OCY Teachers
Hillary Swift, RYT 200
Hillary was born and raised in Oxford, Ohio and is grateful to be a part of our wonderful and thriving local community. She first started practicing yoga during her college years at Miami University and quickly fell in love with the supportive group of people in her classes, the increased body and mind awareness as well as that wonderful sense of calm that comes with breathing deeply and moving mindfully.
Hillary graduated from Miami University in 2015 with a B.S. in Public Health and completed her RYT-200 in 2016. She has taught yoga at the MU REC Center, Uptown Yoga in the Park, and at Root Yoga in Oxford, OH.
In 2017, Hillary accepted a job in Hamilton, OH working as a Health Specialist at a senior living community where she taught a variety of fitness classes including yoga and chair yoga for the past five years. Hillary has a background in teaching Pilates, Tai Chi for Arthritis as well as Silver Sneakers Yoga, Classic and Circuit classes. In 2020 Hillary became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.
She is excited to return to her home town and offer yoga classes that allow people to connect with others in a safe and supportive space, to move in a way that honors the body exactly as it is, and to rediscover the immense power that we each have within ourselves.
Scott Williams, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Scott Williams has been teaching yoga since 2004 when he completed Miami University's yoga teacher training course. He is registered nationally with the Yoga Alliance through the 200-hour course offered by the Cincinnati Yoga School and 500-hour course offered by Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane.
Scott teaches vinyasa (movement linked to breath) style yoga and has experience teaching classes from basic for beginners to challenging for advanced practitioners, and for all ages.
Gail Hautau, RYT 200, Certified Longevity Coach
Gail was born in Virginia, but moved to Ohio as a young child. She has been an Oxford resident ever since. Gail attended local schools and graduated from Miami University with a Masters Degree in Education. Gail taught in the public school system for 25 years before retiring. Prior to that she worked as a Visual Display Manager, and Assistant Store Manager for the Macy’s in Oxford, OH.
Gail practiced yoga in her 20's and 30's and has maintained a regular meditation practice over the years. Taking care of a family and working full time brought a halt to her yoga practice for a number of years but she decided to begin again, and became certified to teach yoga.
Gail has been teaching locally since 2018 and currently teaches Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Qi Gong. She loves the benefits for the mind, body, spirit, and the energetic body gained by these practices.
Gail’s interests are (in no particular order) yoga, Qi Gong, gardening, pets, (indoor) plants, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Georgia Slagel, RYT 200
Georgia Slagel is a student at Miami University studying Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Her regular yoga practice started at a young age, when she discovered she had scoliosis. To maintain a strong back, she implemented yoga into her fitness routine during high school. She instantly fell in love with the awareness of the mind-body connection that yoga brought her. Georgia found herself less stressed and a more mindful person from her yoga practice. Her senior year in high school she became a RYT-200 from Eternal Yoga School in Ashland, KY.
Georgia enjoys helping others reset and unwind from their everyday lives. She loves sharing her love, light, and energy with fellow yogis. She has been teaching yoga for the past two years and looks forward to being a lifelong yogi.
Kerri Cissna, RYT 200
Kerri is originally from Illinois, but spent most of her adult life on the West Coast learning about cultures from around the world. In 2009, she was introduced to yoga, and she built a consistent practice at Core Power Yoga in Southern California. The mind-body connection led her to heal childhood trauma and put an end to both personal and professional dysfunctional relationships.
Upon returning to the Midwest in 2021, Kerri became certified to teach Vinyasa Yoga through Yoga Alliance and the Miami University Rec Center. She loves sharing the practice and journey of yoga with others.
When she is not teaching yoga, Kerri is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, researching faith and entrepreneurship. She is also Executive Director at the Interfaith Center in Oxford, OH.
Mackenzie Hamlin, RYT 200
Mackenzie discovered yoga during her early years of high school in Columbus, Ohio. While balancing school and competitive dancing, she would attend any yoga class she possibly could. Yoga had found a special place in her heart and she aspired to take her passion to the next level. While being home from school during the coronavirus pandemic, she started on her yoga teacher training journey.
Mackenzie is a recent graduate from Miami University receiving her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and is super excited to be joining Oxford Community Yoga in hopes of spreading her love and passion for yoga to all whom she encounters.
Jessica Lohrey, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, YACEP
Jessica has been a dedicated student of yoga since 2000, studying teachings from the Vedas and Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and writings from several Saiva Tantra traditions.
Jessica holds teaching certificates from Yoga of India (under the instruction of Gurmukh Mike Noury), The Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts (with Yoganand Michael Carroll) and The Center for Integrative Yoga Studies (with Marlysa Sullivan.)
She is both an Oxford native and a Miami graduate. Jessica returned home in 2020 after living in cities across the US for 28 years. She is excited to share the powerful teachings of yoga with her hometown community!
Jessica is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is certified at the highest level as an E-RYT 500 and Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) with Yoga Alliance. She specializes in private yoga, teacher training and mentorship, and showing others how to use yoga as a therapeutic tool for maintaining physical and emotional balance in our busy modern society.
In addition to her role as owner and teacher at OCY, Jessica is also the owner and Certified Aromatherapist at Tree of India.
