Sarah Schumann
Owner
When I first stepped through Shambhala’s doors, I had no idea the magical gift I had found. In my first years in the neighborhood, I came to the studio and sampled classes with each of the teachers on the schedule. What immediately struck me was how wildly different each one was from the other! I LOVED it. I felt I’d found a place that could suit my various moods, a place where the disparate parts of my being could be matched and soothed. I could flow in a sweaty vinyasa, release into a deeply restorative savasana, be pushed hard and hugged even harder, or just loose myself in the intoxicating rhythms of the drums. Yet what resonated most profoundly for me was that I felt connected. I soon realized it was because I met (and continue to meet!) my neighbors in each of these classes and shared (and continue!) the experience of moving and breathing together. Naturally, I was hooked. As Shambhala’s current guardian, I am honored to have as part of my daily practice the opportunity to connect meaningfully to and form relationships with the beautiful people my family and I have the good fortune to live amidst. That, for me, is the dance, the yoga—the union—that Shambhala celebrates. To Cathy and to all who’ve created this space, I am every so grateful. Jai Ma! Ashe!
Cathy Calderon
(Founder) Catherine is the founder of Shambhala Yoga & Dance Center. A dancer and practitioner of yoga for over 35 years, she opened Shambhala in 2001 with the vision of creating a warm and inviting community center which would bring together people of all backgrounds… More…
… in this richly diverse neighborhood of Brooklyn. She is a registered yoga teacher who was trained in Anusara-based hatha yoga under Todd Norian. An award-wining filmmaker and theatre director and former college professor, she draws on her passion for dance and theatre to infuse a special vibrancy and spontaneity into her teaching. Cathy has studied extensively in many traditions, including Tantra Yoga, the Chakra system, Taoist Healing practices and Insight Meditation, and she is is an initiate in the Afro-Cuban Orisha tradition, under Yemaya. A great lover of Latin music and dance, as one of the original Eddie Torres dancers, she danced at the Apollo Theatre with Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. She also produced a documentary film about Latin dance called “A Bailar!” which was shown on PBS, and is currently completing a film titled “Dancing with the Spirits” which documents and celebrates her spiritual journey.
Angela Arnold
Angela first received her certification in Vinyasa Flow; she studied with Lisa Richards and David Porter in Denver, Colorado. Longing for precision in her own practice, she then went on to study Anusara Yoga with Zjenya LaRosa, Amy Ippoliti, and John Friend. More…
To keep up her strength she continues to study with Schuyler Grant and David Reglin. And for therapeutics she works with Nevine at Katonah Yoga in upstate New York. When asked what she would describe her class to be, she says, “I’d like to think my Yoga class is a boundless expression of Grace, a holding-in to what matters, a spiraling through the movement, and a settling into your own skin, earth, and life. And plenty of lila-which in Sanskrit means Divine Play. Through the sheer fun of it, we find our true state of being-Joy.”
Andrew Belcher
Andrew has practiced yoga for six years at Space, Kripalu and Yogaworks. He first came for the workout and discovered something infinite that has kept him curious ever since. After being a teacher in a traditional classroom for years More…
Andrew is happy to shift to a non-traditional classroom where there are less words, more sensory experience and the inquiry is completely student driven. Teaching yoga postures creates a structure from which we can observe ourselves in time and space and how we are moment to moment. You aren’t just stretching your hamstring; you are your hamstring and much more. Andrew’s classes flow while paying particular attention to alignment so students can take with them what they learn. Andrew hopes that his classes not only rock your body but also draw you deeper into the bliss that resides within yourself.
