meet the team

Amanda is the owner of Amarah! She grew up in Camp Hill, PA and moved to the Pittsburgh area for college at California University of PA. She received her undergrad and graduate degrees in Criminal Justice and worked for many years in the field. When she had her son, Cooper, she decided it was time for a change of pace. She has always been creative and imaginative and certainly has an eye for fashion, which led her to begin her career as a fashion consultant. Amanda wanted to empower other women, just as she had been empowered by inclusive, fashionable, flattering, and affordable clothing, and for the last 7 years she has been spreading the joy that it brings. Amarah was conceived when realizing that there was a need for inclusive fitness and fashion in the area. She wanted to create a space where everyone felt welcome regardless of age, race or fitness ability. Combining her love for fashion, lifestyle, and fitness, Amarah was born. Amanda has lived in the Brookline neighborhood since 2012 with her husband, Joe, their son, Cooper and their daughter, Saylor!Their family is grateful to be able to provide a service that is very in-need here in the Brookline neighborhood.

Olivia “Liv” Rehak is from Pittsburgh, PA and currently lives in Squirrel Hill. She completed her 200hr-RYT in May 2023. Liv found yoga 10 years go to help her with a bad back. Since then, yoga been so many things for her throughout the years and it’s always been a constant in her life. She decided to get her yoga teacher certification to help guide her students through their journey, whatever that may be. You’ll feel her love of yoga shine through in her Vinyasa classes. Outside of the studio, she works full-time as a recruiter. You can find her around Pittsburgh at concerts, local arts festivals and markets, or at a trendy coffee shop. Liv teaches Yoga Flow on Wednesdays at 6:00pm.

Jason began his massage therapy career at the Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy, learning from many of the best in the business. He graduated with a comprehensive knowledge of many varying forms of massage including; Swedish, Sports, Myofascial and Neuromuscular. He continues his education yearly and learns new techniques and therapies to better serve his clients. His focus with each client is to make a positive change. Each session is customized to the clients needs and may incorporate numerous types of massage therapy. Our muscles can easily become overworked in day to day life and we often carry more tension than we realize. When a singular muscle or a muscle group is over used, they can easily develop trigger points. These points not only cause pain where they are found in a muscle but also in adjacent areas. This phenomenon is called a referred pain pattern. Trigger points can even restrict movement due to shortened muscle fibers. Upon releasing trigger points, clients often experience improved muscle performance and decreased pain levels. Jasons approach to releasing trigger points is methodical and effective. He typically begins by warming the muscles with deep Swedish massage. This increases circulation and can be very relaxing. After this, he addresses the trigger points directly by slowly compressing them. Many would describe this therapy as deep tissue. "I am very passionate about helping my clients to achieve their goals. I believe massage therapy is an important part of wellness. Whether you are stressed, in pain, or want to improve your athletic performance, I highly recommend adding massage therapy to your wellness program. I look forward to hearing from you!" Book your custom massage today! Jason takes appointments on Mondays and Fridays!

Christina is a RYT-500 hour certified yoga instructor that has fully embraced the powerful healing practice of yoga. She became passionate about sharing her practice with others when she experienced the several benefits of yoga along her own health journey. She became 200-hour certified through Breathe Yoga in Murrysville in 2021 and continued on for her 300-hour training through Breathe Yoga in 2022. To further her education, she has attended multiple trainings and workshops to expand her knowledge base in asana, pranayama, meditation, the ethics of yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra. Christina is excited to create an inclusive, safe space to encourage ALL people to develop their yoga practice, balance their mind, body, and spirit, explore mindfulness/meditation, and strengthen their bodies inside and out. Her practice provides an accessible way to lengthen, strengthen, balance, and breathe.

Kim Earley, aka The Hapa Healer, is an intuitive Kundalini Reiki master. In 2018 she suffered a massive bout of post-partum depression. Then, in 2019, she relapsed from addictions she thought she had won the battle against. When she finally began to choose sobriety, it was then that her true healing began. Kim has always been intuitive but never really understood what was happening and the meaning of it all. In her sobriety, she stayed grounded and finally connected with her guides, ancestors, ascended master, and Archangels. For the last three and a half years, she has dedicated herself to helping others find the light inside of them. She doesn’t heal anyone but shares her story, and by offering her light, she hopes her clients find the light within themselves. After becoming a reiki master, her strong intuition exploded, allowing her to deliver insightful messages through tarot and oracle cards. Kim does Reiki, Tarot Card Readings and Akashic Records and Past life readings by appointment only.

