Sharon Discorfano, founder

Founder of Lyric and creator of Khela Kids™(Yoga for Kids). Whether as a teacher of literature, dance, yoga, or with her previous work in the realm of psychology applied to the workplace, she has focused on promoting self awareness and compassion for others. A native of the New York metropolitan area, Sharon's earliest background is in dance, including a national title from the Dance Educators of America. Soon enough, taking classes turned into teaching classes. Passing along what she had learned from others to her own students, she was aware that many of the movements were borrowed from Hatha Yoga, but it wasn’t until she had been dancing for nearly twenty years that she discovered the glory of a yoga class on its own. Today, she continues to grow in her own practice and share her enthusiasm with her students. Sharon is also a seasoned teacher in a variety of venues, having taught dance and yoga, literature, and business. She possesses the patience and attention to details that are essential in teaching students of all ages and all levels; her classes emphasize technique, making it a safe environment for learning and practice.

Sharon is a registered yoga teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, having completed her 250-hour training in Hatha Yoga at The Providence Institute in Tucson, AZ. Her specialized certifications include Yoganesha Training (Yoga for Kids) with Anne Van de Water and Prenatal Teacher Training certification from renowned Prenatal Yoga instructor, Janice Clarfield. She completed her specialized teacher training in Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers at Santa Barbara Yoga Center. In addition, Sharon has attended classes at many well-known yoga havens including Jivamukti Yoga (New York), OM Yoga (New York), and Bikram Yoga (NYC and Tucson) and has participated in workshops given by prominent instructors such as Ana Forrest,Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, and Arun Deva. Sharon has served as a board member of the Arizona Yoga Association, and was Editor of the quarterly publication Arizona Yoga from 2005-2008. She is currently a faculty member of the Providence Institute's Yoga Teacher Training, instructor for the "Business of Yoga" and "Ethics" portions of the program.

In addition to a B.A. from Rice University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a M.A. in English from Georgetown University, she holds a M.A. from New York University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, with her initial post-baccalaureate work in Psychology done at Columbia University. She continued her studies as a doctoral student and Research Associate in Management and Policy at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Business and Public Administration. At the University of Arizona, her research focused on employee well-being, creativity, and organizational justice. At the University of Arizona, she has taught The Human Side of Organizations" and "Organizational Behavior." Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The Center for Creative Leadership's publication Leadership in Action, The Wilson Quarterly, Natural Awakenings, Arizona Yoga, and Tucson Parent. She also is credited as a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Sage, 2006). Her personal experiences in the workplace range from academic settings to the music industry to Wall Street. Sharon has been a guest speaker at professional conferences and community events, and she continues to offer consulting services for organizations in the Tucson area.

Nasim (Adult Hatha)

Nasim is a mother of two beautiful children, a practicing architect (educated in Europe and New Zealand) with a focus on "sacred space," and a certified yoga teacher, having completed her 250-Hour training in Hatha Yoga at the Providence Institute in Tucson, Arizona . She is a trained facilitator with the Virtues Project International – a worldwide program that develops strategies to help families live by their highest values which ties in with her work with children and mothers. Nasim believes in yoga as the most effective stress reducer. Nasim's specialized training for teaching yoga to kids includes the Kids Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson of Yoga Connection. Nasim completed a Yin Yoga training with Sarah Powers at Santa Barbara Yoga Center and her Prenatal Yoga training with Stephanie Keach, also at Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Most recently, she completed training with Amy Weintraub for her Life Force Yoga program (Level One).

Nasim regularly teaches Hatha I on Mondays at 5:30pm, and All-Levels Adult Hatha on Wednesdays & Fridays at 9am. In addition to her regularly scheduled classes at the Lyric studio, Nasim teaches for Lyric at The Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley.

