About Our Teachers - Nahar Yoga

ARIELLE ECKHAUS WELCH, Studio Owner & Yoga Teacher
+ Professional Background, Experience & Training
Arielle Eckhaus Welch’s eclectic lifelong background in teaching and guiding children and adults in ski and water sports education eventually led her to practice yoga as a way to improve health, find clarity, and relieve pain and depression. She brings experience, insight, compassion and dedication to her entire practice of yoga. Her rich inner wisdom and over 450 hours of professional teacher training allow her to have a calm and unwavering supportive atmosphere in all her classes. Arielle currently teaches all levels of Vinyasa yoga, and Prenatal yoga. A dedicated practitioner since 2001, Arielle has developed “the tools to be at peace… I’m empowered with the ability to heal myself and be really happy.”

Arielle is a certified Rasamaya® Yoga and Core Teacher; she studied with Carrie Tyler at Bhava Yoga in Brattleboro, VT. Her professional training also includes Baron Baptiste’s Level I & Level II Teacher Training and Assistant Training, as well as studying Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga extensively with Coeli Marsh and Gregor Singleton at BPYI in Cambridge. She studied the Anusara yoga system with Todd Norian; and the blending of Vinyasa and Anusara yoga with Rolf Gates and Roman Spzond. She has found her Barre Above training complements yoga in a way no other exercise does. Her desire is to share the “new possibilities” that yoga and barre present to those who will embrace it.

She is a certified Baby, Tot & Tyke Itsy Bitsy Yoga® Facilitator, a fabulous program developed by Helen Garabedian. She holds a certificate to teach Prenatal Yoga from Janice Clarfield, and trained with Tara Gruber and Leah Kalish to become a certified Yoga Ed Instructor for the Tools for Teachers program – which brings yoga to children in grades K-8 by training classroom teachers how to use yoga-based tools.

Arielle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, with a minor in rehabilitation from the University of Maine at Farmington. She achieved a Level 2 PSIA alpine ski instructor and Level I AASI snowboard instructor, and has taught skiing and snowboarding at McIntyre Ski Area, Sugarloaf USA in Maine and Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. In addition to yoga, she has been a Kindergarten teacher at the JFNH Preschool in Manchester and has worked as an administrator and teacher in after-school programs and vacation programs. She currently coaches the Race Development Team at Ragged Mountain Ski Area in the winter and runs the waterfront at an overnight summer camp.

+ Personal Statement
I first came to yoga in 2001 to heal back pain, find clarity, and relieve depression. One class and I was hooked! I am dedicated to teaching yoga because I want to share with others all that it has done, and continues to do, for me.

Doing yoga is like getting a massage, going to the chiropractor, therapist, and physical therapist all at once. It opened me to new possibilities for my life. Though my joint and back pain have not completely disappeared, I now have the tools to make myself feel better. I am at peace knowing that I know what to do. I am empowered with the ability to heal myself. I finally know how to make myself really happy
From October 2005 through June 2006, I endured 4 knee surgeries. I was able to teach intermittently and practice an extremely modified yoga practice during this time, but I credit my yoga practice before, during, and in combination with physical therapy for my rapid recovery. Even during a month of complete non-weight bearing crutching & wheelchair use I used my “yoga off the mat” to keep me going. I regained all of my natural flexibility and continue to strengthen my body & mind each day. I was even able to dance at my wedding in August 2006!

My husband Mike and I moved back to my childhood hometown of Derry, NH. I feel blessed to be sharing yoga with the communities where I grew up. Being a teacher and student of yoga helps me maintain the energy necessary to keep up with children. As a new mom, I really appreciated my yoga practice. It helped me connect with my babies in utero, prepare for childbirth, and get my body back afterwards.
This is where I’m supposed to be. I used to say, ‘Everything happens for a reason’, but I was still walking around wondering and worrying about the future and what would happen. Now, I have the practical ability to be in this moment and appreciate it – for whatever it has to offer me. I am alive. Come celebrate with me!

Erin Spencer, Barre Teacher
Erin has been involved in a variety of dance disciplines since she was 3 years old. She danced with the studio company for Cathy’s Studio, which later evolved into En Mass and the The Studio, in Melrose, MA. She spent several years as a dance instructor with students ranging from 4 to over 40. Erin began practicing yoga at Nahar in 2014. In 2019, she became a certified Barre Above instructor. Erin has worked with Arielle to create the “Barre@Nahar” class which takes the core of the Barre Above class but adds in a twist that reflects the instructors’ backgrounds. Erin is excited to be able contribute in this new way to the community of Nahar.

KRISTEN WILSON, Bellydance Teacher
Coming soon….

RIVKA SCHWARTZ, Wellness Coach, Herbalist, Environmental Educator
“I completed Wellness Coaching studies at the Mayo Clinic. Their wellness coaching philosophy of listening closely to the clients’ needs and goals and the respectful, cooperative methods used is what drew me to this method of coaching.

I studied herbal medicine with Chris Marano, gaining a certificate from Blazing Star Herbal School. I have been teaching classes in herbalism for 14 years. My view is holistic, encompassing diet, movement, lifestyle and herbal remedies. While I create and share herbal medicines with family and friends, my favorite uses of herbs are cooking with herbs as a part of a healthy diet bringing their benefits into everyday life.

With a love of the nature and the outdoors, I teach nature studies to people of all ages at Beaver Brook Nature Center. I specialize in wildflower and wild edibles walks.

Having struggled with numerous health issues and raising 3 sons, I’ve experienced the power that even small changes in lifestyle can make and the effectiveness of herbal remedies.”

