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Jason’s teenage years were deeply influenced by the training techniques of Chinese, Russian and Bulgarian Acrobatic Masters. At 16, he traveled to China to represent the U.S.A. at the Junior World Sports Acrobatics Championships, and the highpoint of his acrobatic career was performing at the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic games in Atlanta. It wasn't until his last semester of university that Jason found yoga and there has been no looking back. He currently studies with Sri Dharma Mittra. Jason's ongoing development of acrobatic progressions, combined with the rich lineage of yoga, has been the driving force in the foundation of AcroYoga. He currently travels the world seeking like-minded yogis, acrobats, and open-hearted beings who want to expand this practice. He plans on devoting the rest of his life to sharing this unique blend of ancient crafts. Jason is one of the co-founders of AcroYoga.
With a background in dancing, singing and acting, Jenny's discovery of yoga in 1999 was the answer to her prayers. Entranced by the limitless potential of two or more beings coming together in a devotional, playful and mutually supportive practice, she is certified in Contact Yoga (flying) by its originator, Nateshvar Ken Scott, and currently studies with Sianna Sherman (Anusara Yoga) and Sofia Diaz (Hatha Yoga). She has been teaching yoga and circus arts to adults and children for over 6 years. Jenny is one of the co-founders of AcroYoga. |
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Danny Arguetty, MA, is trained in integrative nutrition and provides nutritional consultations and workshops at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. He specializes in whole foods education, weight loss, digestive disorders, healthy aging, chronic fatigue, stress reduction and sugar/caffeine dependencies. Danny is a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher and an Anusara Inspired teacher; he is passionate about supporting people on their path to growth and inner discovery. www.nourishyourlight.com |
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“A healthy mind, a healthy body, a joyous life, flow from an open heart.” This is the outlook that makes the journey with Hemalayaa so joyous and playful. A life devoted to yoga and dance animate Hemalayaa’s playful spirit, and her special gift is a teaching style that invites students to embark on a journey to their own inner joy. Hema loves turning her students on to the vibrant styles of Indian dance, from the classical, to the latest moves from Bollywood, Bangra and Indian MTV. Many of her retreats and workshops culminate in a night of dance. |
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German born Tanja, has been practicing yoga for more than 15 years and has studied various styles of yoga with many masters. She is a 500-hour yoga alliance certified teacher, and has developed her own yoga program called AromaYoga. Tanja combines the benefits of aromatherapy, deep breathing techniques, color visualization and meditation, as well as vinyasa flow yoga and chakra opening exercises to cultivate deep healing within each individual. Tanja has studied homeopathy, herbs, nutrition, reiki, reflexology, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy and natural perfumery, and is the founder of April Aromatics, an all-natural product company. The yoga styles used in her classes are a combination of vinyasa, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Tibetan yoga and Iyengar. She is currently teaching classes throughout NYC, the US, Mexico, and Europe. |
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Professor Douglas Brooks is among the world's leading scholars of Hindu Tantrism and the esoteric traditions of the Goddess. He received his Masters and PhD degrees from Harvard University's Center for the Study of World Religions where he studied with several of the world's leading scholars of Sanskrit and Indian studies. Douglas also lived for many years in India in the house of his teacher Gopala Iyer Sundarmoorthy a Rajanaka Yoga Master of the Tantric Goddess tradition known as Auspicious Wisdom, or Shri Vidya. Douglas received the final levels of Shri Vidya initiation in 1985 and was empowered by his Guru to teach these esoteric traditions as he learned them. The author of several scholarly books on Hinduism and Tantra, he is currently Professor of Religion at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. |
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Elena Brower, Certified Anusara Yoga teacher, and founder of VIRAYOGA in New York City, offers a deft combination of alignment, levity and understanding. She encourages self-observation and celebration on the mat to yield a deepening experience of consistency off the mat. John Friend, Douglas Brooks and Hugo Cory have each contributed their distinctive understanding to Elena's offerings. A teacher to respected writers, artists and executives, Elena is known for her clear articulation of the techniques of Anusara Yoga as they blend with both the Tantric philosophy at the heart of the yoga and simple, attentive listening. |
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David Conway is the producer/director of The Fire of Yoga. Narrated by Ali MacGraw this documentary film aired nationally on LIME TV. Currently, David is writing the yoga feature film Crazy Wisdom. David has taught yoga for over ten years and is a certified Yoga Alliance yoga teacher. |
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Jonathan Fields is an eternally-smiling dad and husband, acclaimed yoga studio business-innovator and nationally-recognized writer, speaker, lifestyle-entrepreneur, recovering venture-capital attorney and yoga teacher. His rare ability to marry yoga's ancient wisdom with the discerning eye of modern science has found him regularly featured in the media and highly-sought after as a "teachers' teacher." Jonathan co-owns New York's Sonic Yoga, writes the Bridging The Gap column for fitYOGA Magazine, leads yoga and conscious-business retreats and trainings worldwide and plays online at www.JonathanFields.com. His next book on meaning-driven careers is due out from Broadway Books next year. |
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Recognized as the “First Lady of Yoga” since her ground breaking 1972 PBS television series, Lilias! Yoga and You, Lilias Folan is regarded as one of America’s most knowledgeable and beloved Master Yoga teachers. Steeped in many different yoga traditions, in recent years Lilias relies strongly on her own personal experience and intuition to influence her teaching. She has spent almost 40 years inspiring students and teachers throughout the USA with the benefits of yoga in body, mind and spirit. Folan’s audience includes housewives, athletes, executives, seniors, Olympians, artists, members of Congress and a former President of the United States. She’s taught internationally in Australia, Russia, Italy, Ireland, Germany, and for the British Wheel of Yoga. Lilias recently took part in the New York Times Speaker Series. In her third book, Yoga Gets Better with Age (Rodale), Lilias turns her attention to a demographic that has yet been addressed--her own! At 70 plus, she’s living proof that yoga is a continually changing, growing, deepening practice, that can be learned with ease at mid-life and beyond. Lilias Folan is a Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher with E500 + T500 hours. Yoga Alliance credits available for Lilias’ programs. www.liliasyoga.com |
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Yogiraj Yogi Amrita, meaning "yoga master experiencing and disseminating divine nectar," is a description that well suits Yogi Master Alan Finger, who has now been practicing yoga for nearly forty-five years. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Alan began his study at the age of fifteen, waking at 4:30 every morning for three hours of practice with his father, Kavi Yogi Mani Finger. The practice consisted of 90 minutes of breathing and meditation, followed by 90 minutes of asana, including poses held for up to one half-hour. After several months' practice, Alan had lost 100 pounds, found emotional stability, and was on the path to initiation as a teacher. (For more background on the creation of the ISHTA yoga lineage, visit www.ishtayoga.com.). As his intuition grew as a result of his intense practice, he discovered other skills, including Marma points (first discovered as he attempted to release the tensions in his own body from sustaining poses for so long!) and the Hindu tool of Shakti Pat. Today Alan is one of the pre-eminent Western Tantric yoga masters currently teaching, with popular "Power Meditation" classes at Yoga Works in New York City. He sees private clients for Marma work and Ayurvedic assessment at the Yoga Works studios in Manhattan and leads workshops and retreats on ISHTA, Tantra, and meditation in New York and worldwide. |
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Kevin Gardiner celebrated thirty years of practice with the turn of the Millennium. He is a Certified Intermediate Junior III Iyengar Yoga Instructor and has made extended trips to India to study with the Iyengar family in Pune. Kevin is a core faculty member and co-founder of the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Greater New York, and also teaches classes in his own studio on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The combination of precise and detailed instruction, graceful demonstration, and his light-hearted and off-beat sense of humor, make Kevin a dynamic and inspiring teacher. His unique ability to teach an entire session while concentrating on only one or two principles allows students to have a deeper experience of each asana, while his contagious enthusiasm encourages students to challenge the unknown in asana with greater sensitivity and awareness. Learning yoga with Kevin is a grand opportunity to connect with his great love for the practice as you deepen your own. |
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Hilary Garivaltis, Founder and Dean of Curriculum for the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, received her training at the New England Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, and Rishikesh College of Ayurveda in India. Hilary maintains her private practice and continues to present Ayurvedic workshops and training around the world. She perpetually studies with many of the world’s leading teachers of Ayurveda, both in the US and India. Hilary serves on the board for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and is a leading figure in promoting Ayurveda in the U.S. |
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Sara Ivanhoe is the writer, instructor and host of the Yoga for Dummies series, the Crunch Yoga series, and the Yoga Target Zone series, (created for exclusive sales at Target stores), resulting in over 4.3 million video and DVD sales worldwide. She recently teamed up with Russell Simmons to create Yoga Live! a video series set to hip hop music, and accessible to all races and religions. Sara did her first sun salutes in high school, and continued to immerse herself in yoga while receiving a BFA at New York University. She began her teaching journey in 1995 after studying with Erich Schiffmann, and then went on to complete the Yoga Works Teacher Training, as well as training with John Friend in the Anusara style. Sara will graduate from the Yoga Philosophy program at Loyola Marymount University this semester. Her extensive training has informed the many articles she has published for Fit Yoga, Martha Stewart’s Body and Soul, Cooking Light, and Women’s Health and Fitness. She has also been featured in Yoga Journal, Complete Woman, Prevention, Muscle and Fitness, Self, Shape, Fitness, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health. Her television shows, Yoga Zen and Yoga with Weights are currently airing on Fit TV’s All Star Workouts. |
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After graduating from college with a degree in Biomedical Sciences, Luke immersed himself in a yogic lifestyle at the Himalayan Institute, studying with his teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. After completing his yoga teacher certification, Luke authored the Asana Basics column for Yoga International magazine (now Yoga + Joyful Living). Also specializing in meditation, diet and nutrition, and stress reduction, Luke founded Uptown Yoga in Dallas, Texas, and later became principal teacher at East West Yoga in New York City. He is currently teaching at the Himalayan Institute’s international headquarters in Honesdale, PA and throughout the U.S. For more information visit www.lukeketterhagen.com |
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Hari Kaur Khalsa is the Director of Education and Training of Golden Bridge NYC. Hari directs and teaches Kundalini Yoga Classes and Teacher Trainings, Level 1 and Level 2, in the United States and abroad. She directs the international KRI Teacher Training Courses in Anandpur Sahib, India, Omega Institute, New York, and Espanola, New Mexico and at Golden Bridge NYC. Hari is a caring, inspiring, and down to earth teacher, making the powerful and healing teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan accessible to students of all levels. Inspired by years of study with Yogi Bhajan, Hari continues to serve all who come with smiles, and spirit. Married to jazz musician Dave Frank, Hari and Dave make their home in New York City bringing music and yoga to uplift the spirit. Hari is co-author of A Woman’s Book of Yoga – Embracing Our Natural Life Cycles (Penguin 2002) and author of A Woman’s Book of Meditation – Discovering the Power of a Peaceful Mind (Penguin 2006). |
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Alison and Kevin have been friends for 15 years and Yogis for about the same amount of time. Both teach at Kula Yoga in Manhattan, and are deeply dedicated to their spiritual path that includes South American Mysticism, meditation, human kindness and of course, laughter. They have also been known to transport to other universes together. |
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Manorama's mix of earthy charm, deep scholarship and humorous teaching style were born from years of close study with her Guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. She is a graduate of Columbia University, and in 2005, Sanskrit Studies released her acclaimed Learn to Pronounce Yoga Poses, which is an invaluable tool for yoga teachers and students. Manorama is committed to affecting the world in a positive way through Sanskrit, language of awareness, and love. www.sanskritstudies.org |
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Lisa Bennett Matkin has been teaching yoga for 14 years. She received personal mentorship from Alan Finger, founder of the nationally recognized ISHTA system and Yoga Zone. Natural Health Magazine rated Lisa’s Yoga Zone: Power Yoga video number one, and her classes have been rated as the “best high energy in the country” by Allure magazine. She co-directed the teacher training for the Mind/Body Therapy Department at Haelth, a complementary Health Care Center in NYC, founded by Dr. William Fair. Lisa has participated in writing, developing, and producing over 23 retail videos and DVD releases, and most recently she has starred in Anchor Bay’s Healing Yoga line of videos. Lisa’s teaching style finds inspiration from her own life challenges and experiences, which she shares generously from her heart to help guide and reconnect others with their own uniqueness. |
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Charles Matkin is a third-generation yogi originally from Vancouver, Canada who began his formal study in Yoga and meditation at the age of five. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Theatre from Maharishi International University, which included training in Ayurveda. His training includes certifications from the Yoga Zone and Jivamukti schools and extensive education in the Iyengar approach to Yoga. His writing on Therapeutic Yoga is featured in Yoga Journal and many wellness magazines. Among his favorite teachers are Leslie Kaminoff and Glenn Black. |
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Roger McKeever has a creative, passionate interest in, yoga, dance, and sacred play, which infuses both his teaching style and life with playful wonder. He is dedicated to the path of love, truth, freedom, and service. Roger’s deepest desire is to share his heart and body wisdom with all beings. Roger resides at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health as a Transformational Teacher Intern, where he teaches yoga classes and workshops, and interacts with the world through his open, ecstatic heart. His classes are exhilarating, grounded, spirit-filled, and playfully wild. Be there! |
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James Murphy began practicing yoga in 1988 after a 10-year career with the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theater. His training in yoga includes extended trips to India to study with Shri B. K. S. Iyengar, and Prashant and Geeta Iyengar. Through rhythm and sequencing, James creates an experience of integration in his classes that is both challenging and sensitive. James’ unusual integration and ability is featured in the Yoga Journal book Yoga, national magazines, and the Yoga Journal Calendar. James--often teamed with Mary Dunn--leads groups to fascinating destinations around the world where yoga study comes together with people to people understanding. |
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Cyndi Lee is the founder of OM yoga. A practitioner of both yoga and Tibetan Buddhism, Cyndi writes for Yoga Journal, Natural Health and the Shambhala Sun, and is the author of Yoga Body, Buddha Mind; OM yoga: A Guide to Daily Practice; OM yoga in a box, and co-author of OM yoga and meditation DVD/CD. Cyndi is the yoga expert on Lifetime TV's daily fitness show called My Workout. |
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David Nichtern is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As Director of Buddhist Studies and Practice for OM yoga, he leads yoga/meditation retreats with his wife Cyndi Lee around the world. David is also a Grammy/Emmy award winning composer/guitarist/producer, and founder of Dharma Moon Records. |
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Christina Clark is a senior teacher at OM yoga center and a core member of the teacher-training faculty. Christina's teaching is informed by her career as a professional dancer as well as her continued exploration of Buddhism and vinyasa yoga. |
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Brian Liem, OM yoga senior teacher, OM yoga Director of Programming, and a graduate of Judith Lasater's restorative yoga training, has been a meditator and devoted yoga practitioner for over fifteen years. He thanks Cyndi Lee for her continued wisdom, generosity and humor and is honored to be part of the multifaceted wakefulness of the OM yoga center mandala. |
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Frank Mauro’s quest for an integration of yoga and meditation brought him to Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga Center, where he completed teacher training in 2001. Frank is also a graduate of the 5-level Shambhala Meditation training. A senior teacher and member of the teacher-training faculty at OM yoga, Frank has conducted numerous OM yoga trainings and retreats. |
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Joe Miller, a longtime student of Cyndi Lee, completed teacher training at OM yoga Center in 2000, where he is now a senior teacher and a member of the teacher-training faculty. He has trained extensively in anatomy for yoga with Leslie Kaminoff as well as other teachers. |
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Heather Shaw, senior OM yoga teacher and a member of the OM yoga teacher-training faculty, offers sweaty, ecstatic vinyasa yoga that arises from a place deeply rooted in her own experience of the flow. Her classes ride the rhythm of the breath to find flexibility in both body and mind, blending fluid movement with careful attention to alignment. |
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Sarah Trelease is known for infusing great joy, a sense of community, and love into her classes. She is an OM yoga senior teacher and Director of OM yoga Teacher Training. Sarah is a graduate of Judith's Lasater's restorative yoga training and a student in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. She also earned a teaching certification with Don and Amba Stapleton. |
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Margi Young is an OM yoga senior teacher and member of the OM yoga teacher-training faculty. She teaches all levels of OM yoga and restorative yoga. Margi's classes are light-hearted, challenging and deep. She is interested in weaving asana, breath and meditation to ease life's challenges. |
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Descended from a long line of spiritual healers, Parashakti Sigalit Bat–Haim moved from her native Jerusalem to the United States to pursue her life-long exploration of the healing art of Ritual Dance. Parashakti’s spiritual and artistic quest led her to the study of Native American healing arts with the Shoshone and Lakota Indians, with whom she has been co-facilitating ceremonies for close to a decade. Inspired by the wisdom of her elders, she has developed a unique form of movement: Shamanic Earth Dance – integrating ancient Shamanic rituals, TranceDance, Shamanic journeying, hands on healing, sweat lodges and fasting. She has worked with over 10,000 dancers from around the world and led workshops and retreats at some of the world’s leading holistic living centers including: The Tree of Life (Arizona), Esalen Institute (California), Jivamukti Yoga School and the Omega Institute (New York), Alexis Zorbas Retreat Center (Greece), Hamakom Retreat Center (Israel) and Hermecillo (Mexico). She also facilitates major yoga and dance festivals in Israel, Mexico, and around the world.
Parashakti was also a co-founder/producer of the legendary Body Temple -- one of the most famous and successful organizers of holistic rave events. Parashakti currently leads Liberation Lounge, a monthly ritual fusing dance, yoga, breath work, and contemporary shamanism offered monthly and exclusively at the renowned Jivamukti Yoga School.
In her private practice as a Shamanic practitioner, Parashakti has developed her own healing modalities that assist clients with various emotional issues and life threatening diseases. |
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Jillian Pransky’s introduction to yoga and meditation came at the age of nine when her mother, frustrated with the pace of running around a family of five, insisted the whole family be initiated into Transcendental Meditation (TM). What initially felt like a punishment wound up being a guiding force in Jillian’s life, and her teaching focuses on bringing the practice of yoga and meditation into everyday life. Known as a nurturing guide with uplifting energy, Jillian’s work is greatly inspired by John Friend, Erich Schiffmann and Pema Chodron. She was initiated into the ISHTA lineage by Mani and Alan Finger in 1997 and is currently a senior teacher at Yoga Works. She is an Anusara Inspired Teacher and certified in Restorative Yoga Therapy and Thai Yoga Healing. Jillian is co-director of the Bright Spirit Teacher Training, leads classes at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Omega Institute, Mohonk Mountain House as well as in Mexico and the Berkshires. Her Relaxmore CD has garnered excellent reviews from many, including Dr. Memhet Oz, and is used in the healing program at the Heart Institute of New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center. Jillian produces a Healing e-Newsletter, Yogalicious. |
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Ross is a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher from Los Angeles, California. Formerly the owner of Yogainsideout, Ross now travels internationally teaching some of the most fun and inspiring yoga classes around. Ross started teaching in 1999 and was certified by John Friend in 2003. His classes are known for their clarity in the principles of Anusara woven into a challenging practice that seeks to connect all levels of students to their highest potential. |
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Desirée Rumbaugh began her yoga training in 1987 and has been teaching since 1989. Desirée has been studying with John Friend since 1993 and is now a certified Anusara Teacher Trainer. Full of enthusiasm, joy and positive energy, Desirée’s style is playful and transformational. With an extensive background in yoga therapeutics, she delights in helping other people discover their own greatness. She is fascinated with the process of transformation and how any change we make in our bodies affects our mind and therefore our perception of life. Desirée travels the globe teaching workshops and retreats. She dedicates all of her teaching to her two children, her daughter, Jessica and her late son, Brandon, "thank you for teaching me how to love." |
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Gandharva Sauls is a Certified Ancient Ayurveda/Multi-Dimensional Counselor, and co-director of The Ayurveda-Yoga Institute Of New York and New Jersey. Gandharva is a phenomenon in the field of Ayurveda, wholistic health and spirituality, and is the Master Teacher of the original Ancient Ayurveda system. He has been blessed with the sacred gift of reading the Ancient Ayurvedic Life Blueprint, which illuminates life potentials from physical to spiritual and confirms to you the unique being you are meant to be. He has over 20 years of experience in both Ayurveda and yoga, and shares his knowledge worldwide teaching Ancient Ayurveda workshops and trainings, and leading ecstatic chanting. |
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Sianna Sherman is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor who had the great blessing of meeting her teacher John Friend in August, 1995. She apprenticed with John as his assistant from 1999-2003 traveling with him nationally and helping to inspire the Anusara community. In 2001, she had the auspicious meeting with her yoga philosophy mentor Dr. Douglas Brooks and has since dedicated her studies to the Tantric Traditions. Sianna poetically weaves asana, philosophy, therapeutics, and storytelling into a colorful fabric offered lovingly from her heart. |
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Manhattan physical therapist Shmuel Tatz started his unique work in late 1960s in Soviet Lithuania. He continued his education in Moscow and expanded his knowledge and experience by working with the Soviet Olympic team. In the following years he traveled to Israel where he spent 10 years polishing his clinical skills in one of Jerusalem’s busiest hospitals for critically injured people.
Dr. Tatz arrived in the United States in 1984 and has been treating clients in his NYC Carnegie Hall studio ever since. His innovative system of Body Tuning® has enabled him to solve problems that have not been successfully treated elsewhere. His vast experience and healing therapies allowed him to become a Body Tuner for numerous musicians, dancers, singers and writers. And because of his deep understanding of yoga anatomy and physiology, many yoga teachers from many different schools have come to value Dr Tatz’s amazing abilities to heal injuries and realign the body. |
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Sarah Tomlinson is a pioneer in the field of Ancient Ayurveda Yoga, bringing us the revolutionary Ancient Ayurveda Yoga Series, a practice that unites yoga, ayurveda and the science of the stars. She has awakened a receptive approach to the healing potential of the asanas, which she shares in her teaching. The practice is centered in the exploration of the breath as it removes the tensions in the body, accessing the spine in a liberating and dynamic way. Sarah was one of the first Jivamukti Certified Yoga Instructors. Her teaching has been influenced and continues to develop from studies with Esther Myers, Diane Long and the Vanda Scaravelli teachings. Sarah currently co-directs the Ayurveda-Yoga Institute of New York, teaching Ayurveda-Yoga Training Programs and Yantra Painting internationally. The Ancient Ayurveda Yoga DVD by Sarah Tomlinson is now available. www.ayurvedayogainstitute.com |
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Dechen Karl Thurman is a Jivamukti Yoga Teacher, Ohashiatsu instructor, and a member of Tibet House, New York. He grew up among Tibetan Buddhist teachers including Gelek Rimpoche, Tara Tulku, Dr. Yeshe Donden, Lama Govinda, and Geshe Wangyal. An alumni of Playwright’s Horizon Acting School and Tisch School of the Arts Experimental Theatre Wing, Dechen produced and acted in two dozen off-Broadway plays and appeared in as many independent films and features, including Gods & Generals, Zoolander, Hamlet, and The Truth About Cats & Dogs. His yoga teaching style incorporates Tibetan Buddhism, Japanese bodywork, Indian asana, and good ‘ole American do how. |
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Long known in the national yoga community as an advanced trainer, Glenn Black has twin passions-bodywork and yoga. A student of both disciplines since 1971, Black went to India in 1987 to study with B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar yoga, and continues to integrate the therapeutic principles of Iyengar into his teaching. Also a practitioner of BodytuningTM therapy and trained by its founder, acclaimed healer Shmuel Tatz, Black's clients include many music and business celebrities. He has taught many classes in yoga for advanced practitioners at Omega since 1982. |
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