JOY Teachers
Meet our incredible teachers.
These dedicated, certified professionals will guide you through each step on your own path to health and wellness. And they’ll make sure your journey to greater confidence and vitality is filled with fun along the way.
All of our teachers minimally have their 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification. At JOY, teachers focus on alignment, moving with the breath, meditation when possible and providing a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere for students to learn and grow in their practice.
We recommend you try multiple teachers and various classes because you may find particular teachers or styes resonate more with you. This is why we offer the JOY Discovery Pass so you can try as many different teachers and classes as you would like in 30 days.
Try different teachers and classes…
“I tore two discs in my lower back making me hesitant about embracing any form of exercise. Maggie began working with me in a class setting and later, one on one. In a short period of time, her extensive knowledge, skill and warm inviting nature, put me at ease.”
Margaret Durbas,
Owner, Teacher Trainer
Margaret Durbas founded Journey of Yoga LLC in 2004 to inspire health and happiness through the practice of yoga. Maggie’s classes are inspired by her training in Ashtanga and Iyengar style yoga… flowing with the breath to build heat in the body and then holding postures to get the most benefit with a focus on alignment and the multiple dimensions of the body.
Maggie began her journey into the world of health and fitness with running and then her first yoga class in 1980. After many years in the corporate world, she trained to become a certified personal trainer, after which she completed a 200-hour teacher training in Embodyoga. She then completed a 300-hour teacher training program in the ParaYoga lineage. Maggie is certified as a 500-Hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She completed her Ayurveda Health Counselor training at the Himalayan Institute and is certified with the National Ayurveda Medical Association (NAMA)., and she is a certified Reiki Master. She continues to study as learning is an integral part of her journey.
JoAnn Eicher
JoAnn attended her first yoga class in 2002 and was hooked! Over the years she explored several different styles of yoga, taking classes from a variety of teachers.
As she began to fully realize and appreciate the benefits of a yoga practice she was curious to explore further.
In 2015 JoAnn graduated from the 200 Yoga Teacher Training at Journey of Yoga under the guidance of Maggie Durbas. She continued to further her education in yoga and meditation attending many workshops in Connecticut and New York.
After teaching for 6 years, JoAnn elevated her teaching skills in 2021 having studied and completed the 300 Yoga Teacher Training with the Vesselify School of Yoga lead by international teacher Amy Ippoliti.
JoAnn brings to her classes an alignment based approach to asana, movement with attention to breath and mindfulness as a path to whole body health and longevity. She is eager to share her practice and the life long benefits of yoga.
Lesley Stephen
Lesley attended her first yoga class in 1983 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then practiced in various studios, church basements, and bedrooms along the way. She found her way to Journey of Yoga in 2015, reconnecting with Maggie and completing her 200-hour yoga teacher certification in 2016.
Lesley strives to create yoga classes that are safe, informative, and fun. She incorporates anatomy, yogic philosophy, and wisdom. Lesley infuses lightness into her classes and hopes to make yoga more accessible to those who need it most.
She feels privileged to belong to such a supportive Sangha. Lesley is eternally grateful to all of her teachers as she continues on her Yoga journey. As a Registered Nurse, she works full time in an intense nursing field, and uses yoga to bring balance, calm, and joy into her life and the lives of others.
Cyndi MacCluggage
The studio name “Journey of Yoga” always makes me smile, because that’s exactly what yoga feels like for me – a journey.
My path started with yoga asana classes through my workplace in 2015. I did gymnastics for 10 years as a kid and found that the physical aspects of working on strength, flexibility, and balance really resonated with me. However, yoga has an additional component of focusing on how the poses and movements feel, and that is an incredibly compassionate aspect that I greatly appreciate.
I knew there was more to yoga than the asanas, but I didn’t really explore that until I began teacher training at JOY in 2020. I’m so glad I entered into that training, because I learned very quickly that yoga is so much more than a physical practice. It has a ton to offer mentally and spiritually. Completing the 200-hour training felt like taking the first steps on an incredibly rewarding path, and I’m grateful that there will always be more steps to take. Always more to learn, to do, to be, to enjoy.
