Yoga Sutra
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Ashtanga  ·   Vinyasa   ·   Iyengar  ·   Management & Staff

Ashtanga

Greg Tebb
Greg Tebb A native New Zealander, Greg Tebb has been practising yoga since 1984 starting with Hatha Yoga until he was introduced to Ashtanga yoga through Graeme Northfield in Australia. Greg started teaching Hatha Yoga (Dip IYTA) in 1993 and later Ashtanga yoga as a member of the Tasdance dance company. Greg taught yoga and danced professionally in Australia until moving to New York in 1997.

In New York Greg has been teaching Mysore style Astanga yoga for ten years. He has worked at Patanjali Yoga Shala for three years assisting Eddie Stern and Manju Jois; has taught at Astanga Yoga Shala, and Shiva Yoga Shala. His primary teacher and teaching inspiration is Manju Jois, son of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Greg has travelled to Mysore twice to study with Guruji and Sharath. For the past five years Greg has been taking classes and workshop with Manju Jois.

Greg is married and has one child.

Kimberly Flynn Williams
Kimberly Flynn Williams Kimberly Flynn began studying yoga in 1982 while an undergraduate at New York University where she earned her BFA in Drama.

She was introduced to traditional Ashtanga Yoga in 1993 in Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’s classes in NYC. Since 1995, Kimberly has traveled yearly to India to explore its traditions and culture, and to study at AYRI with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his family.

Since 1998 she has been a student of Sanskrit Recitation, Yoga Sutras, and Philosophy with Dr. M.A. Jayashree of Mysore. Jayashree and Kimberly recently recorded an educational MP3 of the entire Yoga Sutra chanted in call-and-response.

Kimberly, AYRI Authorized, co-founded and co-directed Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Los Angeles where she taught for 10 years and twice hosted Pattabhi Jois and his family. She teaches Ashtanga Yoga and Sutra Chanting throughout the United States and Internationally.

Amy Santos
Amy Santos Amy Santos began practicing yoga as a college student in the late 1980's. In 2003, she was authorized by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois to teach the Ashtanga Yoga Method. Amy continues to study regularly with Guruji, Sharath, and Saraswati in Mysore, India.   She has also received certification from the Sivananda and Laughing Lotus Yoga Centers, and studies in New York with Eddie Stern.  In addition to ashtanga, she loves teaching yoga in the NYC public schools through Bent on Learning. Amy thanks her Guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, for opening her heart and gracing her with the opportunity to serve others. Amy holds both a BS and a MA from New York University, but still considers herself a student of life. In addition to teaching and practicing, she is also a professional dancer.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Steve, their shih tzu Shanti, and their tabby Geetha. Amy wishes that all her students personally experience the peace, wellness, and joy that she herself receives from this spiritual path.

Erica Berg
Erica BergErica first began practicing yoga in 1991, and has practiced Ashtanga since 1999. She has studied in New York at Eddie Stern's shala and Ashtanga Yoga Shala with Guy Donahaye, in Stockholm, Sweden with Maria Boox, and in Colorado with the many gifted teachers at Richard Freeman's studio. She has also taken workshops with Nancy Gilgoff, John Scott, David Williams, and Tias Little, and is deeply grateful to
practice with the wonderful teachers at Yoga Sutra.

Erica has a BFA in acting from NYU, and is an actor and filmmaker. She has just completed the English translation of Petri Raisanen's book on the primary series (previously published in Swedish, Finnish, and French), and is eternally honored and grateful to Petri for having trusted her
with such a body of work.

Lorrie Dirkse
Lorrie Dirkse Lorrie Dirkse has been practicing yoga since 2000 and learned Ashtanga Yoga from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 2004. Her New York teachers include Erika Hildebrandt, and Christopher Hildebrandt at Yoga Sutra. In 2005 she received her 200-hour teacher training certification at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in Neyyar Dam, India.

Lorrie has a BFA in dance with an emphasis in cinema. She graduated with distinction and taught dance before transitioning into the publishing world, where she has served as an editor of children's books and a contemporary art magazine. Lorrie also has studied the martial arts.

In addition to teaching led Ashtanga at Yoga Sutra, Lorrie assists Erika in Mysore-style led Ashtanga.

Lorrie's emphasis is about slowing down the breath, opening the heart, and giving in to movement. Through this process, the mind can become still.

