tri.mur.ti wellness

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Michelle Barge:
Michelle has been practicing yoga since 1996 following a life dedicated to classical ballet. Her teaching style fuses her training in traditional yoga styles - Hatha, Iyengar and Ashtanga - with a dance and Pilates training combined with a deep knowledge of eastern philosophy and meditation. She has trained in some of the top yoga studios in New York City and continues to train under some of the leaders in the field: Dharma Mittra, Paula Tursi, Schuyler Grant of Kula Yoga Project, and Tao Porchon-Lynch, and continues to train at the Iyengar Center and at Jivamukti.

She is a graduate of Sadie Nardini's Core Strength Vinyasa Flow program and a 200-hour level RYT through the Yoga Alliance of America. Michelle also has a deep knowledge of Ayurvedic holistic health philosophy and incorporates it into her daily life. Michelle’s commitment to wellness also extends to her charity work where she is Board President of Concrete Safari - a Harlem-based, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the joy of fitness and healthy eating habits to the children of the New York Public School System through personal training, nutritional counseling and outdoor adventures. Michelle also has over 10 years or marketing, branding and public relations experience having worked at some of the top agencies in the city. Michelle’s goal is to live a mindful life while helping others to achieve the same.

About Michelle's Classes:

Hatha/Iyengar Fusion:
All Michelle's classes are hearty, sweat-inducing workouts, so come prepared to build strength and stamina. You'll hold poses to work more deeply, and flow to increase resilience in your body and breath. Join Michelle in a meditative environment of instruction and experience the rewards of renew

Rohi Custage
Arpana Rohi (in Sanskrit means Friend Offering Self to the Divine) has been on a path of personal development for the past sixteen years. She is a sannyasin, or disciple, of the Indian Mystic Osho. Following a career as a professional principal ballerina, including dancing with the Royal Ballet of England, she received her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychotherapy from the University of Minnesota. She later became a Reiki Master and also went on to become a Holistic Nutritionist by training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York.

She developed her own practice, www.InfiniteHealthNow.com, in counseling, nutrition, and Reiki, which led to becoming the nutritionist for Telemundo's morning program Primera Edicion. Fluent in Spanish, Rohi grew up in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Rohi then expanded her holistic practice by training in Osho Breath and Meditative Therapies through Breath Energy School International, directed by therapists Dwari and Devapath.

Trainings she has participated in include "Breath Energy Training and Internship" and "Sexual Awareness Counselor Training" in Toscana, Italy, and "Aquaprana Bodywork and Breath Training" in Tulum, Mexico. In this work she has found the key for opening up to her soul and being grounded in her body, and now as she leads a meditative lifestyle she is happy to share what she has learned with as many people as possible. She is also a DJ, Producer, and runs a dance music label, www.5FathomsMusic.com, and with her partner, Giten, produces original meditation soundtracks.

Dance shines through in her work with groups and individuals; along with Giten she creates unique breath and meditative workshops which incorporate dance and music as a powerfully grounding and healing platform for self-expression. Rohi leads a conscious dance group called The Breathing Dance Troupe and has created a technique called Healing Through Breath and Dance™, combining Osho Breath Work with energy and dance movement therapy, which she is ecstatic to share with the world.

Kristina Lanuza
Kristina loves yoga. Yoga has given her the ability to fly while staying grounded on the earth. Since 1997, Kristina has been studying and practicing yoga with amazing teachers in New York City and Texas. Her primary Hatha Yoga influence is Anusara Yoga which was graciously introduced to her by Amy Ippoliti. Kristina's teachings are inspired by the beautiful sound vibrations of Sanskrit - which she studies with Manorama (Thea D'Alvia) and teachers from Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York. She acknowledges Ananda Ashram founder, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati as her Guru and primary teacher on yoga as a foundation for all aspects of life. She loves teacher Caroline Myss. Ph.D. and credits her with elucidating the similar truths behind the perennial philosophies of Yoga and classical Hinduism, Catholicism, Islam and Judaism.

Kristina has completed teacher trainings in Hatha Yoga Therapeutics with Roberto and Maria Theresa Mazzarella, Power Yoga with Nicki Hurd and Anusara Yoga with Paige Dunlap and Charly Pivert. She continues to study with Anusara teachers throughout the U.S. including Amy Ippoliti and Anusara founder John Friend. Kristina's yoga teaching style is filled with creativity, music, humor and depth. She encourages students to open to their individuality and strength while remaining, always, in harmony with nature.

Elias Lopez:

A naturalist and environmentalist at heart, Elias combines his love for nature with his love for yoga and his students find there is an obvious connection in his instruction style. Born and raised in Mexico, Elias enjoys bringing his inspiration from his roots to his yoga practice. He infuses his classes with music and with careful attention to alignment and he views yoga as a journey to live well, and love fully.

