Teachers

Michele Loew is an international yoga teacher and the founder and director of The Yoga Space in Portland, Oregon.  She is known as a teacher’s teacher and is respected for her 200 Hr & 500 Hr. Yoga Schools and her ability to combine Western knowledge of the body (Anatomy & physiology and modern kinesiology techniques) with the Eastern tradition of yoga.  

She has studied and taught avidly since 1998, having studied extensively in the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions as well as the Sri Vidya lineage.   She is known for her keen observation skills and her ability to guide a student towards aligning the physical and energetic body through the use of expert hands on assists and intelligent verbal cues. She brings to her teaching a warm and engaging style that reflects her own internal understanding of the practice.  

Michele is an avid student of Eastern & Western Philosophy and continues to study with her principal yoga teacher Richard Freeman with whom she has practiced with since 2000.   She has been Richard’s assistant in his teacher trainings and workshops, and has a close understanding of his brilliant middle path teaching.  She practices Tibetan Buddhism, and received several Kalachakra initiations with HH The Dalai Lama and practices Vajrayana as guided by her beloved teacher in Buddhism, Dr. Robert Thurman.

Michele teaches regular classes and trainings in Portland, as well as retreats and workshops internationally.  For more information on Michele please visit her website & please follow on Instagram and Facebook.

INSTAGRAM:  @micheleloew

Ian discovered the practice of Yoga in 2011 while seeking a physical routine to stay in shape for his field work as an Archaeologist in Latin America. His practice quickly grew to incorporate mental and spiritual connotations as well, and in 2013 he completed his 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa Yoga under Tiffany Maloney in Beaumont, Texas. His classes are a Vinyasa-based Asana practice that aim to find the connection of Mind, Body and Breath while exploring the joy of being present in motion. Being an avid lover of movement culture, Ian also completed an Acroyoga Teacher training under Daniel Scott in 2016, a.k.a. The Yoga of Trust, and offers a teaching style that emphasizes the power of human connection with a personal motto: "To show how healing the art of play can be when done through a space of mindful connection".

Allison is passionate about breath centered movement. She utilizesasana class as a form of moving meditation. She creates a fun and compassionate space for students to explore and grow their yoga practice. Her intention is to empower students on the mat so they can share their gifts with the greater community.

She began practicing yoga while attending college in 2000. After graduating she lived aboard a sailboat with her now husband. This very simple and pure existence, deeply in tune with the surrounding elements allowed her to nurture her path of living yoga. In 2006 she completed a 200 hour Integral yoga teacher training. She found Prana Flow® yoga during this time and immediately felt deeply connected. In 2010 she completed her 500 hour teaching certificate in Prana Flow® with Shiva Rea. This transformational experience cultivated deep community and broadened her understanding of yoga to include the embodiment of yoga, energetic alignment, ayurveda, and tantra.  She has continued to deepen her life as a living sadhana. Allison iscurrently a mentor for the Samudra School of Living Yoga.

Lockett began practicing yoga in 1998. Walking out of her first class ever, she thought to herself, "Well I guess I'll do that for the rest of my life...." She went on to study Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga extensively with Timo Jimenez here in Portland, and completed teacher training and advanced teacher training with Tias Little in Santa Fe. Her practice and teaching reflect her experience with those traditions, as well as the broader creativity of Vinyasa yoga. In Lockett's classes you will be guided to work at your own pace towards balancing strength and flexibility while cultivating breath and mindfulness through a continuous flow. She believes yoga is a practice of patience and determination, an increasingly subtle balancing between effort and ease. Lockett also teaches Restorative yoga in which quiet supported poses work to restore energy, provide healing, reduce stress and soothe the mind.

Allie is an abstract artist originally from New York, and has been heavily influenced by the practice of yoga.

After noticing the self healing aspects yoga has to offer, she decided to deepen her practice in 2016, diving into Michele Loew’s 200 hour training (and currently, the 500 hour program.) Her classes focus on an integrated blend of Vinyasa flow, breath centered moving meditation, and restorative practices.

Her passion is to create a space for people to reconnect with themselves, deepen their awareness, and navigate the practice physically and mentally: on and off the mat.

Yoga has shined a light on the power of the present moment: whatever you are seeking, already lies within. 

Lauren discovered the practice of Yoga while living in NYC in 2005. Seeking a space to calm her mind in a city that never sleeps, her practice quickly manifested into a deep passion that provided balance, inspiration, and ease in her day-to-day life. Upon moving to Portland in 2015, Lauren immediately became embedded member of the Yoga Space community, where she decided to take her practice to the next level with teacher training. Having completed both her 200 and 300 hour training with the renowned Michele Lowe, Lauren became a regular teacher as the Yoga Space upon her graduation in 2018. Blending dynamic movement with the importance of breathwork and alignment queues, Lauren's creative and playful flows are designed for all levels of practice. And, as an avid lover of music, she pairs her in-person classes with expertly curated rhythmic experiences that will help you stay present and stay moving. 

Since 1998, Heather Shaw has been a student of yoga and meditation, steeped in the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Western psychotherapy and neuroscience. Embodied practice is at the root of Heath's offerings, which are influence by her unique background in dance/choreography, combine with over two decades of yoga teaching experience, all underpinned by dedicated scholarships in both dharma philosophy and contemplative psychotherapy. 

