Jess Agostinelli
Studio Assistant (she/her)
Despite practicing yoga from a young age, Jess now relies on a daily practice to recover from long Covid, and is a strong believer in the mind-body-breath connection. After moving to Mt. Pleasant in spring 2021, she joined Past Tense as a studio assistant. Aside from yoga, she produces tech-related events in D.C.
Edy Blu
Instructor (she/her)
Edy started practicing yoga to alleviate knee pain, but discovered it increased her flexibility and her happiness. Edy appreciates yoga as a guide for living in the body. Her classes focus on breath awareness, strength, and alignment. Edy also writes, sings, and records catchy songs and music for sync licensing.
Ellie Conrad
Instructor (she/her)
Ellie began practicing yoga in an effort to find community after graduating from RISD. Now, she is a yoga instructor and massage therapist with a private practice right around the corner from Past Tense. In Ellie’s classes, you can expect creative sequencing, nerdy anatomy references, and lots of props.
Kelly DiNardo
Owner, Instructor (she/her)
Kelly discovered yoga when she was procrastinating on a writing assignment. Parked on a yoga mat, she not only cleared her writer’s block but developed a new passion. She has been teaching yoga for over fifteen years. She opened Past Tense with the hope of giving others the same strength, balance and flexibility she finds on the mat in a place that is open and welcoming.
Meagan Estep
Marketing Manager, Instructor (she/her)
Meagan teaches yoga with an emphasis on functional movement and mindful presence. She encourages her students to use props generously, modify shapes often, and expect the unexpected. Off the mat, Meagan is an educator and technologist and loves sharing Past Tense’s mission with those in DC and beyond.
Nichole Ferrigno
Education Manager, Instructor (she/her)
Since discovering yoga in college, Nichole has embraced yoga as an anchor in her life and as a sanctuary from DC’s hurried pace. You can expect to find your own sanctuary in her grounding classes that emphasize form and tuning in. When she’s not teaching yoga Nichole works as a health coach, full-time mom, and part-time student at GWU.
Jenna Grubman
Instructor (she/her)
After many years as a student and a Past Tense Studio Assistant, Jenna decided to sign up for the studio’s first teacher training. While Jenna’s personal life looks a bit different now with two young kids, her teaching style is still focused on building strength in the body and mind, whether that’s in a vinyasa flow class or Pilates.
Sonja Kubota Johansson
Instructor (she/her)
Sonja admits she was introduced to yoga by Madonna’s Ray of Light era. Now, as a teacher, Sonja’s classes are structured in a vinyasa flow style with emphasis on breath and alignment. She works with students to find modifications that fit their needs, often with no music. Sonja’s fascination with, and respect for, the mind-body connection led to her career in the mental health field as a licensed clinical psychologist.
Karen Kane
Instructor (she/her)
A few years ago, Karen tripped and took a flying fall. But instead of a face plant, she landed in chaturanga and only scraped her knees. That was her yoga “ah-ha” moment—her body had learned how to protect itself. Off the mat, Karen is a children’s book author and is always creating stories in her head. Which is probably why she probably tripped in the first place.
Steve Krzyanowski
Instructor (he/him)
Steve grew up as a gymnast and was drawn to yoga as a way to honor the body. He is always looking for the little lessons inherent in our practice: take the time to warm up, look within and examine, let go of what does not serve, and meet yourself where you are. Steve’s classes offer a reflection on how we can apply the lessons of practice to our lives.
Rachel Morrison
Instructor (she/her)
While working as a personal trainer, Rachel found in yoga a safe haven to calm her nervous system and jumped into teacher training in 2015. Her classes combine creative sequencing, functional movement, and philosophical grounding to create a safe space for self discovery. Her home practice is heavily influenced by her cat, Shadow.
Alicia Moyer
Education Manager, Instructor (she/her)
Alicia has studied in various traditions and strives to bring them all together in her creatively sequenced vinyasa classes. Alicia believes the best teacher is the student within, so she is expanding her knowledge base by studying massage and craniosacral therapy. Alicia is a native to Mt. Pleasant and still lives in her childhood home with her husband and daughter.
Mallory Newall
Studio Manager, Instructor (she/her)
Mallory first joined the Past Tense community as a studio assistant, then graduated from the studio’s first Living Yoga Teacher Training in 2017. Mallory teaches a power-inspired class set to upbeat music to give students the opportunity to find their edge in a lighthearted way. She is also certified in foam rolling and prenatal yoga.
Melanie Nguyen
Studio Assistant (she/her)
After practicing on-and-off, Melanie decided to deepen her practice at Past Tense. She now appreciates the mind-body connection and space for self-reflection offered by yoga, especially as a busy graduate student. Off the mat, you can find her strolling around the neighborhood with her dog or enjoying a cup of coffee and a good book.
Rob Phillips
Instructor (he/him)
Rob teaches with an emphasis on simplicity, precision, and attention to the present moment. In his classes, even when you’re working really hard, you’ll be doing so from a place of calm awareness. Outside of his work in yoga, Rob spends much of his time devoted to the performance and production of music; so it is perhaps with some irony that his classes often place such a strong emphasis on quietude.
Audrey Platt
Studio Assistant (she/her)
Audrey grew up practicing yoga in San Francisco. She knew Mt. Pleasant was home in her first class at Past Tense, appreciating everything from the community spirit to the plants. Off the mat, Audrey loves farmers markets, helping out Friends of the Mt. Pleasant Library, and biking around the neighborhood.
Otis Ramsey-Zoe
Studio Assistant (he/him)
The name Otis means “he who hears well” or “one who listens.” Yoga has become another opportunity for Otis to live out his mission in life as determined by the name given to him by his parents. A theatre artist, educator, and PhD student, Otis has maintained a committed yoga practice since 2010.
Amy Rizzotto
Instructor (she/her)
Amy has been a yoga student for over 17 years and counts her lucky stars that she has been able to make the practice a full-time career. Amy is dedicated to creating a synergy of functional and therapeutic movement, sustainable healthy eating, and mindfulness for total mind-body wellness.
Aashumi Shah
Instructor (she/her)
Aashumi discovered her yoga practice during a big life change ten years ago. She finds her practice is an analogy to life as a practice off the mat. Aashumi teaches with a focus on asana fundamentals and alignment. Off the mat, a textile designer and owner of the eco-friendly, socially conscious kids brand Mirasa.
Emma Silverman
Instructor (she/her)
Emma took her first yoga class with her mom in 1999 and finished her teacher training in 2007. She is trained in prenatal, restorative, senior, and vinyasa flow. In her classes she plays music (usually), tells very bad jokes (always), and offers lots of modifications.
Emily Stock
Studio Assistant (she/her)
After a lifetime struggle with being overweight Emily’s life changed when she moved to DC and had numerous opportunities to create an active lifestyle. After losing over 100 pounds she still struggled with a weak core, a loud mind and back issues. After her first class at Past Tense she was hooked and sore.
Sasa Tang
Instructor (she/her)
Sasa took her first yoga class during her Peace Corps service when she invited a lost traveling yoga instructor to her village. She loved how yoga could be playful and at the same time provide a calm groundedness. Since completing her 200-hour teacher training in 2020, Sasa teaches from a lens of self-exploration and hopes to create for everyone that comes to her class a sense of home in their own bodies.
Trisha Tucholski
Studio Assistant (she/her)
Having moved to D.C. in the midst of the pandemic, Trisha was excited to find a community at Past Tense, just a few blocks from where she lives. She considers yoga key to building strength and finding balance, and her short-term goal is to master crow pose. Off the mat, Trisha is a scientist leveraging chemistry to study the immune system.