Our Teachers
All of our teachers are highly respected and well educated in various styles of yoga. Many of them have a blend of backgrounds that may include Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara, Yin and Restorative while some of our teachers focus on just one of these styles. More importantly, they have personalized the practice to reflect their own studies, and their classes will reflect this dynamic quality.
San Francisco
Amanda Moran
Amanda Moran spent 10 years in New York city where she studied and eventually taught at the Jivamukti Yoga Center. She is a graduate of the Jivamukti Teacher Training Program, class of 2000 and also received an Advanced Certification from her teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life in 2005.
After trying just about every outward avenue in the quest for physical and mental peace, she finally found Yoga in 1992. At the time she suffered from chronic recurrent bronchitis worsened by her stressed out job managing tours of large theatrical productions. Through Yoga practice & a vegan diet she’s been bronchitis free for the last eight years.
Her classes are Jivamukti style, consisting of challenging vinyasa sequences grounded in traditional and contemporary spiritual teachings, Sanskrit chanting, meditation, hands-on alignment adjustments, and relaxation. Classes include challenging variations for more advanced students, and accommodation for newcomers. She continues the tradition passed on to her by her teachers Sharon Gannon, David Life & Ruth Lauer Manenti, which emphasizes that Yoga practice leads to liberation. Amanda lives in San Francisco with her boisterous toddler Jackson and beautiful chef/yogi husband Jeremy.
Annika Williams
Annika Williams is a devoted Anusara yogini, Singer, Song-writer, Poet, Dancer, and Artist of the Performing and Visual Arts, and she weaves music, creative choreography, mantra, meditation, and pranayama into her fun, flowing classes. Annika has always resonated with movement as a liberating medium for allowing us to Be the joy & bliss of our free-spirited, authentic Essence within. Her classes provide a balance of challenge, strengthening vigor, and playful fun, with grounding, expanding, transformative tranquility. Annika’s eloquent instructions make postures more accessible to all levels of students.
Annika celebrates and delights in the unique light and beauty within everyone’s being, and her classes reflect this celebration of the Self in the service of Love. Her classes open and inspire the mind-body, heart, and spirit, providing a space for us to physically open, heal, restore, connect, expand, play, and awaken to our own inner peace, freedom, and empowermen
Ariel Howland
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Ariel has studied movement since a very young age. She believes that movement is not a particular form or body shape, it is an entire human experience. This belief led her to yoga and she has been a dedicated student to the practice for 10 years. She got certified to teach in 2002. She has studied various styles with many gifted and knowledgeable teachers. Her class is a fusion of vinyasa, dance inspired inspection of the lived experience. As a way to practice Karma Yoga, in the year 2000 she joined the Peace Corps which took her to South Africa and Tonga. She created a women’s yoga class focusing on embodied being. She has her MA in Somatic Psychotherapy and has a practice in Noe Valley. She is also a certified massage therapist.
Brenna Geehan
Brenna began her journey with Yoga, Tantra, and Ayurveda in 1998. Originally from New York, then Chicago and now San Francisco, Brenna Geehan, ERYT, is a Level II Certified ParaYoga® Instructor. She currently assists Yogarupa Rod Stryker in ParaYoga® teacher trainings and travels nationally offering Yoga seminars. Brenna has over 700 hrs of training and over 7 years of full time teaching.
Over the past 10 years, Brenna has had the great fortune of learning from other master teachers including Pandit Rajmani Tigunait , Yogiraj Alan Finger, David Life, Shiva Rea, Doug Keller, Beryl Bender Birch, Tias Little, Ana Forrest, Tim Miller, Gary Kraftsow, Andrey Lappa, Gabriel Halpern, and Judith Lasater.
Brenna believes that we all have the right and capacity to realize a life brimming with joy, meaning and purpose. In her classes, she offers a Tantric- Vinyasa practice that encourages an “inner listening”. Her mission is to help transform students’ bodies to be stronger and more flexible and also aid in removing mental and emotional obstructions so they may have a more balanced and healthy energy flow. Her classes include pranayama and meditation practices that encourage students to find clarity of mind and peaceful dispositions. Brenna teaches public classes in San Francisco and is a respected mentor to other teachers.
Britt Fohrman
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Britt’s greatest joy is found in sharing her love of yoga with a wide variety of people. She encourages her students to approach yoga as a way of life, to practice with a beginner’s mind, with loving kindness and with sincerity. Her unique style of teaching places a strong emphasis on alignment, sequencing, breath and inner awareness, while her approach is imbued with warmth, humor and honesty. Since 1993, Britt has studied primarily Iyengar Yoga, though she weaves influences of other traditions, especially Viniyoga and Vipassana (Buddhist Insight) Meditation, into her teaching.
Her specialty lies in working with pregnant women and new mothers, where she also employs her skills as a photographer, birth doula, and body worker. Along with being an avid surfer, Britt loves to do headstands on mountaintops and beaches all around the world. After witnessing tremendous healing within herself through Restorative Yoga, Britt was inspired to become certified to teach Restorative Yoga by Judith Lasater. Though she now enjoys an active practice as well, Restorative Yoga continues to be the foundation of her well being.
Buddy Macuha
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Buddy Macuha is a leading master trainer with more than 20 years of teaching experience in the fitness industry. Movement and performance have been an integral part of Buddy’s professional life, and today he trains, motivates and inspires his students to greater physical well being. Drawing from his experience as a gymnast, dancer, personal trainer, competitive athlete, holistic body worker, martial artist, and actor; he applies this diverse background to create a rigorous vinyasa class that challenges students.
His current certifications include The National Academy of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, Aerobic and Fitness Association of America, YogaFit teacher training, Certified Massage Therapist, Tang Soo Do, and various kickboxing, cycling and aerobic modalities. Most recently, Buddy was the Program Director at a top health club in SF from 2002-2006.
Charu Rachlis
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Charu Rachlis, born and raised in Brazil, has been teaching yoga in San Francisco since 1997. She teaches in a Bhakti lineage. She has over a 20-year history of Tibetan Buddhist meditation; her teachings incorporates Meditation, Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga), Iyengar Yoga, Asthanga Yoga and a MA in Psychology from Brazil.
Through the practices of Yoga and Meditation, one reaches a more subtle and refine state of being. Layers of stress and unhappiness are released – presence, clarity is born.”
Chrisandra Fox
Chrisandra is a dedicated student of hatha yoga, tantra, meditation and Ayurveda. Her teaching skillfully weaves the practices of hatha yoga to awaken fire and remove obstacles within so that you may remember your natural state of meditative awareness and ease of heart.
Her Teachers
Practicing since 1996, Chrisandra was granted a certificate to teach by Piedmont Yoga Studio under the guidance of Rodney Yee, Richard Rosen, Clare Finn, and Patricia Sullivan in 2002. She has trained in Universal Freestyle Yoga with Ukranian yoga master and mentor, Andrey Lappa, and spent five years in the Shadow Yoga School with Zhander Ramete and Emma Balnaves.
She bows to all the teachers who have greatly inspired her path and revealed the gems of dedicated sadhana and deep surrender – Krishna Das, David Nichtern, Arlene Griffin, Thomas Fortel, Jamie Lindsay, Peter Sterios, Richard Freeman, Ana Forrest, Angela Farmer, Dharma Mittra, Gary Kraftsow, Tony Briggs, Sarah Powers, Paul Muller Ortega, Robert Svoboda, Scott Blossom, Chandra Easton, Rinpoche Choje Phunsok of Lekshy Ling Monastery, Katie Silcox, Jill Leslie and Barbara Gabriel.
She studies presently with great devotion and gratitude to Yogarupa Rod Stryker, founder of ParaYoga.
Chrisandra is the founding Mama of The Heart of Renewal Retreats which informs and inspires life-affirming transformation through relationship to practice, food, Nature, creativity and community.
She is an E-500 RYT registered with Yoga Alliance and trains and mentors aspiring teachers. Chrisandra models and writes for Yoga Journal, and is the voice of Yoga Journal’s Livemag. You can practice with her in Gravity & Grace DVD with Peter Sterios and Yin Yoga DVD with Paul Grilley.