SARAH WHITE, Yoga & Hoop Dance Teacher
Sarah came to yoga to help manage stress and anxiety. As someone who had panic attacks, she wanted to find a way to manage her emotions without taking medication. Very shortly after beginning her practice the panic attacks stopped. She was able to learn how to control her breath (Pranayama) and dive deep into the emotional aspects of her life and take time to process. Sarah weaves these two aspects of practice into all of the classes she teaches.

Sarah’s professional background is in developing and teaching vocational education for adults with developmental disabilities. She graduated from University of New Hampshire with a Bachelors in Communication, Business and Woman’s Studies. She is currently getting her Masters Degree in Social Work through Simmons College and plans to graduate May 2016. Her most recent internship was providing counseling to homeless families and she will be doing college counseling at Framingham State University this upcoming academic year.

She completed her 200 hour Vinyasa Yoga teacher training with Inner Strength Studios in Watertown, MA and is continuing to study every opportunity she gets. Sarah has studied various forms of yoga and tries to maintain a well-rounded practice to help make yoga accessible to all.

She is thrilled to be part of the team at Nahar Yoga, as both a yoga teacher and hoop dance instructor. She is looking forward to practicing and sharing the gift of yoga with each and every member of the Nahar community.

SHARON LEDBETTER, Yoga Teacher
Sharon took her first yoga class while looking for something to do on a cruise ship in 2001. The sense of peace experienced at the end of the class was the beginning of an unending desire to learn more about this wonderful practice we call yoga. Sharon took classes locally for many years from Joe Chicarello, a dedicated yogi and wonderful teacher who skillfully wove the philosophy of yoga into all of his classes.

Sharon completed her 200 hour teacher certification through the YogaWorks teacher training program instructed by brilliant, senior teacher Natasha Rizopoulos. The YogaWorks method blends the precise alignment of Iyengar yoga with the breath and movement of Ashtanga yoga. Each class begins with focusing on the breath and then postures are introduced to gradually warm the body in a sequence where the body is adequately prepared for the poses that follow. Students are encouraged to challenge themselves while respecting the limitations of their body. We end each class with Namaste, a gesture of humility and gratitude, and leave with a sense of inner peace and clear mind.

ALISHA SAVOY, Yoga Teacher
Alisha completed her Yoga Teacher & Reiki Level 1 Training with Yoga NH in May 2020. Her classes are a delightful slow flow inspired by vinyasa, yin, and restorative yoga.
“I first started my yoga journey in 2010, and found a space that felt like a new home. Since then, I have strived to foster a space that welcomes all and offers peace within and as a community. Yoga has always been a way to come back to myself, and to the present moment. It reminds me to respect where I am and what I need as it arises, accepting, and then letting go. I hope to encourage the same sense of belonging in each of you. See you on the mat!”

HALIE ELLIOTT, Bliss Breathwork
Halie is a Certified Breathwork Healer based in Southern NH. “Whether you’ve never even heard of Breathwork or it was love at first breath, like me, you’ve come to the right place. I am here to offer you a space for healing and growth. Join me in this powerful journey of self-discovery and inner bliss.”

“The way I see it, ” Halie says, “we’re all in this together, and together, we can find the peace and healing we need.”

REMEMBERING Beloved Yoga Teacher SHEILA ALLICON… from Arielle
Sheila joined us at Nahar Yoga in the summer of 2013 after having practiced yoga and meditation for over 7 years. She received her 200 hour Yoga Certification at the Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja Mexico, where she was completely immersed in the yogic lifestyle. She began teaching Yoga in July of 2011, creating her own unique program which fused breath work, meditation, vinyasa flow yoga that often included qigong, spontaneous movement and kirtan. She taught corporate and private classes and a very beginner program for those who want to try yoga. She had been teaching gentle yoga and Qigong in the community for over 6 years when she joined our Nahar Yoga family.

Off the mat, Sheila was also a professional Life Coach. She created and taught many workshops and classes, facilitated success groups, did one on one coaching as well as group coaching. She worked in human services with individuals with physical and developmental disabilities in a day program that is community based and individual centered. She taught a yoga program for special needs. Sheila believed every body is the perfect body for yoga and encouraged her students to listen to the wisdom of their own body.

Sheila said, “The greatest payoff of yoga is not a deeper forward bend or the perfect tree pose. The greatest payoff of yoga is the newly born self that every day steps off the yoga mat and back into life,” and she found an intrinsic relationship between who she was and what she offered others through her work.

In the summer of 2014, Sheila’s health began to decline and in the fall she was diagnosed with ALS. She left Nahar Yoga to focus on her health, but practiced at home as much as she was able. On January 9, 2015, I held an offsite yoga event at Bien Soigne’s Salt Cave. When I scheduled it, I did not realize it was her birthday! She invited some of her closest friends to participate with her and it was indeed a special evening. I did not realize how little time we had left. Though speaking was difficult for her at the time, she was radiantly peaceful on her yoga mat as we practiced both vinyasa and restorative yoga. She gave me that sweet smile as I tucked her blanket around her for the final savasana.

When she resigned from her work at LifeShare Management Group, the president & CEO, Josh Boynton, established the “Annual Sheila Allicon LifeCoach Award” in her honor. He said it will be given to a LifeCoach who exemplifed what she did. True community, equality and harmony for all. In his letter to her he wrote, “I remember when we first met, your resume of past work said “LifeCoach” and because of that our vision and decision came about for changing from “direct care staff” to “LifeCoach” was born.”

Sheila changed me forever. She opened my heart and mind. She challenged me in good ways. She invited me to hug her before we even really knew each other. She was my friend. I was happy to see her joy when I visited her in November with my toddling daughter, then 20 months. Though I was leading the Salt Cave yoga event, I felt honored and blessed to be able share in her birthday celebration. I plan to offer a yoga benefit class each January to honor her memory; donations will go to ALS research and patient support.

May her spirit rest in peace and dance with fervor. We love you, Sheila!