Surya Center for Yoga

Lisa began practicing yoga during her second pregnancy in 1998.  Knowing now what yoga has done for her body, mind, and spirit, she wishes she had started much sooner.  As her practice deepened, so did her desire to share yoga with others.  In the spring of 2003, Lisa met Shanon Buffington and they began teaching yoga together.  It wasn't long until the two decided to take a leap of faith, open the Surya Center for Yoga, and see where their passion for yoga would take them.

Lisa has an intuitive teaching style, which focuses on integrating alignment, acceptance, and intuition; core strength and grace; focus and surrender. She specializes in giving step-by-step instruction in the fundamentals of yoga postures and breathing techniques .  Her Pilates background has enabled her to incorporate strong core alignment into her power yoga and yogilates classes. Attention is directed to developing core strength and proper alignment, while cultivating and sustaining an inner calm. 

Her teaching is inspired by the wisdom of Desiree Rumbaugh, John Friend, Rod Stryker, Ana Forrest, Baron Baptiste, and Seane Corn.  Lisa is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, with over 250 hours of training.

Lisa is extremely interested in the therapeutic aspects of yoga - on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level - and hopes to incorporate these aspects more and more into her teaching.  Before her adventure with yoga, Lisa worked in the corporate world as a sales manager for Hershey's.  Now, her passion includes bringing yoga and Pilates to corporate facilities, including Haggar Clothing, Essilor, Rent-A-Center, Nissan, I2, MADD, and the Container Store.

Lisa lives in Coppell with her husband and three sons.  When she's not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and working in her yard.

Shanon began practicing yoga in college as a supplement to teaching aerobics, weight training, and running.  But what started as exercise became much more.  After years of suffering from pain caused by degenerative discs in her neck, Shanon began to find that the more she practiced yoga, the less pain she felt.  And, as her practice deepened, she realized that yoga not only helped her body, but also helped her mind.  She began teaching yoga in 2002 as a favor to a friend, but it wasn't long until she discovered that her true passion was to share yoga with others.

Shanon graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Engineering Management.  She spent 6 years working in the software consulting industry.  In 2002 she left her career in consulting and partnered with Lisa Marshall to open the Surya Center for Yoga.  Shanon and Lisa opened the Surya Center with the hopes of providing yoga to anyone open to receiving it.

Shanon's training includes certifications from the Yoga Institute and Para Yoga.  Her training is in tantra, hatha, and raja yoga.  She is a member of the Yoga Alliance with over 250 hours of training.

Jackie began practicing  yoga over 30 years ago as a teenager, and has been involved with yoga ever since.  Jackie has spent the better part of her life in the practice and teaching of physical fitness and overall wellness.  Initially, she taught fitness and aerobics, and later became a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), and has worked in that area for close to 20 years.  She also earned her Master's Degree in Marriage, Family Therapy (MFT) and has worked with several doctors in their professional practices.

The pursuit and attainment of her Registered Yoga Teacher Certification through Yoga Alliance was both a logical progression and culmination of a lifelong interest that has blossomed into a passion for yoga.  She has studied with a variety of teachers, including Rod Stryker and Seane Corn, and hopes to continue to learn from many more in the future.

Her passion is to help students realize increased self-awareness by letting go of negativity, becoming more balanced in their lives, and enhancing the unity of mind, body, and spirit through the experience of yoga.

Jackie also works at Halliburton, teaching yoga and providing massage therapy for their employees.  She lives in Coppell with her husband of 20 years, Jess, and their two children, Danielle and Gabe.

Jennifer’s yoga journey began when she started training for her first, and only, full marathon.  Struggling with tightness and injuries in various muscles and joints led her to yoga for therapeutic relief.  Slowly, but surely, she began to truly see the benefits of yoga and Pilates.  She has since run several half marathons and continues to run today, but yoga and Pilates have become her passion.  She strives personally to become stronger and more flexible, utilizing good technique, posture, and alignment, all through yoga and Pilates principles.  She hopes to bring her passion for fitness to her students and help them see what their bodies can become, regardless of the package it comes in.