Christopher Tompkins
Christopher Tompkins is director of UC Berkeley’s renowned “Meditation, Mysticism, and the Mind” class. Christopher and his team of instructors have now initiated over 2,500 students in the practice of yoga meditation. He has 3 degrees in Religion, including a Master’s Degree from Harvard and a Master’s from Berkeley in Sanskrit. His doctoral dissertation focuses on the Tantric Origins of Hatha Yoga. Christopher is a Yoga Philosophy teacher at Yoga Tree (SF), lectures nationally and trains Yoga teachers in the history and philosophy of Indian Yoga. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Yoga Foundation. He has also founded Yoga Sculptures of India, which imports rare and sacred Indian art for the Yoga Community.
Darcy Lyon
Darcy Lyon (MA, MFTi, RYT) is a Certified Anusara teacher and Expressive Arts therapist. After many years studying dance and theater, Darcy fell in love with the grace and intelligence of Anusara Yoga in 1998. Reflecting an exuberant playfulness and passionate love for movement, her classes are based in Anusara’s Principles of Alignment which support body, mind and heart to live with deep strength, wisdom and ease. Students can expect a non-competitive environment where we all support each other towards our personal best.
In 1996 Darcy formed her company: Heartfire Arts for her work with healing, hope and transformation. She has been hired by the Federal Emergency Management Association to create a puppet show for traumatized children, developed a yoga program for an eating disorder clinic and developed a six month intensive that blends yoga and psychology. Her teaching equally reflects a depth of understanding in psychological change and bridging of eastern and western wisdom traditions.
Darcy teaches public classes, leads retreats nationally and internationally, mentors new teachers and runs workshops for teachers and students.
Darren Main
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Darren Main is a hath flow and restorative yoga instructor and author. His books include Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road, The Findhorn Book of Meditation and Hearts and Minds: Talking to Christians about Homosexuality.
In addition to his writing, he facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad and is the director of the Yoga Tree Teacher Training Program.
Debbie Steingesser
Debbie Steingesser is an inspired Vinyasa Flow Yoga teacher and creator of Dansa Vinyasa ™. Common Ground Magazine recently named Debbie “An Exceptional Bay Area Yoga Teacher” for her dynamic and innovative teaching style.
Debbie’s heart-opening Vinyasa classes are infused with musicality and breath awareness. Her fluid sequencing, nurturing adjustments, unique playlists, and sweet savasana lullabies connect students to their inner sense of joy and rhythm. Her classes often feature live musicians and unite the practice of yoga with an authentic connection to daily living.
Dansa Vinyasa ™ is Debbie’s original blend of Flow Yoga, Traditional West African Dance, Kirtan, and Live African Percussion. She has been a featured presenter of Dansa Vinyasa ™ workshops at a variety of studios and conferences including: Earthdance, Harmony Festival, Yoga Tree (SF), Exhale Center for Sacred Movement (LA), Wild Lotus Yoga (New Orleans), and Bhakti Fest.
She is certified with Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level through Saul David Raye and the Ritam School of Healing Arts. She continues her studies of yoga, kirtan, harmonium, and West African dance, with her mentors Jai Uttal, Dana Flynn, Baxter Bell, Denise Kaufman, and Alseny Soumah.
“The shining spirit known as Debbie Steingesser is an activated and soulful being who will inspire you to find your inner light and wisdom, because she has found hers! Her positive healing spirit is infectious and I recommend her work to all those seeking healing, joy and playfulness.” –Saul David Raye, Master Yoga Teacher and Sacred Activist
Deborah Lee
Deborah Lee moved to San Francisco from Boston, where she taught her creative and challenging vinyasa flow style of yoga for the Baron Baptiste and Exhale studios.
After many previous years studying and teaching health and wellness in NYC, Deborah completed her first yoga teacher training with Alan Finger at Yoga Zone (now Yoga Works) in 1999. A perpetual student, she has since completed over 1000 hours of certified teacher training in many styles including Anusara, Astanga, pre and post natal, hatha, & Baptiste Power Vinyasa.
Deborah feels blessed to have studied with and been inspired by so many wonderful teachers, including Baron Baptiste, Barbara Benagh, Sianna Sherman, Rodney Yee, Tias Little, and Patricia Walden. During the last two years, she has traveled extensively to study the heart-centered style of Anusara, completing over 300 hours with Anusara founder John Friend. She finds inspiration locally at Yoga Tree with Rusty Wells and Stephanie Snyder.
Deborah teaches a challenging Anusara-inspired vinyasa flow, set to music, to strengthen and calm the mind and body while connecting to the heart and spirit.
“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh, “Being Peace”)
Destiny Eurkus
Destiny teaches yoga in ways that support and empower people in believing in themselves. She is a pioneer of Forrest Yoga and teaches with grace, dignity, and compassion. She teaches from a place of intuition, compassion, and wisdom and continues to call upon Spirit for guidance into her teaching. Destiny creates a sacred hoop for her students to explore what is truth for both their life and mat practice and gives tools for one to walk with courage into their authentic self.
With over 2000 hours of hands on training, Destiny is one of Northern California’s most sought after Yoga Teachers. Practicing since 1999 & teaching since 2001, she has completed trainings with Doug Swenson, Shannon Wells, Yoga Works, John Friend, and Ana Forrest. Since 2005 she has completed Ana Forrest’s 200 hr Foundational Training, 50 hr CET, 70 hr Advanced, and completed the first Forrest Yoga Mentorship Program. She has assisted Ana Forrest’s Continuing Education Course and The Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco. Destiny has written for Living Life Magazine, has created 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings for multiple yoga schools, and has produced a Yoga Instructional DVD for Yoga Teachers.
Drawing in her own life experiences she is an example of someone who has found freedom from the bondage of addiction and old patterns that were hardening and sickening her. She continues her effort of growth and stays willing to work on truth and integrity. Progress not perfection!
Diego del Sol
Diego was voted “Best Private Yoga Instructor” by San Francisco Magazine, which described him as an intuitive and gifted teacher. Diego says, “What I teach is a living art, adaptable to each person every time they practice. My emphasis is on enabling students to tap into and enhance their natural strength, balance, and wisdom. It is a joy to share the gifts that Yoga has to offer, and a pleasure to see it come alive in students.”
Diego teaches yoga as an art form, a healing exercise, and an experience of the moment. Each class is inspired by timeless yogic and healing arts enabling students to reach their peak vitality.
Diego has been practicing since 1993 and teaching since 1997. He has studied with many world-renowned masters and is himself considered to be as a unique and talented teacher. He is an advocate of self-education through all forms of study and practical experience. Diego also has a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature from Brandeis University. He has a powerful and dedicated self-practice and thrives on sharing the benefits and magic of the practice with others.
Dina Amsterdam
Dina Amsterdam began teaching yoga in 1994. She is certified by Kripalu (1994) where she gained her spiritual yogic roots and by Rodney Yee (1998) with whom she studied alignment oriented Iyengar yoga intensely for 3 years in his Advanced Teacher Training program. Since 1998 Dina has been practicing and studying Buddhist meditation and Yin yoga with Sarah and Ty Powers as well as other renowned teachers in the Buddhist lineage. Dina is a certified Yoga Therapist and works with individuals and groups on transforming psychological and physiological constrictions. Her approach with clients is guided by healing principles from the yogic and Buddhist therapeutic traditions. She did her graduate research in physiological psychology at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention and values an integrated approach of eastern and western modalities for optimal psycho-physiological and spiritual well-being. Dina leads yoga retreats (many of which are held in the Buddhist tradition of silence) in beautiful places in nature around the world.
Dina listens to her body more accurately and sensitively than almost anyone I know. This connection, combined with her great communication skills, makes her a phenomenal talent in the world of yoga. I give Dina my highest recommendation to anyone looking for a yoga teacher.”
—Rodney Yee
Dina skillfully guides people toward a richer inhabitation of the emotional life . . . while leading them toward the potent art of meditative awareness.”
—Sarah Powers
In her public yoga classes, Dina weaves together mindfulness, alignment, strength and softness in a slow paced flow practice. She guides students in a rhythm that allows them to move in harmony with their breath and to discover the obstacles / opportunities that are waiting to be met. Her teaching blends together the Hatha yoga traditions of yin, Iyengar, vinyasa, and restorative yoga with the wisdom of the Buddhist path and invites students to cultivate a courageous and kind presence of wakefulness within themselves on and off the mat.
