OUR INSTRUCTORS

500hr RYT

Laura Kristine Erickson is the founder of Mountain Kula Yoga and Director of the annual Kula Yoga Fest. After a 20-year career in apparel design in the outdoor and ski industry, her journey into yoga, Ayurveda, and holistic healing led her to open the studio in 2021 with the vision of creating a warm, inclusive space where people can remember the truth of who they are.

Laura was first introduced to yoga in 2005 while designing technical outerwear at Eastern Mountain Sports. It was there she learned the Primary Series of Ashtanga from her colleague Robert Moses, igniting a passion for the physical, emotional, and spiritual depth of yogic living.

She has studied Ayurveda with Cate Stillman, completed a 9-month Heart-Centered Leadership program through the Spiritual Psychology curriculum at the University of Santa Monica, and earned her 300hr YTT with Ashley Turner’s Yoga.Psyche.Soul. Her ongoing studies include Bhakti with Ananda Das, Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra with Katie O’Connell, Theta Healing with Jeffrey Charles Warren, and Meditation with Yashoda Devi Ma.

Laura’s teachings are rooted in her devotion to awakening, healing, and community. When she’s not in the studio, she’s likely walking her pup, cheering on the soccer field, or adventuring on bikes and skis with her husband and two sons.

200hr RYT

Christine has been a part of the Mountain Kula Yoga family from day 1! When the pandemic hit in 2020, and teacher training could be obtained online, in virtual classrooms, she knew this was her chance to deepen her practice. Eager to engage with the community, Christine completed her 200 hour YTT in 2021, and is continuing her education with a health coaching certification and obtaining her 300 hour YTT. Working as a massage therapist and being introduced to yoga over 20 years ago, she’s excited to continue her service in the healing arts. Though life has a way of throwing one off course from time to time, yoga has always remained fully in her heart.

Slowly but surely the ball is rolling! Though uncertainty still creeps up, Christine reminds herself to take a deep breath and whisper to herself "stop getting in your own way." She's learning to embrace her humanity and hopes to share how yoga has influenced her life beyond the physical practice, and shows her that it’s truly A WAY TO SHOW UP IN THE WORLD.

500hr RYT

Yoga found Lori in 2009 when her body had begun to rebel against years of competitive sports and the frequent, grueling training they required. She had also just gone through a painful divorce and was literally breaking down—physically, mentally and spiritually.

She attended her first yoga class at Synergy Power Yoga, a Baptiste studio in Barrington, RI. After just 15 minutes she was hooked! She enjoyed the challenge of the physical practice, learned to respect her body and its limitations, and learned to be a bit kinder to herself. No longer did everything need to hurt to be beneficial. She came to yoga for her body, but continues to practice for her soul and overall well-being.

With much respect and love for her wonderful yoga teachers, she wanted to share what she had learned with others. She studied with Gregor Singleton and Claire Este McDonald at the Baptiste Institute in Cambridge, MA to complete her 200-hour RYT in 2014 and 300-hour RYT in 2016.

200hr RYT

Bobbi thoroughly enjoys all kinds of group exercise and became certified in several different types of movement including Hi/Lo Aerobics, Drums Alive!, Step Aerobics, Cardio Kickboxing and Powder Blue PiYo (Pilates/Yoga). In 2004, she attended Alyssa Sullivan’s class at Synergy Power Yoga in RI and was completely humbled. Yoga was so much more challenging than she ever imagined but it was also very welcoming and had a spiritual element that was missing in other forms of group exercise.
After losing her design-related job during the pandemic, Bobbi chose to attend the Believe You Can Yoga School in Bristol, RI with her long-time, mentors, Jane Viscolosi, E-RYT500, RYS-200, YACEP and Nikki Gelsimono, RYT-200, CPT who were both trained by Baron Baptiste. She continues to take their powerful and soulful classes whenever she visits RI.
When she is not practicing at Mountain Kula Yoga, she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, mountain biking, SUPing, swimming, creating art and geocaching. She has been known to break into dancers pose at the top of NH mountains or on her travels around the world with her husband and 2 adult children.

300hr RYT

Stacey Forend, RYT300, Yoga Teacher, Psychic Medium, Energy Therapist, Birth & End of Life Doula and Lifestyle & Spirituality Mentor. In addition, Stacey is a certified Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Practitioner and the creator of the organic anti- inflammatory super food Super Golden Blend TM. She began her journey of healing herself of an autoimmune disease in 2009 which led to her Dharma, life purpose, of teaching yoga and guiding others in their healing and self remembrance. She opened her own healing arts practice in 2017 and offers a multifaceted approach to healing.

