Our yoga instructors & Studio Staff
Our teachers and staff make every visit to our studio inspiring, meaningful...unforgettable.
Their richly varied interests, training and experience make the lineup of classes you'll find at our Winston-Salem, NC yoga studio possible!
Valerie Kiser
Founder, E-RYT 500,
C-IAYT, YACEP
Valerie opened Sunrise Yoga Studio in Clemmons, NC, outside Winston-Salem, NC, in 2003. She founded the Yoga Alliance-registered 200-hour Sunrise Teacher Training program in 2008 and the 300-hour program in 2011.
In 2015, Valerie co-founded the East Coast Yoga Therapy training program. It is among the first 30 yoga therapy training schools worldwide to be accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She is also a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP).
In addition to her Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists certifications, her credentials and experience include:
- 1200-hour Advanced Teacher Training and Yoga Therapeutics certification, taught by J.J. Gormley
- Relax & Renew Advanced Trainer through Judith Lasater's Restorative Yoga
- Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer, Elise Browning Miller
- iRest Yoga Nidra Level II Teacher
- Cardiac Yoga instructor®(Cardiac Yoga is a registered trademark of M. Mala Cunningham , Ph.D. and is used with exclusive permission)
- Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor
- MELT Level 2 Instructor for neurofascial pain and stress relief
- Certified Yoga for Healthy Aging Instructor
- Certified Y4C (yoga for cancer) instructor
- Lakshmi Voekler Chair Yoga Teacher
- Y4AT (Yoga for Amputees Teacher)
Annie Castro
Certified 200
Annie has been practicing yoga on and off since childhood. After graduating from her Master's of Social Work program in 2022 she decided to join Sunrise as a way to practice self care. She quickly found a community of like minded peers and a love for the alignment-based style of yoga taught at Sunrise. She joined the teacher training program in 2023 as a way to deepen her own practice and start her journey toward being able to share her passion for yoga with others.
Annie graduated from the Sunrise Yoga Teacher Training program in 2024, and is currently enrolled in the 300HR Teacher Training Program at Sunrise.
Annie believes that practicing yoga is the perfect balance of self care, self discovery, and gratitude.
Cathy Howe
RYT 500, ERYT200
Cathy began her yoga practice by attending a free class at Sunrise Yoga in 2004. Over time, her interest grew from a once-weekly practice to enrollment in the Sunrise Yoga Teacher Training program.
She graduated from the Sunrise Yoga Teacher Training program and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an RYT 500.
Cathy believes that “slow-and-steady wins the race”, and that persistence and honest effort deliver remarkable results regardless of age and physical ability. Yoga helps her stay fit, feel young, and maintain a sense of peace and well-being.
Felicia Hoyle
RYT 500
Felicia Stewart Hoyle is a RYT-500, completing both her 200 and 300 hours training at Sunrise Yoga. An experienced teacher, Felicia is a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister with certification in Christian Spirituality in addition to a Master of Divinity degree. A native North Carolinian, she and her husband Bill have lived in Clemmons since 2001 and are parents of two.
Felicia enjoys teaching all levels of yoga including meditation and mindfulness practice. She is a certified Yoga for Healthy Aging teacher (Baxter Bell) and received certification in Restorative Yoga with Judith H. Lassater.
Felicia teaches the practice of yoga as a way to be strengthened in and through our Body, Mind and Spirit to a deeper relationship with the Light within us all.
Gwen McLaughlin
RYT 500
Gwen began her yoga practice at home, and quickly realized that yoga would become a lasting part of her daily life. She feels yoga creates a balance between the body and mind which is calming and regenerative.
She entered the Sunrise Teacher Training program to deepen her knowledge so that she could share the joy and insight that yoga brings. She is a certified 500-hour teacher and an iRest ® Level 1 Teacher.
Gwen believes that practicing yoga allows a person to be fully present in the moment, something to which we can all aspire.
Linda Arrigo
certified 500
Linda first fell in love with yoga at the age of 18 when she and her brother took a class at a community college in Brooklyn, NY.
Through the years she dabbled in yoga exploring the practice through books, videos and occasional classes. After having children and working full time, her practice was put on hold. She returned to the mat in 2016 after purchasing a certificate to Sunrise Yoga at a high school fundraiser.
Since then her love was rekindled and her practice has deepened. She is a graduate of the 200 and 300 hour teacher training programs. She is a certified Yoga for Healthy Aging and Yoga vs. Osteoporosis instructor. Yoga has brought balance, strength and flexibility to Linda’s life - physically, mentally and spiritually. She is eager to share her love of yoga and hopes to kindle that love in others as well.
Lisa Lineback
RYT 200
Lisa first experienced yoga as a teenager and has practiced on and off since then. As a gift to herself after retiring from teaching 8th grade, Lisa joined Sunrise Yoga Studio and soon found that she felt better physically and mentally than she had in years! The contentment that she attained was unexpected and led her to enroll in the teacher training program at Sunrise Yoga to learn more.
Lisa graduated from the Sunrise Yoga Teacher Training program in 2024 and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an RYT200. She is currently enrolled in the 300HR Teacher Training Program at Sunrise Yoga Studio.
Lisa believes that regular yoga practice is truly life-changing and is excited to share her knowledge with others.
Terri Cook-Shirley
RYT 500
Terri (Tereia Cook-Shirley MA, LCAS, LCMHC, CCS, RYT-500) is a 500 Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance. She has been practicing yoga since 1998, starting with a home practice and then transitioning to more dedicated practice as a student at Sunrise Yoga in 2005. She is a licensed mental health counselor with over 35 years experience working with people seeking recovery from addiction. A primary focus in her work has been based on Whole Person recovery which promotes balance in physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of being. Terri completed 500 hour teacher training through Sunrise Yoga in 2022. Her current interest lies in combining yoga philosophy and practices with whole person recovery principles to help others develop a healthy balanced life.
Tom Ward
RYT 500
Tom started practicing yoga in 2012 as a way to stay active and more importantly, to help manage chronic back pain. After several years of yoga practice, Tom's back pain disappeared and he discovered even more benefits from his incorporation of yoga philosophy in his everyday life.
Tom graduated from Sunrise Yoga’s 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training programs, is registered with Yoga Alliance as an RYT500. He is a certified Yoga for Healthy Aging instructor.
He hopes to share his passion for yoga with others so that they can also experience the positive changes that regular practice can bring.
Sunrise Staff
Leslie Reyes
Studio Assistant
Leslie started her yoga journey with Sunrise in the summer of 2022, where one class turned into two, which turned into signing up for the 200-hour teacher training program! When Leslie is not in class perfecting her least favorite pose, Ardha Chandrasana (half moon), you can find her doing her favorite thing in the world: cuddling her cat, Miso.
Rachel McGrath
Office Manager
Rachel began practicing yoga while attending Winthrop University, where she received her degree in English with a focus in Secondary Education. Since that time, Rachel has pursued a variety of professional paths, working as a high school English teacher, Event Planner, Communications Coordinator for a national non-profit, and a freelance Graphic Designer. Most recently, Rachel has focused her time on her family, including homeschooling her three children. In addition to family time, Rachel loves reading, thrifting, practicing yoga, learning new things, and exploring the natural beauty of our region.
Val Hager
Studio Assistant
Val is currently filling our morning receptionist role. She has spent the last 30 years working in healthcare. Val looks forward to bringing balance back to her overall health with Yoga.
In her spare time she enjoys gardening, hiking, fishing and trips to the beach.