The Studio DC - Yoga in Dupont & Adams Morgan

Our Studio

We offer hot yoga and non-heated yoga classes that produce extraordinary results for all ages and all levels of fitness. Through accessible class offerings ranging from beginners to advanced level, alignment focused to creative flow, workshops & private instruction options, our mission is to introduce everyone to the adventurous journey of yoga and all the magic that follows. We recognize yoga as an ancient tradition, capable of enriching all aspects of modern life and encourage each individual's personal growth while fostering a sense of community and friendship. Our expertise is founded on the excellence of exceptional teachers, who will guide you through each yoga session. We are trained and certified by some of the best scholars in the world: Shiva Rea, Ana Forrest, YogaWorks, Chuck Miller, Rod Stryker, Max Strom, OmYoga, Laughing Lotus, Kripalu, John Friend, Pattabhi Jois and many others. Our gifted team is working to collaborate and deliver life affirming miracles with every class, workshop or product that we offer. We take pride in our exceptionally warm and welcoming teachers and faculty. Our staff is sincerely committed to serving you in a loving and supportive atmosphere. Lastly, we make yoga accessible to Washingtonians by keeping our prices as affordable as possible while drawing on the best teachers locally and internationally. Choosing from over 80 yoga classes each week really does offer something for everybody!


Meet the Teachers

Ryan Arnoldy was trained at the Studio DC Yoga School and deepened his studies at the Sacred Movement/Exhale in Los Angeles with Max Strom and Shiva Rea. For the past two years he has been assisting yoga teacher trainings as well as teacher development and mentoring programs for emerging instructors. With a degree in Global Studies and Political Science from the University of Minnesota, he originally relocated to work in international affairs in Washington DC where he stumbled upon yoga as a catalyst for social and global change. Ryan's background in transforming consciousness and human potential both infuse and enrich his teachings. He completed trainings with The Mankind Project, Inner Journey Seminars, Micheline Berry’s Teacher Empowerment Intensive and Studio DC ’s Teacher Immersion. In 2007 Ryan graduated from the Facilitator Training of Inner Journey Seminars, San Francisco. Ryan nourishes his musical bend with kirtan though occasionally returning to his early roots on the sax. Ryan's schedule


Katja Brandis had worked for the World Bank and on the Hill for eight years but rededicated her career to offering enlightening programs in the field of holistic wellness and evolution of consciousness. Her first yoga class was in 1994 at a YMCA in Honolulu, "there was this long hair guy playing shakuhachi flute as I was lying down on the floor with my eyes closed and all these strangers" and would have never been able to predict that yoga was going to be a pivotal point in her life. Today in her 40s, Katja has extensively studied and trained with many international yoga masters and is delighted to bring many of her extraordinary teachers to her students in DC. In the past ten years she opened two yoga centers in Washington DC as well as Child Birth Care a one-stop shop for new parents. She joyfully serves all students, practitioners and staff with creating a nurturing and loving space for their fulfillment. She is inspired by her student's journey and one of her greatest joys as a minister and birth coach is supporting women and couples through their precious perinatal period. Katja has been training yoga teachers since 2004 and seamlessly incorporates ancient roots of the yogic system, holistic Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements in her holistic training programs. She completed over 900 training hours and is directing the Studio DC Yoga School and Teacher Empowerment Program. Katja offers Oneness Awakening Blessing, private sessions in trauma release and somatic experiencing as created by Peter Levine. Her prenatal classes were featured on Fox TV, American University Radio, Washington Post and many other media outlets. Katja and her husband Ryan live in a small crooked house on Upper 16th Street along with the studio's beloved guriji little Lulu. Katja's schedule


Ligia Benavides is a PhD student at George Washington University. As an avid biker and runner, she wanted to find an activity that allows her bring more flexibility to her body. She found through her practice at Studio DC not just physical improvement, but internal balance and better focus and concentration. Originally from Colombia, Ligia came to the DC area in 2007 and completed her 200 hours certification at Studio DC Yoga School and continues to improve and enrich her studies with amazing master teachers such as Donna Farhi, Anna Forest, Natasha Rizopolus, Jason Crandell, Cameron Shayne and Eoin Finn, Bryan Kest and John Schumacher. Through an energetic and intelligent sequence with emphasis on alignment and core integration, and complemented with cheerful music from around the world, Ligia strives to bring an open, joyful and safe space, encouraging students to combine the flow of the movements with a rhythm on the breath so they feel fulfilled and happy during and after their asana practice. Ligia's schedule