Sierra leads Buti Yoga classes at Amarah. A dancer since the age of 3, Sierra studied various styles of dance with a foundation in ballet. She has been moving in some way, shape, or form her entire life until she and her husband decided to start their family. After the birth of their third child, she knew she needed to get moving again. It took a little while to become disciplined and keep a steady routine, but once Sierra was introduced to Buti Yoga she was hooked and became a certified instructor since December 2017. In June 2019, Sierra continued her movement journey by attending the Buti Sculpt+Bands Certification. Sierra is a certified yoga teacher, receiving her RYT-200 in 2020. She is currently getting her masters in teaching and currently works full time at Brookline Elementary School. She resides in Peters Twp. with her husband Ed, their three children Lilianna, Valentina, and Leonardo, and their two dogs.

Mel teaches SOULfusion at Amarah. She is an ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor and Certified SOUL instructor who has been teaching since 2016. As someone who often left group fitness classes feeling ‘not good enough,’ when she became an instructor, she decided that it would be her priority to ensure that each and every student, regardless of age or athletic ability, would leave class feeling stronger and more confident than when they entered. Outside of her time at the studio, she works in city government and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy. She’s a Pittsburgh native, decade-long vegetarian, and currently lives in Brookline with her partner Jeff, their son, and their menagerie of animals including 5 chickens, 2 cats, 1 dog, and 3 fish.

Alicia leads Barre classes at Amarah.  Alicia started attending barre fitness classes in 2018 and loved the format so much that she received her Endurance Barre certification in 2020. When she isn’t teaching, Alicia works full time as a Youth Programming Manager for a local nonprofit organization. She holds a BA in Communication/Journalism and MA in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Traveling, hiking, working out, reading, and playing video games are her favorite pastimes, which are made even better when she convinces her husband Mason to join her in these hobbies. Together, Alicia and her husband have 2 cats (Olive and Ivory), 2 dogs (Ruby and Cinder), and a plethora of fish.

Deena has been practicing yoga for 14 years, recently earning her teacher certification at Moksha Yoga Amazonica yoga school in Moyobamba, Peru. She is versed in multiple styles of yoga with a heavy focus on yin and restorative styles. When she is not at Amarah, Deena is a flight attendant. She enjoys spending time with her partner, Dustin, and her many guinea pigs. She loves using her creative talents in many different ways including embroidery, t-shirt making, jewelry making, drawing and more! You can find Deena on the mat every Sunday night at 6:30pm for Yin Yoga or Mondays at 7:30pm for Renew and Restore.

Renee teaches Yoga Flow, Yoga Sculpt and Slow Flow Yoga at Amarah. Renee was born and raised in Brookline and is a lover of all things yoga and meditation. When Renee is not busy being a mom to her daughter Olivia, you can find her creating masterpiece charcuterie boards at The Cheese Queen, on the mat practicing, working on her next fun sequence, or wrapped in a blanket reading yoga books. Renee found yoga a little later in life (rather, yoga found her).  She dropped in to a yoga class at Amarah in support of a new business in her community, but found so much more -- what started as a place to practice, became more like a home. As yoga grew in her soul, she knew her next step was finding the time to go through yoga teacher training. In May 2019, she received her 200-YTT certification. She has since expanded her teaching knowledge by various continuing education certifications. Renee is always excited to bring her energy and fun new sequences to share with her students. Renee teaches Yoga Sculpt on Mondays at 12pm and Slow Flow Yoga on Wednesdays at 9am.

Megan Donnarumma started her fitness journey by becoming a certified Pound instructor 5 years ago.  Her love of music and dance also led her to become a 305 Fitness certified instructor 3 years ago.  Most recently, she has completed her certification and is now a personal trainer.  She's a new SweatNET ambassador which gives her the opportunity to showcase all that Pittsburgh health and wellness has to offer. Megan teaches 305 Fitness on Thursdays at 6:00pm.

Erin McAuley (E-RYT 200, RYT-500) is overjoyed to join Amarah as a yin and energy flow instructor! A lifetime student of the mystic arts, her yoga practice began in 2009. Now ten years in teaching, Erin offers powerful opportunities for discovery, healing and transformation in her classes. Her hands-on assists add magic to asanas, along with energy healing and guided breath work that supports students to access illumination from within. She is trained in, enjoys and offers many styles of yoga from vinyasa to classical disciplines. In today’s modern world of focus on external productivity, Erin is especially excited to share Yin yoga - a restful practice. Erin teaches Yin Yoga on Thursdays at 7:30pm and Energy Flow on Fridays at 12pm.