Find a Teacher Near You
Africa|Asia|Europe|N.America|SouthPacific
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
(Cape Town) Malu Ovenstone teaches Heart of Yoga which incorporates the 5 principles of yoga: the breath movement is the body movement, breath begins and end the movement, we inhale from above and exhale from below, the asanas create bandhas which are locks, and bandhas serve the breath, asana creates pranayama and pranayama allows for meditation. Malu teaches a free-flowing practice where the breath is the most important part of the practice.
Contact Malu: maluovenstone@hotmail.com 0027-452-9101|
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ASIA
CHINA
(Beijing) Ronan Tang (Tang Yijie) is one of the China’s leading teacher trainers. Ronan is highly skilled at leading mixed level ‘inclusive’ classes, interlaced with a wealth of teachings around asana, pranayama, meditation, Chinese traditional medicine, meridian massage, acupuncture, Taichi, Taoism Qi Kung ,ancient and contemporary philosophy; in other words, a rich, educational and balanced yoga experience. Ronan’s very insightful teachings aim to help you cultivate balance and harmony in your life, on and off the yoga mat.
Contact Ronan: Joy Yoga joyronan@yahoo.com.cn blog.sina.com.cn/joyronan 0086-1371-860-3333JAPAN
(Kofu, Yamanashi) Yohsuke Ono was born in Japan on March 9, 1981. He has been learning yoga philosophy since 1981 with his Guru, his Mother, who was a Yoga Teacher before he was born. Yohsuke has been practicing asana and pranayama since 2004,and he has been teaching Yoga since 2007. In 2010, he met Mark Whitwell in Heart of Yoga’s Teacher Training in Japan. In this training, he received Love from Mark, and he knew that he is as he should be. Everything is as it should be. He continues to teach Heart of Yoga in Japan and hopes that everybody in this world experiences intimacy with his body, breath and others.
Contact Yohsuke: Yogastudio Internal internal_info@mail.goo.ne.jp http://www.internal.gotohp.jp/
(Tokyo) Kaori Santosima is a yoga teacher, an ayurvedic adviser and a translator. A teacher for six years and practicing for 11 years, she enjoys teaching yoga in local Japanese communities in Tokyo and Kyoto. She met Mark when he was teaching in 2008 at the Hong Kong Asia Yoga Conference and was touched by his all-embracing, loving nature. She has received much nurturing force through applying Heart of Yoga principles to her daily practices. Her classes focus on breath and awareness, aiming to bring harmony between two polarities of Life ( Inhale and Exhale, Receiving and Giving). Not being a very flexible nor strong practitioner herself, she is passionate about introducing yoga to less-physically oriented people with kindness and humour.
Contact K.: Ohanasmile Yoga Studio – 2-9-4 Yutenji, Meguro-ku, Tokyo santosimas@gmail.com www.santsosima.comEUROPE
CROATIA
Domagoj Orlic is a long-term scholar, practitioner and teacher of yoga and tantra. He is a student of Mark Whitwell and translator of his book Yoga of Heart: The Healing Power of Intimate Connection (Yoga srca: Iscjeljujuca snaga prisnosti, 2004). Domagoj also authored two books on yoga in his native Croatian language: an introductory book on yoga entitled The Experience of Yoga: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Viniyoga (Iskustvo yoge: Uvod u filozofiju i praksu viniyoge, 2001) and a comprehensive study entitled Yoga in the West: The Transforming Power of Yoga in the Interpenetration of World Cultures (Yoga na Zapadu: Transformacijska snaga yoge u preplitanju svjetskih kultura, 2007). Domagoj holds a BA degree in Philosophy and teaches yoga both privately and publicly in his home town. He is also available for teaching in Central Europe.
Domagoj practices and teaches Yoga of Heart as the very heart of yoga, that is he understands yoga as a way of enjoying Life and the deepening of intimacy with oneself, other human being and the Whole of Existence that we utterly are as sensitive, compassionate and spiritual beings with a Heart. Heart is the point of absolute union between man and the world, it is a total interconnectedness of all polarities (ha-tha yoga), and so shri-hrdaya-yoga-tantra is an approach to yoga in which a concerned individual, by surrendering to her own power of receptivity (shri), gets to know her Heart (hrdaya) through practicing the most appropriate yoga for herself, naturally and non-obsessively, as a daily discipline of pleasure (tantra) and a wholehearted participation in the Cosmic Unity that we totally are as an absolute freedom of responsible emotivity and love.
Contact Domagoj: domagoj.orlic@gmail.com +385-98-964-0699
GERMANY
(Berlin) Tom Beyer holds a master’s degree in sport science (physical education) and is a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher (Yoga Alliance RYT 500) and disciple of Mark Whitwell. He has been licensed by German health insurances for preventive yoga classes. In 2007, Tom Beyer opened HOMEYOGA in the centre of Berlin (Mitte) and since then has focused on developing his own back & joints yoga and teaching vinyasa flow yoga. Tom Beyer offers an 85-hour advanced training for yoga teachers in the field of back & joints yoga as well as a one-year vinyasa flow yoga teacher training (200+).
Contact Tom: HOME YOGA info@home-yoga.de www.home-yoga.de Friedrichstr. 122, 10117 Berlin (Mitte) + 493031015800
(Berlin) Christiane Suckow-Büchler joined her first yoga class in 1997. Although her first yoga years were characterised through a very challenging asana practice, it took just a little time to find out that yoga is much more than this. She understands yoga as an intimacy with one self and with life within. “The treasure of Yoga provides a manifold spectrum of methods to discover and deepen this.”
Before Yoga, Christiane spent many years of her life at the dark side of the moon. In the 1980′s she did everything to bemuse her feelings of being separated and troubled. Luckily she found a way to “reset” and move through that. When yoga came into her life it supported to keep up the connection with herself and her surroundings.
Yoga teaches her how the mind works and to detect, for example, which and where old patterns are still keeping her stuck.
In 2005, she traveled to Cologne and there she met Mark for the first time. His teachings touched her heart deeply and she is very happy to join his yearly classes in Berlin since then. Heart of Yoga lets her experience that we are okay as we are. Most of us have forgotten this because we struggle with the ideal conceptions society and our own mind sometimes suggests.
“Life is a gift and with yoga we celebrate and honor that. Let`s share this!”
Contact Christiane: chrissuckow@yahoo.de 0049 0163 164 37 24
(Buchholz) Ellen Engel – “I fell in love with Yoga during my teacher training in 2009. Before that training, yoga was more or less physical gymnastics used to improve my back pain. 2009 was a hard year and I was sure that I would have to change my life or it would torn to pieces. I don´t know why, but I was sure that only yoga would help me out… and that´s it.
After doing the teacher training, I started teaching and loved it so much that I taught one year, full time. I was lucky to have wonderful students at different ages, body types and unequal reasons why they were doing yoga. I learnt fast to adapt yoga to the person and not the other way round.
In Hamburg I found a nice teacher where I love to go to practise Yoga for myself but I so deeply wished to find “my teacher” who touches my heart and who I could learn more from. Then I met Mark and everything, practicing and teaching, even parts of my daily life has changed.
My yoga and life feel so much more natural and I love breathing! It is nice to share the experience with the yoga students and it makes me so happy to see them relaxing into their own yoga. Recently, one student told me (a little bit self-consciously) that she loves doing her daily yoga at home more then coming into the group class – wonderful, that really moved me to tears and made me sure to be on the right track.
I am teaching yoga (groups & individual) in several clubs in the south of Hamburg. I also started some education in deep body work and love the combination of Yoga and Massage.
Contact Ellen: info@yoga-jiivala.dewww.yoga-jiivala.de 0049 4187-7237
(Munich) Veronika Köberlein has found her way to Yoga through her dance teacher in 2002. First being more of a physical effort it turned into a spiritual search for contentment. After practicing Yoga obsessively for some years with different teachers and schools she realized that Yoga is not an effort to be someone or get somewhere with Mark’s help. Veronika did her Teacher Training with Mark in Fiji and has been traveling with him around Europe and assisting him on his Teacher Training in Japan 2010/11. She is interested in helping people to realize that there is nothing that is missing through teaching them their personal Yoga. Anyone who is interested in learning Yoga that is perfectly fitted for YOU is welcome!
