Teachers

Karla Geoffroy
Karla is co-owner, director and teacher at Valley Yoga.
She was initially certified to teach yoga in 1992. For over fifteen years she has taught yoga in a multitude of settings for students of all ages, opened and ran a studio, and developed her skills as a teacher. Her additional training as a certified Structural Yoga Therapist makes her especially suited to adapt yoga to fit the needs of her students. Through this training she learned muscle and joint assessments, yoga philosophy and health, and how to make recommendations for yoga practice. She sees the huge and diverse array of benefits her students have received from yoga. This is inspiration for her teaching and to encourage students to relate to and practice yoga in a way that is unique for each of them.

Dianne Germain
Dianne Germain is a teacher at Valley Yoga.
Her certification training to teach yoga included extensive studies of anatomy, yoga techniques, philosophy, and teaching skills. She has taught yoga to folks of all ages from 6 to 86. Dianne’s classes encourages and nurtures each students needs while maintaining a heart connection that is the source of her inspiration to teach. Her practice and teachings have been greatly influenced not only by her teachers but by her students and most lovingly from her spiritual guide, Sufi Master Taner Ansari.

Our Teaching Perspective
Dianne and Karla share the perspective that yoga's greatest benefits are derived when it is tailored to the individual. This keeps within the teachings of Classical Yoga. As much as is possible in a class setting, we strive to guide students into adaptations of postures that are suitable to them. Whether a student is engaging in yoga for improved physical ease, a meditative experience, stress reduction or overall health improvement, our aim is to help students deepen their self-understanding. Students learn to listen to their own bodies' inner guidance as a way to increase both self-awareness and health.

Bill Westerlind
Bill Westerlind is co-owner and director of Valley Yoga.
Bill's interest in yoga began in 2005 in pursuit of relief from a decades long knee alignment suffered from long distance running. While traditional treatments like ultrasound, whirlpool, orthotics, physical rehabilitation and knee specific exercises yielded minor benefits, yoga provided the much sought after relief. And the practice evolved far beyond the pure physical strength and flexibility to mindfulness and greater understanding and appreciation of the mind-body connection. In a word, he was hooked! In addition to his 4 years of yoga student experience, Bill serves as a region category manager for a major national drugstore chain. He brings 27 years of merchandising and marketing experience as well as a passion for great customer service to Valley Yoga. He is married, resides in Westfield and has a 19 year old son attending Emmanuel College in Boston, MA

Aaron Vega
Aaron Vega is a yoga teacher at Valley Yoga.
Aaron's passion for yoga comes through in his teaching and is evident in his mantra of "bringing yoga to the people". Mixing the technical breakdown of poses with humor, high energy, and good music Aaron's classes offer students a safe yet challenging way to practice. With over nine years of practice himself, Aaron combines elements of a variety of yoga styles into his hatha teaching. Always ready with a modification, for a question or a good story Aaron creates a fun inviting atmosphere to continue one's yogic journey.

Jeff Stone
Jeff Stone is a yoga teacher at Valley Yoga.
Jeff has been a yoga practitioner since 1994 with most of his experience in the Westfield area. He has taught for five years in Westfield and has been certified by YogaFit, Inc. Having discovered the healthful benefits of yoga,
Jeff can't imagine his life without it.