Meet The Tru Team
Bree-Ana (she/her)
Hi, I'm Bree! Yoga has literally saved my life, so my love for the practice is deep, as both student and instructor. My teaching philosophy is to support students’ ease in their practice utilizing beginner and foundational poses. I value this because I believe it will empower students to sustain their practice and develop consistency. I also value alignment when practicing asana, which keeps the body in integrity and maintains a connection to how poses authentically look and feel in various bodies. Additionally, meditation and pranayama (breath-work) are essential to the practice of yoga, so they are often incorporated into my offerings. More than anything, I get a lot of joy from practicing and teaching, so I hope you'll join me on the mat sometime. 😉
Milo (he/they)
Milo showed up in their first yoga class following a crush but found it a completely transformative experience that has sustained them through grief, growth, and parenthood. Milo is invested in Yoga as a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual practice and is dedicated to the ongoing process of making it accessible for everyone. For Milo, teaching yoga is about holding space and removing barriers so that we can connect to the fabulousness and fullness of what we already are. In their parallel life, Milo is a professor of Literature and Women & Gender Studies, working in gender and sexuality studies, critical race studies, and disability studies. Their teaching draws on inspiration from these areas, connecting caring for and trusting oneself to open, active, and ethical engagement with others. Milo completed their teacher training at Tru Yoga in 2014 and has been practicing at the studio since 2010. Tru is like a second home to them, but with fewer cats.
Anderson (he/him)
Anderson Allen is an artist healer fusing poetry and yoga as mediums to foster healthy inner dialogue for the mind, body, spirit connection. If he’s not onstage acting, slam poeting, hanging from a ladder adjusting a stagelight, or in the corner somewhere making art and eating cheesecake, he’s centering himself on his mat. As a Yoga 4 a Good Hood alum, Anderson’s deep passion for community is informed by meeting people from all walks of life wherever they are on their journey, and creating for black and brown bodies to experience liberation through their breath and asana. His yoga practice is rooted in gentle power and nurturing the balance between flow and stillness on and off the mat. If you want to learn more, visit poeticallyundefined.com
Sarah (she/her)
Sarah’s path consists of many stitches as a yogi, writer, teaching artist, and narrative medicine practitioner. From the artist studio to the yoga studio, her multi-disciplinary approach considers both spaces as creative, contemplative sites of corporeal process, practice, and possibility to map and make meaning of one’s unique stories and experiences from breath to pen, mat to page. For over fifteen years, Sarah has been a part of the Rochester yoga committee, leading studio classes, teacher trainings, workshops, and immersions; she also mentors students privately in writing, yoga, and meditation. Sarah is honored to have studied in the Anusara tradition with Vishali Varga and Christina Sell and to have twice-journeyed to India on a pilgrimage with Douglas Brooks. When she’s not on her mat, you'll most likely find her with her nose in a book, walking her giant dogs at Cobb’s Hill, cooking up something spectacular in her kitchen, or collecting sea glass on Monhegan Island, ten miles off the coast of Maine.
Follow her on IG @sewmanystories or subscribe to her Substack: Narrative Threads: From Breath to Pen
Cloria (she/her)
Cloria Sutton-Dowdell (500 E-RYT, RCYT, YACEP) has a Bachelor’s in Dance & Kinesiology and a Masters in Dance and Liberal Studies, graduating from SUNY Brockport 2015. Cloria has practiced yoga for over 10 years and specializes in an alignment focused creative play vinyasa flow, where she loves connecting her dance and yoga practice as one!
Isaac (he/him)
Isaac is a warm and caring soul who loves connecting with others, especially those on the yogic path. He brings a unique approach to his teaching that is inspired and informed by his experience as a yogi, student of Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra, life experiences, and as a psychotherapist. Isaac understands the importance of fostering safety and care with his students, and blends that into his teaching.
In addition to his weekly class at Tru, Isaac is available for private individual and group lessons, consultation for other yoga teachers, and spiritual/philosophical consultation.
You can find him on Instagram: @isaactheyogi and @enlighten_counseling and also on his website.
Cary (she/her)
Cary Neer's (RYT-500) yoga journey began in New York City in the 2010s. In 2020, Cary quit her 20 year career and life in New York City, sold all of her belongings and for the last few years lived as a nomadic throughout Southeast Asia. She immersed herself in yoga asana, and completed 200 hour intensive in Bali with the intention of deepening her own practice. Following training, she was compelled (and encouraged) to share her practice from the other side of the mat and has not looked back. Cary's classes are dynamic and invite students to drop into their bodies and get out of their heads.
