… 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

…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

…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 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 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 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.

…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.

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.