Contact Veronika: veronikoe@gmx.de 0049 176 93178019
(Siegen) Anika Leititis – ” The most beautiful thing in life is the ability to love!”
For Anika, her yoga practice is inspired by Mark Whitwell’s asana practice and the unity of breath and movement. As an experienced yoga teacher (children and adults), an actress and owner of her own studio, she continuously teaches, more and more emphasizing on the combination of yoga and voice. When she combines that with traveling she is happy, she says. Especially in 2012 her diverse schedule will consist of different teacher-trainings in and beyond Siegen and workshops around Europe.
Anika Leititis is the owner of a Kiana Yoga studio in Siegen, Germany.
Contact Anika: mail@kiana-yoga.de Kianayoga Kirchweg 47, Siegen 57072 www.kiana-yoga-siegen.deITALY & SWITZERLAND
Susanne Daeppen is a Heart of Yoga Teacher, Dancer and Choreographer in Switzerland.
Susanne has studied as a dancer and choreographer in Switzerland, New York and Japan and has performed nationally and internationally since 1986 with her solo- and company-work, Dakini Dance Projects. She is a researching artist and has dedicated herself to Slowmotion through the inspiration of Japanese Butoh-Dance. Susanne has studied with well known teachers Kazuo Ohno in Japan, Eiko&Koma in New York and Anna Sokolow in New York.
In 2004, Susanne won the cultural prize of the city of Biel-Bienne for her artistic way and research of a unique dance-style: a creation out of Yoga and Butoh-dance.
Since then, Susanne has dedicated herself more and more towards Yoga, testing many modern styles. She was urging to find the origins of yoga in philosophy when she encounted Mark Whitwell and Heart of Yoga.
Since meeting Mark, Susanne felt surrounded and “home” after a long journey: the natural and original way of breathing asanas, that form is made of breath, fits for Susanne with her research in Slowmotion dance and as a Dakini. The Dakini brings the female energy into Yoga. As a mother giving natural birth at home for two daughters, Susanne experienced the power of breath and meeting pain with a welcoming state of being.
In New York, Susanne did her Teacher Training with Mark Whitwell and is now teaching Heart of Yoga throughout Switzerland, Italy and Germany. She is also teaching Slowmotion Workshops and Performances in Northport, Long Island, and, in collaboration with her partner Christoph Lauener, she is on international tour with their meditative performance SILK- a project of Love and Beauty.
Susanne is autor of a book about slowing down in life and movement:
“The Art of Slow-Motion – A Dance from Nature to the Soul” ISBN:978-3-905297-23-2
Dakini Dance Space,
www.dakini-dance.ch
info@dakini-dance.ch Egliweg 10, CH-2560 Nidau, Switzerland 0041 32 331 32 75
MIDDLE EAST
ISRAEL
Ernessa Bergman was born in NYC in 1960 and have lived in many parts of the world leading her to Israel where she presently resides with her partner and three sons. She has been teaching yoga since 2000, having studied in the US and Germany. She met Mark in 2003 and has been connected to the Yoga of Heart ever since. She teaches Yoga and is inspired daily by her students, their wisdom and difficulties, which are perpetual motivation to continue to teach the wisdom Mark communicates.
Ernessa says, “This yoga, which is available to all of us, which is so accessible, so easy and real is not being taught enough. The message of empowering the individual to embrace the yoga that is there within them, rather then searching outside of themselves, is not a matter of fact. A shift of understanding is needed and friends are needed to support that shift.” She hopes that more and more of her students are teaching what they now practise and that the word is spreading.
Ernessa teaches privately and in yoga studios in Israel.
Contact Ernessa: ernessa.bergman@gmail.com +972-544-771-539
(Tel Aviv) Ram Aruveni has been teaching yoga since 1998. His teaching focuses on the importance of the quality of breath.
Ram says, “Mark has been a tremendous inspiration to me; he is like a father, certainly a friend, and as a teacher. Yoga is a beautiful way to transform the self into unification.”
Contact Ram: Prana Yoga ram2you@gmail.com / yoga@pranayoga.co.il www.pranayoga.co.il Address: Ben Guryon Belv 79 Phone: +972-54-7620466 / +972-3-5230907
(Tel Aviv) Judith Wolman discovered Yoga seven years ago while earning her degree in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Tel-Aviv. Since then, she has practiced Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar Yoga. Judith is an Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga teacher and believes in the empowerment of uniting both styles of yoga together. After having studied Vini Yoga with Ernessa Bergman, student of of Mark Whitwell, Judith started to apply the knowledge of “Heart of Yoga” into or own practice as well as to her students’ practices.
“I believe in the combination of the methods, the accuracy of Iyengar, the flow of Vinyasa with the breath, mantras and softness of Viniyoga as a powerful combination to get to the yoga, the union between body and soul.
For me Yoga is not only a way of life, it’s a way of affecting life, mine and those around me”.
Contact Judith: juditwolman@walla.co.il tel: +972545768968NORTH AMERICA
CANADA
(Ottawa) Monica Clara – ”I am very fortunate to have met and studied with Mark. I do my best to serve wisely, inspire and be a clear guide. I hold over 800-hours of training in traditional Hatha yoga, am a professional-level Kripalu yoga teacher, and am honored to be a Heart of Yoga teacher.”
Contact Monica:yoga@monicaclara.com
www.monicaclara.com
(Toronto) Crescence Krueger passes on the beautifully simple and profound Yoga that she has received from Mark Whitwell. Her direct experience of Yoga began when she gave birth to her daughter and realized that we are all Mother, the source and force of Life. It has continued through eighteen years work as a Doula, helping other women give birth. Her ability to integrate the wisdom of traditional midwifery into current birthing environments has been supported by a twenty year connection to Isabel Perez and Ina May Gaskin. Crescence teaches and mentors Yoga teachers and Doulas and writes. Real relationship is at the heart of life and she is committed to working in a way that makes it possible.
Contact Crescence:
crescence@heartofbirth.org
www.heartofbirth.org
+416-994-4566
(Vancouver) Laura Hall knew yoga had some kind magnetic draw pulling her toward it as early as her teens when she dropped in at a beginner’s class at a local gym and was yelled at by someone screaming into a microphone, playing terrible music and omitting savasana altogether. She left the class somewhat traumatized but still feeling incredibly good and curious to seek out some good instruction. Yoga soon became her home where she learned to bring her head and heart into unity.
As she became dedicated to her practice she noticed her restlessness and wanderlust transforming into wonder. She felldeeper in love with asana each time she arrived at the mat and eventually decided to take her 200 hour teacher training in 2010 with Semperviva.
As a Lioness with 2 boy cubs in her pride, Laura is inspired to facilitate space for other mothers to unify and feel the wellbeing that comes from breath and movement.
Conact Laura:Eastside Fitness & Semperviva
laura.robb.shaw@gmail.com
Phone: 778 888 0127
(Vancouver) Colin Wolpert teaches from a place of love, gratitude and compassion. He reminds us that living our ‘now-life’ is about being present in this moment and that dwelling in the past or speculating on the future doesn’t serve anyone.
Colin describes the apple as being of the tree. From the tree, emanates the apple, completely dissimilar in physical appearance, yet inter dependent, sharing the identical force of life that saturates all existence.
The source and constitution of everything in this universe and beyond is the same. We are already everything that we seek – the desire to find something else is merely the monkey mind’s confused state unable to surrender to the simplicity of what is. We cannot seek to find something that we already are – simply realizing the truth of life and acknowledging that the source of our existence is indeed that of everything, everywhere, gives us the space to be here now and be love in our ‘now-lives’.
When we surrender, we allow a deep sense of peace to permeate our hearts and allow the essence of our existence, which is simply pure love, to empower our lives.
