Dr. Suzanne Marotta
Our beloved founder Suzanne began studying yoga in 1998 to relieve the stress of being a school superintendent. She had practiced yoga on and off for many years prior, but when she arrived in Western Massachusetts, her study deepened and yoga quickly became an essential part of her life. What began as a way to cultivate calm soon revealed profound physical benefits, and she attended classes whenever her schedule allowed.
Once she knew yoga would be a permanent part of her life—and possibly her life’s work—she sought out expert teachers and immersed herself in workshops and intensives with some of the greats: Gary and Mirka Kraftsow, Tias Little, Amy Ippoliti, Shiva Rae, Seane Corn, and her primary teachers, Francois Raoult and Courtney Bauer.
She obtained her 200-hour certification in Embodyoga and completed her 500-hour training at Sacred Rivers in Connecticut. She held the E-500 RYT certification from Yoga Alliance. Her dedication to study took her around the world on retreats in Assisi, Italy (2008); Lesvos, Greece (2010); Southern India (2010); Southern France (2013); Crete, Greece (2014); Ebbio, Italy (2015); Feather Pipe Ranch, Helena, Montana (2015); Studio Anya (2009, 2015, 2016); and Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. She also participated in programs at Kripalu, Omega, and other yoga centers.
She obtained a YogaSweat certification through Yogafit (2011), attended Yoga Prison Project training, and worked with fellow teachers to bring yoga to underserved communities. She participated in various Kula classes in NYC (2020) and was enrolled in a 1000-hour advanced training, completing modules including the Cadaver Lab (Boulder, 2019), Shoulder Intensive (New Orleans, 2020), and Essentials (Karma, 2020).
She served as the Lead Teacher for all teacher training programs held at the studio and was immensely proud of those who trained there. Many of the teachers she mentored continue to teach here today, honoring her depth of knowledge, integrity, and devotion to the practice.
Om shri gurubhyo.
Beyond yoga, she was a licensed Esthetician in Massachusetts specializing in advanced esthetics. She completed her Ayurvedic Health Counselor certification in January 2017 and became a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner in July 2018. She completed Levels One and Two of Thai Yoga Massage through Lotus Palm Massage School and studied Jyotish with Simon Chokoisky, offering natal chart readings to help others understand their relationship to the cosmos. Her studies were ongoing, guided by a lifelong devotion to the sister sciences of yoga and holistic health.
Her greatest joy was helping students obtain maximum physical, mental, and spiritual health. She wanted students to have fun while observing their progress and believed that each day offers an opportunity to lose our mind and come to our senses—to support the body’s natural movement toward homeostasis and to open to new ways of thinking. Through every modality she explored and taught, she sought deeper harmony with the universe.
Suzanne passed away in 2021. Her physical presence is deeply missed, but her teachings, her lineage, and her spirit remain the foundation of this studio. The community she built continues to thrive because of her vision, discipline, and love. The teachers she trained carry her work forward with gratitude and reverence, ensuring that her legacy lives on in every class offered here today.
Carrie
I began practicing yoga in my early thirties when I realized that years of running had tightened my hamstrings to the point that I could not touch my toes. I began at a gym and soon moved to classes at The Art Bank in Shelburne Falls with Gayle Olsen. Slowly yoga began to work its magic and lure me in. I began to crave my early Saturday mornings in the gorgeous studio and was saddened when it closed.
It was about this time that I moved from the hills of Western Massachusetts to Northampton and I bounced around a lot of studios searching for a good fit for me. I finally landed at Mama Nirvana in Easthampton. I was there so often that my husband pushed me to enroll in the teacher training program and make the most of my new passion. In 2003 I took his advice and joined the first teacher training group led by Ruth Anne Lundenberg and Josh Schumer.