Jolie Carey works for the government supporting international development programming in Africa. She has lived and worked in East and West Africa for approximately five years. Her background focuses on gender and economic sustainability. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for a local NGO that helps orphans and vulnerable children in Mali, West Africa. Jolie focused more on asana practice during graduate school at Columbia University in NYC, between work trips to Africa while based in London, and when working in Sudan where it was often too hot to run. To Jolie, yoga is bliss in action. With each asana, she strives to help yogis reconnect with their inner nature: joyful and mindful. She is a graduate of The Studio DC's Yoga School training program and has benefitted from workshops with master teachers: Donna Farhi, Shiva Rea, Eion Finn, Bryan Kest, Natasha Rizopolous and Ana Forrest. She also practices transcendental meditation (TM) which is based on the repetition of a mantra to facilitate mental and physical relaxation and overall well-being. When not on the mat she enjoys dancing, art galleries, tennis and the Adirondack Mountains with family in upstate NY. Jolie intends to lead yogis on retreats abroad so that practitioners can deepen their practice in new environments, re-opening their hearts and consciousness to the global community in which we all live and breathe. Jolie's schedule


Jeff Clark is working as a consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was trained and certified by the Studio DC Yoga School where he teaches challenging vinyasa flow classes and believes in the transformative power of yoga to bring people back into harmony with nature and each other. Jeff was born in California and began practicing yoga at home as an extension to his meditation practice. He is an avid traveler, surfer, and environmentalist and welcomes the chance to assist others in minimizing their environmental footprints. After moving to DC, Jeff joined the Studio DC’s Love and Care team from 2007-2010, and continued with the Studio DC's teacher training program. Jeff's schedule


Chanda Creasy completed the Level 1 Teacher Training in 2005 at the Studio DC, beginning her enduring friendship and teaching path with the Studio DC community. She leads global yoga retreats, specializing in retreats to Africa, where her work often takes her. Chanda has been practicing yoga since 1997 and teaching since 2003. She has studied with many wonderful teachers over the years. Chanda is certified at the 500 hour level with Shiva Rea and Sri Kali Tantra Ashram. Through her foundation, Global Flow, Chanda combines her long-time experience as an anthropologist, work in geo-politics, and practice of karate, yoga, and dance to promote cross-cultural understanding and personal exploration and expansion. Chanda's schedule


John Horan's classes are formed around yoga that is as enjoyable as it is enlightening. There's a period of reflection to start, and concentrated freedom at the end. In between, your energy and effort carry you through the class. The sequences are designed to deepen your practice of life. How you carry yourself down the street, how you share with others, where you direct your mind. In the ten years that John has practiced yoga, he learned not to take anything too seriously -- career, possessions, and especially the self. Your energy follows your thoughts, and in John's class these will be light-hearted. You'll balance body, mind, and spirit, and come out smiling. John's schedule

Leah Fox, as a dancer, was immediately intrigued with her first yoga class she took as a teenager. She left the class feeling two inches longer and has been practicing and appreciating the benefits of yoga ever since. Leah enjoys how grounded, open, and centered she feels after her practice and delights in sharing yoga with others. She offers students a way to discover a sense of oneness with themselves and the world around them by using yoga as a tool to quiet the mind, become aware of the breath, and connect with the body. Her classes consist of thoughtful sequences that emphasize an awareness of alignment and maintain a sense of mindfulness. Leah received her 200-hour certification from the Om Yoga Center in NYC and her Children’s Yoga certification from Karma Kids Yoga. Leah's schedule


