incorporating a connection with the natural world

Meet the Subs

Andrea Vella-Camilleri

Andrea dabbled in yoga, but really didn’t dedicate time to it until 2012. It was in graduate school in a location where climbing was not available where her love for yoga blossomed. Yoga gave her a community, a place to push herself and a place to relax and clear her mind. She loves the parallels between climbing and her yoga practice and couldn’t wait to have access to both again. In 2016, she completed her 200-hour certification through Red Lila Yoga. She’s excited to be able to link these two passions as a new instructor.

Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth has been practicing yoga for over 18 years. She completed her 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training in November 2014 with Kim Manfredi and Charm City Yoga, now YogaWorks. Yoga is not just one part of her life, it’s her lifestyle. She eats and cooks healthy meals to ensure that her body is prepared to take on each day and be ready for new yoga challenges. She hopes to share her knowledge of yoga, health and fitness with her students. Elizabeth continues to enhance her practice by taking classes with fellow teachers, as well as Kathryn Budig, Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, Sadie Nardini, Tyler Yoga, Eric Paskel and Dharma Mittra. Elizabeth hopes to bring more awareness to herself and her students mentally, emotionally and physically.

Krysta French

For Krysta, yoga is more than simply a physical practice. Yoga is a way to challenge and center the mind, an approach to tap into the ebb and flow of life and a place to not take yourself too seriously. She received her training in 2013 from Charm City Yoga under the guidance of Kim Manfredi.

Krysta conveys a rejuvenating and powerful approach to Vinyasa yoga. Encouraging students to develop a curiosity and deep appreciation for their incredible bodies and minds, she challenges them to take risks and never stop growing. Focusing on both physical and mental strength, Krysta’s classes cultivate mindfulness, self-acceptance and compassion. Expect to leave her classes feeling grounded and blissful with a reawakened zest for life.

Robert Hart

BJ began teaching yoga in the summer of 2012 after he completed his 200-hour Teacher Training through Sid Yoga. He first started practicing yoga at Charm City Yoga (now Yoga Works) in 2005.

Prior to this BJ had been studying martial arts, after taking a few side trips in his studying he eventually found Yoga. From his first class he was immediately hooked. Over time martial arts faded to the background and yoga came to the fore. He now teaches at Yoga Centric in Harford County, Asana Roots in Baltimore (on occasion), and for a non-profit called Empower4Life where he teaches yoga to homeless kids in and around Baltimore. Outside of yoga BJ works as a driving instructor for ABC Driver Education. During the summer for five weeks out of the year he works as and adventure leader for a summer camp based out of Wisconsin where he and his fellow counselors lead a group of roughly 90 kids (all entering high school) on a trip traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest (mostly hiking and camping). In his free time BJ likes to play guitar and juggle. He is very excited to get back into climbing, so if you see him staring, puzzled at some climbing route, feel free to offer your assistance. He is colorblind and sometime struggles differentiating certain routes. The style of yoga BJ teaches would most likely be called power yoga, but as one who adheres very closely to the philosophies of Bruce Lee, he’d mostly likely prefer to think of his classes as no style. He might teach the same sequence 30 times in a row, but each class will be completely new and challenging in different ways.

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