With first hand experience, Colin knows that healing from pain, suffering and ‘dis-ease’, is unequivocally possible through yoga. His book, “Your Feet Face Forward” is due for release in 2012.
Contact Colin:Colin@feetfaceforward.com
(Winnipeg) Diana Justl is a humbled and dedicated practitioner, an explorer of yoga, meditation and theatre for 14 years. The study and practice of Raja Yoga, and Mahayana Buddhist meditation has led her to India, Nepal, The Yukon, New Mexico, New York and California to learn from highly gifted teachers. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre and a 150 hour advanced teacher training at the Yoga Centre Winnipeg. Diana teaches an alignment based flow yoga practice, interweaving meditation and mindfulness to kids, adults, seniors and adults with disabilities. She is a Thai Massage practitioner and leads workshops throughout North America in environmental education through theatre to kids. She has mainly been influenced and devoted to Lama Lodro, Adyashanti, Sarah Powers, Aadil Palhkivala, Jan Debenham, Mark Whitwell and Jason Crandell, all of whom she has been fortunate to study with.
Contact Diana:Lotus Yoga dhyana.justl@gmail.com http://lotusyoga.wordpress.com/
UNITED STATES of AMERICA
ARIZONA
(Scottsdale) Amy Bankoff met Mark Whitwell in 2004 and was embraced by his friendship and wisdom in powerful ways. Mark’s teaching transformed Amy’s understanding of Life and her relationships. She has come to believe that we must stop searching for enlightenment, God, whatever it is that we are seeking…and start Living our lives. She teaches the Heart of Yoga so that each person can realize the inherent perfection of their natural state, just as we are, right here, right now. She works with her students to understand who they are, where they come from and where they want to go and wants her students to know, and trust that “Everything is as it should be.”
Amy emphasizes one-on-one yoga lessons to ensure that each individual is receiving an appropriate yoga for their unique self. She wishes everyOne the grace of a practical yoga to awaken, reveal and establish their true selves and radiate like the sun shining brightly.
Amy has witnessed transformations in many lives, and on many levels, as the wisdom of the Heart of Yoga is transmitted. The profound depth of feeling that comes in the union of strength and receptivity is revealed in the intelligent simplicity of linking our breath with our body, and Amy is eternally grateful to Mark and all of his Teachers for enabling us with these tools.
Contact Amy: www.heartofyoga.co.nz amy@heartofyoga.co.nzCALIFORNIA
(Berkeley & San Fransisco) Julie Rappaport has twenty years of yoga experience. Individualized, relevant, intelligent, juicy practice for a joyful life! She offers public yoga classes and private yoga sessions.
Julie is a Yoga Therapist/ teacher and Somatic Psychotherapist in Private Practice (MFT license 36095) at 2915 Martin Luther King Way, Berkeley, Ca. She provides individual sessions for a wide range of chronic and acute illnesses, pain management, physical injuries, and general well being. Treatment of adults, couples and children in private counseling practice integrating body, mind, spirit, for depression, anxiety, chronic illness, relationships, pregnancy, families, substance abuse, grief, loss, trauma and personal growth. Namaste.
Contact Julie: Yoga Bliss & Yoga Mandala info@yogabliss.com www.yogabliss.com +1-510-273-2417
(Beverley Hills & Santa Monica) Katrina Gurciullo - At the ripe young age of 5, Katrina was already influenced by her musician father (drummer & teacher) to understand meditation, timing, create passion and experience what it is to nourish an incredible student/teacher relationship.
Katrina came full circle in her adult life followed by her own life long journey of music on the road, to initiate her personal journey with yoga shortly after relocating from the East coast to LA. A journey that consisted of her thirst for self-discovery, drive to find a meaningful practice and uncover a state of freedom through quieting her thinking mind. Yoga was a critical start to ultimately identify her intention in life, and unbeknownst to her, to move away from a state of feeling lost.
As a certified Yoga Alliance teacher, Katrina’s desire in class is to show how yoga can give you the tools to be more efficient through the mind and body and find your own personal balance. Katrina leads her classes to explore a side of yoga that encourages students to move with intention, how to sit with themselves and ultimately help guide a journey toward identifying their hopes – mental or physical. Katrina teaches with her life experience of nearly 20 years on the road and how Yoga has brought her to where she is in her own journey with her body and mind currently.
In making and playing music you can choose your timing approach; “Behind the beat, on top or after the beat.” You have that same choice in your physical practice: “Behind your edge, on your edge or beyond your edge.” Everyone practices at varying degrees. Katrina’s class intends to guide and support you in a compassionate way that can uncover what suits you best for the ultimate intention. Opening mental, emotional and physical doors that may have unknowingly to the student, been shut.
Katrina desires are to inspire people to feel the efficiency of the natural body while using less effort yet achieving results. Whatever reasons you come to Yoga, the nervous system takes a regular beating outside the class and perpetuating further damage with unrelenting asana is not a goal in Katrina’s class. Katrina will work you towards alignment, have fun with inversions and arm balances, however, drill Sergeant yoga is not her style or pace. She firmly believes that we can attain energy, clarity, health and healing by recalibrating our nervous system responses and just surrendering to our natural state of efficiency; and it can simultaneously become the best workout you’ve ever had, too!
Contact Katrina: katfromicca@gmail.com “The Yoga Referral Service” – a free service for people relocating or traveling. Katrina’s Website Link HERE Weekly class in Beverly Hills on Sundays at 6PM at a private studio – email for details and rsvp.
(Los Angeles) Nianna Bray is an embodied yogini, speaker, and teacher with extensive practice and study in the art and discipline of yoga in the US and in India. For over 14 years Nianna has studied yoga, dance, and movement arts in India, U.S. and Europe. Yoga found her at the ripe age of 18. While attending Cornish College in Seattle she was a modern dancer and print model who hungered for a life of wellness and integration which yoga satisfied. “Yoga saved my life. I don’t know who I would be without this practice that continues to guide me home.” Nianna teaches from years of personal experience and embodiment, intuitive sequencing, years of study with master teachers, and her own inner wisdom. She travels globally and shares yoga from her heart with a joyful spirit and dedication to the practice and principles of Krishnamacharya. She is co-director of Away Inward, a company that specializes in uniquely personal, playful, and healing cultural submersion, spiritual pilgrimage, and eco-adventure retreats. She is a native Los Angelino, born at home in Santa Monica, CA. Her home studio is Exhale in Venice, CA.
Contact Nianna: Exhale Center for Sacred Movement niannayoga@mac.com www.niannabray.com +1.310.425.6850
(Los Angeles) Indira Shekerjian met and began her studies with Mark Whitwell in 1998, she continues to study with him whenever he’s in LA. She is fascinated with the breath and its healing properties. She is interested in incorporating yoga into everyday life and often leads inspiring classes that are centered around a particular theme.
Contact Indira: Santa Monica Yogailovedepeche@hotmail.com
www.thumbprintyoga.com
(Newbury Park) Chris Bannister has been teaching yoga since 1994. He became a certified Heart of Yoga teacher in 2003. He holds yoga as a sacred practice of healing and transformation. All are welcome, no prior experience is needed. He teaches classes, individuals, and offers yoga therapy.
Contact Chris: superpalfromcal@yahoo.com +1-805-402-9483
(Newport Beach) Janet Marshall Heart of Yoga Foundation Peace Project
Janet is a lifelong yoga student, devotee and teacher whose practice blends classical spirituality with practical healing therapies. She has completed nearly 1,000 hours of training and certification with major teachers in leading traditions.
Her early training with John Childers of Full-Spectrum Yoga grounded her asana practice in the philosophical origins of the sutras. She then trained with Naader Shagagi, founder of Yoga Kingdom in Pasadena, whose wholehearted embrace of Eastern and Western mysticism illumines yoga as a devotional path. Janet is currently studying yoga therapy with Juris Zinberg and Gary Krafstow, and is completing the three year Yoga Therapy Program through The Viniyoga Institute.
She is a longtime student and friend of Mark Whitwell and, as a result, is deeply rooted in the yoga practice and principles of Krishnamacharya. Janet has years of experience as a social worker and worked in many schools and agencies serving children and families in stress.