Constanza Roldan
Constanza Roldan Constanza began studying Vinyasa Yoga at home with the aid of various books from various teachers. Which she would tell you today, is no substitute for instruction from a skilled teacher.

She received early inspiration from the writings of David Life and Sharon Gannon: finding herself quite moved by the stand they had taken on animal rights, in particular.

She began her daily Ashtanga Yoga practice with Guruji during one of his visits to NYC in 2005. Since then, Constanza has practiced with Manju Jois, Greg Tebb and Christopher Hildebrandt.

Constanza has Bachelors Degree in Art. She has also taught Yoga in Montreal and Toronto.

Hanne Sydanmaa
Hanne SydanmaaHanne started practicing Ashtanga yoga in Finland, under the guidance of Lino Miele. She made her first trip to Mysore to study with Guruji, Sri K.Pattabhi Jois 2001, and continues to study there yearly. She wants to thank deeply Guruji, Sharath, and Saraswati, Lino Miele, Eddie Stern, and all the teachers and students who have crossed her path.

Hanne is a regular long-term substitute Mysore teacher at Yoga Sutra. Please contact Yoga Sutra for Hanne's upcoming visit dates.

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Vinyasa

Guta Hedewig, Director of Programming, Director of the Vinyasa Department, Director of Individualized Yoga, Director of Teacher Training
Guta Hedewig Guta Hedewig started practicing yoga in 1991. She has studied the teachings of Krishnamacharya with TKV Desikachar and Kausthub Desikachar at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai where she has completed advanced yoga courses. She is currently enrolled in their four year long Yoga Therapy Training through the Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation. She also learned Vedic Chanting at the affiliated Vedavani (Vedic Chanting School) in Chennai. Additionally, Guta has studied Ashtanga in Mysore with K. Pattabhi Jois and with V. Sheshadri for many years.

Guta directs, teaches in, and serves as a mentor in Yoga Sutra's teacher training program. She heads the 'Individualized Yoga Program,' creating individualized practices for students adapted to their specific needs. Guta heads the 'School of Yogic Studies,' a Continuing Education initiative at Yoga Sutra, where she teaches Vedic Chanting. She also serves as head of the Vinyasa department, in which she teaches.

Altogether, Guta oversees the entire programming at Yoga Sutra. She endeavors to create an atmosphere of the serious, in-depth study of yoga in all its aspects, based in the tradition of Krishnamacharya's teachings.

Concurrently, she choreographs for her dance company (www.gutahedewig.com). Guta is a certified Shiatsu practitioner.

Jill Camera
Jill CameraJill Camera began teaching yoga in 2001 and is a 500 Hour E-RYT. She is trained in the Krishnamacharya lineage: Vinyasa flow, alignment, and classical philosophical methods.

Jill is a student of the Western Spiritual Tradition and is known for integrating both Western and Eastern philosophies into her classes. A lighthearted and practical approach makes the ancient teachings accessible to her students. From alignment basics to vigorous vinyasa and everything in between, the human body is used to experience the evolving of consciousness towards the Divine.  When the self meets the Self, the results are magical!

Jill expresses sincere gratitude to her family, students, and teachers for their love and support.

Jill is an author of the book, Yoga Fan and is currently working on a book regarding women spiritual teachers and their lifestyle choices.

Julie Ducote
Julie DucoteJulie Ducote began studying yoga in NYC in 1999. She received her certification through New York Yoga after thorough studies with David Hollander, Michael Gilbert, and Govinda Kai. Julie eventually found her calling teaching pre-natal women and received her certification in Pre-Natal Yoga in 2006 under the direction of Mia Borgetta at Lila Wellness. Julie has completed intense studies of anatomy with Irene Dowd and workshops with Shiva Rea and Sri Phattabi Jois.

Julie has a vast background in movement and dance which greatly contributes to her understanding of the body in her classes. Since the age of three, Julie has studied many forms of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and swing and spent four years performing with Academy Dance Theater in Louisiana. She completed the USIS program at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in 1999 with studies in ballet, modern, Dunham and Pilates.

Currently, Julie teaches Vinyasa yoga and Pre-natal classes at Yoga Sutra and has many clients she sees privately. She also teaches dance to children ages two - eight and co-directs a performance workshop for children every summer in the city.

Julie's interests include global travel, reading, and continuing to expand her knowledge about yoga and pre-natal care for women.

