Meet Our YogaFestOnline 3 Teachers
Kristen Rae
Opening Ceremony Friday 8/28/2020 @ 10:30 AM EDT
Kristen Rae (C-IAYT) is the founder of Yogi Oasis in Garner, NC, a certified Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 200 from Sumits Yoga (AZ) and E-RYT 300 from Yax Yoga Concepts (VA) with 10+ years of teaching experience. Kristen offers many formats of classes, workshops, and private instruction virtually and in-studio. She offers free/donation classes weekly and serves the Veteran and Cancer populations with free classes every Friday morning with the help of You Call This Yoga. When Kristen isn’t teaching yoga, she is hanging with her husband, french bulldog and parrots, probably making some kind of fancy tacos or enjoying the outdoors. In her past-normal, she enjoyed traveling and teaching abroad yearly in Jamaica, Australia, and Indonesia.
Website: Yogi Oasis
Facebook: Yoga with Kristen Rae
Instagram: @kristen.rae, @yogioasis
Contact: Yogawithkristenrae@gmail.com
Hersha Chellaram
Chair Friday 8/28/2020 @ 6:30 PM EDT
Hersha Chellaram is a pioneer in bringing accessible wellbeing services to Hong Kong. As a long-time yoga therapist and teacher trainer (CIYT & E-RYT 500) she is the director of Hersha Yoga School of Teacher Training, offering certification in 200-hour, 500-hour, prenatal, children’s, and accessible yoga. She focuses on the complete and integrative practice of yoga, going beyond the physical fitness aspect of yoga and embracing the full practice of the Eight Limbs of Yoga and Six Branches of Yoga. Hersha’s style of yoga is inclusive for children and adults with disability and special needs, empowering for women going through pregnancy and parenthood, and supportive for those with mental health challenges.
In 2016, Hersha founded YAMA Foundation, a Hong Kong based charity that provides equitable access to yoga, art, and meditation to vulnerable communities with disabilities, with poor mental health, living in care homes, in poverty and in prison. She has developed numerous programmes across Hong Kong, bringing yoga into five special educational schools. She regularly trains and presents around the world. Her work has been recommended by Dr. Wing Fung, head of Neurometabolic Diseases at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. Hersha made the list of 20 Yoga Teachers of Colour to Watch in 2020, and the 2014 Women of Hope Award as Children’s Advocate, presented by the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation.
Website: YAMA Foundation
Facebook: Hersha Yoga
Instagram: @hershayoga
LinkedIn: Hersha Harilela Chellaram
Contact: hersha@hershayoga.com
Briana Young-Roane
Gentle Mat Friday 8/28/2020 @ 8:00 PM EDT
Briana Young-Roane is a colorful character. Born in Inglewood, CA, she is now an east coast girl and has flavor that mixes both coasts to give you a worldly and fun flare. She started as a modern dancer and, after an injury, was introduced to yoga for recovery. After healing, she decided that yoga was her path.
Facebook: BriYoga
Instagram: @thegypsyyogamama, @breatheyogava
Websites: Gypsy Yoga Mama Brand, Breathe Yoga Studio
Contact: briyroane@gmail.com, questions@breatheva.com
Maria Pramaggiore
Meditation Friday 8/28/2020 @ 9:30 PM EDT
Maria Pramaggiore (RYT 500, E-RYT 200, YACEP) has taught yoga, meditation and Vedic philosophy in North Carolina, the Czech Republic, and Ireland since she completed her initial training at the NC School of Yoga in Raleigh, NC 12 years ago. She is a reiki practitioner and offers Tarot readings for intuitive development.
Website: www.mariapramaggiore.com
Instagram: @moonbeaminyourhand
Contact: mariaprama@gmail.com
Laurel Adair
Flow Friday 8/28/2020 @ 11:00 PM EDT
Laurel Adair took her first yoga class in 2006 after a track and field accident left her unable to exercise. A friend recommended she try Bikram Yoga as it was supposed to help with severe injuries. After her first class, she became hooked to the heat and noticed a tremendous difference in her posture and abilities to move. Her curiosity moved her to learn more about hot practices and explore vinyasa and power flow. She finally found a combination between all of the practices at Sumits Yoga. She went through the first official Sumits Yoga teacher training in 2010, facilitated by Sumit Banerjee, the creator of Sumits Yoga, and Gabriel Azoulay, the creator of Bikyasa and h3yoga. Laurel is currently a lead teacher trainer for Bikyasa traveling to different studios around the world to teach workshops, create joy, and make terrible dad jokes.