Marisa Bonfanti
Marisa has been teaching at Shambhala since 2004. The warmth of Shambhala Yoga and Dance Center and Marisa’s supportive, encouraging nature combine to create a relaxing atmosphere where students can begin or deepen their yoga practice. More…
Marisa has had a continuous yoga practice since 2000 when she first studied Kripalu Yoga. In 2003, she earned her 200-hour teaching certification with Dr. Jeff Migdow and Priti Robyn Ross in Prana Yoga. In 2006 she completed The Advanced Studies Program with Leslie Kaminoff and Zack Kurland at The Breathing Project, which included in-depth study of anatomy and the application of Breath-Centered Yoga for group practice and individual Yoga Therapy. Marisa is also certified in Relax and Renew Restorative Yoga through Judith Hanson-Lasater, Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Yoga through Jyothi Larson, and Vinyasa Flow through Shiva Rea. She teaches people of all ages and abilities, and since 2007 has been applying yoga therapeutically to physical therapy and neurology patients. Sharing the healing and rejuvenating power of yoga with anyone ready to participate has become Marisa’s passion and career. Her classes and one-on-one sessions combine slow, mindful movement, conscious breathing, and energy awareness to facilitate each student’s connection with body, mind and spirit. To complement her teaching practice, Marisa also started practicing Thai Yoga Bodywork after becoming certified through Jonas Westring in 2008.
Mila Borrero
Bio coming soon!
Britt Carlson
Britt had always been a runner, skier, and biker, but then she moved to New York City. As the city nudged her indoors, she discovered that journeying into herself, on a yoga mat, was as much an adventure as any outing into nature. More…
Eventually Britt’s love of the practice drew her out from behind her desk in the publishing world, and she completed teacher training in 2008 with Tias Little. She has a dedication to yoga and a belief that it is for everyone, as well as a faith in its deep ability to transform. She also has a love of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira and the dance of samba. Her classes are highly influenced by her teachers in the Iyengar tradition, as well as Tias Little’s teachings on anatomy, which reveal the importance of alignment. By slowly breaking down poses into intelligent, specific, and precise actions, she encourages her students to investigate how their bodies work in the pose and how our minds and hearts can work together, both on and off the mat. She especially enjoys teaching basics classes, as her teaching specializes in the fundamentals of the practice.
Wendy Devitt
Funmilayo
Funmilayo was born in Brazil and grew up in Guyana. Funmilayo traveled extensively to Nigeria and Ghana, where she lived and studied dance for three years. She also visited the Congo – the motherland of her ancestors. In 1987 to 1992 she was a member of the only traditional Congolese dance company in New York City, Malaki MA Congo. More…
Funmilayo has been teaching Congolese Dance for close to 20 years in New York City and is the director of F.U.S.H.A. Dance Company founded in 1995. In 1996 she won the Ethnic Dance Award for best African dance instructor. Funmilayo has also studied Ballet, Modern, Tap, Sabar, Guinean, Haitian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Dahome, and Dunham. She is employed by the Department of Education where she teaches ethnic dance to pre k through 12th grades in the artist in residence program. Funmilayo realized that the ancient dance of the Congolese people, combined with the genius creations of their descendants have shaped the musical culture of many music and dance styles in the diaspora i.e., Samba, Salsa, Hip Hop, Reggae, Calypso, Cassav, Jazz, Hawaiian, Belly Dance, the Electric Slide, and even Michael Jackson’s “Moonwalk”. She became inspired to form Fusha Dance Company to empower and educate people on the healing powers of dance and to celebrate the richness of dance and culture from Africa and the diaspora.
Mary Gillen
A born movement enthusiast, Mary grew up enmeshed in the joys of gymnastics and dance. As an adult she was drawn to yoga for its healing powers, and was delighted to reignite her passion for creative physical expression. Delving deeper into the philosophy of yoga, she found that it spoke directly to her heart and soul. More…
Mary received her 200-hour yoga teaching certification from Om Yoga in 2006 and soon thereafter completed restorative yoga teacher training and prenatal teacher training. She recently started teaching postnatal (baby + me) classes and is currently doing kids yoga teacher training through Little Flower Yoga. Whether working with children or adults, Mary aims to bring a sense of playfulness, mindfulness and compassion to her yoga classes through creative sequencing, breath awareness and gentle encouragement for self-acceptance and joy.
