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Bill Raup, RYT 500 & ERYT 500
Bill Raup is the founder of Power Yoga Works, two affiliate Baptiste
Power Vinyasa Yoga Institute studios, in Philadelphia, PA and Malvern, PA.
Bill‘s sense of humor, inspiration, and fun approach to baptiste power
vinyasa yoga has attracted thousands of students to Power Yoga Works in
Pennsylvania and around the country. Bill’s passion for teaching yoga
has given him the opportunity to share his life experiences with his
students.
Bill has been a teacher and student of Baron Baptiste and the baptiste
style of yoga since 1995. Along with running his studios and teacher
trainings in Pennsylvania, Bill assists Baron at his teacher training
around the country and internationally. He is the only certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Master teacher in Pennsylvania. He
also is certified to teach ashtanga yoga by Beryl Bender Birch, director
of The Hard and The Soft Astanga Yoga Institute In NYC. In addition, he
holds Yoga Alliance’s 500 hour
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher designation for teaching yoga. Power Yoga Works is the Only Yoga Alliance Registered
Power Vinyasa Yoga Teaching School in Pennsylvania. Bill and his staff leads teacher certification programs throughout the year at the Pennsylvania studios.
When Bill is away from the studios, he spends his time with his wife Dawn, kids, grandkids, his church and two bernese mountain dogs.
You can contact Bill directly at
bill@poweryogaworks.com. Also for Workshops, Intensives, and Private sessions contact Bill at his email address.
Dawn Raup, RYT 200 & ERYT 200
Dawn discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga the summer of 2000. Signing up for a six week course at a local learning center was just the start. After her second class, Dawn asked the instructor, “Is there anywhere else I can go to do this?” The instructor recommended Power Yoga Works. That week, she attended her first class with Bill Raup, and the true transformation began!
Dawn became a regular at the studio; signed up to work the front desk, and before long, was managing the entire door staff. A year into her practice, she began assisting Bill in classes and attended the first Teacher Training Program at Power Yoga Works to sharpen her assisting skills. Teaching yoga wasn’t part of Dawn’s plan, but when called upon to practice teach, the true magic of Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga sparked. Dawn knew that teaching was another way of sharing with others what was given to her through this practice…the power to change, the power to grow.
Dawn began teaching at Power Yoga Works the spring of 2002. She completed Level 1 Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in August, 2003, Level 2 Teacher Training in May, 2005 and now is working towards the nationally and internationally recognized Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Certification.
She is a certified Power Yoga Works teacher, and holds the 200 hour nationally recognized Yoga Alliance teacher certification.
“Together, Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga and Power Yoga Works provide the catalyst and environment for profound change. It is an honor to be a part of these communities, and to share this amazing journey with you.”
Kathleen Guidotti, RYT 200
Kathleen supports yoga for its preventative and restorative qualities for the health of the mind, body and spirit. She first became aware of the mind body connection while training for her black belt in Tae Kwon Do with her father. She then began practicing Hatha yoga, instructed by her mother, in 1997. She admits that initially yoga frustrated her but was intrigued by her inability to simply relax and enjoy being with herself. So she pursued studying with her mother and over time something began to resonate.
“I remember the first time my mom brought me to class at Power Yoga Works in 2000. I remember resting in child pose and thinking, ‘I want to do this forever.’ I used to struggle greatly with anxiety and depression but through my yoga practice on and off my matt I found a sense of self and strength I never knew I possessed. Practicing has changed and continues to change my life in formidable ways. Not only has my physical being grown stronger and more agile, my emotional being is developing with a sense of awareness and compassion, and patience as I move forward on my journey. Not a day goes by that I‘m not filled with a sense of gratitude for this practice. I am continually humbled buy the transformation I see in my self and honored to have the opportunity to share this with my students.”
Kathleen in certified by Power Yoga Works and hold the 200 hour nationally recognized Yoga Alliance teacher certification. She completed Teacher Training Boot camp Level I with Baron Baptiste in the summer of 2006. She is also in graduate school for a Masters in Public Health with a Certification in Integrative Health.
Tracy Kane, RYT 200
In 2004, Tracy received her 200 hour teacher Power Vinyasa Yoga certification at Power Yoga Works.
In April 2005, Tracy will attend Level One Teacher Training bootcamp with Baron Baptiste.
She also holds the 200 hour nationally recognized Yoga Alliance teacher certification.
Tracy has been practicing yoga since January of 2002. Her yoga experience began with a weekly class at a local community center. She then began to explore power and ashtanga yoga including workshops with David Swenson, Beryl Bender Birch and Baron Baptiste.
When she came to Power Yoga works in Sept of 2002,
she knew she found her true passion for the practice and teaching of power vinyasa yoga.
Tracy states that she has many personal benefits from her yoga practice:
“Yoga has been such a wonderful blessing in my life. I have changed and grown so much over these past few years.
I have never been stronger mentally and physically. I am happier, healthier and more secure with myself more than I have ever been. Everyday I am so grateful and thankful that I am able to practice and that I am able to share this wonderful, beautiful practice with others.”
Megan McNeal, RYT 200
Though she started practicing yoga in 2001 and teaching in 2003, Megan did not quite comprehend the life-altering power of yoga until she participated in the 40 Days to a Personal Revolution program at Power Yoga Works. Megan always recognized the physical and mental benefits of yoga but as the program encouraged her to use her mat as a mirror; she has turned her attention inward and embarked on her continuous journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
The lessons she learned during those 40 days were only amplified by the Teacher Training Program which she completed in the winter of 2008. Megan has fully embraced the life-long commitment and challenge of applying the principles of yoga to living well and promoting her best self. She can only hope to convey her experiences and passion with her students and support them through their own personal journeys.
