Staff and Instructors

Shawn lives in Ocean Springs and is a 1985 graduate of Ocean Springs High School. While raising two children she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from the University of MS in 1995.

In May of 2001, seeking relief from depression and severe back pain associated with Scoliosis, she walked in to her first yoga class and became a devoted student of yoga and from the teachings of an eclectic mix of teachers and traditions, Shawn is a certified yoga instructor at the 300hr level and was registered with Yoga Alliance at the 200hr level in 2004.

In 2010, in her desire to continue her education and study of yoga, she attended Surya Chandra Healing Yoga School under the direction of JJ Gormley, E-RYT-500.

In June 2016, while attending Integral Yoga Academy, Satchidananda Ashram, Shawn became a certified Yoga of Recovery Yoga Instructor/Counselor under the direction of Durga Leela/C. O’Neill which integrates the wisdom of Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda and traditional recovery tools such as 12-Step programs to overcome addictive and self-destructive behavior. Also, that same year, she completed the full course in Naturopathy, a course in natural health, nutrition, herbalism, and safe health practices under the direction of Betty Sue O’Brien, ND at the Southern Institute of Natural Health. Shawn is also a Reiki Usui Shiki Ryoho: Level Two Practitioner and a “Connected Warriors” Yoga Instructor which provides yoga for our veterans.

Shawn’s classes are especially beneficial for students just beginning the path of yoga and for those that enjoy a more therapeutic, gentler and restorative experience. Shawn teaches gentle, gentle vinyasa flow, chair yoga, yin yoga, restorative, yoga nidra (yogic sleep) and private lessons by appointment.

With 20 years of personal practice and teaching experience along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Shawn’s classes bring a quiet and natural presence to support your practice both emotionally and physically. 

Laura Tyree, E-RYT 500, brings her light to Mississippi several times each year to co-teach our Yoga Teacher Training here at River Rock Yoga. She encourages her students to utilize their yoga practice in a multitude of ways. Many deepen their awareness of self and open fully to their unique beauty and strength, both inner and outer. Her teachings grow and blossom as her life transforms. Blend these cherished traits with her unique approach to the eight-limb path, mantra meditation, anatomy, and psychology, and then one can grasp the full, organic richness of her yogic style.

On this journey, she combines hand mudras with asana, linking the breath, mantra, energetic clarity, and spiritual concepts to flow richly into a timeless experience of yoga and the self. Laura Tyree first trained with Jan Campbell and the rigorous Iyengar Yoga Method in 1986, while recovering from a sports-related injury from college. She began teaching in 1990 after meeting teachers Erich Schiffmann and Rodney Yee. Internal awareness, breath, and compassionate purpose lead her to deepen her practice and her studies.

After many years of practice and study with Rodney, Erich, and other dedicated and renowned teachers, she continues to hone her teaching skills and explore her personal growth. Laura opened the Florida doors of Dragonfly Yoga Studies in 2001 and, later, Hot Yoga Om, both in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. 

Lyn Harper Cheney (CYT, RYT-200) has been teaching at River Rock since 2009.  Her gentle classes support and nurture each student’s deep connection with self.  Her teaching emphasizes breathing and moving mindfully and practicing kindness toward oneself.  She is grateful for her teachers, students, and all beings who inspire her in yoga and in life.

Diane has been practicing yoga since 2009.  The practice was inspired by the possibility of regaining physical flexibility and strength that was lost as a result of her right hip replacement.  Physical limitations in mind, along with permission from her surgeon, she joined River Rock Yoga & Pilates Studio and learned to modify asana on the mat to safely suit her capabilities.

In 2020, Diane graduated from the 200-hr. teacher training course offered by Yoga School, LLC in Covington, La., with Becky Gelatt.  The true meaning of all yoga has to offer the earnest student began to come to light during her training there.  As her practice began to heal her heart, mind, soul and body, she was inspired to transmit the possibilities with others. 