200hr RYT

Vanessa was born and raised in New Delhi, India. She moved to New York as a young adult, to work at Time magazine, and never returned to live in India. She grew up in a household where one of her uncles practiced yoga, much to the entertainment and delight of the children in the household, herself included! Her uncle would search for calm as he stood on his head, and the children would bend over and peer at him in what struck them as an odd way to greet the day! Vanessa has lived in the Mount Washington Valley for over thirty years and teaches three times per week. She received her 200 RYT from Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. She has practiced yoga for many years, and it has brought a great deal of calm and grace to her life.

500hr ERYT

Jean received her 200RYT in Guatemala from School Yoga institute at the Mystical Yoga Farm and her 300RYT at Durga's Tiger School of Tantra and Shamanism in Ecuador after 25 years of being a dedicated yogini. Yoga has been an intrical part of Jean’s life.. a necessary part… She takes her winter body to her ‘second home’ Roatan, Honduras yearly, where she practices daily yoga overlooking Half Moon bay. Jean, recovering from knee surgery, is aiming to ski and mountain bike like a rockstar soon. She reads and writes, and grows lots of garlic. She is a wedding officiant and an Ayurveda Abhyanga Massage Therapist. She’s a well traveled girl who loves culture, language, and just seeing how other people live.

268hr RYT

Brein is a 268 hour certified yoga teacher in a combination of hatha, ashtanga and power vinyasa flow from Guruv Yoga in Lake Mary, FL. She’s been practicing yoga for over a decade and has found it useful in balancing everyday life. She loves a challenging class that can make her sweat and smile. Brein is a wife, mother of two boys, and a managing editor of application development for a publishing company. When she gets a moment to herself, her mat is where she’ll be. Combining music and movement, her vinyasa flow classes encourage strength and playfulness. Yoga is a balance between steadying the mind and challenging the body.

200hr RYT

Melissa was introduced to meditation during a college class. She recalls how challenging it was to sit still and quiet her mind for those first 10 minutes. This experience, along with her belief in the importance of a physically active lifestyle, is what guided her toward the path of yoga. After practicing yoga around the globe for many years, Melissa completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in Ashtanga Yoga at Samyak Institute in Mysore, India, in March 2023. Shortly afterward, in May 2023, she completed her Restorative Teacher Training, "Movement in Stillness," with Margo Rosigana in Portland, Maine. A long-time resident of the Mount Washington Valley, Melissa enjoys hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and all the adventures that mountain life has to offer.

500hr RYT

Zita started her yoga journey back in 2015 as an outlet to burn excess energy and to try and heal from some unhealthy patterns and coping mechanisms she'd created for herself. Immediately she was hooked and with new found confidence (with credit given back to the yoga practice), she left her home in Galway, Ireland to travel in 2015. Zita completed her 200hr through YoYoYogi in 2018 (Portland, OR), her 300hr with Grace Jull in 2020 and is now currently enrolled in Yoga Therapy Training with Brandt Passalacqua through Breathing Deeply (an IAYT certified school of Yoga Therapy). She's also a certified Y12SR leader having completed Yoga for 12-Step Recovery with Nikki Meyers in 2023. With a strong commitment to continuous education and values built around the principles of yoga, she aims to share this practice of healing with those in need. Moving to Conway from Oregon in June 2024 with her husband and fur child (Bagheera), she can be found either buried in a book (or 3), out on a trail or in the kitchen tackling a new recipe.

500hr RYT

Hi My name is Jade. I began my journey into yoga when I was a teenager. I’ve always felt like a “seeker” in a sense. Hungry for more wisdom, more philosophy, more teachings. I will forever be a student. I received my 500 hr RYT in yoga and Ayurveda and find my passions in so many things. Yoga being just one of many. I am a mom to two amazing beings. Which is my highest calling in life. I love gardening, baking bread, cooking nourishing food with love.. learning about yoga, herbalism and connecting with people. I love animals. I love traveling and laying in the sun. I love spending time in nature with my children.. and I love joy and spontaneity. Most of my classes reflect that, with a deep reverence and honoring for the tradition and the masters who shared this practice with us.

200hr RYT

Erin has been practicing yoga consistently since 2016 and enjoys the sense of deep calmness and integration she is able to find on the mat. The Ashtanga Yoga system offers routine and discipline to her personal practice, and teaching vinyasa yoga allows her to explore creative and dynamic flows. Erin continually looks forward to being a lifelong student of yoga. "Yoga has challenged my mind, body and spirit to cultivate strength, flexibility and acceptance. I am sassy and silly with a playful creative spirit that reflects in my teaching style." She creates a safe space in the classroom for her students to explore the mind-body connection while developing strength and flexibility with a sense of steadiness and ease that can be carried off the mat.