When Megan is not on her mat or teaching yoga, she spends her days teaching middle school students Spanish. She also enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time relaxing at home.
David Krensing, RYT 200
David has been affiliated with a range of local not-for-profit arts organizations for the past twenty years and is perhaps known best to the Philadelphia region as a Principal Dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet. His exploration of yoga began toward the end of his dancing career as a way to compliment his rigorous and increasingly demanding ballet training. He retired from professional dancing in 2005. In yoga he found something both ancient and good; a physically challenging, mentally focused discipline that moved beyond a workout toward overall self-examination and reflection. He points to his practice a vital tool in navigating a time of immense change in his life. He says “yoga helped restore my confidence that everything will be okay when it seemed absolutely nothing was. I was able to let go of the past and stop stressing about a future I couldn’t imagine or control. I found myself happily and gainfully living in the present again.”
David enrolled in the Teacher Training program at Power Yoga Works in the fall of 2006 under Bill Raup. He recently completed Level 1 Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in October of 2007 and he has attended additional workshops with Baron and Beryl Bender Birch. David considers teaching as a chance to give back. “I have a lot of amazing and diverse experiences and consider myself extremely lucky,” he says. He is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level.
David is also the manager of Power Yoga Works’ Philadelphia studio; he serves as a development and Arts consultant; and he continues to teach independently at several regional ballet schools.
Don Myer, RYT 200
Don took his first yoga class in 2004 at Power Yoga Works after reading “Journey Into Power” by Baron Baptiste. Seeking a deeper understanding of yoga, he attended Teacher Training with Master Teacher Bill Raup in the spring of 2006 and has been teaching at Power Yoga Works since 2007. Don feels truly honored to be part of the community at Power Yoga Works and continues to study and share his passion of this transformational yoga practice.
Don completed Level 1 Teacher Training in August 2007 and Level 2 Teacher Training in September 2009 with Baron Baptiste and is currently working towards his certification. He claims the experience at Level 1 Teacher Training with Baron was unforgettable and a true transformation. He said it was a week of grueling practice both on and off the mat. Don learned that the REAL practice of being authentic and present in life is not only on the mat - but off the mat as well. Don encourages everyone to step onto their mats with an open mind and open heart welcoming true transformation.
Melanie Gazaway, RYT 200
Melanie discovered Yoga and Power Yoga Works for the first time in the Spring of 2000. “I was walking by the studio at 3925 Walnut while competing in the Penn Relays. Injury had got the best of my body and my mind. I saw a book in the window Power Yoga for Runners. It intrigued me and so I went in. I was convinced, it was my last hope to recover and run again. I began attending Bill’s classes where I learned it was OK to fake it until you make it. After I didn’t have to fake it anymore I literally watched my body heal without any struggle. I ran faster and was much stronger (physically and mentally) than I had ever been in my entire Track and Field career”.
In the Fall of 2006 Melanie decided to train to teach Power Vinyasa Yoga with Bill Raup at Power Yoga Works and share the amazing benefits of yoga with other people. “At first it was about me and now it’s not about me anymore it is about helping others. For me it is like a ministry and an opportunity to serve others in need. I am grateful to be able to share my experience with others and thank Bill for his encouragement and support.”
Melanie is an Educator specializing in Early Childhood and Special Education. Melanie has shared yoga with many of her students. In addition, Melanie is a High School Track and Field Coach as well as a Certified Spinning Instructor. Melanie plans to deepen her craft as a yoga instructor by attending Baron Baptiste’s Level 1 Teacher Training in the Spring of 2008. Melanie is married to Tom Gazaway and the mother of Aiden Gazaway (who loves happy baby pose).
Kim Brenneman, RYT 200
You have to try this, it’s heated yoga and you sweat so much! This recommendation from a friend is what first brought Kim to Power Yoga Works four years ago. “Sweating it out” once in a while quickly matured into practicing yoga 3 times a week. The physical challenge opened up something within her: a way to balance and center herself. For Kim, Power Vinyasa Yoga is the perfect discipline because it maintains health in both the mind and body.
Curiosity inspired Kim to sign up for the teacher-training course at PYW in the spring of 2007, a decision that continues to transform and enrich her life. Her commitment to teaching yoga and continuing to learn and grow within her own practice, strengthens and enhances aspects of her life—on the mat and in daily life, as well. She says that the more time she spends studying, practicing and teaching, the more she knows that there is a world of things to discover about helping myself and others to grow in the practice of yoga.
“I am so grateful for yoga and the wonderful community of people at the Power Yoga Works studio that have brought so much richness and growth in my own physical, emotional and spiritual journey.”
Joe Nowlan, RYT 200
Although he wasn't sure he’d make it through his first down dog, Joe's first yoga class, a birthday present in 2001, hooked him from the start. "I was shaking and the sweat was pouring off of me," Joe remembers. He began taking classes once a week and worked up to practicing every other day.
In his early twenties Joe was in a car accident which caused serious trauma to his body. As a result, he often wasn’t present in his body during times of stress. Yoga introduced Joe to his breath and its ability to unite the mind, body and spirit. During a challenging asana, Joe stays present by keying in on the teacher’s breathing instruction.
Once, after practice, a teacher suggested the Power Yoga Works (PYW) teacher training to Joe, and a seed was planted. In 2007 he earned his YTT, became a member of the PYW Wednesday beginner’s class team, and volunteered to assist in the Sunday and Monday afternoon all level classes at PYW in Malvern. These experiences enhanced and reinforced his training. Joe completed the Baron Baptise Level I training in 2008, and continues ongoing education by attending the various workshops provided at PYW.
Give it your all to discover more about yourself through your practice is the example Joe sets when he teaches. He hopes that everyone leaves their mat a little lighter, and inspired to live from a deeper place of gratitude.
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