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Meet Our Team

Alex Christie

Alex Christie

 Alex Christie was born and raised in Asheboro, NC. She moved to Charlotte, NC in 2009 and pursued her music career as a singer-songwriter after receiving her degree from the Art Institute of Charlotte. After 4 years of touring full-time, Alex had a spiritual awakening that led her down the path to Self Realization in 2016. Although there was not a yoga studio in her hometown (other than the YMCA), she was absolutely drawn to this ancient practice. After a few heartbreaks and many setbacks, Alex found her way back to herself through the many modalities she teaches today. During the Spring of 2020, she moved to Myrtle Beach, SC unintentionally. She was divinely led and guided into Shanti Yoga Studio where the true journey would begin. She was trained as a 200-Hour Certified Yoga Teacher in Vinyasa Yoga by Swami Dawn Yager.  She received her Master/Reiki Teacher certification in 2022 from Lori Alderman from Shining Light Reiki and Reflexology in Greensboro, NC. She also received her Yin Yoga Teacher Certification from Sissy Castillo in October 2022. Alex has been teaching yoga, meditation, and practicing Reiki in the Myrtle Beach area since 2020. She still improves her practice by working with other teachers of the powerful practice such as Sri Dharma Mittra from Dharma Yoga NYC along with the Self-Realization Teachings of Paramhansa Yoganada. She is here to spread the joy and the light that has been passed down to her from many ascended Masters and Teachers.
Ben Sota

Ben Sota

“Looking behind, I am filled with gratitude. Looking forward, I am filled with vision. Looking upward, I am filled with strength. Looking within, I discover peace”

Quero Apache Prayer

Ben’s focus is to recognize great potential within each individual. As a teacher he draws upon his experience as a performing artist, circus artist, theater director, and yogi to create a safe, yet challenging, environment for self-discovery and meditation. He aims to share the joy of movement, camaraderie of practice, and the excitement of awareness with others.

Ben moved to Myrtle Beach from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, in 2014 and is an Associate Professor with Coastal Carolina University’s B.F.A. Physical Theatre program. Ben teaches movement classes and physical theatre courses. He earned his RYT 200 from Yoga in Common in Myrtle Beach in January 2016 under the instruction of Jodi Geoghan and his RYT 500 from Zuna Yoga in Bali in August 2022 under the instruction of Everett Newell and Katherine Girling. He is currently a student at the Four Winds Light Body School, expecting to graduate in August 2024.

Colleen Albright

Colleen Albright

She took her first yoga class in 2002 and was immediately hooked.  She often turned to yoga when dealing with stressful life situations and always dreamed of sharing yoga with everyone, especially those who are out-of- shape, intimidated, or just curious. 

Colleen completed her 200hr yoga teacher training at The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem, PA in Spring of 2017 and became certified as a Y12SR (Yoga of 12 Step Recovery) Leader in April 2019.  

Colleen brings her sense of humor to the mat as well as her loving light.  Her yoga classes are a combination of slow movement, breathwork, and meditation. 

Her favorite yoga quote is: 

“Yoga is not about self-improvement; it’s about self- acceptance.”

– Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa



Danielle Guido

Danielle Guido

Danille Guido is E-RYT 200, YACEP, Barre Certified, Hot Pilates Core Certified, Baptise Inspired Yoga Certified

Favorite Yoga Pose: Bird of Paradise! I love this pose because it embodies what yoga is… a journey. There is major prep needed; plus binding, twisting, and extending. Each next step relaying on the success of the previous one. You need full concentration and determination all while learning to let yourself go. Body, mind, and spirit come together in this pose for me.

Challenge Pose: Any and all backbends. I love them so much and I enjoy the challenge I have every time I am in one. I want to find the floor one day!

Currently Working On: Pranayama and Meditation

Teaching Philosophy: The success of yoga does not lie in our ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and behave in our relationships. Real yoga happens on and off the mat.

Gunay Rzayeva

Gunay Rzayeva

Gunay was introduced to Eastern body arts and philosophy in her twenties by practicing kung fu while growing up in Azerbaijan. She started to practice yoga at Yoga In Common (YIC) in 2021 with the intention of somatic tension relief. Witnessing benefits of yoga not only on her body but also on her mind, she aspired to become a yoga instructor and graduated from YIC as a Vinyasa Flow Instructor in 2022. Inspired by her teacher Stevie Goggans, Gunay studied massage therapy and got certified as a Massage / Bodywork Therapist in 2023. Currently she is being trained as a Meditation Teacher at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and fascinated by yoga’s ability to help self-control the mind and self-reform a person. 
Namaste
Gunay works full-time, remotely for a global software company and truly appreciates teaching yoga in her free time along with practicing massage therapy within a chiropractic office. Her dream is one day to start to travel around the world to share the joy of yoga. Her favorite yoga pose is bird of paradise. Her favorite quote is by Rumi: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
Heather Edwards

Heather Edwards

Born and raised in Myrtle Beach, SC Heather turned to yoga in her early twenties to help deal with the anxieties of school and to find relief from incessant body cramps. It was also the only physical activity she felt comfortable practicing with her visual impairment. Heather was born legally blind and it was difficult for her to participate in other physical activities that involved other people, or moving freely around the room. She was told that by the age of 30 she would have little to no vision left so it was important for her to find a way to manage emotions and stay physically active.
Since then, she became a certified instructor at Yoga in Common and focuses on teaching classes that are accessible for all, even without vision, or eyes closed. Her focus is on calming the mind and seeking inner peace and following intuition by connecting with the third eye, the most important of our three eyes. Her favorite styles are Vinyasa, Gentle, and Yin.
Joanne Dagato

Joanne Dagato

Joanne discovered the world of yoga about 20 years ago and as a true Pisces, I was hooked. I have been teaching yoga for 15 years now and over 10 of those years, I taught with Yoga in Common.

