Yoga School

Stephanie Howard

Founder, Hot Spot Studios | Founder, Hot Spot School of Yoga                Co-Founder and Director, ULU School of Self-Mastery

I found yoga in 2009, at a time when I was weak, exhausted, and living with chronic pain.

By the time I was 30, my spine was beginning to compress, particularly in my lower back and neck. I became a regular at physical therapy, the chiropractor, and the pain clinic, including injections to help manage the pain. Eventually, I was told there was little hope of avoiding surgery.

That’s when my competitive nature kicked in….I decided to fight.

After months of research, reflection, and prayer, I found my way to yoga school. I didn’t know exactly where the journey would lead, but I believed there had to be another path forward.

The beginning wasn’t easy. My body was weak, and the practice challenged me in ways I had never experienced. But the pain felt different. Instead of feeling like my body was breaking down, I began to feel myself getting stronger.

Within just two weeks, I noticed strength developing in my back and core that I had never felt before.

That was only the beginning.

What started as a search for physical healing became a much deeper journey—one that transformed not only my body, but my mind, my perspective, and ultimately my life.

Yoga changed everything for me.

Today, I am pain-free, and teaching yoga has become my passion. Training teachers and sharing these teachings has replaced my former “need for speed” with something far more meaningful: the opportunity to help others discover what is possible when we become willing to go deeper.

And somehow, that journey led me to you.

Throughout my years of study, I have had the privilege of learning from Manju Jois, Carlo Giorno, Tim Miller, Kino MacGregor, David Williams, David Swenson, Leslie Kaminoff, Nischala Joy Devi, Joe Dispenza, Goenka(Vipassana), Gabi Walters (Hot Pilates) and many other extraordinary teachers who have carried these teachings forward.

I am deeply committed to honoring the lineage I have received and passing it on with integrity, humility, and reverence—while creating a space where students can discover yoga for themselves.

The practice that changed my life became the path I now have the privilege of sharing with others.