Instructors

Karen received her MA in Dance from Ohio State University and her MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University. She taught modern dance and movement awareness from 1982-2000 at many Ohio institutions including Hiram College, Oberlin College, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University. Karen has made five trips to India to study at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. Karen was a member of the IYNAUS Newsletter committee from 2003-2008 and has contributed several articles to Yoga Samachar. She served as Registration Chair for the 2011 Midwest Regional Iyengar Yoga Conference in Chicago. Karen served on the Assessments Committee from 2019 - 2022.

Karen’s teaching and practice have been profoundly influenced by Mary Dunn, and she continues to study with Dean and Rebecca Lerner and Laurie Blakeney. Karen completed the Yoga for Scoliosis training program created by senior Iyengar teacher Elise Miller. Study of Sanskrit and chanting with Leslie Freyberg have been a special area of engagement and enjoyment. Karen specializes in blending anatomy, imagery and philosophy to nurture transformation in our yogic practices and our lives. She is an avid supporter of the performing arts and enjoys dance, theater, film and music. Karen loves to chant, sing rounds and croon American standards. She studies jazz piano with Greg Slawson.

Amy sought out yoga as a refuge from the stresses of an unfulfilling career in environmental advocacy and a difficult adjustment to life in New York City. Since her first eye and mind opening classes she has devoted herself to the practice. With a desire to share this life-altering physical, mental & spiritual experience, Amy began teaching others in 2006. She is an Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher and Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance as well as a Continuing Education Provider.

She began studying Iyengar Yoga regularly with Karen Allgire in 2011 and completed Karen’s apprenticeship program in 2016. Amy also studies with senior teacher Laurie Blakeney regularly in Ann Arbor as well as attending workshops with Dean and Rebecca Lerner. She is an Introductory II Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and strives to pass along some of the immeasurable knowledge, compassion, and wisdom her teachers have shared with her. Amy lives in Shaker Heights with her husband, Patrick, and along with her continued yogic studies, is kept busy by their two inquisitive children, their dog Zoe, and Dobby the house cat.

She finds joy with helping students learn new aspects of the asanas. Evelyn studies regularly with Dean and Rebecca Lerner, Laurie Blakeney and Joan White for pranayama. Evelyn is married with two grown sons who live in Boston and New York. She enjoys her participation in local community theater productions where she performs as an actress/dancer/singer.

Nina has practiced Iyengar Yoga for over 27 years. She discovered yoga in her early 30’s when she was a stressed-out mother of three children, working as an actuary at a corporate job. From her very first Iyengar Yoga class, she knew that she had found what she was looking for – a way forward. Nina loves and values the idea of studentship – that one should always be learning. Iyengar Yoga has given her an avenue to continuously learn and evolve through studentship. The practice of Iyengar Yoga helped Nina recover from anxiety and depression that plagued her in her mid-30’s.

Having taught Iyengar Yoga for over 25 years, Nina’s teaching style is enthusiastic, supportive and direct. She finds that yoga’s benefits are many and far beyond just the physical. She believes yoga can increase energy and bring us a wonderful sense of well-being that helps us heal from life’s stresses. Nina received her teacher training from certified Iyengar Yoga Instructors Dean and Rebecca Lerner, Julie Lawrence and Mary Dunn.

Continuing to study and deepen her knowledge, she has attended workshops and classes with senior teachers such as Laurie Blakeney and Patricia Walden. Nina completed a three-year therapeutic yoga teacher training program sponsored by Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics. She has made five trips to Pune, India to study with the Iyengar family and has attended numerous Iyengar Yoga conventions and workshops, including the 2016 Iyengar Yoga Convention in Florida, the 2019 Iyengar Yoga Convention in Dallas Texas and the 2023 Iyengar Yoga Convention in San Diego.

She has successfully mentored over 20 aspiring teachers through the Iyengar Yoga certification and assessment process over the past 15 years.

As a former member of the IYNAUS certification committee. Nina has volunteered extensively to support Iyengar Yoga.  She served on the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Northwest’s board in the treasurer and membership roles. She was the Finance Chair and served on steering committee for the 2010 Iyengar Yoga Convention that was held in Portland, OR. She is currently on the scholarship committee for IYANW and IYNAUS. She has hosted four Iyengar Yoga assessments at her studio and is an IYNAUS assessor. From 2020-2022 she served as IYNAUS Assessment Chair.

Nina is an avid amateur musician, playing the guitar and exploring songwriting. She enjoys playing pop and jazz music. She is also an avid hiker, gardener and loves to solve crosswords puzzles. Nina has also worked for 30 years as retirement and health actuary and is a Associate of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Nina is married to her husband Jim and has three grown children, and four grandchildren. She lives in White Salmon Washington.

Nick first learned about yoga from the Andrew Weil book Natural Health Natural Medicine. He had no prior exposure to it whatsoever, but decided to give it a try at a nearby health club in Boston, and fell for it right away. Nick feels lucky that his first two teachers studied with senior Iyengar teacher Patricia Walden, as they were well steeped in the Iyengar method. He never really had a choice – it was Iyengar from the start!

Nick has studied weekly with Karen Allgire since 2016. Additionally, he has done workshops with Dean Learner and Patrica Walden, and attended the 2023 IYNAUS convention to study with Abhijata Iyengar.

Nick finds the practice of yoga indispensable because of how practical, useful, and helpful it is for cultivating health and balance.  In 2025, Nick passed the assessment to become a Level 1 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. He works in the hotel industry and enjoys seeing live music. Nick lives in Cleveland Heights with his wife Liza.