Sienna Smith is the owner of Yoga Mountain Studio, a registered yoga therapist, Yoga Journal Contributor, and Yoga Alliance teacher trainer E-500 RYT. She has taught in the SF Bay Area for 12 years, and studied extensively with Gary Kraftsow, John Friend, Sianna Sherman, Georg Feuerstein, Maritza and Lama Palden. Her daily yoga and meditation practice brings compassion and insight to her teaching. She enjoys guiding students toward optimal alignment to improve their physical health, and create a life of freedom and joy. Sienna has appeared in Yoga Journal three times, Gary Krafstow’s top-selling Yoga for the Low Back DVD, and has produced two home practice DVD's. She has two children, enjoys playing the harmonium and crafting raw chocolate treats.
Sarah just completed an advanced yoga training with senior flow teacher Janet Stone. Sarah leads a strong slow flow yoga class to build strong, long muscles. Do you want to move, strengthen, stretch, break a sweat and be challenged yet supported ? Ready to recharge and smile? Sarah's classes are for you ! Make room for more light and good energy, develop a clear focused mind and a joyful disposition with this unique, fun style of yoga. All levels are welcome~ Sarah is happy to give different options for each posture, depending on how you feel in your body that day.
Kendra Faye is a certified yoga instructor and professional musician. As a yoga teacher for 10 years, she draws primarily from Ashtanga, Iyengar, Viniyoga and Yin Yoga to create gentle restorative to invigorating vinyasa style classes. She emphasizes alignment, energetic awareness and attention to the breath. Kendra blends yoga and music together by incorporating the live sound of her harp and voice during the class. Kendra has a Music Healing certificate from CIIS, and volunteers at Hospice By the Bay.
Katie Jay teaches a Hatha Yoga practice rooted in the Iyengar tradition, paying close attention to alignment. Her classes aim to awaken the body’s inner intelligence through intuitive feeling and awareness, coupled with precise and mindful action. Katie is known for her warmth, depth and humor. She encourages her students to take the practice of yoga seriously, but not themselves. She trained, taught and was certified in New York City with Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga. Katie also weaves in Buddhist principles to the practice of yoga. Currently she is studying with Tony Briggs and Patricia Sullivan. Her fantasy dinner party includes Hafiz, Shakespeare, and Chogyam Trungpa, just to name a few!
Suraya teaches yoga, dance and drama to children, teens and adults throughout the Bay Area. As a dedicated yogini, an Expressive Arts & Drama Therapist, and a trained actress and theatre director, Suraya's teaching style is heart-centered, imaginative and eclectic. She has been inspired by her yoga teacher training at the Sivananda Ashram in India, an Anusara Immersion and Teacher Training with Katchie Ananda, Jane Austin's Perinatal Yoga Teacher Training, and Five Rhythms dance. She has an MFT and facilitates the Marin Shakespeare Program at San Quentin State Prison. She is passionate about the connection between yoga, creativity and well-being.
Djuna Mascall R.Y.T. 500, has been a dedicated student and teacher of yoga since 2001. Her primary inspiration comes from her on-going work with Tias and Surya Little and her teaching is a reflection of their focus on mindfulness in asana, anatomy, and wisdom training. She is a graduate of the Prajna 500 Hour Program as well as a Prajna senior teacher. Djuna has assisted Tias at numerous trainings and teaches Prajna Yoga workshops nationally and internationally. She has presented at studios throughout the country and is a regular presenter at the Canadian Yoga Conferences. She appears on the cover of Yoga Journal Oct 2012 and in July edition of Yoga Journal as a model in Yoga for Watersports.
Ivy Mayer Lavie is a longtime yoga teacher, and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in trauma healing (the Somatic Experiencing method developed by Peter Levine and the Hakomi Method). She been on the yogic path since she was a child raised at Esalen Institute. Ivy has experience touring with an environmental presentation that reached 230,000 people, and she has taught yoga at-risk youth in San Francisco, and currently she enjoys weaving together psychological, physical, and spiritual dimensions into her work. Her teachers include Sarah Powers, Jennifer Welwood, Rob Fisher, Ariel Giarretto, and Peter Levine. She delights in sharing the fruits of this search through her yoga classes and private sessions. www.ivylavie.com.
Elizabeth lived in India and studied classical yoga and meditation in her 20's. Since, she has also completed a yoga therapy training in the US. Elizabeth has an in-depth knowledge of how to apply yoga to work with injuries and limitations. She instills a respect for the body and its ability to change and heal. Having experienced first-hand the transformative powers of yoga, Elizabeth helps to foster this passion and wisdom in her students. Her classes focus on allowing the prana, or life energy, to move more freely in the body and the mind. The class emphasizes meditation in motion. Consciously flowing through postures and progressing into deeper, quieter postures toward the end of class, students receive a balanced practice that helps restore energy, strength, and peace of mind.
Yoga is ancient wisdom for harmonious living in the modern world. Alison's teaching is infused with passion and play as well as powerful technical knowledge. Her classes offer clear instructions with precise alignment principles as well as principles to help you relate to your breath, calm your mind, and carry your body with grace. Alison's practice and perspective of yoga is deeply rooted in the Anusara lineage. She has studied with Anusara Founder, John Friend and Sanskrit scholar Christopher "Hareesh" Wallis. Currently she is studying with Noah Maze.
A Brazilian-born yogini Nubia has devoted herself to teaching different aspects of Yoga for the past 22 years. Perceiving Yoga as a Healing Art, Nubia's refinement and devotion to this ancient practice is reflected in her unique teaching, overflowing with heartfelt compassion and inspiration. A longtime dancer in the classical Indian dance tradition Odissi, Nubia joyfully infuses her classes with its' symbology and sacred geometry. She is the author of the CD Pranayama: May Breath Be Our Prayer released by Sounds True.
Elana has been practicing yoga for 25 years and teaching for 11 years. Her integrative approach to yoga is about balancing Yin and Yang principles - The Yin aspects of nurturing, listening and softening, with the Yang aspects of engaging and building Tapas (heat, energy), while honoring the steady presence of the breath and proper alignment of the body. She weaves in pranayama (breath work) in her classes, and chants melodic mantras during Savasana. She has a soft spot for nature and enjoys surfing and connecting with the dolphins.
I was stressed from working full-time as a contractor, raising kids and supporting my family. I needed some relief! I went to my first yoga class 13 years ago, and since then it has become the foundation of my physical, mental and emotional health. Yoga Mountain Studio is a precious community resource. Thank you Sienna for your efforts running the business with great skill, integrity and wisdom. I feel fortunate that I can attend any class and have a terrific experience. I love all the teachers and appreciate the opportunity to share this practice in class with fellow students.
I have run away from both emotional and physical discomfort much of my life. My practice has given me the courage and strength to face it. I feel my body open up to places and spaces that has never been accessed. I am just beginning open up my heart to grace and love.
Having a yoga buddy to count on has made a difference in my practice and my life. We have fun in class together and are supporting each other stay healthy and fit.
Yoga makes me feel like a kid again! Before yoga I felt tired and old but now that I practice yoga I smile more. Especially when I do handstand I feel powerful and free. I remember doing handstand as a child every day after lunch and it was always so much fun– now I am doing it at this age! Wow, it amazes me at how strong I am.
My back was killing me from gardening and caring for my baby. Then I tried yoga and within weeks my back was healed. I was thrilled to be able to keep doing the things I loved; gardening and holding my young child without pain. Years later I still do yoga because I feel stronger, grounded and more centered. My favorite pose is handstand because it releases my stress and tension right away. Yoga is a nurturing refuge for me. It reminds me to take good care of myself and to savour every bite of life.
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