about us

Opening in 2004, we are Oklahoma City’s oldest Yoga Studio. Owners Ted Cox and Martha McQuaid have decades of teaching and life experience, offering high integrity service to the community through yoga. Our staff of well trained and experienced teachers are dedicated to serving every student – all of whom have been with us for years as students and as teachers.

yoga classes & trainings

Our classes are welcoming for all levels of students – our highly experienced teachers instruct to who is in the room, and teach off the mat in order to allow students to feel seen and well served. We offer safe, functional movement classes, providing individualized instruction and modifications. Our classes are body-positive and inclusive of all ages and abilities. Classes are free of the distractions of heat, music and fast pacing, giving students the time and space to direct their focus inward with movement meditation.

Our trainings include comprehensive 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Advanced 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training with two highly experienced 500- hour level teachers with over 2 decades of teaching expertise. We also offer Level 1 and 2 Thai Yoga Bodywork training, taught by Martha McQuaid who has been practicing this work for over 2 decades.

MEET OUR

fully qualified instructors

Martha McQuaid – Owner, E-CYT 500, C-IAYT

Martha is a Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and holds certifications in Anusara Yoga and the Thai Yoga Method. She has been teaching yoga and practicing Thai Bodywork for nearly twenty years. Martha’s classes take a skilled and elegant approach to yoga through breath and dynamic alignment that balance strength with flexibility.

Martha has served as co-faculty with Martin Kirk’s Yoga Teacher Trainings and Yoga Therapy Teacher Trainings. Martha is also an Advanced Practitioner of Integrative Restoration® (iRest®) Yoga Nidra. Her teachers include Todd Norian, Martin Kirk, Jonas Westring, Richard Miller, Pichest Boonthame and Therdchai (Mac) Chumphoopong.

Ted Cox, E-CYT 500 – Owner

Now in his third decade of teaching, Ted began teaching professionally in 1982. Ted’s classes are fun, challenging and inspiring. All of Ted’s classes focus on alignment; the foundation, engagement and celebration of every pose with emphasis on the breath. Ted is a dedicated student of yoga, not only the physical practice of yoga, but especially the timeless wisdom yoga teaches us – how our actions, thoughts, and words affect our lives and how important it is to follow our hearts, live our truth, and become the authentic people we are meant to be. It is Ted’s sincerest desire that the students who attend just one of his yoga classes have an awakening about something they are doing either on or off the mat that will help transform them toward a more awakened life. Ted is the author of two books, Warrior Self and Warrior Truth.

Anne Livingston – RYT200

Anne is a graduate of Spirit House Yoga’s first teacher training class. She teaches alignment based yoga with humor and knowledge. Ms. Livingston has long been a student of Philosophy, and weaves both Eastern and Western Philosophical precepts into her teaching.

Holly Ely – E-RYT 200

Holly began practicing yoga over ten years ago as a way to manage chronic pain from a back injury. She quickly fell in love with the practice, and the physical and emotional benefits she saw emerge led her to begin teaching in 2012. Holly received her 200 hour certification in 2013 at Yoga Life in Norman, OK. Her passion is teaching proper modifications and alignment to make yoga accessible to everyone. When she is not in the studio, Holly is usually busy in the kitchen or her backyard raising her two daughters, a large vegetable garden, and a flock of chickens. – https://hollylove.yoga/

Jackie Ellis – RYT 200

Jackie attended her first yoga class some 20 years ago with the intent of teaching her hamstrings a lesson. What she discovered was a lifetime practice of learning how her body, mind and spirit work. Several years ago, Jackie started her journey towards becoming a Hatha yoga instructor. She received her 200-hour Yoga Certification from Spirit House Yoga in 2018 and has been teaching steadily since then. Jackie’s special interest lies in the therapeutic applications of regular yoga practice and teaching her yoga students how to apply the lessons learned on the mat to their everyday lives. Along with her yoga practice, Jackie is an avid skydiver, hiker, mountaineer, Jeep fanatic, and is a certified Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner. Jackie and her husband Alan are freelance writers and bloggers, who have many published articles in these fields. When not practicing yoga or one of her many hobbies, Jackie spends time with her husband, her children and grandchildren, and her active Labrador Retriever puppy, Tucker.

Rachel Yates – RYT 200

Rachel completed her 200 hour certification in February 2016 with Spirit House Yoga. She believes everyone can experience deeper awareness, empowerment, and self-love through yoga. Rachel’s teaching method focuses on breath, muscle engagement, and alignment. She integrates yoga philosophy into her classes to facilitate deeper learning for transformation on and off the mat. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership and has previously worked in suicide prevention.

Paula Gentry – CYT 500

Paula has been teaching yoga in the Oklahoma City area for over 20 years, and is a graduate of Spirit House Yoga 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training.
Believing that quality yoga should be accessible to everybody, she’s taught in community settings as well as studios.
“Everybody shape, size or age should be able to attend quality class with personalized instruction. Yoga should evolve with the person and serve them where they are now”.

Danielle Garner – CYT 200, C-TYBP

Danielle’s background in high level soccer, martial arts, and personal training led her to yoga. Seeing a   need for wellness in under served communities, and ending the cycle of trauma for young mothers, is Danielle’s personal focus for her service to others through teaching yoga. Danielle is a graduate of Spirit House Yoga’s teacher training program and Thai Yoga Bodywork school, and is a Certified Level 2 Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner.  She enjoys skateboarding, paddle-boarding, hiking, traveling, or watching anime with her teenage son and two dogs.

Gwyn Davis – Zen Zone Owner

Gwyn Davis has a Degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Psychology, is a Licensed Massage Therapist, and is certified in Personal Training, Holistic Lifestyle Coaching and Functional Medicine. As a wellness coach Gwyn helps her clients pinpoint what area of their life has gotten off track be it diet, exercise, coping with stress, managing symptoms of illness, or dysfunctional relationships with self, or others. Once those areas have been identified a program is created that addresses the client’s specific needs through diet, bodywork, stress management and the most productive form of movement for their constitution. By helping her clients learn to slow down, tune into their inner wisdom and begin to trust the natural processes of healing the body undergoes when given the correct environment, they can enjoy a life of greater health and happiness.

www.mindandbodyfitness.net

Jennifer Demas – RYT 200

Jennifer is a graduate of Spirit House Yogas’ 200-Hour training and Level 1 and 2 Thai Yoga Bodywork training. Her 15 year background in childcare provided a natural transition into teaching kids yoga. Jennifer has worked with a wide range of age groups and abilities. Her own learning disabilities fueled her passion for understanding the brain and how it develops, building a specialty in teaching self-regulation and emotional intelligence to both children and adults. These experiences led her to start her own business, Learn Yourself. Jennifer is a wife and mother of two young girls and loves spending time out in nature with her family and making life as fun as possible