Meet Our Instructors
Jeff Powney
Certified Yoga Instructor + Physical Therapist
Jeff started practicing yoga in 1997. He fell in love with yoga and got his 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2002 and has been teaching since. His initial training was Integrative Yoga but then started diving into other forms of yoga like Anusara, Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Yin.
Over the years he has blended the science of anatomy and biomechanics from his PT profession with the wisdom of the various yoga teachings. Jeff has always believed yoga is a wonderful way to help people find more awareness into how they live, move and breathe. Yoga helped bring balance into his active lifestyle by introducing flexibility, mobility, strength, endurance, and most importantly relaxation. Jeff wants his classes to be accessible to all and is offering a variety of types of classes since each person comes with a different history and mind/body complex.
Marisa Monteverde
Fitness Instructor + Certified Strength Coach
Marisa grew up in the Methow and after high school moved away. During that time she found weight lifting to be the thing that helped her feel and move the best. Upon returning to the Valley and having more time to share her love of getting strong with others, she became certified as a Functional Strength Coach. She enjoys helping others get their bodies to their strongest self!
CHRIS GARNER
Fitness Instructor
Chris is enthusiastic about fitness at any age and loves leading our Fitness Fusion class as well as instructing residents at Jamie's Place nursing home. Chris is a Yoga instructor with 200 hours of training in Iyenger Yoga with Aadil Palkivala of Seattle Yoga Centers and 100 hours of Flow Yoga training with Shiva Rea. You may also find her subbing in for Spin Cycle and at the front desk. She has a great appreciation for staying fit and participating fully in quality physical therapy having undergone plenty of it herself!
Sofia Christensen
Yoga Instructor
For Sofia, yoga has been foundational to her overall well-being, and the vehicle through which she found clarity of mind, support of the body, and regulation of the nervous system. Her passion for the practice led her to feel called to teach and share the healing benefits it has to offer with others. She received her 200-hour training in 2023 and is currently working on completing her 300-hour training with the same teacher. She is so grateful and honored to share this all-encompassing and holistic approach to wellness, in community with you.
RYT 200, Awake Heart with Hannah Muse, Santa Cruz CA
RYT 300 in progress
Mark Wolf-Armstrong
Fitness Instructor + Personal Trainer
Mark has been a National Strength and Conditioning (NSCA) certified personal trainer since 2007. In addition, he holds a certification from the Gray Institute in Applied Functional Science, a program focused on authentic movement and exercise. He holds additional certificates in exercise training and science such as TRX and balance for active seniors, circuit-training and high intensity interval training protocols, and self-myofascial release. He has completed a specialist workshop in women's fitness from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). At Winthrop Fitness, Mark is a personal trainer and one of the teachers for the OPEC senior fitness class. He is also certified to teach SAIL (Staying Active and Independent for Life), an evidence-based strength, balance and fitness program for adults 65 and older. Mark lives outside Twisp on a farm with his wife, Maggie, and loves to backpack, hike, bike and ski for recreation and fitness.
Laura McCabe
Endurance Sport Coach + Fitness Instructor
This modest, two-time Olympian in Nordic Skiing has won practically every Nordic ski race there is to win in North America, including the prestigious American Birkebeiner. Laura is also an expert climber and runner, and her experience as an elite athlete inspires both junior and masters athletes to reach their full potential. Laura’s coaching and strength programs are among the most popular classes offered at Winthrop Fitness. She is also Racing Coach of the Methow Nordic Junior Team. After the tragic loss of her husband Sean to cancer, Laura is now a single mom to two amazing children, Novie and Dashe. A revered art teacher and internationally recognized artist, Sean left behind an art legacy that Laura now manages from her home. To view or purchase art from Sean’s collection, visit www.seanmccabestudio.com
Tani Erickson
Zumba Instructor
Tani Erickson has been a nationally-certified Group Fitness Instructor since the 1990’s, specializing in dance fitness and aqua aerobics. Over the years, she has taught at the Vashon Athletic Club, All-Star Fitness (West Seattle) and the West Seattle Y. She was also a Guest Fitness Instructor at the Crown Paradise Resort in Cancun. A ZUMBA-licensed instructor since 2011, she’s teaching ZUMBA 101 at Winthrop PT & Fitness. Living part-time in the Valley since 1993, Tani retired from Alaska Airlines as a flight attendant and is now a full-time resident.