Dennise Gackstetter has been studying and practicing yoga since 1984. She completed her first teacher training in 2000 at the Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville, North Carolina. She also completed 650 hours of extended teacher training with The Faraway Program through Yoga Mendocino in Ukiah, California. Dennise currently holds a 500 hour level certification from the Yoga Alliance.

Practicing and teaching primarily in the Iyengar tradition, Dennise also enjoys gaining new perspectives from many different yoga teachers and styles. She has studied with several teachers including Judith Lasater and Rodney Yee.The practice of vipassana meditation has had a profound effect on Dennise. Meditation has transformed her spiritual understanding of yoga and life. For this reason she considers Mary Pafford and Charlotte Bell to be her two most important mentors. Both of these teachers are dedicated meditation and yoga practioners.

Maintaining respect for the deep roots of the yoga tradition, Dennise approaches teaching creatively, with joy and playfulness. She helps to guide students to the discovery of their unique expression of each asana by blending alignment principles with focused inner awareness. Dennise encourages students to listen to their own inner voice, coming to know and trust themselves. Gently weaving yoga philosophy into her classes, she hopes students will take yoga beyond the mat into their daily lives.

In addition to teaching yoga, Dennise is a ceramic artist and faculty member of the Art Department at Utah State University. She lives in Logan, Utah with her husband,Todd, their dog, Kaya and two cats,Yancey and Yarrow.