Robbie Michelle Short
Robbie graduated from UNC-Charlotte, studying Sociology and Religious Studies, before spending the next 12 years traveling the world as a flight attendant. She started her yoga practice in 2000 at home in Asheville but after moving to Nashville in 2001, the tragedy of 9/11 brought her to her first live class feeling scarred in every way. Yoga became her therapy, her saving grace, her love & her passion. Initially, Robbie’s respect for Yoga blossomed as she dove into the deeper aspects through self study, practicing near & far, research, and attending multiple workshops with various established teachers. Following these journeys & experiencing personal awakenings, she decided to obtain both her 200 RYT yoga certification as well as a meditation teaching certification from The Expanding Light in Nevada City, CA. from the lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda. She has since served on the Yoga Society Nashville board, was an ambassador for Lululemon 2 years, completed her 500 hr through the Asheville Yoga Center, taught international retreats as well as in and around Franklin/Nashville in studios, gyms, churches, festivals, parks, schools, and corporate offices. Robbie is now in her 15th year of teaching and 8th year of owning the studio.
Her teaching style encourages a spiritual approach going “above and beyond” just the physical aspects of the practice. Robbie plans her classes so that there is always some inspiration with “spiritual food or contemplative thought”, whether it’s through yogic philosophy, storytelling, insightful quotes, or personalizing the affirmations. Robbie’s teaching style is strongly influenced by the impact of her own respected teachers, Gyandev & Diksha McCord and continues to expand with more practice, life experience, implementing yogic teachings, and all the valuable lessons she learns from her guru son Gabriel. Robbie’s approach to teaching touches the heart and soul! So much so that Half Moon Yoga Healing is coined “Franklin’s Heart & Soul Yoga”. Robbie invites YOU to join us for an experiential practice using this B.K.S. Iyengar quote as motivation: “Your body is the bow, the asanas are the arrows, and the target is the soul”.
Rhonda Flowers
Rhonda was stay at home mom of 2 suffering with tight muscles resulting from years of kickboxing, step classes and running. In search of a way to relieve the tension and strain of typical muscle building and endurance exercise, she began taking yoga classes. It was not long before Rhonda realized yoga offered her the tension relief and flexibility she was looking for while satisfying her need for strength, endurance, and an overall since of well being. From that point forward yoga would be her passion.
In 2004, Rhonda was certified through Yoga Alliance offering her the opportunity to share her passion of yoga and help those like her discover the many benefits of a sound and disciplined yoga practice. As she has developed her practice she not only brings opportunity and discovery to those who are new to yoga, but also works with those who have been practicing helping to lift their practice to even higher levels.
Among some of Rhonda’s favorites to practice are Ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar, Bikram and Vinyasa. She credits the many wonderful instructors she has had over the years, along with her desire to continue to grow in her practice by attending workshops and retreats. As a result of her varied practice Rhonda has created and continues to build on her own “freedom” flow, a unique blend of her favorite aspects from all that she has learned and has yet to learn. Rhonda’s instruction is built around the hope that you will find freedom in your practice to do what’s right for your body, spirit, and mind in that present moment. Her hope is that you will come to look at your practice as a way to learn to trust, respect, love and ultimately heal your body through your yoga practice. Having fun while being kind and compassionate to yourself.
Holly Garcia
Holly was first introduced to yoga 12 years ago by a friend who suggested she try it to relieve her constant migraine headaches. She found healing through At One Yoga in Phoenix, AZ. Healing her body and growing to love yoga was easy, but being consistent was not. Never forgetting the practice and its foundations, Holly found her way back onto the mat shortly after moving to Nashville in 2008. She began to realize the benefits of making yoga a constant part of her lifestyle and decided to take it a step further by becoming an instructor. In 2009, while pregnant with her second son, Holly completed her 200-hour RYT Yoga Alliance certification. Since then, Holly has been on a quest of continued education through her daily practice and by attending numerous workshops. Having been blessed to have many teachers with different styles, Holly’s class is a varied mix of Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Hatha with a heavy emphasis on the breath and alignment. Although there will be similar elements, each class will be a unique blend of Holly’s influences which like life is ever changing. She has learned to allow the energy of the students and the moment to guide the flow of her class. Her goal is that students leave with an awareness that will help them become their own best teacher on and off the mat.
Whitney Korman
After finding yoga in 1999, Whitney Korman knew she had found home and quickly realized that yoga was so much more than a physical practice, it became her therapy. Destined to be a healer, the road to yoga teacher training was paved shortly after. While she is well trained in teaching Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Ashtanga and Prenatal Yoga, her passion is to raise higher consciousness through teaching awareness of the true self. No matter what class she is leading, her inspiration comes from real life – epiphanies of both heart and mind, intertwined with yogic philosophy and a desire to inspire others to truly love who they are and then share that love with the world. Whitney is a Registered Yoga Teacher certified with the Yoga Alliance. She has earned her 500 hour certification through Franklin Yoga Center and Sanctuary for Yoga. She has trained with Kathi Perry, Daphne Larkin, Tom Larkin, Shannon Paige, Jessalynn Hakanson and Liz Stewart to name a few. Whitney is so blessed to be married to her soul mate, Mother to a wild and mighty little boy, and 2 lively pets that run the household. We are all here to connect. We are all here to love and be loved. That is life’s greatest joy. Namaste and beyond.
