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Alyssa Liadis • CO-OWNER • RYT 200Co-Owner of Lotus Pond, Yoga Teacher and Assistant Teacher in the 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Program
Alyssa was drawn to yoga as a way to find movement outside of her corporate job. As her physical practice began to deepen, she realized there was a bigger connection to her mind and spirit. With this, and her passion to teach, she knew she found the right path - teaching yoga. Alyssa has completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Lotus Pond and looks forward to meeting with her students. |
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Katie Beene • co-owner • E-RYT 200 • RYT 500 • YACEPCo-Owner of Lotus Pond, Yoga Teacher, and 200/300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Director
Katie has been practicing yoga for 6 years and teaching for 4 years. She graduated from 500 Hours of Training at Lotus Pond in 2020 and has taught over 1,400 hours of yoga classes, workshops, and teacher trainings. Katie is the Co-Owner of Lotus Pond and the Director of the Yoga Teacher Training Programs. She teaches the donation based Women's Circle every 3rd Friday. Katie is certified in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Vinyasa, Hatha, and loves to teach Meditation. She currently teaches the Wednesday 9am Vinyasa Flow on the weekly schedule. Her classes focus on slower, mindful transitions with awareness on breath and alignment. She invites her students to connect to their Inner Teacher in class, inspiring them to explore what feels good and to move with intention and grace on and off the mat. |
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Val Spies • E-RYT 500 • CHopra Health Teacher • Founder of Lotus PondFounder of the Lotus Pond Studio and Program Creator of the Lotus Pond Yoga Teacher Training Programs
Val Spies is an E-RYT500 certified Kripalu yoga teacher and Chopra Health & Meditation teacher and Chopra Wellness Coach. She specializes in the inner quest for joy through the practice of yoga, meditation and breathwork. She has been leading workshops, travel tours, and training sessions for yoga groups and corporate enterprises for over 20 years, and offers expertise in tailoring programs to fit the needs of her students. Today, Val is best known for her ability to deliver the complex studies of yoga in a comprehensive and intriguing style that appeals to students of all levels. As a Chopra Health Teacher she also leads workshops on Ayurveda Health and Nutrition. She is the founder of the Lotus Pond Center and lead teacher of the Lotus Pond 200 and 300hr Yoga Teacher Training Programs and "yogi mama" to 700+ graduating yoga teachers across the country. Book a 1:1 coaching session or a set of sessions with Val on zoom through her website: www.ValSpies.com |
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Jen Moeller • RYT 200Front Desk Staff / Admin Assistant
Jenn began practicing yoga while attending college at Penn State University. She thought she was just fulfilling a gym credit, that may also provide some stress relief. After taking a few classes she fell in love with the practice, and yoga has been a staple in her life ever since. Yoga not only provided physical benefits, it also helped her find a greater sense of peace and awareness. Mediation is a large part of her personal practice, and something she devotes time to on a daily basis. Jenn is an RYT-200 and has taken an additional certification in Yin Yoga and also Reiki level II. She currently teaches Yin Yoga on Thursday at 7pm at the Lotus Pond. Jenn is also a professional Photographer. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, going to the beach, personal development, and reading. |
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Kimberly hughes • RYT 200Front Desk Staff / Admin Assistant
Kim has been practicing yoga for almost 15 years and completed her 200hr YTT here at the Lotus Pond in 2014. Since then she has taught in a variety of settings including Yoga for Crossfit, Beach Yoga, and KAY Yoga for Kids. She is a proud mama of two and is excited to introduce and continue to expose her littles to the teachings of yoga. Kim received her Holistic Health Coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition where she was introduced to the concept of bio-individuality: the idea that every BODY requires its own personalized approach to health. Holistic health and wellness is Kim’s passion and her goal is to create a ripple effect by spreading her knowledge and enthusiasm to her community, focusing on the younger generations. In her spare time, Kim loves thrifting, arts and crafts, being in nature, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She feels extremely blessed to be a part of the Lotus Pond community as it has been a dream of hers to work here since she first stepped through the front door of this magical log cabin oasis. |
