The Yoga Shala Staff

KRISTA SHIRLEY
FOUNDER, DIRECTOR & TEACHER

Krista Shirley is a level 2 authorized Ashtanga Yoga teacher, a Pilates Instructor, Body Mechanics/Proprioception instructor and the founder of The Yoga Shala in Maitland, Florida. Krista’s dedication to her personal yoga practice shines through in her teaching. Her energy is contagious and inspiring! Krista specializes in meeting each student where they are.

She aims to help clients create a habit of daily movement practices, improve mobility, increase flexibility and strength, rehabilitate from injuries, work towards mastery of movements, and feel good in their bodies! Krista specializes in helping each student truly integrate the body and mind and gain greater proprioception and body awareness.

Krista is here to help you begin or advance your Ashtanga Yoga journey, Pilates practice, or work on gaining functional mobility through Body Mechanics and looks forward to sharing this transformational and enriching practice with you.

Gabriella Armor

Gabriella Armor was introduced to yoga in an undergraduate yoga course in 2013 but truly developed a consistent practice and understanding of yoga when she began Ashtanga at the Yoga Shala in 2019. She underwent teacher training shortly after joining the Shala and has been teaching since. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Gabriella has a passion for guiding individuals to understand their own anatomy and cultivate awareness of one’s self from physical to emotional and spiritual depths.

Neil Valle

Neil Valle has been practicing yoga asana (postures) for over 8 years and meditation for 10 years. When he’s not working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at his private practice helping children and young adults communicate to their fullest potential or spending time with his family and two French bulldogs, you’ll find him on the mat or meditating.  While yoga asana is an important part of the practice, Neil’s yoga mediation and devotion practice learned from his Guru, Paramahansa Yogananada, are the cornerstones of his spiritual practice. Aside from family and yoga, Neil loves spending time outdoors hiking in the mountains, kayaking in the local lakes and waterways, and visiting all the natural wonders across the country.

Neil came to yoga as a result of a combination of interest and necessity. After being diagnosed with degenerative disk disease, a yoga teacher relative suggested Ashtanga Yoga, and from the first time he tired out an ashtanga video online, he was hooked. As he continued to practice regularly, he experienced reduced pain, reduced stiffness and numbness, and increased flexibility, strength, mental ease and overall vitality. Neil continues to practice ashtanga yoga regularly as a home practice and with guidance from his teacher Krista Shirley at the Yoga Shala. In 2020 Neil participated in Miami Life Center’s 200hr Ashtanga Practitioner’s Intensive with Kino MacGregor and Tim Feldman. He enjoys practicing a variety of asana styles, like vinyasa and yin yoga. In April 2024, Neil graduated from Yoga University’s 290hr Power Alignment Yoga Teacher Training with specialty certifications in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra. He enjoys working with a wide range of students, with a focus on elements of alignment, accessibility, mobility, breathwork, meditation, and even yogic philosophy.

Laura Daniel

In 1990 Laura started her practice of Hatha yoga beginning with the Iyengar tradition, moving to a fluid Vinyasa style and finally landing into her favorite style, Ashtanga Yoga. She is versed in the study of Kriyas and gained her Yoga Alliance certification from her studies in Kundalini Yoga at the Kundalini Yoga Center in Altamonte Springs, FL. Her current endeavors deal more with energetic, physical and emotional repatterining techniques for transformation and lasting wellness and is working toward her certification in Biosonic Sound Healing with Dr. John Beaulieu, ND, PhD. “My purpose as a teacher is to help students find a path that is right for them. Helping them find a practice that will enhance their lives.” Laura is also visual artist and graphic designer and has taught different aspects of Graphic Design and Visual Communication at Full Sail University for over 16 years.

Holly Garrison

Yoga found Holly Garrison in 2006, and she has since been inspired by her teachers in ways unique to each of them; they have shared a sense of peace and knowledge and have encouraged her to deepen her practice with each breath and to live with intention.  Holly loves to teach students of all ages and capabilities – from beginners seeking a gentle class to experienced yogis looking for a challenge.  She incorporates elements of vinyasa and ashtanga styles of teaching in her classes and is also a prenatal certified instructor.  In 2014, Holly opened Firefly Yoga Company in Orlando, and a second location in Ocoee in 2017, which is the sole location currently.  She is so excited to share the practice at the Shala in Maitland, a little closer to home and to Firefly’s roots!  She hopes that each practice she leads will be fun and cultivate tranquility and that her students will see progress in their strength and flexibility both on and off the mat, as well as experience the inward, spiritual journey that yoga has to offer.

Donia Kitsmiller

Donia Kitsmiller has been practicing yoga and pranayama for many years before becoming a freediving instructor. While In Tulum Mexico in a dive trip she was introduced to psychedelic breathwork or conscious connected breathwork and had a life changing experience. She promptly returned to Tulum to immerse herself in the course to become a certified breathwork facilitator. Her sessions are filled with love, healing, release, and relaxation and occasionally some spontaneous giggles. 

Maddie Fosmo

Maddie’s practice has always encompassed her deep love for Ashtanga. She finds Ashtanga to be a space for meditation, internal connection, and has an admiration for the culture that surrounds the practice. To deepen her practice and teaching skills Maddie intentionally travels to learn from a traditional lineage of teachers. She finds herself growing exponentially when in new, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable spaces, taking breaths along the way.

Maddie thrives by creating personal connections and authentic relationships with each of her students. She is excited and looking forward to serving our yoga community. 

Chuck Bostrom