Sharon Discorfano, founder

Founder of Lyric and creator of Khela Kids™(Yoga for Kids). Whether as a teacher of literature, dance, yoga, or with her previous work in the realm of psychology applied to the workplace, Sharon has focused on promoting self awareness and compassion for others. Sharon is a registered yoga teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, having completed her 250-hour training in Hatha Yoga at The Providence Institute in Tucson, AZ. Her specialized certifications include Yoganesha Training (Yoga for Kids) with Anne Van deWater and Prenatal Teacher Training certification from renowned Prenatal Yoga instructor, Janice Clarfield. She completed her specialized teacher training in Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers at Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Sharon has served as a board member of the Arizona Yoga Association, and was Editor of the quarterly publication Arizona Yoga from 2005-2008. As a faculty member of the Providence Institute's Yoga Teacher Training, she has taught the "Business of Yoga" and "Ethics" portions of the program. In 2009, Sharon completed the Humane Society's Advocacy Management program.

In addition to a B.A. from Rice University and a M.A. in English from Georgetown University, she holds a M.A. from New York University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, with her initial post-baccalaureate work in Psychology done at Columbia University.  Articles she's written have appeared in numerous publications, including The Center for Creative Leadership's publication Leadership in Action, The Wilson Quarterly, Natural Awakenings, Arizona Yoga, and Tucson Parent, and was a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Sage, 2006).  Look for her article on Dog Yoga in theJune/July 2010 issue of Animal Wellness magazine.  Currently, Sharon is also pursuing a law degree at University of Arizona, with the intention of specializing in animal law.  Her personal experiences in the workplace range from academic settings to the music industry to Wall Street.  This summer, she is working in Washington DC as a legal intern for Compassion Over Killing. Sharon has been a guest speaker at several professional conferences and community events. For cruelty-free living tips visit www.sharondiscorfano.com. 

Nasim (Adult Hatha)

Nasim is a mother of two beautiful children, a practicing architect (educated in Europe and New Zealand) with a focus on "sacred space," and a certified yoga teacher, having completed her 250-Hour training in Hatha Yoga at the Providence Institute in Tucson, Arizona . She is a trained facilitator with the Virtues Project International – a worldwide program that develops strategies to help families live by their highest values which ties in with her work with children and mothers. Nasim believes in yoga as the most effective stress reducer. Nasim's specialized training for teaching yoga to kids includes the Kids Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson of Yoga Connection. Nasim completed a Yin Yoga training with Sarah Powers at Santa Barbara Yoga Center and her Prenatal Yoga training with Stephanie Keach, also at Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Most recently, she completed training with Amy Weintraub for her Life Force Yoga program (Level One).

Nasim regularly teaches Hatha I on Mondays at 5:30pm, and All-Levels Adult Hatha on Wednesdays & Fridays at 9am. In addition to her regularly scheduled classes at the Lyric studio, Nasim teaches for Lyric at The Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley.

Tom (Yin Yoga)

Tom is a certified with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 level instructor. He is also a Professional Level Kripalu Yoga Instructor with thirty years of experience teaching yoga. His background, in addition to Kripalu yoga, includes studying Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Anusara, and Vinyasa yoga. Most recently he has been studying with Mark Whitwell in the lineage of Krishnamacharya. Tom brings to his classes a sensitivity to the needs of individual students without sacrificing the community aspect of a yoga class. He encourages students to have a mindful and safe yoga experience in each class. As one of the founding instructors of the Providence Institute's Yoga Teacher Training program, Tom has influenced many instructors here at Lyric in our own teaching, and we are grateful to have him as part of our Lyric family. Tom teaches our Yin Yoga, which we now offer periodically as a special class event. He also teaches Partner Yoga at Lyric.

 

Rose (Adult Hatha, Yoga for a Healthy Back)

Rose Kress received her Yoga Teacher Training certification from Providence Institute in Tucson. She also has trained in LifeForce Yoga for Depression (Level Two) under Amy Weintraub. Her recent trainings also include studies with Rama Jyoti Vernon. A former President of the Arizona Yoga Association, Rose now serves the yoga community as one of the organization's board members. 

Rose's teaches our Wednesday morning Hatha I class and Fridays "Yoga for a Healthy Back" class.

Anthony Tribe (Adult Hatha)

Anthony has been practicing yoga since the mid 1970s. He studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in India, and received certification as an Iyengar teacher in London in 1979. He taught in England and Europe for seventeen years before moving to the United States. As well as teaching regular classes, he has led weekend workshops and residential yoga retreats. More recently, he has been studying the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar and has completed the 250-hour Yoga Teacher Certification at the Providence Institute, Tucson. Anthony also has a doctorate in Indian Buddhism from Oxford University. He then moved to the University of Montana where he was a professor of Asian Studies for seven years. Currently, he is a faculty member of the Providence Institute, where he teaches Sanskrit, Yoga Philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita in their Yoga Teacher Training program.

Anthony teaches for Lyric at Sanofi-Aventis in Oro Valley. Beginning in January 2010, he also will be teaching Hatha I on Thursdays at 5:30pm.

Andrea (Adult Hatha)

Andrea has been practicing yoga for 7 years and in 2005 she completed her 250-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute (Tucson). Andrea’s style is based in Hatha but also has some vinyasa (flow) incorporated in; it can be challenging, but also relaxing. She enjoys sharing yoga with others, and loves to watch her students improve and give her feedback. Andrea has experience teaching both in studio and in corporate environments. Andrea also has a B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and currently works as a Chemist in addition to her yoga classes. 

