Our Instructors
Dr. Charlie Lewis, she/her, RYT 500
(Studio Owner)
Favorite Yoga Posture: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
Off the Mat: She loves a book club, tell her what you’re reading!
What’s Up: She is devoted to her fur babes, Oscar and Penny, and enjoys spoiling them with matching outfits.
Trip to Yoga: Dr. Lewis joined the yoga crew to connect with her community. Fast friendships formed and she fell in love with the post-yoga trance of sweat, stretch, and strength supported by twerk-worthy [Beyoncé!] playlists. Yoga provides her with a unique forum to creatively combine mindfulness, self-development, and humor with attention to growth and respect. Dr. Lewis holds a Doctorate of Public Health in Health Education, a Master of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Biomedical Sciences. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist and a registered yoga instructor.
Anna Farmer-Fonseca, RYT 200
(Studio Manager)
Favorite Yoga Posture: Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Off the Mat: She’s probably on an adventure with her dog, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Snape. She loves seeing pictures of your dogs and cats!
What’s Up: Anna believes in practicing yoga on and off the mat. She recently transitioned out of the Army and is looking to pursue her passions in health and wellness.
Trip to Yoga: Anna began her practice in 2012. She shared it was an ego driven practice based on aesthetics and fitness causing her to abandon her practice to pursue other fitness goals. She re-discovered yoga once she was in the Military. She moved frequently and was seeking a community of like-minded individuals and a place where she could connect deeply with herself. In 2019, she discovered Yoga as a practice, not as a competition. Anna started taking Hot Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, and Aerial classes and fell in love with how her mind became more quiet the more she practiced. She has a love for creative Vinyasa flows and restorative Yin practices with sound baths and Reiki!
Katya Browne, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)
Off the Mat: Katya enjoys reading, dancing, listening to and playing music, eating delicious food, and hanging with her husband and dog Joni.
What's Up: She is inspired by art, music, literature, film, and her surroundings, and uses her environment to gain creative inspiration. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies and her passion for music is evident in her classes.
Trip to Yoga: To Katya, yoga is joyful movement where one can express, learn from, and connect with the self. She grew up a non-athletic child & young adult who felt complete disconnect from her physical body, and yoga was the tool that changed this. After dabbling in yoga on and off for years, she completed her 200-hour training and dove headfirst into teaching yoga full-time.
In Katya's class you are welcome to move with safety, mindfulness, happiness and individuality. She aims to empower students with the tools to learn how they can make yoga their own and find creative physical expression. A dynamic movement experience paired with magnetic playlists, her classes aim to hold space where one can explore, play, get curious, and show up exactly as you are.
See you on the mat, space cowboys...
Jamie Lipsey, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
Off the Mat: You can find Jamie running, honing her roller skating skills, eyeing her next (sprint) triathlon, and planning her next trip.
What’s Up: Jamie's classes are fun, flowy, and sneaky hard. Expect to find shapes that challenge your balance and new ways to move your body around the mat.
Trip to Yoga: Jamie stumbled into a vinyasa class in college - she emerged an hour and a half later completely hooked (and more than a little sweaty). Through all the changes that life in DC can throw at you, she has found yoga to be an anchor in all the ups and downs. After practicing for years, she finally took her first yoga teacher training in DC - and immediately became a bit of a training pack rat - from mobility work to somatic movement. She strives to find the balance between effort and stillness - you'll move, sweat, and maybe find some new perspective as you step off your mat.
Jonathan Wood, eRYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Savasana with a Smile
Off the Mat: Jaunts around DC with his fur-friend, Tucker!
What’s Up: Yoga is for everyone! You already have the ability, the right body, and the mental motivation to achieve what you want through yoga. Jonathan views his job is to help pull all those things together for students, on and off the mat.