Corey Henderson
At the tender of 16, Corey became a single dad! As the days turned into years he felt he needed to offer his son something different, like a sense of enlightenment if you will. It wasn’t until 1999 when he discovered yoga at a friend’s New Year’s Eve midnight yoga experience. More…
Though he still had the struggles of single parenting and the struggle of finding the right practice for himself, in early 2000 he started practicing Hatha, Bikram and Vinyasa. His vinyasa practice took off to 5 days a week, and his son would practice with him now and then. Yoga offered Corey a deeper sense of compassion, showing him how to slow down and listen and enjoy being a single parent. It also taught him a different respect for food, and it introduced him greatly to spirituality which took a big role in guiding him through parenting. In 2004 Corey’s teacher advised him to take his practice to the next level, telling him it was time to share the gift of yoga, and become certified. The following year he became certified and also heartbreakingly so lost his only son. Corey was certified at Yoga People here in Brooklyn where he went on to teach until they closed their Fort Green location. He joined Shambhala in 2007. He has worked with young boys who are institutionalized or troubled, and he continues to be moved and inspired by the everyday need for balance for all people. Corey’s classes are a high energy creative flow of vinyasa blended with a touch of humor and ease. He like to thank his son for being his biggest teacher because he taught him love. He also would like to thank his teachers and students alike for the their guidance and wisdom. His love for family and friends is what leads him to better support others along the way.
Doreen Kramer
Bio coming soon!
Cynthia LaChina
Cynthia La China has been dedicating her pastimes to the art of Latin dancing & spending her energy promoting her love of Salsa music and rhythms since 2000. An art director and designer by day, dance coach by evening and performer by night, Cynthia has been teaching, More…
dancing, performing and choreographing dance routines as alternative outlets for her creative thinking and artistic expressions.
Cynthia took her first Waltz lesson in 1999 and was swept up by the rhythmic flow of the dance. Yet, it was the flirtatious and exuberant side of Salsa that got her hooked, and she has not stopped taking classes since then.
With a dedication bordering on obsession, she spent her spare time training in Argentine Tango, Ballet, Ballroom, Belly Dance, Cha Cha, Hustle, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Swing and especially NYon2 Club-style Mambo. In fact, her trainers are a Who’s Who of the best Mambo instructors in town including Eddie Torres, Duplessey Walker, Frankie Martinez, Jami Josephson, Carlos Konig, Karisma Dance Studio, SantoRico Dance School, just to name a few.
Having excelled in Salsa, Cynthia was invited to join SalsaGroove Ritmo Caliente Dancers, an all-female dance troupe, and had performed at local communities and private functions. Since then she has trained and danced for The Rhythm Divas, ENIXE Dance Company, Duplessey Latin Dance Factory and Mambo2ChaCha Dance Company, Revelation Dance Company & Michael Fielder’s Latin Jazz Team at corporate events, dance clubs, International Mambo Showdowns and Worldwide Salsa Congresses.
Cynthia is now an Artistic & Dance Director for LSD Projects Entertainment Company, co-founded with her dance partner, Hector Pena, to create a 60s/70s Latin Soul Dance Fusion Productions in high-lifting & jaw dropping Cabaret-style Latin dance choreographies. Cynthia is also the Founder of her all-female dance troupe SOY CALIENTE Dancers, Choreographer for her junior student performance team NYSalsababy Dance Dream.
Sokhna Heathyre Mabin
Sokhna Heathyre Mabin is a mother, doula, herbalist, vocalist, performance artist, & has been practicing and teaching hatha, kundalini, and prenatal yoga within both of the styles, since 1994. Sokhna Heathyre uses her life experiences, daily practice & observations as her instruction guides. More…
She has taught & studied yoga around the United States, West Africa, & the Caribbean. 2011 is the formal launch year for her 3rd child, mamaSutra loving arts – inclusive tantric wellness for women.
Mariyah (Elizabeth Maria Jossick) feels blessed to share her love of dance with her students. She holds a B.A. from NYU where she focused her studies on the integration of creative and spritual work through a major in comparative religions and arts, including African and Modern dance. More…
Her study of Oriental Dance began with Serena Wilson and continued with many other well known teachers. In November of 2002, she was honored to dance in Tranparency with the Dalia Carella Dance Collective, a contemporary ethnic fusion dance company. She has trained as a yoga teacher through the Himalyan Institute of New York and studies Middle Eastern percussion on the dumbek and frame drum with Raquy Danziger. Elizabeth is also a visual artist who creates original mask artwork for performance.
Visit Mariyah’s website at easterndancer.com
Heidi McClure
Baby Dance on Sat
www.spiritfreedom.org
Heidi McClure, divine therapist, educator and event coordinator, is the CEO and Founder of Spirit Freedom Stress Management Solutions… healing, education and events to guide you to your highest and deepest self. More….