Janet is currently teaching and training in various locations in Southern and Northern California and lives in Newport Beach, California where she teaches private and semi-private classes in yoga and yoga theraputics.
Contact Janet: janet@heartofyoga.com
(Ojai) Ingird Boulting is the owner of Sacred Space Studio. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher [RYT] who began her practice in 1972. A devoted student of the healing arts, Ingrid has taught yoga since 1988. She is inspired by Mark Whitwell’s teachings and especially to share the Heart of Yoga breathing with her students.
Contact Ingrid: sacredspacestudio@gmail.com www.sacredspacestudio.com 410 Bryant Circle, Suite A, Ojai, CA 93023 1-805-646-6761
(San Fransisco) Astrud Castillo – “As a devoted student of Mark Whitwell’s for over 8 years and all the great teaching of yoga, I have come to be reminded that we are not trying to get ‘from here to there, but rather from there to here.’ The breath is the most profound vehicle. It is our guide, a source of inspiration and that which initiates movement both inside and out. The breath and movement of the body are not ways to find god but to express it! ‘The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.’ – Albert Einstein”
Contact Astrud: Laughing Lotus astrudcastillo@mac.com 1-646-373-8798
(San Francisco) Ashley James has been practicing and teaching for over ten years. She has taught in New York City and San Francisco, on the faculty at Bates Dance Festival and American Dance Festival, as well as internationally in New Zealand. Her teaching draws from experience in fields as varied as Pilates, Feldenkrais, Reiki, Thai Yoga Massage, Yamuna Body Rolling, and bodywork, as well as her study with Mark Whitwell and Kathy Grant.
Ashley’s teaching is infused with awareness as the vehicle for exploratory fun. The teaching becomes a process of learning how to learn, rather than about perfection of form. “Life on Earth is always unique, changing, and unpredictable, even if certain patterns can be dimly discerned, our ability to do so diminishes with time.” Philip Glass
Contact Ashley:morethetortoisethanthehare@gmail.com
513-484-6040
(San Fransisco) Silvie Hibdon has been teaching yoga full-time for over 6 years. She teaches in a way that supports and empowers students in their physical, mental, and spiritual practice. Teaching with integrity, compassion, and intuition, Silvie provides safe space for students to gain insight into their practice, and to enjoy the beauty of yoga. She encourages students to turn inward, to stay present and receptive because that is the moment of clarity and understanding. Commitment to translating yoga into an accessible, meaningful practice is rooted deeply in her passion to teach. She also holds two degrees, in Social Work and in Communication.
Contact Silvie: Silvie Hibdon Yogasilviehibdon@gmail.com
www.silviehibdon.com
1-415-871-7472
(San Fransisco) Brick Thornton began his spiritual path in 1994 by spending over a year at a Tibetan Buddhist healing center. In the years that followed, he studied yoga and internal martial arts, culminating with a 4-month trip to India that led to a 4-year journey. In India, he immersed himself in traditional forms of yoga and meditation with an emphasis on viniyoga, studying at the source at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram led by TKV Desikachar. Brick’s classes are a unique approach to vinyasa yoga – the breath feeds directly into fluid, aligned movements that foster core strength and suppleness, weaving together a playful sequence that focuses the mind and enlivens the spirit. See www.yogayana.com for more info.
Contact Brick: yogayana@gmail.com1-415-216-3051
(Santa Monica) Gayle Brickman encourages her students to start from where they are, creating an environment where each student is comfortable practicing at their own level. Just as she learned from Mark Whitwell, Gayle helps her students develop a consistent home practice, and encourages them to do their yoga every day, even if just for a few minutes.
Focusing on conscious breath with movements and function over form enables her students to feel the transformative benefits of yoga‚ on and off the mat.
Gayle also combines her love of yoga with her experience as a college professor and business communication consultant‚ helping yoga teachers communicate clearly.
In her practice, and as a teacher, Gayle is inspired by her teachers from the Krishnamacharya lineage. She is especially grateful to Mark Whitwell and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project he founded where she serves on the Board of Directors and is involved in the development of the Teacher Training Program. She looks forward to her continued involvement in helping to Spread Peace Through Yoga.
Contact Gayle: gaylebrickman@gmail.com www.gaylebrickman.com +1-310-394-0786
(Santa Monica, Topanga & Malibu) Masha Sapron – Yoga makes Masha feel good. In the beginning of her yoga studies, Masha would stomp down the dark slushy NYC streets after a grueling day workin’ for the man, and wonder why on earth she was feeling so euphoric after just having tried (many times unsuccessfully) to twist herself into a pretzel. Ever the hedonist, she chased this euphoria through all kinds of yoga schools in NYC, India and Los Angeles. She studied Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, Vini, Bikram, Vinyasa Flow and as many blends of Hatha yoga as there are blends of Starbucks coffee.
Her breath focused classes create a moving meditation that, will leave you too, feeling good.
Masha received her 500-Hour Yoga Certification from YogaWorks in Los Angeles. She is grateful for her many wonderful teachers along the way which also include her colleagues, students and Mark Whitwell who helped her uncover the ever-present teacher within.
Contact Masha: Yoga Desa, YogaWorkscurlyyogi@gmail.com
www.curlyyoga.com
1-310-948-8966
(Santa Monica) Richard Wegman (Mahadeva-Das)
“Explore Yoga by connecting to your source through your breath. We will use the 5 elements to explore intimacy with ourselves, with others and with our planet the Mother through the practice of Asanas Mudras, Bhandas and Pranayama.
Rooted in traditional ha-tha yoga and certified by his first teacher Raghavan; a student of Swami Vishnu Devananda. Teachers include Mark Whitwell, Saul David Raye, and Eric Schiffmann. On the path for 23 (Teaching for 13) years he brings an unquenchable desire for sharing breath, knowledge and healing.
Yoga is a path on this earth we travel together exploring, learning and deepening our practice on the journey.”
- “By meditating on the glorious power that gives us life, we ask that our minds and hearts be illuminated” Gayatri Mantra
Contact Richard (Mahadeva-Das): Friend, healer, consultant253 5th Ave. Venice, CA 90291
310.402.7800
OM Shanti
CONNECTICUT
Melissa Forbes: For the last 23 years, Melissa Forbes has been a student and teacher of Hatha Yoga. Her interest in yoga became more singularly focused after finding inspiration in the tradition of scholar and yogi Shri T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). Beginning in 1990, she had the opportunity to study directly with both his student K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) and his son T. K. V. Desikachar in Mysore and Madras, India, respectively. Both Desikachar and Jois are credited with fueling the resurgence of Hatha Yoga in the Western hemisphere in recent decades. Jois, in particular, was instrumental in popularizing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, from which the PowerYoga and Vinyasa Flow styles are derived.
As an instructor, Melissa Forbes began her career teaching Desikachar style yoga in 1997. She later became a co-founder and certified yoga instructor of the internationally renowned Heart of Yoga. She also has taught yoga in numerous schools throughout the United States, including the Omega Institute in upstate New York and the Olive Leaf Wholeness Center in New York City, where she worked closely with Dr. Rudolph Ballentine, a student of Swami Rama, founder of the Himalayan Institute. From 2002 to 2007, Melissa Forbes had the privilege to travel with the Indian sage UG Krishnamurti (1918-2007) throughout the last five years of his life. Painting and design, along with dance and movement, have always been her passion and preferred expression. She completed formal studies in textile design at the Moore College of Art, enjoyed a full scholarship in printmaking at the National Academy of Design, and pursued an independent study of Vedic yantras. She has received many awards including the Pollock-Krasner Grant. She maintained a studio for many years in New York City while traveling and painting in special locations around the world, including India, New Zealand, Italy, and Switzerland. Her art has been exhibited at galleries in New York City, Philadelphia, and the United Nations. Most recently Forbes‚ vibrational yantra art was featured in the book Karttikeyan Yogic Method, published by GatherInsight.com. She currently lives in the southern Adirondack mountains and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Haven, Connecticut. Melissa Forbes continues her development in the disciplines and practices of yoga and art, as an avid student, teacher, and painter. Learn more about her work and her books at GatherInsight.com or MelissaForbes.net.