Kewal Hausmann has been teaching yoga almost as long as he’s been taking it. He walked into an advanced Ashtanga class and struggled to keep up. “All I knew was that some lady was telling me to do stuff, and we kept moving, and I couldn't keep up, and then I began to sweat and then I couldn't stop sweating. It was over so quick, and I was lying on a yoga mat thinking ‘what was that?’ and ‘I need more!’” After only five practices, he approached his teacher who directed him to the a Teacher Training program. Even though he was very much still a beginner, Teacher Training felt like the right thing to do, so he enrolled with the idea that he would just study and probably never teach. Since his first Teacher Training, Kewal has continued to pursue his yoga education in several traditions and believes that he can serve his students better by having more information to draw from and that life is enriched when we use different traditions mindfully and respectfully. Kewal teaches Gentle Yoga, Hatha Flow, Ashtanga, and Kundalini Yoga and loves movement, so you can expect to work in his Hatha Flow classes, and relax deeply in his Gentle classes. Then again, he likes to mix it up, and says that he cannot guarantee that his class will be the same from one week to the next. You can be assured, however, that a class with Kewal will be fun. His ease as a teacher give Kewal’s classes a feeling of playfulness and joy. He also enjoys reading and knitting, playing softball, and taking care of his pets: dogs Atlas and Ajax, a nameless cat, and many fish. Kewal's schedule


Ruth Ann Hudson is a public sector management consultant with IBM and is currently pursuing her MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Ruth Ann iscertified by the Studio DC Yoga School and brings kindness, humor, patience and inspiration to her classes, with a strong focus on breathwork and pranayama. She is excited to share yoga with others and hopes to spread the joy she has found in her own practice with her students. Ruth Ann first discovered yoga while on a work assignment as a means to stay active after weeks of living in hotels. She was quickly amazed at the impact a regular yoga practice had on her life. By cultivating a regular practice, Ruth Ann began to build not only physical strength but mental and emotional strength. For Ruth Ann, yoga is not only a physical practice – it is the anchor that grounds her in an often stressful, hectic world. Since 2005, Ruth Ann has trained with Shiva Rae, Natasha Rizopoulos, Donna Farhi, Edely L. Wallace, and Ana Forrest, among others. Ruth Ann's schedule


Josh Kaplan is a former lawyer turned law school tutor and his interest in yoga led him to Key West, where he completed his 200 Hours certification. Since returning from Florida, he has enjoyed sharing his practice with students at the Studio DC, in classes ranging from Vinyasa and Gentle Flow to Restorative Yoga. Josh's yoga path began in 2004 when he graduated from law school and subconsciously realized that he could benefit immensely from a regular yoga practice to balance an otherwise hectic lifestyle. Josh's classes are all about mindfulness, whether it be mindfulness of the heart, the mind, or the body. Accordingly, his classes are focused on creating a space where his students can feel comfortable being themselves and practicing on whatever level they feel is appropriate for them. Josh hopes to create a place in which his students can discover themselves on their own terms, using their practice as a tool of self-exploration, challenge, and acceptance. Josh's schedule


Dan Kapner holds a juris doctor and a masters degree in international relations and was first introduced to yoga at 14 when his family physician prescribed three poses daily for upper back pain. A decade later, while working as a speechwriter at the UN, Dan found a regular asana practice as the perfect antidote to the busy professional life. Yoga, he learned, could encourage deep relaxation and a sense of groundedness, improve strength and stamina, and become a channel for positive living. When not on the mat, Dan practices law focusing on resolving complex international disputes. As an RYT 200 hours instructor, Dan invites students to explore yoga as a moving meditation, a linkage of movement with steady and smooth breath, to enhance these benefits. Dan also completed the Teacher Empowerment and Mentoring program at The Studio DC. Dan's schedule


Sun Kim molds the minds of local elementary school students as a classroom teacher in MCPS and started practicing yoga regularly in 2007. She fell in love with the transformations she experienced in her body, heart, and mind. Sun completed the 200 Hours certification at the Studio DC Yoga School and has studied with master teachers such as Jason Crandell and Bryan Kest. Sun leads breath-focused, challenging vinyasa sequences while reminding students to deepen and nurture their practices with safety and alignment in mind. She invites the students to gaze inward and empower their physical, emotional, and mental bodies through asanas (poses) and pranayama (breath). Sun's schedule


