Jessica Proulx BA, LMT, RYT  is the director of the Direct Path Institute. She graduated from the University Of Connecticut in 2005 and from The Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in 2009. She has been studying yoga since the age of 16 and has been teaching yoga since the age of 18. While in college, Jessica completed a study abroad program in Bangkok and Chiang Mai Thailand where she furthered her education in Buddhism and Thai culture. She is the lead faculty at The Om Center and has led dozens of yoga and mindfulness teacher training programs as well as retreats worldwide.

Jess believes that yoga and wellness should and could be affordable and attainable for anyone and that is why in 2011 she got some of the most talented people she knew in the field to come to Om- and from there this space was created. She teaches both in Connecticut and Om Center Retreats both in the US and abroad. She is the director and lead teacher of The Om Center Yoga Teacher School which offers 200 hour and 500 (300+) hour yoga teacher training programs at Om and abroad.

She has earned her 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification from The Kripalu School of Yoga with an emphasis on Vinyasa and Ayurveda. Jess has been lucky enough to study with some amazing and incredible teachers like Yoganand Michael Carol , Larissa Hall-Carlson, Coby Kozlowski, Sudhir Jonathan Foust, Crystal Sullivan, & Shelley Nyren to name a few  (all of whom she highly recommends to those who are looking to further their studies in Yoga, Ayurveda, Meditation and/or Pranayama).

Rebecca Gleason LMT, RYT 200 is the Lead Massage Therapist and a yoga teacher at The Om Center in Watertown, with a passion for chanting and the Chakras.

In 2016, she made her first trip to Thailand and studied Advanced Upper Body Techniques at The Sunshine School, Chiang Mai. In early 2017 she began her Level II training at Body Mind, followed by an Introduction to Thai Medical Theory with Nephyr Jacobsen. She continues to train with Rick Haesche whenever possible and has recently taken a Thai Abdominal and Herbal Compress Course. Rebecca is also certified in Myofascial Release through Hellerwork and specializes in therapeutic massage whether on the table or the Thai mat.

Rebecca resides in Watertown, CT and enjoys long walks in the woods with her dog Calypso, crafting and art projects, and is currently working on her VW bus gazebo.

Claudette Adams RYT:  Claudette’s first yoga experience came from a search to distress from life. She immediately realized that yoga could positively impact all parts of her life and it soon became her new norm. That was back in 2004. Her desire to share her new-found passion was so powerful that in 2009, she became a certified Yoga instructor. She continues to follow her passion and most recently earned her Chair Yoga certification. In addition to teaching a variety of classes, including a Foundation of Yoga series, which offers new students an introduction to yoga, Claudette holds certifications in reflexology and continues to study and practice Reiki. She lives in Watertown with her husband Larry and their dog Kurly. Her classes get to the root that is yoga and are great for all levels. If you are looking to deepen your practice, her classes are not to be missed!

Jackie has been teaching Yoga & Meditation in Litchfield County for over 20 years. She has earned her 200 Hour Certificate in both Kripalu and Kundalini Yoga.  Jackie brings a gentle and welcoming presence to her Yoga classes. She aims to meet each student where they are and teach them how to incorporate the tools they learn in class in their daily lives to be happy, healthy and whole.

Michael Lynch is a Delaware native who moved to Connecticut to pursue his Masters in Counseling at Southern Connecticut State University.  He currently works as a middle school counselor in Wolcott, CT.  In 2012, Michael took his first yoga class, with the hopes of calming his mind and relieving back pain.  One thing led to another and his once a week habit quickly turned into an everyday obsession.  The link between psychology, helping others, and yoga made his connection to the practice a natural fit.  The peace, calmness, and strength found in mind, body, and spirit through yoga pushed Michael to complete his 200 RYT training at The Om Center.  He became a certified yoga teacher to deepen his own practice of yoga, with little aspirations to actually teach yoga:  How things change!  In his spare time, Michael is an avid reader, hiker, and beer brewer.

Michele is a 2014 graduate of The Om Center’s 200 hour teacher training program and completed an additional 300 hours of training at OM to graduate as an RYT 500 in December 2019.
She has been practicing yoga for 35 years in various disciplines but has become most connected over the past 15 years, recognizing that as the body changes, the practice can deepen immensely.

Michele is the director of Brass City Harvest, a Waterbury-based nonprofit that works to address food insecurity and runs farmers’ markets, nutrition education programs for seniors and students, farm-to-school initiatives, and expand healthful shopping options to a wider population. 

She is a lifelong runner who enjoys longer distances, especially when exploring the trails throughout Connecticut, and enjoys teaching yoga to other runners and athletes.

Michele believes in the power of breath and the necessity of movement for everyone. In addition to her interest in yoga and how it serves to complement athletic bodies and minds, she received certification in Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project with Dr. Dan Libby in 2016 and Yin Yoga and Myofascial Release with Dirk Bennewitz of Power Yoga Germany in 2018, and has assisted and taught at Om’s Yoga Teacher Training Courses.

She lives in Watertown with her family, dog, and stacks of books.

Sara is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher, graduating from the Om Center in 2017. She started taking yoga classes in high school and soon realized that yoga’s benefits are more subtle than just stretching the body and calming the mind. Yoga’s effects move beyond the mat and into our relationships with ourselves and others. Sara is interested in helping people develop their own physical yoga practice by encouraging recognition that all bodies are created differently and move differently. She is also interested in the deeper pranayama and meditative practices that yoga provides, exploring places where physicality no longer matters. She completed training with Lee Albert in positional therapy for chronic pain relief and incorporates muscle balancing techniques in the physical practice, as well as training in yogic meditation with Yoganand Michael Carroll. Sara holds a B.S. in geology and currently works in the metal finishing industry. Outside of yoga, she enjoys hiking and backpacking, cooking, and being by the ocean.

Kim is originally from Durban, South Africa.  She took her first yoga class in February 2016 at The OM Center, not knowing what to expect or what yoga really was, she remembers feeling anxious and nervous.  The teachers at OM were warm, kind and reassuring, making her feel welcome and at ease.  Returning every week, it didn’t take long until she connected to her breath and made that body, mind, spirit connection.  Stepping out of her comfort zone has softened her anxieties and helped her feel centered and grounded, bringing peace and happiness within.

Kim graduated from the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training at The OM Center in 2017. She teaches from an open heart and the confidence yoga has gifted her.  In addition, she is a Yoga Alliance accredited Aerial Yoga Teacher, Reiki 1 practitioner, has studied Yin Yoga Myofascial Release with Dirk Bennewitz of Power Yoga Germany, as well as Spirituality and Mindfulness with Dr. Brandon Nappi of The Copper Beech Institute.  She has attended many programs to deepen her knowledge of Ayurveda, Somatics and hands-on adjustments.  Kim is currently a student at Naugatuck Valley Community College and is working towards becoming a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor.

She believes yoga is an extension of how we live our lives and that every challenge we face on or off the mat is there to help us learn a deeper lesson, which in turn deepens our understanding of ourselves and others, deeping our awareness and enabling us to become more compassionate.

Kim lives in Oakville with her 3 children and cat Willow.  In her spare time, Kim enjoys a variety of wellness classes, hiking and spending time with family and friends.