I enjoy teaching the benefits of yoga on the body and how each pose benefits you. I love when a student tell me how much they enjoyed my class or how it benefited them.

Through the years, I have received my certification in Yoga for low mobility, Pre and Post Natal Yoga, and Yin. I also received my Reiki Master under Chikara-Reiki-Do.

I have travel to Thailand, Bali and Europe to attend Yoga Retreats and have even taught in Asia.

I am also a professional photographer and when I moved to Myrtle Beach in 2008, I realized there wasno Camera Club here on the Grand Strand so I started the Myrtle Beach Camera club in 2009. It has been growing ever since.

Joanna (“Jo”) Ducey,

Joanna (“Jo”) Ducey,

(PhD, E-RYT, YACEP) is a certified Vinyasa and Forrest Yoga teacher, Thai Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher Trainer, and Holistic Health Counselor who has been teaching since 2012. Her classes emphasize the importance of building a deeper connection to self through meaningful intention, healing breathwork, deep core awareness, and movements that balance strength with softness.

Jo has a particular interest in the powerful healing effects of touch through Thai massage and skilled hands-on adjustments in the yoga classroom. Students can expect an alignment- and intuitive-based all-levels practice that is challenging and fun and supports tension release in areas such as the neck, shoulders, hips, and lower back. Off the mat, Jo has also done considerable work in the field of nutrition and mind-body wellness, in the hopes of helping others on their path to healing, health, and happiness.

She is also passionate about language, reading, and writing, through which she has studied extensively about how creative and somatic praxes assist in healing from personal and collective trauma, mourning, and the power of commemorating the past to inform the future.

Kathy Hirschefeld

Kathy Hirschefeld

Kathy’s journey into practicing and teaching Yoga began at a family owned gym where she worked teaching group exercise.

The owners decided to open a Yoga studio in the facility and that is where her love of Yoga began over 20 years ago. She has taken several Yoga trainings but the one that most influenced her was  the 200 hour with Rolf Gates in 2013, focusing on the Vinyasa style.

Since then she has expanded to teach restorative, gentle,and  basic Hatha. In 2021, she received her 300 hour training through The Kula Collective. 

With over 3,000 hour of teaching experience, she has developed an extensive base of knowledge about the body’s mechanics, muscles and posture which she incorporates into every class. Safety and clarity are important components in her teaching style along with a sense of lightheartedness. She says laughter is the best medicine.

She will inspire you to keep moving your body and expanding your mind. All will feel supported, successful and encouraged in her classes. Her goal is to show people that Yoga is not only for the most flexible, the strongest or the most balanced, but that Yoga is for everyone.

Maura Utley

Maura Utley

Maura is a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT500+, Y.A.C.E.P.) through Yoga Alliance and a certified fitness professional with over forty years of experience teaching various group fitness classes throughout the East Coast. Maura owns Yoga Simpatico dot com and is a certified Ayurvedic specialist whose teaching philosophy centers on using yoga and movement as medicine. 

“Yoga totally changed my life – and my family’s life – for the better, and I am deeply grateful for the practice and its teachings. This transformation is unlike anything I have ever experienced through traditional exercise. I love seeing others experience this same transformation regardless of age, fitness level, affliction, or physical ability, and I wholeheartedly believe life improves with a consistent yoga practice.”

In 2002, she created Everybody’s Ayurveda – A lifestyle candle and home décor collection based on Ayurveda’s holistic healing philosophies and is also the originator of YogaRx©. These therapeutically inspired classes proactively infuse yoga with physical therapy. Today, Maura is the SVP/Director of Marketing for CCNB, Coastal Carolina National Bank, and claims she’s “seeking balance everywhere”.

Favorite Yoga Pose: “Humble Warrior” (aka Silver Surfer). In Sanskrit, “Baddha Virabhadrasana”

Sue Pearly

Sue Pearly

Sue brings 23 years of yoga and meditation experience to her work.  She has studied in the Iyengar tradition and has completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training as well as a 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training in Structural Yoga Therapy which she uses to adapt yoga classes to the needs of each student.  She also has completed the twelve semester course given by the New Jersey Metaphysical Society.  In addition, she has studied shamanism for seven years and has become a Medicine Woman. She is a Reiki practitioner.  She sees yoga and meditation and spirituality as a holistic path for healing and wellness and enjoys sharing her love of yoga with her students, teaching with joy and compassion.
Sherry Peckham

Sherry Peckham

Sherry Peckham has been in the fitness industry for 28 years. She has been a certified group exercise instructor and personal trainer. She received her 200-hour yoga teacher training through Red Stone Yoga. She received her 500-hour yoga teacher training at Holy Cow Yoga Center.

 She has been teaching at Yoga In Common for 12 years. Her favorite pose is the splits (Hanumanasana). Her teaching philosophy is “Stay true to Yourself.” Outside of yoga Sherry bikes, works out at home and spends time with her 3 dogs.

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