Yoon Kim works for the USAID an took her first yoga class in an effort to achieve greater balance in her life during her doctoral studies at Oxford, England. She continued to be drawn to yoga for its holistic approach to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Her desire to share her love of yoga and its ability to balance and facilitate positive change led her to complete the Studio DC’s Yoga School certification program. Off the mat, Yoon seeks to promote positive change through her work on climate change issues in developing countries with USAID. Yoon's schedule


Dasha Kuts works for the World Bank and started to practice yoga while living in a small town in Siberia. Originally born in Kiev, Ukraine Dasha moved to the US eight years ago to pursue her studies of economic and international business. She completed the 200 hours certification at The Studio DC Yoga School. Through challenging, fun and mindful vinyasa flow and power yoga classes she helps her students to realize and appreciate their unlimited internal potential, strength and beauty. In addition, she trained at Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga Studio in Santa Monica as well as with Ilya Zhuravlev and Anne Klein in Moscow. Upon moving to the US, Dasha started to teach Power Yoga to her fellow students while pursuing her undergraduate studies at Towson University. Dasha is also certified as a personal trainer through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). Dasha's schedule


Jeanette Lee has always felt a strong connection to movement and progressed into yoga after dancing for many years. She discovered that yoga inspired her to find freedom and release in more subtle and deeper ways than she could before. From this discovery, the journey began. Jeanette received her initial teacher training in 2007. From there, the path soon led to Prana Flow, Shiva Rea’s transformational vinyasa practice. Jeanette is currently completing her 300 hour certification in Prana Flow. Jeanette enjoys creating yoga practices that connect us back to the natural cycles of life – to the seasons and the basic elements. Jeanette's schedule


Angie Milton is certified by the Studio DC Yoga School and during the day advises policy focused organizations in the DC area on their online strategy. As a dancer for over 15 years she was exposed to yoga as a way to improve strength and flexibility. Angie uses her background in dance to inspire vinyasa classes that provide students the freedom to fluidly link breath and movement, while infusing alignment cues to ensure safety through the poses. In her classes, Angie pairs a challenging sequence with a fun positive environment, and encourages students to reach their infinite potential both on and off the mat. She loves to keep active, and enjoys running in Rock Creek Park and playing tennis. Angie's schedule


Mimi Rieger was trained and certified in 2003 by the Ashtanga Yoga Center DC with David Ingalls who is one of the teachers directly authorized to teach the Ashtanga system created by K. Pattabhi Jois. Her classes are distilled from years of strong personal practice in the Ashtanga system. She is the Regional Director of Budokon, an energetic practice that melds the yogic and martials arts, for DC, VA & MD and trains teachers and students in the area. Mimi believes in encouraging students to push past existing physical barriers and exploring new paths. Mimi is certified in "The Rocket" series and is Budokon's Regional Training Coordinator. Most of Mimi's yoga classes are practices based upon sun salutations A and B infused with warriors, standing poses, arm balances and inversions. Come enjoy the journey. Mimi's schedule


Emily Sargent completed the 200-hour teacher training program at the Studio DC Yoga School and has studied with master teachers such as Jason Crandell, Natasha Rizopolus, and Anna Forest. She was a part of the Studio DC Studio Assistant program from June 2010 through December 2011 and appreciates the Studio’s environment of community. By day, Emily works as a strategic management consultant, currently focusing on state and local emergency response coordination. Emily is deeply grateful for the balance and centeredness that yoga brings to her everyday life. In her classes, through flow sequences and a focus on alignment, Emily hopes to safely and comfortably encourage students to open up to themselves and better understand their bodies. She strives to create an atmosphere of openness and acceptance in order to make the yoga experience accessible and applicable to people of all different backgrounds and experiences. Emily believes that there are truths locked in our bodies that hold onto our history and experiences and that yoga helps us unlock those truths about ourselves and allows us to grow. Emily's schedule


