About Us
Celebrating 5 Years of Community: Mind, Body and Wellbeing!
Seeds were planted for the Bull City Yoga Festival with the intention of bringing together like-minded yoga teachers and yogis of all ages, races, cultures, and backgrounds in Durham, NC, and the surrounding area. We are very fortunate and grateful to have a committee, yogis with a vision for building and bringing together the yoga community in Durham and beyond (this year’s festival is in person), who have compassion and love for creating a safe space for yoga and for healing ourselves and our communities.
Our teacher lineup features world-class teachers from the BIPOC community in Durham and beyond that offer a variety of classes. So whether you have practiced yoga for years or if you are just starting, we have classes designed for you. Come join us in person on Friday, October 7, 2022 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm and Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 8:00am – 5:00pm in Forest Hills Park to experience the health benefits of yoga, meditation, and mind-body practices. We look forward to seeing you at our interactive and inspirational global community event.
“Yoga allows me to find peace within and when I am on my yoga mat, I feel grounded, centered, love and self-care. Yoga has taught me to go within and to care about myself and when I care about myself, that feels good to me! When planting seeds for the Bull City Yoga Festival, my intention was to bring together yoga teachers and yogis of all ethnic backgrounds, cultures and ages in the Durham community. ”
Ingrid Saddler-Walker
Our Committee
INGRID SADDLER-WALKER, MA
E-RYT 500, RCYT-95
Ingrid Saddler-Walker is the founder of the Annual Bull City Yoga Festival in Durham, NC. Mother of two sons ages 31 and 29 years old. She began her yoga journey in 2009 with the intention of teaching yoga to adults and children. She is the owner of Wytha Balance Yoga – Counseling LLC., in Durham, NC. She is a Psychotherapeutics Yoga Instructor trained with Lipsyschool Lifeologic and an E-RYT/500 Advanced Yoga Teacher in Mental Health trained with Mind Body Centering Yoga. Ingrid is certified as a Reiki Master Level Practitioner and a Yoga Life Coach. Ingrid is Kundalini trained E-RYT/200 hours Yoga Instructor with a RCYT certification in children’s yoga. Yoga 4 Classrooms, Yoga and Mindfulness for Children, Yoga for Teens, Mindful Schools Fundamentals, Mindful Schools K-12, Mindfulness for School-Age Children. Trauma Informed Yoga and Mindfulness for Youth. Ingrid is a NC Professional School Counselor with 23 years of experience with Durham Public Schools.
M. CLAYTON BARRIER,
RYT–200
M. Clayton Barrier is a native of Durham, North Carolina and graduated from North Carolina Central University. While in college, he took every opportunity to be involved in fitness and dance. Most recently, he is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher for various dance situations and an up-and-coming local dance company. In addition to being a theater, dance, and physical education/health teacher at a public college prep charter school, Clayton is trained in various yoga practices through YogaFit. Currently, he teaches yoga and barre in various locations around the Triangle.
MICHELLE MITCHELL
E-RYT-500
Michelle began practicing yoga to help on her healing journey, where she quickly noticed the physical and mental benefits. Eager to share the many ways yoga enhanced her life, she took a deeper dive to expand her knowledge, teach, and share yoga with others. She believes that there is a yoga style, and accessible practice for EVERYBODY.
She considers herself a forever student continuously seeking ways to deepen her practice. Aerial Yoga was her launching pad expanding her journey beyond the mat. She completed Honor Yoga Aerial Teacher Training, AIReal Yoga, and Rising Wings Aerial Teacher Training. She also earned a Nutrition Science Certificate from Stanford Center for Health Education to complement her passion for total wellness.
Whether on the mat, in a hammock, with or without props, she is happy to meet you where you are and help you work on where you want to go.
KELLYE DAVIS
Kellye Davis was born and raised in the sultry, southern culture of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, her personality clearly reflects her heritage—she is a unique blend of sweet charm and Cajun spice!
By virtue of innate skill and many years of experience as a Human Resources professional, Kellye has a gift for working with people, effortlessly sensing their needs and feelings. She helps others find and release their inner calm with understanding and a sense of humor.
Kellye’s classes are light hearted and fun, focused on finding balance through self-exploration in a supportive and positive atmosphere.
KARLA Vallecillo
Karla is a Nicaraguan native, runner & LGBTQ+ advocate, certified in multi-style Yoga, which includes breathwork, restorative and vinyasa practices. She is the founder of Buscando Vida LLC, a Yoga Lifestyle brand that offers inclusive and accessible yoga for functional movement, stress management, active recovery and building strength. Through her classes, she aims to hold a safe space for you to explore, learn and experience the healing benefits of yoga. Karla is passionate about making Yoga accessible for everybody and offers classes in English and Spanish.
