Meg Carlough

Director of Special Programs

It was a near fatal accident in 2000 that brought Meg to practice. The casual recommendation of a friend to try Yoga as a way of working through her emotional and physical injuries turned out to be a life-changing one. While the asanas (postures/poses) helped her rebuild physical strength, it was the beauty of Yoga's self-exploration that helped her mind and heart heal, simultaneously teaching her to celebrate her capabilities and accept her limitations. Having experienced the profound changes it can offer, Meg felt compelled to deepen her studies of Yoga and share them through teaching.

Meg's lifelong love of music and singing drew her to Kirtan (call and response mantra), which she studied and refined under the guidance of such great teachers as Jai Uttal. The mantras she chants to her students as they awake from savanasa are offered in gratitude for these teachers, as well as for her students and colleagues who inspire her every day.

Meg teaches various types of Yoga, which all serve to help her approach the world more mindfully. The joy and freedom she feels when teaching children reminds her how simple practice and life can be, and that many complications are a choice. The shared stillness of her gentle and restorative classes remind her that Yoga is a process of involution, understanding, and intention. In her vinyasa classes she tries to challenge and observe the body while still offering an opportunity to investigate the more subtle layers beneath the surface.

If her journey has taught her anything, it's that obstacles are both placed and removed from our paths to help guide us toward places we never could have anticipated. The House of Jai is just such a place. To Meg, it is the true meaning of the word Yoga: union. The joining together of lifetimes of learning and an amazing group of people she is proud to call her chosen family.' A union into which she is extremely grateful for the opportunity to welcome you.

Molly Lehman

Director of Vinyasa

While studying dance and Kinesiology at James Madison University in 2000, Molly was first introduced to yoga after she had knee surgery. She found yoga helped her heal and rehabilitate. Transitioning to the role of teacher, Molly found it was a natural way to share her experience, knowledge of anatomy and love for movement. Once she started teaching and saw the joy yoga brings to people's lives, she knew it was her path.

Molly's vinyasa style initially reflected her Iyengar studies with a passion for alignment, specificity and precision. Among many souls to influence her practice, Molly feels blessed to have been certified with the beloved yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra. For many years Molly devoured all the anatomy and somatic studies that should could, and one day it dawned on her that once you know all the "rules", you toss them away. Her classes are dynamic, passionate and designed to ease yogis beyond what boundaries they have imagined. Although Molly loves playing with challenging poses, her approach is sensitive, non- competitive and supportive. Her many years of experience as a Kinetic therapist have taught her that the power to heal the body is accessed through the mind. Compassion is the only answer to finding health and happiness.

Molly strongly believes that the only way to find confidence and beauty is through vibrant health. In order to help others find their most energetic self, she became a holistic health counselor through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

Molly is humbled at the thought of the amazing community that has become House of JAI yoga. She always wanted a studio to call home, where everyone felt welcome and instantly at ease. A place that encourages collaboration, fostering continual growth at each step of the yogic path.

Erin Fogel

Director of Marketing and Retail

Never in a million years did Erin ever expect that walking into her first yoga class almost a decade ago, would lead her on the most rewarding and exciting journey of her life. It is pretty inexplicable how she managed (after over 20 years of little to no fitness and a very poor diet) to get herself to walk into her first day of class and then go back again. And again.

Erin's initial motivation in pursuing yoga was to attempt to make a change in her physical body as well as repair her confidence after many years of teasing, bullying, and loss of self esteem from classmates throughout her academic career. The side effects seemed to be unshakeable and they began to hold her back as an adult, which was particularly frustrating as a television and film actor. She knew she had to make a change. It was this passion to find a strong, flexible, versatile physical form which led her to finding her very best friends, a strong supportive yoga community, and herself. Erin started seeing results immediately, and so did her mother, Jeri. Inspired by her daughter's commitment, Jeri embraced yoga with open arms, and began her own yoga journey to repair her body of any pain and become the best she can be. The Fogel girls are heartfelt believers that yoga can cure anything: body, soul, and mind.

After years of thought and preparation, House of Jai finally broke ground, and Erin could not contain her creativity! Her heart raced with exciting, innovative concepts to really set House of Jai apart from any other yoga studio in the world. Her talent for creative visions and love of fashion made her the perfect choice to direct all things marketing and offer HoJai members the sleekest yoga apparel available with Jai's retail boutique.

Erin received her 200 hour Vinyasa Teaching Certification (under the tutelage of Molly Lehman, Jenny Jared, and Meg Carlough), as well as her Teen Teaching Certification from Karma Kids with Erin Wilson and Shari Vilchez- Blatt. With her lighthearted comedy and energetic sequencing, Erin found this lent itself to connecting with not only adults, but also teenagers. With her ability to both relate to and amuse the youth, it was unmistakable that she was making positive differences as they matured. It felt as though she was mending the injured teenager that had been living inside of her all along. Erin is proud to teach House of Jai's Teen Program as well as teach Happy Hour Vinyasa for the yogi who loves to be both entertained and challenged physically while they practice.

Erin continues to pursue television and film and can be seen in some of your favorite programs and movies.