Barbara Bonomo Barbara began practicing yoga at a gym during her early 20’s, while in graduate school and working full time. Since then, it has been her source of exercise, stress relief, and spiritual connection. Barbara came to Yoga Haven’s teacher training program with the desire to deepen her practice and learn more about the history and philosophy of yoga. She discovered amazing teachers, a sense of community, and an atmosphere of peace while training at Yoga Haven. Falling in love with teaching was an added bonus. She completed her 200-hour teacher certification in 2010. Barbara believes yoga is a lifelong practice, that there is always more to learn and new areas to explore, yet the ancient and consistent foundations of yoga allow the practitioner to find her “home” on the mat. She enjoys sharing her love of yoga and its many physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits with her students. Barbara is also a speech therapist in a public school, working with students withautism and other developmental disabilities. Basia Kinglake, RYT-500 Basia Kinglake has been practicing Yoga for many years and teaching since 2000 when she completed the Yoga Haven Teacher Training Program. In addition, Basia has studied extensively with Angela Farmer, Victor Von Kooten, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman and others. Basia is also certified and trained in teaching Trauma Sensitive Yoga, through the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute. In July 2013, Basia completed her 500 hour teacher training certification at Yoga Shanti, with Colleen Saidman, Rodney Yee, Richard Freeman, Richard Rosen, Manorama, Kari Harendorf, and Heidi Fokine. She encourages her students to relax, to find peace of mind, to balance their lives, to unwind, to create space, to explore poses from the inside out and to breath. Brittany Clarke Brittany first started doing yoga when she was in high school. It was after college when she truly realized the beneficial effects of a moreregular practice. Inspired to share her passion with others, she completed the 200 hour and Kids Yoga Teacher Training programs at Yoga Haven. She teaches a Vinyasa style of yoga and makes it accessible to all levels, ages and body types. Cara Wolfson, RYT-200 Cara spent years studying Isshin-Ryu Karate and dance, but found that the non- competitive nature of yoga brought her to a new level of peace. She credits yoga with helping her to overcome back and neck issues, as well as anxiety. She is lucky enough to be married to a fellow yogi, and together they have had the pleasure of studying with some exceptional teachers world-wide. Cara completed her 200-hour Teacher Certification in 2008 at Yoga Haven, is a registered with the Yoga Alliance, and teaches classes for both adults and children. She is also an Instructor and Research Assistant in the Urban Teacher Education Program at Rutgers University, while she pursues her PhD in Urban Systems. Cari Pattison Cari Pattison- aminister at The Reformed Church of Bronxville- has loved dance and fitness her whole life, and enjoys inspiring others to feel strong in body and spirit. She danced extensively as a youth, performing in tap, jazz, musical theater, and drill team. She later trained as a Jazzercise Instructor, teaching for four years at the Jazzercise Fitness Center in Yonkers. She took the 200-hour yoga teacher training at Yoga Haven and has taught yoga at churches, schools, retreats, and private classes. After training in the Lotte Berk-inspired method with Michelle Lichtman in Scarsdale, she also taught barre classes at Bodyfit for two years and now teaches at Anita Bae’s HIIT*Barre studio in Ardsley. Teaching Pilates is a new and fun challenge in lengthening and strengthening! Caroline Martinez-Zuber, RYT-500 Caroline began practicing Yoga after moving away from her home country of Switzerland to Mexico City. Yoga gave her the tools to ground herself while coping with a different culture andlanguage. After moving to New York in 2002, she started the 500h-teacher training in ISHTA with Alan Finger. She chose his style because she is fascinated with the symbiotic combination of a spiritual practice, which at the same time, is physically challenging too. Also, ISHTA Yoga is one of the few styles that incorporates Ayurveda, the medical sister science of Yoga. Caroline’s teaching is infused with her fascination toward Yoga, Science, and the Environment, and the connection of it all. Her classes are challenging yet organic and fluid. She feels strongly about honoring every person and teaching them greater awareness of themselves, through the tools of Tantra and Hatha Yoga. This multi-faceted approach helps her students find their personal way to feel balanced and recharged after practise. Clare Mottola Without knowing it, Clare started practicing yoga in college as a theatre student. At the time, her teachers didn’t call it yoga, but over time, she came to realizeteacher for over 20 years and currently teaches fourth grade at a Fairfield County independent school. With a background in dance, yoga was a natural fit for her. She recently completed Yoga Haven’s 200 hour training course and has also completed all levels of the Little Flower Yoga children and teens certification program. She is currently pursuing mindfulness certification through the Mindful Schools. Deborah’s goal is to touch the lives of children by providing an enjoyable experience that