Andrew Barrett
To me, yoga is a reductive process. It burns through the shackles of physical asymmetry and psychological stress and creates balance. Yoga brings integration by harmonizing strength with letting go, and builds a bridge between mind and body in a way contrary to many of our culture's assumptions. A teacher once told me that our musculature is our memory’s hard drive, and my experience releasing memories, burning away traumas and resentments through asana practice (yoga poses) has solidified this idea. My personal practice is one of adjustment and readjustment in each pose to release the physical and psychological tensions stored in my muscles, and to ultimately be liberated from them into deeper states of balance. The shape of my life is indeed the shape of my body, and yoga is my vehicle towards freedom.
Angelina Salama
Angelina is an experienced yoga and pilates professional, drawing from both modalities and her dance background to give insightful and challenging classes that synchronize movement and breath. Trained as a power vinyasa yoga teacher, she also studied restorative yoga and children’s yoga, bringing aspects of deep restfulness and playfulness into her core-centered classes. Her yoga path has also included journeys into Ashtanga and Anusara yoga, and has been guided at different times by the wisdom of Rodney Yee, Cyndi Lee and Charles Matkin. Her training in pilates has been through Power Pilates and the countless hours of practice needed to support her previous career in dance. Whether in yoga or pilates, Angelina strives to teach her students how to move intelligently and find the balance between effort and surrender.
Ashleigh Beyer
Before a serious injury in 2001, Ashleigh thought that yoga was for suckers. Thanks to that injury and some very patient Vinyasa and Kundalini teachers, Ashleigh’s mind and body were transformed. For many years, Ashleigh came to her mat everyday as a way to reconnect her feet to the ground underneath her, to trust herself again, and to feel her body as a whole integrated unit. For all of those years, Ashleigh dreamed of becoming a yoga teacher so that she could share with others the practice that had changed her so deeply. When she met Alison Cramer at Laughing Lotus in 2006, she knew she was finally ready. She graduated from Laughing Lotus College of Yoga in the Spring of 2007 and has been sharing what she loves with the fine people of New York City ever since.
Barb Ehlers
With a strong background in Martial Arts, Barb has taken yoga and pilates for over10 years. Conscious, connected movement and core control are important elements inher training and teaching. She has studied extensively in Anusara-inspired yoga, andhas a Thai yoga certification through the Lotus Palm school. As personal trainerfor nearly 10 years, she has acquired in-depth knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, &injury prevention and rehab. Barb is dedicated in helping others build strong,solid core strength, which leads to more ease & grace in everything we do.
Chintamani Kansas
Chintamani is an experienced yoga teacher, body worker, and yoga therapist. Her yoga classes are a playful blend of creative sequencing, intelligent alignment, mindful presence, and body-awareness meditation. The mixture of structure and joyful movement encourages safety and skillfulness, as well as freedom and expression. Chintamani's "MO" is to get us all to move, have fun, find our joy, and feel connected and smart. Chintamani continues to study meditation and other styles of yoga and yoga therapies, including Embodied Anatomy in Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Yoga Therapy for Specific Conditions, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and Thai Massage. Teachers who have particularly touched her heart are: Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Amy Matthews, Roxlyn Moret, Cyndi Lee, Genny Kapuler, Erich Schiffmann, Shiva Rea, Dharma Mittra, Mukunda Stiles, and Ellen Saltonstall.
Danielle Gregan
Love at first sight – that is how Danielle's relationship with yoga began. She has been practicing for seven years, and like any truly great relationship, the connection has only gotten stronger over time. After spending five years in a very fast-paced corporate job, Danielle decided to turn her passion for yoga into a profession and became a Registered Yoga Teacher, certified at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center. She wholeheartedly believes that happiness is a choice. And for her, yoga is happiness. In her teachings, Danielle incorporates asana flow with pranayama and meditative techniques. The goal, first and foremost, is to move in harmony with your breath, while tapping into a deeper awareness of your self to provide a balance that will bring you to a peaceful, happy place.
Djuna Passman
Djuna's aversion to yoga quickly dissipated after she discovered the strong physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of a daily practice during a time of personal upheaval. A life long love of moving and firm belief in the healing that comes from developing and deepening the mind-body connection have led her to successful careers as a dancer, choreographer, and dance/movement therapist. Feeling a strong desire to share the wonders of yoga with others she received her yoga certification through mang’Oh as part of their inaugural teacher training. Blending extensive knowledge of the body with choreographic skills and the ability to create and hold a safe space for self-exploration and play, Djuna aims to challenge and inspire her students. She loves sharing her passion for yoga with the mang’Oh community.
Erica Whalen
Erica has been teaching yoga in studios, gyms, and living rooms throughout New York City since 2005. In 2007, she became the proud owner and creative director of mang'Oh Studio. She received her yoga teacher training at Laughing Lotus Yoga School, under the direct instruction of Dana Flynn and Jasmine Tarkeshi. In addition to teaching yoga, Erica has danced professionally for various dance companies and theatrical productions. She holds a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University. Erica's classes celebrate the tradition of expressive and ecstatic hatha vinyasa. While maintaining a strong commitment to structural alignment, the focus of her class is discovering the breath and opening the heart. Because of her extensive training in dance, the choreography of the asanas is creative, fluid, and exciting. Erica hopes to bring peace, freedom, and relaxation to her students that directly translates into their everyday lives off of the mat.
Francesca Valarezo
Born in New York City and raised as a child in Ecuador, Francesca has had the opportunity to experience a blend of many influences and cultures. After graduating from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a bachelor’s degree in International Criminal Justice, Francesca moved to Miami. Her first experience with yoga came at a very difficult time in her life while living in Florida. From what started as a physical and therapeutic healing practice, then evolved into a means of self-reflection and a devotional love for sharing the practice with others. Her desire to help others led her to complete her teacher-training program and mentorship at Yoga Vida NYC under the guidance of renown teachers such as Zoe Silverman, Alanna Kayvalya, David Hollander and Tanya Boulton. Her training in Pilates along with Yoga has helped her to understand the dynamics between spirituality, body movement, breathing and the vital role that these principles play in order to live in a more harmonious, joyful and peaceful life. Known as the spiritual rebel, Francesca is the leading teacher of the Compass Yoga, New York Public Library (Morningside Heights Branch) community yoga class; a charity that seeks to unite and promote all yoga teachers so that they can share the teachings, art, and love for yoga with our community. She also currently teaches hot power vinyasa. Her classes offer a very dynamic, athletic, and flowy sequence based on the principles of alignment: perfect for athletes, beginners, and open level. She strongly believes that Yoga is for everyone, and that we can all benefit from taking a little time out of our day to just… breathe, move, and flow.
Justin Ritchie
Justin is trained in two schools of Vinyasa yoga. He first studied at The Yoga Sequence and later at Laughing Lotus. Early in his path, Just was taken under the wing of some of NYC's most established yoga teachers for his ability to sense and work with energy as well as his calming presence. He has begun to rapidly rise within the yoga community. Justin now teaches regularly and leads workshops for beginners, master classes, partner yoga and much more.
Lisa Iannacito McBride
Lisa's experience with movement is ever evolving. Through dance she found Pilates and through Pilates she found yoga. She enjoys the continuing journey of learning how each discipline compliments the others and is in awe of the body’s potential. In her classes, she hopes to provide her students with an environment in which they can playfully find new perspective and insight as to their own patterns and abilities while providing a fluid foundation of breath and alignment. She received her BFA in Dance from Purchase College and was certified by the Kane School of Core Integration to teach Pilates mat, reformer, cadillac, and chair exercises. She was thrilled to be certified in mang'Oh Yoga’s inaugural 200hr vinyasa teacher training. As studio manager, she is grateful to have the opportunity to connect with and cultivate the mang’Oh community. She is grateful to be spending more and more time in a place she loves doing work she believes in.
Masako Miyakawa
Masako stumbled into a yoga class after having a particularly hard day in February 2001. The rest, as they say, is history. She practices yoga not only for its physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but because it is just so much fun! Sharing what she has learned and experienced with her students has brought her joy and happiness beyond allmeasure. Originating from Japan and having gone to an all-girls Buddhist school has prepared her to infuse Buddhist teachings with yogic philosophy, and weaving them into the class. She is known for her mindful, caring, kind, and light-hearted approach to yoga and to her students. Masako is a certified Integral Yoga and OM Yoga teacher, with additional training in restorative, yin, pre-and-post natal, and chair yoga.
Randi Zinn
When Randi Zinn found yoga, she found the fusion of physical movement and spiritual connection, something she always felt inside, but had never been able to articulate. When yoga helped Randi handle a personal crisis and ultimately experience healing, she knew she had to share this practice with the world. In 2008, Randi completed her 200-hour Vinyasa Teacher Certification through Laughing Lotus Yoga Center and in 2010 she completed a Restorative Yoga Certification with Judith Hanson-Lasater. In 2011, Randi launched her blog randizinn.com where she shares stories of not so scary spirituality, motherhood, food, travel, and fashion. Randi teaches yoga classes and workshops and has been a part of the Mang'Oh Teacher training staff since its inception in 2011. Randi loves being part of the mang'Oh community!
Tara Dhyani Purswani
Dhyani is a Therapeutic Yoga Teacher and Breath Coach, native to NYC. She discovered the benefits of yoga as a confused, stressed out teenager and it sparked a huge transformation in her. She resisted the practice, but she showed up nonetheless, and always left class feeling better than when she walked in. A decade later Dhyani trained in Integral Hatha Yoga at the Satchidananda Ashram and has completed two years of Yoga Anatomy Studies with Leslie Kaminoff at The Breathing Project, where she continues to teach a special class called Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Dhyani's classes are alignment-based, breath-centered flow -- an experience of physical and energetic anatomy. She engages students by inviting them to connect to their highest selves, while not taking any of it too seriously. Her vulnerability, groundedness, and humor create a safe space to explore human complexity within the practice. She is known for teaching Restorative and Yin Yoga classes and leads Therapeutic workshops such as Yoga for Your Moon Cycle, Restorative Yoga for a Balanced Nervous System, & Restorative Yoga for Self-Care. Dhyani's other interests include Kirtan, Buddhist Insight meditation, and Uzazu (a Yin/Yang practice) - all a part of her mission to live in joy and abundance! Dhyani can be found at either Pure Yoga or Integral Yoga Institute and is happy to be growing into the Mang'Oh community!