Soon after this I moved again, had a baby and briefly lost my yoga practice. Eventually I discovered Karma Yoga within a mile of my new home and though hot yoga took some getting used to, I was soon hooked. I began helping out around the studio, checking people in, opening, and eventually subbing when Suzanne traveled. I was reluctant to commit to teaching a regular class because of the hectic pace my job and parenting role played ,but the Karma community is really special and I was happy to be a part of it.
My role has changed as I began subbing with greater frequency and eventually took on the responsibility of classes of my own. I love to share my yoga practice with the Karma community. I try to keep it lighthearted and fun, while giving enough instruction that we each make the most of our time together.
Claudia
Claudia has been teaching at Karma Yoga since 2021, and teaches four classes a week. Claudia considers her style to be “a little bit slower, with attention to students understanding the full expression of the pose while focusing on strength and flexibility. “Claudia’s commitment is to bring both the spirit and the discipline of yoga to her students. Her joy is watching them come alive in their own practice while learning to apply yoga to their daily life. She shares her love for yoga with her students, hoping to ignite their internal fire.
Desiree
Desiree is a social worker whose career has centered on empowering and supporting others. Her search for sustainable work/life balance led her to yoga, where she found a practice that fosters both personal well-being and community connection. After more than a decade of practice across local studios, she completed her first intensive training in Costa Rica earning her 200-hour certification from Lakshmi Rising. Most recently, she completed a 250-hour teacher training at Dhira Yoga, deepening her study of yoga philosophy and refining her teaching. She has also completed additional training in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra.
Desiree now shares her practice throughout the valley. Her teaching is inclusive, grounded, and accessible, rooted in the belief that yoga is for everybody. She is passionate about helping students discover their own path on and off the mat.
Elise
In 2012 a friend introduced me to chakra meditation and my yoga journey began. I started meditation and slowly began practicing yoga in my free time. In 2016 I attended a work event at Karma Yoga and won 5 free yoga classes in a raffle. I attended one hot yoga class and I was hooked. Since I’ve started practicing at Karma Yoga my whole life has changed. Suzanne has been my inspiration because of the unconditional love and dedication she shows her students, and her passion for yoga. I now teach kids yoga and the 5:30 am hot classes. “Om mani padme hung”
Jessica
Jessica is an E-YRT 200 Yoga Instructor who believes yoga is a work-in, not a workout. She guides students through mindful, breath-led movement that builds strength, mobility and inner awareness. Her Vinyasa based classes support both the physical practice and the deeper mind-body-spirit connection, helping students carry the benefits of yoga into their daily lives. Expect intentional sequencing, steady breath and space to explore your inner landscape.
Julie
Julie (500E-RYT) has been well known in the Greater Springfield community as a fitness and wellness enthusiast for over 20 years. Over the years, her passion for fitness and wellness had led her to become a CrossFit L-3 coach, boxer, Muay-Thai/MMA, Brazilian Jiujitsu blue belt, body building competitions, avid hiker, cyclist and of course Yoga guide/ instructor. In addition to completing her 200hr YTT and 500hr YTT at Karma Yoga with Dr. Suzanne Marotta, Julie has completed training seminars through Veteran’s Yoga Project in Mindful Resilience for Trauma and Mindful Resilience for Compassion Fatigue and most recently prenatal yoga. Her yoga related projects and studies have focused on the history and benefits of fasting for her 200hrYTT and post traumatic growth through yoga and breath-work for her 500hr YTT program. Julie has worked as a college professor at Holyoke Community College since 2011 and is now working as a Family Support Correctional Counselor with the Hampden County pregnant and post-partum justice involved population and their families.
Julie’s style of teaching yoga focuses on movement and flow of energy as a person syncs the body and mind together through motion and breath. She believes this form of yoga embodies a yogi’s philosophy that in order to achieve true balance, we must accept the change that happens around us and embrace it. The yoga is what we are able to take with us and apply when we are off the mat.
