About Us

Ginny East Shaddock is an ERYT-500 yoga teacher, RCYT (Registered Children's Yoga Teacher) a certified yoga therapist with IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), a  Reiki Master and a trained Ayurveda Counselor from the Kerala Institute, India. She has a BA in Business Management from Eckerd College and  a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from Lesley University. 

Her extensive background in dance, yoga and the healing arts have helped her create a multi-faceted school with an educational program that combines arts awareness, physical training and mind-body awareness for ever-broadening learning experiences. She is the director Heartwood Yoga Institute, and the founder of the Florida Reiki Association, as well as Yoga for the Balanced Child, a YA certification program designed to qualify teachers to share yoga with children ages 3-teen. 

Ginny has long been an advocate of the mind body connection. Formerly, Ginny had an extensive career in dance. After a few years performing and choreographing in NY, she taught at the Broadway Dance Center, Steps, Raoul Gelebert Studios , Steps, New York University, Vassar College and other facilities in New York City and was named one of the top ten teachers in NY in 1989 by Dance Pages Magazine. She traveled the country teaching for Dance Masters of America and other dance organizations, and created Kiddance, a newsletter and training program for youth dance education which was featured in Dance Magazine.  She was the director of FLEX Dance in Florida for 17 years until she felt it was time to retire from dance. Ginny transitioned to yoga and holistic practices in 2006, focusing her natural aptitude for teaching and program development to creating Heartwood Yoga Institute and associated programs.      

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David Shaddock is an ERYT-500 yoga teacher, c-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Licensed LMT and Cranio Sacral therapist and Reiki Master, as well as Thai Chi and shamanism enthusiast.  He is our "science guy" teaching anatomy, physiology and the science of  crystals, energy, and more. David is a licensed Professional Engineer in both mechanical and electrical fields, as well as having a bachelor's  degree in Information Technology. He is also an airplane, seaplane and hot air balloon pilot, a master gardener, a former paramedic, a musician  (guitar sitar, piano), wood crafter, champion canoe racer, writer, gourmet chef, and more - which defines his love of learning and passion for exploring life in all its diversity. 
 David's love of teaching shines as well, and he brings a great deal of that love and his  omnipresent creativity to each of the classes he teaches. His medical background (he was one of the first five Certified Emergency Cardiac  Technicians in Illinois, and one of the first privately registered paramedics there as well) allows him to lecture  yoga teacher trainees on anatomy and physiology, with special attention to inversions  and prānāyāma. He has a particular affinity for Aerial Yoga and his  anatomy of inversion course is insightful thanks to his experience in medicine, flying and yoga. We thank David for is hard work and ingenuity, as his creative mind and muscle is the reason we have a  medicine wheel, labyrinth, amazing meditation areas, koi ponds and so much more at Heartwood. 

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Denver is a certified ERYT-500 teacher , C-IAYT (certified yoga therapist) and RCYT (Children's yoga teacher) with Yoga Alliance, a yoga therapists and a licensed LMT . She previously owned and operated Blue Mountain Yoga studio in Blue Ridge Ga from 2009-2016 and is thrilled to be back in her hometown of Sarasota as director of the Yoga teacher's training programs at Heartwood.

Denver is also a resident Massage Therapist offering customized sessions utilizing aromatherapy, reiki, hot stones, sound healing and more for the ultimate healing experience.

The discovery of yoga has offered Denver the opportunity to connect with her mind, body and breath at a spiritual level that has transformed her life from the inside out. As a life long full bodied woman, yoga has helped heal Denver's relationship with body image and self esteem and her classes resonate with lessons of self awareness and acceptance.  Denver's goal as a teacher is to share yoga with people of all body  types and experience levels and she believes that yoga has the power to change everyone's life for the better. She is the creator of Full Bodied Yoga, a program that uses yoga, breath work, journaling and self-love practices to encourage body positivity.

Denver spent many years studying dance and voice. She attended the BFA program at UCF before turning her passions to yoga. She is a devoted mother, vocalist, creative silversmith jewelry artist and spiritual advocate. She is also Ginny Shaddock's daughter, and most likely, the successor of Heartwood Yoga.