will enrich their life journeys and equip them to be their best selves. Debbie Zimmerman Debbie has been practicing yoga for more than a decade. She attended her first class because she was told it would be a good compliment to her running regimen. What she wasn’t expecting was the sense balance and serenity she discovered on her mat. Her mind felt focused and calm; her body felt limber and strong. Yoga has been her passion ever since. Debbie brings a sense of humor andlight-heartedness to her classes. Her goal is to encourage students to breathe, discover, learn and shine in a nurturing, safe environment. She feels blessed to have studied with wonderful teachers from various traditions, and is thankful to her students for inspiring her to continue to learn about yoga every day. Debbie received her certification at Yoga Haven in Scarsdale, NY and is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher. Debra Lee Debra is a 200-hour certified, Kripalu yoga teacher. Years ago, after the loss of her best friend to cancer, Debra went to the Kripalu Center for a Health and Yoga retreat and had a spiritual awakening. Since then she has incorporated yoga in all aspects of her life. She often returns to Kripalu to energize her spirit and practice. Kripalu yoga is a practice of bringing the body, mind, and spirit into a state of harmony through breath, meditation, and asana. Debra sees her teaching as a way of passing on information that was so graciously given toher, and remains teachable by learning from her students. Debra lives in Westchester with her loving husband and cat Lulu. When she is not teaching yoga, Debra is a culinary trained chef instructor. Deirdre O’Connor Deirdre hails from Dublin, Ireland. She first discovered yoga while recuperating from a back injury and soon discovered that yoga brought much more than physical relief to her body. Yoga encouraged a strong desire for a lifestyle change, which prompted her to take the teacher training program at Yoga Haven and become a Registered Yoga Teacher. This journey of self- awareness, mindfulness and spiritual development continues. Having a special interest in ‘assisted yoga’, she continued her study with Lotus Palm School of Thai Massage, and also offers one on one Thai Yoga Therapy, a meditative form of bodywork. In 2009 Deirdre was trained and was certified by Power Pilates and is now teaching classes and privately each week. She has also completed her Reiki Training, whichis more accurately called the “Usui System of Natural Healing”, a Japanese form of stress reduction and relaxation with many benefits. Deirdre sees teaching as an opportunity to live more peacefully & cultivate metta, or loving kindness. She remains a humble student and this is her greatest teaching tool. Doris Eugenio Doris Eugenio looked to bring yoga to underserved populations upon getting her 200 hour certification in 2007 and Restorative Yoga Training in 2012 at Yoga Haven. Doris has completed The Yoga for Cancer training with Tari Prinster at Kripalu, along with the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Training, and is a Reiki Master Level 1. Yoga in clinical and therapeutic applications has been her interest and passion ever since. For the past four years, Doris has worked with kids with cancer and their caregivers at Montefiore Children’s Hospital in the Bronx, a job she finds to be rich, fascinating and rewarding. Emily Wilson Emily has practiced yoga for more than fifteenyears, but deepened her practice after the birth of her first child in 2004. She found that yoga brought a calmness and consciousness to her life – and to her parenting style. She received her 200- hour yoga teacher certification from Yoga Haven. Emily is also certified in prenatal, kids’ and restorative yoga. She is continually inspired by teaching both adults and children and hopes to pass on the joy that yoga has brought her to her students. Freddie Wyndham Freddie is a 500-hour E-RYT and has been teaching yoga in the New York area since 2001. He received his initial 200-hour and subsequent 500-hour teacher training and certification in ISHTA Yoga at Yoga Works. Freddie is also a certified Yoga Tune-Up teacher and a graduate of the Anatomy Studies For Yoga Teachers program at Zenyasa Yoga with Jason Brown. He also has studied in depth with Alison West, Jill Miller and Glenn Black. He is currently a senior teacher at Yoga Works and teaches classes throughout lowerWestchester County and in New York City. Freddie is a Bhakta Yogi whose creative, challenging and flowing classes include a wonderful blend of imaginative sequencing and a journey into the Heart. Ivy Guerrero-Timmons Ivy moved to NY from her native Dominican Republic in 1993. She tried yoga for the first time in 2002, as a way to deal with health issues and personal loss. She came to Yoga Haven and she describes her first experience here as her “coming home to yoga”. Since then, Ivy has continued to study and practice with many internationally respected yoga teachers such as Jason Crandell, Seane Corn, Kathryn Budig and Desiree Rumbaugh among others. She received her Reiki Certification from Reiki Master Merrill Black in 2011 and her 200 HR Certification from Yoga Haven in 2012. She is registered with Yoga Alliance. Ivy defines herself as a perpetual yoga student. She credits a mindful, steady yoga practice with helping improve her strength, balance and flexibility, not only onthe physical level but