Teachers
Our instructors are more than just teachers – they are passionate yogis dedicated to nurturing a thriving community. They’ve personally experienced the profound benefits of a consistent yoga practice and are eager to impart their wisdom.
Missy Szymanski
Founder and owner behind GOOD Yoga, is a native of San Diego and a devoted mother of two. With over two decades of dedicated practice and teaching in the realm of yoga, her journey has spanned continents and ignited hearts.
For the past decade, Missy called Hong Kong home, where she became an integral part of the thriving HOT yoga community in Asia. Her expertise extended beyond borders as she graced boutique studios, major corporate yoga centers and digital platforms in both the United States and Asia.
In 2022, she returned to her beloved hometown of Encinitas, California, rekindling her mission to inspire and share the transformative power of yoga with her local community. Her leadership extends to conducting workshops, teacher training programs, and retreats on an international scale, touching hearts and minds in destinations like Portugal, Thailand, Bali, and Hong Kong.
Missy’s yoga journey is deeply rooted in her training with her first teachers, Bikram & Rajashree Choudhury, Emmy Cleaves and Jim Kallett, with certification in Bikram Yoga College of India since 2008. She further honed her craft through certifications in Alignment, Vinyasa, and Advanced Alignment Teacher Trainings while studying under the guidance of Patrick Creelman & Rinat Perlman in Asia. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge continues as she studies with Carolyn Belko, a senior Iyengar teacher, and delves into the intricacies of the Iyengar method.
Missy’s vast experience, profound wisdom, and unwavering passion for yoga render her a unique and cherished teacher. Her aspiration is to foster a vibrant community centered around yoga and holistic well-being, where every student can embark on their own transformative journey. Join her as she illuminates the path to a life enriched by yoga.
Christina Musso
Christina approaches yoga as both a grounding ritual and a pathway to healing. With over 16 years of personal practice and training rooted in Hatha–Vinyasa and meditation, she brings a mindful, compassionate lens to every class she leads.
Her teaching is shaped by a deep belief that yoga is more than movement—it’s an integrated way of living that helps us return to ourselves. Christina creates classes that blend strength, fluidity, a sense of play, and mindful intention, always rooted in breath, presence, and curiosity.
Drawing on her background in creative leadership and community-focused work, she’s passionate about creating spaces where students feel genuinely seen, supported, and empowered to explore their bodies and inner landscape. Whether guiding a dynamic flow or a slow, intentional sequence, Christina aims to help students carry the clarity and grounding they cultivate on the mat into their everyday lives.
Jade Rieves
Meet Jade, a seasoned teacher who brings the aloha spirit from Hawaii to our Encinitas community. Jade’s teachings reflect her commitment to healing and self-discovery. With an open heart following the path of Bhakti Yoga, Jade embraces the practices of devotion, compassion, and surrender to spirit. Teaching since 2014, her classes are infused with the rhythms of conscious breath, Sanskrit chanting, and heart-centered inquiry while inviting students to explore the transformative power of true connection with their own body.
Drawing from the rich tapestry of yoga studies, Jade shares ancient wisdom in a context of mindful movement, while fostering a nurturing environment for intuitive self-exploration, acceptance, and growth. Her teaching style blends a somatic awareness of the nervous system, traditional pranayama techniques, with gentle yet engaging vinyasa flow sequences. Holding and breathing into postures, she encourages both new and seasoned students alike to deepen their connection to themselves, their body’s innate wisdom, and the divine essence within and around them.
Her classes offer an inclusive sanctuary where students can cultivate a sense of unity, self compassion, and reverence, honoring one’s own unique path to union.
Kyle Hargrave
Twenty years ago, Kyle Hargrave stepped into his first Bikram Yoga class with a bulging disc pressing on his spinal cord. What began as a healing journey turned into a lifelong passion—“The Yoga” didn’t just cure the injury, it transformed his life.
Born and raised in sunny San Diego, Kyle is a true waterman—when he’s not in the studio, you’ll find him captaining whale watching boats or surfing the Pacific. But no matter how far the waves take him, yoga is his anchor. Kyle is certified in 26 & 2 through GOOD Yoga, as well as Bheemashakti and Rocket Yoga, and regularly explores the depths of asana through Ashtanga and Iyengar traditions.