   Rachel Belle ERYT-500, received both her 200 and 300 hour certification at Heartwood and  also has an a degree in Surgical  Technology form Southwest Florida College. She is currently studying to become a yoga therapist. Rachel came to yoga after a spiral through addiction which left her empty and reaching for more to life’s purpose. This was motivation for her to get to know herself on a deeper level through yoga. Her studies have brought her to a place in her life that she says is unimaginable. “It’s almost like I have lived two separate lives now”.  Her classes relieve stress and anxiety, improve balance and flexibility and increase an overall sense of calmness. She is a natural flyer, inviting beginners and advanced practitioners to enjoy the benefits of aerial yoga.   

 As a yoga instructor, Kim is passionate to share the healing benefits that yoga has brought to her life. Through her years of personal practice  she has witnessed the absolute serenity, stress and anxiety management, as well as the beautiful physical benefits of yoga. She contributes yoga as the catalyst that has guided and supported her through some of the most difficult and tragic times in her life.
Kim completed her training at Heartwood Yoga Institute and holds both ERYT-200 & RYT-500 certifications and she is currently studying Yoga Therapy.  She maintains an active registration with Yoga Alliance and abides by its governing standards and practices.
Kim offers a calm and supportive atmosphere in her classes which include but are not limited  to: Restorative Aroma Yoga; Yoga Nidra, Gentle Yoga, Vinyasa Flow and Chair Yoga. She encourages open communication with her students so they can receive the most benefit from their yoga experience. She offers the  gift of healing touch and aromatherapy in her classes as well as inspirational quotes and poems.
 

 Bonnie is a RYT-500 Certified Yoga Instructor, focusing on integration of Yoga principles to support overall health and wellness with advanced certification in Chair Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga for Seniors, Yin Yoga. She is currently working on certification in Yoga Therapy. Bonnie’s focus is on safe and effective yoga practices and principles.  Bonnie is also  our resident glass artist who created the chakra stained glass windows that adorn the studio.   She hosts a monthly introduction to stained  glass workshop where students can create their own sun catcher with yoga inspired designs. 

In addition to her contributions to our yoga trainings, Bonnie is a leader of our monthly Women's Circle.  

 Stephanie is a certified 500-RYT, RCYT, and Reiki Master, and she is currently pursuing her certification in Yoga Therapy through Heartwood Yoga Institute. She has extensively studied movement, dance, and fitness since 1992, and brings more than a decade of teaching experience with her. In addition to being a yoga instructor, Stephanie has spent the last 8 years traveling the United States managing, directing, choreographing, and performing in her dance company, Atomic Lotus Entertainment. Prior to that she was a lead teacher at Debra Miller’s World of Dance, having brought many competitive students to national titles. Additionally, Stephanie has directed and choreographed many musical theater shows, and written and produced numerous ballet and theater pieces. She was a choreographer and grant writer for Global Site Performances and won an award from the City of Minneapolis for her dedication to the arts. She also filmed 2 seasons of an un-aired reality TV show with Minnesota’s Finest, and has won both Pacman and writing competitions at CONvergence; a sci-fi convention in Minneapolis. In her free time, she enjoys playing videogames with her partner Niko, reading lots of books, and spending time with her 3 fur babies. Whether teaching yoga, directing dancers, or playing D&D, Stephanie strives to cultivate an inclusive environment, and considers herself to be a life-long student.   

 Adrienne Lerfald is an RYT-500 Certified yoga teacher & Reiki Master who is also in process to become an IAYT Yoga Therapist. She loves to add energetic awareness to her classes by integrating mudras, essential oils, pranayama, meditation and other practices to her asana (physical postures and sequencing) for a truly embodied yoga experience. Adrienne also has a company called Love’s Parden Yoga  & Boutique that offers yoga, workshops, & creates mindful art and wellness products.   

Pauline Dimitry has been a student and teacher of yoga for 45 years. Her  teachers have included Donna Farhi, Judith Hanson Lasater, Roger Cole,  Eric Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Angela Farmer, Elise Miller,Victor Van  Kooten, Leslie Kaminoff and Francois Raoult.
This eclectic group of  teachers has informed Pauline's personal approach to classic Hatha  yoga,which is an underlying belief that yoga poses and breathing should  be adapted to fit individual needs. Early in her teaching career, she taught at a community college as  an alternative to Phys Ed, at the YWCA, churches, continuing education  and at a psychiatric ward. For the last 25 years, her interest has been primarily working with students over 50 with an emphasis on improving balance, range of motion, flexibility, increased lung capacity and relaxation of mind and body. In New York State, she has taught in senior and recreation centers, at a Chiropractic College and Chiropractic Clinic, and at the Empire State Senior Games.
She has taken both the RYT-200 & RYT-300 at Heartwood Yoga Institute.