Our Teachers

Born and raised in southern Indiana, Denise lived in Chillicothe from 1994 to 1998. She attended her first yoga class in 2007 while living in Washington State and yoga quickly became a means of self-study and healing for her. She loves helping others achieve a higher state of health, and believes that everyone can benefit from a yoga practice, regardless of age, size, shape, abililty, or physical condition. 
 
Denise returned to Chillicothe in 2010 and earned her 200 hour RYT designation with Laurel Hodory in Columbus, OH in 2014 with a focus on Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Soon after that, she started looking for a space where she and other teachers could share the benefits of yoga with the community, and opened the space at Explorer Yoga in January 2016. 

In addition to her initial yoga teacher training, she has completed additional intensive trainings at Yoga on High in Columbus, OH in Pranayama (yogic breathing techniques), and Restorative Yoga. She has also completed Accessible Yoga and Yoga for All teacher trainings. She has worked full time as a Registered Nurse since 1994 with patients of all ages in medical/surgical, long term care, primary care, and public health settings. 

Denise sustained major injuries to her left arm and wrist in August 2022 and has adapted her own physical yoga practice to accomodate her current abilities. She enjoys showing students how to approach yoga with a healthy dose of self-acceptance, curiosity, and a sense of humor. She is eager to show others that yoga truly is for EVERY BODY.

Nancy began her yoga journey in 1998 after the birth of her second child.  She completed her 200 hour teacher certification in 2003 in Ashtanga Yoga at Its Yoga Columbus. Since that time, she has been teaching Vinyasa flow classes in the Chillicothe and Circleville areas, and has been teaching at Explorer Yoga since we opened in 2016.

Nancy's classes are alignment based with a slow to moderate flow, incorporating many styles of yoga. She also works part time as an Occupational Therapist and volunteers at the Circleville Humane Society. Nancy's students love her creative sequencing and laid back attitude!

Roberta Milliken started practicing yoga in 2008 to help alleviate hip soreness. What began as a simple remedy for a specific issue soon became a passion, and in 2013 she completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lennox, Massachusetts. Kripalu means compassion and this forms the backbone of this style of yoga, a style that can be described as a deliberate hatha practice centered on inner-focus, standard yoga poses, breath-work, ease of mind, and relaxation. Roberta is a member of the Kripalu Yoga Teacher Alliance and regularly attends workshops and seminars at Kripalu and other studios to deepen her understanding of yoga and develop her teaching abilities. 

Roberta has been teaching at Explorer Yoga since we opened in 2016. She also currently serves as the Dean of Campus and Community Relations at the Ohio University-Chillicothe campus.