Tom (Yin Yoga)

Tom is a certified with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 level instructor. He is also a Professional Level Kripalu Yoga Instructor with thirty years of experience teaching yoga. His background, in addition to Kripalu yoga, includes studying Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Anusara, and Vinyasa yoga. Most recently he has been studying with Mark Whitwell in the lineage of Krishnamacharya. Tom brings to his classes a sensitivity to the needs of individual students without sacrificing the community aspect of a yoga class. He encourages students to have a mindful and safe yoga experience in each class. As one of the founding instructors of the Providence Institute's Yoga Teacher Training program, Tom has influenced many instructors here at Lyric in our own teaching, and we are grateful to have him as part of our Lyric family. Tom teaches ourYin Yoga class on Mondays 7:00-8:00pm.Tom teaches ourYin Yoga class on Mondays 7:00-8:00pm.

Edie (Adult Hatha Yoga, Kids Yoga)

Edie Daldrup, a native Tucsonan, believes that yoga is a continuous journey in which we are constantly uncovering our true nature and embracing life. She acknowledges that although she learns a lot in her personal practice, it is through teaching that many of life’s lessons reveal themselves. One of her teachers once said that “if we do not share what we have learned then we are thieves.” Edie received her 250-Hour Yoga Teacher certification from the Providence Institute in Tucson and her Prenatal Yoga certification from Yoga Connection, also in Tucson; and she is a board member for the Arizona Yoga Association. Her teaching experience ranges from hot room yoga to kids yoga. In January 2006 she traveled to India to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. Her studies included applications of yoga therapy, asana theory, yoga sutras, meditation, and vedic chanting. Her training in India fostered a deep belief that yoga is one of the most effective tools for supporting personal and worldwide well being. For thousands of years, people have used yoga to heal, celebrate, and honor life. recent workshops she has attended include work with Meneka Desikachar (Yoga for Women), Ana Forrest, and Max Strom. She received her Prenatal Yoga teacher certification through Tucson's Yoga Connection. Currently, Edie also works as an artist and an elementary school art teacher. Her specialized training for teaching yoga to kids includes the Kids Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson of Yoga Connection (Tucson). Edie enjoys working with children because she believes that children have the ability for self-expression that adults often don’t allow themselves. She finds that, after an hour with third graders, she is able to create her own art with more freedom and playfulness than before. She graduated in December with a B.F.A. in two-dimensional studio art studies at the University of Arizona. As an artist, she works with human and feminine expression using paint and mixed media. For more information about Edie's artwork, you can visit www.ediedaldrup.com.

Lorraine (Pilates)

Lorraine has been a Qualified Teacher of The Ron Fletcher Work TM through The Ron Fletcher Program of Study since 2004. She is the owner of Power House Pilates, a private studio located in Northwest Tucson. Lorraine seeks to nurture and inspire the individual student to achieve his/her goals of improved physical strength, range of motion, unilateral balance, coordination and grace of movement.

Lisa (Prenatal, Yoga for Women)

Lisa received her 250 hour hatha teacher training from Priscilla Potter at the Yoga Connection; she received her kids teacher training from Sue Ferguson at the Yoga Connection and her Prenantal training from Sue Ferguson and Sandy Tiano of Desert Lotus. She has an ecclectic, inclusive, gentle, yet challenging style. Lisa borrows from many great yoga teachers and her yoga mentors include Priscilla Potter and Goswami Kriyananda. Her biggest life mentors are her mother and her daughter, Eleana Rose. "The experience of pregnancy connected me to my growing child as well as my own inner child." Lisa was a collegiate athlete at Iowa State University where she received her undergrad in Sociology; she also has a M.ED Counseling from Northern Arizona University and she has worked with youth and ther families in many capacities. She feels blessed to have yoga as a way to help herself and others connect body, mind and soul. 

Rose (Adult Hatha Yoga)

Rose Kress received her Yoga Teacher Training certification from Providence Institute in Tucson. She also has trained in LifeForce Yoga for Depression (Level Two) under Amy Weintraub. Her recent trainings also include studies with Rama Jyoti Vernon. A former President of the Arizona Yoga Association, Rose now serves the yoga community as one of the organization's board members. 

