Our Evolution Team

Tiffany Hamm Gouveia - Yoga Instructor & Owner

Tiffany's journey has been an adventure, full of twists and turns. "Every step has led me to where I am today, and I wouldn't change a thing."

The pandemic rekindled Tiffany's love for yoga. "I found solace on the mat, reconnected with myself, calmed my anxieties, and navigated the grief of losing my father (there was only so much Tiger King one could watch). "

Tiffany's mission is to help her students discover their inner strength and potential. "I believe that yoga is for everyone and together, no matter where you are, transformation is possible."

You can find Tiffany walking, trying new recipes, bike riding with her husband and rooting on the sidelines for her baseball playing son if she is not at the studio.

Kim Lesniak - Yoga Instructor

Kim is is muti-faceted teacher and incorporates many styles and approaches into her classes. She is a certified Power /Vinyasa and Kids Yoga Teacher (graduating in 2019 and 2020 respectively). Her goal is to allow students to connect to themselves no matter what style she is teaching.

"Yoga has taught me this... when life gets hard, step on your mat. It is the safest place to let go without judgment. It helps you clear your mind and reset leaving you with a sense of who you really are."

Lianne St. Remy ~Yoga Instructor

Lianne entered the healing arts via the performing arts having earned her BA in communications, visual and performing arts from Clark University.

After completing a program in shiatsu and sotai at Boston Shiatsu School in 1997, she began on her path as a shiatsu practitioner and instructor at Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Asian bodywork techniques ,for 8 years. 10 years, she lived in Corrales, NM with her family and maintained a private practice. Teaching dance, movement, and yoga, has always been part of the journey.

Lianne received her 500 yoga training from Suzanne Manafort and Patty Townsend based on Embodyoga after moving to CT in the mid 2000’s.

Her classes are mindful of taking time to breathe, examine, and feel this vehicle (our body) that gets us through life.

Lianne enjoys encouraging students to keep engaged but with ease. as well as take the time to pay gentle attention - Self love is real.

Ying-Ying Lee - Yoga Instructor

My classes are deeply influenced by Ashtanga, Power Yoga and Taoism. I did my 200 hour training at West Hartford Yoga and am certified in WHY Power with deep roots in Ashtanga Yoga.

My approach, influenced by my recent discovery of Taoism, is twofold: 1) helping students find more balance in their practice and life and 2) helping students find peace, courage, and joy on the mat so they can discover this off the mat where it matters most.

Julie Yimoyines - Yoga Instructor

Julie has been teaching yoga for two years and has practiced yoga for over twenty years. She loves a soothing restorative yoga class just as much (if not more!) than a heated power yoga class. Yoga has shown her how to tap into her own strength and gives her the courage to show up exactly as she is–something she encourages her students to do in her classes. She implores her students to drop their judgments, listen to their bodies and explore what is true in the present moment for them on their mats.

Julie is a 200 hour graduate of West Hartford Yoga’ Power Yoga teacher training (2022), as well as certified in Kids Yoga (The Yoga Shop, 2020) Restorative Yoga ( West Hartford Yoga, 2024) and Trauma Informed Yoga ( West Hartford Yoga, 2022) . She holds a B.A in chemistry (2002) and a M. Ed. in secondary education (2003) from Lehigh University.

She has been a high school chemistry teacher for over twenty years. When she’s not teaching chemistry or yoga, you can find her spending time with her husband and two sons. She loves to run, hike, lift weights, read and cuddle with her two rescue pups, Gracie & Ladybug.

Karen Nouizadeh - Yoga Instructor

Karen spent over a decade teaching yoga and meditation in New York City. Credentialed with Yoga Alliance, E-RYT 500 and The International Association of Yoga Therapists, I-AYT, Karen’s focus is on the healing aspects of yoga, mindfulness and meditation.