She has almost thirty years experience as a massage therapist, dance educator and expressive arts therapist. She has her masters in expressive arts therapy with an emphasis in dance/movement therapy and her B.A. in psychology, dance and theatre. She is a licensed NY state massage therapist, licensed NY state dance educator and certified dance/movement therapist.
Most importantly, she has worked on her own healing and growth for over thirty years. Being a child of healers and educators, her parents encouraged her to look at herself from the time she was young. She has done her own healing work with all of the modalities she now uses with others. She has been in family therapy with her family of origin and with her current family. She has done extensive couple counseling with her husband and with past partners.
She is the mother of two beautiful boys and a beautiful baby girl, all of whom she gave birth to in water at her home and whom she breast fed extensively
Sarah found yoga in the neighborhood when Shambhala studio first opened. After 7 years of practice following a variety of threads in the fabric of yoga, she gained her 200-hour certification at Kripalu. Sarah’s classes offer the practice of yoga as an accessible and essential inquiry. More…
Her private and group sessions help open energy channels and focus attention inward, bringing a sense of well being and possibility. You can also follow Sarah on her blog.
Tina Paul
Yoga to me is simply being present in the moment. This meditation in movement allows one to tune into the bodies intuition and helps harmonize at deep and subtle levels of consciousness. I was first intrigued with movement and body mechanics with bharatanatyam More…
dance as a child, and then different types of yoga including both hatha and raja. I received my teacher training in May 2007 in the Atmananda sequence in NYC. I gain inspiration daily from students, texts, classes, workshops and all of life itself. I recently completed the 300 Hr. teacher training program at OM Yoga center. I hope to share a fun vinyasa flow focused on breath, alignment and being present with you.
Alex Phelan
Bio coming soon!
Jyll Hubbard-Salk
Jyll has been practicing yoga for over a decade. Inspired by the empowering and healthful dynamic that yoga offers, Jyll became a certified Yoga Alliance yoga instructor in 2000 after competitive coursework at Manhattan’s noted Atmananda Yoga Center. There studied Hatha, with her mentor, renowned yogi, Jhon Tamayo. More…
In line with her dedication to sharing the many benefits of yoga, she has taught students of both public and independent New York city schools. Additionally, Jyll has taught at the YWCA, numerous sports clubs, and select private students. Jyll is also a certified Thai Yoga masseuse and a doula. Currently, she teaches Hatha, Anusura and Iyengar yoga at the Shambhala Yoga Dance Center in beautiful Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. She bows down to her greatest teachers of all, her children Sierra, Cypress, and Indigo for all the inspiration and love. Namaste.
Shakti Smith
Shakti is happy to be integrating Meditation, Yoga, Bodywork, and Dance at Shambhala. Her roots in all three of these forms go back over twenty years. Always seeking and growing, her big love is sharing the nuggets from these explorations with others through class and private sessions. Shakti first practiced… More…
…yoga with her father, when she was a teen, and has been teaching since the late 90s. Her teachers include Rodney Yee, Jai Uttal, Mark Whitwell, and Eileen Muir–with whom she did her 200 hour Iyengar Teacher Training. Along with an emphasis on alignment, Shakti’s classes are imbued with a softness and embodied intelligence that comes from her Bodywork practice and her teaching/research in Somatic Movement Education. In addition to teaching Shambhala’s Restorative and Metta Yoga classes in past years, Shakti has also taught Yoga at Northampton Hospital, The Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, and at Earthdance Retreat Center. Come join her for Meditation into Dance on Friday nights, and Shambhala’s new Dance Hall on First Fridays. You can see Shakti for Thai Yoga Massage, Reiki, and Massage Therapy upstairs at Shambhala. www.massageandmovement.com
Leticia Taylor
Leticia has been teaching samba in New York City for the last three years. She has lived and studied in the northeast of Brazil, speaks Portuguese fluently, studies and performs Brazilian percussion, andteaches and performs Brazilian dance. She got her introduction to Samba in Brazil and studied Rio style samba no pe… More…
…with master samba dancer Danielle Lima, and Afro Brazilian percussion with Carlos de Oliveira. Leticia is also a teaching artist for American Ballroom Theatre’s Dancing Classrooms program in NYC public schools. Leticia has performed with Silvana Magda’s Viva Brazil Dancers, at S.O.B.’s, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Celebrate Brooklyn, Brooklyn Museum, and many other venues in NYC and the tri-state area.
