Who We Are

Co-Director, Teacher & Director of Yoga Teacher Training

YOGA | Thursdays 5:30 - 6:30p | Heating Vinyasa

YOGA | Saturdays 9:30a - 11a | All Experiences Flow

YOGA | Sundays 9:30a - 11a | All Experiences Vin/Yin

Jordan (he / his / him) is a Diné and Tewa 2-Spirit leader and story-keeper, full time student and ERYT-500 Y-CEP yoga teacher. He is owner, Co-Director and lead of Teacher Development at Courageous Yoga in Denver, CO. After earning his Bachelor's in Creative Writing and Spanish Literature and graduating with Honors, Jordan was one of 8 candidates to be selected from a pool of 100 to serve as a Denver Teaching Fellow. With a focus in supporting English Language Learners, Jordan served as a bilingual para, Special Education support staff and classroom teacher in the public schools in the culturally rich and historically LatinX West Side of Denver for 10 years. Jordan understands yoga as a path of liberation, and offers philosophy, meditation, and āsana (postural practice) from the perspective that all inner, outer and collective work are intertwined. His skilled and masterful lineage of teachers and inspirations include both traditional, Indigenous and rebellious sources of wisdom. He has been studying the relationship between social justice and yoga for the last 10 years, with the support of teachers such as Reverend angel Kyodo williams, Michael Stone, and most notably, his grandmothers Maximaña and María, and his mother Carolyna. In the yoga community, Jordan serves as an equity consultant, speaker, curriculum designer, editor, writer and teacher trainer. He is known for infusing poethics into his innovative and playful movement classes and learning environments. His lived wisdom and diverse, strong and radical teachers allow him to support a variety of practitioners and speak with authenticity, love and fire across the topics of philosophy, social identity, physiology, human development and andragogy. Jordan is grateful to have taught for TEDx, Yoga Alliance, Integral Yoga, Honor Yoga's Roots, Breathe For Change, and Nike. He is a return teacher at Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and has been published multiple times in Yoga Journal and on the Living Brave podcast. Jordan's gratitude extends continuously to the community who share the path of yoga, where it is his intention to embody fearless self-love, vigorous self-study and enduring compassion. He respectfully resides with his family on unceded land historically and currently cared for by the Hinono-eino, Noochee, Ndee and Tsitsistas people, known colonially as Denver, CO

Co-Director, Teacher & Director of Courageous Community Space

DANCE | Tuesdays 5:15 - 6:15p | All Levels Contemporary Explorations *beginner and newbie friendly!

DANCE | Tuesdays 6:30 - 8p | Advanced Contemporary Explorations *prior dance experience

DANCE | Third Saturday of the month 6 - 7:30p | coCreate Improv Jam*no dance experience needed

TJ (she / her & they / them) has spent their life studying, creating, and teaching dance. They have had the privilege of being trained and mentored by some of the nations top artists and choreographers, as well as touring nationally as an adjudicator and master teacher for multiple dance conventions. TJ has studied with Jennine Willet of Third Rail Productions, Leah Wilks of Vector, Gene Medler of North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, Kira Blazek Ziaii by way of Countertechnique, Peter Chu of chuthis, Martha Nichols & Matthew Powell. TJ’s exploration of movement has included such modalities as contemporary composition, modern release technique, jazz fundamentals, functional anatomy, yoga, and improvisation. Her studies, performances, creations and professional offerings have taken place in diverse settings, including conservatories, competitive dance studios, public schools, universities, arts organizations and touring conventions nationwide. TJ loves to be amongst other movement geeks and somatic cartographers, exploring the body’s relationship with motion through meditations and stories, and the embodied illustration of music. As a guide, TJ delights in facilitating an integris and rich container for movers to expand their boundaries in regards to how they emote, collaborate, fail, offer love and insight, and relate to space, self and other. TJ has passed on their enrichment in positions at Broadway Dance Center, American Dance Festival, Raleigh School of Ballet, Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop, Millennium Dance Complex, Arts Together, North Carolina State University, Colorado Ballet and Denver School of the Arts to support students to excel in careers in commercial dance, theatrical productions & concert performance. Additionally, TJ is the founder of coCreate, a not for profit dance series based in Denver and the co-director of Courageous Yoga. Whimsical collaboration, thoughtful perspective and vibrant connections are the heartbeat of their workplay and class spaces. TJ also works with as a healer for abused and neglected farm animals, wildlife, and geriatric canines. To learn more about TJ, visit their website at www.TheaJaworski.com.