Gregory Stuart is a classically trained singer and actor, holding degrees in those disciplines from Ithaca College and The George Washington University respectively. He has always enjoyed helping others, so teaching was a natural development in his life. Prior to teaching yoga, he was already teaching Pilates, private voice lessons and acting. So, of course, he just had to share the joy that he experiences in his personal yoga practice with others. Teaching yoga has been a major journey of its own, a rigorous discipline and a demanding craft but one that has taught him the simple and subtle life skills of being authentic in connecting with others, of perceiving individuals intuitively, of acknowledging that we are all vulnerable and many more skills for being a leader in the yoga room and beyond. In his classes, he endeavors to empower his students to explore within on various levels. Gregory earned his Yoga Alliance 200-hour certification through Down Dog Yoga and has completed Baron Baptiste's Level One and Level Two Teacher Training Bootcamps. He has been fortunate to study not only with Baron Baptiste but also with Coeli Marsh and Elizabeth Huntsman, Baptiste master teachers. Recently, he has been finding considerable inspiration in the teachings of Dharma Mittra in New York City. Gregory certified to teach Pilates mat classes through PhysicalMind Institute, and to teach Pilates Ring through Washington Sports Clubs. Gregory performs regularly in the choir of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Arlington, with the men's a cappella ensemble Open 5ths and elsewhere. He recently made solo concert debuts in Paris and New York City. He loves to garden and is an avid francophile. Gregory's schedule


Lizandra Vidal recently arrived in Washington DC from Pittsburgh, PA and knew she had found her home away from home the moment she walked into The Studio DC. She is thankful for the wonderful community that the studio provides her, and that it is so close to where she lives. Thrilled to be a member of a vibrant and glowing yoga community, Lizandra has been practicing yoga for 13 years and is certified at the 200hr level in the hatha style Sivananda tradition of yoga, as well as vinyasa through The Studio DC's renowned Yoga School. Lizandra continues to focus on enhancing and deepening her personal practice and is deeply appreciating everything she is learning about the Vinyasa style of yoga that The Studio DC has to offer. Lizandra's schedule


Eric Yatar is a lawyer in DC during the day and graduated from The Studio DC Teacher Training Level I in 2006. He was born and raised on Guam, a beautiful island in the Pacific where Eric was instilled with a strong sense of family, community, and spiritual awareness and it is through his yoga practice that Eric continues to revisit and experience those channels of strength and energy in his life. Eric has continued his yoga studies in a variety of lineages with several well-renown master teachers. He completed his 200 hrs teacher training at Prajna Yoga under the tutelage of Tias Little. Eric has also completed training in Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers, and in Pre-Natal Yoga with Linda Spackman. He is currently finishing his 500 hrs with Tias Little and continues studying Iyengar yoga with John Schumacher. Eric's classes aim to foster truth, trust, and mindful self-discovery through a focused and energetic practice – inspired by the essential connectivity of breath, movement, and foundation, and the dynamic flow of energy through the body, harnessed by the energy of others. Eric's classes offer a great attention of detail to safe alignment while heating up the body as a preparation to explore poses in a deeper, longer, Yin like way. Eric's schedule


Alyson Young began practicing yoga 10 years ago, having been encouraged by both her mother and grandmother who are yogis themselves, she immediately fell in love with the practice. She has an intense interest in health and body awareness and believes that the real magic happens when we "live yoga off the mat." Alyson trained at the Studio DC Yoga School where she teaches vinyasa style classes. In addition to yoga, she has also trained under a world class ultra-running coach and practices Crossfit with her family each time she visits them in Colorado. She is inspired through being in nature, dancing, and sharing vegan meals with her lovely housemates at the Green Vine Co-op. With her study in Biology and Sports Medicine, she spends her day as a fitness coach, motivating others to get out of their minds and into their senses. Alyson encourages dynamic, full body classes that challenge us to create new, intelligent ways of movement, having us feel connected to our own source of life and more freely expressed. Alyson's schedule


Visiting Faculty

Donna Farhi Donna Farhi is a Yoga teacher who has been practising for 30 years and teaching since 1982. She is one of the most sought after guest teachers in the world, leading intensives and teacher training programs internationally. Donna is best known for her unique ability to help students and teachers embody their spiritual practice. Her work focuses on the refinement of natural and universal movement principles that underlie all yoga practice. This concentration on fundamental principles allows students of all levels of experience and from all traditions to build their own authentic yoga practice. Donna has been the asana columnist for both Yoga Journal and Yoga International Magazine (U.S.A), and has been profiled in four separate publications on exceptional contemporary teachers of our time. Donna is the author of the contemporary classics; The Breathing Book, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness and Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living. Her fourth book Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship was released in November by Rodmell Press. American born, Donna now resides in Christchurch, New Zealand where she pursues her passionate love of horses.