Rose's teaches our Wednesday morning Hatha I class.

Leigh Ann (Adult Hatha, Kids/Teens Yoga)

Leigh Ann Lesho is a native Tucsonan who received her 250-hour yoga teacher certification from the Providence Institute in Tucson and Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson at Tucson's Yoga Connection. She was involved in many sports growing up, but during her sophomore year of high school, Leigh Ann chose to focus solely on fastpitch softball. Her nineteen-year career as a pitcher included four years at the University of Nebraska, where she received All-American honors along with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. She went on to play professionally in Spain and Italy, and finished her career with Tucson’s Arizona Heat. Through the art pitching, Leigh Ann began realizing the power of connection between the mind, body and spirit. "Before college, I was bigger and stronger than most of my opponents, and I was able to "muscle-up" and overpower them. Once I arrived at the collegiate level, I realized that everyone was just as strong as I was…it was time for a new game plan…I had to become a smart pitcher. I slowed down the pace and began to notice my thoughts and emotions. Most importantly, I formed a relationship with my breath. I began living yoga long before I knew about it. " Leigh Ann borrows from many great yoga teachers and her yoga mentors include Maria Mendola, Donna Goodhart and Krishna Das. Her biggest life mentors are her father and her mother. She also works as an artist, musician, and continues to work with young softball pitchers throughout Tucson.

Leigh Ann regularly teaches the All-Levels Adult Hatha class on Monday mornings, and Thursday evenings at 7pm. In addition, Leigh Ann teaches for Lyric at Edge Charter School and the Catalina Schools District.

Andrea (Adult Hatha Yoga)

Andrea has been practicing yoga for 7 years and in 2005 she completed her 250-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute (Tucson). Andrea’s style is based in Hatha but also has some vinyasa (flow) incorporated in; it can be challenging, but also relaxing. She enjoys sharing yoga with others, and loves to watch her students improve and give her feedback. Andrea has experience teaching both in studio and in corporate environments. Andrea also has a B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and currently works as a Chemist in addition to her yoga classes. 

Andrea teaches Vinyasa (all levels) on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and on Saturdays at 10am; she also teaches "Happy Hour" Hatha Yoga (All Levels) on Friday evenings.

Tamra (Adult Hatha)

Tamra, first and foremost, is the mother of two beautiful, talented, and kind daughters. She has two mixed breed dogs, Bob and Ted, who demand more attention than the daughters! Tamra started practicing yoga eleven years ago following the advice of a physical therapist she had been seeing for tension headaches. She has practiced Iyengar, Bikram, and classic Hatha Yoga. Tamra believes in the balance of Yin and Yang and brings that assertion to her style of teaching. She is a 200-hour level certified teacher from the Shoshoni Ashram in Colorado under the tutelage of Swami Shambhavananda. Tamra has taught at Assisted Living Centers, Pima Community College, and Desert Lotus Yoga. Classes taught include Restorative, chair, and All-Levels yoga. At present, Tamra is in graduate school for a degree in Clinical Social Work, with the hope of one day integrating therapy with yoga. Most recently, Tamra completed the Level One Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy training.

Tamra teaches Mindful Yoga (open to all levels) on Saturdays at 8am.

Torrey (Adult Hatha)

Torrey is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, registered with the Yoga Alliance and a member of the Arizona Yoga Association. She received her Prenatal Yoga training through The Yoga Connection, Tucson. Recent workshops she has attended include work with Ana Forrest, Richard Freeman (Core Mudras), and Joseph LaPage (Integrative Yoga Therapy). Most recent trainings include Ayurveda with Arun Deva, Max Strom's 3 Pillars of Yoga, Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh Khalsa, and Yoga for the Internal Organs with Srivatsa Ramaswami. Her experience in teaching includes all levels of yoga including gentle yoga, prenatal yoga, chair yoga and yoga for kids. A third generation Arizona native, she has a background in classical ballet and is formerly a Children’s Librarian. Torrey’s two amazing daughters provide her with her greatest joys and lessons in life. As a teacher, Torrey strives to help students achieve a more balanced state through asanas, pranayama and meditation in a nurturing, relaxed and accepting environment.