Julie's openness and warmth make her energetic yoga class a beautiful, loving, and comfortable experience for beginner and advanced practitioners alike. Students find their "flow" to fun and inspiring music while being encouraged to take their practice in the direction that will most benefit them. Julie believes that every "body" is different and she encourages everyone to find a practice that meets their needs.

Leigh Evans
Leigh Evans Leigh Evans is a yoga teacher and dancer dedicated to awakening creativity and aliveness in the body. Since 1985, Leigh has practiced Hatha Yoga in the Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Viniyoga traditions in the U.S. and India. She is grateful for the guidance of her teachers, Dharma Mitra, Sarah Powers, Rodney Yee, Lisa Walford, Barbara Benagh, Mary Paffard, Ramanand Patel, and for her studies at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, 1996, and in Mysore with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, 1995. Leigh has been teaching for 14 years.

Leigh has traveled several times to Asia, studying Indian Odissi dance, Japanese Butoh, and Balinese Dance as well as yoga, Thai massage and Vipassana meditation. Her dedication to Asian forms of performance and healing arises from her desire to share the meditative and Tran formative states of consciousness prevalent in these traditions.

Leigh's classes focus on healing and transformation by blending a strong vinyasa practice with gentler restorative asanas, meditation, and chanting. Her emphasis is on developing mindfulness through the yoga practice, inviting you to witness the shifting sensations of the body and attune to the inner unfolding of each asana. Leigh loves the practice of yoga for the peacefulness and clarity of mind that comes from the breath flowing freely in the body.

Michael Gilbert
Michael Gilbert Michael R. Gilbert has been practicing, teaching, and researching yoga for over 20 years. Starting in 1984, Michael has been studying yoga with BKS Iyengar himself in India and Manuso Manos in San Francisco. In New York City he taught one of the first yoga classes at the established 92nd Street Y and managed its yoga department for many years. In addition to teaching at Yoga Sutra, Michael conducts unique corporate workshops (such as "The Sport of Sitting") and has a private clientele for body pain management.

Helping people to get out of body pain, Michael's work combines unifying principles from many disciplines, including Massage Therapy, Structural Integration (Rolfing), Pre-Med Anatomy, and Physiology.

Rhana Harris
Rhana Harris Rhana completed the year long Jivamukti Teacher Training Program with Sharon Gannon and David Life in 1997.  In 1999 she traveled to India to study Ashtanga Yoga with Shri K Pattabhi Jois.  Since 2002 her main influence has been Anusara Yoga.  She has done numerous intensive retreats, immersions, Therapeutic workshops and teacher training's with John Friend and many of his amazing senior teachers including Amy Ippoliti, Julie Dorhman, Elena Brower, Lois Nesbit, and Zjena La Rosa.  Rhana continues to study with all of these teachers.

Rhana was drawn to the seriously playful spirit of Anusara Yoga that encompasses the Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness and the Universal Principles of Alignment.  She is dedicated to the therapeutic aspects of the Anusara system that has helped her heal her own injuries and cultivate greater joint stability and range of motion.  

Her intention is through alignment and the breath, to convey an experience of the dynamic balance of stability and freedom in the body, mind and heart.

Anna Hindell
Anna Hindell has been studying and practicing yoga for over 10 years and teaching for seven years. Her background as a competitive gymnast contributes to her understanding of the body and movement. She completed her Advanced Teacher Training with Adrienne Burke and received her Pre-natal Yoga Teacher Training Certification with Mia Borgotta of Lila Wellness. Anna believes yoga is for everyone who is open to the practice. She combines the flowing style of Vinyasa Yoga with strong alignment principles of Iyengar Yoga. Anna's class offers a strong foundation of classical yoga poses while encouraging students to explore a lightness and playfulness in their asana practice. Her primary teachers have been Adrienne Burke in the Vinyasa tradition and Vicki Vollmer, Robin Janis, and Genny Kapular in the Iyengar Tradition.

In addition, Anna holds a Masters in Social Work from NYU. She completed a two-year training in Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy with Ruella Frank, PhD., founder of the Center of Somatic Studies. She is currently enrolled in a four-year training at the Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy. She currently teaches therapeutic-based-yoga to people living with chronic mental illness, Multiple Sclerosis, and Eating Disorders. She is creating a psychotherapy private practice that bridges the mind, body, spirit, and yoga.

Anna is grateful for the opportunity to travel to India and study in Pune with the Iyengar family in July 2009.