Kate Puncochar
Kate Puncochar is a RYT 200 hour certified yoga teacher, currently working on her 500 hour certification. Kate is trained in both power and gentle vinyassa flow. Kate is also a certified teens and kids yoga teacher through Next Generation Yoga. Kate is an Ambassador for Africa Yoga Project and traveled to Kenya last summer to teach yoga in the slums, orphanages, and prisons of Nairobi. Kate also is the creator of Music City Yoga Festival which is a local fundraiser for charities at home and abroad. Kate also teaches English at a local high school where she sponsors a free yoga club for all students. Kate has a passion for empowering her students to see what is possible both on and off their mat. She says, “yoga has changed my life in a powerful way, and I love sharing the transforming power of yoga with others.”
Chrisie Spain
Chrisie has lived in Franklin since 1998. She was born in Florida and during her elementary school years, she spent three years living in Bangkok, Thailand and exploring Southeast Asia with her family. She is blessed to call Tennessee home and loves the roots it has given her after years of moving around. She graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in English Literature and Elementary Education. Chrisie is married to her high school sweetheart and a mom to three daughters. In 2011, she was seeking natural ways to manage stress and anxiety while pregnant and decided to try prenatal yoga at Half Moon. Each time she practiced, she came back to her family more centered and grounded. That was the beginning of her journey into holistic health and wellness. In 2015, she completed her 200 hr yoga teacher training through Sanctuary for Yoga. In 2016, she completed a restorative yoga teacher training from Shannon Paige.
She loves sharing the healing benefits of the yoga practice and believes that health starts from within, through loving self care practices and proper nutrition. In 2017, she received her holistic health coaching certification through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Chrisie has always been interested in nutrition and has great memories from childhood cooking with her grandmother. She believes heath starts in the kitchen. She loves creating healthy dishes for her family using Whole Foods, seasonal & local ingredients. She is passionate about helping others live a life full of vibrant health and wellness.
Jenn FitzGerald
Jenn grew up moving around the US, but has long called Franklin home. She graduated from MTSU with a degree in English and was a certified teacher for grades 7-12. She took her first yoga class at 17 and continued to try various classes over the years but didn’t stick with any of them for an extended period of time. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that she developed a consistent practice. Finding more grace and healing on the mat than anything she had ever tried, she became deeply fascinated with everything yoga. Having grown up with a very open-minded mother, reading yoga philosophy felt like coming home and helped her find true stillness. Upon learning that Robbie would be leading a first-ever 200-hour teacher training program for Half Moon, Jenn signed up immediately. Through that program, she felt challenged, inspired and encouraged to evolve on both a personal and professional level. She continues to seek growth and learning through various teachers and workshops and believes Half Moon has a special energy and community unlike anywhere else.
Rebecca Coleman
Rebecca has journeyed over half her life through the world of health and wellness. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutritional Counselor, International fitness coach, and a competing model and fitness athlete. As a former Registered Nurse, she was determined to make a difference in world health. Rebecca continued her healing pilgrimage and was birthed into yoga and fell in love with yoga specifically at Half Moon Yoga. Rebecca has her 200 hour through Half Moon’s Moonbeam Teacher Training program and recently acquired a Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certification.
This sassy Australian yogi has lived in the USA for 16 years and has very much held on to her Aussie roots.
Rebecca is full of passion, energy and she is on a mission to empower others to get back to their center.
Rebecca holds firmly in her heart that when you tap into being present in your body that something magical happens to your heart. Watching people fall in love with who they really are is one of Rebecca’s greatest joys. If you don’t have the belief that you can get there, borrow Rebecca’s. She will believe for you until you are ready to soar on your own.
Maria Guse
Mandy Luzinski
Christina Lentz
Christina discovered yoga at the age of 24. Initially, her practice served as a way to relieve stress, but it wasn’t until she began her path of becoming a teacher that it became a lifestyle which included emotional cleansing and spiritual awakening. Her yoga practice also served as an outlet to alleviate mental and physical tension from her high stress career as a business owner. During her teacher training she made the decision to follow her dharma path and sell her business to fully immerse herself in her practice as a teacher, but first and foremost as a student. Christina is certified in Vinyasa and Kids Yoga. She has also studied Reiki, Ayurvedic Thai Yoga Bodywork and Yin Yoga. When Christina isn’t practicing or teaching, she is busy being a wife, mother of 6 and running an orphanage she founded in Sierra Leone, West Africa called Project Salone.