I love sharing yoga with others – on the mat as a student or instructor, and also off the mat with friends and online groups. My goal in teaching is to have classes that are safe, supportive, and fun. My intention with yoga is to maintain a beginner’s mind, keep an open heart, and enjoy the journey.
Kirstin Matarrese,
Studio Manager
Kirstin is the Studio Manager at Journey of Yoga. She takes care of the administrative part of the studio and works mainly in the background ensuring everything runs smoothly and our Wellness Living database is up to date. Kirstin also manages the studio’s social media accounts.
During Kirstin’s first yoga class in 2018, she felt a profound sense of relaxation, motivating her to continue practicing yoga as a way to help balance the hectic pace of life. In a short amount of time, she noticed a relief from back pain as well as other benefits. Her posture improved, and she felt more energetic and balanced. At JOY Kirstin found a home and has since deepened her practice. Yoga is an essential part of her life now, as she finds yoga helps her improve flexibility and strength and find a greater sense of peace and balance.
In her free time, Kirstin enjoys spending time in nature; hiking, swimming, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Julie Ingalls,
Studio Assistant
Julie’s yoga journey began seven years ago. At that first yoga class, she was unable to lie flat on the floor or find comfort in poses because of scoliosis until a kind and gentle teacher helped her through. With practice, her back and whole body began to feel better. Soon, Julie began to notice a huge difference in not only her body but in her mind and spirit as well. She began going to workshops and studying yoga more deeply. Julie graduated from JOY’s Yoga Teacher Training in 2015. Julie is a 200 hour E-RYT as well as a Thai Yoga Practitioner and Reiki Healer.
Because of her personal experience, Julie’s mission as a teacher is to help people in the ways that she has been helped. She relates especially to beginners and others working from the ground up.
Emily Rosen
Emily has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. She was initially drawn to the many physical benefits of yoga – increased flexibility, balance and strength, but soon learned to appreciate how yoga helped her to slow down, pay attention, and truly appreciate and understand the importance of the mind-body connection.
The desire to deepen her practice inspired her to obtain her 200-hour certification with Maggie Durbas in 2016, an opportunity for which she is extremely grateful.
Emily’s classes are a blend of movement and stillness, strength and flexibility, breath and awareness. Each unique class inspires students to bring together body, mind and heart in the present moment, enhancing well-being on and off the mat.
In her position at the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), Emily designs and leads staff development programs for teachers, administrators, psychologists, counselors, and others on integrating mindfulness and yoga into a variety of education settings.
Melinda Shedd
Melinda is passionate about yoga. She believes strongly in the mind/body connection, and that everyone can benefit from gaining a little more calmness within themselves.
Melinda was inspired to become a yoga teacher several years ago when she introduced yoga and meditation to the adolescents she works with and observed significant growth in their coping skills. In her work as a social worker, Melinda regularly witnesses yoga’s positive impact in the lives of her clients. Improvement not only in their physical health, but also in their emotional well-being, and ability to better handle stress, frustration, and anxiety. Personally, yoga helps Melinda stay grounded and centered in a chaotic world, and was a significant contributing factor in her completion of the Hartford Marathon in October 2017.
Melinda completed her 200 hour teacher training at Journey of Yoga in February 2018.
Tim Mayock
Tim started his yoga journey 25 years ago with the intent to find relief from chronic pain. Tim says “Yoga has been a great tool and has taught me so much about my body and mind.” As a musician Tim finds
that yoga and music practice intertwine. Tim approaches both with an attitude of "show up and let go of the results". Yoga helps with the contortions of daily music practice and singing helps to become more aware of breath and letting go of tension. Tim has done over 2000 classes with multiple teachers. He received his 200 hour YTT certification with Journey of Yoga and did a 250 hour yoga teacher training at Dhira yoga.
“My aim is to teach students about the mental benefits of yoga. I let them know that yoga can be similar to going to the beach in calming your thoughts. The challenge is yours to define and it never pays to push anything too much. The perfect pose is less important than the body's ability to find what works best – using props or just staying
in an unsupported version of a posture.” His approach is lighthearted, yet purposeful.