Yoga Den San Marco Instructors
3653 St Johns Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida 32205
Get Directions | (904) 662-0485
Contact Us
Damien McDonald
Damien has been practicing yoga for over two decades after he discovered the practice in an attempt to relieve work related stress. Finding yoga to be both a wonderful physical exercise as well as a calming experience he began learning more about the relationship between the postures, the breath and his own mental well being.
After teaching public school for 14 years, Damien decided he wanted to teach yoga and received his 200 RYT certification upon completing his teacher training through Yoga Den studios. A big believer that yoga is for everybody, Damien hopes people of all backgrounds will experience the same joy he receives from the practice.
Mercedes Holland
Chris Fyn
Chris is a dedicated and passionate yoga instructor on a mission to help others feel better by utilizing yoga to connect the mind, body, and spirit. His journey into yoga began after he signed up for a college credit Hatha course. He immediately recognized the incredible power yoga has to rejuvenate and uplift. After graduating from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology, Chris has held multiple positions working for hospitals, research clinics, pharmaceutical companies, fertility clinics, and gyms. This diverse background has given him a deep understanding of how crucial it is to incorporate yoga into our lives to support all areas of health and wellness. He believes the mind and body can help be healed through the mental and physical practice of yoga.
On the mat Chris encourages, educates, and facilitates a space for you to find your physical vitality, mental clarity, and spiritual growth. In addition to being a Certified Yoga Teacher, Chris is also a ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and NASM Certified Nutrition Coach. You can find Chris teaching Mind Body and Sun Power at Yoga Den San Marco, Yulee, and Yellow Bluff.
Bess Goff
Bess Goff is a movement and anatomy enthusiast. She holds certifications in Classical Pilates, Yoga and Barre and earned her Masters degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition. She enjoys synthesizing all of her training to develop unique and challenging classes. Outside of teaching she loves spending time with her husband and five daughters. Bess grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her Masters in Exercise Science and Nutrition from The George Washington University. She received her 230 hr YA certification from Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville NC, her 750hr Pilates Mat and Apparatus Certification from Excel Movement Studios in Washington D.C, and Barre Instructor Certification from Core Barre in Charlotte, NC. She has been an instructor for over 20 years and has taken numerous continuing education workshops including Kids Yoga, Pre and Postnatal Yoga, Yin Yoga, Yoga and PolyVagal Theory and more.
Andrew Williams
ANDREW PAUL WILLIAMS, PH.D., E-RYT 500 has a Doctorate in Mass Communications from the University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications, an M.A. in English and a B.A. In Communication and English from the University of North Florida. He received his 200 and 300 Hour Teacher Training (RYT 500) at Yoga Den In Jacksonville, Florida. He teaches all-levels classes at Yoga Den Avondale, Bayard, Fleming Island, Mandarin, San Pablo, Southside, and World Golf Village. He is the author of The Space Between: Cultivating Mindfulness, Peace, and Empowerment In Your Life Through Meta-Awareness, Framing, and Yoga, Good Eats Jax: A Local’s Guide to the Best Independently-Owned Restaurants Along Florida’s First Coast and co-author of The Book of Empowerment. He is a media professional with extensive publishing and public relations experience.
Kelly Arnett
My yoga journey started with a Yoga Basics workshop back in 2007 at Yoga Den on Plummer Cove Rd, Mandarin – Jacksonville, FL. This led me to acquire my 200 hr Yoga Teacher Certificate at Yoga Den – received April 2012. Starting in 2013, I regularly attended a new class called “yin” yoga on Friday evenings. This led me to helping out with Friday evening ‘check-ins.’ By the summer of 2013, I started to sub for this class. Later in December 2013, unbeknownst to me, I was handed down the class to teach. Yelp! So, start January 1, 2014 – and still in shock – here I am teaching a Friday evening 90-minute Yin class with the utmost intimidation, insecurity and uncertainty. As time moved along, I gained my confidence, footing and knowledge – and most of all “a following.” And the rest is history…. Taught various classes over multiple Yoga Den locations, as well as non-Yoga Den studio locations and workshops since officially started. Yoga Den places and time ranges listed below…
I have long acquired my 300 Hr Yoga Teacher Certificate at Yoga Den – Dec 2015. Outside of being a Yoga Den Instructor, I am a Metaphysical teacher. I have had the spiritual gifts of mediumship, clairvoyance/psychic and soul reading since a little girl. I have since then grown in my abilities and tools. I am an active board member at the Cosmic Church of Truth, a metaphysical Spiritual local venue. Also, I am a reoccurring attendee at monthly Psychic Fayres, special events,
group events, as well as privates. I assist with class scheduling, events and workshops for those looking to Spiritually grow.