Contact Melissa: reachm@yahoo.com www.MelissaForbes.net
Barbara Tomaszek Templeton, MS, E-RYT (500) provides peace and power to individuals through yoga ‚ more peace more power. Author of the Complete Idiots Guide to Stretching and Editor and contributor of the book Yoga of Heart, The Healing Power of Intimate Connection. Barbara has studied with many renowned yoga masters. She takes these teachings to her public classes and private students to help them connect with the deeper aspects of yoga. Templeton received her formal yoga teacher certification from the famed Kripalu Center, the largest site for yoga and holistic health in the United States and she is a certified Vinyasa Krama teacher. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance and the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Contact Barbara: Breathing Yoga barbara@breathingyoga.com www.breathingyoga.com +1-949-338-3793
(Newtown/ Fairfield & Westchester Counties) Karen Pierce was introduced to meditation and yoga as a teen and has continued to deepen her practice over nearly 3 decades. That dedication has helped bring a sense of peace and balance while living in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. A life-long student of yoga, she has been blessed to have learned from many renowned yogi masters but fell in LOVE with yoga after meeting Mark in 2005. Mark is a gifted teacher and she is fortunate to have him as her mentor.
Karen is dedicated to bringing the practice of therapeutic yoga to all populations in a safe format that is rooted in science and the art of adaptation. She is inspired by Mark’s teachings as well as the tradition of Krishnamacharya and is devoted to sharing the 5 principles of breath in her public classes and with her private students.
Karen has her E-RYT (500) through Yoga Alliance, is a Professional Yoga Therapist (PYT) through Integrative Yoga Therapy as well as is a certified Yoga Ed instructor (teaching in public & private schools), and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Karen is also the author of Yoga Bear: Yoga for Youngsters – a children’s book published by Northword Press (2004) and was a co-contributor to Yoga in America.
Contact Karen:InnerSpaces by Karen
karenJpierce@earthlink.net
www.InnerSpacesbyKaren.com
+1-203-470-6969
FLORIDA
(Panama City) Jamie Brown is a yoga teacher and spiritual counselor who began doing yoga in 1976 at the age of 13 and over the years has studied various traditions including hatha, jnana, kundalini, bhakti, tantra and kriya. She has had the privilege of learning from different teachers, some very well-known and others obscure, and has woven the essence of these teachings together in her own practice as a bhakti-tantrika. Jamie had believed that her holistic approach to yoga was unique until she met Mark Whitwell, when she learned to her surprise and delight that his teaching essentially paralleled what she had discovered along her own path. The further subtle refinements of breath and asana taught by Mark in accordance with the principles of Krishnamacharya have made her practice complete, and she is at Home in Heart of Yoga.
Jamie is certified to teach yoga and pilates by Expert Rating in Chandigarh, India and is a member of the Independent Yoga Educators of America. She has a B.A. in Philosophy and M.A. in Psychology and wrote her Master’s thesis on “The Psychology of Nonattachment in the Bhagavad Gita.” She has been teaching yoga off and on since the early 1980s and currently offers public and private instruction in Panama City, Florida.
Contact Jamie:Body Soul Bliss LLC
www.bodysoulblissyoga.com
jamie@bodysoulblissyoga.com
+1-850-747-1904 or +1- 850-238-0566
(Tampa Bay and Orlando) Justin Kaye started his journey in wellness as a personal fitness trainer and bodybuilder. He was always intrigued by the fusion of philosophy and physical fitness that yoga seemed to promise. Around the age of 20, Justin initiated himself into the path of Yoga. He took a few classes over the years, although he mainly tried to explore on his own, studying various paths such as Karma, Bhakti, and Kundalini. Then while studying yoga and bodywork at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, he was befriended by Mark Whitwell. Mr. Whitwell simultaneously helped demystify the practice of hatha yoga as well as shine a light on its depths. Justin has delved into many traditions for Divine inspiration, from Tantra to the Egyptian Mystery Schools, and is a massage therapist, yoga teacher and personal trainer.
Justin Glennon Kaye loveisthelaw20042004@yahoo.com Tampa Bay and Orlando, Florida (407) 310-2646MASSACHUSETTES
(Boston) Jared A. Hirsch “Jahvocado” Jared draws his practice from a diverse and eclectic background that incorporate a number of Yoga traditions. The foundation of Jared’s teaching is steeped in the ancient wisdom of T. Krishnamacharya and his son T.K.V. Desikachar. Jared has studied and mentored with some of Krishnamacharya’s better-known students including Mark Whitwell, of whom he continues to study closely with. Jared’s teaching empowers the individual to question basic assumptions in regards to practice. He is not interested in teaching just any Yoga, but the Yoga that is right for the individual. Jared’s dynamic and thoughtfully guided sequencing allow the individual to adapt the practice in a way that is right for them.
Contact Jared: Down Under Yoga jared@jahvocado.com www.jahvocado.com +1-917-572-3708
MICHIGAN
(Berkeley) Abby Bechek Hoot, Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher, RYT, E-RYT & Dave Tomaszewski, RYT, E-RYT:: Abby was introduced to yoga through chanting and meditation at age eleven. At eighteen, She was invited to Encinitas, California where she spent several days chanting and meditating with Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, who had walked the path under the guidance of Guru Swami Baba Muktananda. As an adult Abby was introduced to asana practice and fell in love with the Ashtanga method. After completing her first teacher training in 2003, Abby continued to study the Jivamukti Method with founders David Life and Sharon Gannon in New York. Abby received blessings from David and Sharon as a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher in 2005.
Dave has been practicing yoga since 1998. He believes that the ultimate goal of yoga is self realization and increased strength and flexibility are simply the natural results of consistent practice. The physical practice is a means to greater health and balance, eventually leading to an exploration of the more subtle aspects of yoga as taught in the yoga sutras. Dave completed his first teacher training in 2002 and a second teacher training in 2005.
Abby and Dave are both E-RYTs, (Experienced Yoga Teachers registered with Yoga Alliance) each with over 5000 hours of yoga teaching experience. Together they opened House of Yoga in January 2006, where they teach classes, workshops, trainings, and play music as “Vishnu Blue.”
Contact Abby & Dave:House Of Yoga
2965 W. 12 Mile Rd. Suite 100
Berkley, MI 48072
1.248.556.0992 http://www.houseofyoga.net http://www.vishnublue.com
MONTANA
(Whitefish) Kelly Ordway was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her Bachelor degree of Science in Health and Wellness from Pepperdine University. Kelly served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea working with traditional tribal art and land conservation for the Maisin people. She earned her Massage Certification from Good Medicine Massage School in Whitefish, Montana, 200 hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher Certification from Crestone Healing Arts Center in Crestone, Colorado and 200 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification from Radiantly Alive in Bali, Indonesia. Montana is her Home and counts her family as her biggest blessing in life! Mark Whitwell has inspired her so deeply in his sincerity and dedication to show each person how to enjoy their own personal Yoga, to truly connect body with breath and to re-unite a deep intimacy with reality. It is an honor and joy to be a Heart of Yoga teacher!
kellymarieordway@gmail.com
www.KellyOrdway.com
+1-406-261-2924
NEVADA
(Las Vegas) Anne Schadler is a teacher of yoga and Ayurveda, has been sharing her passion and knowledge of yoga with the Las Vegas community for many years. Her experience encompasses a wide range of styles and teachings in both the physical and spiritual disciplines of yoga. Anne uses whatever style and tools she believes will best reach her students and help them on their path of healing and transformation. Her approach to teaching is holistic and personalized, creating a safe, nurturing and supportive environment for one to explore hers or his infinite potential.
