André is an E-RYT 200 certified yoga instructor and STOTT Pilates apprentice based in Richmond, Virginia. Since 2018, André has taught over 1,500 hours of group & private classes, hosted workshops, and led teacher trainings modules throughout the greater Richmond area. He teaches a wide range of movement styles for all age and ability levels including Vinyasa, Power, Hatha, Yin, Meditation, STOTT Mat Pilates, Myo-fascial release & more.

Andre’s multidisciplinary movement background and education in physics & engineering lend him a unique perspective for approaching and guiding a sustainable movement practice. Layering different—and sometimes opposing—movement and mindfulness practices lies at the heart of his teaching, which aims to create balance in the body.

SWIM

Andre’s movement journey began as a year-round competitive swimmer with SwimQuest in Midlothian, VA. As a technically oriented person, André quickly mastered the mechanics of swimming and started sharing his learnings with younger swimmers through private lessons. A teacher was born! As a high school sophomore, André went on to become the youngest assistant coach in the Chesterfield Aquatic League.

Upon graduating from the Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies at L.C. Bird High School, André studied physics & engineering at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. While there, he served as a founding member, Coach, and Vice President for the AUC TigerSharks — a student-led swim club resurrecting the historic Morehouse College Swim Team that disbanded in 1975. André went on the work with SwimRVA in Richmond as a group & private swim instructor, programming coordinator, meet engineer, and swim coach for the Rapids and Hammerheads.

YOGA

Yoga became a focal point for André in 2017 when he started working at an RVA based yoga studio as studio support staff. A hobby quickly transformed into a daily practice; within a year, he was teaching on a regular basis. Since earning his 200hr certification in 2018, André has taught at several studios in the greater Richmond area. Vinyasa, Hatha, and Power styles make up his favorite way to practice. André continued his movement education with a Yin Yoga training in 2019. Through Yin, connective tissue release and care was added to his toolbox.

PILATES

Andre’s love for Pilates was born out of necessity. Competitive swimming is notoriously rough on the body, and —while fantastic— yoga can oftentimes exacerbate injuries by reinforcing existing muscular imbalances. STOTT PILATES is a contemporary methodology that is built on the original teachings of Joseph Pilates. This modern approach incorporates principles of physical therapy, exercise science, fascial fitness, and spinal rehabilitation to offer a fantastic balancing and rehabilitative practice for the body.

These controlled principles have been a game changer for Andre’s movement practice and pain management. Intentional engagement of stabilizing muscles helps target the root cause of a lot of pain & tension in the body. The STOTT method is a versatile anatomy-based technique used by rehab, post-rehab, & prenatal clients, athletes, and everyone in between.