Best Classic Yoga Teacher in San Francisco for 2007
—The San Francisco Magazine (p.138)
Featured Teacher Profile in Yogi Times 5 Year Anniversary Issue
- July 2007.
Elise Collins
Elise Collins is a graduate of Rodney Yee’s 2-year teacher training and has a Relax and Renew certificate from Judith Lasater. A student of many healing modalities, meditation, and visualization for the past fifteen years, Elise teaches an integrative Hatha yoga style utilizing precise alignment and inner focus. As the mother of a five year old, she finds the journey of bringing a child into the world one of great spiritual transformation and enjoys supporting mothers in developing strength, flexibility, and connection. She teaches workshops and classes in pre-natal yoga, mom and baby yoga, yoga for young children and restorative yoga. Currently Elise is writing a book about healthy yoga drinks for Conari Press, which will be published in the summer of 2005. She has contributed to Yoga Journal, writes a monthly column on health and spirituality for Psychic Reader Newspaper and has been a guest on the Seeing Beyond Radio Show talking about Restorative Yoga. Elise lives with her son, Krishna, and partner, Ragi Dindial, in San Francisco.
Articles by Elise Collins:
Prenatal Yoga
Restorative Yoga
Elise Lorimer
Elise Lorimer teaches workshops and teacher trainings, as well as travels worldwide, exploring her own boundaries inside and out. Blending graceful flow with healthy alignment, Elise’s classes are anatomically mindful while infused with a playful spirituality that empowers students to openly explore and find freedom. She inspires a greater compassion for the self, cultivating a strong and flexible foundation, enabling students to live fully within their juicy potential. Based in the Bay Area, she continues her yoga study with Shiva Rea, Ramanand Patel and more, inspired by the array of gifts Life continues to offer, wherever she is.
Elizabeth Rosser
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Elizabeth feels most at home in the outdoors. She finds inspiration for her yoga practice while connecting in with the natural world. Her classes offer a rigorous blend of creative sequences designed to warm and open the body while uplifting the spirit. She has been teaching yoga throughout the bay area since 2001. Initially influenced by her Ashtanga roots, her teachers also include Shiva Rea, Ana Forrest, Steph Snyder, and Rusty Wells. Dancing, singing, and acting since she was young, Elizabeth brings a melodic blend of chanting and flute playing to her classes. Come prepared to breathe, sweat, and open.
Erica Geller
Erica Geller has been teaching meditation for the past ten years in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is certified to teach by the Surya Program in Ashville, North Carolina where she studied extensively with her teacher, Dr. Michael Mamas from 1999 to 2006. Since 1993, she has studied Nondual, Vedantic and Buddhist meditation in the United States and in India, with teachers including Adyashanti, HH the Dalai Lama, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, and Mata Amritanandamayi (Ammachi). Erica is also the author of the book Letters to America: A Chance For Us to Listen, the culmination of a five-year study of human interconnection. She received her degree in art therapy and certificate of holistic healing studies from San Francisco State University.
Erica’s teachings encourage an effortless style of meditation that gives our consciousness the space to unwind naturally and to rest into its true nature. Erica helps her students to become comfortable with meditation techniques and to integrate practice into daily life. Through meditation, her students find a dramatic decrease in stress, increased energy levels, heightened states of peace and joy, and deepened self-awareness.
Estee Fletter
Estee Fletter is a compassionate and inspired Vinyasa Yoga Teacher based in San Francisco. For Estee, the practice of yoga was initially a reminder to quiet the mind and simply be still. Over time, it transformed into a moving meditation of gratitude and devotion. Estee’s classes are a graceful experience blending chanting, music, and intelligent sequencing with emphasis on safe alignment and breathing techniques. Estee’s grounded and motivating energy provides all levels of practitioners the opportunity to work safely towards their edge while exploring their own unique possibilities. Estee has completed over 500 hours of teacher training with Rusty Wells and Bryan Kest. She continues to study with Rusty Wells and Stephanie Snyder while finding divine inspiration in all of life’s many teachers, both seen and unseen.
Hannah Franco
Hannah Franco is a yoga teacher and designer for Athleta. She began her exploration of yoga during her first year of art school at Pratt. The incredible feeling of presence and ease that unfolded after her exposure to yoga led her to direct every aspect of her life towards it. She took a transformational trip to India to deepen her studies in Hatha yoga and Tantra, where she was certified. Her focus as a teacher is to bring community together and harmonize the way we all interact with compassion and love. Her classes are a blend of Hatha yoga and Vinyasa, and are suitable for all levels with an emphasis on creativity, steadiness and presence. She is infinitely grateful to all the wonderful teachers who have inspired her in her path; Pedro Franco, Skanda, Katie Silcox and many more. Lets shift our focus together and live in light. JAI MA!
Jane Austin
Passionate about yoga and the transformative power of motherhood, Jane specializes in working with pre and postnatal women. She has been involved with the birthing community since 1990, working as a homebirth midwife, doula (labor assistant) and childbirth educator. Jane is a certified yoga teacher and enjoys working with all populations. Her teaching has been influenced by many teachers and traditions, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Anusara. She continues to study asana (postures) with Tony Briggs and yoga philosophy with Kate Holcombe. Among her most inspirational teachers have been the many hundreds of pregnant women and couples she has worked with over the years. Her own children and her experience of motherhood have been a huge influence on her teaching as well. She weaves her experience into her classes in a humorous, yet thoughtful way.
Jane teaches the pre and postnatal component of the Yoga Tree teacher. She has developed a teacher training for those interested in specializing in prenatal yoga instruction. Jane also volunteers at here daughter’s elementary school, teaching a weekly yoga class to the teachers and staff.
As a lifelong student, Jane continues to study the many facets of yoga. Although yoga provides the framework for her spiritual practice, it is her life as a mother that has given her true opportunity for spiritual growth.
Janet Stone
In 1996, Janet Stone traveled to India, the birthplace of her grandfather, where she met a powerful yogi and became dedicated to a conscious evolution through yoga.
As one of San Francisco’s premiere yoga instructors, Janet blends a wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous-yet-sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga that effortlessly melds awareness with movement and breath. Her classes are often strong, sweaty and deeply nurturing, full of great music, humor and lots of heart. Based in San Francisco, she also teaches workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats all over the world.
Janet surrounds herself with impassioned teachers like Shiva Rea, Max Strom, Scott Blossom, and Dharma Mittra and delights in the teachings of many other wonderful guides. She currently follows the teachings of her two young daughters, India and Lilianna, who shed the light on all things profound and wondrous.
Jason Crandell
Jason Crandell was recently named “one of the next generation of teachers shaping yoga’s future” by Yoga Journal for his skillful, unique approach to vinyasa yoga. Jason is the creator of Yoga Journal’s newest dvds: Yoga for Wellbeing; Yoga for Morning, Noon, and Night; and, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Yoga. He is a contributing editor for Yoga Journal, has authored over 20 articles for the magazine and website, and is a regular presenter at several national and international yoga conferences. Jason has recently partnered with Yoga Journal to continue creating instruction-rich, home-practice DVDs and Podcasts.
Jason’s steady pace, creative sequencing, and attention to detail encourage students to move slowly, deeply, and mindfully. Take a class from Jason and you will leave feeling grounded, clear, and content—and more informed of the nuances and habits of your body and mind. Jason credits his primary teacher, Rodney Yee, as well as ongoing studies in Eastern and Western philosophy for inspiring to him bring greater alignment and mindfulness to vinyasa yoga.
“It is teachers and practitioners like Jason that will take the art of yoga and teaching yoga to its next step.” — Rodney Yee
Jeremi McManus
Jeremi McManus is a passionate lover of life and it shows in his exuberant, playful, and wholehearted teaching style. He is also a Relationship Coach and holds a Masters in Counseling, which he draws on to fuse mindfulness and a connection to the whole self in his classes. Jeremi loves mentoring new teachers and finds it is one of the greatest ways to stay curious and maintain a beginner’s mind. His union with yoga began in its birthplace of India, where he spent 10 years as a child, so don’t be surprised if you hear him chatting with someone in Bengali. “I am incredibly grateful to my many teachers, including Keith Borden, Jasmine Tarkeshi, Darren Main… and my five year old niece.”
