Geri Portnoy is a certified Anusara Yoga Teacher who has been studying yoga since 1995. She holds a Masters Degree in Peace Studies from Notre Dame and, after teaching subjects ranging from outdoor education to math and science for over a decade in public schools, became a full time yoga teacher. Read more > >
Roger Cole, Ph.D. is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institutes in San Francisco and Pune, India. He has practiced yoga since 1975 and taught since 1980. He has been featured in five of Yoga Journal's asana calendars, co-organized two Iyengar yoga conventions, authored articles on yoga biology and therapeutics…Read more > >
Katie Beroukhim has been practicing hatha yoga for many years, and teaching since 1997. Her classes are fun and dynamic. She teaches the Anusara principles of alignment with a focus on individual discovery and expression, blending what is most appropriate in the moment with what she's learned from her own practice and the amazing wisdom of her teachers. With meditation as the soul of yoga, she supports her students in building strength, erasing tight spots, finding stillness, and cultivating joy. Katie completed Anusara Teacher Training with Sherry Schreck, and Advanced Anusara teacher training with Noah Maze. Her teaching is influenced by continuing studies with John Friend, Betsey Downing, Ross Rayburn, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman, and Carlos Pomeda. She also has an extensive background in fitness, and brings a rich understanding of anatomy and yoga, a strong meditation practice, and the desire for all students to align with their own innate freedom. Her lightheartedness is contagious.
Paisley has been in the mind-body field since 1996 when she began practicing yoga. As a dedicated practitioner and an instructor recognized both by Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 200) and Anusara (Anusara-inspired), Paisley is a yogini who inspires dramatic deepening and transformation in all of her students. Her technical knowledge, shining heart and sense of play make her an exceptional leader. With over a decade of teaching experience, Paisley and her classes have a profound and lasting effect. She is a vibrant light in the Anusara yoga community where she is in the final stages of certification with one of the highest levels for teachers across the globe.
Jeannette began practicing yoga at the age of 39 to reduce the stress levels in her job as a paralegal and to relieve sciatica. The positive effects were immediate and changed her life not only on a physical level, but also opened her heart and eyes to a whole new world yet to be explored. After many years of practice and study with Geri Portnoy, Betsey Downing and Noah Maze, Jeannette realized she wanted to share the benefits of yoga with others so that they too could experience the peace and contentment that come from the regular practice of yoga. Jeannette has been teaching yoga since 2005 with an emphasis on the universal principles of alignment as established by Anusara Yoga and a focus on the breath as a path to opening the mind, body and spirit. Jeannette is a native San Diegan who brings to her teaching her love of travel and scuba diving, and her passion for quilting.
Beth began practicing yoga in the seventies and returned to yoga in 1994. She completed teacher training in Integrative Yoga Therapy, which emphasizes therapeutic yoga for varied populations. She completed the Ashtanga teacher training with Tim Miller. She has been practicing with Geri Portnoy, her primary teacher, for nine years and has taken Anusara teacher training both with Desiree Rumbaugh and Noah Maze. She has taken immersions with John Friend. Currently, she is pursuing teacher trainings in Prana Flow with Shiva Rea and the Anusara teacher training with Geri Portnoy, both of which she hopes to complete in 2010. With her counseling background, she brings sensitivity in meeting students in the ground state of their own experience and facilitating a sense of joy at the constantly changing flow that is the embodied experience.
Before Lisa began practicing yoga, she was a two sport collegiate athlete at a Divison I level, and graduated with a job in the financial industry on the east coast. She turned to yoga as a way to soften her heart, ease her mind, and use the pulsation of breath to find a more natural rhythm that supported her well-being. Inside this more natural rhythm she found the time to pause, breathe, feel and perceive life clearly, and found that the most valuable thing we could ever possess is clearly within our sights: this life itself.
Lisa believes that through our asana practice we release pent up tensions that have accumulated in our body which allows us to further refine our physical senses so we become sensitive, adaptive and resilient. This new awareness allows us to see that no matter how different we may appear on the surface, we all share the same life. We learn to inhale completely and open to new experiences. We learn to exhale completely and let go of unnecessary tension and the past, and start to align ourselves with the ebb and flow of life rather than fight with it. Gradually we begin to recognize that in between the ups and downs and the coming and going, there is a matrix of stillness that is the backdrop of all phenomena.
Lisa has completed a 200 hour Vinyasa Flow/Anusara Inspired Yoga Teacher Training at the Prana Yoga Center in La Jolla, CA, and Noah Maze's Level 2 Anusara Teacher Training. She has attended workshops with Shiva Rea, Tias Little, Paul Grilley, Desiree Rumbaugh, Roger Cole, Ana Forest, Ross Rayburn, and Betsey Downing. Lisa teaches with a strong emphasis on alignment, core strength, opening the heart, and pranayama, while maintaining a calm inner stillness. She is deeply grateful for her teachers Jeanie Carlstead, Gerhard Gessner, Geri Portnoy, Noah Maze, and all of the inspiring kula members of the Anusara Community.
Chris came to yoga in 1998 for relief of pregnancy discomfort. After her son entered the world, she continued on the yoga journey, enjoying the benefits of practice on her body, mind and spirit. She was introduced to Anusara yoga by one of her teachers, Geri Portnoy, and a deep sense of connection to the heart of yoga was awakened in her. In 2008, she completed her 1st teacher training in Anusara yoga and began teaching both public classes and to children in elementary and middle school. She is in the process of becoming certified as an Anusara Inspired Instructor. Chris is also a licensed hands-on Holistic Health Practitioner specializing in Rolf Structural Integration & CranioSacral Therapy.
Jenn discovered yoga in the year 2000 just at the perfect moment, when she needed it most. Soon after, she was introduced to Anusara yoga by her teacher, Geri Portnoy. Yoga soon became an integral part of her life and she has since been inspired by the teachings and talents of Geri, Michelle Bouvier, John Friend, Betsey Downing, Noah Maze and Desiree Rumbaugh. Anusara Yoga has reinforced the importance of being open to experience what is all around us and within us, what the world is offering us and what we have to offer to the world. Jenn stepped into teaching in 2007 and hopes that her students will come away from yoga class with a strong sense of self, a great sense of gratitude and a huge smile on their face. In addition to teaching yoga, Jenn is following the pull of her heart towards all things Latin American, and is currently pursuing a dual Masters degree in Public Health and Latin American Studies at SDSU.
Sara has her degree in theatre and speech Communications from the University of Minnesota. She has taught acting and voice for over 20 years privately and for a wide variety of venues: The Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, and Lamb's Players to name a few. Yoga has a symbiotic relationship with Sara's and many professional artists' approach to theatre.
With the guidance and encouragement of excellent yoga teachers, Sara began teaching yoga in 2002. She currently studies with John Friend and is an Anusara Inspired teacher. Sara has also completed Tim Miller's teacher training coarse and a multitude of workshops with other master teachers. The styles of yoga Sara has studied include Ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar, and Kundalini.
Also a student of Vipassana meditation, Sara incorporates the philosophy of being in the moment connected to one's breath and non-judgmental awareness towards oneself during practice. She is thankful for her wonderful teachers and dedicated students who share the gift of yoga with her.
Jill Van Meter is a certified yoga instructor with over 500 hours of training. Along with her many hours of yoga training, Jill also brings her experience as a licensed Acupuncturist to her yoga classes. As an anusara-inspired instructor, Jill focuses on alignment in the asanas in order to allow the body to unfold into its natural grace. It is Jill's true joy to create a playful space where students can comfortably explore yoga.
Margaret is grateful to have found enormous healing benefits by practicing yoga while she was battling Stage IIIb Breast Cancer several years ago. She feels very fortunate now to be able to pass on to others some of the numerous health benefits and life enhancing qualities of yoga. She has done several teacher trainings and is very grateful to all her teachers including Tim Miller, Shiva Rea, Roger Cole, Ana Costa and Hari Das.
She's enjoying passing on to others the opportunity to experience relaxing inner peace along with increasing a sense of strong embodiment through a combination of traditional asanas and free flowing movement. She also enjoys incorporating sound and music in her classes.
Josh began his study of mind, body and spirit as a musician, studying classical operatic technique. Upon completion of a Master of Music degree from the University of Indiana in 2001, Josh moved to Chicago to join the chorus of both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Symphony. In Chicago Josh devoted himself to a disciplined study of Ashtanga Yoga with Jodi Blumstein, Quinn Kearney and Tom Quinn. At first, yoga was simply a welcome relief from the relentless drive for perfection demanded during his study of Opera. Soon thereafter, it became clear that the beauty and awakening of spirit Josh felt in his yoga practice was something he wanted to share. Since then Josh has studied in-depth with senior teachers such as Richard Freeman, Gabriel Halpurn and Tim Miller. Josh teaches both the traditional Ashtanga vinyasa method , as well as more contemporary vinyasa-flow style with an emphasis on precise breathing technique and alignment.
Julie is a certified yoga teacher and has been passionately teaching yoga since 1998. She received her 200 hour teaching certification at At One Yoga in Scottsdale, AZ with her teacher, Kat Myers, who is Anusara-inspired. She also has completed several advanced teacher training programs with Erich Schiffman, Peg Cleve, Shiva Rea, Ana Forrest, John Friend and Thai Yoga Therapy certification with Saul David Raye. She holds a degree in psychology from Arizona State University and is also a certified life coach (www.optimallifetraining.com). Julie has taught several yoga teacher training programs and conducts yoga workshops on various topics throughout the U.S. She teaches all levels of hatha yoga and advanced vinyasa flow yoga, which are a blend of precise alignment, breath awareness and simple yoga philosophy. Her inspiring, knowledgeable teaching will guide you on your journey to total well-being.
Valerie is an accomplished yoga instructor with wide teaching experience in both California and Michigan. She completed her teacher training with Jonny Kest and earned her RYT in 2002. Since moving to San Diego in 2004, Valerie taught a variety of styles, including Hatha and Vinyasa. Her teaching is based on her study of Anusara yoga as pioneered by John Friend, and her style ranges from a gentle to moderate flow based on her Ashtanga background. Valerie has a keen eye for alignment that helps students understand and appreciate the fullest experience of the pose while keeping their bodies safe and injury-free. She encourages her students to explore and express their individual yoga process through asana (pose), pranayama (breath), as well as incorporating their own life's wisdom and intuition into every movement.
Valerie began practicing yoga as an alternative to studying and teaching dance. After training in various forms of dance in New York City in her twenties, she taught ballet, jazz and tap at several studios in Michigan. She began exploring ways of moving that were both safe and beneficial for both body and mind. Delighted from the very first yoga class, Valerie expresses deep gratitude to all of her teachers past and present.