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Meagan Lynn Pilawski • RYT 200Front Desk Staff / Admin Assistant
Meagan practices Quantum Healing and facilitated immense healing of an aggressive autoimmune disease through tapping into subtle energy work, brain health, and mindfulness practices. She began practicing yoga in 2016, and completed her 200 hr yoga teacher training in July of 2022. She is currently enrolled in the 300hr teacher training program at The Lotus Pond. She is an attuned Chokopa Shamanic Reiki Master and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Science in Medical Cannabis Science & Therapeutics from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Meagan believes everything to be energy, that our thoughts begin it, emotions amplify it, and actions increase it. She works as administrative staff at the Lotus Pond and is elated to be part of the Lotus Pond Family. |
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Lynda Savidge • E-RYT 200 • YACEPLynda started exploring yoga when she began studying with Deepak Chopra, MD in 1994. Soon after she became a Certified Massage Therapist in CA and opened her first healing shop. Her desire to share as she learned led to opening an integrative wellness center and co-teaching courses on Ayurveda, Meditation, Aromatherapy, and other healing modalities. Her desire to assist in the healing process led her to delve into a host of healing techniques from Reiki and Craniosacral to Sports Massage and PNF stretching. Lynda sensed a need for clients to utilize their bodies' natural ability to heal and incorporated this into her nurturing treatments.
Lynda's quest for knowledge continues, and the integration of Yoga became a natural extension of her journey. As an RYT-200 Yoga Alliance member and excited to be in the RYT-500 program at The Lotus Pond, Lynda loves teaching Hatha, Slow Flow, Gentle and Restorative Yoga. Her background lends itself to a warm, safe and meditative journey during her classes. The potential she desires for all of her students/clients— bliss. |
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Ryan devin • e-RYT 500 • YACEPLead Teacher in the 200 & 300 Hour Lotus Pond Yoga Teacher Training Programs
Ryan Devin has extensive training in intuitive alignment-based yoga, acrobatic yoga, pranayama (yogic breathing) and meditation. With over 2500 hours of experience in teaching, he is a passionate and enthusiastic leader with a patient and loving approach. His co-teachers and students say he exudes wisdom and intuition beyond his years. With a Bachelor’s in Alternative Medicine, he merges an understanding of the human body and holistic practices into his teachings. “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing is so gentle as real strength.” |
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Pam Velez • E-RYT 500I have been practicing yoga for the past 13 years. I began taking yoga classes at a gym with the intention of getting a good workout. What began as part of an exercise routine has become so much more. I credit yoga for making me a better person: more patient, compassionate and less judgmental. I am a goofy person who loves to laugh and I bring this element of lightheartedness to each class. My classes are taught with the end result in mind- leave class feeling like you just had a good workout and a relaxing massage. I am certified as an RYT 500 and received my training right here at the beautiful Lotus Pond. In addition to teaching yoga, I am a holistic health coach specializing in working with corporate clients.
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Roger Mallory • RYT 500As a teenager Roger read Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi” about the same time he was studying Zen Buddhism and the spiritual teachings of a variety of masters. Roger, coincidentally, researched the practice of yoga, established a home asana practice, was trained in Transcendental Meditation and began intense karate training. Roger discovered, early, the bliss of blending the nourishment of spirituality and meditation with an intensely focused physical practice of yoga and karate. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in Experimental Psych., his juris doctorate (law) degree at Univ. of Fla., working in the part-drama, part-straight-jacket life of a trial lawyer, and, circa 2005, suffering a rapid series of traumatic personal losses, Roger “stopped the clock” and consciously assessed his life to determine whether there was a “way out” of intense and persistent suffering. Roger brings his years of teaching experience, yoga and meditation practice, gifted speaking and writing abilities, and his bright energy and humor to teaching yoga and meditation, and increasing the awake awareness of his students on and off the mat.
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Carla Jiminez • e-RYT 500 • YACEPCarla Jimenez is a native to Tampa, Florida where she started teaching yoga and dance in 2002. Carla has taught yoga and dance to people of all ages and abilities, including the football team at the University of South Florida, The Florida Dance Education Organization Conference, Various Performing Arts Elementary, Middle, and High Schools and The Patel Conservatory in Tampa. In 2011, she became a Yoga Teacher Trainer at the Lotus Pond Yoga Center in Tampa and continues to be a part of the school. She is currently a Dance Director at Orange Grove Middle Magnet School of the Arts. Carla is a Yoga Alliance 500 E-RYT . She also has attained a State of Florida Dance Teaching Certification, Prenatal Yoga Certification, and American Ballet Theater Teacher Certification. Her yoga classes are creatively fluid and always include her singing the healing sounds of Mantra in the final meditation. Carla specializes in classes and workshops such as Gentle Yoga, Mom and Baby Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Yoga for Dance, and Mantra Meditation.
She sings mantras during savasana in each yoga class and has delivered numerous workshops on chanting. Carla’s passion is teaching her students to achieve bliss by integrating yoga into every part of life. |
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Charles Burgess • RYT 200Charles has been coming to the Lotus Pond for over 5 years after discovering how yoga brought joy and relief to his life that was otherwise filled with bouts of corporate burnout, running-related injuries, and the stress of everyday life. Now, through the teachings of yoga, he helps students find more balance, confidence, and compassion on and off the mat.
With a background in comedy, acrobatics, and mentorship, he takes a light-hearted approach to class that focuses on proper alignment and finding some fun in each posture. |
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Debbie Palombo • RYT 500Debbie is a 200Hr & 300Hr YTT graduate from Lotus Pond. Debbie has been practicing yoga for 8 years and within the last year started teaching. She is thrilled to be offering Chair Yoga at Lotus Pond because she is passionate about her yoga practice and her goal is to make yoga possible for everyone. She has certifications in Chair Yoga, Restorative, Yin Levels 1 & 2, Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra, Headstand, Vinyasa and True Core. When not doing yoga, Debbie is a hiker and loves trekking and climbing mountains. She also loves cooking and entertaining with her husband, Larry. They have two sons and are thrilled to be first-time grandparents to their new grandson, Lucas.
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Julieane Hudson • RYT 200Julieane has found a home in her yoga mat for the last 5 years. She is passionate about the peace and joy she receives from it and is even more passionate about sharing it. She has experience teaching kids yoga for 3 years and recently received her 200 credit hour at Lotus Pond. Currently, she is actively pursuing her certificate for both her 300 credit hour at Lotus Pond and teaching kids yoga with Kidding Around Yoga. Outside of yoga she has worked with kids as a behavior specialist, cheerleading coach and preschool assistant teacher. As a teacher she intends to teach tools to regulate emotions, exercise and have fun.
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Karen Frost • E-RYT 200Karen was drawn to yoga in 2000 because of work and personal stress, and she felt right at home once she began practicing regularly. A runner for years, yoga provided the chance to really stretch in a unique way. More than that, it pushed her toward regular meditation. Karen became a YTT 200-hour certified teacher through the Lotus Pond in 2012, and she has been a teacher of gentle practice at the Pond since 2013. She invites her students to learn their bodies, to have fun and relax, and to explore the amazing flexibility that the human mind and body can have when you give them permission.
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Maggie Prendergast • RYT 200Maggie was born and raised in America’s Hometown, Plymouth, Massachusetts. She moved to Florida to attend the largest university in the country, UCF. Being from such a small town, she quickly found her forever home on her Yoga Mat. For her Yoga is a sense of grounding, a sturdy foundation to continue her growth on, a home base. She takes value in influencing others with her positive, loving and energetic light. She completed 200hr YTT at Bella Prana in 2020 and intends to continue her journey on and off the mat. “It was when I stopped searching for a home within others and lifted the foundations of home within myself, I found there were no roots more intimate than those between a mind and body, that decided to be whole.” - Rupi Kaur
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Margie Sagafi • e-RYT 500Maryelin has been practicing and studying yoga for more than 15 years, traveling the world and attending numerous workshops and conferences with Rodney Yee, Cindy Lee, Laurence Biscontini, David Regelin, Karin Stephan and others. She traveled to India seeking deeper knowledge; after a month of submerging into the practice of the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga, she received her yoga teacher certification from The Himalaya Yoga Institute. She is trained in Raja Dhiraja Yoga, a more extensive and comprehensive form of Ashtanga Yoga. Her teaching methods emphasize strong practice, precise alignment, meditation, visualization, and intention; flowing in coordination with breathing techniques. She is certified in Prenatal and Restorative Yoga. She teaches private lessons as well as group classes.
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Melinda Isphording • RYT 200Melinda began a physical yoga practice as a way to bring more exercise into her life to assist with weight loss and developing physical strength over the past 12 years. In 2019, Melinda found the Lotus Pond Center and began taking the public workshops and group classes, finding a deeper connection of spirit with her physical practice. She felt drawn to continue to learn more about the ancient practices and philosophies, discovering all are aligned and connected when completing the 200 hour yoga teacher training at the Lotus Pond. Melinda continues this journey of discovery while completing the 300 hour Yoga teacher training and other workshops at the Lotus Pond. The journey of finding more peace and calm as she works with her inner teacher.
Melinda is currently teaching a Gentle Yoga class on Sundays at 2pm. The class focuses on slowing down, using the breath and the positions to bring more calm, mindfulness and restoration to the mind and body. She looks forward to sharing her joy and connection with nature and the community with the students. |
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Michelle Burgroff • RYT 200 • RCYTMichelle has focused on devotion outside of herself as a mother and teacher. While balancing motherhood and self-development, she found yoga to be a welcoming practice to create self-awareness. For her, yoga provides the platform for implementing self-care, developing the tools to journey inward, giving back, and finding mutual inspiration while practicing yoga with children. Michelle is a 200hr graduate from the Lotus Pond. Because of her dedication to children and yoga, Michelle is also a RCYT (Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher). Michelle graduated from theUniversity of South Florida with a degree in Elementary Education. Her Florida Teaching Certificate includes teaching children ages 3 to grade 6.
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Rosanna Duran • M.Ed. • E-RYT 200 / RYT 500Like many others, and possibly you, Rosanna began her journey with yoga with the purpose of taking a brief pause from a busy life to seek peace and calm within. Rosanna’s journey led her to bridge her passion for teaching, personal development and yoga, and in 2016, 10 years later, she graduated from the Lotus Pond Intensive YTT program at the Art of Living in Boone, NC. Rosanna has been teaching regularly ever since and is trained in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Restorative Yoga. Her teaching style focuses on the building blocks of a foundational practice with the intention that a greater sense of awareness and stability in the body extends to the mind. Besides teaching yoga, Rosanna loves traveling, cuddling with her sweet dog, Dexter, being outdoors (preferably by the ocean or in the mountains) and cooking and eating with friends and family.
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Rylee Silver • RYT 200Rylee loves following the frequency of joy, and she is passionate about nature, energy, love, mindfulness, and holistic healing. After loosely practicing yoga for a few years, she started becoming more consistent with her practice in 2019. The unity and inner peace she began to feel within her mind, body, and spirit left her wanting to share the teachings of yoga with the world. When she stumbled upon the YTT program at the Lotus Pond, she knew her heart guided her exactly where she was meant to be. Rylee completed the 200 hour yoga teacher training program in 2021 and is dedicated to guiding others through the 8 limbs of yoga. “We’re all just walking each other home.” - Ram Dass
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Sami Mangione • RYT 200bio coming soon!
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Sarah Sclafani • E-RYT 500 • YACEPSarah Sclafani is an E-RYT500 experienced yoga teacher with a wide range of class styles for all levels. A certified Chair and Yin Yoga teacher , a Reiki Master and a Silver Sneakers certified in fitness and yoga instructor. She loves to she share her passion through yoga through her teachings. Sarah is a mother of 4, grandmother of 7. Sarah's motto: You are one yoga class away from a good mood!
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Tara Drucker • RYT 200Tara began practicing yoga in 2019 to deepen her meditation practice. She quickly found that yoga gave her the mind, body, and spirit connection she had been longing for her entire life. Through yoga, she was able to begin healing the grief associated with losing both parents and balance her physical, mental, and energetic body. Following her intuition, Tara completed her 200 hour Teacher Training at the Lotus Pond, where she is currently working on her advanced training to become a 500 hour teacher. She is also a Pranic healer (energy healer) and incorporates it into her yoga practice. Yoga and Pranic healing are a perfect match as both focus on moving energy through the body to avoid congestion as well as connecting on a deeper level to the divinity with us. Tara is passionate about helping students feel ease and confidence in yoga postures so they can find balance and bliss in their lives. She focuses on alignment while incorporating breath work, mindfulness, and joy into her classes.
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Teri Martin • E-RYT 500 • YACEPTeri Martin is an E-RYT500 Experienced Yoga Instructor from Boston and has been a yoga practitioner for over 20 years. In her yoga teaching she encourages, leads, and empowers students to tune in to and connect with themselves, creating increased physical and personal awareness.
Teri is an Artist, Art Consultant, Business Advisor and founder of TheArtNetwork. Her left brain has a Harvard MBA and is a former executive at HBO, Cinemax and Citicorp. Teri’s vinyasa flow classes are enjoyable, thoughtfully choreographed and appropriately paced flows of ashtanga - based postures and movement with strong emphasis on proper alignment, breath, personal awareness and individual attention. |
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Usha Rani • M.Fin • Meditation TeacherUsha Rani was born and raised in India. Her introduction into meditation started at a young age. It was in India, while she was growing up she would listen to Guruji and practicing in the Ashram. She came to America to raise her children with her dear husband. With her financial profession, she kept practicing many different meditation techniques and most recently has been studying under SwamiJi. Usha will be sharing a special Healing Chakra meditation. This meditation brings happiness, love, bliss . Awareness and connection to higher source.
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Anne Curtis • Ph.d • E-RYT 500 • YacepAnne Curtis is a teacher in our 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She is devoted to teaching in a student-centered way, in which each student's unique characteristics are taken into account. Her goal is for each individual to find their way toward greater understanding of their own body and how to work with the yoga poses to bring about a finely tuned mindful balance. In 1996, Anne started studying Yoga and began to devote herself to Yoga as a way of life after using it to heal from an upper back injury. She had studied classical ballet and modern dance for 14 years in Berkeley, California. After her undergraduate studies, she earned a Ph.D. in biology at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2003, Anne did her Iyengar-based teacher training studies in Palo Alto, California with Larry Hatlett. She then completed the Yoga Alliance 200 hour certification with Val Spies, founder/director of The Lotus Pond in Tampa, Florida. She founded Yoga Within in 2010. In 2014, Anne completed the 500 hour certification with Val Spies. Anne is currently a member of The Lotus Pond Advanced Teacher Training staff.
Visit www.yogawithin.studio for more information |
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Dr. Jennifer Swarigen • Orthopedic Surgeon • RYT 500Jennifer Swaringen is a teacher in our 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She began practicing yoga over 20 years ago and completed her 500 RYT yoga teacher training through the Lotus Pond. She also is an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine and has taken care of patients in the Tampa Bay region since 2008. The principles of yoga have greatly influenced and improved her life and she feels grateful for the opportunity to share the practice with others. In 2018, she began teaching the Perspectives in Anatomy Course at the Lotus Pond with Anne Curtis. Jennifer is able to bring examples from her medical and surgical background into the workshop to assist students in understanding the anatomy of the human body, especially as it relates to doing, modifying, and teaching yoga postures.
Learn more at www.alexaderorthopaedics.com |
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Karin Stephan • Master Teacher • E-RYT 500 • YACEPKarin Stephan is a Master Teacher in our 200 & 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs. She is a leading Iyengar yoga teacher in the United States with a career that has spanned more than 45 years. She credits her understanding and appreciation of the human body to the teachings of BKS Iyengar, the world's foremost yoga master. As a student of Mr. Iyengar's since 1972 and a certified Iyengar teacher, Karin incorporates his insights and acute sense of observation into her yoga practice and teaching on a daily basis. Karin first met Mr. Iyengar on a visit to Pune, India in 1969. Mr. Iyengar's focus on yoga as 'precision in action' complemented her interest in structure and aesthetics, a theme which runs throughout her teaching. In 1985, she co-founded The B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center of Cambridge with Patricia Walden.
Learn more at http://www.yogamacro.com |
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Larissa Carlson • M.A. • E-RYT 500 • YACEPLarissa Hall Carlson is a teacher in our 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program and the Pranayama Teacher for our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. Larissa Carlson is an M.A., E-RYT 500 and Kripalu 1000-hr teacher, co-creator of Yoga Journal's online course Ayurveda 101, and former Dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, guides retreats, directs advanced yoga teacher trainings, and provides consultations across the country. Specializing in pranayama, yoga for performers, Mindfulness and Ayurveda, she supports students and clients in deepening their practice, finding radiant health and making the most of this life.
Learn more at www.larissacarlson.com |
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Manasa Kanithi M.S. • E-RYT 500Manasa is a teacher in our 200 and 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs. Having been a student of yoga from the age of five under the guidance of her parents, Manasa brings authentic teachings of Philosophy, Sanskrit, Mantra, and Ayurveda to the YTT programs at Lotus Pond. As a graduate of the Lotus Pond 200hr and advanced teacher training, Manasa offers classes that draw from multiple lineages that take students right to the heart of yoga. Manasa holds her M.S. in Medical Sciences from the Morsani College of Medicine at USF. She also carries a graduate certificate in Aging and Neurosciences certificate in Ayurvedic Studies. She strives to weave together the traditions of yoga with the scientific principles to promote health and wellness for her students. Her travels to 22 countries and extensive work with non-profits local and abroad inspire her teachings to promote diversity, inclusivity, and the importance of service and social action
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Melissa Caroll • e-RYT 500 • YACEP • MFAMelissa Carroll is a teacher in the 300hr Yoga Teacher Training Program, a college creative writing professor, and the author of four books, including Going OM: Real-Life Stories on and off the Yoga Mat. In 2006 Melissa discovered yoga and Reiki as paths toward inner peace, and she has dedicated her life to sharing these practices with others. Melissa has taught yoga for the past 11 years and specializes in philosophy, alignment, Yin Yoga, meditation, and the subtle body. Learn more at www.TheYogaWriter.com.
Creator of the online course SHADOW+LIGHT: A Journey Toward Self-Mastery |
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Pam Kaplan • E-RYT 500 • YACEPPam Kaplan is a teacher in our 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She has been studying the craft of yoga since the 80's in NYC where she also studied acting, voice, and dance. Pam is a former actress and vocal coach and currently practices as a speech-language pathologist. She has worked with both television, radio and stage actors to assist them reach their vocal potential. Some of Pam's clients have been ESPN2, NewsChannel 8, WMNF and American Stage. She has worked for Eckerd College, USF, Ruth Eckerd Hall, HSN and performed a one-woman show in Tampa.
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Willow Marcotte • E-RYT 500 • YACEPWillow Marcotte is a teacher in our 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She is experienced in Yoga Nidra, Chair Yoga, Yoga for Seniors, Restorative Yoga, pranayama and alignment. Her background in nursing, compliments these practices allowing for a deep understanding of anatomy and body function. Her journey began in 1996 while studying Tibetan Buddhism and Meditation. A long-standing appreciation for philosophy, she found the path of yoga a natural progression. Willow’s continued studies in adaptive yoga and trauma training have allowed her to develop a teaching practice that is all inclusive. In addition, she has developed trainings to provide access to the tools needed to safely and effectively teach adaptable yoga with supportive language and insight. Willow invites students to dive into themselves, embracing balance not only on the mat, but in the yoga of life as well.
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