Jeremy Simon
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Yoga connects us to all beings everywhere, starting with ourselves. So that we see the light in each other’s eyes, live the love in our hearts and take flight on the joy of being alive. Jeremy’s classes are playful, engaging and open to everyone. May we all find the healing potential within, just waiting to be awakened.
In 2003, Jeremy began his practice and intensive study of Anusara Yoga® while living in Los Angeles. Through this practice he experienced a revelation – with right effort life can be easier, more aligned with our true desires and delightfully fun. Totally inspired, he completed his first Anusara teacher training in 2005 and taught his first public yoga class in 2006. Jeremy is now proud to be a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher.
In 2007, Jeremy became an AcroYoga teacher. He is so grateful for Acroyoga, it’s the first practice that has holistically provided a safe, sacred space to explore trust and deepen connections with all beings. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us as we turn the world into our playground. Jeremy currently teaches Anusara Yoga and AcroYoga classes, workshops, immersions at Yoga Tree San Francisco and around the country. Jeremy enjoys acrobatics, playing the harmonium, practicing thai massage and watching the sky.
Jeremy offers immense gratitude to all his teachers that have shared their love and light so that he can take flight: Sianna Sherman, John Friend, Ross Rayburn, Jenny Sauer-Klein, Jason Nemer, Janet Stone, Ajan Supron Mukomla, Master Lu Yi, Tim and Tara Dale and so many more.
Jill Abelson
Nationally recognized by Yoga Journal, Jill Abelson, 500ERYT, feels very blessed to be on the faculty at Yoga Tree. In 2009, she relocated with her husband to San Francisco from Washington DC, where she taught yoga alongside a busy career in environmental advocacy, going become one of area’s most sought-after teachers. She’s known for seamlessly integrating the spiritual aspects of yoga into a challenging physical practice, masterful hands-on assists, precise attention to detail, and dedication to individual progress, a combination students on both coasts have found unforgettable and life-changing. Her knowledge and experience in the classroom reflect 13 years of training/teaching Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Jivamukti Yoga.
Jill writes monthly essays ( “In Spirit” ) for Yoga Tree’s newsletter, and is a contributing author to Common Ground magazine. Her published essays on yoga, spirituality and the environment reach more than 40,000 yogis, every month.
She’s a member of the 200-hour Teacher Training faculty at Flow Yoga Center in Washington DC, and Yoga Tree’s 500-hour program, where she teaches The Art and Mastery of Physical Assists and other pioneering workshops. As a Teacher Trainer, she offers unparalled expertise in hands-on assisting, plus the art of vinyasa; yoga alignment/energetics/chakras and subtle body; the spirit of yoga, and setting powerful and intentional class themes. She continuously draws from the boundless generosity of her teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life, and under the wing of Nicole Nichols, Jill completed Jivamukti’s comprehensive advanced apprenticeship program from 2007-2008. Their inspiration (and many others) inspire Jill to pay it forward.
Teachers wanting to work with Jill can find her in Yoga Tree’s new Mentorship Program.
Jody Greene
Jody Greene came to the practice of yoga in 2000, and her path to teaching continues to unfold daily through practice, study, and the karma yoga of assisting. She is deeply blessed and enlivened by her root teachers, Mark Stephens and Janet Stone. In 2001, Jody began studying Zen Buddhism, and has practiced in both lay and monastic settings throughout the past decade. She is currently especially interested in exploring the intersections and diversions of Zen and Tantric Philosophy, under inspiring and inspired teachers Daijaku Kinst, Paul Haller, and Hareesh Wallace.
Karl Erb
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With over 23 years experience in yoga Karl is one of Yoga Tree’s most senior teachers and brings to bear a wide range of expertise, training, generosity, and integrity to illuminate each student’s individual experience.
Most deeply influenced by Yogacharya Shri BKS Iyengar’s approach to Hatha and Ashtanga yoga, Karl draws on years with teachers from many systems. His practice and teaching are deeply informed by not only western anatomy and physiology, but by principles of Ayurveda and the nature of Prana, or energy – life’s vitality. Karl encourages deep attentiveness in practice, imbued with a spirit of compassion and adventuresome, playful exploration.
“So much Wisdom, so much Heart!” ~ RM
“I feel like I just went to a spiritual chiropractor!” ~ DS
“You are the first yoga teacher I have ever had, I have been to a lot of classes, but I don’t feel I have ever really been taught before. Thank you for that.” ~ LK
“Karl Erb knows what he is talking about, a true gem we should take advantage of weekly. His grounded sincerity, sense of humor, and face-value way of being has made him virtually the only way I use my 10-pass at Yoga Tree. No foo foo! No cliques! Equal and honest personal attention.” Audrey Mei, Certified Rolfer
“A grace that hardly seems possible…When I have a question, when I’ve reached a plateau in my practice, when answers in words will not suffice – I take Karl’s class.” Jonathan Reynolds, Yoga Instructor
The Experience
Classes include Karl’s unique approach to teaching core strength and Mula Bhanda, largely influenced by his primary teacher of over 17 years, Ramanand Patel. Each week, building on a foundation of learning, students will progress to a deeper understanding of how Mula Bhanda touches not only the muscular body, but the layer of breath, energy, and awareness. Classes will cycle between an emphasis on standing poses, backbends, twists, inversions, and arm balances. His unique ability to see each individual makes his classes challenging for the experienced student, and encouraging for the beginner. All levels welcome.
For the Seasoned Students
Karl also teaches a compelling Advanced class at Yoga Tree Hayes Saturdays at 4:30 pm for TWO Hours! In this class Headstand (Sirsasana) and Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) are practiced regularly and practitioners are challenged in both endurance and depth of action, or immersion in a truly integrated body-mind experience, ultimately revealing the essential nature of the heart and soul. Each class Karl builds upon refining awareness of breath, awareness, and action in each posture. Revealing principles of breath and energy that are the source Principles of Alignment developed by Iyengar Yoga and now taught in the Anusara method, students move beyond alignment to Essential Actions. Karl weaves chanting and principles of yoga philosophy into each practice making each class an enriching and rejuvenating adventure.
Training
Karl began yoga in 1983 with Julie Kimball in Santa Cruz and then completed the 500 hour, 2 year teacher training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco. Karl went on the apprentice with Evlaleah Howrd in public and therapeutic back care classes; Karl now continues ongoing study and apprenticeship with Ramanand Patel. Karl has also completed numerous advanced trainings with senior teachers from many styles including but not limited to: Judith Lasater, Roger Cole, Patricia Walden, Manouso Manos, Shandor Remete, Erich Schiffman, Ramanand Patel and Evlaleah Howard. Karl also studies Vedant with Swami Dayanadanda Saraswati and North Indian classical and devotional music with Pandit Mukesh Desai.
Kerri Kelly
Kerri was drawn to the grace and compassion of yoga in 1999 after suffering many physical injuries from a lifetime of sports and exercise. Since then, Kerri’s personal and professional practice has evolved to embrace yoga as a method of self-regulation and transformation. Kerri has been teaching yoga for six years and continues to explore many styles of yoga to ensure creativity and balance in her classes. She has been greatly influenced and inspired by teachers such as Janet Stone, Seane Corn, Desiree Rumbaugh, Ana Forrest, Dharma Mittra and Rusty Wells.
Kerri’s classes are known to be challenging but playful, as she strives to help her students develop a strong body, a content mind, and a healthy spirit. She has developed a Yoga for Runners program and teaches cross-training workshops throughout the Bay Area. She is an active ambassador for Off the Mat, Into the World and facilitates leadership programs about yoga and activism.
KK Ledfrod, MA
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Growing up on an organic farm in East Texas, KK has been involved in Earth-based Spirituality and meditative practices since childhood. Her deep connection with Nature and comfort with the Feminine Divine mysteries, Shaiva-Shakta Tantra, and Herbalism infuses her teachings. She began studying intensively with her teacher John Friend and teaching Anusara Yoga in 1998. She has over 15 years of study and practice of the yogic arts and philosophies. A Certified Anusara yoga teacher, KK’s classes are poetic and powerful, inviting authentic embodiment and radiant expression of wild wisdom.
KK’s WildMoonWisdom also includes courses and private sessions for yoga therapy, Women’s Spirituality, Embodiment and Ecology, and life passage rituals.