In 2006, she established the Healing Yoga and Meditation for People Living with Cancer program for the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anne is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. In 2006, she completed an intensive Ayurveda home study program with the Ayurveda Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. and in 2002, completed a two year Advanced Yoga Studies Program with Yoga Mandala in Berkeley, CA. Anne’s love and passion for the sacred teachings of yoga and Ayurveda is apparent in her enthusiastic, creative and caring approach to yoga as a healing practice.
Contact Anne: ayendrek@aol.com +1-702-743-5594
NEW YORK
(Brooklyn) J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer, and founder of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, New York. A teacher for 15 years, he is known for his pragmatic approach to teaching personal, breath-centered therapeutic yoga practice that adapts to individual needs, including chronic or acute conditions. His essays have been featured in Yoga Therapy in Practice, Yoga Therapy Today, and the International Journal of Yoga Therapy.
(Brooklyn) Chrsitie Roe holds the highest gratitude and devotion for Mark, Heart of Yoga, and the global community of teachers, friends, artists, and yogis that continually offers her the inspiration and wisdom to share yoga in a traditional, creative way for honoring, healing, and cultivating every side of the human spirit.
Contact Christie:digthyself@gmail.com
(Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk County) Barbara Joy Beatus teaches meditative and breath-centered yoga as a tool to connect to one’s mind, body, and spirit. Barbara has been practicing yoga, meditation, and energy healing since 2003 and started teaching in 2005. She is dedicated to bringing yoga to underserved populations such as adults with developmental disabilities, seniors with dementia, and women cancer survivors. She studies anatomy and breath-centered yoga with Leslie Kaminoff and is certified to teach women cancer survivors through Om Yoga in NYC. Barbara is always taking classes and workshops to further her knowledge but believes that the true teacher resides within ourselves.
Contact Barbara: B Joyful Yoga bjbeatus@gmail.com www.bjoyfulyoga.com +1-516-220-7425
(Manhattan) Douglas R. W. Drummond has been practicing yoga with his family teacher and friend, Mark Whitwell, since he was a 16yrs old. Introduced to Yoga and Mark Whitwell through his Mother, Anne Ribolow, Douglas has been embracing his family’s long-standing passion for Heart of Yoga’s direction with full-hearted devotion and integrity. Douglas continually looks to share his deep gratitude and devotion for the practice on and off the mat wherever he travels. Douglas is also a consummate professional in the wellness and spa industries, working with the development of holistic & luxury health resorts and retreats worldwide.
Contact Douglas: drwdrummond@gmail.com 1-917-842-5752
(Manhattan) Andrew Sugerman (E-RYT 500) practices and teaches personalized, movement oriented, meditative yoga primarily in a one to one setting. He trained in Yoga with Mark Whitwell, Gary Kraftsow, Srivatsa Ramaswami, and A. G. Mohan. In 2000 Andrew spent two months in India studying Yoga under the tutelage of TKV Desikachar at The Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai; and in 2011 he spent ten weeks immersed in deeper study of Yoga and Sanskrit under the tutelage of Swami Veda Bharati at the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Ashram in Rishikesh. He studied anatomy with Kriota Wilberg and Leslie Kaminoff. Andrew has conducted workshops internationally; has been mentoring teacher trainees and teaching chanting of the Yogasutra since 2004.
Contact Andrew:www.artofbreathing.com
andrew@artofbreathing.com
+1-646-972-2825
(New York City) Ana Berry started practicing yoga at the ripe age of 12 from a Rodney Yee VHS she bought at the local health food store in her hometown of Oklahoma. It eased her childhood anxiety and helped instill a daily practice of learning and participating with her body, breath and life. Having studied many forms of yoga over the years; like Iyengar, Bikram, Anusara and other forms of Hatha Yoga, she was lucky enough to find Mark Whitwell while dancing through the hip and trendy yoga studios of Los Angeles. Mark and his teachings hit a resonating chord with Ana and she has been practicing, studying and living his teachings in her life for the past 6 years. She recently attended a retreat with Mark to India for a two week yoga intensive and a sacred pilgrimage to the Kumbha Mela. She was initiated by Mark right along the banks of the Ganges River as the holy procession greeted them all day into the night. From then, she has dedicated her life to teaching the Heart of Yoga to all she meets and all willing to listen. From the gardener, the check out clerk or friends who want a dose of bliss…Ana is there to teach Mark’s promise. Ana currently lives and teaches in New York City. Donation based only. All ages, races, religions and languages welcomed.
Contact Ana: iamannaberry@gmail.com strengthreceiving.blogspot.com/ +1-310-409-6283
(New York City) Chrissy Carter is passionate about teaching intelligent yoga with clarity and compassion. She encourages her students to practice satya (truthfulness) and viveka (discernment), offering the space to observe patterns and the support to see challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles. Her knowledge of movement and anatomy manifests as clear, descriptive and thoughtful instruction. Chrissy’s approach fosters curiosity, playfulness and self-inquiry. Chrissy is a senior teacher, teacher trainer, mentor, and anatomy teacher at Yoga Works in New York. She travels internationally to lead workshops, retreats and continuing education for students and teachers. Chrissy has been featured in Yoga Journal, The New York Times, and Yogi Business Times. Her blog, H(om)e, is a source of inspiration for those looking to take yoga into both their kitchen and their life. Chrissy has been a devoted student of Mark for 10 years and his principles form the foundation of her teaching, practice, and life.
Contact Chrissy:Yogaworks
www.yogachrissy.com
chrissy@yogachrissy.com
+1-201-240-9634
(New York City) Eve Seltzer started practicing Yoga in 2000 as cross training for competitive fencing. Within three months, she found herself so profoundly affected by the practice that she totally restructured her life around her daily practice. Three years later, she received her 500-hour teaching certification from Be Yoga (now Ishta Yoga), and in 2009, she received an additional 500-hour certification from Alison West. Eve embraces the spiritual and physical healing qualities of yoga, and through her yoga practice, has been drawn to devote herself to healing others: she holds an associate’s degree in Physical Therapy, and is the staff Physical Therapist Assistant in Outpatient Physical Therapy at Bellevue Hospital, where she applies both Western clinical science and yoga practice to a variety of pathologies, ranging from joint disease to Multiple Sclerosis. Eve believes that there is a yoga practice for everybody regardless of life circumstances, and strives to impart the curative properties of breath and asana both to her students and to her patients.
Contact Eve: Eve Seltzer Yoga Union eveseltzer@breathbodyyoga.com breathbodyyoga.com +1-917-968-6424
(New York City – Upper West Side) Ann Votaw is a born- and bred- Hoosier who moved to New York to pursue the last years of her dance career. Her love of movement, combined with her need to feel connected, led her to yoga and to the teachings of Mark Whitwell. She completes her Masters in Health Education in December 2011 but believes she radiates without it. She used to practice 20 minutes a day, at Mark’s suggestion, and now practices 7 minutes a day, also his suggestion. Both time intervals, 20 minutes and 7 minutes, have guided her through dark and light times.
Contact Ann:avotaw@Hotmail.com
www.annvotaw.com
+1-917-701-5033
(New York state) Bridget Shields has been teaching for 10 years and cultivating a breath-based heart centered yoga practice that resonates deeply with the healing and therapeutic benefits that Heart of Yoga maintains. She is a Reflexologist and was certified with the 500 hour RYT Certified Instructor training through Be Yoga/YogaWorks and Heart of Yoga. She has studied in-depth anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff of NYC Breathing Project and has mentored with and assisted, Dr. Pratima Raichur, Ayurvedic Practioner and Naturopath. Over the past four years, she continues to study with OP Tiwari of the Kaivalyadhama Yoga research Hospital in Lonvala, India where she has studied traditional Pranayama techniques and has studied Vipassana and TM meditation. In addition to teaching, she works with the NOK Foundation, a humanitarian non-profit that in addition to building and supporting organizations that offer meditation and Yoga related courses, fosters the growth of spiritual practice, research and natural medicine. She has an in-depth holistic health background and ongoing study of Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Flower Essence Therapies, Acupressure, Aromatherapy and enjoys Ayurvedic cooking and is certified from Wise Earth School of Ayurveda as founded by Mother Maya. Bridget is known for her warm nurturing presence and healing gift of touch that has guided many students to create a seamless heart centered, individualized, breath based daily practice. She has continuing education experience with healing and health transitions, such as, cancer, chronic conditions, injury and post surgery management and pregnancy. She currently teaches at Yogaworks midtown and Soho locations, is the former Yoga Director for Oasis Day Spas, has been featured in New York Magazine, Day Spa Magazine, TimeOut NY, New York Sun, Alignyo and has appeared on Discovery Channel with heart surgeon Dr. Mehemet Oz. She leads workshops and retreats specializing in Restorative, Partner, Pre and Post-natal and Aromayoga. Her background is in Fine Art Management and she holds her Masters in Photography from Bard College.