David Hollander
David Hollander David Michael Hollander, RYT 500, was introduced to yoga asana as a teenager and began taking classes at Sivananda yoga in the late 1980's. At about the same time he came into contact with the teachings of Sri Chinmoy. He has studied with many teachers over the years including Sri Pattabhi Jois, Manju Jois, V. Sheshadri, Dr V. Nagaraj, Dharma Mittra, Shiva Rae, and Michael Gilbert. David began teaching in 1994.

David is also a classically trained painter who exhibits in New York. His perspective is that of an artist, first and foremost, inviting others on this exciting adventure of yoga with Love, Lightness, and Devotion.

Davids' vinyasa flow incorporates elements of Ashtanga, Iyengar, and other flow styles into a dynamic experience that invites participants into the depth of the practice. Yoga Philosophy is presented in practical, useful ways along with chanting, singing, music, and artistic expression.

Carl Horowitz
Carl Horowitz Carl is a New York City yoga teacher who is most interested in helping people to learn effective ways for personalizing their practice. His work is influenced by the teachings of T.K.V. Desikachar and his father T. Krishnamacharya. It is based on the principle that there is an appropriate yoga practice for everyone and, in order to achieve the best results, this practice must be adapted continually to suit the individual's changing needs.

Carl has a solid background in eastern philosophy. He holds a BA in Classical Studies and another in The History of Religions. This has helped him to understand the original context within which the yoga tradition first evolved. He also has a strong physical background. He was a professional in-line skater who did a stunt show for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus for two years. During this time he got to work with some of the best acrobats in the world. His teaching also draws on his knowledge of anatomy, movement theory and therapeutic applications of movement.

Central to his work is the intimate understanding of the connection between mind, body and breath and the ways in which these affect the deeper energetic and emotional aspects of the individual. This has led him to explore several methods of integrating movement with breath to affect change and promote health on many different levels. His personalized approach, which has been effective for students from all walks of life, often involves neuromuscular repatterning and respiratory reeducation.

As a result of his experience, Carl feels that a thoughtfully designed yoga practice can help you achieve focus and clarity, enhance your experience of life, and help you perform to your fullest potential. Visit Carl's website at www.yogascope.com.

Kevin Ryder
Kevin Ryder Kevin has studied yoga for over a decade including Teacher Trainings with David Williams, David Swenson, Cyndi Lee, and Richard Freeman. Alison West, Kevin Gardiner, Dharma Mittra, and the Venerable Swami Bua have added immeasurably to his education.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Cincinnati and was certified at the Swedish Institute in New York City for massage therapy.

An inveterate cyclist, he has found that certain pranayama techniques have greatly added to his appreciation of pedaling through the Himalayas.

His Vinyasa classes, with a steady eye to both the Iyengar and Ashtanga aspects of the Krishnamacharya tradition, are challenging but doable by students of various levels. An intelligent and efficient use of props is indicated where appropriate to assist in making the impossible seem a little more approachable. Sanskrit chanting (with printed translations available) and pranayama are offered.

"A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma," would seem to apt description of the yogic processes. (with thanks to Sir Winston).

Francisca Alexander
francisca alexander Francisca Alexander is grateful for the practice of yoga coming into her life in the late 1990’s. Inspired to share the practice with others due to the tremendous healing and growth experienced in her own life, she was certified to teach in 2003. Her studies continued with Adrienne Burke (senior Jivamukti teacher) in a 500hr Training. The past years have led her to practice and study with yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra and she has completed his Life of a Yogi 500hr Training in 2008.

Francisca has had had a life filled with music and art since her youth. She has a BFA in Painting and Printmaking. She is a practitioner of Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka feels the practice has been the missing link to her for really practicing the art of living in all activities.

Her vinyasa class includes exploration on the physical level as
well as the energetic realm. She mixes humor with challenge and encourages students to listen to the Divine teacher and embrace life off the yoga mat as the true yoga practice.

Eternal thanks to her parents, and gratitude to the yoga teachers of past and present for lighting the yogic fire. Special thanks to Sri Dharma for his humble example and for his unwavering expression of compassion to all beings.

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Iyengar

Dmitri Shapira
Dmitri ShapiraDmitri Shapira is the Director of Iyengar at Yoga Sutra. As such, he teaches a full schedule at Yoga Sutra, personally selects and oversees the Iyengar teaching faculty, and helps to set the long-term direction for the school.