also mentally and spiritually. Her goal as a teacher is to share these and all yoga benefits with her students. She hopes to be able to one day teach in Spanish, her native language. Fran Clemente Fran Clemente has been practicing yoga since 2000 and teaching since 2005. She is a certified (RYT 500) vinyasa yoga teacher, but was drawn to Iyengar yoga when she began practicing with Jill Ganassi at Yoga Haven. Fran began practicing yoga because of a debilitating injury. Through her practice and then teacher training, she gained an understanding of how yoga heals. Fran also completed a Social Action Teacher Training to teach yoga to at risk youth. Currently Fran teaches yoga and meditation at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY. She has been a volunteer teacher for the Lineage Project, teaching awareness-based practices such as yoga and meditation to at risk and incarcerated New York City youth. Fran is the principal at Newmark High School in New Jersey.Newmark is a State approved high school that serves students with emotional, social and learning disabilities. Her research in the field of resiliency and her study of yoga informs her work with students, staff and families. Jacqui Stix Jacqui Stix is a yogi and an artist, coming from her art teaching background she views moving the body is an art form. It is beautiful, expressive, and healthy. Her goal is to help spread the joy and love of body movement to all ages, creating a healthy, grateful and peaceful atmosphere inwardly that works it way out and off the mat. Jacqui received her Little Sprouts kids yoga certification through Kaia Yoga in 2011. She completed her 200 hour teacher training at Yoga Haven 2011-12. During May of 2012, she was trained in Aerial Yoga through AirCat Yoga, and received a Pilates mat certification from Core Pilates in 2014. She apprenticed and received her Prenatal Yoga Certification with Kelly Swalis at Yoga Haven in 2015. Jennifer PagotoJennifer is a pediatric occupational therapist who fell in love with Pilates at her first “hundred”. She has been a dedicated student for several years and received her Pilates Mat Certification from LindaFit Pilates NYC in May 2014. Jennifer has found that Pilates beautifully compliments her work as an OT and her love of ballet dancing. Jill Ganassi Jill has been studying yoga since 1996 and teaching since 1998. She is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor and is dedicated to practicing and teaching yoga in the method and tradition of B.K.S. Iyengar. Jill is also a NY State Licensed Master Social Worker and is certified in Ericksonian hypnosis. She runs “ ” which is a small, peaceful center for stress management, hypnosis, and Iyengar Yoga. Jill loves being a part of the Yoga Haven community and as well as teaching classes and workshops here, she also enjoys leading the history and philosophy portion of the Yoga Haven Teacher Training program. In her work with people as a stressmanagement counselor she combines focused psycho-educational dialogue with hypnosis, yoga, meditation, and body centered awareness, according to the needs of the individual. She believes in the message of the great sage Patanjali, – Future Suffering is Avoidable. Kathleen Mandarano Kathy’s yoga journey began in 2006 and prospered in 2010 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her treatment, she found solace and strength through yoga and her spiritual practice. After officially defeating cancer in 2012, Kathy began to think of ways to give back to the cancer community. She joined the Rye, YMCA Livestrong program and completed her first triathlon along with other cancer survivors. Kathy then traveled to Nashville, Tennessee where she was a positive example at the National Women’s Survivor Cancer Convention to survivors as well as those with cancer. Realizing yoga helped both physically and mentally, Kathy decided to pursue her teacher training program at Yoga Haven andbecame a Registered Yoga Teacher. Kathy loves the healing effects of yoga as people of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities can enjoy yoga and adapt it to suit their individual needs. Kathy then became a Reiki I practitioner at Loving Touch Center and a certified teacher at both Children’s Yoga at Yoga Haven and Cancer for Yoga with Tari Prinster at Kripalu . Kathy wants to help those affected with cancer and allow yoga to breathe life back into their bodies. As a yoga teacher, Kathy hopes to “rejuvenate the souls of those with cancer, to cleanse their bodies and strengthen their immune systems which will maintain their health.“ Katie Feinstein A lifelong athlete, Katie began her yogic journey five years ago in a Bikram studio. Over the years, she has had the privilege of studying many different styles of yoga with many influential teachers. A proponent of movement, fitness, and nutrition, Katie is a full time yoga instructor, group fitness teacher, personal trainer, and coach. She hopes to share with her students the positive changes yoga has brought about in her life including a calm state of being, an increase in focus and awareness, a strengthening of mind and body, and an overall healthier lifestyle. She received her 200-hour certification from YogaHaven and offers gratitude to the entire YH community. Kelly Devi, RPYT, CCCE, CLC Kelly is an Integral Yoga teacher with certifications in general hatha, prenatal, postnatal and restorative yoga. She is also a