Courageous Community Space Holder

YOGA | First Saturdays 12 - 1:30p | Bigger Bodies ONLY Yoga

Andrea (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Colorado and has always found joy in creating community. As a musician, voice teacher, band leader, improv and stand up comedian, bar tender, and fierce friend, she’s always known her calling in life has been to bring people together for moments of authentic humanity. However, as a self identified and life long fat girl, she’s never found “health and wellness” spaces safe or welcoming for her body type. After discovering a few larger bodied yoga teachers such as Kady Lafferty of Big Body Yoga, Dianne Bondy, Amber Karnes, and Jessamyn Stanley, Andrea started to see how beautiful and wonderful life can be in a bigger body and began to heal and peel back the layers of anti fat bias and hate that society had laid on her. Inspired by these leaders, she became a yoga teacher herself through Courageous so she could offer the same healing and liberation to others in a city that so desperately needs it. The Courageous Yoga leaders and community know how important representation and accessibility is in yoga spaces and Andrea knew this would be the perfect place to begin! Andrea strives to bring yoga to people who feel intimidated by yoga and yoga spaces by offering fun and soulful music flows and classes specifically for fat folks.

Courageous Community Space Holder & Courageous YTT Guest Faculty

YOGA | Wednesdays 6:45 - 8p | Restorative Yoga

Beth’s (she/her/hers) mindfulness-based yoga is inspired by the Plum Village practices of Engaged Buddhism, founded by the Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn. The asana portion of the class is conducted slowly, mindfully, and infused with dharmic guidance such as stopping and looking deeply into the nature of the bodymind, appreciating the synergy of the sangha, sinking deeply into the present moment, observing the flow of phenomena, touching the reality of Interbeing, abiding in the senses, and similar awareness practices. Asana is conducted with great respect for the yogic tradition, awareness of Ayurveda, and with solid anatomical and alignment support. Classes may include formal sitting meditation, a reading, a song, or other teaching from the Plum Village Mindfulness trainings or pranayama, bandha, kriya and other teachings from classical yogic texts. To learn more of Beth's offerings, visit BethSanchezYoga.net.

Courageous Community Space Holder

CIRCLE | Third Fridays 7 - 8:30p | Queerageous - Queer and Trans Only Affinity Yoga Practice Space

Hello! I’m Shay (they/them). I have been a practitioner of yoga and meditation for over 20 years. In 2011, my practice was instrumental in guiding my journey into sobriety and gender exploration. Inspired by my teachers Jacoby Ballard and Niki Myers, I started teaching in 2013. Part of my teaching ethos is about creating a space for folks not normally welcomed into mainstream yoga studios. From 2013-2019 I taught Queer and Trans Yoga and Y12SR (yoga for recovery). I have taught in small community centers, mainstream studios, church basements, schools, recovery centers, summer yoga in Cheesman, and even a bar that was open to “expanding their options.” As with many things, teaching came to a halt in March 2020. The pandemic provided me with a break from teaching and allowed me to focus on building my therapy private practice. 

It feels more important than ever to get back to teaching, specifically for my queer and trans community. I especially love teaching the traditional dharma of yoga through a queer lens. How can we queer these practices while honoring their origins? How can we honor our queer ancestors by caring for ourselves and each other through movement, breath, and mindful attention, perhaps in a way that wasn’t available to them? How can we bring these practices into the world we are building for our descendants? How can these practices support us as we commit to creating a world dedicated to the liberation of all people? I invite all of us to lean into these questions and create answers together.

Courageous Community Space Holder

YOGA | Wednesdays 5:30p - 6:30p | Warming Vinyasa

Shanti (she/ her/ ella) was born and raised in Venezuela. Shanti started to practice asana when she lived in NYC while attending acting school in 2010, she spent 13 years in the big apple and eventually made her way to Denver in the summer of 2020. Shanti is on a journey of cultivating cultural humility, nurturing and peace, and inspiration by bridging the mind-body connection. Shanti has just begun her yoga teaching journey and has hit the ground running by instructing the bilingual class at Yoga on the Rocks in the Summer of 2023 and two bilingual classes for Yoga On The Lawn at The Levitt Pavilion Denver. Shanti deepened her understanding of yoga asana, philosophy, and sutras and became a 200-RYT; her love for yoga then became a devotion. Shanti practices yoga with respect to its origins and advocates for cultural competency and unity by connecting the practice of yoga to all people. Aside from creating community, Shanti is a caregiver, actress, pottery aficionado, vegan, and social disruptor. Shanti is excited to journey with her students in harnessing self-awareness, love, and independence in their practice.