Lauren Slater
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Since 1998, Lauren Slater has been a joyful practitioner of yoga, and continues her studies with Arkady Shirin in the Krishnamacharya lineage. Past teachers include Jennifer Morrice in Restorative and Stephanie Snyder in Vinyasa styles, as well as Ashtanga and Iyengar lineages with teachers throughout California. Currently an Ambassador for lululemon and The Art of Yoga Project, outreach within various populations is a passion to spread the joys of yoga to all. Another passion is wildlife rehabilitation, in which Lauren has been an active advocate, volunteer and intern with WildCare Bay Area since 2007.
A trained Classical dancer since childhood, Lauren danced professionally with the San Francisco modern dance company, LEVYdance and uses her knowledge of dance, Pilates, and physiology to enrich both vigorous and passive teachings of asana.
“I believe anyone can be transformed through yoga, with each path unique and to be cherished as a gift of an enlightened life.”
Les Leventhal
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Yoga with Les is a vinyasa/flow yoga practice. Les is one of San Francisco’s most popular and sought after teachers around the world. Les’ classes, workshops and video podcasts are filled with all the basic technique and alignment cues you will need to get your yoga practice started. They are also filled with lots of variations and occasional longer sequences to challenge the more seasoned practitioner. The prana (life force) comes from within. So be prepared to sweat and let the rasa (the sap and the juice) flow freely.
Les’ studies and ceremonies are steeped in Forrest tradition, having completed Ana Forrest’s teacher training. Les has also assisted Ana’s teacher training and studied many additional hours with her. Also, Les has completed several trainings with Tias Little and has learned much of his alignment and technique cues from Tias, as well as a firm foundation in the 8 Fold path of Buddhism which compliments the asana practice with a sense of grace and elegance that allow you to take classes whatever your yoga experience and whatever traditions you have in your own life.
Les pays careful attention to weave in the 8 limbs of yoga and keep the traditional styles and intentions of yoga a part of his classes while making great strides into opening a window into our global cultural shift. Les’ yoga will give you an opportunity to heal your heart and laugh, cry, dance and just let go. Some classes flow freely, while others will explore holding postures a bit longer. Many classes have music. Most of all, is that in Les’ classes, you have an opportunity to modify and do what you need to do in order to take care of your practice and that in learning to take better care of yourself, you can then take better care of those around you and they might then take better care of those around them.
Lisa Garratt
Lisa’s classes require determination and focus on increasing strength, balance, flexibility, and deepening the connection with the breath. Her primary teacher is Kofi Busia. Other notable influences include Leeann Carey, Erich Schiffmann, and Maya Lev. Her classes are further influenced by her training in Asian Bodywork, Vipassana meditation courses, and yoga service programs at MMC and PCC. Lisa is a massage practitioner and has over 500 hours of yoga teacher training. Lisa views yoga as a lifestyle—a path that can be chosen to help free oneself from the challenges of the body and the bondage of the mind.
Madhuri Flynn
Madhuri Flynn, a dedicated yogini of fifteen years, found and fell in love with Yoga on her arrival in San Francisco from London . Trained in the Integral Yoga tradition, from the linage of Master Sivananda, her teaching is both classical and radical. Madhuri lived in an ashram setting at the Integral Yoga Institute from 1996-2006, affording her the opportunity to be immersed in the teachings and to live a yogic lifestyle. Madhuri is a teacher of thirteen years, and she has trained over 300 yoga teachers internationally over the past seven years. Her passion is sharing the deeper teachings of yoga, which offer the precious treasure of true freedom and liberation.
Madhuri takes us on a journey through awareness and connection with our bodies – smoothing and harmonizing our energy; consciousness of the mental level then offers the opportunity to rest in the peace that is our true nature. This meditative approach is perfect for beginners and challenges advanced students. Each class includes chanting, a well-rounded classical asana practice, yoga nidra (extended, guided relaxation), pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation. Variations and modifications are offered to meet your practice as it is right now.
For the past 4 years Madhuri has been focusing on sharing Yoga with children and believes if we can give the children these skills it will change all of our futures. Yoga is an amazing tool to promote self-awareness, self-esteem, body awareness and ultimately Self-Love. When yoga is presented to children these things are nurtured and supported. Plus kids love it because yoga is fun. In the children’s classes will explore yoga postures, breath awareness, inner peace and relaxation through yoga games and interactive play.
“After training Intermediate Level Hatha Yoga teachers with Madhuri for a number of years, and having experienced her hatha classes many times, I can wholehearted say that Madhuri is one of my favorite yoga teachers. Her whole being exudes the true spirit of yoga. Due to the depth of her own practice, she can teach with exceptional clarity and insight, leading her students to a profound experience — physically, mentally, and spiritually. The only downside of Madhuri’s classes is that they can become addictive.”
—Swami Asokananda, former president of Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville, and Integral Yoga International
Maralle Fakhereddin
From a young age, Maralle has been drawn to movement and self-expression. Starting with ballet, basketball, then swimming and crew, she has enjoyed moving, breathing, being active, around friends and nature. Maralle is a Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher and a Certified Life Coach. She has completed over 500 hours of training and apprenticeship with her beloved teacher Baron Baptiste, and she is participating in the first ever Level III teacher training with Baron in Dec 2011. Maralle teaches yoga around the bay area; Palo Alto, Redwood Shores, San Mateo and San Francisco, and has coached beautiful beings from Jordan, Turkey, Canada, UK and around the US. She is also an experienced guide and coach for the 40 Days to Personal Revolution program.
As a student and teacher of yoga, Maralle is always reminded of the powerful practice of removing the blocks from our way of being and living our True and Fullest expression. “I believe that the power in power yoga is all about listening in and connecting to our inner power and wisdom to empower everyone around us. Everything that we are seeking; happiness, love, richness… is already within each one of us! Through the practice, we connect to our True and Whole Center and we share and express from that source out into the world fearlessly and generously!” Maralle’s teaching is filled with self-expression, inquiry, community, fun and sweat!
Margi Young
Margi’s classes emphasize correct alignment, hard work, and intense relaxation so that the benefits of yoga reveal themselves. She roots her alignment based vinyasa classes both in Buddhist philosophy and in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, so that the physical practice manifests itself in a calm mental state. She offers a lot of personal attention, both verbal and hands-on, to help her students clarify and deepen their practice. Taking a cue from the buddha, Margi’s classes are light-hearted; it is imperative that we come together and study this vast subject with joy.
Margi decided to become a yoga teacher when she realized that her favorite part of being in the dance world was teaching, and her favorite part of the day was on her yoga mat. When, in 2001, she attended OM Yoga’s teacher training in New York City, she was certain that a life immersed in yoga was right for her. For ten years, Margi taught at OM Yoga in NYC where she trained many of the current OM teachers and has also taught trainings and retreats around the U.S. as well as in Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and China. She has recently relocated to her hometown of San Francisco and is grateful to have a new community with which to share her love of yoga.
Margi has studied with numerous notable teachers including Cyndi Lee, Genny Kapuler, Nina Gold, Carrie Owerko, Kevin Gardner and Erich Schiffman. She is also certified from Judith Lasater in restorative yoga and from Integral in pre-natal yoga. She holds a BA from Mills College and an MFA from New York University.
Mark Morford
Mark has been practicing a fluid, energized style of Vinyasa yoga since way back 1997, and teaching since 2000. He’s been blessed to study with a wonderful variety of powerful, luminous and generous teachers, and has been inspired by — and workshopped with — many of the premier instructors normally name-dropped in this kind of bio, so he’ll just avoid doing that here and merely say, he’s had a wonderful ride. And it still feels like it’s just beginning.
Mark’s popular classes and workshops are an athletic, challenging and often deliciously irreverent blend of focused breath and strength-building movement (asana) set to great music, all designed to invigorate the body, calm the frenzied urban mind and bring you more fully into the present moment, as you discover — or, more accurately, remember — a more profound notion of Self, one that will doubtlessly enjoy more of your personal attention. He strives to weave in luminous-but-practical threads of yoga philosophy and the 8 limbs into his classes, as well tantalizing tastes of Shivaic Tantrism and Buddhism et al, to infuse/inspire our collective intention and more fully experience spanda, that subtle pulse/tremor of the cosmos.