Instagram: @laurelhaslove
Courtney Gendron
Gentle Mat Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 8:00 AM EDT
Courtney Gendron has a background in dance and started her yoga practice as a warm-up for modern dance class without even realizing she was practicing yoga. She enjoyed the benefits of yoga and continued her practice at local Washington, D.C. studios until moving to Charlotte, NC. She continued her practice and, in 2017, began to pursue her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training. She completed her RYT 200 certification in the Tantra Lineage. She is an Accessible Yoga Ambassador and is certified in Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.
Courtney continues to grow as a teacher with her current enrollment in a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training, focused on social justice. Her goal is to provide yoga to those that would otherwise not practice yoga.
Website: Yoga Courtney
Facebook: Yoga Courtney
Instagram: @yoga.courtney
LinkedIn: Courtney Gendron
Contact: ortney@gmail.com
Amma Fandiño
Chair & Mat Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 9:30 AM EDT
Amma Fandiño (RYT 500) has been a devoted yogini for over 28 years and a passionate biologist for 27 years. She holds a master degree in environmental sciences from Yale University and is a certified Integral Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher. She is also trained in Therapeutic Yoga, Yoga for Arthritis, Yoga of Recovery, Lifeforce Yoga, Prison Yoga, and Mindfulness. Amma’s passion is to share yoga with communities with challenges and conditions of vulnerability on a physical, mental, and emotional level. Amma has been dedicated to teaching cancer patients and their caregivers. Amma’s inspiration is bestowing support to patients in order to improve their quality of life as well as their ability to cope with the difficult circumstances associated with the disease.
Another facet of Amma’s vocation is teaching yoga to people with anxiety, depression, and addictions. Currently, she teaches in two prisons in Bogotá. She dedicates her efforts to provide a space that promotes empowerment, rehabilitation, and healing of those deprived of liberty, as well as supporting their addiction recovery processes. Amma is contributing to the Accessible Yoga (AY) program since 2015 and is a regional representative of the AY group in Spanish. As a Yoga Accessible Trainer, she feels honored and fortunate to support the training of yoga teachers in the Spanish-speaking community. She lives in Colombia with her husband and two kids and loves to spend her free time in contact with nature.
Website: Amma Fandino
Facebook: Accessible Yoga- Español
Contact: amma@accessibleyoga.org
Ingrid Saddler-Walker
Youth Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 11:00 AM EDT
Ingrid Saddler-Walker (E-RYT 200, RYT 500) is the owner of Wytha Balance Yoga – Counseling, LLC. She is a Kundalini-trained Yoga Instructor with a 95-hour specialty certification in children’s yoga and mindfulness, an Ashtanga Yoga Instructor, and a certified Reiki Master Level Practitioner. She began her yoga journey in 2009 with the intention of teaching adults and children. Her goal is to teach others and allow them to become present in the moment as they develop a greater awareness of themselves.
Ingrid’s training consist of Kundalini Adult/Family Yoga, Radiant Child Levels I, II and III, YoKid Stretch Your Limits (specializing in working with children in grades K-12), Yoga 4 Classrooms, Yoga and Mindfulness for Children, Yoga for Teens, Mindful Schools Fundamentals, Mindful Schools K-12, Mindfulness for School-Age Children. In March 2019, she completed an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training with Mind Body Centering Yoga. She is also a NC Licensed School Counselor with 20 years of experience in Durham Public Schools.
Website: Wytha Balance Yoga
Facebook: Wytha Balance Yoga – Counseling, LLC
Instagram: @wythabalanceyoga
Contact: info@wythabalance.com
Margie Satinsky
Gentle Mat Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 12:30 PM EDT
Margie Satinsky has been teaching yoga since 2004. Given that no two bodies are alike, she’s a strong proponent of blending various yoga traditions so that all students remain comfortable. Each class combines breath work with stretching, proper alignment (Iyengar), slow flow, and holding poses to open connective tissue (Yin). The classes are well-suited for students of all ages, experienced yoga practitioners, and beginners.
Many teachers influenced the development of Margie’s unique practice style. They include Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers, Doug Keller, Gabriel Halperin, Angela Farmer, Tari Prinster (yoga4cancer), Gary Kraftsow, Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Matthews, and North Carolina teachers Tracy Bogart, Rebecca Drake, Ti Harmony, Yvonne Cropp, and Carol Krucoff.
