Baxter Bell MD

Baxter has been studying Hatha yoga since 1994 and teaching since 1999, both public classes and specialty back care classes. He is a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Studio’s Advanced Studies 2000 program, and has studied regularly with Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden and Erich Schiffman. He teaches a nurturing style of yoga, with a strong emphasis on re-awakening our innate curiosity about ourselves and our world.

Baxter offers periodic workshops and retreats, with more info available on his website at www.bellyoga.info. He also offers private yoga instruction, as well as incorporates yoga asana and pranayama in his medical acupuncture practice.

FAVORITE POSE Half-King of the Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

“This classic seated twist is one of my favorite all-time poses. It is great for opening up the tight outer hips we all have, is good for students with lower back issues when done modified, brings rotational movement in to the entire spine, and is said to be of benefit for the abdominal organs by the yogis. I love how it feels in my body, and there is something regal about the pose when viewed from outside.”

Sadie Chanlett-Avery

Sadie Chanlett-Avery began practicing hatha yoga in utero and emerged into the mountains of West Virginia after a few pivotal cat/cow poses. After a two decade hiatus, she reconnected with yoga at her local gym. The practice ignited an exploration of how Eastern approaches integrate with Western forms of exercise.

Sadie received her teacher certification from AnaForrest in 2003 and has immersed for months in the jungles of Costa Rica with Master Yoga and Tantric Meditation Teacher, Glenn Black. Sadie holds a personal training certification from the American College of Sports Medicine and serves as the In-House Yogi in the employee gym at Clif Bar & Company. Offering an understanding of anatomy, biomechanics and the profound effects of conscious relaxation, Sadie assists Yoga Tune Up(R) founder, Jill Miller, in teacher trainings across the country. In June 2009, Sadie will complete a Masters Degree in Holistic Health Education from JFK University with specialized coursework in nutrition and somatic psychology.

Sadie appreciates the diverse expression of the human genome with the belief that people of all ages and sizes can benefit from exercise and heal with yoga. With humor and compassion, she applies ancient yogic principles to individual needs and modern lifestyles. She infuses her classes with a playful, energetic attitude while challenging students to open, strengthen, and relax.

Kristin Goldsmith

Kristin began her career in movement at the age of six in tap shoes and a pink tutu, and took her first yoga class at eighteen. She considers her own personal pilates/yoga and Vipassana meditation practice as her foundation for living mindfully and becoming a more compassionate human being. She has been teaching movement full-time since 2001.

Kristin recently completed the 200-hour Ana Forrest Yoga Teacher Training and is an Associate Forrest Yoga Teacher. She is certified in Pilates Mat and Equipment by the Ellie Herman Studio, Mat and Standing PilatesKristin Goldsmith by the PhysicalMind Institute, and Elvis "the Pelvis" and MasterStretch by Bodycode. For over five years, she worked at Center of Balance in Mountain View, CA (Voted "Best Yoga Studio 2007" by the Mountain View Voice and "Best Pilates Studio 2004" by San Francisco Magazine) under the mentorship of master Pilates, Ashtanga Yoga and Franklin Method teacher Tom McCook. Her style is also heavily influenced by many years of study with beloved San Francisco Vinyasa Yoga teacher Steph Snyder. She enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities, and has had great success with acute and chronically injured clients and pre- and post-natal women, as well as a younger, more athletic demographic.

Kristin is committed to helping all of her students gain focus, grace and awareness of breath for improved strength, coordination, posture and balance. Her soulful and challenging yoga classes will make you breathe, sweat and laugh! When not teaching, she is often hanging out with her friends and loved ones in the East Bay or performing with her 1960's go-go dance troupe, The Devil-Ettes! For more information, visit www.kristingoldsmith.com.

FAVORITE POSE: Crow Pose (Bakasana)

“A hip opener, a core exercise, a spine stretch, and an arm balance all wrapped up into one invigorating and playful pose! Crow Pose develops ease in your hip joints, power in your arms and upper back AND boosts your self-confidence. On a spirit level, it promotes self-trust and a ”Yes, I can” attitude.”