Trip to Yoga: Jonathan is a certified yoga teacher and has been practicing for 20+ years. His teaching style places an emphasis on breaking down poses to educate those who are new(er) to yoga, inviting people to opt in for hands-on assists, and keeping movement and alignment accessible through language and demonstrations. Jonathan uses breath work, mindfulness, and humor to support people as they cultivate a yoga practice that feels right in their bodies—and to dispel the myth that we need to look like the photos we see online. This is a commitment Jonathan makes to ensure all bodies and all levels feel comfortable and safe in classes, especially for men and BIPOC people who are often underrepresented in the yoga spaces.
Sam Treiman (she/her), RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Ardha Kapotasana (Half Pigeon)
Off the Mat: She's an avid reader. Send all the recs!
What’s Up: As a Philly native, Sam lives for a good soft pretzel and Hall & Oates.
Trip to Yoga: Sam found yoga during college to destress and connect with the DC yogi community. It's her favorite way to stay healthy in mind and body!
Lydia Watt, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Natarajasana (Dancer Pose)
Off the Mat: You can find her at the local Dupont Farmers Market, golfing, watching Pittsburgh sports, or exploring DC!
What’s Up: Lydia is on a mission to pet every dog in DC.
Trip to Yoga: Lydia began practicing yoga as a way to connect with her Indian roots and heal her mind, body and spirit. Within her first handful of classes, she could feel the instant benefits of yoga. Lydia decided to become a certified instructor to break out of her comfort zone and share her faith in the practice. She is dedicated to creating an uplifting and inclusive space for all of her students.
Carol Bernate, RYT 500
Favorite Yoga Posture: Chapasana (Sugar Cane)
Off the Mat: She lives to dance, ask questions, and eat french fries. Tell her where you like to go for a wiggle or a sizzle!
What’s Up: She is moved by people around her and wants to understand what moves them. She does UX research by day.
Trip to Yoga: Carol has found that freedom emerges when our inner and outer worlds are connected. Embodied movement and meditation help her get in touch with her inner truth and sharing these practices in community with others through yoga nourishes her. She always wants to know how you're finding joy, growth, and challenge in your life.
Yasmeena Nolan, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Uttana Shishosana (Puppy Pose) or any arm balance!
Off the Mat: She loves meditation through distance running, playing her bass guitar, and the messy learning curve of being a beginner in throwing pottery on a wheel.
What’s Up: Her favorite moments in life are being doubled over in laughter or sharing a song she adores with someone for the first time.
Trip to Yoga: Yasmeena found yoga years ago as her first true practice of self-care during a turbulent season of life. The physical and mental practice has extended beyond her mat and taught her lessons of self compassion and curiosity. Yasmeena believes that joy, movement, and vulnerability come together to create play — an overlooked but essential part of humanhood. She aims to share yoga in a way that empowers others to explore without judgement and find pleasure in the process of doing it. Connection and community are the bright spots of her life, and designing alt-indie playlists to flow to are a close second.
Tally Siedler, RYT 500
Favorite Yoga Posture: Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)
Off the Mat: Tally finds joy in experiencing different cultures through travel, connecting with nature through activities such as hiking and camping, and exploring Buddhist philosophy. She cherishes moments with her dog, Floyd.
What’s Up: We can’t be perfect and happy all the time but we can choose how to spend our energy.
Trip to Yoga: Tally was influenced by her parents for whom sports and wellness were integral. She embraced running, devoted years to karate training, and delved into yoga after finding Buddhist philosophy, recognizing the profound connection between mind and body. After a decade in marketing and advertising, she transitioned to teaching yoga, drawn by a desire to pursue true passions and share wisdom. Tally is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew and has been teaching in these four languages for years.
Substitute - Hayley Moniz, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Natarajasana (Dancer)
Off the Mat: She loves to crochet!
What's Up: She adores her two pups, Molly and Jax, and will absolutely show you pictures of them.
Trip to Yoga: As a former gymnast-turned-dancer and retired college softball player, Hayley turned to yoga after college as a space to find community and enjoy her workouts again.
Substitute - Erika Seiber, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Baddha Virabhadrasana (Humble Warrior)
Off the Mat: She hits up trivia at Red Bear (where they have THE BEST chicken fingers).
What’s Up: When she’s not teaching, she’s working in communications at an environmental non-profit called Friends of the Earth.
