Buddha's Mat Founders
Piper-Lori Parker &
Chris Morehead
We will lay out the path to allow teachers to find their own unique, expressive voice based on the alchemy of all of the elements presented.
We are not the gurus....
The guru is YOU!
Why We Created Buddha's Mat
Buddha’s Mat is a collab training school from Chris Morehead & Piper-Lori Parker, to provide a well-rounded training centered on Vinyasa and focusing the voice of the teacher to be authentically inspired and grounded in knowledge and tradition.
We will lay out the foundations of many lineages in terms of creativity and differences between them, but this is a Vinyasa training. We will breakdown Vinyasa postures and discuss Vinyasa sequencing.
We pride ourselves in creating teachers who think for themselves. We will not provide set sequences or scripts, rather we will co-create grounded sequences and themes throughout our time together. We emphasize clarity in trauma-informed neutral language and offer practice teaching opportunities to put what we have learned into practical use.
We make teachers who are ready and confident to teach!
Piper's Intenion:
We hope to provide an inspirational experience rooted in practicality, but sprinkled with the magic and healing that yoga has to offer from the ancient yogis who came before us, to the innovators now, who are teaching and creating with cultural appreciation and respect. I absolutely love the adult-learning environment. Seeing people want to learn by choice, truly interested in this never-ending flow of information that is all things yoga….that is where the magic is for me.
Chris' Intention:
Our hope for our trainees is that they will find their true voice as a teacher. We want to encourage each participant to step outside of their comfort zones as teachers to explore multiple ways of holding safe space for their students. There will be an emphasis on teaching both beginner and advanced asana. Teaching teachers is my passion – it gives me a sense of purpose and meaning knowing that I have helped facilitate their journey to becoming more embodied teachers and beings.
About Piper
Piper came to yoga from a background in theatre, music, and dance. Having spent her childhood in daily Vaganova Russian ballet class, she brings a strong sense of discipline, posture, and alignment to the practice of yoga. It's not often that one is given the opportunity to turn a passion into a livelihood, and she feels fortunate to have done that a few times in her life, one of them being this awesome journey with yoga. Piper has truly found her dharma in yoga, after leaving her ten year career as a Marketing Executive to teach and be of humble service as a teacher and educator in this mystical and magical lineage. She is dedicated to constant svadyaya, pledging to honor the traditions of a practice born from a culture far from her own. Her deepest passion is to proliferate yoga anywhere and everywhere, thereby making the world a better more sensitive and informed place.
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Experienced 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher
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300 hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Moksha Yoga
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200 hour Hot Yoga Teacher Training Corepower Yoga
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100 hour Power Yoga Teacher Training Corepower Yoga
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Yoga Sculpt Certified Corepower Yoga
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Rainbow Kids Yoga Certified
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Off the Mat Into the World Dismantling Racism
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CorePower Yoga, Led 11 Teacher Trainings,
Wellness Cleanse, 5 Boot Camps, and Yogi Training.
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Zen Yoga Garage, Led 20 Teacher Trainings,
countless programs from Kids to Yoga Sculpt to
existing teacher development and beyond
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Led Zen Yoga Garage to be recognized as
a top leading studio by Time Out Chicago, Yelp,
Make it Better Magazine, & Mindful Studio Magazine
About Chris
Chris came to yoga in Fayetteville, Arkansas after a co-worker suggested he escape a stressful work environment for yoga. Apprehensively, he tagged along to what would be the first of many yoga classes. The experience changed his life for the better. It was a journey that slowly started to heal physical injuries sustained from constant long distance running, as well as aided in the mending of personal trauma and low self-esteem. He spent time diving into various styles and modalities in the wellness category, from daily Bikram to loosely based Vinyasa and Anusara. With dedicated discipline, he finally honed in on a style and studio. From that moment on he was hooked on all aspects of the practice and wanted to learn more. After finding himself practicing multiple times a day, he completed his Teacher Training and never looked back. He feels he has found his calling to provide interesting sequencing and balanced movement with the non-traditional weaved in to celebrate the traditional roots of yoga. Chris hopes to inspire his students to dive deeper than the physical side of yoga to see how it can shine a brighter light into their life.
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Experienced 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher
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300 Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Meghan Currie
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200 Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Zen Yoga Garage
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Apprenticeship under Margo Kellison-Lightburn
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Over 8000 hours of group led public classes
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Social Media expertise to grow 11K followers through yoga inspired messaging in just 3 years
AMANDA OAKLEY
Growing up a ballerina and modern dancer, Amanda has always found a tremendous amount of healing through movement. She grounds herself with gratitude and by staying true to her heart. Through dedication and passion; Amanda encourages her students to dive deep into themselves and continually grow.
She strives daily to teach dynamic movement that is intentional and inspiring. Her classes gently guide her students into taking risks and challenging themselves. She focuses on invigorating the spirit while cultivating a strong foundation, stamina, and balance.
Amanda is an 200 hr E-RYT & 500 hr RYT who has trained and practiced with many teachers from around the world. She teaches Vinyasa, Power, Kundalini, Slow Flow and Restorative classes. Utilizing an array of movement modalities - she is continually strengthening her practice through Yoga, Iron Mantis Martial Arts, Qigong and Tai Chi. She leads International & National Yoga Retreats, Workshops and Yoga Teacher Trainings (YTT). Her classes will amplify your journey inward to your most radiant authentic self.
ERIN BRACCO
Erin Bracco is the co-founder of Buddha Belly Kids Yoga and is excited to spread her love of yoga to her favorite people in the world: children. For seven years, she was a classroom teacher and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in both Elementary Education and Special Education from Vanderbilt University.
Her passion for child development is evident in both her teaching and yoga practice as she fosters newfound confidence and body awareness through the unique Buddha Belly curriculum. Erin thrives on helping little beings explore their world by giving them new tools to
make sense of their surroundings.
She believes there is no better medium than yoga to harness the positive, contagious energy of children. Erin is a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has completed her 200 hour teacher training at Zen Yoga Garage in Chicago, 95
hour kids teacher training through Rainbow Kids Yoga, and holds a certificate in partner yoga through Rainbow Partner Yoga. Additionally, she successfully completed the Mindful Fundamentals and Mindful Educator Essentials certifications through Mindful Schools.
