Our Yoga Teachers
At Vita Pura Yoga, you'll find an amazing collective of yoga teachers, healers and guides to work with. Yoga is life path, and each of us have found its power and blessings in different ways.
Read about each yoga teacher's unique journey's and get to know who you'll be working with. Hear what prior clients have said and reach out to ask questions. It's like a fireside chat with your future guide.
Amber Martinez
Founder & Teacher
Vita Pura Yoga
Carrying the banner for Classical Hatha Yoga handed down by legendary teachers of old, Amber created Vita Pura Yoga with a simple idea: that a yoga practice is as unique as the individual.
. She is an E-RYT (1000+ hrs teaching), gifted healer and entrepreneur who opened her first yoga studio in Sedona at the age of 24. She has been called a breath work master by many of her clients.
After witnessing first hand the immense value of yoga in lifting her out of many life challenges and healing her body from an autoimmune disorder, her approach to teaching became holistic, medicinal and scientific.
From the core of her being, she believes in keeping the ancient wisdom of yoga alive and spreading its gifts throughout the world. For every individual who gains yogic wisdom casts out a ripple that helps the world evolve.
I can’t say enough good things about Amber. I did a month long series of sessions with her, hoping I’d learn the basics of a good yoga practice. What I ended up with was a whole new appreciation and foundational understanding for the true intention of this work.
You will not find “drive-through” yoga from her, but what you will find is a true master of her craft. And, if you’re fortunate enough to take a series of sessions with her, you’ll walk away with knowing the importance of your breath, balance, stability, strength and how important it is to smile.
Thank you Amber! I can’t wait to work with you again!
- Russell,
Past Student.
Lance Slatter
Founder & Teacher
Vita Pura Yoga
Lance's journey began, as many do, with pain. His earliest memories are of a deep void and a yearning for something more than material existence. He battled debilitating depression and anxiety. Lance discovered the peace of mind and universal connection he sought held within the many layers of yoga, and in service to others.
A passionate nature enthusiast, Lance created yoga hiking as a fusion of his two greatest ally's. His passions for yoga, spirituality and mother earth are deeply infused in his teachings.
He credits his wife Amber for being his greatest teacher. The healing retreats they have created together have impacted hundreds of lives.
Lance's mission is to connect the dots, alighting the spark of connection within us all.
"This was one of the most wonderful experiences I could have asked for. Lance and Amber are kind, warm, highly intelligent and unbelievably knowledgable!! My private sessions with Amber were something to be cherished and I learned a tremendous amount. Lance was a joy to be around and his light and spirit made it so easy to connect with him during our hikes.
These two are truly a dynamic duo and complement one another in their styles and approach. Every part of the retreat was done with intention, purpose and a lot of care. I could not recommend this retreat more. I left my 5-days feeling like I made a lifelong connection with new friends."
- Shanique G.
Past Retreat Student
Minyan Zhu
Yoga Teacher & Hiking Guide
Sedona, Az
For years, I sought out doctors, alternative medicines, spiritual practices and tried every diet fad on the face of the earth. Even though, my inflammation symptoms were defined as “in spec” by the Western paradigm of medicine and movement patterns. I had a feeling that If I aligned the neurological system to be in service to the neuromuscular system, I could experience the world in an infinitely richer and joyful manner.
Then came Yoga! This beautiful modality gave me the time and space to tune into the subtle energies in my somatic being. With each breath, a prayer was sent into my cells. With each movement, an awakening of the physical connection to my breath. With each day, an invitation to explore my consciousness.
After Studying Yoga in conjunction with functional medicine, Qigong, energy work and traditional Chinese medicine. I finally felt as if my trajectory was on an upward swing. With each passing year, I felt more vibrant, energetic and alive. I’m excited and eager to share these wonderful modalities of self empowerment with seekers of vitality, hope and integration.
Let’s turn the impossible into the possible, the challenging into the easy, and the easy into the elegant.
With Gratitude
Minyan
"The entire experience was exactly what we had hoped for. Minyan, thank you again for guiding us this afternoon. We keep reflecting on the experience and how every aspect was perfect. The hike and yoga session complimented each other, and were elevated by the natural surroundings, and your expert guidance. Namaste!"
- Lori U.
Past Student
Ethan Seidel
Yoga Teacher & Hiking Guide
Sedona, Az
Ethan’s passion for Yoga began back in 2012 when searching for a way to heal his back pain. After years of resigning himself to chronic pain resulting from scoliosis surgery, yoga was a revelation. He quickly became hooked on not only the physical well being, but mental calm that came with his deepening practice.