With an eye towards alignment, Karen’s teachings
incorporate principles from a variety of yoga disciplines including Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar,
Restorative, Yin/Yang, Sound Yoga, Yoga Nidra and more. Karen’s teachings and mindfulness
blogs have been featured in Reader’s Digest, The Daily News and Fitness. You can find her
meditations on Youtube @ NouriMeditationLab.

Kerry Tharpe - Yoga Instructor

Kerry’s yoga practice and instruction are guided by her desire to make inclusiveness a reflex rather than an initiative, her love of her family, and her sense of humor.

Kerry graduated from the Pranotthan Yoga School & is on the National Yoga Alliance registry. She practices many forms of yoga, especially Yin and Restorative.

Off her mat, Kerry has dedicated her professional and personal life to people with Special Needs. She is the Farmington Special Education Transition Coordinator and has been a proud Co-Coordinator of the Farmington Valley Special Olympics for over 25 years.

Chris Haynes - Yoga Instructor

Chris Hayes has dabbled in yoga since 1998, practiced regularly since 2011, and taught since 2013. He is a 500-hour certified teacher of Embodyoga® and a 100-hour certified teacher of Mindful Yoga Therapy. His goal is to share his yoga practice in a way that is accessible to anyone, and you’ll probably find you’ve learned some yoga philosophy between laughs. Chris’ favorite limbs of yoga are pranayama and pratyahara, but he can kick asana on request.

Rita Lamontagne- Yoga Instructor

Rita’s yoga journey began with a sampling of yoga classes at her local community center where a talented teacher exposed her to many styles of asana and pranayama. This gave her the confidence to try a studio class where she accidentally discovered and fell in love with Ashtanga. The classes were small and the teachers paid attention to alignment, providing options when her body didn't work in a posture yet, along with encouragement to continue. After continuing to build a strong foundation in several styles of yoga for over 15 years, she completed her 200 hour teacher training. During this transformative experience, she dove deep into a meditation practice, later completing a 100 hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher training, as well as becoming a certified Reiki practitioner. Her current practice and teaching leans toward meditation and gentler practices, but she also enjoys the occasional vinyasa flow.

Rita believes yoga is for every body and that practice doesn't end when the mat is rolled up. She works to find modifications when necessary and challenges her students to find ways to incorporate their practice into their daily lives. Rita lives in Newington with her husband and daughter. She is frequently seen strolling the neighborhood with her 80lb brown rescue dog. She enjoys spending time reading and in nature.

David Fuller ~Ashtanga Yoga Instructor

My journey in yoga began in 1996 with the discovery of Beryl Bender Birch's book, "Power
Yoga." I dedicated myself to learning the primary series, rising at 4 AM each morning to
practice. This commitment led me to travel weekly to New York City to refine my skills at
Broome Street. I am passionate about sharing this transformative practice with others.
I have had the privilege of studying under esteemed first-generation Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga
teachers, including Tim Miller, the late Nancy Gilgoff, David Swenson, and Richard Freeman. In
2015, while recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, I joined the Yoga Shop community. I am
grateful for the opportunity to be part of this supportive and inspiring environment, and I am
deeply influenced by the teachings of Annie Q, Kimberly C, and the entire Yoga Shop team.
My goal is to inspire individuals to step onto the mat and discover their inner silence.

Emma Lao ~Yoga Instructor

Emma is a certified yoga teacher who specializes in hatha and vinyasa style. She began practicing in high school but deepened her practice after discovering how healing yoga is for trauma, anxiety, and mind-body connection. She values helping people reconnect with themselves, their body, the earth, and community as well as making yoga accessible to all.

She loves reading, nature, her dog Mika, studying yogic philosophy, spending time with loved ones, and listening to Beyoncé. When not teaching yoga she works as a professional video shooter and editor in NYC.

She is a RYT200 and currently studying for prenatal RPYT85. She also has an MS in Interactive Communications & Media and a BA in Film, Television, and Media.

Evolution Yoga & Wellness Co.

Our Evolution Team