Studio Owners & Teachers
Michele Lawrence (ERYT 500) is a nurturer and uplifter; she believes in yoga's ability to heal and transform. As a way to balance out her active life, Michele first stepped on a yoga mat in 1999. It was not long after that she began to practice regularly; and while she could not quite put her finger on it, she was amazed at how much better she felt. She started teaching yoga in 2005 after graduating from the Devalila Yoga Teacher Training, a registered 200-hour level training with the Yoga Alliance.
Since her initial teacher training, Michele has studied various yoga styles and has completed over 800 hours of additional teacher trainings and workshops, including Ananada Seva's Yoga Therapy Program and Laura Kupperman's Yoga for Survivors Teacher Intensive. She believes that yoga is self-exploration and postures can be a metaphor for challenging life situations. By practicing and breathing, the poses can shed light and offer insight on those situations. She teaches a variety of classes at Yogadurango, including Yoga for Grief, and Living Well Yoga for Cancer. Michele also teaches private yoga sessions, and yoga classes at Pathways Bayfield and with other groups throughout La Plata County.
Originally from New Jersey, Michele moved to Durango in 2006. Along with her yoga teaching credentials, she also has an MBA, and has worked in large and small corporations for over 15 years. She uses this skillset to help run her current ventures. Michele is co-owner of Yogadurango, co-director of Yogadurango's Teacher Training program, and is also the director of Inner Peace Yoga Therapy a 300-hour yoga teacher training program.
Sheryl McGourty from a very early age, has always enjoyed the experience of being embodied and feeling the joy that comes from physical disciplines coupled with grace. Sheryl began a steady practice of yoga well over a decade ago. Her dedication to yoga began as a necessary focus to help reduce the stress of her vocation at the time, a middle school teacher for at-risk youth. Sheryl has always been a teacher in some capacity, working with people of all ages both inside and outside of classrooms. One of her greatest loves is connecting with people and hearing the similarities of the human experience.
She strives to bring the art of teaching to life in her yoga classes. Her priority is her students, understanding their diverse needs and challenges while providing instruction that is digestible for all.
Sheryl’s first official training was in Nasik, India at Yoga Vidya Dham. Since then she has taken countless hours of trainings and workshops and considers herself to be open to learning from all styles and disciplines. She works to foster a community of self-explorers that goes beyond the walls of the studio. Sheryl also leads retreats and teacher trainings and is considered a “teacher’s teacher”.
Sheryl is currently a student at the California College of Ayurveda and is on the path to merge Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, into her own understanding and to help others on the road to health and healing.
Sheryl finds her grounding and strength in connecting with the earth, from outdoor adventures to digging around in the dirt. But her most favorite pastime is watching her son, Cedar grow each day, a deep reminder of gratitude for the opportunity to be a mom.