Renée Carlson
Founder of Bonita Pilates & Yoga
Stretching The Status Quo In The Health & Fitness Industry
Renée Carlson is a breath of fresh air in the fitness industry. Balancing physical therapy and Pilates, her Bonita Pilates & Yoga Studio focuses on lengthening muscles, increasing mobility, strengthening your core, and preventing and alleviating pain.
An Entrepreneur with an Exceptional Educational Background
This 5’1 petite powerhouse has always been passionate about exercise as a path to wellness even while playing basketball as a point guard – really! Ready to jump to a full understanding of body mechanics, she earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from USC and an M.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of the Pacific.
Gina Bolles
Yoga Instructor
One-part yogini, one-part choreographer, and one-part dance educator, Gina Sorensen has the supreme pleasure of talking about movement and the body all day long. While working toward her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance at the University of Oregon, Gina was inspired by the physical, emotional, and mental transformation she felt as a practitioner of Yoga. She spent the summer of 2007 studying classical Indian dance and yoga in India, and soon after embarked on her Yoga Teacher Training with a deep desire to share this powerful practice with others. Now a long-time Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT), Gina teaches group classes and private lessons that emphasize alignment, flow, and imagery. Gina is the founder of Yoga Natyam Online, a resource for classes and information about yoga. She is also the Director of the Conservatory of Classical and Contemporary Dance at the Coronado School of the Arts and adjunct faculty in Dance at Grossmont College.
Theresa Rincon Melhorn
Yoga instructor
Terri was initially drawn to the practice of yoga as a means to overcome stress. She discovered how the physical challenges along with the mental focus and breath connection helped her to overcome challenges and create a sense of peace and joy.This inspired her to become a yoga teacher and share her passion with others. In 2011, she became a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. With her B.S. in Physical Therapy and M.S. in School Psychology, Terri is a uniquely qualified yoga teacher. She implements her understanding of body mechanics, anatomy, mental processing, and learning into her teaching. She has a passion for helping others and combines her therapeutic approaches to create an environment that is safe yet challenging and nurturing yet energizing.
Yvette Anita
Yoga Instructor
Yvette discovered yoga in May of 2019. By November 2019 she completed her first teacher training in Vinyasa. Shortly into her practice, she fell in love with yoga when she noticed her blood pressure decrease and her anxiety disappear. She thought to herself "I need to share this with the world." Her passion took her deeper into the practice of yoga. Her competencies in her practice take her from teaching Yin Yoga to Rocket Yoga;Two opposite ends of the spectrum as far as yoga is concerned. She is impassioned with the stillness that yoga brings to her as well as the challenges of advanced asanas. Yvette is excited to meet all the beautiful souls that practice yoga with us and share her knowledge and love for the art of yoga.
Marysol Sanchez Gil
Yoga Instructor
Marysol started her spiritual journey when she was struggling with chronic depression back in 2009. She was trying to find peace of mind when she felt attracted to yoga and from the beginning of her practice she noticed the benefits not only in her physical health but most importantly in the way she was experiencing life. After a long journey she was sure that her dharma was to serve others, to help them improve the quality of their thoughts and create a better relationship with their bodies through yoga and energy work. In 2017 she decided to get certified to teach yoga and took her first level of Reiki healing which inspired her to study some other healing techniques to serve the community. Her classes are designed to explore creative movement and awareness of the body with fluid sequences that are designed to let the inner wisdom unravel, giving a big emphasis to the breath. She uses intentionally designed music and meditation to bring the students into a healing state of harmony and love. One of her favorite things about yoga are inversions, she thinks they give us a chance to see life from another perspective. Come experience a class with Marysol. You will feel renewed.
Nina Klein
Yoga Instructor
Nina is a Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, Ayurveda and Behavior Change Specialist, Professional Organizer and Tantrica. She is committed to helping you achieve your goals and will encourage you to find your most authentic self.
Growing up in Germany, she was always very active and athletic. She was involved in gymnastics and many other sports. When she moved to the United States, her passion for health and fitness only grew bigger and she became a personal trainer. After working as a personal trainer for a period of time, she realized that it was not completely inclusive and balanced. She wanted to create a holistic way of influencing health to her clients that would help them find health, not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This led her to her own practice of Yoga and meditation, which then led her to other important parts of these ancient sciences, such as Ayurveda and Tantra.
With everything she does in life, she wants to dive deeper and learn everything she can, so naturally she studied to become a teacher. Her school of choice was the Yoga and Ayurveda Center and she feels blessed to have gotten an education based on historic yoga philosophy, modern anatomy, and the sister science Ayurveda. These components are very important additions to her practice, and she loves being able to offer this holistic approach to her clients.
Liz Fong
Pilates Instructor
Liz has over 20 years of experience teaching Pilates. Her background includes time as faculty for Body Arts and Sciences International (BASI Pilates Comprehensive Teacher Training Program) and as a professional dancer. She is certified by and apprenticed under Master Pilates teacher Rael Isacowitz, Director of Body Arts and Sciences International. Liz also holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Minor in Theater/Dance from UCSD.
Her goal as a teacher is to connect people to healthy movement through a Pilates practice. She enjoys providing a movement experience for clients who are looking for a guide to explore their movement potential. She believes Pilates and movement is a medium which allows everyone to reach goals that extend into the rest of their lives.
She especially enjoys meeting clients wherever they may be in their life. She appreciates that each client comes into the studio with unique needs and goals and with a range of abilities. Liz does her best to meet each client’s specific needs and creates a nurturing as well as fun and safe environment. Having experienced the benefits
of Pilates first-hand, she is motivated to collaborate with clients of all levels and life stages with the aim of empowering the client to discover/uncover their optimal movement patterns for strength and resilience in your daily life.
She designs classes that address the whole body. She enjoys integrating corrective exercises into classes to help achieve a healthy and balanced body so that the clients are able to move with ease. Her hope for everyone is to provide a movement experience that leaves you feeling invigorated as well as centered and grounded and with a deeper sense of body awareness.
She would love to share her passion for movement with others and she enjoys the continual learning that is part of being a teacher and a lifelong student of movement.