| Our
Teachers
Linda
Aldrich
is a graduate of The Mindful Body Teacher
Training Course. She has been practicing yoga for more than
30 years and teaching yoga in San Francisco for over six
years. She is a lifelong athlete and believes in the physical
benefits for all bodies. Linda is also fascinated by the
creative processes at the heart of all our lives. She holds
a Masters's Degree in Psychology, is a published writer,
and works nationally and internationally as a Creativity
Consultant with writers, artists and people in all fields
who wish to bring more meaning and creativity into their
lives. In all of these activities Linda is continually fascinated
by the transformational aspects of yoga and the many unique
ways students' and clients' lives are opened and enhanced
by the practice of yoga. |
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Atosa
Babaoff
Atosa feels incredibly blessed to have
stepped onto this path of teaching yoga. She has been practicing
yoga since 2001 and was blown away by the transformative
process of the practice, and felt a great desire to make
it a bigger part of her life. She seeks to create a soulful
class inspired by her deep love of poetry, music, yogic
philosophy, and the breath, which she finds to be the key
element in the moving meditation that is yoga. She is a
graduate of the Laughing Lotus college of Yoga where she
trained with her primary teachers Jasmine Tarkeshi and Dana
Flynn. |
Dee
Benefield
Dee has been teaching Hatha Yoga
for over 10 years. She received her certification through
the Integral Yoga Institute and is also experienced in teaching
Iyengar and Bikram styles of Hatha Yoga. She is a member
of the Board of Directors of the Integral Yoga Institute,
a member of the California Yoga Association. Her classes
are flowing and instill a great feeling of inner peace,
balance and harmony |
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Roy
Bergmann
Roy is the founder of The Mindful Body and
is a Certified Massage Therapist and yoga teacher who has
been studying and teaching yoga, meditation and massage/bodywork
since 1985. His approach to fitness, relaxation and health
draws on his training in Bikram, Iyengar and Astanga yoga
styles and on his study of Swedish/Esalen long stroke and
deep tissue massage, Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique
and Hanna Somatics muscular release work. His philosophy of
health and healing is based on having an appreciation for
the power of "mindfulness" or "calm focus"
in everyday life. |
Deborah
Burkman
Deborah
Burkman has been passionately teaching yoga since 2000.
She teaches a strong fluid practice while stressing form and
alignment. She uses verbal and hands on adjustments to help
challenge her students and advance them to the next level.
Her yoga training includes asana and philosophy with several
master teachers in India including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and
A. Vankatesh. Her primary influences are Richard Freeman,
David Swenson, Sara Powers, and Ana Forrest. "Deborah
Burkman Stands out for her dedication to her students, often
helping them with problems off the mat as well as on it."
-- San Francisco Magazine, January 2005 |
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Elise
Collins
Elise
has been studying healing and meditation for the past fifteen
years. She writes a monthly column for the psychic reader,
Body and Soul, and has been practicing yoga for the past seven
years. She graduated from the piedmont yoga two year advanced
studies program when she was six months pregnant. She teaches
pre-natal yoga and mom & baby yoga throughout the Bay
area. |
Britt
Fohrman
Britt Fohrman creates a healing, loving,
and supportive environment for pregnant and birthing women,
as well as and new mammas in her work as a pre and post natal
yoga teacher, bodyworker, photographer, and birth doula (childbirth
assistant). Britt's Iyengar based yoga classes draw on a variety
of practices including mindfulness meditation, fluid movement,
HypnoBirthing, and breath awareness. These practices help
mammas connect with their babies as well their own inner beauty,
wisdom and strength. From her experience, Britt knows that
the practice of yoga is one of the most effective ways that
a woman can prepare to bring her baby into the world in a
peaceful, conscious, and loving way. Britt was certified to
teach Prenatal Yoga by Colette Crawford, RN, the top specialist
in yoga for pregnancy, birth and postpartum, and has also
traveled to India to study with the Iyengars. She continues
her studies with Judith Lasater and a variety of other teachers,
but finds that her most profound education comes from witnessing
true yoga in action... women giving birth. |
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Catherine
Garvey
Catherine
has been practicing yoga for 14 years. She was certified
in the Kripalu yoga tradition in August of 2001 and has
been teaching yoga for 9 years in the San Francisco Bay
area and Manhattan. She has studied many different styles
of yoga including Kripalu, Sivananda, Jivamukti, Dharma
Mittra, and Ashtanga.
Teaching
yoga is one of Catherine's passions in life. During her
yoga classes, she inspires her students to reach their edge
in their practice while encouraging them to honor their
body's wisdom. Her classes are designed so that students
will gain strength and flexibility in the body, release
physical tension, clear the mind, and feel an overall sense
of peace and wholeness. |
Jody
Hahn
Jody
took her first yoga class in 2001 in Los Angeles,
inspired by a friend who had demonstrated a handstand.
She remembers that first class well - the physical
challenge and the focus required, mixed with an exciting
feeling of clarity. She did not do a handstand that
day but she was hooked on yoga, and two years later
graduated from The Center for Yoga Teacher Training
Program in LA. She has been teaching ever since.
Her
classes are infused with the philosophy that we are,
all of us, engaged in a process which can be illustrated
by finishing any statement with “yet”:
“I can’t do this (yet)”… “I’m
not flexible (yet).” If one can be involved
in the process and not focused on the outcome, then
both the process and the outcome may be surprising
and rewarding. We are explorers - discovering poses,
discovering mental clarity, discovering how we deal
with challenges and, discovering some spiritual awareness.
Oh, yeah - and it helps to keep a sense of humor about
all of it
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Renee
Heidtman
Renee
Heidtman has been practicing the healing arts since
2000. Her unique style of teaching stems from her practice
of Vipassana meditation and therapeutic massage background.
In her classes you may explore a creative flow with your
eyes closed as well as postural adjustments that incorporate
massage. Through her commitment to each individual, Renee
facilitates a supportive and nurturing environment where
students aspire to confront obstacles, meet potential and
move at their own pace.
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David
Kresner
Yoga found me 14 years ago in New York City. I practiced
mostly within the Jivamukti tradition, becoming interested
in the ancient sources of Hatha yoga. I moved to San
Francisco in 2002, and after a 4 year lull without a
practice, I reconnected and dove back in for good. I
completed the Yoga Tree teacher training in 2007, rounding
out my education with focusing on Vinyasa, Iyengar,
and restorative practice. Besides my Yoga Alliance certification,
I'm also certified by Judith Lasater to teach Relax
and Renew Restorative Yoga. I'm now concentrating my
education with Scott Blossom for Shadow Yoga, Ayurveda
and Tantra, and with Judith Lasater and Michelle Duguay
for Restorative Yoga.
I bring my dedication to Bahkti to class, hoping to
inspire us all to join our voices and breath in chant.
I encourage constant dialogue with students, making
class a conversation and collaboration to help make
the practice personal and deep for each individual.
I hope to be able to equip each student with the tools
to delve deeply into their true nature, free from judgement
and self criticism. Then we can all step off the mat
and into the fullness of every moment.
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Jo
Lewzey
Jo has always had a deep passion
to grow and learn about life and herself on a soul level.
She
began as a dancer, dancing professionally for 5 years, and
then realized that she wanted to somehow help others...
so she became a personal trainer. During the past 8 years
Jo has been doing her own inner spiritual work of self discovery,
and in the last 2 years working with a teacher, Edward Rice,
doing multi-dimensional healing. Gradually, through her
own desire to find tools to take her to deeper levels, she
found yoga. Already having the deep connection with her
body, she fell in love with yoga immediately. Jo studied
with Yolanda Bain for her teacher training and has taken
several teacher training workshops with Rod Stryker (Pure
Yoga).
To
Jo, yoga is like a direct reflection of Spirit and the Divine.
The poses are like a dance, and they truly show us the grace
and sensitivity of who we really are.
The
most important thing Jo wants to bring across to students
of her yoga classes is self acceptance and love, to truly
embrace and enjoy the journey of yoga and life, and to allow
them to take a step back from the busy distracting world
in order to see with clarity and focus, as well as to find
direction in life from the heart and soul.
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Niema
Lightseed
Niema Lightseed has been a student of healing
her entire life. A passionate but shy budding theatre artist,
she discovered Yoga in 1998 as a way to transform her relationship
with her body and the world around her. She was trained and
certified as a Hatha Yoga teacher by the Temple of Kriya Yoga
in Chicago in 2004, and since then has studied with a variety
of excellent teachers of many modalities. Her classes are
a blend of precise, classic, detailed alignment with juicy
exploration and radical self-acceptance. She has also continued
her studies in the movement and verbal arts, and brings an
inspiring passion and delightful turn of phrase to her teaching.
She strives to have everyone feel welcome and appreciated
in her classes for being the love that they already are, while
challenging them to discover their purpose and soul-joy. Niema
is also a Jazz and Kirtan singer, Performance Artist, Reiki
practitioner, priestess, and beautifier. |
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Katie
Louderback
Katie
is continually inspired by the deeper levels of insight and
wisdom she gains from her yoga practice. She hopes to share
yoga’s ability to transform, to heal and to awaken with
all of her students. Her classes are inspired by all her teachers,
especially her current teacher Tony Briggs, and by her vipassana
meditation practice. She has completed Judith Lasaters "Relax
and Renew" teacher training and finds restorative yoga
to be an expanding aspect of her personal practice. After
witnessing her first birth many years ago she decided to support
women along the journey of pregnancy and birth through teaching
prenatal yoga and as a birth doula (labor support). She studied
prenatal yoga with Collette Crawford, RN, one of the top specialists
for prenatal yoga in the country. Her classes are fluid, gentle,
and relaxing and yet allow mamas to connect with their incredible
strength. Katie weaves birth stories and information into
her classes to help mamas prepare for birth. She hopes that
each class creates space for mamas to share their experiences
and create community, to connect with their babies, and to
deeply trust in the wisdom of their bodies. |
Kate
Lumsden
Kate
sees teaching as her dharma, fulfilling her destined life
path, and lets her devoted love of yoga shine through in
each of her classes. Introduced to yoga in 1999, Kate's
background in the Astanga Vinyasa style, along with the
treatment of her scoliosis curve, have enriched her teachings
with love of the meditative flow of breath and movement,
while finding solace in proper alignment. Drawing from her
own experience, Kate encourages her students to develop
inner awareness through exercising attentive presence and
abhyasa, a committed application of oneself to the practice
in and out of the asana. Kate feels blessed to be guided
by many gifted teachers along her path including Colleen
Taylor, Yolanda Bain, Judith Lasater, and Catherine Shaddix. |
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Kari
Marble
Kari
Marble is a mother of two and a certified yoga teacher,
massage therapist, infant massage instructor and birth educator
with a passionate and extensive specialization in the childbearing
year and healthy family living. Her classes are highly regarded
for their revitalizing and centering practice, educational
content, and warm, nurturing community. Kari's vision through
yoga is to support women in their physical, emotional and
spiritual journey into motherhood. To support this vision,
she weaves into classes the opportunity to share openly,
to discuss aspects of birth preparation and parenting, to
practice techniques for deep breathing and relaxation, and
to meditate, deepening inner awareness, connection to baby,
trust in the body, and appreciation of the sacred. Kari
designs prenatal classes to increase comfort and fluidity
in the rapidly changing pregnant body, enabling women to
feel a greater sense of strength, vitality, grace, calm,
confidence, and playfulness. Postnatal classes include songs
and poses with baby along with a focus on yoga poses to
help moms feel restored, energized, strong, open and ready
for the joys and challenges each day brings. Kari also teaches
workshops for expectant couples in yoga and massage for
labor and in Calm Birth childbirth meditation. Her classes
and workshops are featured in Babies by the Bay,
2nd Edition (Council Oak Books 2005). |
Sasha
Papovich
Sasha
Papovich has been studying yoga in earnest since 1997,
and teaching since 2001. She weaves together various strands
of the yogic path, offering an integrated practice for the
body, heart and mind. Her teaching is continually fueled
by her in-depth studies in yoga, meditation, transpersonal
and somatic psychologies, Eastern spiritual practices and
philosophy, as well as her deep faith in the human potential
for embodied awakening.
She
has been immersed in the study of Insight Yoga (Yin Yoga,
Yang Yoga, Meditation, and Psycho-Spiritual Practice) with
Sarah Powers for the last four years, and now assists Sarah
in workshops and trainings. Her teaching is also deeply
influenced by her practice of vipassana meditation, and
by the psycho-spiritual work of John and Jennifer Welwood,
whose work brilliantly integrates western style psychological
inquiry within the framework of spiritual practice.
Sasha
recently began her graduate studies in Transpersonal Psychology
at JFK University. She teaches classes in the San Francisco
area, as well as regular workshops and retreats in Los Angeles. |
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Charu
Rachlis
Charu
Rachlis' formal yoga studies began in 1992 upon
her arrival to the United States from Brazil. Her primary
studies have been with Thomas Fortel. She enjoys the alignment
principles of Iyengar and the flow of breath and movement
offered in Astanga, and her teaching is influenced by both
methodologies. Charu has a Masters Degree in psychology
and is a practitioner of Buddhist meditation. She feels
that the combination of teaching and practicing yoga is
the perfect path leading to the integration of her interests
in helping herself and others experience their inherent
potentiality. |
Catherine
Shaddix
Catherine began her intertwined studies
of hatha yoga and Buddhist meditation and philosophy in 1990,
and has devoted her life to the exploration of each of these
since. She began studying traditional Ashtanga yoga in 1993,
and has since studied intensively with Chuck Miller and Maty
Ezraty, and her main teacher in America, Richard Freeman.
Since 2000, she has also practiced under the guidance of the
late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his grandson, Sharath Rangaswamy,
with annual trips to the AYI Shala in Mysore, South India.
She
began teaching in 1996, and her teaching style is infused
with the co-arising spaciousness and intensity of her Buddhist
training. She has practiced with many of the great Dzogchen
masters of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, beginning with
Trulshik Rinpoche in 1991, and currently with the Venerable
Tsoknyi Rinpoche, as well as H.H. the Dalai Lama. She has
also trained extensively in the Zen tradition, living for
two years at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center, a traditional Rinzai
Zen training monastery, with Joshu Sasaki Roshi. |
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Rachel
Shaw
Rachel began her study and
practice of Hatha yoga in 1992, at the original Jivamukti
Yoga Center in New York City, where she regularly studied
with Sharon Gannon and David Life. Her scholarship then lead
her to receive teaching certification through the Sivananda
lineage. Rachel has been blessed with many strong teachers,
in the styles of Kripalu, Astanga, and Iyengar methods. Her
personal practice is most recently inspired by the teachings
of Ana Forrest, and the Anusara method developed by John Friend. |
Maile
Sivert
Maile
Sivert teaches yoga in an exploratory way, encouraging
cultivation of intuition as a guide. Her style, while rooted
in the tradition of Astanga, is influenced by many styles
and teachers. She fell in love with yoga in 1996 and considers
Richard Freeman her primary teacher. She has also enjoyed
studying with BNS Iyengar, Dena Kingsberg and Sri Louise.
Balancing tradition with creativity, her classes are an active
yet nurturing synthesis of flowing postures, breath awareness,
and yogic philosophy. |
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Vanessa
Tate
Vanessa creatively guides
students through the practice of yoga encouraging playfulness
and balance between taking risks and recognizing one's present
limitations. By bringing humor, humility and conscious awareness
to the mat, students are supported in being more accepting
of themselves. A yoga practitioner since 1995, Vanessa knows
that with commitment to regular practice, the breath deepens,
physical postures unfold, and a deeper connection is formed
with the soul. Working toward completion of a Masters degree
in Somatic Psychology, she enjoys sharing her knowledge
of the psyche/body connection. She has a background in diverse
yoga disciplines, though is mainly influenced by Ashtanga.
She has completed various teacher trainings and workshops
including studies with Pattabhi Jois, David Swenson, Bhavani
Maki, Rolf Naujokat and the Greenpath Yoga Teacher Training.
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Brick
Thornton
Brick
Thornton began his spiritual path in 1994 by spending
over a year at a Tibetan Buddhist healing center. In the
years that followed, he studied yoga and internal martial
arts, culminating with a 4-month trip to India that led
to a 4-year journey. In India, he immersed himself in traditional
forms of yoga and meditation with an emphasis on viniyoga,
studying at the source at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram
under Desikachar. Brick's classes are a unique approach
to vinyasa yoga - the breath feeds directly into fluid,
aligned movements that foster core strength and suppleness,
weaving together a playful sequence that focuses the mind
and enlivens the spirit.
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Mirabai
Warkulwiz
Mirabai
Warkulwiz planted her yoga and meditation roots in San
Francisco at the Sivananda Center in 1998. Amazed at her
healing of a back injury and many other positive life changes,
she became yoga certified at the Integral Yoga Institute,
and at the Greenpath Ashtanga. In July 2008, she completed
another Teacher Training program in asana and pranayama
through the Integral Yoga Institute in Virginia. With over
600 hours of yoga training, she has a passion for sharing
these ancient yoga practices with her students. Mirabai’s
classes offer a spiritually uplifting and holistic experience.
Her classes include centering excercises, asanas (postures),
pranayama (breath work), yoga nidra (deep relaxation), meditation,
and Kirtan (Sanskrit chanting.) She invites all of her yoga
students to transcend physical, emotional, and mental blocks
to experience more spaciousness, comfort, happiness, clarity,
and inner peace. Mirabai is attuned to Reiki Level 1, studies
Aryuveda, is a dancer, and enjoys being in communion with
nature. She is thrilled to come on board as a Mindful Body
teacher!
Mirabai
is also a Kirtan musician leading Kirtan gatherings at the
Mindful Body and around the Bay, and enjoys implementing
chanting, sound, and music in class. |
Stephanie
Wright
Stephanie began her journey in health
and wellness 14 years ago and discovered the love of teaching
others about fitness and overall well being. In 1997 she took
her first Yoga class and was drawn to the mind-body connection.
It was from there that she realized Yoga and Pilates was her
path and has been practicing both ever since. Her first studies
were in Ashtanga, but she has expanded her practice and teachings
to include Hatha flow, restorative and yoga/pilates blend
classes. Stephanie's teaching style incorporates creativity,
humor and encouragement and reflects her background of both
yoga and pilates. Stephanie has a BA in International Business
from UC Davis and is a graduate of the Greenpath Yoga Teacher
Training Program as well as the SCW Pilates Teacher Training.
She is influenced by many different teachers and disciplines. |
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The
Mindful Body welcomes all:
energetic youth, active adults, the young at heart, athletes,
dancers...and you! |