Chrissy Graham

Chrissy has been a student of yoga for 9 years, and is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor. Her goal in starting a practice in Yoga was to heal her body, and to find a higher path of fulfillment and enjoyment in life. Chrissy was first introduced to Anusara Yoga through a chance encounter with Emily Dubin, also a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor. Chrissys first meeting with Emily Dubin was a propitious one, indeed. After her first Anusara Yoga class, she new this was the style of Yoga she wanted to immerse herself in, and she has been diving into the currents of Anusara ever since.

Following one year of introductory studies with Emily Dubin, Chrissy went on to study directly with John Friend, Anusara Yoga’s creator. She has taken all of her teacher, and therapy trainings directly with John, and has accumulated over 350 hrs with him. She has also studied with a number of other highly skilled Anusara teachers. In addition to her studies with John, she has studied with fabulously skilled teachers, like, Emily Dubin, Sianna Sherman, whom she now assists locally, and nationally, as well as Mitchell Bleier, and Amy Ippoliti. She has adoringly spent many hours studying in the Philosophical traditions of Rajanaka, Tantra, with Dr. Douglas Brooks. Chrissy presently teaches public classes, workshops, and mini Immersions all over the Bay area. Chrissy brings a dynamic, and supportive energy to her classes that blend philosophy, Therapeutics, and insightful wisdom, from her own life experiences.

Pete Guinosso

Pete brings over 30 years of fitness experience to his yoga teaching. He graduated from the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training in 2006 and is continuously inspired by the students in his class, the teachings of Vipassana (Insight) Meditation, and Ana Forrest. He recently assisted Ana Forrest for a month during the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training and has over 600 hours of training with Ana Forrest.

Pete’s classes are a journey towards connecting the body, mind, and spirit by practicing a vigorous asana while integrating breath work and awareness. His joyful energy, sense of humor, and spiritual insight create an environment for his students to uncover the deeper benefits of the yoga practice.

To learn more about Pete, visit his website www.yogaislife.net

Michelle Cordero

Michelle brings over ten years of yoga, bodywork and fitness experience to her yoga teaching. Her teachers include Ana Forrest, Maty Ezraty, Lisa Walford, Shiva Rea and Roger Cole. She is a graduate of both the Yogaworks, Los Angeles and the Ana Forrest Teacher Trainings. Over the years, Michelle has taught several styles of hatha yoga including Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar based. Today, her primary influence and inspiration is Ana Forrest and the Forrest Yoga method.

Deeply commited to high quality instruction and to evolving her practice, Michelle continues to study with and assist Ana at workshops around the West Coast. In her classes Forrest Yoga techniques, core strength and breath awareness combine to help students of all levels develop greater strength, flexibility and inner awareness. Michelle's classes are dynamic yet mindful, challenging yet fun. "I hope I can inspire students to deepen their relationship to their spirit, and offer a space for physical and emotional healing through the practice of yoga. I am propelled by my own fascination for the gift of yoga and grateful to be able to share this powerful practice." Michelle is also a Level 3 certified Yamuna Body Rolling Therapist/Educator and Teacher Trainer. She had the good fortune to apprentice with Yamuna Zake, creator of Body Logic and Body Rolling, for a year in New York City.

FAVORITE POSE Ustrasana - Camel Pose

As a teacher, I love this backbend because it is accessible to everyone regardless of age or ability. I use it to teach safe backbending and to relieve stiffness in back, shoulders and ankles. As a yogini, I use ustrasana in my own personal practice to increase my breath capacity, create stability and length through my lower back and pelvis. There are many incredible healing variations to this posture - try it against a wall, block between the legs, with support. In our culture, creating a huge yet safe chest/heart opening and stimulating the kidneys is vital for health and vibrancy.

