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Learn more about our instructors.
Jeani Mackenzie |
Jeani Mackenzie is the founder, director, and primary instructor at the Davenport School of Yoga. She has been practicing and teaching yoga longer than most of the area’s other instructors combined. For many years she was Quad Cities yoga, keeping the art alive in the “dark ages” before it became fashionable. Her own practice began in 1974. Her initial study with B.K.S. Iyengar, author of Light on Yoga, at his institute in Pune, India in 1979 laid the foundation for her classical, Hatha approach. Other teachers she has attended are too numerous to name, but include Shandor, John Friend, and her current teacher, Diane Long, student of Vanda Scaravelli.
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Kelly Harris |
Kelly Harris was introduced to yoga in 2002 and began teaching in the spring of 2006. She is a certified yoga instructor, trained under Jeani Mackenzie of the Davenport School of Yoga. She has also completed a 35-hour Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher intensive with Richard Freeman, as well as a 5-week stay at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India, practicing under the guidance of Sharath Rangaswamy. Kelly’s broad experience with the various styles, techniques, approaches, and viewpoints of asana practice continues to shape the evolution of her daily practice and teaching – at the same time pure and integrative. Her curiosity has landed her in classes with many of today’s best teachers, including Eddie Modestini, Nicki Doane, David Life, Paul Grilley, and Scott Blossom.Additionally, since becoming a yoga instructor, Kelly has been trained and certified in Thai Yoga Massage. Within this modality, she finds that clients are able to access a further, deeper understanding of identity with their physical and energetic bodies, developing freedom of movement and peace of mind. For more information about Kelly's massage and bodywork options, take a peek at her blog: Blissful Bodywork. For more info on Kelly and her husband's ongoing yoga adventures, check out their blogspot at: Subtle Bliss.
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Evan Harris |
Evan Harris is one of the most enthusiastic, qualified, and advanced asana practitioners in the area. A certified yoga instructor, he completed his teacher training through the Davenport School of Yoga in 2005. Additionally, he has completed a 35-hour Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher training with Richard Freeman, his primary teacher.Evan’s endless yoga wanderings have landed him in class with some of the leading asana teachers of today, including David Life, Paul Grilley, Eddie Modestini, Nicki Doane, and Scott Blossom. Most recently, he studied in Mysore, South India, including Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga under Sharath Rangaswamy at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and Indian philosophy and the Yoga Sutra under Prof. Narasimhan of the Anantha Research Foundation.An avid student of philosophy and the world's contemplative and mystical traditions, he brings the rasam - the taste, the essence - of each to class, seeking ways to give the depths of these insights life in the body.
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Jen Smith |
Jen Smith is a Yoga Alliance 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher and has practiced yoga for more than 10 years. She has studied many styles and their blending informs her own teaching, as does her background in dance, rock climbing and martial arts. She thanks her many inspirational teachers, including Jeani Mackenzie, David Vendetti, Aaron Cantor, Kathleen Anderson and her greatest teacher, her son Isaac.
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Michelle Gugelmeyer |
Michelle Gugelmeyer was introduced to yoga as a child through her father's practice. She began her own self-study in 1996 as a way to cope with pain from orthopedic issues and began teaching in the fall of 2004. Michelle is a certified yoga instructor who has trained and continues to practice under the guidance of Jeani Mackenzie of the Davenport School of Yoga. Her teaching reflects her knowledge and fascination of the human anatomy and biomechanics. Her massage therapy background brings a 'hands-on' approach to all who attend her classes. |
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Sally Canfield |
Sally Canfield came to yoga in 2003 after the birth of her second child looking to regain her 'self'. She attended her first class in March, applied to teacher training in April, and began instructing in July. Sally continues study with Jeani Mackenzie. As the mother of two young boys, Sally believes regular practice is vital to staying energized and peaceful in daily activities. Her classes focus on self-care as a means of being able to give fully to others.
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Johanna Welzenbach-Hilliard |
Johanna Welzenbach-Hilliard has been studying the practice of Yoga since 2001. She earned her teaching certificate, under the tutelage of Jeani MacKenzie, in July 2007. Since then, she has been teaching Beginning Hatha Yoga at the City Center School of Dance in Rock Island (home of the Ballet Quad Cities), the Davenport School of Yoga, and the Davenport Parks and Recreation Department. She has also taught at Horace Mann Elementary School in Rock Island, and has been a substitute teacher for the Rock Island Park Board and at the Trinity Enrichment Center.Johanna continues her Yoga studies by reading extensively on Yoga and related topics, and practices regularly with Jeani MacKenzie, and Evan and Kelly Harris. She also attended a workshop in April 2008 with Erich Schiffmann (author of “Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness”) at the Yogaville Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia (founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda).
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Tammy Long |
Tammy Long is a certified yoga instructor through the Davenport School of Yoga, attending her first class with Jeani Mackenzie in 2000. She continues to study under Jeani’s guidance.With her own daily practice, she discovers new things about herself and her body every day. She has 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Yoga has helped relieve stress and calms her busy life. She loves sharing her knowledge of yoga and learning from each of her students. Tammy believes yoga is beneficial to everyone, with new discoveries in every practice. She applies that in every class she teaches. |