Equity Consultant & Courageous YTT Guest Faculty

South Carolina born and raised, Ash Ferguson, (she/her/they/them) was nourished and nurtured by a village of Black Women: her mother, Jacquelyn Ferguson, aunt, Frances McCarroll, and granny, the late Mae Ferguson. Their tenacious testimony of Black Womanhood instilled an unwavering spirit in Ash which inspired her to become a truth teller, visionary, and channel. Her primary work is centered on decolonizing love and spirituality as a tool for collective liberation. She has been involved in several spiritual/holistic communities focused on ascension and developing a spiritual path of Oneness since moving to Denver in 2009. Ash is currently an Aborisha in the Ifá tradition, an indigenous African nature-based spirituality, and deeply believes that the personal is not only political but spiritual. Her devotion for liberation and spirituality alike led her to join Soul 2 Soul

Sisters as Operations Manager in September of 2019. Ash has a Bachelor of Arts in Feminist and Queer Studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver, is trained in Indigenous Reiki, Nada Ear Acupuncture (Acudetox), Intuitive

Psychotherapy, and is a certified yoga instructor through Satya Yoga Cooperative, the first and only, people of color yoga teacher training in the country.

Courageous Space Holder

YOGA | Mondays 5:30 - 6:30p | Flow + Let Go

Olivia (they / them) Reuter - Teaching yoga has been my passion for the past seven years, guiding students to connect more deeply with their bodies and embrace a sense of spiritual wholeness. I focus on the unification of body, mind, and spirit, creating a practice that’s both grounding and energizing. When I'm not teaching yoga, I love hiking, camping, dancing, singing, painting, and animals, as well as participating in mutual aid projects. In my classes, you’ll find a warm and inclusive space where everyone is encouraged to explore movement, honor their bodies, and find balance through a blend of mindfulness, strength-building and relaxation.

Courageous Space Holder

YOGA | Sundays 6 - 7 p | Sunday Yoga + Song Reset

Kali (she/her) has been actively practicing yoga since the birth of her son 16 years ago. A singer, extrovert and general loud mouth her whole life, she found the practice of sitting quietly in quiet meditation a beautiful contrast to her usual 4th child modus operandi. Her whole life has been dedicated to music and having a good time (aka JOY) She is a singer and song leader in her role as the Artistic Director of the Denver Choir League. She believes that there is a perfect song to fit every emotion and situation, and loves working to find it, and then sharing it with others. Kali prides herself on her ability to coax even the most song resistant people into singing. 

Courageous Space Holder

YOGA | Mondays 7 - 8p | Align and Flow

Brittany (they/she) grew up in Texas and moved to Colorado in 2022. For them, yoga is a method of embracing the beauty of our interconnectedness to each other and the earth, and encouraging collective consciousness through the power of breath and movement. Brittany has been a yoga practitioner for over 10 years, and had the pleasure and privilege of completing their 200-hour yoga teacher training through Courageous Space’s Sacred Activism program in 2024. Brittany honors the roots of yoga, acknowledging the many ancestors, teachers and practitioners who have come before them. They strive to cultivate inclusive community and hold trauma-informed space in their classes. When Brittany is not teaching yoga or working, they enjoy playing racquet sports, going on adventures with their dog, enjoying the Colorado outdoors, and reading lots of books.

Courageous Space Holder

YOGA | Wednesdays 4:15 - 5:15p | Grounding Vinyasa

Hi! I’m Biza Bemak (she/her). I’m a Social Emotional Learning Specialist, Somatic Psychedelic Facilitator, lifelong student, and yoga space holder with a deep commitment to healing through embodiment. With a Master’s in Trauma and Resilience, I blend somatic practices with trauma-conscious exploration, believing that true healing arises when we connect to our bodies and honor our lived experiences. I see yoga as an act of love, self-study, and activism, as both inner work and outer work—an individual practice that ripples out into our communities and the world. My belief is that yoga is a courageous practice, one that calls us to strip away layers of conditioning and return to the love that resides at our core. This journey is one of resilience and connection, where we come together to hold space for vulnerability, growth, and transformation. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share space with you on this path.