Faculty

 Mary Lyn Jenkins has been teaching yoga for 15 years and committed to full-time teaching the past 13 years. After a cross-country move to Jacksonville, Florida, from Seattle, Washington, she dug deep on her courage and transitioned from 15 years of set design and Creative Director to serve her new beach community; in 2010, Big Fish Power Yoga opened its doors. It was the result of her passion for beauty, people, creativity and expanding leadership with power yoga as the medium.

An E- RYT 500 and Tier Three Certified Baptiste Influencer, Mary Lyn has spent thousands of hours over the past twenty years, involved in training, developing and leading herself and others to expand their gifts to serve powerfully. For six years, Mary Lyn worked closely with the NFL developing recovery programs with yoga as the focus and was the cover model of Yoga Journal magazine in August 2016.  Her first book, The Transformative Power of Language, was published in 2019 and ranked #1 as an Amazon Best-Seller. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Baptiste Foundation, is a Certified Lightyear Leadership Coach coaching individuals to live the life they want. She leads classrooms and teams to love, forgive and stand in choice. She’s a wife of 23 years to the same great man and momma of two amazing teenagers. Her Southern roots run deep with family dinners, hospitality and traditions. She considers partnership to be the most powerful instrument for positive change.

Luca is an E-RYT 500 and leads yoga classes, workshops, and trainings. Luca has presented at internationally recognized conferences including Yoga Journal LIVE, ECA Fitness Conference, and at the White House as part of Michelle Obama’s ​Let's Move! C​ampaign. Luca has contributed to published academic research studies on the efficacy of yoga in collaboration with the University of Miami, and developed  a year-long research study on the effects of yoga for at risk youth in collaboration with Florida International University.

 Karen Torrone, Director of 5 Boro Power Yoga in Staten Island, NY, started practicing yoga in 2005 and in 2007, received a 100 hour certification in Classical Yoga and then moved into training with Baptiste Yoga, attending Level 1 Training in February, 2009 with Baron Baptiste and has since completed Level 2, Level 3 and FIT and has trained over 1200 hours to reach Tier 3 Certification. Karen continues to grow in her development as a leader/teacher and assists Baron and the Senior Baptiste Faculty in weeklong and weekend programs and believes that yoga is a lifelong journey of discovery both on and off the mat. 

Karen has led over 25 #unstoppable yoga for youth trainings around the country for the Baptiste Foundation and has led the 200 Hour Baptiste Teacher Training Expand Your Power at her home studio, in Albany, NY and in Belize. In 2020, she was an Affiliate Coach for the first ever online Baptiste 40 Days to a Personal Revolution program with Baron Baptiste. Karen was a Mentor with Africa Yoga Project and led a family service trip to Kenya to build a greenhouse for an orphanage. She is a Certified Life Coach and a Certified Yoga Body Bootcamp Instructor and has taken the Prison Yoga Project weekend training with James Fox. Karen travels around the world sharing her love of yoga by leading teacher development weekends, workshops and retreats and is co-founder of Guyon Rescue, a not-for-profit 100% volunteer organization which began in October, 2012 in the days following Hurricane Sandy.

 Melanie discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa for the first time in 2000.  A friend and I walked by Power Yoga Works in Philadelphia.  We decided we were going to try it. I was hooked after the first class. What started as a a form of exercise has changed into an opportunity to meet and lead people from all over the world. 

Power Vinyasa Yoga is for anyone. Your race, creed, gender, socioeconomic status or lot in life doesn’t matter. All you have to do is believe the power is in you and there is no limit to what you can discover. You become more confident, more peaceful and more present”. In the Fall of 2006 Melanie decided to train to teach Power Vinyasa Yoga with Bill Raup at Power Yoga Works (Philadelphia) and share the amazing benefits of yoga with other people. “At first it was about me and now it’s not about me anymore it is about helping others. For me it is like a ministry and an opportunity to serve others. I realize that an extraordinary life happens when we think Bigger than ourselves. I am grateful to be able to share my experience and encourage others, no matter where they are headed in their own journey.” 

Before moving to Bentonville in 2017, Melanie was a studio Manager at Anjali Power Yoga (Westmont NJ). Melanie was the Director of Teacher Training and Staff Development. Melanie has studied extensively with the Baptiste Institute and Baron Baptiste. Melanie is a Certified Baptiste Teacher (Tier 3) and a graduate of the Baptiste Institute’s F.I.T to lead program and registered ERYT-500hr with the Yoga Alliance. While off the mat Melanie and her husband run a Small Business Consulting Firm in Bentonville and Homeschool their 3 boys. Melanie is a certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified USA Track and Field Level 2 Coach. Melanie is grateful for a wonderful and supportive husband Tom Gazaway and 3 blessings Aiden (15), Zander (10) and Micah (9).

 Sally Sherman, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is a professor, yoga researcher, yoga/meditation teacher, ultra-endurance athlete and educator. She holds a B.A. in Dance, an M.Ed. in Teaching, an M.S. in Exercise Science and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology. She serves as a professor of Exercise Science at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Health and Human Development where she investigates yoga’s impact on various health factors with funding from the National Institutes of Health. Sally is a regular Wanderlust presenter, has led and assisted yoga and meditation trainings all over the world and leads both anatomy and research workshops within yoga teacher trainings. Additionally, she is the co-founder of the Full Psych Adventure Team, a group of athletes dedicated to empowering ALL people to get out and seek adventure. 

  Shelby Caffrey is committed to creating the safe space to experience yourself as the strong and powerful human you were designed to be, through the practice of yoga! A Tier 3 certified Baptiste instructor and E-RYT 500, Shelby also holds certifications in Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga and believes that health and wellness is a balance between active practice and practice designed to allow your body and mind the space to restore. Shelby’s “yoga home” is 5 Boro Power Yoga in Staten Island, NY where she has been a part of a powerful community leading classes and workshops since 2014. She is an adjunct professor of yoga at Nassau Community College in Garden City, NY bringing the practice to college students at a time in their lives when they need the tools of yoga more than ever. Shelby is the director of CaffreYoga, an RYS 200 training school dedicated to delivering exceptional quality yoga teacher trainings and Little Jay Malas, where she creates custom malas and sacred jewelry in addition to leading workshops on hand-knotting and making intentional malas for personal meditation practice. Shelby lives in NYC with her partner, daughter, 3 cats, and 37 houseplants.