Shala Worsley ~ Director, Ethics, Yoga,and Energy Anatomy Instructor

Shala graduated with Honors in Anthropology from Wesleyan University in 1996. Her life-long interest in multi-cultural and natural forms of healing led her to pursue a career in massage therapy and yoga.  Retired from her 10-year massage therapy practice, Shala currently directs the school, and teaches massage students about ethics, energy anatomy, and yoga.  She also teaches weekly yoga classes and facilitates yoga teacher training programs as a lead instructor at the Asheville Yoga Center.  Shala enjoys integrating her passions for organic movement, personality exploration, and self-care into her classes.

Laura Beagle ~ Prenatal, and Infant Massage Instructor

In 1991, Laura earned a BS from Edgewood College in Madison, WI.  She later became a certified massage therapist and certified birthing Doula, specializing in Pregnancy and Post-partum massage therapy.  In addition to teaching at the school, she runs a private practice called Empowered Birthing and co-founded the Women’s Wellness Education Center in Asheville.

Charlotte Gilreath Behrends ~ Assistant Director, Deep Tissue, Swedish Lead Instructor

Charlotte earned her B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1989 and her teaching certification in 1991. She taught in public schools for seven years before pursuing her massage training and continued to teach for six more years, incorporating yoga in the classroom and offering both massage and yoga to teachers. In the classroom, Charlotte enjoys trouble-shooting specific dysfunctions with deep tissue and trigger point massage, as well as active and passive stretching.

Bettina Freese ~ Massage Instructor (Geriatric, Sports, Hydrotherapy, Trouble-shooting), Business & Marketing Instructor

Bettina’s fund of knowledge concerning the body and its mechanics can be attributed to a career in the medical field as well as a lifetime dedicated to competitive sports and training.  An avid cyclist and gymnast, she has catered her private massage practice of ten years to helping clients rehabilitate from injuries as well as recognize habitual body patterns and help prevent injury.  Her forte is deep tissue work, using trigger point therapy, myofascial techniques, shiatsu, and even her feet with the help of overhead bars.  She also has worked closely with clients in advanced age and relies heavily on hydrothreapy techniques for all of her clients.  She is a 1997 graduate of the UNC Chapel Hill School of Journalism and a 2001 graduate of the Center for Massage and Natural Health.

Susan Grant ~ Mindfulness Instructor

Susan shares eighteen years of practical experience in mindfulness with her classes which explore the energetic interface between the mind and body.  She graduated from Wake Forest University n 1975 with a BA in Religion and completed a Masters in Clinical Psychology at Western Carolina University in 1992.  For over ten years she’s been leading mindfulness groups as an Inner Vision Introspecitive facilitator as well as seeing clients in her private practice.  Susan also instructs mindfulless based stress classes at the Women’s Resource Center at Mission Hospital in Asheville as is a practicing lay minister in the Soto Zen Buddhism tradition.

Ryan Kruczak ~ Self-Care Instructor

Ryan has a BS in Pschology and Philosophy and graduated from the Mountain State School of Massage in Charleston, WV.  He is the owner of Holistic Health Solutions (since 2000) offering meditation mastery, personal coaching, Ayurvedic lifestyle consultations, natural wellness techniques and Jyotish.  He has presented public educational workshops on various health topics, including meditation and yoga since 2002 and enjoys helping massage students integrate the principles of Ayurveda into their lives for self-care.

Libby Hinsley ~ Yoga 1 Instructor (Energy Anatomy) & Yoga 2 Instructor (Western Sciences/Pathology)

LIbby Hinsley, PT, RYT 500, has been teaching yoga since 2005 in a variety of settings and for a wide variety of student populations.   Many traditions have shaped her practice, including Vinyasa flow, mindfulness meditation, Yin, Iyengar and Anusara yoga.  In 2008 she was fortunate to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India in the tradition of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar.  Since that time, she has focused her yoga studies on therapeutic yoga in this tradition.  In 2011, she completed a Master’s program in Physical Therapy at Western Carolina University, and she works part-time as a Physical Therapist at Physical Therapy and Back Care of Leicester, an outpatient PT clinic focusing on orthopedics and spine conditions.

Stephanie Pinkston ~ School Administrator, Spa Massage, Self Care and Supervised Student Clinic Instructor

Stephanie has been a massage therapist and yoga instructor since 1998. Her presence is infused with knowledge gained during her experience working with hockey schools, competitive gymnasts, and women’s health organizations.  Her delightful and approachable personality helps students feel comfortable and confident in the student clinic setting.

Peter Shea, D.O.M., L.Ac. ~ Shiatsu Instructor

Peter Shea, L.Ac., M.S., earned his B.A. in Secondary Education n 1992.  He graduated from the American Institute of Massage Therapy in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 1996.  He received his M.S. in Oriental Medicine in 2003 from the International Institute of Chinese medicine in Santa Fe, NM.  He specializes in combining acupuncture and bodywork for orthopedic conditions.  He has pursued extra training in Qigong, Tui Na, Daoist Philosophy and Northern Wu Tai Chi and actively explores Somatic Spirituality, the relationship between movement, bodywork, soul and spirit.  He teaches Qigong and Asian Bodywork and his practice in Asheville is called Taoist Bodywork.

Marion Stone ~ Western Sciences for Massage and Massage Therapy Instructor

Marion received her B.S. at Davidson College in 1989. After working as an outdoor leadership instructor, Marion was introduced to the Rolf Method of Structural Integration and became a certified practitioner in 1996. She completed an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from A-B Tech College and a Certification for Yoga Instruction from the Asheville Yoga Center in 1999. Students will learn about the human body through her hands-on experiential teaching style.

Pripo Teplitsky, MA, LPC, LMBT ~ Somatic Psychology Instructor

Pripo offers a diverse practice that balances the connection between mind, body and spirit. He is a licensed and nationally certified massage and bodywork therapist. He also holds a master’s degree in counseling/psychology from Goddard College, in Vermont. He lived, studied and worked at Esalen Institute, a renowned human potential learning center in Big Sur, CA. He is a certified Esalen® massage practitioner. Pripo has a private counseling practice in Asheville, NC specializing in relationship issues. His main goal is to help support people to live with truth and authenticity.

Phyllis Velez ~ Cranial Sacral Therapy, Swedish Instructor

Phyllis Velez is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has a full time massage practice in Asheville.  She took her first Cranial Sacral Therapy class in 1994.  She loved it and began to study more from many sources.  She now works with her clients using cranial techniques in her practice daily.  Phyllis taught at The Whole You School of Massage from 1997-2009.  She began teaching at the Asheville School of Massage and Yoga in 2007.  For her, teaching and helping students gain new skills and awareness, is a true joy.

Pete Whitridge ~ Business & Marketing Instructor

Peter Whitridge is a licensed massage therapist in Florida and an approved provider for both the state of Florida and NCBTMB.  He is the former Education Director at the Florida School of Massage in Gainesville.  He teaches “Myofascial Components of Pain”  workshops throughout the Southeast, as well as Florida law and business building classes.  His training as an EM, a CPR instructor, and 30 years of teaching experience has given him many insights into the learning process.  Pete incorporates visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning aides to provide students with a well rounded class.  Students receive individual attention and everyone is encouraged to HAVE FUN!