Our Teachers

Holly Kostura, IYCLV Director
B.S.N., CIYT – Level 3, E-RYT 500

Holly has been practicing self-inquiry through the art, science and philosophy of classical Yoga for twenty-five years. She began teaching in 2002 and founded The Iyengar Center of the Lehigh Valley (formerly Jai Yoga! in Bethlehem) in 2004 with the intention of sharing the transformative power of Yoga with her local community.  

The author of Your Year of Yoga: Learning to Love Practice, Holly was one of the youngest women in the world to receive the prestigious title “Senior Teacher” under the former Iyengar certification structure. She shares freely and openly any insight that has come to her with those who are seeking transformation through this great discipline of redemption.

Holly’s journey has been deeply influenced by her dedicated mentorship with Patricia Walden and Joan White at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga School of Central Philadelphia. She received advanced teaching experience by assisting in classes, workshops and teacher training both in the USA and abroad. Holly has studied extensively with B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, Prashant Iyengar and Abhijata Iyengar in the USA, Canada, China and at the renowned Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India. A life-long student, Holly is currently advancing her study of Yoga under the mentorship of Corine Biria at the Iyengar Yoga Center of Paris.

Holly’s deep dedication to her own practice inspires and informs her teaching, which is clear, compassionate and steeped in philosophy. Her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and special interest in anatomy and physiology, combined with her knowledge of the subtle body, blends Western and Eastern traditions and gives Holly the unique ability to view her students from a place of wholeness.  

Yoga is a path of transformation and absolute freedom that has far-reaching effects beyond the limits of the physical body. It is Holly’s intention to share with students how the practice of Yoga reveals the infinite source of health and joy contained within them.

Gabrielle Nembhard
B.S., CIYT – Level 1, RYT 200

Gabrielle has been practicing Yoga for fun since she was a child. In 2012 she began studying at The Center for Yoga in Seattle, Washington where she apprenticed and taught.

She has been studying at the Iyengar Yoga Center of the Lehigh Valley with her mentor, Holly Kostura, since 2021 and became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher in 2023.  

For Gabrielle, the practice of Yoga is deeply transformative on every level, bringing health, joy, peace, clarity, strength and wisdom; gifts of the practice that she hopes to help others receive. Her teaching is warm and accessible. She especially enjoys introducing beginners to the Iyengar method and witnessing the incredible progress that can be made over the course of just a few months with consistent practice.