Trip To Yoga: She began practicing yoga in college to combat daily stress and complement her running routine. Once Erika moved to DC, she fell in love with yoga even further and in 2022, took the leap into become a registered yoga instructor. Once she did her first headstand, she knew she was hooked for life. Erika also teaches yoga and meditation classes to luxury apartments around the DMV.
Substitute - Kitaneh Fitzpatrick, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Pose: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
Off the Mat: She's probably at home enjoying a new book and baking something fun for her friends.
What's Up: Kita is a passionate and life-long Britney Spears fan. She loves anything and everything pop culture, so come to her with your favorite reality tv shows and pop albums!
Trip to Yoga: Kita began practicing yoga in 2010 and it's been part of her life ever since. She is an advocate for an inclusive approach that meets you where you're - even if it's just 5 minutes of movement or mindfulness. She strives to foster a supportive, challenging, and fun environment for all students to grow their practice.
Substitute - Sophia Gordon, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3)
Off the Mat: Outside of yoga, Sophia loves nature - a theme you might see show up in her flows. She also enjoys a good book, coffee shops, exploring new workouts, and sunshine!
What's Up: Sophia is a born and raised NYC girl coming up on one year living in DC. Finding community and connecting in a new city can be hard, hopefully through her class you find some connection to the studio, others in the class, and/or yourself!
Trip to Yoga: Sophia found her way to yoga through a passion for movement and fascination with the mind-body connection. She is passionate about mental health and the ways that yoga can promote a sense of strength and calm throughout your mind and your body. As someone who is passionate about personal growth, the idea that yoga is a continuous practice really resonates as there are always ways to continue learning and evolving as a yogi.
Substitute - Hailey Faust, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Pose: Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)
Off the Mat: Hailey loves being active outdoors hiking, biking, or going on adventures with her friends! She loves to be by the water, be it a lake or the ocean (and she is happy to debate which is superior so feel free to talk to her about it). She loves to meet new people, make new friends, and read! Please feel free to either give her book recommendations or ask her for some if you are interested, she loves a good book swap.
What's Up: Hailey grew up doing musical theater and singing jazz. She loves music and thinks there is nothing quite like working out to a playlist stacked full of your favorite songs.
Trip to Yoga: Hailey has practiced yoga since she was in elementary school. Yoga was suggested to her as a way to help manage her chronic migraines and she fell head over heels in love with it fast. She has always found a sense of belonging in her yoga communities and hopes to help others feel similarly at Up Dog!
Substitute - Danielle Iuliani, she/her, RYT 200
Favorite Yoga Posture: Natarajasana (Dancer Pose)
Off the Mat: She loves writing, traveling, and trying new recipes (feel free to send any gluten-free options her way!).
What’s Up: She has a collection of more than 350 books and is working on writing a novel!
Trip to Yoga: Danielle's yoga journey started after a cheerleading injury in middle school and she has continued to lean on yoga as a steadying force. Even as her surroundings continued to change with four major moves in four years, practicing yoga continued to serve as a gentle reminder to stay grounded and centered. In her personal practice, she is working on arm balances and inversions and has a personal goal to practice yoga in every country she visits.
Substitute - Dr. Roy Chan (RC), YYT 250
Favorite Yoga Posture: Virabhadrasana (Warrior II)
Off the Mat: Roy is an avid reader and a devoted foodie. With a background as a trained linguist, he teaches at universities and enjoys exploring the nuances of languages and culture.
What’s Up: New to DC (and the States), Roy is diving into the local scene, and, of course, great food.
Trip to Yoga: After completing his yoga teacher training with Marah Arcilla in 2021, Roy began leading yoga classes for small groups and charitable events. Drawing from his experience as an athlete who faced injuries due to improper training, Roy understands the value of mindfulness and personalized instruction. He emphasizes the importance of smaller class sizes and tailored guidance to enhance student benefit. Roy is passionate about making yoga accessible to everyone through the integration of small muscle movements and props. He has experience teaching Hatha, flow, and stretching classes.