Prenatal Yoga

Whether you are a regular yoga practitioner or trying it for the first time, prenatal yoga is a beautiful way to connect with yourself, your health and your baby at any stage of your pregnancy. Build strength, confidence and peace as you ease common discomforts of pregnancy and prepare yourself for childbirth through dynamic flows, restorative poses and deep breathing.

“I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your prenatal class and the way that you teach us. I had my little guy three weeks ago (the Saturday after my last class) and have been meaning to write to you ever since. I left class Thursday night feeling empowered, strong and peaceful at 40w. I began labor the following morning and took my peaceful feelings into my labor and delivery. I could hear your voice in my head reminding me to breath a breath I could hear and to focus only on my breath- I was able to relax the rest of my body and only focus energy where it was needed. I was able to truly be mentally present for the birth of my son, each contraction felt like progress rather than fear which is what happened last time. Labor was strong and fast, but I felt strong and capable and I credit so much of that to practicing yoga weekly with such a capable and wonderful teacher. Thank you for your part in helping us achieve a natural and wonderful birth.” – Danielle

RCY’s Prenatal Yoga Teachers

Amelia Damplo

Amelia is a perinatal yoga teacher, Ayurvedic postpartum doula, and mother of two. 

Her first experience as a yoga student guided her to an inner stillness she had never felt before. It offered her the space to listen, receive each breath, and respond with intention. Still today, her practice guides her towards a deeper knowing of herself, and that continual discovery is what motivates her to keep yoga in her life and to share it through teaching.

Amelia completed her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2015 through Yoga Vibe Los Angeles with a focus on vinyasa flow yoga. Her desire to nurture new parents through pregnancy and postpartum healing led her to become a certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher in 2016 through Silverlake Yoga. She began teaching three years before having her son, carrying with her a longing for her own motherhood experience. When it was her time, her yoga community held her as she became a mother.

Amelia’s prenatal and postnatal yoga classes hold supportive space for deep unfolding along the path of parenthood. Each of her practices addresses a theme to help navigate this new terrain while feeling held, seen, and heard. She invites students to be curious, find ease through effort, and always return to their breath. Together, they awaken strength with mindful movement and make room for restorative moments of stillness.

Amelia’s postpartum care is informed by Ayurveda, honoring the sacred window after birth with nourishing foods, grounding breathwork, and an attunement to each mother’s individual needs. She helps families create space for rest and provide practices to nurture the tender transition from birth into new parenthood.

When not on her yoga mat, Amelia can be found hiking with her son and daughter, baking nutritious treats, and learning how to garden!

Valerie Kacian

Valerie started a yoga practice in 2001 shortly after the birth of her daughter. Initially seeking to balance out an active fitness routine, the practice became a life’s journey. It was from day one on the mat that she knew she would teach, and share this journey with others. She has a special interest in working with students within their own range of motion tuning into pure, functional movement in the body. Valerie believes anyone can practice and experience the benefits of yoga. She uses a whole-hearted approach to encourage students to connect deeply to movement within their own bodies. Valerie teaches Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga, Mat Pilates, Hatha Yoga, Baby & Me Yoga, Toddler & Me Yoga, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa, and Restorative. She also hosts a YouTube channel offering yoga to those who may have limitations to accessing a class in studio.

Valerie completed her 200 hour certification in May, 2018 with Cindy Boulter, 85 hour Prenatal & Postnatal certification with Bec Conant of Om Births in 2019, and completed her 500 hour certification with Cindy Boulter and Theresa Murphy in 2021. Additional training includes Reiki I & II, Trauma-Informed Teacher Training, Restorative certification, Yin certification, Mat Pilates training, pelvic health training, and an apprenticeship with Jacqui Bonwell. Valerie also holds a Women’s Health certification and is working with Sarah Duvall to become a PCES (Prenatal/Postnatal Certified Exercise Specialist.) Additionally, she is working to complete a 200 hour yoga certification in Children’s Yoga. On her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 3 children, reading, writing, true crime podcasts, spending time with her family, and connecting with the natural world.

Jenny Meshna
Registered Yoga Alliance 500 hr.
Balance Athlete Certified
Reiki I Certified

Like so many others, Jenny Meshna began practicing Yoga in 2005 as a way to become more flexible. After only a handful of classes she was amazed to find that Yoga not only made her more flexible, but it also built up her strength, calmed her mind easing every day anxieties and all around livened her soul. Overjoyed with all of the benefits Yoga brought to her own life she knew she wanted to share this experience with as many people as possible.

This led her to her 200-hour Hatha Teacher Training taught by Robin Anderson in 2010. Now teaching Vinyasa Yoga in the Merrimack Valley area, Jenny completed her 300-hour Vinyasa Teacher Training taught by Jacqui Bonwell in the Spring of 2015. When Jenny is not teaching Yoga, she is a full time Caregiver making everyday life more accessible and enjoyable for the elderly. She encourages everyone, on and off the mat, to meet life exactly as they are and let go. Let go of expectation. Let go of anticipation. And breathe.

Erica Taylor

Yoga has guided me through so many life stages: athletics, two pregnancies, work stresses, injuries, emotional rollercoasters, etc. That’s part of what I love about this practice, that it can shapeshift and become exactly what you need in a particular moment. Whatever is happening in your life, it is all welcome. You are welcome.

My wish for your yoga practice is that it enables you to come home to yourself, to find alignment in all ways. And may that alignment be a springboard for you to take strength and lightness in body and being off the mat into your life. Together, we can discover how yoga can meet you at this moment in your personal journey, and help you walk forward with more clarity and ease.

Erica completed her 500-hour teacher training in 2009 at the Nosara Yoga Institute with Don and Amba Stapleton. Their emphasis on yoga being an inquiry into the self, that the guru lies within, greatly influences her teaching today. Her studies have woven in and out of modalities, curious about how other practitioners view the body. She became the program manager of an Experiential Yoga Anatomy course to train other yoga teachers on the multi-dimensional being. She completed Yoga Therapeutics Teacher Training with Harvey Deutch, refining techniques that combine physical therapy and yoga, incorporating therapy balls, wall ropes, and creativity to inspire alignment of the self.

Passionate about supporting the mama community, she began studying perinatal yoga in 2011 and earned her RPYT (Prenatal Yoga Teacher) in 2015 with Mama Tree, led by Jane Austin. She also completed Pelvic Floor Teacher Training and Well Woman Yoga Therapy training.

In addition to yoga, she is a certified acupressure practitioner through the McKinnon Institute, and loves helping clients find ease through a blend of yoga and acupressure. She is also a personal trainer through the NSCA, a Fitness for Golf Professional by Titleist, and trained in pranassage, a yoga and bodywork combination.

A yoga student for 20 years and a teacher for over 15 years, Erica’s classes are uplifting and playful, yet rooted in functional movement and the great inquiry of the self. She continues to draw inspiration from her loved ones, students, and life experiences. When not on the mat, she can often be found with her kids, her camera, and nature!