Website: Yoga with Margie Satinsky, RYT
Contact: margiesatinsky@icloud.com
Liz Oppedijk
Chair Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 2:00 PM EDT
Liz Oppedijk came to yoga in her fifties, following serious illness and injury. Through yoga, her recovery became a transformation. But, she was left with a question: how to bring the restorative practice of yoga to people for whom the mat is a barrier? She found her answer in Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga. Since training with Lakshmi, Liz has taught chair yoga to people with varied abilities and their caregivers, including those with Parkinson’s, MS, stroke, and cancer, as well as those with dementia, learning disabilities. Her commitment to accessible yoga led her to establish Accessible Chair Yoga CIC, a non-profit social enterprise. ACY is dedicated to bringing yoga to everyone — regardless of age, ability, or physical or mental condition — and in particular to UK nursing homes. It offers training others to teach chair yoga and sponsors research into yoga’s effectiveness in the social care sector.
Website: Accessible Chair Yoga – Sit And Get Fit
Facebook: Accessible Chair Yoga – Sit And Get Fit
Instagram: @accessiblechairyoga
LinkedIn: Liz Oppedijk
Contact: info@accessiblechairyoga.com
Erica LaGarde
Flow Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 3:30 PM EDT
From Raleigh, NC, Erica LaGarde shares her passion for yoga. “I love yoga in all shapes and forms! It’s taught me how to move with my breath and helps me feel a sense of connection in this crazy world. As a runner and competitive dancer, I am no stranger to intense and ambitious athletic endeavors. I love that yoga is not a competition, but a chance to be compassionate and kind to yourself. let your breath set the tone and all will come.”
Instagram: @happedancingyogi
Contact: happedancingyogi@gmail.com
Lucia Rodriguez
Gentle Mat Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 5:00 PM EDT
Lucia Rodriguez, who joins us from Guayaquil, Ecuador, began to practice yoga approximately 7 years ago. More than a year and a half ago, Lucia found that she wanted to share her practice and its benefits with others and her teaching path began. Her formal training includes: Myofascial Release Teacher Training, Yoga for Athletes Teacher Training, and Yoga Detour Training, plus several online workshops from Jenny Rawlings.
She shared this goal with us, “I am a new teacher in the community and I hope to be able to introduce other people to this wonderful practice.”
Facebook: Lucia Rodriguez
Instagram: @mlurodriguezq
Contact: lamarodriguez@yahoo.es
Claire Cunneen
Chair Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 6:30 PM EDT
Claire Cunneen began her career as a group fitness instructor in the late 90s. She holds a degree in Sport & Exercise Science and is a Yoga Therapist, along with many other qualifications. Drawing from both personal and professional experiences throughout this time, she has developed a passion for helping others to live not only healthier, but happier lives. She is dedicated to creating sessions that are welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
Her teaching is beneficial for the physical body, soothing for the mind, yet also fun and uplifting. Her goal is to positively impact anyone that she encounters — inspiring people to feel connected, happier, and live life to the fullest, no matter who they are, what body they are in, or what stage of life they are at. As an Accessible Yoga Teacher and owner of LV Chair Yoga Australia she is striving to make Yoga accessible and available to everyBODY!
Website: LV Chair Yoga
Facebook: LV Chair Yoga Australia
Instagram: @lvcyau
LinkedIn: Claire Cunneen
Contact: Claire@getfitwhereyousit.com
Miriam Frost
Gentle Mat Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 8:00 PM EDT
Miriam Frost is a New Yorker who delivers calm, a mother of two boys who exudes an inner peace, and a former manager of corporate customers who knows nothing but empathy. Miriam Frost is a peaceful soul in a world filled with rage – a light at the end of the day.
In May 2017, she retired from her corporate job, bought a studio, and Stellar Power Yoga was born. Miriam sees her studio as offering more than just yoga — it’s a community of open-minded, judgment-free, and supportive people. Stellar Power Yoga offers in-studio, outdoor, and virtual classes. Certified as a RYT® 500 Power Yoga instructor, Miriam loves teaching and motivating people to achieve their holistic wellness goals.
Website: Stellar Power Yoga
Facebook: Stellar Power Yoga
Instagram: @stellarpoweryoga
Contact: stellarpoweryoga@gmail.com
Yoko Nakano
Chair Saturday 8/29/2020 @ 9:30 PM EDT
Dr. Yoko Nakano (MD, E-RYT 200) is a board-certified anesthesiologist and accessible yoga teacher, living in Tokyo, Japan. She is a founder of MEDCAREYOGA. Together with co-founder Dr. Teruki Nakano, (MD, MBA, RYT) they combine pertinent expertise from the fields of medicine, care, and yoga with the goal of helping people improve their health. MEDCAREYOGA supports community development as it travels to places like clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, day services, daycares, welfare institutions, and special schools to provide yoga instruction and health education to elderly and disabled people (and their caregivers) who are unable to visit a yoga studio. They believe that connection makes you healthier. When you become healthy, so do the people around you.