Mark’s yoga will give you an opportunity to crack open your heart, peel away layers of urban anxiety, sweat out toxins and bad text messages, drink in spaciousness, build strength and stamina, look tastier in a bathing suit, sample some divine rasa (nectar), find connection and stability in your daily life, and slide through the world with more authentic grace and flexibility. He promises you will never leave his class feeling, breathing, or moving in quite the same way you came in.
Bring a towel. Leave your baggage. Peel off your stress, your expectations, your self-imposed limitations. Come for the sweat, stay for the consciousness. It’s so good you’ll forget you’re actually defying gravity.
Michelle Bouvier
Yoga first found Michelle in 1994, and her passion for the transformational power of sadhana in her own life led to teaching in 2000. An athlete and dancer for most of her years, Michelle believes movement is pure artistic expression of the deepest parts of our soul, as much as a method to find our way to a greater source within. This spanda, or pulsation, reflects the natural movement of the Universe on all levels of Consciousness~ inward/outward, contraction/expansion, inhale/exhale, and is a guiding principle in Michelle’s classes. She believes we are best able to ‘drop in’ to meditative presence through connection to our unique inner rhythms; that it is in this state of ‘flow’ where we are most deeply nourished in body, mind, and heart. On the mat, Michelle is devoted to serving this intrinsic rhythm of life with graceful strength, a playful spirit, sweet sweat, and a smile toward our evolution!
Niav Connor
Power. Beauty. Grace. These are the guiding principles of Niav’s teaching. Power comes from building core strength, aligning bones, and stabilizing joints. Beauty arises in the exquisiteness of each pose and the joy that naturally occurs in the practice. Grace happens in the dance of breath and movement and the seamless flow of one posture into the next.
The yogic path is one of awakening and liberation. From a place of integrity, personal experience and a deep desire to walk the yogic path, Niav supports her students in their evolution. With over 23 years of practice experience, 9 plus years (or over 8000 hours) of teaching experience, and a MA in Psychology, Niav brings a depth of understanding, wisdom and compassion to her teaching. She encourages playful fascination and exploration of the body. Her classes are creative and joyful focusing on development of core stabilization, mindfulness of breath, precision in postures, and the slow, steady building of strength and flexibility through intelligent, thoughtful sequencing.
Niav attended her first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in 2001 with Ana Forrest. She began teaching in early 2002 in Santa Barbara, CA where she honed her teaching skills for the past nine years. Over that time she’s been certified in Pre-Natal Yoga (2006), acquired a MA in Clinical Psychology (2007), been licensed as a Massage Therapist (2007), and attended her second 200 hour YTT in Bali with Vinyasa teacher, Vidya Jacqueline Heisel through Frog Lotus Yoga (2010). In addition she’s studied with Baron Baptiste in Boston, Cyndi Lee of Om Yoga in NYC, and Shiva Rae in LA.
Niav has extensive experience working with a broad range of students from beginners to advanced yogis, from adults to teens, and from athletes to those with injuries and disabilities including MS, paralysis, and spinal chord debilitation.
Pedro Franco
Pedro Franco is a Yogi, Physical Education Professional Physiotherapist, Yoga therapist, and Personal Consultant. Pedro has practiced Martial Arts for 22 years. His Yoga journey started in 1992 and since then he has practiced, studied and is certified by Teachers and Masters from various lineages and traditions around the world. Pedro also carries certifications in Pilates, technical skills for rehabilitation, wellness, and fitness. He has developed a practice that blends effective tools with a broad holistic perspective, and has a teaching style that adapts to all levels for the maximum development of students’ inherent abilities.
Pete Guinosso
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Connect into your inner yogi with Pete Guinosso. Known for his joyful energy, compassionate guidance, sense of humor, skilled touch, and spiritual yet light-hearted approach, Pete creates an environment for his students to uncover the deeper benefits of their yoga practice.
Pete began his own practice after thirty years of running, cycling, and contact sports. Motivated by a desire to connect his mind, body, and spirit through movement and breath, he spent several years and over 600 hours training with Ana Forrest, including assisting her 24-day Foundation Teacher Training course.
It is through this experience that he learned how to compassionately guide students of all levels through a vigorous asana practice with integrated breath work and awareness. Pete resides in the Bay Area and makes yoga and the depth of the practice available to students in group classes, workshops, and retreats. He is also available for private consultations.
Rosemary Garrison
Rosemary Garrison’s journey towards becoming a devoted yogi, and eventually, a studio and private yoga instructor, began with the Ashtanga first series taught by famed Ashtanga yoga teacher Tim Miller. Hooked on yoga immediately, Rosemary devoted herself to the mysore practice and studied with Tim extensively. Years later, further exploration guided her to Vinyasa Flow yoga classes where she found the dance of Vinyasa liberating, beautiful, creative, and alive. She then began practicing with an amazing array of teachers within the yoga flow lineage including Max Strom, Dharma Mittra, and Shiva Rea, learning increased depth and subtlety within her own practice – and within the practice of teaching. After teacher trainings with David Swenson, Erich Schiffmann, a Yoga Alliance Certification, Spirit Rock Center, and a myriad of other trainings, she began teaching yoga in 2004.
Rosemary teaches her students with a gentle, yet strong touch. She seeks to create the fires of transformation with a physically intense and vigorous flow while simultaneously supporting her students with a warm voice and nourishing energy. She believes the practice can uproot, heal and liberate – and that it can be done with minimal discomfort and a tremendous amount of grace.
Scott Blossom
Scott Blossom is a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner, Shadow Yoga teacher, and Ayurvedic Consultant. He has been studying yoga for over eighteen years and teaching for twelve. His primary teachers are Zhander Remete, founder of Shadow Yoga, and Dr. Robert Svoboda, renowned Ayurvedic physician and scholar.
Sean Haleen
Sean Haleen (RYT-500, ERYT-200) is a celebrated Hatha yoga teacher and practitioner. Having practiced yoga from a young age, his understanding of the practice runs deep both on the physical and philosophical levels. Although initially not wanting to teach, yoga instructing fell into his lap while in grad school in Vancouver, Canada. Now, after having taught thousands of hours of public classes and workshops, it is his full time job and passion.
Sean’s classes are noted for their humor and depth. Although his classes may not satisfy people looking for a good workout from their yoga, students wishing to learn about their bodies and the different concepts of yoga philosophy in detail will enjoy his public classes.
Sean teaches classes, workshops, and privates across the Bay Area and beyond. He has taught yoga to a variety of people including high schoolers, homeless groups, recovering drug addicts, and queer youth. He offers deep gratitude with each class to his main teachers, Katchie Ananda, Christine Price Clark, Chris Chavez, Brent Kuecker, and Paige Faraci.
Stacey Rosenberg
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Yoga radically transformed my life, which is why I’m passionate about offering the practice to others. Over years of practice and teaching, yoga has helped me become more comfortable in my own skin, given me the courage to speak my truth, and allowed me to step into a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Students describe my classes as “dynamic, playful, and joyfully expressed.” My intention is to encourage and empower students at every level to align their bodies, minds, and hearts with their highest senses of self. Whether you’re new to yoga, advancing to the next level, seeking relief from injuries and pain, or simply desiring to access your inner wisdom, I’ll enthusiastically invite you to step into your potential with one of my offerings.
As a certified Anusara® teacher, I am known for creative and coherent sequencing; clear and precise instruction; and a light-hearted, down to earth attitude. I lead classes, immersions, retreats, and I train teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. I am also a columnist for Origin magazine and have contributed to Yoga Journal. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Tara Dale
Tara, along with her partner Tim, is the founder of Yoga Tree San Francisco. She teaches a tantric based hatha class with emphasis on going at your own pace and being in the present moment. Students will be guided through sun salutations, standing, seated, and inverted asana sequencing. Tara encourages her students to focus on their breath and to nurture a centered and grounded practice. Throughout her class, Tara highlights alignment. Tara has been teaching hatha yoga since 1995 and has been studying Iyengar, Anusara and Tantra since 1995 and has been in the fitness and wellness industry since 1987. Her teachers are John Friend, Shiva Rea and Judith Lasater.