Torrey regularly teaches All-Levels Adult Hatha Yoga on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and Thurdays at 10:00am.

Alysa (Yoga for Women, Adult Hatha, Kids Yoga)

Alysa holds a B.F.A. Printmaking, Painting and Drawing and completed her Yoga Teacher Training through the Providence Institute in Tucson and Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Sue Ferguson at Tucson's Yoga Connection. Her more recent trainings include a Kundalini workshop with Annette Fair, an Ayurvedic workshop led by Sally Weber, and an Ashtanga workshop led by Mona Glawsko. She has extensive teacher experience, teaching in studios throughout Tucson as well as having several private clients she teaches in a one-on-one setting. She also performs regularly as a member of Flam-Chen, a Pyrotechnic Theater Troup based in Tucson.

Alysa on her own yoga experience: "As a woman, I have been renewed with a sense of strength and awareness for my body as I deepen my own practice. Yoga allows me to connect and appreciate my body, my mind and my spirit in a healthy and gracious way. Being able to embrace the lessons that I have learned from studying the Yoga Sutras and continuing my own studies in yoga and ayurveda has enriched my own practice and left me with a very clear intention for my future -- both in my personal journey and as a Yoga instructor. My hope is to be able to help others while maintaining that balance for myself. I believe that being honest, compassionate and positive will enhance the world that I live in and I appreciate the opportunity to share my experience with others."

Alysa regularly teaches Yoga for Women on Tuesdays at 5:30pm and Hatha I on Sundays at 10am. Alysa also teaches Kids Yoga for Lyric at Ventana Vista and Manzanita Elementary Schools (Catalina Foothills School District).

Sharon A. (Infant CPR and Massage)

Sharon A. Discorfano, LPN, CDA. Mother of Lyric’s founder, Sharon is a licensed practical nurse and holds licenses in two states (New Jersey and Arizona). She is the former owner of a daycare center in New Jersey, Wee One Daycare, has served as Assistant Director for the KinderCare organization, and has worked for the daycare organization La Petite Academy, specializing in infant caregiving. Her interest in newborns and infants led her to pursue certification in infant massage (CIMI) through International Loving Touch Foundation, Inc. In addition, she is American Heart CPR and First Aid certified. Sharon now enjoys sharing her infant-related expertise with all the new parents of the Tucson community.

Maria & Tom (Partner Yoga)

Maria has been an avid practitioner of yoga for 30 years, teaching for 20 years. Maria received her 200 hour teaching certificate from Mount Madonna, and her continuing 500 hour studies with Integrative Yoga Therapy. She is currently enrolled in the 800 hour level course with Mukunda Stiles in Structural Yoga Therapy, and received her Ayurvedic Certificate from Robert Svoboda. She is a Registered Nurse with a background in rehabilitation and women's health; currently, she maintains a private yoga therapy practice. Maria is on the faculty of Yoga Teacher Training programs, teaching anatomy of movement and classes in ayurvedic yoga principles. Tom received his 250-hour yoga certification through the Providence Institute, has taught biology and anatomy, leads meditation and intention circles, and is also a board member of the Harmony and Health Foundation and of the Arizona Yoga Association.

Ellen (Adult Hatha Yoga)

Ellen has been practicing yoga and meditation for over ten years; she traveled to India on three separate occasions, practicing meditation at the ashrams of Sri Ramana Maharshi, Satya Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi and Swami Muktananda. She completed her Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute and is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University, and her M.F.A. from California College of the Arts in Oakland and shows her mixed-media work nation-wide. Her teaching experience also includes teaching art to children, which she has been doing since 1992.

Ellen teaches All-Levels Adult Hatha on Tuesdays, 10:00-11:15am.