A devoted student of the Yoga Sutras and classical teachings, Kyle blends ancient wisdom into his modern-day practice with warmth and curiosity. His playful spirit and thoughtful instruction create a space where students can deepen both physically and spiritually.
Above all, it’s the community that keeps Kyle coming back to the mat. Come practice with him—you’ll move, breathe, learn, and leave feeling a little more connected.
Emily Avery
Emily took her first yoga class when she was 16 and was hooked from the start. Though her 26&2 practice was initially motivated by cross-training for ballet, she quickly fell in love with the intense challenge of this series and the way it benefitted her physically, mentally, emotionally, and otherwise.
Emily has competed in national and international yoga asana championships for over 10 years. She is the 5-time US national women’s champion, the 2-time international women’s silver medalist, and the official demonstrator for the USA Yoga Federation. She attended the 2018 Progressive Hatha Yoga training in Thailand thanks to their sponsorship of the US national championship winners. She taught and trained at Yogativiti in Shelton, CT, while finishing medical school at Yale and moved to San Diego in 2022.
Outside the hot room, Emily is a medical resident. She is fascinated by anatomy and the potential of the human body, and she strives to unify traditional and modern principles of healing in her work as a yoga teacher and as a doctor.
Kyle Powers
Originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts, Kyle found yoga after hanging up his college basketball shoes. What started as a way to stay fit quickly turned into a passion as he discovered how much strength, clarity, and calm the practice could bring—on and off the mat.
While working in law enforcement, yoga, breathwork, and meditation became his go-to tools for balance and peace of mind (plus the occasional ice bath!). The practice helped him stay centered and grounded in even the most demanding moments.
In 2019, Kyle completed his 200-hour RYT at South Boston Yoga and began sharing the practice that had given him so much. Now happily rooted in Encinitas, he’s found a true home at GOOD Yoga. His down-to-earth energy, big smile, and genuine love for yoga make every class feel welcoming, uplifting, and full of good vibes.
Courtney Bustillos
Courtney Bustillos has been an esteemed group fitness instructor in Carlsbad for several years. Her journey into the fitness world began at the tender age of two when she took her first dance steps, and she has been dedicated to maintaining the fluidity and vitality of her body ever since. Before specializing in Vinyasa and Yoga sculpt classes in North County, Courtney honed her skills teaching Barre at the Daily Method Carlsbad. In 2016, she achieved her 200-hour certification, marking a significant milestone in her yoga journey, which she cherishes for the profound connection it fosters with her students.
Courtney boasts a former career as an award-winning journalist and proudly hails from her hometown of San Diego. Her academic journey led her to San Diego State University, where she not only excelled in her studies but also showcased her athleticism as a cheerleader and dancer. Courtney graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. It was during her time at SDSU that she crossed paths with her husband, Kevan, who shares her passion for yoga. Today, the couple resides in Carlsbad, where they lead an active life with their two young daughters, Ella and Charlotte.
The Bustillos family embraces the great outdoors, making the most of their time with leisurely walks and invigorating runs alongside their trusty companions, Bodhi the lab and Millie the labradoodle.
Bianca Costa
Bianca Costa’s journey into physical movement began early in life through dance, instilling in her a deep appreciation for a healthy, adaptable body. Her path took a transformative turn in 2015 with the discovery of hot yoga, which illuminated the profound connection between mind and body. Captivated by this revelation, Bianca embarked on her teaching journey less than a year later.
Since then, Bianca has nurtured a growing passion for the healing power of yoga. Her teaching has taken her across the globe, where she has shared her expertise and co-hosted enriching retreats. Continuously expanding her knowledge through advanced education, Bianca strengthens her lifelong commitment to this practice.
For Bianca, guiding others on their transformative yoga journey has been a profound gift, enriching both her own practice and the lives of her students.
Michele Thomas
Michele began her yoga journey during college on a cold winter morning at Penn State University. After just one class, she was hooked. Yoga brought a sense of peace and grounding during a challenging time in her life and opened the door to a world of healing she never knew existed.
Her path eventually led her to a Bikram Yoga studio in the Bay Area, where she immediately fell in love with the discipline, structure, and transformative power of the traditional dialogue. Nearly 20 years later, she is still inspired by the practice she discovered in that first hot, sweaty class.