Dmitri's Iyengar training began in Boston where he studied primarily with Liz Owen. Upon moving to New York, Dmitri began studying with Kevin Gardiner and Brooke Meyers. His primary teacher is Mary Dunn for whom he acts as teaching assistant and has been a student of for seven years. In the spring of 2003 Dmitri completed a two-year teacher training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York. Dmitri traveled to Pune, India, in 1998 to study with the Iyengar family, and has returned to study at the Iyengar Institute in Pune, R.I.M.Y.I., two times since.

Dmitri has been practicing Iyengar Yoga for nearly 15 years.   Initially drawn to Yoga for its physical benefits and for the relief of back pain, Yoga's use of the body as a tool to train the mind soon became more important. Also a musician with a Master's Degree from New England Conservatory of Music, Dmitri has and continues to find parallels between his two pursuits. He strives to approach both with a balance between practice, repetition, and a turning away from the familiar.

For Dmitri, Yoga happens when an asana becomes less of a series of discreet actions and more of a unified whole where the various parts are balanced and synchronized. Dmitri's teaching style is challenging yet sensitive to those with physical injuries or limitations. It is serious yet balanced with a dry sense of humor.

Naghmeh Ahi
Naghmeh Ahi Naghmeh has studied yoga since 1999 when she began regular study with James Murphy and Kevin Gardiner. She continues to study and apprentice with James (her mentor and primary teacher).

She has taught since 2002, receiving formal teacher training at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, led by senior teacher, Mary Dunn. Naghmeh is currently a certified Introductory teacher in the Iyengar system. She has also studied with Geetaji Iyengar on several occasions and once, long-term with the Iyengar family in Pune, India.

Prior to yoga, Naghmeh was a practitioner of Mkeka-do karate, a Japanese martial art. The discipline in this art form she found similarly in Iyengar yoga, where involvement is total. She also plays piano or paints, on a whim. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, where her focus of study was the epic form; this, too, yoga fulfills through its sources, the sacred texts, and its practice that is based on a respect of tradition through the ages.

Yoga shows the way, the tools and the temple. Naghmeh thrives to bring to class a focused, attentive, and energetic environment where students can experience yoga safely and completely.

Carolyn Christie
Carolyn Christie Carolyn has been practicing and teaching Iyengar yoga since 1989. Her primary teachers are Mary Dunn, Patricia Walden, Gabriella Giubillaro, and Robin Janis in New York and Italy. She also studies with the Iyengar family in Pune, India.

Her education includes a B.A. in Art, Art history, and Italian language. Carolyn was also a bicycle tour guide in Europe, America, and Asia.

In addition to her Iyengar yoga practice and study, Carolyn has a Buddhist practice guided by Khen Rinpoche Lobsang Tarchin, HH Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, Gelek Rinpoche, and other great Buddhist teachers.

Carolyn believes it is her responsibility as a teacher is to give a place of focus from which one can explore oneself. A teacher's job is to give a sense of direction and correct the student when they see the student has not yet got the particular focus and direction. This takes time and trust between student and teacher.

Matt Dreyfus
Matt Dreyfus Matt began studying Iyengar Yoga in 1994, primarily with Mary Dunn. Since discovering Iyengar's method he has been ardent and dedicated in his practice. In the fall of 2007, Matt will make his fourth trip to Pune, India, to study directly with the Iyengar family.

When Matt first encountered Iyengar Yoga, he was pursuing a masters degree in music (Matt holds degrees from SUNY Purchase, The Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music), and for several years after finishing his schooling in 1996, he made his living as a classical double bassist, performing all over the world; some of his work included playing and touring as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic.

Matt teaches at the Iyengar Institute of New York, at Columbia University, and several other places in New York. He also volunteers and collaborates with Dalia Zwick, an Iyengar Yoga practitioner and physical therapist who applies yoga in her work with people who have a wide range of serious disabilities, such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Matt has also been a practitioner of Zen Buddhism since 2000.

Matt feels that the practice of Yoga is an opportunity for the exploration of what it is to be alive, to be human, to be here; to connect with ourselves and begin to realize what is truly important. As we reduce afflictions and access energy through our practice, we become freer to orient our lives toward our deeper aspirations.