Cynthea Denise

Cynthea is passionate about yoga as a discipline for the body and soul. She has practiced with Rodney Yee at Piedmont Yoga for over a decade. In 1996, she graduated from the Piedmont Yoga Studio's Advanced Studies program and has since taught in the Bay Area. Since childhood, she recalls the urge to twist and fold her body into 'funny' poses. As an adult, she personally witnessed yoga's transformative power while using it as a means to rehabilitate a broken arm.

Cynthea delights in sharing the insights of her practice with students of all ages. She is also the proud mother of an energetic 6 yr. old. Visit Cynthea's web site at www.shaktimoon.com.

FAVORITE POSE

"Twisting through Asanas gives rise to the opportunity to experience the spirals within my body"

Sean Michael Hall

Sean began his practice of yoga in 1996. Inspired by the dramatic shifts that took place in his life as a result, he quit his career as a software engineer to embark on his path as healer. In 2000, after a year-long private apprenticeship, Sean began teaching Warrior Yoga - a vigorous, heart-filled approach to yoga based on vinyasa yoga, capoeira, and the martial arts. In 2002, Sean continued his education as a student in Piedmont Yoga Studios Advanced Studies program with Rodney Yee and Richard Rosen. This program was largely inspired by Iyengar yoga, with an emphasis on alignment and mindfulness. Currently, Sean studies with two of his favorite teachers, Kofi Busia and Ramanand Patel as often as possible. Sean's classes blend the full spectrum of approaches he has practiced and studied. They tend to be physically challenging and vinyasa-based, but with a strong emphasis on correct alignment and cultivating the mindfulness needed to find and experience the deeper states of awareness that proper alignment allows. Sean is also a licensed acupuncturist specializing in musculoskeletal complaints and women's health, and is co-owner of On Point Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine. More information about Sean can be found at his website, www.ebacupuncture.com.

FAVORITE POSE

Strength, flexibility, balance, and mental focus. Each are aspects of ourselves that we develop in the practice of yoga asana. It took me well over 10 years to feel comfortable in Parivritta Urdhva Yogadandasana (revolved upward yogi's staff pose). Working towards the pose has been a great reminder that, for me, the joy in yoga is found more in the journey than the destination.

Naushon Kabat-Zinn

Naushon has been a student of yoga since she was a little girl. Her challenging, yet compassionate Power Vinyasa classes are a wonderful way to cultivate strength, serenity, flexibility and balance. Inspired by her studies with Baba Hari Dass, Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, and the teachings of Vispassana (Insight) Meditation, Naushon 's all levels classes emphasize the linking of movement with breath, cultivating our ability to awaken to the present moment. Please visit her www.naushonyoga.blogspot.com for more information.

FAVORITE POSE

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Ava Roy

Ava's focus is on the connection between breath and movement, emphasizing breath awareness at the core of practice. Ava maintains strong attention to alignment, creative sequencing and personal attention - in the form of safe physical assists and by inviting students to honor the wisdom of their own bodies. She has experience in a range of movement forms including dance, partner acrobatics, and intensive physical work as an actor. Ava aims to hold a safe space where students can release the emotional energy and tension that becomes physically bound in the body.

Ava is a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher and has trained and taught throughout California, in Massachusetts, India, Greece and Mexico. Her classes synthesize her backgrounds in classical astanga, vinyasa flow, Forrest yoga, and yin yoga.

Off the mat, Ava is the artistic director of We Players, presenting site-specific, interactive theater. Meet WE at: www.weplayers.org

Vickie Russell Bell

ickie has been studying yoga since 1990 and began teaching in 1994 in Ohio. Her teaching style emphasizes body awareness, alignment, and the integration of mindfulness and ease in Hatha yoga practice and daily life. Vickie sees yoga as a direct way to manipulate the nervous system in a world full of stimulation and stress. Her intention is to help her students to increase their level of daily awareness and consciousness, so that they might begin to unearth the Truth of who they really are.