Jae (she/her)
Jae is a black woman-identified photographer, spoken word artist, certified yoga instructor, and mother to an indigo child. She is deeply passionate about inspiring people to embrace their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing through creative expression. Jae is devoted to facilitating safe spaces and teaches her students how they can practice much-needed self-care, heal from trauma through creativity, feel empowered, and lead fulfilling lives.
Having worked for over a decade serving in the field of mental health, Jae understands the pains of becoming overwhelmed by stress and burnout as well as the need for rest. She’s on a mission to provide people from marginalized backgrounds with simple and affordable tools to manage the stresses of daily life and to stop sacrificing their health for success.
Jae is trained in the Hatha yoga tradition and is a certified Womb Care Worker. In her free time, you can find her exploring new plant-based recipes, traveling around the world, taking nature walks, reading, and spending quality time with her friends & family. She’s a natural-born explorer who has had the privilege of visiting countries like Cuba, Kenya, and Costa Rica. She is a native of Rochester, NY and yearns to move to the West Coast some day.
Chris (he/him)
Chris began his yoga journey in Washington, DC, in 2017 when a friend taught an informal class at a party. He began learning primarily Power and Ashtanga styles and became involved in Stonewall Yoga in DC and Richmond, VA, to advocate for yoga in queer spaces. After moving to Rochester in 2022, he decided to undergo teacher training and obtained his 200-hour certification from Tru Yoga, a 50-hour certificate in Rocket® Yoga from David Kyle, and is completing his 300-hour with Shri Vinyasa Yoga. Chris loves a more athletic practice with plenty of opportunities for hand balances and inversions.
Lizz (she/her)
Lizz Ortolani, RYT, LMSW cried at her first yoga class and swore she'd never return. A few years later, a close friend had recently become a yoga teacher and encouraged her to give it another try. Over time, yoga taught Lizz to connect with the body she had detached from for years. She swore she'd never become a yoga teacher. Didn't want it, didn't need it. A few years later, another yoga teacher tapped her on the shoulder and encouraged her to lead a community yoga class for people in recovery that needed a new teacher. Lizz went on to train at Yoga 4 a Good Hood. In the spirit of "you gotta give it away to keep it," Lizz now knows to never say never.
Kaleigh (she/her)
A trained dancer, Kaleigh began practicing yoga as another way to move her body. She was initially interested in the physical benefits, including increased strength, balance and flexibility. The union of breath awareness and body celebration continue to guide her yoga practice and lifestyle. Students have described Kaleigh’s teaching as approachable, comprehensive, inviting, thoughtful and warm. As a special education teacher, Kaleigh aims to create inclusive learning environments, including LGBTQ+ safe zones, on and off the mat.
Essence (she/her)
With over 10 years of experience practicing and teaching yoga, including 300 hours in yoga teacher education, her objective is to guide students towards a deeper connection with themselves and the practice. Essence strives to create a space where each yogi can explore their unique path to physical and mental freedom thus cultivating a yoga journey that is authentic and accessible for all.
Kat (she/her)
Kat has been teaching yoga since 2016 and is an eRYT-500 certified yoga teacher. Kat teaches a challenging but accessible class with an entry point for everyone. She loves taking “impossible” poses and figuring out how to make them possible for all students, regardless of body type or experience. The heart of Kat’s class is in guiding each student towards an authentic and useful yoga practice, both on and off the mat. If you ask her what she loves most about teaching, she will always say “the students.” When she’s not teaching yoga, you can find Kat spending time with her family or hanging at the barn with her horse.
Ambar (they/she)
Ambar brings an eclectic pedagogy combining breath work, voice work, and vision science practices. Their studies range from Vocal Yoga and Sound Healing to the academic exploration of the human vision system. With over 800 hours of training and an engineering degree, Ambar is committed to continuous learning and personal growth. As a Yogi, Engineer, and Artist, they consistently develop innovative programming designed to spark curiosity and inspire transformation in others.
Krystal (she/her)
Like many, Krystal found yoga during a painful chapter in her life, where her mat became a sanctuary of healing and support. As a RYT-500 with over 900 hours of yoga training, Krystal has specialized in meditation, yoga for athletes, alignment, and yoga for children and teens. She believes deeply in the power of community and human connection, seeing them as essential elements of growth and transformation.
For Krystal, yoga is not just a practice but a way of life that continues to shape her daily routine and mindset. An avid meditator and lover of kirtan (yoga chanting/singing), she remains a dedicated student of yoga philosophy. Now, with yoga fully integrated into her life, Krystal is expanding her holistic journey by transitioning her pharmacy career to include Ayurveda, herbalism, and functional medicine.
You can find her on Instagram: @krystal.loves.yoga