Michele believes one of the greatest gifts in life is sharing what you genuinely love with others—and she truly loves Bikram yoga. The practice has supported her through life’s challenges, celebrations, and everything in between. As a teacher, her goal is to share that same sense of strength, healing, and connection with her students while building community and maybe making a few new friends along the way.
Michele completed her 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training and GOOD yoga’s 50-Hour Hot 26&2 Continuing Education Training in 2026. She is also a certified Reiki Master.
While new to teaching, Michele brings nearly two decades of dedicated practice and study to the room. Her deep appreciation for Bikram’s original dialogue, combined with her warm, come-as-you-are approach, helps students feel welcomed, supported, and accepted exactly as they are—both in their practice and in their lives.
Marta Estelles
Marta is an E-RYT 500–hour Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher, trained in Rishikesh, India, under the guidance of Talia Sutra, Tony Lupinacci, Dr. Keshava Murthy, Samadhi Collective, Dr. Rose Erin Vaughan, and Nidhi Pandya. She discovered yoga at the age of 19 during a period of deep personal challenge related to trauma and mental health. What began as a rigorous physical practice soon became a vital part of her healing journey.
Over time, the insights uncovered on the mat naturally wove themselves into her everyday life, revealing yoga as a living practice rather than something confined to a class. This realization inspired Marta to share the transformative benefits she experienced with others. She understands the practice itself as the true teacher—when we listen with openness and receptivity, truth reveals itself. The path is already there; the practice is the way.
Marta’s Hatha classes thoughtfully integrate pranayama, asana, mantra, meditation, and yoga philosophy, offered in an accessible and grounded way that supports self-inquiry and openness to new ways of being. Her teaching is rooted in the belief that yoga is practiced with discipline, honesty, sincerity, compassion, and selflessness. As Sri K. Pattabhi Jois said, “Practice, and all is coming.”
Danielle Mika-Nagel
Danielle is a leadership coach and consultant with a unique background as a yoga teacher and wellbeing advocate. Her accessible approach to yoga, mindfulness, and Ayurveda led her into the corporate space, where she spent over a decade integrating these tools into enterprise-wide leadership development programs.
With almost 20 years of experience, Danielle began her yoga teaching journey with a 200hr training in the styles of Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Anusara. She has continued to deepen her studies with teachers like Tim Miller and has developed and led her own 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings. For 14 years, Danielle has taught alongside Deepak Chopra and the Chopra Center, leading yoga, meditation, and talks on mindfulness. Her classes are inspired by Ashtanga, offering a strong and grounding flow that often incorporates a theme to practice on and off the mat. Danielle also offers online courses, trainings, and retreats designed to cultivate connection, growth and fun.
Amy Scher
Amy Scher is an old-school Bikram teacher known for precise, dialogue‑driven classes and a sweet, playful sense of humor. She began her practice in Ashland, Oregon, and in fall 2011 completed Bikram’s Teacher Training. A longtime practitioner who has trained and taught alongside some of the best in the lineage, Amy has taught in Chicago, Kauai, and now calls beautiful San Diego home. She follows the dialogue to a T, offers clear alignment cues with steady pacing, and teaches with deep gratitude for the transformative power of this yoga.
Shelie Herman
Shelie’s journey into Bikram Yoga commenced approximately two decades ago in San Francisco. From the very first class, she was immediately drawn to the profound sense of discipline demanded not only to navigate a session but also the high expectations she set for herself. This newfound passion for yoga seamlessly integrated into her existing fitness routine, which then revolved around rigorous marathon and race training.
Throughout her life, Shelie consistently harbored an intense ardor for fitness and anything that tested the limits of her mind and body. This unyielding drive ultimately propelled her to undergo the demanding nine-week Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in Los Angeles in 2003. Sheltie continued on a journey of teaching Bikram Yoga across San Diego, even continuing her practice and instruction during two pregnancies.
Driven by her commitment to personal growth and professional development, Shelie pursued and achieved a 200 E-RYT certification, along with a 50-hour Sculpt certification through Corepower Yoga in 2016, further enhancing her ability to inspire and guide others in their fitness journeys.