Ruth Tranter
Ruth’s initial curiosity towards yoga began as an exploration for something that brought her closer to her true self, and she has found that in yoga. The practice has shown her how to bring clarity and focus into her life through the magical connection of mind, body and spirit. More…
Ruth is honored to share that magic with others through teaching. Ruth finds inspiration from the very simple beauties in life and weaves these into her classes through each breath and each movement. Ruth is thankful to all of her teachers and students whose inspiration and support help move her to deeper levels of knowledge and passion. Yoga is contagious inspiration…
Teresa von Fuchs
Teresa von Fuchs has been practicing Hatha Yoga since 2000. She has had the pleasure of studying with Leslie Kaminoff at The Breathing Project, as well as J. Brown, Donna Farhi, Mark Whitwell and Tom Myers. Her practice is inspired by the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar and grounded in human anatomy. More…
Teresa is happy to be part of a community that respects varied traditions and believes that the best Yoga is one that suits an individual’s needs. She also thinks an important part of the practice is learning to laugh when you fall down.
Coretta Washburn
Attention to detail, with a strong focus that links clear intentions to organs of action. Coretta Washburn has been an Iyengar yoga practitioner for over 20 years and has taught in the Iyengar tradition for over 10 years. Her main teacher is Carrie Owerko.More…
Coretta graduated from New York Iyengar Institute’s Teacher Training where she studied and was mentored by Senior Teachers Mary Dunn, Bobby Clennell and James Murphy. A devoted believer in “Long, uninterrupted, alert practice” in order to build the foundation of a happy and healthy life. Coretta has taught at Greenhouse Holistic when it was billed best yoga studio of New York City. She currently teaches at Sangha Yoga Shala, Move with Grace and is the onsite Yoga Teacher at New York Blood Center in Long Island City and in Manhattan. Her rope class has been featured in TimeOut’s Crazy Classes.
Shambhala Alumni & Friends
Without these talented people, Shambhala wouldn’t be what it is today!
Paul Calderon
Paul Calderon is an Obie Award-winning actor and accomplished writer of plays, screenplays, short stories and novels, as well as a long-time Tai Chi and yoga practitioner. He has starred in numerous productions at the Public Theatre and New York Shakespeare Festival, co-starred with Robert DeNiro on Broadway in “Cuba & His Teddy Bear,”… More…
…and has had leading and co-starring roles in dozens of major films. He has taught acting and writing for ten years, and is on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts. Paul is a certified yoga teacher in the Anusara tradition and is working toward his certification as a Tai Chi and Chi Kung instructor. Paul enjoys exploring ways to bring all of his various talents and experience together in order to help people develop their own unique creativity. He is a great lover of Latin music and dance, and as one of the original Eddie Torres dancers, danced at the Apollo Theatre with Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.
Hailejaa Euma
Hi, my name’s Hailejaa Euma, AKA The Hug Collector. I’m from Barbados and I’m a percussionist. I’ve been with the Shambhala Center since its opening. I’m also responsible for all the woodwork in the space. I perform for the African Dance Class and the Salsa Socials. Peace.
Ronnie Roc
Ronnie Roc is a Multi-Percussionist, Keyboardist and Producer who has played with many talented musicians. Ronnie studied classical piano as a child. He then went on to study African, Brazilian, Haitian, Puerto Rican and Cuban percussion. Ronnie has taught African Djembe drumming at The Drummers Collective in New York City. More…
He has held percussion workshops for children and adults in the school system in NYC and Oakland California. Ronnie has played and recorded with many musicians such as Steve Coleman, Steve Turre, Nego Gato, Xiomara Fortuna, and many other artists. Ronnie is currently playing percussion for Saxophonist Dave Mullin. He is also musical director and keyboardist for currently signed vocalist Karen Gibson Roc. Ronnie leads his own band AFRAZZ a combination of African rhythm with jazz melody. Ronnie continues to teach, perform, create and share his musical knowledge. Ronnie is currently on staff with Alvin Ailey’s arts and education program accompanying dance classes and holding percussion workshops.