Thirsty for more learning, Diane took the Yoga of 12 Step Recovery certification and recently graduated from the 2022 200-hr. teacher training program at River Rock Yoga with Moira Anderson and Laura Tyree.  Diane’s passion to teach yoga to beginners has been led by awareness that there are modifications for every pose and yoga offers healing practices for all beings regardless of the matters of the heart.  She seeks to share what has been transformational in her own life.

Anita Brooks is originally from Washington, DC and has lived on the coast since 1991. She is the president of her own company ASB Marketing, LLC. She began her yoga practice in January 2001 to help build strength and cope with back problems. Although she enjoyed the amazing physical benefits of her practice, she fell in love with yoga for the soulful peace she experienced from the merging of mind, body and spirit. Through her personal practice, classes and workshops with several national yoga teachers including Doug Keller, Raye Lynn Rath, Cora Wen and Baxter Bell, Anita has refined and improved her yoga skills. Her focus is primarily in the Anusara yoga tradition. She is passionate about living her yoga and enjoys sharing this passion with new beginner students.

Meg began practicing yoga in 2006, when a friend suggested it might help her with recurring injuries from running and cycling. Since that time, yoga has been an effective tool for managing sports-related pain, and throughout the years, Meg has come to treasure its powerful mental benefits, too. In 2022, she went through the teacher training program at River Rock Yoga and earned her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification. This experience opened up the full spectrum of yoga traditions and practices, and it deepened her personal practice tremendously. Meg’s classes emphasize the mind-body-breath connection, and they focus on both the strengthening and healing aspects of yoga.

Logan practiced yoga asana off and on as a teenager, always feeling a certain pull to the art, but it wasn’t until 2020 that she found her way back to the mat, or rather, found her way back home as she lovingly considers it. 

The weight and uncertainty that came with the pandemic led her to take refuge in rediscovering her practice. It was the time and space she needed to fully devote nothing else but herself to herself when the world was in unknown chaos. She remembers how hard it felt to start from square one again but the mystical feeling that lingered after practicing, during savasana, kept her coming back. She found peace on her mat, strength and courage, resilience and patience, confidence and a confidant and felt inspired to share with others the practice that so deeply enriched her life.

After a seemingly divine nudge from the universe, she unexpectedly found her way to River Rock Yoga and Pilates and into their 200-hour teacher training program, falling ever more in love with the beautiful practice and philosophy that is yoga. As a recent graduate from their 2022 program, Logan feels all the more inspired to continue expanding her knowledge on this lifelong path of yoga and hopes to transmute her gratitude for the practice into her classes.

Manda embarked upon her yoga journey in 2014, as part of an effort to get in better shape and to lose weight.  Right away, she realized the connection she felt in yoga was of much more importance than numbers on a scale and calories burned.  She treasured this reconnection with her innermost self and began visiting the mat more and more frequently – eager to learn more about herself and this beautiful practice.  She really began to lean into her practice, taking comfort in the reconnection and finding compassion and gratitude for herself.  The simple act of connection to and moving with your breath can be so therapeutic and powerful, Manda felt the pull to share yoga with others, to make sure others know this abundant inner joy is attainable!

Manda began Dragonfly Yoga Teacher Training at River Rock Yoga in February of 2022, committing to learning and understanding the philosophies of yoga, the importance of a stable meditation practice, and the ability to practice yoga throughout life, on a daily basis, on and off the mat, and to show others how to do the same.   Manda practices an invigorating yet steady flow, creating heat with challenging transitions, settling in with deep stretches and connecting deeply throughout with plenty of pranayama. She has found that, along with yoga, she really resonates with its “sister science”, Ayurveda and values it’s connection to the flow of nature, consuming natural, whole foods and listening to your body and soul’s individual needs.  While still on the very onset of her yoga journey, Manda is excited to grow and learn more about yoga and how to effectively share with others.