Marisa
I have been practicing yoga on and off for as long as I can remember. My aunt, a lifelong yogi, first introduced me to the practice at a very young age and would bring me to classes and retreats as I was growing up. Then, about 10 years ago, I found hot yoga and immediately felt a deep connection to it. It was exactly the type of exercise my body and mind had been yearning for. The mat became the place that I went to not only to take care of my physical self, but my emotional self as well.
I am a school guidance counselor and naturally, an exercise that focuses on connecting the mind, body, and soul resonates with me. I believe that with all the stressors that can happen in life, it is important to take care of our whole selves. We must nourish every part of us. Yoga has been my therapy and has been a wondrous journey of self-discovery, wellness, and acceptance and one that I hope to share with others.
I am also a daughter, wife, friend, and mother of three beautiful, sweet, amazing young boys that make my heart beat.
Nadene
At a young age I was searching for magic stones and had a passion for the mystical way. Falling into a very dark hole in my life with PTSD, I found myself in many unhealthy situations and by grace I was introduce to yoga. I slowly began to practice yoga and it completely changed my life. In my work of caring for others, which is often stressful, yoga keeps my mind balanced, my body healthy and my spirit nourished. You will have the same experience you if you give yoga a chance. It is for everyone who wants to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. Come join me and the Karma family in our classes and become one with self and the universe. My class combines all of the modalities I have learned in yoga, reiki, shamanism and magical arts to bring loving peace and kindness to all.
Stacy
I have always enjoyed an active lifestyle, being one of the first young women to play Little League, playing soccer through high school, biking and running. The combination of competition and fitness was an integral part of my life. While in college, I explored weight training, racquetball, cycling and yoga. At that time, yoga did not become part of my fitness routine. In 2006, while living in Jacksonville, Florida, a gym friend urged me to give yoga another try; I was reluctant, but agreed. I was struck immediately by the physicality and emotional impact of the practice. I was hooked! While I remain competitive, yoga has brought a level of relaxation and self-acceptance that was not part of my fitness world. I took the opportunity to practice a spectrum of yoga styles in a number of different studios, but I always found myself drawn back to that first style of yoga from 2006, Baptiste Power Yoga. I am a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), having completed teacher training at MBody Yoga, a Baptiste Power Yoga Studio in Jacksonville. As a credentialed instructor, I began teaching in February of 2014. I was fortunate to have trained with Baron Baptiste, and have participated in several additional trainings, including the Art of Assisting.
I continue to expand my yoga horizons here in Massachusetts with my inspiring instructor, Suzanne Marotta, at her studio, Karma Yoga. I acquire new skills by attending workshops here at Karma, at Kripalu and Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, and at Baptiste Power Yoga Boston. Power yoga classes are energizing and fast-paced, with a concentration on strengthening poses. These classes will improve your flexibility, with the goal of creating strength and focus by moving with your breath.
I am excited to share this practice with you! My aim is to provide a class that will challenge you physically, while giving you an opportunity to reset your mind and focus.
Carrie
Mystic
Jessica
For much of my young adult life I dabbled in yoga classes here and there. I have always enjoyed the physicality mixed with mindfulness and breathe but had never considered myself a true yogi. After many life events left me seeking “more,” I began to take my practice deeper and practice more regularly with discipline. What I noticed was a dramatic shift in how I viewed the world. It was as if there were infinite possibilities.
I began my yoga teacher journey at Karma to deepen my own personal practice. What I have learned is that yoga is not just a physical asana with pranayama, or breath. It is a way of life. It is how we carry ourselves off the mat. Yoga is a mind, body, and spirit connection deeply rooted in self-awareness.
As a yoga teacher, not only do I want to help students grow in class but I also want to help them take what they have learned from class into their daily lives. I hope to nurture students in their physical practice as well as their journey in the mind, body, spirit connection. My class focuses on synchronizing breath with movement to create heat, strength, and flexibility. I hope to help students cultivate self-awareness and techniques to bring strength, tranquility, and light in life.