Contact Bridget: bridget@bridgetshields.comhttp://bridgetshields.com
+1.646.373.1336
NORTH CAROLINA
(Carborro) Allison Dennis came to Yoga after injuring her back in the Argentinean Off Broadway circus “De La Guarda” in 2001. What started as a way to ease physical discomfort has morphed into an entire way of Being. Her intention as a teacher of Yoga is to earnestly share a very simple message. Come to know the breath. Be in relationship with your body. Experience the ordinary as a wondrous thing. Don’t escape, be in relationship… dig in.
Allison’s Yogic education has been extensive and rather continuous starting in 2001. Her training includes 500 hours of Yoga Teacher Training within the Sivananda Yoga lineage, 300 hour Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training, and Mark Whitwell’s Yoga of Heart teacher training. The profound release and cathartic deepening that followed Allison’s time with Mark is a gift of sweet permission to practice Yoga as it arises and to let go of previous patterning. Allison started a donation based Yoga center, Open Heart Yoga School, in April of 2010 with her teacher and business partner Ti Harmony. By the blessing of Amma, we serve our community in Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC and offer yoga to all regardless of their economic positioning. Allison also offers a 200 and 300 hour Veda Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training that incorporates the principles of Krishnamacharya. By the grace of her many blessed teachers, Allison has realized that Yoga is a daily practice of connecting with life as it is given. She has a daily practice that includes asana and pranayama and japa meditation.
Contact Allison:www.openheartyogaschool.com
209 Lloyd Street Suite 210, Carrboro, NC USA 27517 Open Heart Yoga School ombluesky@gmail.com
SOUTH CAROLINA
(Charleston) Wendy Crumpler
843-276-1629
wendy.crumpler@gmail.com
SOUTH PACIFIC
AUSTRALIA
(Adelaide, South Australia) Melanie Green - “My own practice, understanding and teaching of Yoga has been profoundly influenced by my teacher Mark Whitwell, who taught me what real Yoga is, and the teachings of TKV Desikachar as passed on from the great Krishnamacharya. The principle focus of my teaching is to convey an authentic and relevant Yoga practice that is perfectly adapted to fit individual needs, whatever that person’s current state and stage of life may be. If you can breathe, you can do Yoga! The simple yet powerful technology of asana and pranayama – body and breath- applied in an intelligent and holistic sequence of steps, results in a clear mind, equanimity, flexibility and strength. We are able to stand firmly in our own ground, receptive to and participating fully in our experience of Life as it naturally given to every one of us. We are intimately connected in our relationship to ourselves and others. This is Yoga taught from the Heart to the Heart.”
Melanie is a certified Heart Of Yoga Teacher based in Adelaide South Australia and teaches private students as well as group classes and is available for retreats and workshops anywhere in Australia.
Contact Melanie: melanie-j-green@hotmail.com +61-414-886-548
(Albany) Hamsa Hyder (BA, Dip Ed) originally qualified as an Integral Yoga Assoc. and International Yoga Teachers Assoc. teacher. Hamsa has 30 years study and teaching experience. She lived and taught yoga at Sivananda Ashram (Fremantle) for 9 years where she was a student of Swami Venkatesananda (disciple of Sivananda). After Venkatesa’s death in 1982, Hamsa continued her yoga studies with Sri TKV Desikachar and other senior teachers from the Krishnamacarya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai India, including the study of vedic chant and yoga cikitsa (yoga therapy). In the mid-90s she met and traveled to India with Mark Whitwell to study & has continued to study with Mark in Perth, Melbourne & Bali. “Mark ‘opened a window’ and allowed the fresh air in to flow through the full expression of the yoga teachings in my life”. Since then she has considered herself a Heart of Yoga teacher. Hamsa has also been studying meditation and compassion under the guidance of Buddhist master, Sogyal Rinpoche for the past 15 years. She is founder of the Heart of Yoga & Compassion School and the Centre for Wisdom & Compassion Studies in Albany. She is the author of two CD/books – The Healing Sounds of Vedic Chant and Do Your Yoga Bless Your Life.
Contact Hamsa: Heart of Yoga and Compassion hamsa@heartofyoga.com.au www.heartofyoga.com.au +61-89-844-4798 +61-42-242-6042
(Bowral, New South Wales) Steve Harris has been teaching Yoga in Bowral for the past 17 years, the pleasure of the breath, non attainment Yoga, not imposing the will on the body, finding the Joy in your personal practice.
Contact Steve: shnpath@gmail.com 8 Cliff Street, Bowral, NSW Australia
(Dockland, Melbourne) Nadine Fawell : “Yoga changed my life! I walked into my first yoga class depressed and …podgy, and from that very first class I have known that yoga is It for me. It is the best tool I have ever found to feel my connection with the outside world, with my body, and with my internal landscape. Ten years on, I’m still in love with yoga and teaching it all day every day. Also, I’m not depressed or…uncomfortable in my body anymore!
I am very interested in how the practices of yoga can help us experience the inherent pleasure of being alive.”
Contact Nadine: nadine@nadinefawell.netwww.nadinefawell.net
Phone: +61404 025 041
(Melbourne) Peter Cohen is an internationally known Yoga teacher, twice advanced 500hr+ certified: by Mark Whitwell of Heart of Yoga, and by senior Iyengar Teacher Nicky Knoff. Peter has been teaching Yoga for 12 years and is the only highly-certified Yogi worldwide to also be a certified Feldenkrais movement specialist. A resident meditation teacher at Odiyana Buddhist Centre for 4 years, Peter is also a certified Reiki Master and a traditional Tibetan Yoga teacher trained by Lama Urgyen Yeshe Ozer.
Contact Peter: Awakening Tree Yoga peter@theawakeningtree.com www.theawakeningtree.com +61-431-401-950
angela@kcmanagement.com.au +0431 51 21 6 6
(Melbourne) Julia Tingulstad is a certified Heart of Yoga teacher, and has been mentored by her teacher Mark Whitwell over many years. Also a long-time student of Shiva Rea, she has studied yoga since her early teens and has been teaching classes and workshops since 2000 in her home country of Norway, and throughout Europe. She has also coordinated and taught retreats at her second home, Guatemala. She is currently studying chiropractic medicine at RMIT.
Julia’s interest in yoga was nurtured by her yogini mother at an early age and together they developed Tempel Yoga, a studio and style of yoga drawing on the teachings of T. Krishamacharya and the healing system of Ayurveda. Combined with international travels and exposure to many cultures and environs, Julia adapts her classes to each teaching environment and to meet the individual requirements of her students, thus inspiring them to enrich their lives through the practice of yoga. Julia often incorporates the components of dance, flow and music into her classes.
Since 2004, Julia has managed the development of the Tempel Yoga business in Norway, coordinating and delivering teacher training programs, workshops, business yoga and private yoga consultations. Integral to her family’s businesses centered on multi-faceted holistic health services, she has extensive experience and understanding of the benefits achieved through combining yoga with traditional and alternative methods of healing and health improvement.
Contact Julia: julie@tempelyoga.no www.tempelyoga.no
(New South Wales : South-Eastern Areas) Cecile Galiazzo – The first Yoga book I read was ‚ Autobiography of a Yogi‚ in 1978. Soon after, the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. Always interested in philosophy, it was not until the late 80′s that I met my first Yoga teacher – in the Iyengar tradion. Subsequently, I went on to study with the International Yoga Teachers Association and gained my diploma. I was very fortunate to meet Mark Whitwell who was giving teachings in Sydney in 1994. Things then became clearer. We talked about the Yoga Sutras. I met TKV Desikachar in 1995 in Chennai and witnessed the love and respect of teacher and friend.
