Who we are
Kate Bentley
Co-Director of Operations and Director of Student Support
While studying in Italy, Kate immersed herself in both art and her yoga practice.
The therapeutic aspect of both became deeply rooted in her and upon returning
to the states she began her training with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. Over the
last 12 years her personal practice of moving meditation (including yoga and
hula-hooping) as well as her time exploring nature, have deeply informed her
teaching. The birth of her daughter has lead her to work with prenatal women,
couples and postpartum women. Kate teaches Phoenix Rising Yoga classes,
prenatal classes and offers Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions in Vermont.
Jennifer Munyer, MA
Co-Director of Operations and Director of Yoga Teacher Training
Jen's fascination with the interrelationship of mind, body and spirit has been the
driving force in her personal and professional life. She has been teaching and
practicing yoga for more than a decade and holds an undergraduate degree
in Psychology, a Masters of Health Arts and Sciences and spent a decade as
a massage therapist. She is triple certified with Phoenix Rising, has mentored
numerous students in all aspects of the work and teaches several of the programs
Phoenix Rising offers. Jen is extremely grateful for her practice, her teachers and
this opportunity to be of greater service to the Phoenix Rising community.
Beth Dovey Triano
Director of Yoga Therapy Programs
Beth has been influenced by numerous mentors and teachers on her life journey,
not the least of which are her three children. In 2005 Beth attended some of
Michael Lee's Phoenix Rising workshops and (after facilitating countless yoga
classes and participating in several yoga teacher trainings) finally found language
and a way of being that felt like home. Beth's experience of Phoenix Rising's
impact on her life inspired her to complete all certifications offered through
Phoenix Rising. Assisting programs and apprenticing with her mentors, Karen and
Elissa, followed, leading to her becoming a facilitator of PRYT training programs.
Faculty
Soleil Hepner, a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Practitioner and Group Facilitator in San Diego,
merges 18 years as a High-Tech Manager and Coach with 3 decades as a teacher and student of
dance, performance and yoga. Soleil helps women, men, and organizations balance introspection
with the constant demands of everyday living.
Nick Beem, E-RYT is a yoga teacher, a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Practitioner and
Group Facilitator. He has been influenced by ParaYoga, Kripalu, Zen Buddhism, brain science and
improv theatre. With his wife, Lela, he owns Grateful Yoga in Evanston, Illinois. He strives to take
himself lightly whenever possible.
Stephanie Trump-Johnston has had a long-standing love of yoga and has been actively teaching
it since 1999. She has a Master's degree in Psychology and is a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Mentor and Group Facilitator. She owns Free Spirit Yoga in Hershey,
Pennsylvania where she teaches yoga classes and sees individual clients using a Phoenix Rising
approach.
Michael Lee, Founder
A deep quest for life enhancement and quality living have long been a focus for Michael Lee. The author
of
Turn Stress Into Bliss
and the Founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Michael has a background in
education, organizational behavior, health, and aviation. He developed Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in
1986. Lee first became interested in the transformative power of yoga when he moved to the US from
Australia to live and teach at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. He now spends his time writing, contributing
to ongoing program and workshop development, mentoring workshop leaders, and teaching kids to fly. He
lives with his family in Massachusetts and also at his "camp" in the North Woods of Maine.