top of page

About Us

Union Street Yoga, in the heart of Worcester, MA, is an integrative yoga studio that offers classes and workshops for beginners to experienced yogis alike. USY prides itself in offering yoga and mindfulness for everybody. We welcome everyone as a unique individual and offer classes to help you connect more deeply with yourself and your body, mind, and spirit. We offer elite instruction from expert teachers in a comfortable studio setting and are committed to creating a warm yoga community.

 

You will find a light-hearted community of people that will support and grow with you with fun, laughter, and peace. At our studio, you are a member of our community, and you matter to us. So what are you waiting for? It's time to #jointheunion!

Our Team

Walter_Iwanicki_Yoga_Instructor.jpg
Walter Iwanicki

Yoga Instructor

Yoga Certifications: 200 Hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher, Level 3 Yogafit Instructor, BROGA-Yoga for Men Certified Instructor, Yoga Warriors International Certified Instructor, UMass Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction Program (MBSR) Graduate, HealthRHYTHMS Certified Drum Circle Facilitator

 

Biography: Walter's yoga practice began thirty years ago as cross-training for his other true passion; cycling. His first experience on the mat proved transformative and developed into a deep personal practice and his first teaching  experience as a level three Yoga-fit instructor. His love of cycling and yoga led him to Kripalu to participate in a weeklong retreat: Riding the Wheels of Life; a cycling/yoga experience. Here, he felt a deeper calling to study the Kripalu yoga of compassion and enrolled in their teacher training program from which he graduated with his 200-hour YTT certification in 2013. Walter’s classes are filled with compassion, warm intention, personal humor, and a deep gratitude for the opportunity to share yoga with like-minded people.

Donna-Sutherland-Yoga-Instructor.jpg
Donna Sutherland

Yoga Instructor

Yoga Certifications: 200 hr RYT Hot Power Yoga Center. Licensed Occupational Therapist

 

Biography:

Donna has always had an interest for health and wellness, stemming from her background as a home health Occupational Therapist for the past 30+ years. Having always had a passion for fitness, and no longer able to run due to a back injury, she found found yoga as a new outlet to prevent injury and maintain flexibility. As her practice evolved, she found yoga to be not only physically fulfilling, but also spiritually. 

 

Looking for a new way to connect with people, while using her skills as an Occupational Therapist, Donna enrolled in teacher training after feeling burnout in healthcare. She completed her RYT 200 Training in 2021 through Hot Power Yoga Center. Drawing from her professional experience as an Occupational Therapist allows her to engage and modify students in a safe practice, while challenging them physically and mentally, both on and off the mat. Donna's mission is to "bring inner peace and self awareness to all whom I cross paths with."

AlDew.png
Al Dewsnap

Yoga Instructor

Yoga Certifications: 200-Hour RYT Common Ground Yoga

 

Biography:

Al is a 200-Hour certified yoga teacher and lifelong student of yoga. Al first started
practicing yoga during her time as an undergrad at UMass Amherst, at a time when she was
very overwhelmed by the pressures of her coursework. Each time she got on the mat, she felt
more and more connected to the body and inner world, providing an increasingly solid
foundation to stay grounded through those stressful and challenging times. In 2015, Al took an
8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training, which formally introduced her to
the art of meditation and how the practice translates to situations off the mat. Yoga and
mindfulness have since become a cornerstone of her wellbeing, and as her practice deepened,
so did her desire to share it with others. As a yoga teacher, she is inspired by creative and powerful, yet nurturing flow sequences that challenge and inspire students to get to know the strong, resilient warrior within and cultivate empowered habits of self-care. She guides students with the intention to coordinate movement with breath, to bring awareness to our inner world, become more in-tune with the body, and to remain grounded and balanced in the face of challenges both on and off the mat.

Jenn_Coode-portraitII_edited.jpg
Jenn Coode

Yoga Instructor

Yoga Certifications: 200 Hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher, Level 3 Yogafit Instructor, UMass Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction Program (MBSR) Graduate, Eat Right Now,  Unwinding Anxiety, and Craving to Quit Behavior Change Facilitator

 

Biography: Jenn’s love of the Kripalu yoga tradition was ignited the first time she visited Kripalu for a Retreat & Renewal weekend in the early 2000’s. Her dream of becoming a Kripalu yoga teacher finally became a reality in 2013 when she studied under Devarshi Steven Hartman and graduated from the program. She’s inspired by the Kripalu philosophy of compassionate self-awareness without judgment and this training completely changed how she carries herself in the world. Jenn feels honored to be able to share this lineage of love with others.

image0_edited.jpg
Jessica Johnson

Yoga Instructor

Yoga Certifications: 200RYT FRA Yoga, continuing education - Frog Pond Yoga Centre

 

Biography:

Jessica has been teaching yoga for over 20 years in the Metro West and Central MA area. Her journey began as a student athlete experimenting with yoga as a way to reduce injury and has evolved over the years to become a holistic mind body practice.

Jessica is also a wife and mom of two children, as well as a recent breast cancer survivor. She wholeheartedly believes in the importance of self care and movement and is dedicated to sharing these powerful practices with others.

Our Team
Our Mission
bottom of page