Adina Ghen
Adina GhenPhiladelphia native, Adina Ghen arrived in NYC in 1974 as a student in the Whitney Museum Independent Studio Program. Ms. Ghen remained in New York as a full time artist for nearly twenty-five years prior to becoming interested in self-health orientations. In 1993 she became a licensed massage therapist studying at the Swedish Massage Institute and in 1995 she began practicing yoga. In addition to maintaining a reflexology practice, Ms. Ghen has taught yoga to others for the past 7 years. Currently, Ms. Ghen teaches Iyengar (gentle) yoga at Integral Yoga Institute, Yoga Sutra, and in her private yoga studio. Since 1997, Adina has been studying with Brooke Myers a senior Iyengar teacher and she is currently in her second year of Teacher Training at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York. She teaches gentle, fundamental, and level 1 yoga classes in the Iyengar Tradition. Having just returned from the birthday celebration and yoga workshop in India with Dr. Geeta Iyengar and Mr. BKS Iyengar, she is scheduled to study for 6 weeks at the RIMYI Institute, December-January 2006-07.

Eve Holbrook
Eve HolbrookEve began practicing Iyengar yoga in 1993 with Kevin Gardiner. She continues to study at the Iyengar Institute of New York, primarily with Mary Dunn and Lara Warren. In the fall of 2008, Eve made her second trip to Pune, India, to study directly with the Iyengar family. Eve was introduced to yoga while pursuing a masters degree in theatre at Northwestern University, and has worked as an actress and producer on and off Broadway, in the film and television industry, and in regional theatres across America.

Since she began teaching in 2002, she completed a two-year teacher-training program at The Iyengar Institute, earned a national certification from IYNAUS (Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States), and founded The Nerve of Expression, a community project which offers yoga to artists living with multiple sclerosis. Eve teaches at Yogasana Center in Brooklyn, Yoga Sutra, Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis in Manhattan.

Eve has a particular interest in the application of yoga for back pain which stems from her own experience with it, and the insight yoga has given her about how it may be addressed and relieved. She views the practice of Yoga as an opportunity to explore the nature of life and what it is to be a human being; to see ourselves truthfully and discover what is important to us, and, as we progress in our practice, weave that insight into the way we live our lives.

Michelle La Rue
Michelle LaRue Michelle LaRue began studying Iyengar Yoga in San Francisco in 1994 and has been teaching in New York since 2001. She has studied primarily with Mary Dunn, Brooke Myers, and Kevin Gardner. Michelle went to study with the Iyengar family in Pune, India in 2005 and looks forward to returning in 2008. Currently she holds an introductory level 2 certification and is preparing for her junior intermediate level 1 assessment later this year. Recently she has begun pursuing an interest in the therapeutic applications of Iyengar yoga.

Michelle danced professionally for twelve years; beginning with her early ballet training, then as a modern dancer until 2002.

Michelle's loves teaching Iyengar Yoga. Her teaching is strong and precise. She blends physically demanding asana work with clear verbal instruction. Her aim is to instruct and lead her students while allowing them to stay connected to their own experience.

Brooke Myers
Brooke Myers Brooke Myers is a founding member of the Iyengar Institute of New York. She has practiced yoga for 30 years beginning the study of Iyengar Yoga in 1986 and since then has made many trips to study with the Iyengar family in India.

Kavi Patel
Kavi Patel Kavi Patel has been practicing yoga since age ten under tutelage of parents and sports mentors. He embarked on serious study of Iyengar yoga in 1990, and began teaching since 1997. His teachers include Genny Kapuler, Mary Dunn, Patricia Walden. Kavi is currently finishing Iyengar yoga teacher training and pursuing certification. In addition to his Iyegnar training, Kavi has trained in Integral yoga and Anusara.

Kavi is from Vaishnav family in India, holds an MBA, and is a Krsna devotee since 1978 (he lived in ashram until 2006). He is also involved in the health & nutritional business to help promote understanding about the subject to yoga students.

Two great works of yoga 'Bhagavad-Gita' and 'Patanjali Yoga-Sutra' solely influences his teaching. He keeps the goal of practice in focus from Yamas and Niyamas to Samadhi or Isvara Pranidhana, while applying in present context according to time, place, person, and circumstances. In another words, Kavi endeavors to discipline senses and mind, and elevate them to higher awareness of Eternity, Knowledge, and Bliss.

His aim in teaching and his personal practice is to experience the transformation on the plane of the body, psychological, and spirit. Kavi helps students take that transformation from yoga mat into life to experience how yoga practice unfolds in our day-to-day lives; and in midst of all that, we live blissfully.