Ana Forrest Ana Forrest is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in yoga and emotional healing. Born crippled, her own life trauma and experiences, including physical abuse, drug addiction, epilepsy, and bulimia, compelled her to create Forrest Yoga and the Forrest Yoga Educational Library. Ana took her first yoga class on a dare at age 14 and became a certified yoga instructor at age 18. In her search to become a better healer and teacher, she studied Native American medicine and ceremony, Homeopathy, Hands- On Healing, Martial Arts, Psychotherapy, and Regression Therapy. Her philosophy and approach are unique and powerful, drawing on her vast life experiences. She is a living example of a spirit who has freed herself from the bondage of trauma, and chosen a warrior's path of compassion. Having studied a multitude of yoga styles and healing modalities, Ana's focus is on guiding the student to use Forrest Yoga in a meaningful way for the sacred exploration of truth, wholeness, and health. Ana is a well-known contributing expert to Yoga Journal and other national wellness publications. She has journeyed to India, Nepal, Costa Rica, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and throughout Europe and the United States and currently teaches internationally at yoga conferences, workshops, and teacher trainings. Ana is on the board of Advisors for the Foundation for Athletic Research & Education (F.A.R.E. Play) and is an instructor for continuing education at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic.


Bryan Kest Bryan Kest has been practicing yoga for over 30 years and has been teaching for over 26 years. He developed his unique, distinctive style of yoga, Original Power Yoga, in 1979. Over the years, this style, an amazing workout for the body, mind and spirit, has made him a well-known, popular teacher across the country and around the world. His mainstream popularity is matched by an authentic foundation in the ancient practice of yoga and a long path of development as a yogi (a practitioner of yoga). At age 15, Bryan uprooted from his native Detroit home to make a life change in Hawaii. He moved to live with his father, a doctor, who understood the benefits of yoga. Like many of us, Bryan originally thought yoga was nothing more than strange contortions, but that changed when his father introduced him to a physical style of yoga called Ashtanga. This appealed to him immediately, and he soon observed great changes in himself, both physically and mentally. Yoga quickly became his passion, one that would take him to India for a year to study with the great yoga masters of the world, Pattabhi Jois. He has been continuing on his yoga path ever since. Bryan founded three studios in Southern California (Santa Monica and Calabasas). He also teaches at workshops and retreats around the world; provides an intensive teachers training program; and is featured in his own Warner Brothers video series from 1995, as well as a newer video series and audio CD series. For articles by Bryan and more information about Power Yoga, visit www.PowerYoga.com.


Micheline Berry Micheline Berry's Vinyasa Flow Yoga work integrates fluidity with yoga asana structure, flow with dynamic stillness, strength with deep release. Often accompanied by live world music, her yoga classes are an urban ritual experience designed to activate and deepen the flow of Shakti Prana - the sensual and vibrant creative principle that exists as latent potential within us all. You will come away from this practice feeling deeply relaxed, creatively inspired, empowered and rejuvenated. In addition to her ongoing somatic dance and yoga innovations, Micheline's work is informed by Prana Flow, Forrest, Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga systems. As the Founder of Zen Dancing® and the Creative Director/Founder of the world music ensemble Shaman's Dream, she has produced and facilitated over 500 ritual world music concerts, dance performances and multi-media events. Also an award-winning filmmaker, Micheline has Produced and Directed over 15 instructional yoga and dance DVD's including her own Liquid Asana series, Yoga Works' Sports Yoga Series and was Associate Producer on DVDs for Shiva Rea and others. Based at Exhale in Venice California, Micheline leads yoga teacher trainings, workshops & retreats internationally including Brazil, her second Home.