doula, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and mom. It is Kelly’s strong desire to help women connect with the sacredness of pregnancy and labor by developing trust in the body’s ability to give birth. Kelly’s classes include a strong focus on pelvic floor awareness, its connection to the breath and ways to find space, stability and comfort during pregnancy. Students also gain a deeper understanding of the physical, emotional, and spiritual changes of pregnancy, as well as the importanceto the healing power of yoga fifteen years ago and has been a dedicated yogini ever since. Through yoga she has discovered a more open-hearted way to experience life and feels compelled to share her passion with others. In 2005, she earned her 200 hr RYT from Yoga Haven and in 2007, she was certified by Judith Lasater as a “Relax and Renew” instructor specializing in restorative yoga. In 2011, she received certification from Sadie Nardini as a Core Strength Vinyasa instructor. She also delights in being a part of the teacher training team each year at Yoga Haven. In 2009, Michele was certified by Power Pilates as a beginner mat class instructor. Mimi Cho Mimi was born in Seoul, Korea where she spent her childhood years. Mimi’s Korean name is Youngmee which means “beautiful fiery flower”. She speaks fluently English and Korean and is nationally certified and registered with the Yoga Alliance as a teacher at the 500 hours level and as a certified prenatal instructor. Mimijoined the world of yoga due to health problems and in search of a body and mind remedy. She completed her 200 hours yoga teacher training through the “Journey into Yoga” program at the Rivertown Center for Yoga and Health in Dobbs Ferry, New York and graduated as a Kripalu Yoga teacher. Then she completed her 500 hours and prenatal training at Matkin Yoga Center. Mimi’s passion about yoga is transforming the experience gained on the mat to off the mat, meaning into daily life. Her belief is enjoying practicing and through that finding happiness, peace and discovering the true self in one’s heart. Norma Archer Norma took her first yoga class a very long time ago in Swaziland, Africa. The class was taught by a wonderful family friend to whom Norma will forever be grateful. Thereafter, she got married, moved to Switzerland and continued to practice from a book for many years while living life and having three sons. It was not until she moved to the USA, and followed a teacherwho she met at the gym, to Yoga Haven, that she rediscovered the joy of practicing with other people. In 2010 she finally decided to “become” a teacher and completed her 200-hour training at Yoga Haven. She soon realized that “becoming” a teacher will take her a lifetime and is eternally grateful for the students and teachers who assist her in this process with patience, kindness and wisdom – and a well-developed sense of humor muscle. Norma also completed certification in Chair Yoga and Restorative Yoga at Yoga Haven and loves being able to implement the elements of restorative and more gentle yoga in her classes. Patty Meehan, RYT-500 Patty Meehan has been a certified yoga instructor since 1999. She completed teacher training with Betsy Kase at Yoga Haven(200 hours) and with Gary Kraftsow, American Viniyoga Institute (500 hours).If you are new to yoga or if you are a seasoned student Patty’s style of yoga will both enlighten and inspire you. Patty believes yoga has manyapplications and students can use yoga practice in all phases of their lives. Patty continues her studies with Baxter Bell, Yoga For Healthy Aging, Melina Meza, yoga and aruvedic nutrition and has been inspired by TKV Desikachar, Eric Schiffman, Leslie Kaminoff and all of the teachers at Yoga Haven. She completed a Kundilini training at Kripalu on Yoga For All Types of Addictions. Peggy Belles Peggy joined the Tuckahoe Police Department as a Patrol Officer in 1994 at the age of 25, and became a Yogi at 33. She took her first yoga class in 2002 and instantly knew this was the saving grace, a pathway to peace among the daily chaos of life. As she rose the ranks to Lieutenant, her practice gave her the tools to balance raising a family of 4 children with a demanding career. Peggy’s mission was to bring yoga to the community youth and to her brothers and sisters in blue. That dream became reality when she completed her 200 hour training at Yoga Haven. After 21 years serving hercommunity as a Tuckahoe Police Officer, Peggy retired in 2015, but is eager and enthusiastic to share the gift of yoga with anyone and everyone who walks in the door! Peggy also has her Kids Yoga certification through Yoga Haven and is a Certified Reiki Level 1 Practitioner in the Usui Reiki Method of Natural Healing through Integral Yoga NYC. Ryan Gilly Ryan is a graduate of Yoga Haven’s teacher training. He brings to his teaching a sense of fun and lightness, balanced with a great knowledge of anatomy and how the body works. He enjoys downhill mountain biking, running, snowboarding and calisthenics and has found that yoga has been an integral part in keeping his body balanced so he is able to continue to participate in these sports. He has worked through his own injuries, and has developed a great ability to assist others and address their restrictions. Sarah Hutchings Encouraged by a friend, Sarah’s yoga journey started 8 months after her 2nd child in 1999. Practicing
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