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Management & Staff

David Kelman, Managing Director
David Kelman David has been a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga for over ten years. After spending almost ten years as a mergers & acquisitions specialist at several large Wall Street investment banks, David decided to pursue a more balanced approach to business and life, and founded Yoga Sutra in 2004.

First and foremost, David is the dedicated father of two beautiful children, Charlotte and Wyatt. He is grateful to everyone that has made Yoga Sutra possible and takes great pride in the faculty, staff, and community that has grown and prospered since opening in 2004.

David earned his BS cum laude from Babson College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Lisa Bridge, Director of Operations
Lisa BridgeLisa was one of the first hires at Yoga Sutra when it opened its doors in October, 2004. She began as an Assistant Manager and was quickly promoted to Manager, Administrative Director and now, Director of Operations. Lisa has been integrally involved in helping with the growth and structure of the center. She oversees the entire managerial staff, daily operations of the center, and is a key programming director.

Lisa moved to New York in 1998 after graduating from Purdue University with a B.A. in Creative Writing. She began work in large advertising and publishing companies until being accepted into the NYC Teaching Fellows Program. While earning her M.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College under this scholarship, Lisa taught third grade in Central Harlem. There, she developed programming to bring yoga to at-risk students, later utilizing a National Americorps Scholarship to complete her certification in Vinyasa yoga. Upon graduating, she began teaching in the non-profit educational sector, bringing yoga, meditation, and music weekly to over ninety under-served children under a 9-11 Red Cross Grant. Lisa is currently launching a certification program and Children's Yoga Department at Yoga Sutra. She continues to be involved in bringing yoga to underserved areas by building outreach initiatives and hosting fundraisers for partnering organizations at the school.

Lisa is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in order to broaden her ecumenical work. She is also the singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist for 14 Lines - an alternative rock band and project with Urban Iguana Music Productions.

Megan Alexander, Operations Manager
megan alexander Megan grew up in Northwestern Connecticut and has been living in New York since the summer of 2005. As a child, she began studying ballet but soon after discovered the world of Martial Arts. Over the course of ten years of study under Kevin Sullivan, she earned her first degree black belt in Kenpo Karate.

She later encountered yoga for the first time at the age of 17. She studied Theater at the University of Hartford, graduating summa cum laude in 2005. During her undergraduate studies, she also underwent a semester of intensive conservatory training at the National Theater Institute which included certification from the St. Petersburg State Theater Arts Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was at NTI that she studied under her most influential yoga instructor to date: Marya Ursin. Marya's teachings opened Megan's eyes to the true joy that is working with ones mind, body, and breath with intention, balance, and awareness.

Megan is thrilled to have been welcomed so warmly into the Yoga Sutra family. She looks forward to completing a teaching certification program so that she may pass on the gift of yoga to others while pursuing her ambitions in theater arts.

Maria Schirmer, Senior Manager
Maria Schirmer Maria has been practicing yoga since she was a young girl, having grown up in a spiritual community in Fairfield Iowa and attending a school from kindergarten to 12th grade, where Transcendental Meditation was part of the curriculum. As well as meditation and yoga, her education included Sanskrit and the study of Vedic texts and oddly enough she thought this was what every kid did in school until about the age of 10!

In 2004 Maria spent 5 months in India, traveling in the southern states and studying with Sri. K Pattabhi Jois and his family in Mysore and upon returning to the states she got hired at Yoga Sutra and began studying with their wonderful teachers.

Maria holds a BA cum laude in Theater with an acting concentration from Marymount Manhattan College. Since graduation she has designed, directed, stage-managed and of course, acted for the theater. She believes strongly in the power of yoga to compliment and enhance the creativity that she (and everyone) possesses.

Julie Meslin, Assistant Manager
Julie Meslin Julie grew up in Connecticut where she was a gymnast from age five to fourteen. Not until her first yoga class during college did she find another pursuit as physically demanding and mentally exciting as gymnastics had been for her as a child.

She went on to practice Bikram yoga in Seattle, Vinyasa in Jerusalem, and most recently began an Ashtanga practice at Yoga Sutra.

Julie graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh University in 2001 with a degree in Theatre and English. She has been a scene painter, puppet-maker and published poet. She now teaches second and third grade at a Reform synagogue in Brooklyn in addition to her work at Yoga Sutra.

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Yoga Sutra - Yoga Studio and Yoga Classes in New York City
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