He started teaching in 2017 in Brooklyn, NY learning from a wide array of gifted teachers, covering many different modalities including Yin, Katonah Yoga, Pranayama, and Qi Gong.
Ethan offers a gentle exploration of the body that is accessible for all levels of experience. The synthesis of different yogic styles provides student’s an opportunity to dive into a deeper awareness of their feelings, as well as the subtle energies of the land around them.
He believes the union of breath and movement can help deepen the connection of the self between Mother Earth and Father Sky.
"Our first time in Sedona and our first experience with yoga hiking! I am an average yogi, my husband has no experience with yoga at all, and neither of us are super experienced hikers. I am so glad I booked this, it was the highlight of our Sedona experience!
Ethan was our guide and he was so friendly and just a calm presence to be around. It was a beautiful hike and the restorative yoga session we had was perfect for us! He was also very helpful and informative which was great for us as first time visitors to Sedona. I’m glad we booked this on our first day as it set the tone and direction for the rest of our trip!"
- Chrisy H.
Past Student
Taylor Kurz
Yoga Teacher & Hiking Guide
Sedona, Az
Taylor Kurz is a clinical yoga therapist and a student of yoga since 2002.
She was initiated into the Sivananda lineage in Rishikesh, India, in 2010, with the following decade involving deeper study, practice, teaching, and certifications in Bihar-based Hatha yoga, therapeutic Hatha with an Ayurvedic emphasis, and Kundalini, both as taught by Swami Sivananda and Yogi Bhajan.
She had the honor of leading others through hundreds of sadhanas (daily spiritual practices) over the years and teaching yoga teacher trainings in Hatha, Therapeutic Hatha, and Kundalini.
She endeavors to share the teachings as a means to balance the nervous system and psyche, clarify the mind, purify the heart, soften the holdings within the human experience, and develop the meditative mind of neutral awareness.
Taylor deeply believes in the medicine of yoga’s wisdom and honors it also as an opportunity to come home to ourselves, investigate our resistances, integrate them, and purify obstructions that may have once separated us from the realization of our true nature; the innate intelligence of the great mystery that connects us all.
It brings deep meaning and humility to her life to be a part of the medicine Vita Pura offers to all those that we serve. When Taylor isn't at Vita Pura, she is gardening, in the wilderness exploring, fine tuning her bird identification skills, being a cat mom, and assisting those healing in addiction recovery and trauma rehabilitation.
Our New York Yoga Teachers
Leading yoga retreats in New York in the Catskills Mountains as well as Saratoga Springs, these amazing teachers possess deep knowledge of the land, as well as timeless yogic wisdom and heart.
Terri Speck
Yoga Teacher & Hiking Guide
Catskills, New York
As a board certified physicist with a masters degree, Terri has spent her life devoted to providing care to those who are greatly in need.
With a unique Western Medicine background and a devoted student of the Iyengar yoga lineage as taught by Rodney Yee, Terri is uniquely able to bridge the gap between West and East. She imbues her practices with grounded science while gently guiding students to open a deeper connection within themselves.
As a long time practitioner of yoga, she understood the practice of yoga to be an opportunity to provide more complete care for both the patients and staff and has run several of her own integrative wellness companies.
A local in the Catskills Mountains of New York, Terri discovered the deep peace and tranquility found in nature and love imbuing her practices with the medicine of the natural world.
Her style of yoga instruction is faithful and traditional, incorporating a gentle asana approach with a strong spiritual foundation, uniting the various layers of the self into one.
Rich Krieg
Yoga Teacher & Hiking Guide
Catskills, New York
Rich's journey into the world of yoga began with his meditation practice, which he developed to find balance amidst the demands of a busy professional career while raising a growing family. As he deepened his practice, he experienced the transformative power of yoga (for him a major career pivot) which ultimately inspired him to share its profound effects with others.
Guided by gifted teachers, Rich pursued certification as a Yoga Alliance instructor, driven by his wholehearted dedication to sharing the myriad benefits of yoga. Being an experienced hiker and camper, he finds profound peace and harmony in those serene moments immersed in the embrace of mother nature.
The essence of Rich's classes revolves around simplicity and the importance of breath – emphasizing pauses to create space for reconnecting with one's true self. His classes are inclusive and welcoming, catering to students of all levels, allowing everyone to experience the joys and benefits of yoga. With a focus on breath, alignment, and depth, Rich's classes are challenging yet adaptable to individual needs.
Incorporating the subtle energies of the natural world, Rich's classes are a journey of togetherness, blended with music, chanting, and flowing motion, inviting students to open their hearts to the world around them.
