Meet the Team
Alexandra Hampton
Founder, SUP Yoga + Barre Instructor
Alexandra is a Portsmouth native with a worldly POV. Her passion for health and wellness has taken her from the NH Seacoast to India, Sweden and back. As a yoga teacher, barre instructor, SUP guide and SUP Yoga instructor, she’s made it her life’s mission to help give people the tools they need to enhance their wellbeing.
Alexandra founded SEAVĀSANĀ in 2017. She is a 200-hr RYT with the Yoga Alliance, holds two SUP Yoga Teaching Certificates, is an Advisory Board Member of the International SUP Yoga Association, an 80-hr Certified Perinatal Yoga Teacher, and a 100-hr certified Barre instructor, trained by Andrea Isabelle Lucas of Barre & Soul.
Emily Whitney
Lead SUP Yoga Instructor
A native of Rye, NH, Emily grew up with a deep love for the ocean. She started paddleboarding in her teens and began working as a SUP tour guide in college for Portsmouth Paddle Co. Emily played a key role in helping to start SEAVĀSANĀ in 2016 as a SUP Yoga apprentice. In 2018, Emily pursued her passion, obtaining both her SUP Yoga and 200hr Baptiste Power Vinyasa yoga certification.
Emily’s grounds both her self-practice and her teaching style in her philosophy that “there’s no room for transformation without going outside your comfort zone.” And one of the things Emily loves most about practicing SUP Yoga is that it makes her step out of her comfort zone. She also finds a sense of peace and tranquility when she is immersed in nature on her floating mat.
A teacher by nature, Emily’s style of instruction is accessible, light-hearted, and fun. She loves creating community and encouraging others to challenge themselves and grow in new ways!
Kate O’Dowd
SUP Yoga Instructor
Kate is a Portsmouth, NH native and has always loved being outside. Yoga and nature never fail to fill her up. She loves that SUP Yoga is the space where both of these worlds meet.
Kate found her passion for yoga at a young age, completing her first yoga teaching training in Power Yoga in 2018 at the ripe age of 17. Kate now holds two 200-hr and a 50-hr SUP yoga certification. In 2021, she completed her SEAVĀSANĀ apprenticeship and joined our team as an instructor.
Kate is inspired by connecting with others through movement and creating tight knit communities. She looks forward to leading SUP Yoga classes that help students connect deeply with their bodies, while slowing down and getting out of their heads through immersion in nature. Kate’s classes are thoughtful, accessible, challenging and fun!
Jessica Sunshine
SUP Yoga Instructor
An avid sailor and SUP enthusiast, it was only natural for Jessica to dive right into a paddle board yoga practice. Jessica has been a 200-hr RYT since 2018 and joined our team in 2021 after completing her SUP Yoga certification and SEAVĀSANĀ apprenticeship. She truly brings sunshine to the water with a positive, encouraging presence, and a playful teaching style.
Jessica is devoted to providing SUP Yoga instruction that connects the mind, body and soul. Her yoga teaching philosophy is rooted in the transformative power of yoga on and off the mat. She guides from the heart, providing classes that help her students of all abilities to feel empowered and strengthened through the practice of mindful movement. Ultimately, her wish is for her students to seek peace within themselves through their SUP Yoga practice.
Erin Murphy
SUP Yoga Instructor
Yoga allows Erin to feel united with her own authentic self and experience a sensation of deep grounding. She loves SUP yoga, mountaintop yoga, or any way she can bring her practice to the great outdoors. She has completed RYT500 as well as trainings in trapeze yoga, SUP, restorative, yoga nidra, and reiki.
Erin believes there is a strong connection between the energy of breath and body. Through her practice and teachings, she strives to share accessible and empowering classes where students feel safe to explore their practice and evolve on a deeper level. Her hope is to empower students to find their authentic connection of breath, movement, and the mind.
Outside of yoga Erin works as an elementary school music teacher in NH. Off the mat Erin enjoys hiking, live music, and spending time with her dog. “Just the act of inhaling and exhaling can be a tremendous love affair.” -B.K.S. Iyengar