He believes in the power of Yoga to deeply transform our lives and is inspired by the poetry of the body, the yogis around him and the organic forms of nature. Elias is honored to study with John Friend, Jim Bernaert, Ellen Sallston and Jackie Prete who infuse him with a passion for aligning the body with the Divine through breath and heart.

Elias relishes sharing this beautiful journey called Yoga with his students. He loves to create a fun, safe and sacred place where you are empowered to achieve your full potential and connect to Grace.

Naoko Morita:

Naoko Morita, a native of Japan, has been residing in the US since 1997. Naoko has been a Vinyasa instructor since 2004 and has recently completed additional teacher training at the World Yoga Center in 2008. Under the instruction of the WYC, Naoko has been inspired by the heart opening practice of Anusara yoga which she blends with her Vinyasa style yoga. Naoko encourages students to develop a sense of awareness and respect for oneself and others, provides simplified and accurate instruction of alignment, and creates a challenging yet non-competitive environment for students of all levels. In addition to her yoga training, Naoko holds a degree in Dance from California State University, Long Beach.

Anna Brown Massey

Anna guides her students to trust their inner experience and their present breath to guide them in courageously practicing asana, giving birth, and facing fear. She received her yoga teaching certification from New York City's OM Yoga Center, followed by prenatal yoga teaching certification with Janice Clarfield. Teaching continues to kindle a love for being with parents during this extraordinary time, thus Anna is currently working towards certification as a Labor Support Doula under DONA. In all of her work, Anna hopes to honor her mother, father, and brother's unbounded love and compassion.

Rainer Perry:
Rainer is a certified instructor of Kundalini Yoga and has been teaching in NYC for several years in many locations and settings. Being at home in both the business world and the yoga studio, he practices Kundalini yoga as the practical yogic tool it is meant to be for improving every aspect and situation of your life and bringing health and happiness to your body, mind, and spirit. The reason he teaches Kundalini Yoga is the same reason he practices: It works. It is an exact science and delivers.

"Kundalini Yoga has not ceased to amaze me and I see no end in how it will grow and deepen the experience of my life. There is only one way to genuine happiness: through inner peace and living from your true self. A regular practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation takes you there."

Rainer teaches pure Kundalini Yoga as practiced and tested for thousands of years, and each class includes pranayama, yoga sets/asanas, and meditations to work out your whole being, body, mind, and spirit. Expect each class to combine elements of each for a specific purpose, e.g. relieving stress, developing intuition and other faculties, opening the heart, connecting to your true self, physical health, and many others. Each class is designed to give you an experience of the self and of the connection to the vastness of life, and to give you the tools for a truly excellent life.

Naz Sarman
Naz Sarman is Anusara-inspired hatha yoga instructor; she has been practicing since 1999. She had her first teacher training in New York with Lisa Keays and has since trained in yoga therapeutics and advanced teaching with Anusara founder John Friend and his senior certified teachers throughout the country. She studies Rajanaka Tantric philosophy with Professor Dr. Douglas Brooks and meditation with Sally Kempton.

Currently Naz is immersed in the practices of Reiki, Alexander Technique and Body Mind Centering to explore the wisdom of the body moving and its healing capacity. Her class structure is a balanced mixture of holding and moving fluently within poses with an emphasis to breath, alignment and imagery of inner body mechanism. In her classes you will develop awareness about your body and movement patterns while getting a complete workout through isometric hold of your muscles.

Naz recognizes her teachers and mentors – Elena Brower, Jackie Prete, Bindu Wiles, Ellen Saltonstall, Lois Nesbitt, Paula Tursi- for their influence in her work, and her students for their constant inspiration and support.

Naz holds a Masters degree in Media Studies from the New School. She has worked in film and video sector in New York for a decade and previously as freelance writer and fitness instructor in her native country, Turkey.

Anusara-Inspired Hatha: Naz’s class structure is a balanced mixture of holding and moving fluently within poses with an emphasis on breath, alignment and imagery of inner body mechanisms.

Specifically, you will develop awareness about your body and movement patterns while getting a complete workout through isometric (steady) holding of your muscles. Classes usually begin with a short centering moment in which the purpose/ theme of the class is briefly described. Naz is influenced by the heart-opening energy and alignment principles of Anusara Yoga founder John Friend which can open you to your innate inner goodness while you strengthen, align and heal.

Sky Speaker
Inspired by an epiphanous experience, while studying philosophy at Brooklyn College, Sky Speaker has spent the last 10 years immersed in the independent study and private teaching of Practical Metaphysics; including Meditational Yoga, Multiple forms of Pranic Healing, Reiki, Hypnosis, Rapid Eye Technology, and more. He continues to study new techniques and is dedicated to the integration of East and West, holistic and allopathic methods for wellness. He has received certification as a Hypnotist from the I.A.C.T. - International Association of Counselors and Therapists, is trained as an Advanced Rapid Eye Technician from The Center for Self Discovery, is a Traditional Usui and Secheim Reiki - Master Teacher, and a Member in good standing of the I.A.R.P. - International Association of Reiki Professionals.

Marcelo Tessari

Instructor Marcelo Tessari graduated from the University of Yoga in Brazil in 2000. He started his practice and studies in the DeRose Method Yoga in 1997 when he worked as a civil engineer. He is an 8 year owner of a DeRose Method Yoga studio in Brazil and looks forward to sharing his discipline and choreography with Tri.mur.ti. He has participated in several international meetings of the DeRose Method and is a certified choreographer. To see Marcelo's performance, presented in the International Festival of Yoga of Florianopolis Brasil in 2008. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ryb2H3ROVY

Ede Thurrell
Ede has practiced yoga for 17 years, including both an Iyengar-based therapeutic approach and vigorous Vinyasa styles. She brings to her teaching a sensitivity honed as a professional dancer, and a wealth of experience as a certified personal trainer. Ede was honored to teach for BabyOm from 1999-2005, and has trained as a teacher with many great yogis-- including Cyndi Lee and Jeanne-Marie Derrick. She has experience working with people with osteoporosis, joint injuries, and autism; as well as pre- and post-natal populations, athletes, dancers, and people of all ages and body types.

Nechemiah Bar-Yehuda
Holds a Master degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and has numerous certifications as a yoga and meditation teacher and body/mind healing practitioner.

For 30 years, he has studied the scriptures of Kabbalah, Kashmir Shaivism Tantric Philosophy, Yoga and Vedanta with some of the greatest Yoga and Meditation masters of our time and with leading scholars of those philosophies.

Since he opened his Jerusalem Yoga studio in 1979, he has been teaching Yoga and Meditation and practicing body-mind healing with various age groups including children and senior citizens and people with various therapeutic conditions in Jerusalem, London & NYC.

At the core of Nechemiah’s teaching and healing work is his heart desire to share his passion for experiential knowledge of the Divine Self and its infinite healing potential. In his innovative teaching style he facilitates environment and practices conducive for unfolding this Self-empowering knowledge.

Nechemiah has also been sharing his passion to inspire and uplift his fellowmen and fellow women through initiating and cofounding 7 educational charities for Jewish and Arab adults and children in his home country Israel.

The Serving Those Who Serve Charity (http://stws.org) that he initiated and cofounded in the United States after 9/11 2001, has already served more than 1,000 rescue and relief workers and volunteers (600 of them NYC Firemen), survivors, area workers, and residents with free Ayurvedic herbal cleansing, yoga, breathwork and other body-mind holistic healing modalities. You can read some of the experiences of the Ground Zero workers and volunteers participants of his classes in http://stws.org/schedule-yogaquotes.htm

Joseph A. Young, Jr.:
Joseph is a Certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor and has been practicing in New York for several years. Joe was originally drawn to Kundalini Yoga because of its dynamic approach to expand awareness and help others. Seeing the amazing changes and opportunities that opened in his life from the practice, he became a teacher so that he could share the same treasures and wisdom with others.

In addition to completing teacher training in Kundalini Yoga, his interest in helping to inspire and uplift others has led him to study and practice the healing modalities of Harmonyum (from the tradition of Universal Kabbalah) and Sat Nam Rasayan(R) (from the tradition of Kundalini Yoga). Additionally, his pursuit to explore the depths of the unseen laws of nature has led him to study and counsel others with Universal Kabbalah, Numerology, and Tarot for years. Joe has taught at various yoga centers in New York and holds a B.S. in Engineering from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art.

Tina Zymarakis:
Manhattan-born, Tina grew up in the sunshine of Greece. She has been practicing yoga in New York City since 1998, initially at the Jivamukti and Sivananda centers. In 2002, she found Richard Freeman, who inspired her to embark on a daily Ashtanga Mysore practice at Ashtanga Yoga New York with Eddie Stern. Since then she has traveled to study the ashtanga yoga system with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Mr. Freeman regularly.

Having spent years of traveling far and wide to attend workshops and retreats with senior teachers (including Nancy Gilgoff, Sharon Gannon & David Life, Cyndi Lee, Tim Miller, Sharath Rangaswamy, Shiva Rea, David Swenson, Rodney Yee), Tina received her formal certification from Alison West's Iyengar-inspired Yoga Union program in SoHo.

She has been involved with the Yoga Society of New York’s Ananda Ashram in upstate New York since 2005, where she both teaches and studies yoga, chanting and meditation. In 2008, she was honored with an invitation to join the teaching staff for the first Ananda Ashram Teacher Training program.

Tina draws from her ongoing studies in the Iyengar and Vinyasa traditions, as well as her Ashtanga practice, to teach a class that is breath based, vigorous and intelligently sequenced with kindness and humor.