Alecia: Alecia began practicing yoga in 2000. She found a love for the connection of body mind and spirit that it brought to her life on and off the mat. Her goal is to help her students find that connection.  She completed her yoga certification in the Ashtanga tradition at Greenpath yoga in San Francisco and is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. She has taken workshops with Tony Sanchez, David Swenson, Rodney Yee, Aadil Palkhivala, and Julie Gudmestad. Her class integrates the different styles of yoga she has studied to combine holding postures with flowing vinyasa. She likes to frame the beginning and end of her class focused on the breath to allow students to be completely focused, at peace, and reach their full potential both physically and mentally.

Allan: Certified Ashtanga Vinyasa Instructor from It's yoga in San Francisco in 2002, Allan is also a registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance. Allan has been practicing yoga since 1999. Allan has practiced yoga at various places including the Omega Holistic Institute in New York, 7th Heaven in Berkeley, It's yoga in San Francisco and Claremont Club in Berkeley. Allan's yoga instruction is intended to weave breath (pranayama) with poses (asanas) to aid yoga students in listening to their inner teacher, bridging the connection with the Sacred.

Alice: Alice began her yoga practice a decade ago in California. She began studying with Iyengar teacher Ben Thomas, and later Marti Foster. She continued with the practice during college in Vermont. After moving to Seattle in 2001 her practice deepened and lead to her first teacher training with Exhale Yoga, in the Vinyasa flow style. Then in 2006 she completed the advanced teacher training at the 8 Limbs Yoga Center. Alice has over 200 hours of training and is registered with the Yoga Alliance. She is thankful for the many great teachers she has studied with across the country. The yoga practice has been transformative for her, changing her body, sprit, and mind to be more strong and flexible. She herself has dealt with many injuries in the body, learning how to change her practice for what her body needs and has then seen the healing power of yoga. In her classes she uses both vinyasa flow yoga and longer holds to work with strengthening and stretching the body. She strives to make her classes fun, challenging, in a safe accepting environment.

Azra: Born in the Philippines, Azra relocated to California in 1979. Realizing that yoga helped her to live a more balanced life, she has immersed herself into the practice of yoga since 2000. She completed a teacher certification program with Avalon Yoga in Palo Alto, California and has taken workshops with Shiva Rea, Bryan Kest, Rod Stryker, Elise Miller, Sean Corn, Baron Baptiste, Rodney Yee and Sarah Powers. Azra's passion and mission is to encourage her students to challenge themselves while respecting and remaining aware of their physical limits. She guides her students to the technique of Vinyasa (flow) yoga which incorporates fluidity, strength and meditation in motion while combining discipline with intention.

Barbara: After practicing several styles of Hatha Yoga for years, Barbara came in contact with Kundalini Yoga and embraced it. She is now a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher taught under the guidance of Dr. Hari Khalsa and Sat Santokh Khalsa and is also member of The International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, IKYTA. As a mother of three adult boys, Barbara understands the necessity to bring Yoga to as many people as possible to help them to go through life's fluctuating moments. She strongly believes in the combination of movement and breathing, chanting Mantras and meditation to energize your body, balance your glandular system and strengthen your nervous system to open your heart and tune your intuition so that you may attract opportunities that match your soul.

Beren: Beren’s journey towards yoga embraces the moment and rises to meet the Self where it is, while encouraging its greatest potential in a lighthearted atmosphere. The practice of mindfulness and drawing the awareness inward, towards that place of stillness, are emphasized during his classes. Beren began practicing Yoga in 1996, and has studied extensively with Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher Ben Thomas since 1998. He became a Certified Yoga Teacher through the Avalon Yoga Center’s teacher training program under the mentorship of Ben Thomas. He draws greatly upon the Hatha, Iyengar, Anusara, and Vinyasa traditions to create a rich and joyous experience of the Self through breath awareness, asana, and meditation.

Candee: Candee has been involved in Chinese traditional dance since childhood. In 2001 she discovered yoga and has been a diligent student of the beautiful art ever since. In 2004 Candee received her teacher-training certification and started to teach. Candee's classes are focused on integrating the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of yoga into a physical practice. With her love for language, anatomy, and yoga philosophy, Candee attempts to impart an understanding of yoga that is more than just exercise. It can be a transformative and life affirming practice for everyone. Her teaching incorporates both holding poses and using muscular movements combined with breath. She blends essential aspects of mindfulness and meditation to cultivate mind, body and heart awareness.

Charles: Charles is an award-winning poet, teacher/coach, and community organizer who fell in love with the practice of Yoga. He brings to his classes a rich background in creative and physical arts: poetry performance, painting, music, martial arts, and modern dance. He also has extensive experience in outdoor sports such as surfing, sailing, snowboarding, and skateboarding. In Yoga, he found a practice that combines elements of all these activities, and so much more! He has a BA in Studio Arts and completed his Teacher Training at Yoga Mandala in Berkeley. He has been coaching poetry at schools and in workshops for over a decade.