“BCYF highlights and brings out the diversity rooted in Durham to practice in community, while honoring different practices and abilities”
– Karla Vallecillo
SHAKIRA BETHEA
Shakira is the creator of Rhythmic Bloom, a private practice in Durham, NC that offers bodywork and movement therapies focused on the intersection of wellness and social justice. She holds healing space for folks most removed from power and privilege, offering clients an experience of authentic rest and comfort in their bodies. This practice moved her to co-steward Sahaja S P A C E, a healer led wellness cooperative. She received a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yoga Teacher Training Certifications from Heart of Yoga School and Skill in Action.
TRISTA GOFORTH
Trista is passionate about bringing people together to solve challenges and create community. She thinks yoga is essential to having a healthy mind and body and loves working to help expand that idea. She loves what Bull City Yoga Festival is doing for health and the community and is excited to be on the committee.
Days Until Festival
Our Teachers
Our amazing teachers and their workshops!
Keynote Teacher
Faith Hunter
Faith Hunter began her practice of yoga and meditation in the early 90s to manage a traumatic life experience. Through the mindfulness and personal reflection gained from the practices, Faith was able to release her fears and experience an awakening from within. Over the past 20-plus years, Faith has studied yoga, mediation, breathwork, reiki, and many wellness approaches. She’s graced the covers of Yoga Journal (twice), Om Yoga & Lifestyle, Origin Magazine, and Sweat Equity. She has also appeared on Wendy Williams, The Real Housewives of Potomac, and in Essence, Black Enterprise, Women’s Health, Shape, New York & YOGA magazines. Faith is an exclusive yoga & wellness expert for BeachBody, iFIT Nordic Track, Fitbit, and Meditation Studio App and has proudly represented endemic brands such as Athleta, Footlocker, and lululemon as well as non-endemic brands such as Warner’s and Weleda. In addition, Faith is an author who penned two books, Shades of the Soul (poetry and daily inspirations), and her latest, Spiritually Fly: Wisdom, Meditations, and Yoga for the Soul.
Michelle Johnson
Michelle C. Johnson is an author, yoga teacher, social justice activist, licensed clinical social worker and Dismantling Racism trainer. She approaches her life and work from a place of empowerment, embodiment, and integration. With a deep understanding of trauma and the impact that it has on the mind, body, spirit and heart, much of her work focuses on helping people better understand how power and privilege operate in their life. She explores how privilege, power and oppression affects the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energy body.
Shakira Bethea
RYT-200
Shakira, she/her, is an artistic wellness curator who interweaves social justice into her work to support those most removed from power and privilege. She practices as a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, 500Hr yoga instructor, and co-stewards Opal Collective, LLC, a wellness cooperative in Durham, NC. She facilitates yoga anatomy workshops for yoga instructors and provides organizational healing to support the evolution of organizations and activists. Learn more at www.rhythmicbloom.com.
Carolina Chavez
RYT-200
Carolina is originally from Viña del Mar, Chile and moved to the Raleigh/Durham area in 2014. Being passionate in leading a healthy active lifestyle, Carolina added yoga into her life in 2011. She discovered the physical, mental and spiritual changes it brought into her life. In 2017, she decided to share her passion and completed her RYT-200 training. She teaches slow flow, power flow and restorative yoga in both English and Spanish. When she’s not teaching, Carolina loves working out, enjoying the outdoors, and cooking.
Abbey Billman
Abbey is a bull city native. She completed her RYT 200 with Nina Be of Mindbodycentering yoga, and is a master reiki practitioner. Currently Abbey leads a toddler class at a Waldorf inspired farm preschool, and has an extensive background working with young people. She believes in the magic of yoga and childhood. Her favorite yoga pose is pigeon.
Magdalena Pintos
Maggie had her yogic awakening at age 15, when she finally felt at peace while floating in savasana. She started going to yoga classes three to four times a week, and five years later, she became 200-hr YTT certified under Kim Zegil, of Gotta Yoga Studio in Charlotte, NC. Since she believes this is her dharma (her calling), she is a full-time yoga teacher but says she will always remain a student. Maggie’s mission is to mentor anyone and everyone so that they can transform within, through the practice of yoga and energy healing.
Her sequences are meant to bring you back to your youth by being fluid, playful, and not taking the practice too seriously (except for alignment)
.Besides being passionate about Vinyasa Yoga, Maggie is certified in Kids Yoga, and certified in Energy Medicine. She is Reiki Level 2 certified and uses Reiki daily- both for inner healing and as a resource to her clients in their own healing journeys. She graduated from NC State with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2017 and is working towards going to Bali in 2023 to receive her 500-Hr YTT certification.