Website: MEDCAREYOGA
Facebook: Medcareyoga
Instagram: @medcareyoga
Contact: medcareyoga@gmail.com
Sara Miguel de Hernandez
Chair Sunday 8/29/2020 @ 8:00 AM EDT
Sara Miguel de Hernández is a Life Coach, corporate yoga teacher, and Founder of Flowithme. Often known just by her brand name, Flowithme, Sara lives in Cork, Ireland where she helps people to navigate their wellness journeys.
Her technique incorporates the practice of chair yoga, life coaching, and cooking with Thermomix, helping her clients to reflect, rebalance, and refocus in any area of their life. Sara works in English and Spanish, both with individuals online, on a one-to-one basis, and with larger corporate groups.
Website: Flowithme
Facebook: Flowithme
Instagram: @_flowithme_
YouTube: Flowithme
Contact: sara@flowithme.com
Mayuri Gonzalez
Family Sunday 8/29/2020 @ 9:30 AM EDT
Mayuri Gonzalez is a nationally recognized presenter, trainer, and instructor in mindfulness and children’s yoga, leading teacher training, and continuing education seminars at renowned retreat centers. She has more than 25 years of experience practicing yoga and mindfulness. She provides therapeutic yoga classes to children and families as well as teaching yoga and mindfulness classes in schools and community centers.
Mayuri is the director of the School Yoga Project, a Little Flower Yoga program that brings yoga and mindfulness classes to over 8000 children a year in New York City schools. In that role, she trains and mentors teachers, counselors, and school support staff. She is a contributing author to Transforming Education: Best Practices for Yoga in Schools, a white book published by the Yoga Service Council and Omega Institute in 2015, as well as an author of Mindful Chair Yoga Card Deck and Yoga and Mindfulness Practices for Teens Card Deck.
Websites: Embodied Wisdom, Little Flower Yoga
Facebook: Embodied Wisdom, Little Flower Yoga
Instagram: @mbodiedwisdom, @littlefloweryoga
Contact: mayuri@littlefloweryoga.com, mayuri@mbodiedwisdom.com
Poonam Bhasin
Meditation Sunday 8/29/2020 @ 11:00 AM EDT
Poonam Bhasin (E-RYT & YACEP), also known by her brand name Dhyana-Grhá, is passionate about yoga and wellness. As a keen believer of yoga philosophy and practice, she is the founder of Dhyana-grhá, which translates to “Meditation House”. Poonan, who thoroughly enjoy spreading the teachings of Patanjali, actively strives to personally manifest the spiritual quotient. She is a Certified Meditation teacher and Sound Healing practitioner, specializing in Sound Baths, Sound Immersion Meditations and Sound Massages. In 2004, she completed her Certificate in Yoga Teacher’s Training Course from the Academy of Yoga in India and subsequently completed the refresher 250-hour YTT certification.
Her journey to Dhyana took her to various places, externally and internally. Deciding to look within and reorder her time, her life, and live her passion to serve, she quit her high profile fashion/retail job and decided to continue her calling to Yoga and Meditation. A while later, Dhyana-Grhá was conceptualized and soon established in Vancouver, B.C.
Website: dhyana-grhá
Facebook: dhyanagrha
Instagram: @dhyanagrha
Twitter: @dhyana-grhá
LinkedIn: Poonam Bhasin
Contact: poonam@dhyanagrha.com
Janice Krakowsky
Gentle Mat Sunday 8/29/2020 @ 12:30 PM EDT
Janice Krakowsky is a yoga teacher for people who want to learn more about yoga and how to adapt it to their needs for a lifelong practice. Through her calm, present, and nurturing way, she’s here to remind you that you are enough; teaching you how to explore yoga with a curiosity about yourself and inspire you to connect and meet yourself where you are.
When she’s not on the mat practicing or teaching yoga, you can find her playing games with her three boys (Monopoly and Uno are big hits), enjoying a leisurely walk with Cici her dog, or shamelessly binge-watching shows with her husband.
Website: Joyful Heart Yoga
Contact: Joyfulheartyoga16@gmail.com