Please join the country's most respected scholars and master teachers in our exceptional curricula at The Studio DC. Our program includes nationally and internationally renown faculty presenting evolutionary teachings and workshops, master classes and teacher refinement courses, - offering a rare and unique opportunity for practitioners to study with the best and deepening your practice.

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.  Visit her website to learn more at www.donnafarhi.co.nz.

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.

Eoin Finn

One of Canada's most popular yoga teachers, Vancouver's Eoin Finn is a Yogi and a Surfer. An ocean-worshipper who strongly advocates a belief in yoga environmentalism and social change, Eoin has been a disciple of Yoga, Eastern and Western philosophy, martial arts and meditation since 1987 and has been teaching Yoga for well over a decade to thousands of students around the world.

Fusing his passion for athletics and yoga as an essential cross-training element, Eoin has worked with high-level athletes ranging from NHL hockey players to Olympic skiers in the US and Canada for whom he has created customized, performance enhancing yoga programmes.

Eoin's teaching offers a heart-opening, invigorating and experiential practice that is grounded with humor, dynamism and a focus on physical and energetic alignment. Yoga, when practiced with this holistic awareness becomes fluid therapy, movement guided by the innate knowledge of anatomy and evolution.

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.

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.

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.

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 to name just a few. He has recorded with many of the best-known New Age musicians, including, Shahin and Sephir,  Sophia, Bhagavan Das,  Girish, and Kim Waters of Rasa.

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. He has played hundreds of gigs across the country, alone or accompanying other chanters, including Krishna Das, Wah , David Newman, Dave Stringer, and Bhagavan Das.

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.

The Studio DC

Dupont Circle: 1710 Connecticut Ave NW

Adams Morgan: 2469 18th St NW

202.518.YOGA (9642)