Natasha Rizopoulos As a former ballet dancer, Natasha knew she had come home when she discovered Yoga in her 20s. That moment of recognition and delight continues to inspire her teaching to this day. Now a Senior Teacher at YogaWorks, and a writer, teacher, and DVD instructor with Yoga Journal, Natasha is known world-wide for her ability to communicate the essence of sophisticated postures and ideas in ways that have a transformative effect upon one's understanding of Yoga. A dedicated Ashtanga practitioner for many years, she is equally captivated by the precision of the Iyengar system. These two traditions inform her teaching, creating a dynamic and rigorous blend of intelligently sequenced and aligned Vinyasa Flow. In addition to her classes in Boston, Natasha travels extensively, teaching at conferences and leading workshops and teacher trainings around the world. For more about Natasha (and to see clips of her DVDs) visit her website at www.natasharizopoulos.com.


Cameron Shayne Cameron Shayne created Budokon International in 2000 as a functional integration system designed to approach human potential from the ancient perspective of Zen Mind. His integration of Yoga, Martial Arts, optimal nutrition and Zen meditation has established him as a true pioneer in the fields of health and wellness. Master Shayne has trained for more than 25 years in Japanese Budo and for nearly a decade in Hatha Yoga. His keen understanding of mind/body dynamics, coupled with an eye for the complex qualities of movement has made him one of the most sought after mind-body-spirit innovators in the world. He travels throughout Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States teaching and certifying Budokon teachers.


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 and has authored over 17 articles for the magazine. Jason teaches extensively at conferences in the United States and abroad and is part of numerous teacher-training faculties.


Tiffany Cruikshank For more than 15 years, Tiffany Cruikshank has taught yoga throughout North America,empowering her students to transform their lives through mindfulness and dedication. Her classes and workshops are full of humor, heart and hard work. In addition to teaching yoga classes, retreats and workshops internationally, Tiffany is the Acupuncturist for Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and runs 200hr and 500hr yoga teacher trainings. She has been featured in various video and print ads for Nike and Lululemon, founded sports medicine clinics and treats many professional athletes and celebrities in Portland & NYC. Combining her education and training in Acupuncture, Sports Medicine, Nutrition and Herbal Medicine, Tiffany created the Optimal Health Program, a system of looking at a person's whole body to help them achieve a personalized, vibrant state of health. Her book, Optimal Health, for a Vibrant Life was recently published and her DVD, Intermediate Power Vinyasa, will be out fall 2010. For more information about Tiffany visit: www.tiffanyyoga.com


Dave Stringer The Los Angeles Times has declared the experience of chanting with Dave Stringer to be “a departure from ancient kirtan. Stringer’s performance shaped the experience into a far more compelling musical encounter.” Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) originated in India, and is currently experiencing a worldwide renaissance as a participatory live music experience. Stringer has been widely profiled as one of the most innovative artists of the new American kirtan movement in publications as diverse as Time, Billboard, Yoga Journal and In Style. Stringer’s sound marries the transcendent mysticism of traditional Indian instruments with the exuberant, groove-oriented sensibility of American gospel, and he is regarded as one of the most gifted singers in the genre. Stringer, who is also an accomplished composer and multi-instrumentalist, has a special ability to bring people together and inspire them to sing. His work intends to create a modern and participatory theatrical experience out of the ancient traditions of kirtan and yoga, open to a multiplicity of interpretations, and accessible to all.


Gaura Vani At the age of six Gaura Vani left the US to study sacred music in a gurukula or temple school in the timeless town of Vrindavan, India. He learned ancient prayers in Sanskrit and Bengali and to sing and play ethnic instruments like the harmonium and mrdanga. 25 years later he continues to share the magic he received and performs extensively with his kirtan ensemble, As Kindred Spirits, throughout the world from Europe, Africa and Asia, to the Americas. As Kindred Spirits features the voice and harmonium of Gaura Vani, and the rhythms and melodies of multi-instrumentalist Shyam Kishore, along with a multicultural group of talented musicians, dancers and performers.


