Ellen Bonheim, Owner

If you ask Ellen Bonheim, owner of Firefly Family Yoga, yoga is an opportunity to tap in to your true feelings - emotions that are often buried under the clutter of our super busy daily lives.  Yoga gives the chance to center yourself, immersing in your yoga practice and eliminating those external distractions. The result is a journey to calm, confidence, and compassion.

Ellen's classes are alignment based, focusing on helping students learn to listen to their bodies, all with fun, openness, positivity, and often, laughter.  She encourages her students, no matter what age, to connect with their breath to guide their practice. 

A fully insured instructor of yoga for all ages, Ellen completed her 200-hour Vinyasa yoga certification at Saraswati's Yoga Joint in Norwalk, CT in June 2011 under the guidance of Donna Jackson, Tracy Bleier and Mitchel Bleier.  She then completed her Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga certification with Gina Norman at Kaia Yoga in Westport, CT in October 2012, and certified as a Kids Yoga and Teen Yoga instructor with Brooke Rizzo in March 2014.

Ellen's classes stretch your perspective, steady your breath and help you discover your greatness. Come find your inner fire with Firefly Family Yoga.

Kirsten Ayaz

Kirsten has been a student of Pilates for over ten years and has been teaching it for five. She was certified by the classical studio Center for Movement whose owners Elle Jardim and Donna Singer were trained by Joseph Pilates' protege Romana Kryznowska. She is fully certified in mat Pilates as well as equipment.  Her introduction to Pilates began when she was a theater student at Bard College. But her love and appreciation for the practice did not begin until a couple years later when she was injured and sent to work with a Pilates teacher for rehab.  It was during that time that she discovered the true healing and strengthening properties that Pilates offers.

Not only did it help speed up her recovery, but it also gave her a new found strength and flexibility she did not have before which in turn inspired her to want to help and teach others.  Kirsten's classes focus on getting in touch with one's center or as Joseph Pilates calls it the "Power house" through proper alignment, breath, stretch and strength.  She is very excited and honored to be joining the Firefly family and looks forward to offering Pilates to one and all.

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Tara Garcia

Tara became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) in June of 2005 at the Open Center in New York City, under the instruction of Jeff Migdow, M.D. of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Tara taught yoga for over 11 years in locations such as Greenhouse Holistic Yoga Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; private homes in Manhattan; St. Vincent's Hospital; and New York Sports Club. In 2008, Tara received her certificate in Kid’s Yoga from instructor Summer Quashie.   In 2010, Tara received her Master of Arts in Drama Therapy from New York University. She has since blended her skills as a drama therapist with her work as a yoga teacher.  
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Tara’s yoga style is relaxing, flexible and upbeat, with a focus on connecting the breath to the body while transitioning from one pose to another. Tara loves the way yoga can free her mind of worries and distractions, creating peace and freedom from the inside out. Leaving class with a new perspective and a clear mind is her hope for her students.

Tara is thrilled to be teaching at Firefly Family Yoga where she can incorporate her love for yoga, the human condition, and new motherhood into one class.  Tara was inspired to teach at Firefly after seeing her five-month-old son Leonardo look up at her and pant like a puppy with excitement while she was in plank pose, gazing down at him, during Mommy and Me Yoga class

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MEREDITH HETTLER

Meredith began practicing yoga as a teenager to help stay in shape between sports seasons. While she always enjoyed the athleticism and physicality that came with yoga, it wasn't until her college years that she began to appreciate the spiritual and mental benefits that yoga can offer.   Since graduating college, Meredith has practiced such forms of yoga as Power Vinyasa, Bikram and Ashtanga. She has taken pieces from each of these genres and incorporated them into her individual practice which she enjoys.  Meredith teaches classes for yogi's of all ages.  Regardless of the yogi's physical level Meredith's classes will always focus on calming the mind, increasing self-awareness and learning to disconnect from thoughts.  

Along with being a certified yoga instructor, Meredith is a Marriage and Family Therapist.  She has also spent much of her career working for children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Meredith hopes to utilize her knowledge of yoga as a helping tool for the individuals she serves.  Meredith enjoys bicycling, reading, designing jewelry and spending time with daughter and husband.

jasmine McComas

When Jasmine started practicing yoga, it brought balance to her many thrill-seeking sports and adventures. Gradually, as she deepened her practice, she found that yoga in and of itself is a conduit for thrill and excitement as much as calm and tranquility. Though her strength and physical awareness in various sports have enabled her to develop a strong asana practice, she found that it is the mindfulness and compassion in yoga that she loves most of all.  With her background in biology and five years of working in a sports rehabilitation facility, she has a deep and detailed understanding of physiology and alignment. With her understanding and passion for movement, alignment, and breath, she strives to provide a well-rounded and upbeat experience in her classes.  

Jasmine completed her RYT 200-hour certification and Prenatal Yoga certification with Gina Norman at Kaia Yoga in Westport in 2017.