Aubrey Zinaich - KRI Certified Level 1, RYT - 500
.Aubrey is passionate about helping all people find their inner truth. Her special interests include mantra, moon cycles, sound current, Kundalini & Buddhist meditation and supporting pre-natal and post-natal people. Aubrey is inspired by the works of Thich Nhat Hanh, Guru Nanak & The Bhagavata Purana. She enjoys spending time connecting with like-minded people in her community & working toward creating a more tolerant and open environment where all people can come together to have a voice.
Victoria Haffer
Victoria Haffer holds a Masters of Science and is a Spiritual Coach, Author, Yoga Therapist/Meditation Teacher, REIKI Master and Practitioner of Vibrational Medicine for people and animals.
Victoria has facilitated massive transformation for thousands of empathic women and animals around the world. She has dedicated her life to teaching people how to develop and own their personal power, intuition and voice so they can show up who they truly are unapologetically!
She also specializes in rehabilitating anxious, fearful, reactive dogs and horses.
Karla Vallecillo
Karla is a Nicaraguan native, runner & LGBTQ+ advocate, certified in multi-style Yoga, which includes breathwork, restorative and vinyasa practices. She is the founder of Buscando Vida LLC, a Yoga Lifestyle brand that offers inclusive and accessible yoga for functional movement, stress management, active recovery and building strength. Through her classes, she aims to hold a safe space for you to explore, learn and experience the healing benefits of yoga. Karla is passionate about making Yoga accessible for everybody and offers classes in English and Spanish. Karla has been practicing yoga for over 5 years, finding the right teacher helped her learn more about herself, her practice and fuel her passion for yoga. She became a certified yoga teacher in 2020. Since moving to Durham, she has worked with the local community to bring more resources to the Spanish speaking community and has also taught classes for BIPOC healing.
Yoga credentials: 200 RYT Multi-Style Yoga (Vinyasa, Pranayama, Restorative)
over 50 hour specialty training in Accessible Yoga and Stationary Yoga
Nina Be
Hi, I’m Nina Be, the Director of MindBody Centering Yoga @ centering. life. This world in which we live, trauma is a part of being alive at this moment. Many in pain have been treated by medicines that treat illness, yet have not been empowered to trust their innate ability to create and maintain health. There’s a better way. My practice has led me to understanding the transformations of trauma in my own life, and the lives of others. I lead from that place, and lead others to do the same. Yoga is a living practice, as you may know, and i am one of the first instructors in the country to advocate for trauma-sensitive yoga classes & instruction.Both my Beginners & Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings provide students with the tools needed to be more trauma-sensitive in our own lives, our own yoga. By joining one of the Sunday or Wednesday Wisdom Circles, a personal training program, class or retreat, online or live, you are committing to yourself, to cultivating resilience, and the living practice of acknowledging & experiencing that everything turns to gold. I believe that you already have what you need to feel and live better. These have been explained as the 10 PROMISES , your gift when you sign up for our inspiring newsletters @ centering.life. Many Blessings!
Anjana Rathore
My passion for yoga is to help people my age and to explore yoga practice in their daily lifestyle. Learn to let your body age with elegance and grace. Yoga is not what it looks like from the outside. It is always what you feel from the inside.
Shemora Sheikh
Shemora Sheikh of Pink Moon Bellydance grew up in the world of bellydance. It was a weekly tradition for the women in her community to get together for tea and bellydance. From high
school to present Shemora Sheikh continued her love for bellydance through formal classes.
Aside from teaching bellydance classes (for 10 years) she is the Curator of the Feminine Arts for
Rites of Passage Institute which focuses on women’s wellness through ancient wisdom. As a
henna artist, belly binder, etc she brings a wholistic healing approach to bellydance. Learn more at https://www.passageinstitute.com/pmbellydance.html
Mars Bradley
Mars has been practicing Yoga and Meditation for 15+ years. His mission is to share the healing benefits of these services with others that may not be familiar or have access. Specializing in guided mindful meditation, yin and restorative yoga as a way of dealing with anxiety and stress and trauma.
L.A. Adkins
LA (she/her) is a creative, champion of solitude, and certified sound practitioner and mindfulness meditation guide. She practices as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Reconnect With You, PLLC, a practice specializing in work with professionals and corporations. She provides individual therapy, sound therapy, public speaking services, and she makes candles
Purchase Your Ticket Today!
Our virtual festival will be a day packed full of yoga, meditation and community!