Tim Floreen
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Tim first came to yoga looking to add a little stretching to his gym routine, but he soon found the practice transforming his life in ways he never expected: he felt healthier, more relaxed, and more in touch with himself than he ever had before. He began teaching yoga full-time in 2000. He’s taken teacher training programs with Bikram Choudhury, Baron Baptiste, Rusty Wells, Janet Stone, and Dharma Mittra, he’s been on the teaching staff at studios in Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston and San Francisco, and he’s appeared as a yoga model in several publications, including Yoga Journal.
Tim teaches a vigorous flow class, but always with the understanding that students should modify and take breaks as needed. Two more ingredients he likes to incorporate into every class: a sense of fun and a good soundtrack.
Tony Eason
As a road cyclist, Tony came to yoga for the benefits of stretching. For five years he studied under Yoga Teacher Mary Friedland. Tony continued to develop his personal practice & teaching skills under the guidance of Yoga Teachers: Kathy Alef, Ben Thomas, Jaki Nett, and Nora Burnett. He is a graduate of the Two-year Advanced Teacher Training Program of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. He apprenticed under Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Janet MacLeod. His classes are based on the traditions of B.K.S. Iyengar.
Born in San Francisco, Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Tony Eason has been a student of Yoga for fifteen years.
Wendy Yalom
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Wendy K Yalom practices yoga because life is much more fun when she’s dancing, singing and sweating. Her playful, vigorous flow classes encourage students to tap into their own creative potential and to have a good time NOW. The insight of teachers from Rumi to Rusty Wells to BKS Iyengar infuse the practice with devotion & tradition.
“Everytime I unroll my mat and step on to it, I’m reminded that this short, sweet life is a celebration! Join me and see what is possible in your life right now!”
Berkeley
Abby Tucker
Abby Tucker is a Certified Anusara Yoga teacher and a lover of life. Passionate and down-to-earth, Abby’s bohemian heart radiates through her life in all it’s aspects—at home, as a student and as a teacher. She doesn’t differentiate between the practice of asana and the practice of her life. Abby has been a student of Anusara Yoga™ since 1998 and a teacher in the method since 2002. Abby is a devoted and humble student and apprentice of Anusara founder John Friend and is also a long-time yoga philosophy student of Dr. Douglas Brooks. To each of these great teachers, she bows. As a teacher, creates an atmosphere of keeping it real, even as she shares the radically affirming tantric philosophy that is the basis of the Anusara method. Abby encourages her students to have fun in their practice and to play the edge by using their bodies as a bright tool of the deepest expressions of their heart. Abby’s classes are a profound and authentic offering of energetic movement and detailed alignment. Abby, who is lives in Berkeley, CA, teaches public classes, workshops, immersions, teacher’s mentorships and retreats in the Bay Area, as well as nationally and internationally. She serves the global Anusara community as a Certification Evaluator and as a member of Anusara’s Mentorship Committee.
Alisa Kameshvari Thorp
Kameshvari was introduced to Yoga at age 18 and has studied with instructors in several methods – including Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar and Anusara Yoga. Since 2003, she has trained in Hatha Yoga and Classical Tantra under the guidance of her Root Teacher, Dharmanidhi Acarya.
With over 1500 hours of instructor training and more than 2300 hours of teaching experience since the year 2000, Kameshvari brings confidence, grace and a well-rounded knowledge of the practice to her classes. Working with students to develop the foundations of a personal practice is her favorite aspect of teaching. In 2000 she also received a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Columbia University. Kameshvari is a certified Adi-Yoga Senior Instructor.
Charles Ekabhumi Ellik
Charles Ekabhumi Ellik is a graduate of Yoga Mandala’s Teacher Training Program. After a 9-month internship with David Moreno and studying Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, Anusara, Bikram, and Shadow styles, he went on to teach Hatha Yoga full-time and to develop Yoga Mandala’s popular Youth Yoga Program. An award-winning poet, teacher/coach, and community organizer, he brings to his practice and classes a rich background in creative and physical arts: poetry performance, public speaking, publishing, painting, music, martial arts, and modern dance.
Daniel Scott
Drawing from a dynamic movement background, Daniel Scott shares a yoga practice focused on the journey from self-conscious to self-aware. With extensive training in Ashtanga Vinyasa, AcroYoga, and Core Fusion, Daniel goes beyond traditional asana to combine elements of acrobatic strengthening with cross-training. From inversion to arm balance, forward fold to backbend, each class is patterned around building a strong awareness within, unique to each practitioner, without judgment or competition.
David Moreno
David Moreno has taught at international conferences, universities, and retreats worldwide, and is frequently a guest instructor for yoga teacher training programs. He is also a certified Pilates instructor. David began practicing yoga in the late 70′s studying the Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Anusara styles of yoga. He is currently an initiated student of Ayurvedic & Tantric Teacher Dharmanidhi Sarasvati, studying the primordial tantric roots of the yogic tradition.
Emily Dillof
Emily is one of the Bay area’s few 800-hour certified Jivamukti Yoga teachers. In addition to her Jivamukti training, she also holds a 200-hour certificate from Laughing Lotus in San Francisco and spent a month studying Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore, India under the guidance of Saraswati Rangaswami, daughter of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Emily has been teaching yoga and meditation since 2007 in Tuscon, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and most recently in New York City where she completed a six month apprenticeship program at the Jivamukti Yoga Center. Emily weaves all of the elements of Jivamukti Yoga into her classes which are beautifully and intelligently sequenced, including variations that make the practice accessible to all students. Emily humbly bows to the many inspiring teachers who illuminate her path and continue to open her heart: Sharon Gannon, David Life, Lisa Schrempp, Dana Flynn, Sangeeta Vallabhan, Amanda Moran, and all the holy beings in the Jivamukti global satsang and beyond. Om shanti! For more information, visit www.vinyasa-sf.com.
Eric Shaw
Eric Shaw is a scholar and yogi. He shares his unique and innovative style of asana and lecturing on the history, philosophy and science of yoga with dynamic multimedia presentations worldwide. Eric offers students knowledge of the ancient yoga tradition attuned to the modern experience in upbeat, energetic classes informed by excellent knowledge of posture, meditation and breathwork. With certifications from Kripalu Yoga and Yogaworks, he is an E-500 Registered Yoga Teacher. A PhD candidate in Hindu Studies, Eric also has an academic background in graphic arts and was a special education teacher for nine years. He is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal and other magazines, and consults, researches and writes for movies, phone apps, yoga teacher training manuals, and other worthy projects in the field.
Isaac Milder
Isaac’s classes are a healing journey into the depths of your wild, sensuous and spiritual body. Weaving together fun and challenging poses, breath, bandhas, and more, Isaac helps students feel whole, alive, and embraced. Studying yoga in India for over two years, Isaac completed a 3,000 hour teacher training. With a Master’s Degree in Somatic Psychology and a Certificate in Integrative Medicine, Isaac embodies a clear understanding of the connections between the physical body, psyche, and spirit. Isaac playfully invites you back into your true nature.
Hannah Franco
Hannah Franco is a yoga teacher and designer for Athleta. She began her exploration of yoga during her first year of art school at Pratt. The incredible feeling of presence and ease that unfolded after her exposure to yoga led her to direct every aspect of her life towards it. She took a transformational trip to India to deepen her studies in Hatha yoga and Tantra, where she was certified. Her focus as a teacher is to bring community together and harmonize the way we all interact with compassion and love. Her classes are a blend of Hatha yoga and Vinyasa, and are suitable for all levels with an emphasis on creativity, steadiness and presence. She is infinitely grateful to all the wonderful teachers who have inspired her in her path; Pedro Franco, Skanda, Katie Silcox and many more. Lets shift our focus together and live in light. JAI MA!
James Ryder
James Michael Ryder has practiced hatha yoga for 19 years, Vipassana/Insight meditation since 2000 and has taught classical hatha yoga for the last 5 years. He completed the two-year, 500-hour Teacher Training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute, SF, with the guidance of the experienced faculty there. In 2009 James trained in David Moreno’s Yogi’s Apprentice program, continues to study hatha yoga locally with Ada Lusardi, among others, and is currently engaged in the 18-month Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Teacher Training offered by Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Nearly a decade of work/play in physical theater, improvisation and acting lend James’ teaching a current of playful curiosity, precision and love for evocative language and story.
