We are closing effective 3/31.
offering an inspiring yoga experience in the heart of chester, virginia
Meet Our Team
Jennifer DuBois
Jennifer took her first hatha yoga class in Juno Beach, Florida in 1999 as part of her employer's corporate wellness program and was hooked. When she and her husband relocated to Chester, Virginia in 2008, she was disappointed to find so few studios in the area. She tried to maintain her yoga practice at home but missed the community feeling that a yoga studio offers. Before she knew it, her yoga practice was virtually non-existent.
Then came her breast cancer diagnosis in 2011. Jennifer knew she needed to get back on the mat to improve her chances for survival. She established Avani Yoga Studio in June 2013 - a full year after completing her cancer treatments. It has been a labor of love and she feels grateful to be able to introduce so many people in the Chester area to yoga.
Ruth Ann Dunkerly, CYT-200
Ruth Ann joined our studio as a student in mid-2013 and received her CYT-200 designation through Adho Mukha Yoga in March 2014. A member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association, she is also a reiki master with 10 years of experience in Usui, Kundalini, Moon and other reiki forms. Ruth Ann is aIso a certified Natropath having completed her studies in 2011 with The Sandy Hill Institute and her apprenticeship with The Herb Closet in Chester.
Ruth Ann's Tip For Students: "The tip to give students is to BREATHE! Energy flows through the breath and fills with body with fresh prana."
To schedule a reiki energy session with Ruth Ann, please contact her directly at ruthann@avaniyogastudio.com.
Debbie Nolen, E-RYT-500, RCYT
Debbie is an experienced fitness professional with more than 20 years in the industry teaching yoga, pilates, spinning and other group classes. She is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with over 2,800 hours of teaching experience.
Debbie carries numerous certifications including:
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YogaFit Vinyasa Yoga Teacher (500 hour and 200 hour certification)
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YogaFit Warrior Program Yoga Teacher (100 hour Enhanced Qualifications certification)
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Yoga Institute of Houston - Traditional Hatha Yoga Teacher (150 hour certification)
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FRA Yoga - Viniyoga Yoga Teacher - 100 hour Instructor certification
Debbie lives in Chesterfield County where she enjoys singing in her church choir and restoring and showing classic cars with her husband.
Twylah Ekko, RYT-200
Twylah considers movement as a metaphor for the ever-seeking stillness we are looking to cultivate in our lives. Her studies examine this journey and the connections we create in our daily interactions. In this way, Twylah’s sequences are created in order to reveal an inseparable relationship between meditation and motion. Her classes are characterized by themes which explore a balanced blend of Yang and Yin movements with a constant focus on mindfulness.
Twylah completed her 200 hour teacher training at Om On Yoga with J. Miles and Kelly Kostecki in Richmond, Virginia in 2013. She also completed a 50 hour Yin Teach Training with Biff Mithofer in 2014. She continues to study with her teachers and maintains a dedicated asana and mediation practice.
Cindy Goshea, RYT-200
Cindy has practiced yoga for over 10 years and recently earned her RYT-200 certification. She takes a personalized and individual approach to teaching yoga and believes that yoga can benefit all body types. She has experience teaching Hatha, Power, Ashtanga, Gentle and Yin yoga. Cindy prides herself in making her classes accessible to beginners and intermediate students alike.
Newly married in the fall of 2014, Cindy and her husband live in Chester.