Thus, I add a special element of ‘energy reading’ to my classes that cannot be replicated, reproduced and roots from my authentic style of ‘yin-based’ yoga, as well as felt in my other styles of yoga teaching classes. So, I can honestly say, no class is ever alike. I have a corporate day job located in downtown Jacksonville. I hold a BA in Business Admin, minor in Business Management @ Aug 2002, from UNF. Am a regular gym enthusiast for female weight lifting.
Lisa Dearie
Lisa, 500hr RYT, began her yoga practice in 2000 while living abroad in Australia. Lisa was an elementary school teacher and married to a Navy pilot. Lisa fell in love with yoga as a means to help stay grounded and balanced through life’s challenges, which at the time included the stress of 9/11, her husband’s deployments, moving, pregnancies, and family life. Yoga was a constant, a discipline to equanimity, a return to self. Lisa began teaching yoga in 2006 and received her first 200hr RYT from YogaFit while living in Memphis. Lisa’s numerous yoga CE training include all styles and master teachers such as Shiva Rea, Coral Brown, Desiree Rumbaugh, Jason Hulshof, Bryan Kest, and most recently, Michael Johnson. Lisa has a passion for yoga training and seeks out learning and staying up to date on health and fitness education. She completed her RYT 300 at Yoga Den with Alyson Foreacre. Lisa has taught at recreation centers, YMCAs, power yoga studios, and out of her home. Lisa has been teaching at Yoga Den Studios since 2019 and helps train new teachers in the Yoga Den YTT program. Lisa has a deep love for yoga and more importantly her students. She is friendly and warm, and creates a welcoming environment for all levels of students, nurturing community. Her classes are grounded in breathwork and mindfulness. Lisa’s love for teaching shines through in her fun and uplifting playlists, creative sequencing, themes, and the occasional inspiring poem. Outside of yoga, Lisa’s first commitment is her family. She and her husband, Jerry, met and married in Jacksonville and now live in Ponte Vedra. They have 3 amazing grown kids, and 2 sweet dogs.
Shelby Sturdivant
Patricia Hurd
Patricia began her journey on the path of yoga in March of 2017 at a YMCA and was immediately hooked. Having a very physical background she was intrigued with the physical aspect that the practice provides. Racing mountain bikes, snowboarding and long distance running challenged Patricia; she was still searching for something. Later discovering that yoga reaches far beyond the physical layer. She did the Summer Immersion in July of 2017 and began teaching in October. Patricia is an avid yoga student and continually attends workshops throughout the country. She values her personal practice and rolls out the mat 6 days a week. She is an attentive teacher with clear direction and valuable information. She brings a bright energy to her classes and genuinely honors the students by creating a safe place for EVERYBODY to practice!
Colleen Berry-Becker
Colleen, is a Jacksonville native and mother of 3, who spent 17+ years in the fast paced world of the Fashion Apparel industry in buying, design, product development, and sales. Through years of constant hustle and travel, she yearned to deepen the mind-body connection and looked for ways to calm her nervous system and find balance.
After getting back into a regular yoga practice, she realized that this is what her soul was calling her to do. She enrolled in the Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Den and received her 200 HR RYT. She is currently studying to receive her 500 HR certification, 108 hour Restorative Yoga certification, and Yoga Nidra certification.
She is both a teacher and a forever student. She loves all types of yoga, with a regular Bhakti, Sun Power, Restorative/ Yin, and Nidra personal practice. She is drawn to the philosophy of yoga, pranayama, the 8 limbs, and the neuroscience connection of the breath and fascia systems. She is also Master level Reiki attuned.
Colleen teaches Restorative/ Yin Yoga , Sun Power , and Mind Body. She loves combining breath work, guided meditation, the 8 limbs, and curated soundscapes to create a peaceful atmosphere to calm the nervous system, strengthen the body, and connect with the inner self. She truly believes when we slow down, we begin to see what we really need.
When she’s off the mat, Colleen has a passion for travel, art, music, food, searching out cool vintage finds, being creative, and loves spending time with her family and friends. She also works full time right in the San Marco neighborhood.