The importance of teaching Yoga that is specific to the individuals’ needs was explored. I have continued my teaching, classes and one-to-one. If I can assist enquiry of the student through the simple yet powerful act of connecting body, breath and mind – something can change for the better.
Contact Cecile: cecilegaliazzo@hotmail.com 041-394-3158
(Sydney) Liisa Halme has studied and practiced Yoga for the past 15 years with renowned teachers worldwide, including her long-term teacher and friend Mark Whitwell. Liisa completed her first Yoga Teacher Training in 2003 and since then has taught in various yoga centers and her private studio in London, on numerous Yoga retreats in Europe, Caribbean and Africa. She now shares her passion in Sydney Australia. Liisa has a very holistic approach to Yoga and is dedicated to helping people find their own personal practice, suitable for the individual. While living in London Liisa studied Yoga Therapy with the Yoga Biomedical Trust and began using the ancient practices of Yoga to help specific health issues. She is a member of Australian Association of Yoga therapists and a Registered Yoga Therapist #AD050842W.
Contact Liisa: Private Yoga Sydney, Samadhi Yoga, Livingroom Coogee, Yogamama contact@privateyogasydney.com www.privateyogasydney.com +61-423-841-230
(Sydney) Patrick Ryan ‚ “We are really living in exciting times, with amazing ancient technologies available to us for the first time. After more than a decade of exploring various explanations of Hatha Yoga, I feel the principles taught by Mark are simple, extraordinary, full of compassion, kindness, challenging, achievable and, I think, its ancient pure wisdom. Its an extremely effective form of Yoga and one that I love to practice daily.” Patrick teaches all along the East Coast of Australia.
Contact Patrick: The Living Room Coogee chilledmangostar@gmail.com 0449-900-568
NEW ZEALAND
(Auckland) Vincent Boletta has been teaching and practicing yoga since 1991 and has also been involved with the health and wellness industry as a fitness consultant for the same period. His area of interest lies in structural rehabilitation and integration using the methodology of Yoga asanas, Pranayama and a variety of other bodywork methodologies. Vincent was introduced to Yoga while travelling and working in England by mentor and friend Steve Sharp. On his return to New Zealand he continued his studies in Yoga with a two year teacher training course under Mike Byron-McKay and The New Zealand School of Yoga.
Vincent has subsequently trained with numerous teachers incorporating a broad range of Yoga styles. Most recently he spent time with Gary Kraftsow and The American Viniyoga Institute and regularly travels abroad from New Zealand to encompass different traditions and thoughts on Yoga.
Contact Vincent: Yogashala vincent@yogashala.co.nzwww.yogashala.co.nz
Phone: 64-21483566
(Avondale) Nick Wilson “Nick has unearthed the essence of yoga practice. In his commitment to teaching an authentic yoga, he has explored and investigated various avenues including the sincere students of the great Krishnamacharya; TKV Desikachar, AG Mohan and Srivatsa Ramaswami. His work in developing “The Heart of Yoga Teaching Manual” provided the basis for the technical section in my book. He really cares about people and understands how to apply yoga practice to each individual. He can help you, no matter your situation, practice an authentic, pleasurable yoga.” Mark Whitwell / Director of Heart of Yoga Association International & author of “Yoga of Heart”
Contact Nick: Yoga for Healing at Dorje Chang Institute for Wisdom Culture 56 Powell Street, Avondale, Auckland yogaforhealing@gmail.com www.yogaforhealing.co.nz+649-27-370-2142
(Christchurch) Anna de Zeeuw has been teaching yoga in the city and around Banks Peninsula since 2002. Anna began her yoga journey in 1998 in England and she subsequently practiced and trained as a teacher in several of the contemporary styles. However, meeting Mark in 2006 and feeling the resonance of the ancient and timeless teachings that he shares, deeply touched Anna and transformed her Yoga. Mark now visits the south of NZ annually. What has beautifully grown over these years are nourishing communities that come together and practice, and individuals who lovingly embrace a home practice, both aspects of yoga that Anna encourages and supports.
Contact Anna: Pure Yoga anna@pureyoga.co.nz www.pureyoga.co.nz +64-3-942-711 +64-27-545-9283
(Mairangi Bay) Steve White’s yoga journey started in the late 70′s when everyone was illuminated by BKS Iyengar’s amazing oracle book “Light on Yoga”. In the late 90’s he embraced K Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and finally found his path when a friend invited him to join a Shiva Rea Yoga Flow Retreat in Greece in 2005.
He is a Registered 200 hr Yoga Alliance Teacher but has gone on to complete over 550 hours of Teacher Training mainly in Ubud, Los Angeles, Santorini, Fiji and Costa Rica. He is continually amazed at how much he doesn’t know.
His honoured personal gurus are Mark Whitwell, Shiva Rea, Daniel Aaron, Edward Clark, Simon Borg-Olivier, Kathy Budig and Emil Wendel… his deities are Ganesha, Shiva and Lakshmi.
Steve discovered the Yoga Sanctuary in 2009 and liked it so much that he bought into it in 2010. He describes his style as “moving meditation with breath and a smile” or more seriously as Krishnamacharya Prana Vinyasa (Flow) but he honours all styles and all teachers of Yoga.
Contact Steve: The Yoga Sanctuary NZ surgeblanco@hotmail.com www.yogasanctuary.co.nz+64-21-665556
(Mt. Eden) Barbara Coley Having practiced many styles of yoga over the years, Barbara’s own practice and understanding of yoga has changed and deepened as she has come to understand the Yoga of Krishnamacharya, both through her dear friend Mark Whitwell and her teachers A.G. and Indra Mohan of Svastha Yoga & Ayurveda, Chennai, India.
Barbara is the director of Svastha Yoga New Zealand located in Mt Eden, Auckland where she teaches a range of classes and presents an IYA registered 200 hour Teacher Training program. Barbara has a deep interest in Yoga Therapy particularly in the area of women’s health.
Contact Barbara: Svastha Yoga New Zealand barbara@svastha.co.nz www.svastha.co.nz1A Kelly Street, Mt Eden, Auckland, ?New Zealand Phone+649 630 0962 Mobile: +64 21 170 2640
(Wellington) Scott Helbron has been studying and practicing yoga since 1997 and has since received professional training in various yoga styles and healing arts.
He teaches in the Krishnamacharya/Desikachar lineage, offering an authentic and appropriate yoga practice, that is relevant and respectful to each individuals situation and offers private yoga therapy programmes and yoga workshops to his students and clients.
He is deeply inspired by the authentic and sincere teachings and message of Mark Whitwell and the ‘heart of yoga’. He offers workshops and classes teaching the ‘heart of yoga’ principles, and assists in spreading Marks simple, honest and powerful message to the world.
‘My aim is to do my best in offering assistance in the development of a personal yoga practice designed to attend to the individuals needs. Whether this be for enhanced body/mind health, rehabilitation and healing, or for some deeper calling. My own personal life experience and yoga journey confirms that a correctly designed personal yoga practice will bring the highest benefits to the practitioner. Yoga is a holistic practice that is so much more than just asana (postures) and it is my intention to utilize the various tools of yoga to help people in their personal development and positive transformation and to educate people of the ‘heart of yoga’ principles allowing them to open up to an authentic and beautiful practice that is right for them. And this, they can have, now!’
Scott has also trained in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as indepth study of Qigong, Taiji quan, and various body therapies such as Chinese Massage therapy and Thai Yoga massage.
He has been inspired, influenced and trained by various teachers and friends including Mark Whitwell, Kausthub Desikachar, Peter Ralston, Michael de Manicor and of course, his students.
Contact Scott: scotthelbron@gmail.comwww.yoga-technologies.com +64 (0)279188970