Rise Yoga
Where Connection Comes First
a space to move, breathe + belong
Rise Yoga is a welcoming, community-rooted yoga studio in Albemarle, North Carolina, where everyone is invited to experience the healing power of yoga. Through mindful movement, intentional breath, meditation, and supportive community, we nurture the whole person — mind, body, and spirit. Our experienced teachers guide each student with care, helping you build inner and outer strength, flexibility, and connection both on and off the mat.
Meet the teachers who shape the Rise Yoga experience for our Stanly County community…
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Heather Rushing Chaney
Co-Founder of Rise Yoga • Lead Teacher • Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist E-RYT 500 • YACEP
Heather is a highly experienced, functional movement, science based yoga teacher with over a decade of teaching and mentorship experience. As an ERYT-500, Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist, with 17 years of Nursing (RN, BSN) , she brings deep anatomical knowledge, a trauma-aware approach, and a passion for community health and healing.
She completed two 300-hour teacher trainings and is well over halfway in her pursuit toward 1,000 hours with Yoga Medicine. Forever a student, she is continually learning, evolving, and deepening her understanding of the body, the breath, and the human experience.
Heather blends purposeful movement with thoughtful sequencing, creating an environment where students can explore their practice with curiosity, freedom, and ease while still finding moments of deep calm and meaningful connection.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Functional Yoga Ease
Vinyasa + Heated Power Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Teacher Mentorship & Training (YTT)
“I believe in the power of community. Rise Yoga is deeply rooted in connection, and I love helping to create a space where people feel seen, supported, and at home.”
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Allison Hudson Mingle
Co-Founder of Rise Yoga • Founder + President of Will’s Place
Allison’s heart for service and healing is at the center of everything she does. As the founder of Will’s Place Recovery Resource Center, she has devoted her life to creating safe, supportive spaces for individuals and families impacted by addiction and recovery.
After finding yoga in the years following her own recovery, Allison experienced firsthand how deeply the practice could heal — not just the body, but the mind and spirit. With a simple idea and a hopeful heart, she reached out to Heather to share a vision of bringing yoga to the broader community, creating a space where people of all backgrounds could experience connection, healing, and belonging.
She believes yoga is for every body and every story, and her greatest passion is helping people feel seen, supported, and whole. Through both Will’s Place and Rise Yoga, Allison continues to serve her community, offering hope, connection, and space for healing.
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Corey Beth Travaglini
RYT 200 • Reiki Master • In House Studio Photographer
CB brings to the mat a deep passion for creativity and embodied, empowered wellness, offering thoughtful and sacred space in every class she leads. She is a registered yoga teacher, a Reiki Master, and the in-house studio photographer, blending artistic expression with healing practices.
In addition to her work in the studio, she holds 400 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education, with extensive training in spiritual care and coursework in transformational life coaching. She has pursued additional training in intuitive healing arts, sound and vibrational healing modalities, and serves as a certified Yoga of 12-Step Recovery (Y12SR) peer support space holder. CB is also a proud military veteran.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Meditation
Yoga Nidra
Sound Healing
She lives and teaches by the belief: “Healing is both an art and a homecoming.”
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Beverly Bowden-Smith
RYT 200 • Personal Trainer • Health + Wellness Coach • Nutrition Coach • Exercise Therapy Specialist • Mat Pilates Instructor
Beverly has several fitness-related certifications which she uses to bring a multifaceted approach to her yoga teaching. As well as being an RYT-200, she is a mindbodygreen Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, an ISSA Certified Nutrition Coach, Exercise Therapy Specialist, and Mat Pilates Instructor. In her classes, you can expect a little of the unexpected as she blends functional strength and mobility work in with traditional yoga sequences.
What she teaches:
Mobility + Myofascial Release
Vinyasa + Slow Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Pilates
“I want my students to know they are each an amazing and unique person worthy of good things and self-care. I want them to love and value their bodies, and to be confident that they can do hard things.”
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Alia King
E-RYT 500 • YACEP
Alia has been teaching yoga for more than 13 years and believes deeply that yoga is a space where everyone belongs. She loves helping students feel good in their bodies and find success in their own way, and she has a special passion for guiding beginners as they discover their practice. In addition to her advanced training, Alia is certified to provide continuing education for yoga teachers and remains committed to her own growth as both a student and an educator. She is currently pursuing her EdD in Organizational Leadership and Learning and is grateful to be part of the Rise community.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Vinyasa + Slow Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Yoga Nidra
Teacher Mentorship & Training (YTT)
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Trinida Rapadas
RYT 200 • Silver Sneakers Certified Instructor
Trinida brings a warm, reflective, and love-centered energy to every class she leads, creating space for deep relaxation and inner connection. She is a 200-hour certified Vinyasa teacher through Chakra Flow University’s BIPOC training and holds additional certifications with the Silver Sneakers Foundation.
She is known for encouraging students to love themselves exactly where they are, celebrating small and big victories along the way. Trinida often reminds students to say “I love you” — to themselves and to the world — believing that love is the most powerful form of healing. Her hope is that every student leaves feeling light, lifted, and deeply connected to their highest source of love.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Chair Yoga
Vinyasa + Slow Vinyasa
Gentle Yoga
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Lisa Znaniecki
RYT 200
Lisa is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher who brings a strong fitness background and a genuine love of movement to every class she teaches. A former personal trainer, she enjoys all forms of fitness—from running to strength training—and blends that experience seamlessly into her yoga teaching.