Colleen: Colleen brings a unique approach to her classes with an emphasis on enjoying and creating a peaceful experience. In teaching, Colleen incorporates her interest in restorative yoga with breath and gentle, flowing postures that increase vitality, deep relaxation and self-awareness. She encourages her students to adapt an attitude of self-acceptance while encouraging them each to listen to the needs of their own particular body. She is a certified ViniYoga instructor and certified in Restorative Flow Yoga after studying with Judith Lasater and Donna Belk. Colleen is a member of the IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) and a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. Colleen originally came to yoga with a chronic back injury and discovered its profound healing benefits for herself. After becoming frustrated when she couldn't find yoga in our community, she decided to open Healthy-Human Yoga in April of 2003; now operating successfully as LIFESTRETCH YOGA.

Courtney: Courtney has been practicing yoga since 2003 and has experience in Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga while receiving her official yoga teaching certification in 2007 through the Avalon Teacher Training Program in Palo Alto. Courtney continues to closely study with her mentor, Anirudh Shastri from the teacher training program. She teaches a strong and vigorous class that focuses on all areas of the body and prepares the student for meditation. Courtney enjoys teaching students of all levels. Incorporating asana, pranayama and meditation, she encourages her students to maintain the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) during their practice.

Dawn: Dawn emphasizes the use of breath in guiding the body through a flowing sequence of postures that balance the need for strength and flexibility. She brings special awareness to the alignment of the spine while incorporating a challenging flow of postures that are strongly influenced by the Ashtanga, Yin, Kundalini, Iyengar and Restorative yoga traditions. She encourages students to surrender to their natural state of balance that is incredibly relaxing, deeply rejuvenating and that serves in promoting overall good health. In the over 10 years Dawn has been studying yoga, she has completed teacher training programs with both David Swenson and It's Yoga San Francisco in the Ashtanga tradition and Judith Lasater in Restorative Yoga and in June of 2006 she became a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher. In addition, Dawn has also studied the Iyengar and Yin systems of yoga for several years and is a certified massage therapist and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Erin: Erin has been interested in yoga since high school, a time when practicing yoga to VHS tapes was probably not the coolest thing to be doing. During college Erin became a serious yoga student, practicing the "poses" every day. After college, as a result of a series of weird and wonderful incidents she found herself in the middle of a teachers training program where she met some truly amazing people and learned that there was a great deal more to the practice of yoga. Erin believes receiving her yoga instructor's certification at Greenpath in San Francisco and studying under Clayton Horton and David Lury was, "the best thing I have ever done". Erin has found herself through teaching and hopes to pass on even the smallest of yoga morsels to her students encouraging them to seek out their truths. Erin loves to challenge her students and they continually amaze her with the strength and balance they achieve not only during their practice but also in their lives outside the studio.

Gin: Gin has been a student of yoga since 1994 and enjoys experiencing different yoga styles and traditions. She believes that the benefits of yoga are much broader than physical exercise. Her classes emphasize correct alignment and mindful flow between asanas while honoring individual limitations. She was trained under the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, YogaFit, and is a member of the California Yoga Teacher's Association.

Himmat: Himmat Kaur has been practicing Kundalini yoga & meditation for the past 8 years. She is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher and meditation instructor. She has also been practicing Pilates for the past 11 years and teaches both reformer and mat pilates. Over the years, she has practiced Buddhist mindfulness meditation, Reiki, mantra healing, Ayurvedic Pancha Karma, art therapy, spiritual psychology and Sat Nam Rasayan. Himmat has taught and practiced in NY, India, Italy, France and CA. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.A. from New York University. After spending 9 years of critical and creative investigations of the body-mind-spirit triad through visual art, Himmat spent 2 years studying spiritual psychology with Buddhist psychiatrist, Mark Epstein. She was the Project Coordinator of a pioneering yoga study conducted with breast cancer patients at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine (NY). Thereafter, while living in India, she taught Kundalini yoga & meditation and studied Ayurveda, specializing in Pancha Karma healing. Himmat views all the above practices as tools for the lifelong journey of cultivating awareness, balance and graceful transformation.

Monica: Monica’s classes integrate breath centered movement and asana with meditation, visualization and relaxation. Her creative and engaging teaching style weaves together influences from contemplative traditions, western medicine and mind-body science. Beginners to experienced practitioners will find the opportunity to connect deeply with themselves during this mindful practice. Monica is a Certified and Registered Yoga Instructor (RYT) specializing in the therapeutic application of yoga to cultivate health and healing. She is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and part of the Editorial team for the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. Her specialized training includes: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as taught by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Therapeutic Application of Yoga, Duke University Integrative Medicine Center. Monica leads group yoga classes in public and corporate settings. She also offers personal instruction for beginning to advanced yoga practitioners and for people with health challenges.