Andrea teaches Vinyasa (all levels) on Saturdays at 10am.

 

 

Torrey (Adult Hatha)

Torrey is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, registered with the Yoga Alliance and a member of the Arizona Yoga Association. She received her Prenatal Yoga training through The Yoga Connection, Tucson. Recent workshops she has attended include work with Ana Forrest, Richard Freeman (Core Mudras), and Joseph LaPage (Integrative Yoga Therapy). Most recent trainings include Ayurveda with Arun Deva, Max Strom's 3 Pillars of Yoga, Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh Khalsa, and Yoga for the Internal Organs with Srivatsa Ramaswami. Her experience in teaching includes all levels of yoga including gentle yoga, prenatal yoga, chair yoga and yoga for kids. A third generation Arizona native, she has a background in classical ballet and is formerly a Children’s Librarian. Torrey’s two amazing daughters provide her with her greatest joys and lessons in life. As a teacher, Torrey strives to help students achieve a more balanced state through asanas, pranayama and meditation in a nurturing, relaxed and accepting environment.

Torrey regularly teaches All-Levels Adult Hatha Yoga on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and Thurdays at 10:00am.

 

Alysa (Prenatal, Adult Hatha, Kids Yoga)

Alysa holds a B.F.A. Printmaking, Painting and Drawing and completed her Yoga Teacher Training through the Providence Institute in Tucson and Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson at Tucson's Yoga Connection. Her more recent trainings include a Kundalini workshop with Annette Fair, an Ayurvedic workshop led by Sally Weber, and an Ashtanga workshop led by Mona Glawsko. She has extensive teacher experience, teaching in studios throughout Tucson as well as having several private clients she teaches in a one-on-one setting. She also performs regularly as a member of Flam-Chen, a Pyrotechnic Theater Troup based in Tucson.

Alysa on her own yoga experience: "As a woman, I have been renewed with a sense of strength and awareness for my body as I deepen my own practice. Yoga allows me to connect and appreciate my body, my mind and my spirit in a healthy and gracious way. Being able to embrace the lessons that I have learned from studying the Yoga Sutras and continuing my own studies in yoga and ayurveda has enriched my own practice and left me with a very clear intention for my future -- both in my personal journey and as a Yoga instructor. My hope is to be able to help others while maintaining that balance for myself. I believe that being honest, compassionate and positive will enhance the world that I live in and I appreciate the opportunity to share my experience with others."

Alysa regularly teaches Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Prenatal on Saturdays, and Hatha I on Sundays at 10am.

Sharon A. (Infant CPR and Massage)

Sharon A. Discorfano, LPN, CDA. Mother of Lyric’s founder, Sharon is a licensed practical nurse and holds licenses in two states (New Jersey and Arizona). She is the former owner of a daycare center in New Jersey, Wee One Daycare, has served as Assistant Director for the KinderCare organization, and has worked for the daycare organization La Petite Academy, specializing in infant caregiving. Her interest in newborns and infants led her to pursue certification in infant massage (CIMI) through International Loving Touch Foundation, Inc. In addition, she is American Heart CPR and First Aid certified. Sharon now enjoys sharing her infant-related expertise with all the new parents of the Tucson community.

 

Ellen (Adult Hatha)

Ellen has been practicing yoga and meditation for over ten years; she traveled to India on three separate occasions, practicing meditation at the ashrams of Sri Ramana Maharshi, Satya Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi and Swami Muktananda. She completed her Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute and is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University, and her M.F.A. from California College of the Arts in Oakland and shows her mixed-media work nation-wide. Her teaching experience also includes teaching art to children, which she has been doing since 1992.

Ellen teaches All-Levels Adult Hatha on Tuesdays, 10:00-11:15am.

James (Kids Yoga, Adult Hatha)

While visiting Mysore with his family when he was just fifteen, James met a man who first piqued his interest in yoga. Employing yogic techniques, this man demonstrated complete control of body and mind. James was very interested in fitness and exploring the limits of the body. Having played Youth Hockey for ten years, and later entering the US Air Force Police Academy, He traveled around various military bases to compete in Peace Keeper Special Team events and ran in the first Walt Disney Marathon in early 1994, then the Tucson marathon later that year; although the experiences delivered great physical and mental highs, James felt something lacking.  When his military service concluded, he searched for spiritual fulfillment: he became a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and worked in homeless outreach programs. In New York, James worked as a Sports/Life coach for youths (ages 4-14) and also taught at a private school for kids with learning challenges.  In addition to his work with children, he was a personal fitness instructor for adults.  James completed his 250-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute and has participated in numerous workshops and hours of study in Anusara.  James considers teaching a part of his practice: the number one requirement of a teacher, is to always be a student. James teaches our Thursday 8:30am All-Levels Class and our Friday "Yoga Happy Hour."

Melissa (Pilates)

Melissa is a certified Pilates teacher in the classical method. She has been practicing for nine years in the Pilates method, and received 750 program training hours from the Pilates Connection in 2007. Melissa has a bachelor's degree in social work from Iowa State University , is a licensed real estate agent in Arizona, and has worked for social services, nonprofit, and private sector organizations in Tucson . She brings to her teaching a varied background from her background from her lifelong career in the medical field. She has a strong passion to help people achieve their personal and fitness goals. Melissa owns Balanced Spirit Pilates Studio located centrally in Tucson.

Melissa's Karma Yoga Choice: Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation