Our TEachers

We have some of the best around (we’re only slightly biased)

Our Newburgh Teachers

Owner & Director - Alyssa Scalora

Alyssa is the very proud owner and operator of Alma Yoga. She discovered yoga 13 years ago after finally agreeing to her best friends plea to accompany her to a hot yoga class. Yoga turned out to be the missing piece to her puzzle. Alyssa began taking hot yoga classes regularly and knew almost immediately that she needed to make yoga a bigger part of her life. The opportunity to become a certified yoga instructor came her way and without hesitation, she enrolled. The training, which taught her much more than just asanas on a mat, changed Alyssa's life completely. After 3 of the most challenging yet rewarding months of her life, Alyssa received her 200 hour Hot Hatha Certification through Fireshaper (formerly Hot Yoga NJ) in 2011 under the guidance of Jody Domerstad, Alyssa's lifelong guru and inspiration. In 2013, Alyssa left her job in Corporate America to pursue her dreams of teaching yoga full time. Her dreams came to life when she took over Alma Yoga in 2014. Alyssa's passion for living a happy life shines through in each of her classes. It is easy to see that she has found her passion in the practice and her goal in life is to spread the word of yoga and to allow yoga to empower others the way it has empowered her.

Susan Stewart

Susan began her yoga practice 15 years ago but did not discover her deeper passion for it until 2011 when her father passed away.  She was looking for a way to get back to being herself, so she immersed herself into her yoga practice.  On the mat, she not only got back to being herself, but she found a better version of herself in the process and was able to heal along the way.  Susan completed her 200-hour YTT under the guidance of Alma's own Alyssa Scalora and the amazing Jody Domerstad.  Where Susan loves all things yoga she really enjoys deep stretch, meditation, restorative, and yin practices.  Come join Susan and learn how to calm your mind and body on and off the mat.

Ishia Wilson

Ishia Wilson is a 200 hour certified e-RYT. Ishia has been teaching locally for nearly a decade and is motivated and inspired to teach practitioners of all levels. Prior to becoming a yoga teacher, she received her BFA in Theatre & Dance and had a colorful career performing and producing dance all over the country. Well versed in Vinyasa and Hot Yoga Practices, as well as being Prenatal Certified, Ishia teaches a unique class that fuses all of her past experience into a sweaty, transformative asana experience that is not to be missed.

NANCY GUZMAN

As a native New Yorker and an ex athlete - I learned at a young age that physical movement was my sacred space. I fell in love with the practice of Yoga in 2012 and completed my 200-Hr Yoga Teaching Training in 2017. With a strong foundation in Vinyasa, and HIIT movements - I incorporate subtle strength, flexibility, and breath work to help encourage my students to find their own flow and fall in love with how their body is able to move.

ALYSSA GUZMAN

Beginning on the living room rug as a teenager with my mom, I practiced yoga on and off for years. In 2012 , this shifted into a consistent practice, when Alyssa Scalora, from Alma Yoga, taught a class at BootCamp , which drove me back into the practice I once loved. Receiving my 200 YRT from Alma allowed me to combine 25+ years as an educator, with my spiritual journey. Additional trainings in Reiki I & II; Yin and Restorative ; and Flow School , helps to provide students the chance to explore building strength, flexibility, persistence as well as deep reflection; working toward a better understanding of themselves.

Alyssa Guzman

Our Cornwall Teachers

Owner & Director - Alyssa Scalora

Alyssa is the very proud owner and operator of Alma Yoga. She discovered yoga 13 years ago after finally agreeing to her best friends plea to accompany her to a hot yoga class. Yoga turned out to be the missing piece to her puzzle. Alyssa began taking hot yoga classes regularly and knew almost immediately that she needed to make yoga a bigger part of her life. The opportunity to become a certified yoga instructor came her way and without hesitation, she enrolled. The training, which taught her much more than just asanas on a mat, changed Alyssa's life completely. After 3 of the most challenging yet rewarding months of her life, Alyssa received her 200 hour Hot Hatha Certification through Fireshaper (formerly Hot Yoga NJ) in 2011 under the guidance of Jody Domerstad, Alyssa's lifelong guru and inspiration. In 2013, Alyssa left her job in Corporate America to pursue her dreams of teaching yoga full time. Her dreams came to life when she took over Alma Yoga in 2014. Alyssa's passion for living a happy life shines through in each of her classes. It is easy to see that she has found her passion in the practice and her goal in life is to spread the word of yoga and to allow yoga to empower others the way it has empowered her.

Katie Alexander

Katie discovered yoga in college 20 years ago and realized the powerful benefits yoga had on her body and mind, particularly in times of stress and anxiety.  In 2022, her passion for sharing her practice came to a head and she earned her 200HR Yoga Teacher certification in combination with a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) facilitator certification from Breathe For Change. For Katie, yoga is a time to mindfully reconnect with her body and my breath in order to decrease anxiety, depression, and stress while improving focus, physical strength, flexibility, and balance.

Kerry Kopf

Kerry discovered yoga 16 years ago when she stumbled upon a class at the local gym. She immediately fell in love with the discipline and how it changed her life. In 2013 she decided to take part in a 200 hour yoga teacher training program at the New Age Center in Nyack, NY. She wanted to take a deeper dive into this ancient practice and learn more about the science based /philosophical evidence as to why yoga is so transformative. Her hope as a teacher is that her students will also benefit from the amazing power of yoga to transform the body, mind, and soul. Chelsea Lopez Chelsea is a RYT-200 and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her style is rooted in Vinyasa and sometimes adds heat and strength to her classes. Chelsea combines her passion for movement and mental wellness to create safe spaces for all beings to move, heal, and connect with their bodies. Whether it is power or flow- she welcomes all to their mat and looks forward to guiding you through your yoga practice.

Alyssa Guzman

As a native New Yorker and an ex athlete , Alyssa earned at a young age that physical movement was her sacred space. She fell in love with the practice of Yoga in 2012 and completed her 200-Hr Yoga Teaching Training in 2017. With a strong foundation in Vinyasa and HIIT movements - she incorporates subtle strength, flexibility, and breath work to help encourage her students to find their own flow and fall in love with how their body is able to move.

Nancy Guzman

Nancy’s yoga journey began on the living room rug as a teenager with her mom leading her to practice on and off. That all shifted into a regular practice in 2012 when she met Alyssa Scalora at a local gym. She received her 200 YRT from Alma which allowed her to combine 25+ years as an educator, with her spiritual journey. She has additional trainings in Reiki I & II, Yin, Restorative, and Flow School. Her goal is to help provide students the chance to explore building strength, flexibility, and persistence as well as a better understanding of themselves.

Stephanie Chiappa

Stephanie has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. She found her practice in her twenties after a life long battle with anxiety and panic attacks. “I literally could not catch my breath.” Stephanie received her 200 hour teaching certification at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Summer of 2004. She has also been trained in Prenatal yoga as well as Yoga Ed - a program that incorporates yoga in K-12 curriculums. She has taught at various studios in the Hudson Valley over the past 15 years. “My favorite part of sharing yoga with others is watching my students transform and walk out of class looking lighter and brighter than when they walked in.” She is thrilled that Alma is coming to Cornwall, where she lives with her fiancé and two children.

Sharon Murphy

Sharon began practicing yoga over 20 years ago as a way to incorporate more flexibility into her daily workout routines. It wasn’t long before she realized how life altering the practice was and began a daily routine. In 2017 Sharon was involved in a near fatal car accident with life threatening injuries including 12 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and a severe Traumatic Brain Injury which got her involved in the Love Your Brain Foundation; a non-profit organization that improves the quality of life for those who are affected by traumatic brain injuries. She truly believes it was her diligent Yoga practice that saved her life along with a “Higher Power” watching over her. She was considered an “anomaly” by the ICU team. She completed her 200-hour YTT certification under the guidance of Alma’s own Alyssa Scalora and then went on to complete her LYB Traumatic Brain Injury Yoga certification. Sharon’s classes will offer a balance between strength, flexibility, exertion, and releasing so expect to move, sweat, and breathe!

Andrea Parker

Andrea attended her first yoga class with her mom more than 20 years ago and has been a student of the practice ever since. She has been teaching in the Hudson Valley for 18 years. Influenced by traditional yoga methods and inspired by her many great teachers, Andrea’s classes offer the perfect yang and yin experience - an energetic flow combined with deep stretching that is accessible to practitioners at any level

Chelsea Lopez

Chelsea is a RYT-200 and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her style is rooted in Vinyasa and sometimes adds heat and strength to her classes. Chelsea combines her passion for movement and mental wellness to create safe spaces for all beings to move, heal and connect with their bodies. Whether it is power or flow- she welcomes all to their mat and looks forward to guiding you through your yoga practice.

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We offer hot and non-heated yoga, pilates yoga fusion, and much more. View our schedule below and browse the variety of classes.

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