Jennifer received a degree in Physical Therapy from Louisiana State University Medical School and has been a Physical Therapist for 15 years.  She currently works part time at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.  When she’s not working as a therapist or teaching classes, she is working as a stay at home mom.  Jennifer, her husband of 15 years, and their three children live in Coppell.

Jan has been a dedicated yoga practitioner for many years.  Since her first yoga class, she knew that yoga would change her life....and so it has.  In 2004, Jan left her career as a healthcare executive to become a yoga instructor.  She began her training with YogaFit and has completed a 200 hour training program in the Scaravelli method of yoga.  She is a Registered Yoga Instructor meeting the standards set forth by the Yoga Alliance and currently teaches Yoga, Pilates, and Senior Fitness at several facilities in the area.

Angieʼs journey with yoga began unknowingly in 2000 when she started using meditation to relieve the stress of a chaotic life working for a technology firm in Austin.  A demanding career requiring long hours, extensive travel and unpredictable job security led to various stress-induced symptoms including depression, anxiety and insomnia.  Meditation provided immediate relief and eventually led her to move to Dallas for a less demanding career.

 

In 2005, Angie decided to try a yoga class at Surya.  Her practice there soon led to an unexpected spiritual awakening that has since transformed all aspects of her life.  She began to immerse herself in the study and practice of yoga and fate led her to John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga.  After her introduction to Anusara, her practice deepened and she found herself guided to the path of becoming a yoga teacher.

 

Angie became a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher in 2007.  Her teaching style is heavily influenced by the spiritual aspects of yoga and she incorporates many of the Anusara techniques in her classes. She is very interested in the energetic benefits of yoga and focuses her classes on performing poses that open and balance the chakra energy centers in the body.

 

Angie has a bachelorʼs and a masterʼs degree from Texas Christian University.  She works part time doing corporate communications for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and is also a certified Reiki practitioner. 

Lisa was first exposed to yoga in 2002 at her gym.  Her third child was almost one, and she had quit working in the corporate world to stay home with her kids.  She had been intrigued by yoga, and thought it would help her reduce stress and give her some “me” time (she had three kids under age three at the time).  She loved the way yoga made her feel, and continued attending class once a week for several years.  She began attending class 2-3 times per week, and started talking to her instructor about becoming a teacher.  Her instructor led her to a yoga studio, where she completed her Yoga Alliance 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) training this past December (2007).

 

Lisa desired to become a yoga instructor to help expose as many people as possible to yoga, because it has helped her in many ways.  It brings her great joy to see her students realize the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga in their own lives.  She taught yoga to several teachers at her kids’ elementary school, and has been teaching Kids Yoga at Surya.  Her own daughters love yoga; Lisa feels she is giving them a wonderful gift by exposing them to yoga at any early age.  She even brought her Brownie troop to Surya to practice yoga as part of a field trip.

 

Lisa lives in Carrollton with her husband and soul mate Stephen.  They have been married 10 years and have three precious girls:  8-year-old twins named Sarah & Rachel, and a 6-year-old named Beth.      

 

Susan began her yoga journey in 1998.  She was looking for something to relieve the stress that comes along with balancing a career with family.  Yoga turned out to be exactly what she was looking for.  Susan especially liked the feelings of relaxation and peace that came as a result of yoga practice.  What she didn't expect was the impact that yoga would have on other areas of her life.  She found that in addition to relaxation, she was reaping the benefits of increased flexibility and strength she had never experience before.  She noticed that yoga also helped to put her life into perspective.

Susan graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Education.  She received her Master of Arts in Spanish Literature from the University of North Texas, where she taught Spanish as an adjunct professor for 10 years.  After the birth of her second child, Susan decided to stay home.  During the years that followed, she was able to explore yoga even more.  This eventually led to her certification as a yoga instructor.  Susan has since completed a 200 hour yoga training intensive and is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance.