With over a decade of experience in the industry, April was named ‘most in demand’ for vinyasa yoga classes by New York Magazine’s, Best of New York. She has taught a wide range of students from A-list celebrities to toddlers, artists, and high-profile professionals. A seasoned instructor and bodyworker, April has a global prescence – she has been teaching retreats all over the world for almost a decade and has guest taught at yoga conferences and international events. April draws from her movement and life experience, creating classes that are fun, dynamic, and challenging, both physically and mentally. She has a strong media presence, is a former Lululemon ambassador, and has been featured on Regis and Kelly. She is the former Director of Yoga at the prestigious Reebok Sports Club/NY, MindBody studios. She is the founder of the renowned FireDragonYoga™ method and Teacher Training program. (See longer bio on homepage)
The director of the School of Sanskrit Studies in NYC, Manorama leads workshops on the Path of Luminous Shabda, a path that combines Sanskrit, Meditation and Yoga philosophy. She leads workshops nationally, as well as internationally. 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. In 2005, Sanskrit Studies released the acclaimed Learn to Pronounce Yoga Poses, an invaluable tool for yoga teachers & students. Manorama is committed to affecting the world in a positive way through Sanskrit, language of awareness and love.
sanskritstudies.org
Jason has been teaching yoga since 1998, has taught at many of New York’s leading yoga studios and health clubs, and was on the teacher training faculty at OM Yoga Center. He is a licensed massage therapist and an avid student/teacher of musculo-skeletal anatomy and kinesiology. He has taught anatomy for yoga teachers at OM Yoga, Yoga Works and Pure Yoga, and is the founder of “Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers,” a 100+ hour course of instruction in musculo-skeletal anatomy, injury prevention and the kinesiology of yoga asana. Jason is also the founder of Zenyasa® yoga, which brings together elements of Zen Buddhism, slow-flow yoga and functional strength training.
Frances Taylor-Brown (E-RYT-500) is co-owner of Zenyasa Yoga and Wellness Studio and co-teaches Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers. With a BFA in dance and a professional dance background, she has more than 20 years experience in teaching body awareness through movement. Her teaching style embodies the essence of Zenyasa’s musculo-skeletal foundation while allowing access to the layers of the physical and energetic bodies. Frances’ diverse background in the exercise and movement arts includes Hatha and Prenatal Yoga, Structural Yoga Therapy, Yogilates, Pilates Mat and Equipment, Thai Yoga Massage, Muscle Ballet, Holistic Health Counseling and Personal Training. Her personal and professional philosophy focuses on balancing body, mind and spirit through the creative connection of movement, exercise, holistic health, personal empowerment and supportive community. She offers individual sessions and workshops and is a guest anatomy teacher for various 200 hour teacher-training programs in the city.
Growing up in Alabama, Robert Wolf fell in love with the majesty of the body as a competitive athlete, which has led to a lifelong fascination with the human form. In 2002, he began his Healing Arts studies on a 100,000-mile journey around the globe. He is also a graduate of both the Esalen and Swedish Institutes. Additionally, he holds a BA in Speech Communications.
Currently he works in private practice supporting New Yorkers in finding a place of peace in their bodies and balance in their lives. He’s also a member of the USTA Sports Medicine Team providing sports massage to the world’s top ranked tennis players.
Mavon grew up in Dallas, TX, and moved to New York to attend Barnard College. Lifelong study in the area of dance and athletic performance led to a keen interest in plant-based nutrition and cellular health according to natural laws. She became a certified Colon Hydrotherapist in 2006 and ever since has worked privately with clients focusing on deep tissue cleansing and detoxification. She lives and works in Manhattan, and spends free time pursing dance, yoga, pilates, and contortion training.
Joyce Rockwood, C.C.H., is a holistic health practitioner, teacher and advocate dedicated to challenging the contemporary approach to living a healthy lifestyle and overcoming chronic illness. She co-founded Love Your Transformation (LYT) in 2006 and is presently in private practice with the goal to demystify natural healing and empower people to take an active role in their own wellness and vitality. A Certified Colon Hydrotherapist, Joyce guides both individuals and groups through specialized deep tissue detoxification programs, which are a combination of diet, natural therapies, and holistic lifestyle practices. She uses an integrated approach to address emotional, spiritual, and physical factors, treating the body as a web of intricate historical information, which when slowly unraveled, plays a vital role in the overall healing process. Joyce has been featured as an expert speaker in the LivingGreenSummit, a worldwide teleconference hosted by Nickie Knight, R.N., B.S.N., Founder of HipMomsGoGreen.com, on Natalia Rose’s Detox The World teleconference calls, as well as a guest on her Virtual Advanced Training Certification Course.
joycerockwood.com
Lisa Spiegel received her BA from Vassar College, and has a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. She is the co-director of Soho Parenting, New York’s first psychotherapy and parenting center. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Parents, New York Magazine, and The New Yorker. She is also the co-author of A Mother’s Circle: An Intimate Dialogue on Becoming A Mother. She has been practicing yoga since 1998. She is certified in Internal Family Systems Therapy, EMDR and studies Life Force Yoga for mood management. Her clinical practice with adults and children draws on this array of disciplines to support the health and healing of her clients.
sohoparenting.com
Lara Lauchheimer began practicing yoga in 1998 as a freshman at Boston University. She was intrigued by the body/mind connection and continued to practice as she earned her BFA in Theatre and moved on to New York. It was there that she stumbled upon the Ashtanga tradition and committed herself to daily practice. She then pursued a Vinyasa certification from Yoga Sutra, where she was able to practice under and assist long time Ashtanga teacher, Christopher Hildebrandt. That year Lara made her first trip to India to learn from the Guru of Ashtanga yoga, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. She continues to study yearly at the Pattabhi Jois institute under Director R. Sharath and Saraswathi. In addition to Ashtanga, Lara also teaches chanting and philosophy which she studies in India with Acharye Hema. Lara has brought this knowledge to a wide variety of students. One of her undertakings is making yoga accessible and relevant to the Jewish community. She also teaches children of all ages and abilities, including those on the autistic spectrum. Lara has continued to volunteer her services to HIV positive women and children, including a three-month stay in Rwanda where she taught yoga to genocide survivors. She is an attuned Reiki healer and a supplier of the number one raw cacao.
adventuresinyogaland.com
Michelle Hill started teaching when she was 8 months pregnant 7 years ago. A passionate Iyengar practitioner for over 20 years, Michelle thrives on the internal transformation yoga brings to her life and her students. Her primary teachers are James Murphy and Brooke Myers. Michelle lives and works on the Upper West Side with her creative writer husband Paolo and 2 active kids. She is certified in Iyengar Yoga (1st level), Children’s Yoga and Prenatal Yoga and Art Education (MA) Teachers College. In her spare time she illustrates children’s books.
Sarah Perron was introduced to yoga at age eleven, practicing Hatha yoga with her family. She experienced many styles of yoga before discovering the benefits of Iyengar Yoga for herself. Her studies at the Iyengar Institute began in 1992 with Mary Dunn and Brooke Myers who later became her mentors. A longtime student of the Iyengar Yoga method, she completed the two year 2005 teacher training program and is a certified Iyengar instructor. Sarah has also had the privileged of studying with Geeta Iyengar, as well as senior teachers Manuso Manos, Stephanie Quirk and John Shumacher among others. Sarah’s classes are influenced by her long career as a professional dancer having performed nationally and internationally with Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Group and Tere O’Connor Dance (1987-2003). She brings a clear understanding of movement, alignment and the body to her classes. She is a co-founder of Baby Om yoga for prenatal and postpartum women and she co-authored Baby Om, yoga for mothers and babies (published by Henry Holt, 2001). Sarah offers trainings in prenatal and postpartum yoga in the US and abroad.
I was introduced to yoga and meditation in 1994 while studying at Amherst College. Over the next decade, both became part of my daily life. I follow the lineage of Sri T. Krisnmacharya, who taught both B.K.S. Iyengar and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. In 2007, I met Master Zhongxian Wu, who has been my primary teacher since. Through his teachings, I share the Wu 巫 (Chinese shamanic) and Hidden Immortal Lineages 隱仙派. Qigong deepens my experience of our capacity to maintain health and balance through subtle observation. It leads my understanding of connections between the body, spirit, emotion, thought, and the environment.
jenniferintanburch.com
Ike Rodriguez is known as the sailing Reiki Master. He is the Captain of The Spirit Seeker, a 39ft Sailing yacht which he calls the “Floating Healing Sanctuary”. Ike, along with The Spirit Seeker is guided without charts or maps by the Divine Universal Life Force Energy a.k.a Reiki. Living the way of Reiki is what shows and up and is shared in Ike’s practice, it’s the great mystery of just being. Guided to where you are needed when you are needed, to be a healing conduit for those who need it, is Ike’s path. Currently Ike and the Spirit Seeker are on a journey sharing Reiki with the practice of Yoga. Ike actively teaches and attunes new yoga teachers in training, certifying them as Reiki practitioners so they can maintain the healing presence in Yoga. As part of being guided by the Universal Life Force Energy, Ike sometimes finds himself sharing his healing way of being in homeless shelters and other various institutions that offer help to the unfortunate, including abused animals.