Heather has taught yoga classes, teacher training and led meditation groups as a host of studios in New York City as well as Portland, OR. Her classes blend the precision of Iyengar yoga with the dynamic, breath-centered flow of Vinyasa, influenced by her studies with beloved teachers including Genny Kapuler, Cyndi Lee, Shiva Rea, and Michele Loew. Heather is a graduate of the Nalanda Institude for Contemplative Science's Psychotherapy Program and Currently serves as a meditation instructor as well as group facilitator for the institute. She continues to study meditation and dharma a philosophy with her longtime mentors, Ethan Nichtern and Dr. Miles Neale, and is grateful for the way (respectively) embody the yin and yang of her spiritual path.

Sylvia's presence exudes warmth and compassion, enveloping those around her in a comforting embrace. Since her arrival in Portland, Oregon from Taiwan in 2015, Sylvia has embarked on a beautiful journey of self-exploration and healing, leaving a profound impact on the lives she touches.

Trained under the guidance of Michele Loew and Ian LeMasters at The Yoga Space, Sylvia received her yoga teacher certification, which she infuses with her genuine passion for guiding others on their yoga journeys. As the dedicated Studio Manager at The Yoga Space, she wholeheartedly fosters a nurturing and welcoming environment for all. On Monday evenings, she imparts her wisdom and expertise in Yin Yoga, providing a sanctuary for relaxation and restoration.

In addition to her yoga expertise, Sylvia is a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Life Coach, and NLP Practitioner. Based in Portland, Oregon, she extends her healing touch to individuals both locally and globally. Through her hypnotherapy and coaching services, Sylvia has empowered countless individuals to break free from suffering and manifest the lives they have always dreamt of.

Beyond her work in yoga and healing modalities, Sylvia has also devoted herself to the study of dharma for over a decade. In 2012, she took refuge in Buddhism with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, and in 2021, she solidified her commitment by taking the Bodhisattva Vow with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Her dedication to the path of Buddhism is rooted in her belief in continuous learning and practice, as well as her heartfelt wish for the happiness and freedom of all sentient beings.

Sylvia’s mission is to help people find inner peace, freedom, and joy.

Instagram: @msylvialin

Birdie has been a teacher, a voice, a guide, and a mentor in the healing space since 2015. Rooted in meditation, breathwork, vinyasa, yin, restorative, bhakti yoga, and sound healing her background has taught her that a life lived intentionally carves the heart-led path to a deeper connection within all living things.

Birdie discovered the foundational roots of yoga during a time of trauma and transition in early 2013. After being introduced to a book called “You Are Here,” written by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh she felt, guided to pursue a teaching career in the healing space.

Her classes often invite introspection and inquiry with the invitation to go deeper. Interweaving traditional Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the 8-limbed path, spiritual insight, and the practice of presence, her classes are intended to explore the conversation with the physical and subtle anatomy of the body. She loves to create both strong asana and slow meditative practices. Her desire as a teacher is to provide a safe container for those to feel seen and build community within.

As a dancer at an early age, when Emily found Yoga in 1999 its physicality felt like a natural evolution in her relationship with movement. She began her yoga career teaching in the Chicago area in 2001 after her first teacher training with Ana Forrest. Over time she leaned more towards the flow and movement based practice of Vinyasa, which led her to her 2nd more intensive teacher training at Yogaview in 2007. 

Over the years she has participated in numerous yoga workshops and courses from the likes of Manju Jois (Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’s son / Ashtanga yoga), Tias Little, Paul Greeley, Shiva Rea, the list goes on. As well as starting her journey with psychic and energy healing practices in 2007. Soon after, she started to infuse her knowledge of the healing arts within her classes and created her own course Energy Healing Yoga.   

In 2018 she moved to Portland, OR to embrace yet another desire of hers, the more gentle and subtle aspects of movement and healing.  She began teaching Yin, Slow Flow and Hatha.  Once a month she led her very own Yin and Energy Yoga Event incorporating energy healing practices, Yin Yoga poses and ending the session with a group reading.  

She has enjoyed every aspect of yoga from the more advanced to the gentle calm and everything in between.  It has taught her more about herself and how she wants to treat her body on and off the mat.  

Her teachings are all about permission, self awareness and healing.  Her hope for you is that when you leave her classroom you learn a little more about yourself, your needs and how to better take care of you! 

I have been practicing yoga for 12 years, and it has completely changed my life. As a former ballerina and dancer, I found yoga when I was looking for a way to move during my off season from dance. The flow and focus felt familiar, but opened up a whole new world for me. Over the years I focused largely on Hatha and Ashtanga vinyasa lineages, and continued to learn more about the other parts of yoga aside from asana, deepening my learning of pranayama and meditation. In 2019 I got my 200 hour RYT certification with Michele Loew at the Yoga Space in Portland with the desire to share these practices with others. These practices have enriched my life, improved the way I can take care of myself and others, and positively impacted my outlook on a daily basis. My teaching style is breath and alignment based. I like putting together both rejuvenating flows and strong, invigorating vinyasa flows. With the understanding that we are all connected, and better together, I am committed to making yoga inclusive and accessible for all.