Priya: Priya completed her teacher training at Avalon Yoga Center in Palo Alto after beginning to learn yoga in the Iyengar tradition in 2002. Later, she discovered the Ashtanga style and since then has tried many different styles of yoga. Priya believes that each style adds a unique dimension to her practice and teaching. She now practices and teaches Hatha yoga in the dynamic style of her mentor, Anirudh Shastri and believes that working the body hard is the simplest way to quiet the mind.

Richard: Richard Salva is an author, lecturer, and yoga and meditation instructor. He has practiced and taught Ananda Yoga and meditation for more than thirty years. Richard's critically acclaimed book, Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh, presents an outline of the deeper teachings of yoga.

Rick: Rick Allen believes that everyone can create true expressions of yoga from the inside out by aligning with our true nature and flowing with grace. His teaching style has evolved from personal practice inspired by traditional Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini and Anusara traditions. With compassion and support, Rick helps every student build the foundation for a strong and fluid practice providing a safe and liberating experience to realize greater strength, endurance and flexibility while honoring the individual. Rick is dedicated to living the Yogic path, the eight limbs of Astanga Yoga and reflects this in his teaching. Rick’s exploration and journey of yoga began in 2003. His eclectic teaching style inspires each student's practice to evolve with grace and strength from the heart. From this fertile ground, Rick helps each student grow and realize the present moment where body, mind and spirit unite for our greater good by creative fusion of pranayama, (breath work), chanting, meditation, and yoga philosophy about life on and off the mat with a sense of humor and a smile. Rick is a graduate of the Avalon Yoga Teacher Training and Certification Program in Palo Alto California where he mentored with Anusara Certified Instructor, Samantha Shakti Brown. Rick is registered with the Yoga Alliance and continues to explore and learn as a student. He is grateful to have worked with other Certified Anusara teachers including Kenneth Graham and Laura Christensen to expand the study of asana, pranayama, meditation and Tantric philosophy.

Ritu: Ritu is a first generation Indian American raised in a traditional Indian household. She is blessed with a family who exposed her to the beauty and traditions of the Indian culture and allowed her the freedom to explore the American culture. Her journey led her to her first Yoga class in Sacramento, Ca. After a heart opening experience in Ustrasana, she was set on her path to discovering the secrets of the sacred practice of Yoga. Ritu's spirit for seeing the world and helping people has set her on a path as a Healthcare Educator and Researcher, and dedicated Yoga Teacher and Student. She has received teachings from Shiva Rea, David Lurey, Janet Stone, Stephanie Snyder, Yoga Fit, Classical Yoga taught at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai, India and most importantly has learned from her family, friends and nature. She is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and thrives to shed light on the many therapeutic benefits of yoga. She continues her devotion to Seva through her work with underserved populations. She is honored to be blessed with the opportunity to share her energy with her students.

Shashi: Shashi has been studying yoga since 1998 and teaching yoga since 2006. Her approach to yoga intuitively incorporates various styles of yoga from the dozens of different yoga teaches she's had the fortune to study under, with her love of Modern Dance, Ashtanga Yoga, Yoga Philosophy and Mat Pilates. Primary to her classes is a focus on mindfulness of movement, sensation and breath. She is completing her Yoga Alliance 200 hour Certification through Yoga Educational Seminars and is in mentorship with Michelle Duguay. She hopes that the supportive yet challenging environment for self-exploration in her yoga classes will empower others to feel more deeply alive and to sense the interconnectedness of creation. It is her dream that the spread of yoga will allow a greater number of people to experience present awareness of a deep seeded peace, and that this peace will enable the human species to effectively unite interpersonally to address the global challenges we all face.

Soma: Soma has been immersed in the Hindu culture since childhood where she grew up in a community of yoga practitioners. Her name was given to her by Baba Hari Dass, the spiritual teacher at Mount Madonna Center, and means life giving goddess*. Although she has been practicing yoga through out her life, her commitment to her own personal practice and to others was affirmed when she became a certified yoga instructor in the Ashtanga tradition, at Greenpath Yoga Studio in San Francisco. She has studied many different styles of yoga including Ashtanga, Bikram, Kundalini and Hatha as well as other forms of Karma, Bhakti and Raja Yoga. It is her passion for yoga that has inspired her to share the benefits with others and to deepen her own personal practice and immersion. Her teaching style is gentle and challenging at the same time. The breath is the foundation of the asana practice and will always be emphasized. She will encourage you to find your edge while respecting your evolving abilities. The holistic approach of connecting and healing the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of your being will be the natural evolution of your practice. Knowing how transformative yoga can be she is dedicated to providing a truly "life giving" experience for all those who come attend her classes.
*there are many different definitions for the word Soma, this is only one of them.