Dhanurdhara Swami Dhanurdhara Swami has been a practitioner of bhakti yoga for 40 years. He took initiation into the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage in 1974 and accepted the sannyasa ashrama or renounced order of life and became a monk in 1982. Dhanurdhara Swami spent the last 30 years in India where he focuses on studying, writing and taking people on pilgrimage of holy places. Half of the year he spends in the west traveling, leacturing and speaking about bhakti yoga. He is the author of three books — Waves of Devotion: A Comprehensive Study of The Nectar of Devotion,Greetings from Vrindavana, a selected collection of his thoughts and realizations from 2000–2004, and Japa Meditations: Contemplations on Entering the Holy Name, a collection of selected personal realizations on japa meditation. He is currently working on several writing projects including a contemporary book on bhakti and a book on kirtan. He is originally from Brooklyn, New York.


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.


Wynne Paris Wynne Paris is a world beat artist/producer and musician who has spent the last decade devoted to an emerging genre of spiritual music: Yoga music and Kirtan. Wynne’s artistic sound is derived from 20 years of musical adventures and spiritual experiences. As a yoga musician, Wynne has performed his music on such diverse stages as those at Constitution Hall, the Smithsonian music series at the National Zoo and the Millenium celebration in Washington DC; CB’s Gallery (CBGB’s) in New York, the Health and Harmony Festival in northern California, and Karmapalooza in Florida. Wynne has also performed with the Indian Saint Ammachi, and sang at a Washingtonian event that featured H.H. The Dalai Lama. Since 2004, Wynne has focused his live performances on a new, spiritual kind of venue -- the yoga studio. At his live shows he sings in English and Sanskrit, he plays guitar, Sarod and percussion with dance loops, and delivers a set that includes kirtan chanting, American music (jazz, gospel, rock), world beat rhythms and raga scales. A participation mystique is encouraged as Wynne leads the audience through singing, dancing and meditations during his performance.


Kamaniya Devi Kamaniya has committed her life fully to devotional chanting. Attracted by Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion, both Kamaniya and Keshavacharya have spent many years living in ashrams, searching for the divine through devotional service and singing. Seeing the impact of chanting on people, Kamaniya & Keshavacharya Das were inspired to dedicate their lives to sharing the universal spiritual practice of kirtan with the Western world. Known for her joyful expression, Kamaniya's love for kirtan and Sanskrit chanting is contagious. As well as leading her own kirtan for the past ten years, Kamaniya has accompanied several well-known devotional singers, including Shyamdas, Jai Uttal, Girish, and Durga Das.


Keshavacharya Das For Keshavacharya Das, kirtan is not merely a musical style – it is a way of life. Through his daily practice, he refined his natural talent for singing more and more and began to fall in love with kirtan. Desiring to go deeper in his chanting, he journeyed to several sacred places in India , staying in ashrams there and learning at the feet of masters in the birthplace of kirtan. A life-long learner, Keshavacharya studied under renowned world music singer Jai Uttal and others. With their loving encouragement, Keshavacharya embarked on his own kirtan project. After regular concerts in the New York City area, including Jivamukti Yoga Studio, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and the Ananda Ashram Yoga Society, he recorded his first live studio recording of traditional Indian kirtan. Released in April of 2007, “Crying of the Soul” continues to be warmly received and praised. Keshavacharya's musical and spiritual journey led him from the pristine mountains of Switzerland , to the ancient temples and simple monasteries of India , and now to the yoga studios and ashrams tucked within America 's bustling cities. He sees kirtan as a way to connect the performer and the listeners on a spiritual and artistic level, and an opportunity to create sacred space and invite others to enter into that space through the medium of sound.


Michael Schiesser Founder, and a member of the board of directors of the Inner Journey Seminars, LLC, based out of California. Michael has 28 years of experience in the field of facilitation in the US, Canada, and Europe. Specializing in individual and group dynamics, he is a facilitator for The Inner Journey (outside of DC), the Human Experience Seminar, the Inner Journey Transformational Facilitation Training, and the Essential Pilgrimage courses. He is also a life coach as well as a consultant for organizations. He is a co-creator of A Journey into the Soul of Leadership, a transformational course for organizational leaders.


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