Jenny Sauer-Klein
Jenny Sauer-Klein has a background in theater and dance and has been studying and teaching yoga, circus arts, and healing modalities for 13 years. She currently has a private therapeutic practice in the bay area, and offers classes, workshops and teacher trainings world-wide. As the co-founder of AcroYoga, she is dedicated to the path of relationship as a vehicle for transformation, and is in devoted service to love.
Jessica Ezra Patri
Jessica Ezra Patri is a certified yoga instructor, trained modern dancer, certified massage therapist, somatic educator and mama. She has been practicing various Hatha yoga forms since childhood and began teaching yoga classes in 1999. Jessica received her formal yoga teacher training from Greenpath Yoga in San Francisco, in addition to her collective studies with teachers in the Bay Area and New York City, including David Life, John Berlinsky, Lea Watkins, Peggy Orr and others.
John Rettger
John graduated from Yoga Tree San Francisco’s 200-hour teacher training program in 2010, where he studied under the guidance of Les Leventhal, Elise Lorimer, Stacey Rosenberg, Christopher Tompkins, Jane Austin, and Darren Main, among many other amazing teachers. John deepened his knowledge of Restorative Yoga at Yoga Tree through an apprenticeship with Darren Main. He has completed continuing education training focused on teaching yoga to beginners with Jason Crandell, and is certified from It’s Yoga, Kids in San Francisco to teach yoga to children aged 3-13. In addition to yoga teacher training, John has completed training on teaching mindfulness through a 7-day Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training retreat in early 2009 with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli of the UMASS Medical Center. John has also completed training on teaching mindfulness to teens with Gina Biegal at El Camino Hospital. John is currently deepening his understanding of the neurobiology and application of mindfulness through online classes with the Mindsight Institute.
Julie Rapapport
Author of the widely enjoyed book, “365 Yoga, Daily Meditations,” Julie has spent many years training in the Krishnamacharya lineage of Vinyasaa yoga in India with Sri Pattabi Jois ((Ashtanga) T.K.V. Desikachar (Viniyoga) and Senior Iyengar teachers here in the Bay Area (Rodney Yee, Ramanand Patel). She studied with Dharma Mittra in his NYC studio for many years, and was mentored by the founders of Jivamukti Yoga during the establishment of their yoga school. She enthusiastically and humbly creates a playful field to explore flowing asana sequences wrapped in intelligent alignment, breathing, mindfulness.and sound. Yoga is offered as a mirror through which we gain self-knowledge, grow compassion, and learn to love. Julie has a private practice in Psychology/Yoga Therapy ( MFT 36095) and is adept at helping people heal physical and emotional conditions. She provides integrative somatics and counseling to a wide range of people, and is the mother to a delightful 4 year old who provides her with extra learning opportunities.
Kat Atkinson
Kat brings a professional background in life sciences, 25 years of movement practices, and her own experience of childbirth to her classes. She studied under renowned prenatal instructor, Jane Austin, in San Francisco. Kat’s prenatal classes provide a supportive environment for expectant mothers where they can take deep breath and embrace both their inner nurturer and their inner warrior simultaneously.
Les Leventhal
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Yoga with Les is a vinyasa/flow yoga practice. Les is one of San Francisco’s most popular and sought after teachers around the world. Les’ classes, workshops and video podcasts are filled with all the basic technique and alignment cues you will need to get your yoga practice started. They are also filled with lots of variations and occasional longer sequences to challenge the more seasoned practitioner. The prana (life force) comes from within. So be prepared to sweat and let the rasa (the sap and the juice) flow freely.
Les’ studies and ceremonies are steeped in Forrest tradition, having completed Ana Forrest’s teacher training. Les has also assisted Ana’s teacher training and studied many additional hours with her. Also, Les has completed several trainings with Tias Little and has learned much of his alignment and technique cues from Tias, as well as a firm foundation in the 8 Fold path of Buddhism which compliments the asana practice with a sense of grace and elegance that allow you to take classes whatever your yoga experience and whatever traditions you have in your own life.
Les pays careful attention to weave in the 8 limbs of yoga and keep the traditional styles and intentions of yoga a part of his classes while making great strides into opening a window into our global cultural shift. Les’ yoga will give you an opportunity to heal your heart and laugh, cry, dance and just let go. Some classes flow freely, while others will explore holding postures a bit longer. Many classes have music. Most of all, is that in Les’ classes, you have an opportunity to modify and do what you need to do in order to take care of your practice and that in learning to take better care of yourself, you can then take better care of those around you and they might then take better care of those around them.
Lily Dwyer Begg
Lily has been practicing yoga for thirteen years, and teaching yoga for six. Her teachings are inspired from her studies with Don and Amba Stapleton, Shiva Rea, and Ana Forrest. As a professional dancer, she brings a lifelong study of the bodymind, a wealth of knowledge about biomechanics in movement, and a creative, soulful and artful approach to yoga practice. Lily loves a sweaty, fluid, vigorous vinyasa sequence as much as she does a spacious, soft internal moment in practice, checking in with the internal flow. Her classes support a space for exploration, expansion, integration, and selfinquiry.
Having encountered and healed several orthopedic injuries in her dance career, Lily is dedicated to teaching compassionately and believes that your body is the model for your investigation, not some universal ideal. She is a whole-hearted optimist who deeply believes in the healing power of movement. Lily’s work is a labor of love and has brought her to teach in yoga studios internationally, to work therapeutically with private clients, and to offer yoga to homeless women and children at the Women’s Daytime Drop In Center in Berkeley, where she regularly organizes donation based yoga fundraisers.
Pedro Franco
Pedro Franco is a Yogi, Physical Education Professional Physiotherapist, Yoga therapist, and Personal Consultant. Pedro has practiced Martial Arts for 22 years. His Yoga journey started in 1992 and since then he has practiced, studied and is certified by Teachers and Masters from various lineages and traditions around the world. Pedro also carries certifications in Pilates, technical skills for rehabilitation, wellness, and fitness. He has developed a practice that blends effective tools with a broad holistic perspective, and has a teaching style that adapts to all levels for the maximum development of students’ inherent abilities.
Pete Guinosso
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Connect into your inner yogi with Pete Guinosso. Known for his joyful energy, compassionate guidance, sense of humor, skilled touch, and spiritual yet light-hearted approach, Pete creates an environment for his students to uncover the deeper benefits of their yoga practice.
Pete began his own practice after thirty years of running, cycling, and contact sports. Motivated by a desire to connect his mind, body, and spirit through movement and breath, he spent several years and over 600 hours training with Ana Forrest, including assisting her 24-day Foundation Teacher Training course.
It is through this experience that he learned how to compassionately guide students of all levels through a vigorous asana practice with integrated breath work and awareness. Pete resides in the Bay Area and makes yoga and the depth of the practice available to students in group classes, workshops, and retreats. He is also available for private consultations.
Rachel Shaw
Rachel Shaw began her study and practice of Hatha yoga in 1992, at the original Jivamukti Yoga Center in New York City, where she regularly studied with Sharon Gannon and David Life. Her scholarship then lead her to receive teaching certification through the Sivananda lineage. Rachel has been blessed with many strong teachers, in the styles of Kripalu, Astanga, and Iyengar methods. Her personal practice is most recently inspired by the teachings of Ana Forrest, and the Anusara method developed by John Friend.
Sarana Miller
Trained by master teachers including Rodney Yee, Ana Forrest, and Sarah Powers, Sarana draws on Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara and Forrest Yoga traditions. She studies Insight Yoga with Sarah Powers, a practice that encompasses Yoga, Buddhism, and psychology. Sarana is a student of the body. She studied physical therapy with Harvey Deutch, PT and Thai massage in Chang Mai, Thailand. Her travels have also taken her to India where she studied yoga and Indian classical voice. Sarana loves to lead kirtan, Indian devotional call-and-response chanting and has trained with American kirtan master Jai Uttal. Sarana is a staff teacher at Yoga Journal magazine and leads retreats throughout California, Alaska and Mexico. www.saranayoga.com
Sean Feit
Sean’s teaching is dedicated to the integration of yoga and meditation, and draws on nearly two decades of practice in both streams. Primary teachers include Jack Kornfield, Eugene Cash, & Sylvia Boorstein (Insight Meditation, vipassana), David Moreno & Alice Joanou (hatha & vinyasa yoga). Sean was ordained a monk in Burma in 2002, is an advanced student of Somatic Experiencing, and a longtime dancer & musician.