She has completed two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings: one Baptiste-inspired and one more broadly based, giving her a well-rounded, thoughtful approach to sequencing, strength, and intelligent movement. Her classes are energetic, strong, and empowering, while remaining accessible and adaptable for every body and every level.
Students love the sense of connection they feel in Lisa’s classes. Laughter is common, energy is high, and students leave feeling both challenged and supported. Lisa is known for being genuine, personable, and an excellent communicator, creating a welcoming environment where students feel seen, encouraged, and capable.
With a deep understanding of the body, Lisa skillfully bridges traditional yoga and strength-based movement, offering options and modifications that help each student move safely, confidently, and effectively.
What she teaches:
Strengthen + Stretch
Vinyasa + Heated Power Vinyasa
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
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Holly Wagoner
RYT 200
Holly Wagoner is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) who creates peaceful, welcoming yoga classes where students feel safe, supported, and free to be themselves. With more than 20 years of experience in education and counseling—especially supporting individuals with disabilities—Holly brings a deeply compassionate, intuitive approach to every class she teaches.
Her classes are known for their calming energy, thoughtful playlists, and sensory-rich atmosphere, often enhanced by gentle aromatherapy. Holly has a natural gift for reading the room, offering thoughtful modifications, adjusting pacing, and creating space for students to soften, release tension, and reconnect to their bodies.
Holly’s classes are especially loved by beginners and those who enjoy slower-paced, gentle flow and deep stretch practices. Students often leave feeling more open in their bodies, calmer in their minds, and supported in their journey both on and off the mat.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Vinyasa + Slow Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
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Kimberleigh Hagar
RYT 200
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Vinyasa + Slow Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Meditation
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Gloria Permison
RYT 200 • MSW, LCSW
Gloria Permison is a yoga teacher and holistic mental health therapist who blends mindful movement, breathwork, and therapeutic presence to create a calm and nurturing space for all who practice with her. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in April 2025, deepening her commitment to integrative mind–body healing.
Her classes are known for their grounding, relaxing atmosphere, where students are invited to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and honor the wisdom of their bodies. Drawing from both her clinical background and yogic training, Gloria incorporates gentle somatic practices, mindfulness, and sound baths to support emotional balance, nervous-system regulation, and holistic wellbeing.
Inclusivity is at the heart of her teaching. She holds space for all bodies, identities, and levels of experience, offering compassionate guidance and accessible practices that meet each student exactly where they are. Through her warm and welcoming approach, Gloria hopes to help others feel seen, supported, and empowered on their healing journey.
What she teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Slow Vinyasa
Yin
Gentle Yoga
Meditation
Sound Healing
"What happens when people open their hearts? They get better." ~Haruki Murakami
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Steven Yost
RYT 200
Steven lives and breathes the power of movement. From swimming to completing nearly ten marathons and ultramarathons, his life has long been shaped by strength, perseverance, and curiosity. After experiencing a stroke in 2020, his relationship with movement transformed in a profound way. When large movement wasn’t possible, he discovered the quiet power of breath and the healing potential of small, intentional movements.
That journey now lives at the heart of his teaching. Steven offers slow, mindful, and accessible classes where students are met with compassion, patience, and belief. He creates a space where every body is honored, progress is personal, and healing is always possible—no matter where you are starting from.
What he teaches:
Deep Stretch
Myofascial Release
Slow Vinyasa
Gentle Yoga
Our studio is not just a place to practice yoga; it's a place to connect, to find your people, and to grow together. We offer a wide variety of classes, from the serene and meditative to the dynamic and energizing.
No matter which class you choose, you'll find a community of like-minded students who share your commitment to personal growth and well-being.
Welcome to Rise Yoga..we are so glad you’re here!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Rise Yoga is located in the heart of Stanly County in downtown Albemarle, NC at 540 N 1st St. Our studio is on the second floor of the three story white brick building at the corner of Ludlow and 1st. Enter through the garden gate on 1st, the studio is located on the. top of the stairs.
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Yes! Whether you’re looking to build strength, ease stress, increase flexibility, or reconnect with yourself, yoga supports the whole person; body, mind, and spirit. Our classes are designed to help you feel better in your daily life, both on and off the mat.
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Expect a friendly welcome, a supportive community, and a class that meets you where you are.
Arrive around 5–10 minutes early. You can park along the street on N 1st or on Ludlow St, or in the parking lot beside the park on N 1st across from the YMCA. Then enter our building through the garden, the side door of the building. The studio is on the second floor.
You’ll check in with your teacher and they’ll be happy to show you around. If you have a yoga mat, bring it along, if not, we’re happy to provide one for you.
Rise Yoga is a space to breathe, reconnect, and feel at ease, so rest assured, we will make you feel at home.
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Not at all. At Rise, we believe yoga meets you exactly where you are. Our experienced teachers guide you through movement, breath, and mindfulness in a way that feels safe, supportive, and accessible.
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Yes, every single one! Our teachers are highly trained, experienced, and deeply community-focused. You’ll find teachers with advanced certifications in Yoga Medicine®, Y12SR, Reiki, and more.
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The best place to begin is our New Student 2 Weeks Unlimited + Free Guest Pass — a perfect way to explore classes and bring a friend. Head on over to the Pricing Options tab to explore.