Julie Mahan
Julie’s journey into Bikram yoga began unexpectedly during a visit to her family in Louisville, Ky, back in 1999. Despite the initial intensity of her first class, she experienced an unusual sense of euphoria afterward. Upon returning to California, she sought out a Bikram studio, discovering that it happened to be the country’s inaugural one, nestled in San Diego. Driven by her burgeoning passion, she swiftly immersed herself in teacher training in 2001. Over the past 22 years, Julie has found immense fulfillment in teaching Bikram Yoga.
Her approach is marked by a unique patience tailored for newcomers, fostering a desire to witness their return and progression at their own pace. Julie vividly recalls the transformative impact even her inaugural Bikram class had on her well-being. With a profound interest in promoting health—bolstered by her college degree in nutrition—and a professional commitment to caring for the homebound elderly, Julie brings a wealth of holistic understanding to her practice.
For Julie, Bikram yoga isn’t just about the poses; it’s about making the experience fun, engaging, and inclusive for everyone—be they seasoned practitioners or novices exploring this form of yoga for the first time. Her dedication lies in guiding students to not just stick with the practice but to thrive within it, enhancing their health and overall well-being. Julie’s unwavering commitment ensures that she unfailingly steers students back to Bikram yoga, fostering improvement and personal growth in each individual’s journey.
Holly Gastil
Holly Gastil began the practice with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in 1994. Through her continued yoga practice and teacher training with Mr. Miller she started teaching in 2002. Holly’s lighthearted teaching style reflects the flexibility she has gained, both mentally and physically, through the practice of Ashtanga yoga. Her classes are geared towards both the beginning practitioner and the more advanced Yogi. Holly continues to be challenged and inspired in her yoga practice on a daily basis.
Steve Githens
Steve is an Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher who loves blending the traditional Mysore-style self practice with led and improvisational classes that meet students where they are. He’s been teaching since 2016, starting at the Ashtanga Yoga Center and studios around North County San Diego, and now teaches at GOOD Yoga in Encinitas.
Steve completed his first Ashtanga teacher training with Tim Miller in 2015 and promptly packed up his life to move to San Diego and practice with Tim full time. Since then, he’s gone deep into anatomy, hands-on adjustments, and Ayurveda through intensives at places like The Yoga Workshop in Boulder and the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque.
Before yoga took over, Steve studied computer science and computational biology and worked on human-centered projects in breast cancer research, HIV prevention and treatment, women’s health in East Africa, and adaptive technology. That background shows up in his teaching through a thoughtful, curious, and highly individualized approach. He especially enjoys helping students navigate the Primary and Intermediate Series, finding smart modifications so the practice actually works for real human bodies.
Steve originally found yoga in 2011 as a “rest day” while training for an Ironman triathlon. A few months later he discovered Ashtanga, got completely hooked, and somewhere along the way stopped running more than five miles. Yoga has a funny way of doing that.
Nichole Barnes
Nichole love is a North County San Diego-based yoga instructor certified in Vinyasa and Bikram yoga. With a lifelong background in sports and movement, she discovered yoga as a grounding practice that helps her feel strong, present and connected.
Inspired most by her son, Sylas, Nichole brings a mindful, inclusive approach to her teaching, with a strong focus on accessibility and neurodiversity awareness. Her classes invite students to slow down, move with intention and build a deeper connection between body and mind.
Outside of the studio Nichole enjoys painting, drawing and creative expression allowing her love of art and authenticity to flow into everything she does.
Renee Salgueiro
Renée was born in Encinitas and raised in her mother’s coastal yoga studio, where the rhythms of breath, movement, and meditation shaped her earliest memories. Growing up immersed in daily practice, she developed a deep reverence for yoga not only as a physical discipline, but as a way of living with presence, compassion, and connection.
In 2009, Renée began traveling throughout Europe and Asia to deepen her studies in Eastern philosophy and embodied practice. Her path eventually led her to Indonesia, where she spent over a decade teaching Yoga Teacher Trainings and cultivating conscious community. Living and teaching abroad enriched her perspective, allowing her to weave global influences into a grounded, heart-centered approach.
Renée is a 1000+ hour Registered Yoga Teacher certified in Sivananda, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Embodied Flow. Her teaching gracefully blends traditional yogic philosophy with intuitive, fluid movement and a deep awareness of the nervous system. Known for her warmth and sincerity, she creates spaces that feel both supportive and expansive—inviting students to move with curiosity, breathe with intention, and return home to themselves.
