BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“Karma Yoga is the taking of the things you do every day with other people, of service, things like that, and making those all into an offering.” ~Ram Dass

Sydney richards, Secretary

Kevin Archuletta, head of marketing

LAUREN DAVEY, head of fundraising

After experiencing the profound benefits of yoga and mindfulness in her own life, Lauren knew it was part of her life’s purpose to share these practice and their benefits with others. She began her career as a full-time yoga teacher in 2013 at an alternative health clinic in Utah, where she studied and offered gentle formats of yoga to patients with a wide variety of conditions as an empowering form of self-healing through body, mind and breath. About her offerings, Lauren says: “I want people to leave my space feeling a sense of renewed connection to themselves, others, and the world around us.” Lauren is also a musician and offers relaxing sound baths often as fundraisers for the foundation. You can learn more about Lauren’s work on her website, resonancebylauren.com As a board member of the Namaspa Foundation, Lauren helps manage all of our fundraising events and has helped to grow the number of yoga teachers offering classes at partner sites across our community. Lauren has taught Foundation classes at local schools, senior living centers, and homeless shelters, and she is excited about further developing the Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

LOREN MAHAFFEY, Co-head of training

Loren Mahaffey B.SC, LMBT, E-RYT  is passionate about learning and teaching. She has a deep understanding of the body from both an eastern and western perspective. Loren has 25 years of experience as a yoga instructor and yoga teacher trainer, licensed massage and bodywork therapist and continuing education provider. Within yoga, Loren specializes yoga anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and yogic philosophy. She teaches within both 200hr and 300hr yoga teacher certification programs.

As a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, Loren practices  Zen Shiatsu Acupressure, CranioSacral Therapy, Brain Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Lymphatic Drainage Therapy. She is certified in Aromatherapy and HeartMath. As a therapist, Loren has cultivated deep presence and advanced manual therapy skills having worked with thousands of clients over the years.  As a teacher, Loren is articulate, dedicated and able to explain difficult concepts as well as subtleties of the body in a way that people can understand and relate to. She is able to transmit information within movement practices that allow intellectual learning to become a somatic felt experience.

Keri Sawyer, Co-head of training

Keri Sawyer, owner of Openview Yoga, has over a decade of experience facilitating movement and breath practices, embodiment, and trauma-informed practices. She is a seasoned speaker and facilitator who has trained thousands of people as an experienced 500-hour yoga teacher and licensed trainer with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Boston. Keri provides Trauma Sensitive yoga to trauma survivors of all ages, facilitates trainings for yoga teachers and healthcare workers, and provides research-based information and trauma-informed treatment practices to the therapeutic world. She oversees the implementation of of trauma informed practices into therapeutic models in clinical and residential treatment programs across the country, along with agency trainings and regular consultation for mental health clinicians, therapists, nurses, massage therapists, yoga teachers and more. Her passion is to provide an opportunity for survivors of trauma to have an authentic experience with a safe and predictable felt sense of their body along with spreading awareness of trauma-informed practices. Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga or TCYSY is an intervention based on sound research from the Trauma Center and The Center for Trauma and Embodiment. TCTSY is an evidence based adjunct treatment for complex trauma and is the only yoga-based practice accepted by SAMSHA and NREPP.

bruce morris, head of classes

Bruce is a Yoga Teacher and Studio Manager at Namaspa Yoga Community, with many years experience in management and leadership in local organizations. His yoga journey began over 20 years ago at the insistence of a friend and yoga teacher. He fell in love with Yoga and immediately began a consistent practice for many years. After a (too) long lull, he came to Namapsa in early 2019 feeling out of shape, stressed, and tired. The love affair reignited and Bruce began consistently practicing all forms of Yoga taught at Namaspa. Bruce graduated from the Namaspa teacher training program in 2021 after deciding that a 60-plus year-old man with a larger body could offer something unique to yoga students. That turned out to be true and Bruce now teaches a few classes per week, including for the Foundation.

His career outside yoga began as a lawyer in a prestigious international law firm in Texas, after earning his law degree from Baylor and later a Master of Laws degree from Columbia University. He moved to Bend in 1998 and left law practice to work in Social Justice, serving in a variety of capacities in local nonprofit organizations. Most recently Bruce worked for KPOV Community Radio for nine years in management capacities, culminating as Station Manager. Over the years Bruce managed and led different types of staff and volunteer teams, including over 100 volunteers at KPOV with an incredible staff of four. Bruce is a father and grandfather in a big blended family of four daughters and six grandchildren.

Lorin Croft matekel, board of directors

Lorin Croft Matekel has a BA in Communication from California State University, Long Beach and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Lorin received her MBA while working 12 hours shifts while proudly serving in the Air Force during the Iraqi War. Since leaving the Air Force, Lorin has been a manager in a multitude of fields and roles. From working as an Operations manager at Mervyn’s Distribution Center to helping open American Girl Place in Los Angeles, to working as a Quality Assurance Manager for fresh herb, dairy and beverage companies. Her life took an unexpected turn when her best friend was diagnosed with and later passed from brain cancer. Soon after, Lorin was laid off her job, and started an entirely different career. Lorin found her life purpose and showed up as her authentic self, as now she was able to help people. Lorin became a Reiki Master, then a 200 Hr Yoga Teacher thru Core Power Yoga, and then a 500 Hr Yoga Teacher thru Better Living Yoga and the Soma Yoga Institute. Lorin’s yogic training combines sthira and sukha (strength & ease), and she weaves these values throughout her yoga classes. Lorin also received certification as a Sound Healer, Angels & Aura Reader, Certified Angelic Advisor, and Certified Life Coach. Lorin has been teaching Yoga for the last 7 years and has been doing Sound Baths for the last five. Lorin enjoys doing workshops to teach others many of the skills she has acquired- Chakra Balancing, Manifesting, Card Reading, Numerology, and Sound Baths. When not in the studio teaching or working as the Assistant Studio Manager in Redmond, Lorin & her husband can be found at one of Central Oregon’s music venues. Lorin & Dan moved to Central Oregon from San Clemente, CA in October of 2023, and absolutely love it here! She has found so much genuine support and encouragement, and they have just purchased their first home together, and are here to stay! When at home, they love on their giant mainecoon Obsidian (Sidley Bean) and watch NFL football.