She is a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Studio Advanced Training Program and a certified "Relax and Renew Trainer" through Judith Lasater's accredited program. Vickie is also on the core faculty for the Advanced Training Program at PYS. Find more information on Vickie at her website
www.yoga-vickie.com.

FAVORITE POSE PARIVRTTA JANU SIRSASANA

Revolved Head of the Knee Pose I love this asana-it makes me feel like all the inner muck and chaos have been vacuumed out! The pose is quite challenging, as it has aspects of back bending, forward bending and twisting. As I focus on lengthening my side-waist and spine, my shoulders and hamstrings get a very satisfying stretch. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana stimulates the liver and kidneys, and aids digestion. I highly recommend its practice for anyone suffering from adrenal fatigue.

Katie Silcox

Katie was taught yoga in south India, in the home of the quietly famous yogis A.G. and Indra Mohan, authors of Yoga for Body Breath and Mind, and two of Krishnamacharya’s last students. In 2006, she met her teacher and mentor, Rod Stryker, and has been initiated into the 5000+ year old Himalayan tradition that includes the lineage of master teachers such as Swami Rama, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, and Bengali Baba. This style of yoga, known as Para Yoga, blends the three rivers of Tantra Hatha Yoga, Ayurveda and the Yoga Sutras into one comprehensive study. Her focus is on aligning the physical with the subtle by using breath, awareness, alignment, and ancient yoga techniques including meditation, pranayama, kriya, bandha, chakra work, mudra, and mantra.

With a reputation for creating a challenging class which incorporates the more subtle layers of breath and energy-work, she also strives to help students uncover their highest potential though tapas (purification & discipline), stiram (steadiness in body/mind) and sukham (maintaining a healthy sense of humor or ease during practice). She motivates students to remember Bhavana, or the intention behind why we practice yoga, in each and every class. Katie currently assists Rod Stryker in teacher trainings and conferences throughout the country. To learn more about Katie, visit her website, www.yogabhavana.blogspot.com

FAVORITE POSE Eka Pada Rajakapotasansa

In this pose I challenge the limitations in my physical body, particularly in the hips, thighs, groins, and the psoas. On a level of breathwork and bhavana (or internal feeling behind the pose), I tend to emphasize the exhale in conjunction with Ishvara Pranidhana (complete surrender to the Divine). And yet, even more than just a humbling surrendered experience, this pose has the potential for empowering qualities of aliveness. I will oftentimes lift my back knee off of the floor, feeling the inner edges of my thigh muscles engage and draw away from each other. If I can root my awareness in the power of my lower body, including my tailbone, I can often use my lower body as a spring-board for the unfurling of a life-force at the base of the spinal column. Through this steady base, I become more and more adept at discovering the grace and beauty of a glowingly vulnerable and open heart.

Kimber Simpkins

Inspired by the beauty and grace of yoga, Kimber Simpkins teaches fun, heart-centered Anusara classes, vigorous but nurturing. Kimber has studied extensively with Katchie Ananda and has been strongly influenced by the Anusara principles of alignment and their use in helping students fully experience the balance between freedom and strength. She integrates music and self-exploration into her classes, emphasizing the vital connection between breath and movement in every pose.

FAVORITE POSE

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Domonick Wegesin

Domonick is a yogi-neuroscientist-dancer with a bent towards meditation and the healing arts. He recently moved to the Bay Area from New York City with his husband and their schnoodle. In New York, Domonick conducted neuroimaging research focused on the aging brain, as a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Columbia University. Domonick now trains the brains and bodies of his yoga students, helping them wake up to their mental, emotional and physical experience in a way that cultivates awareness, acceptance and ease.

Domonick is also the creator of Yoga Hikes. To read more about Domonick and Yoga Hikes, visit www.YogaHikes.org.

FAVORITE POSE Parivrtta Vasisthasana (Revolved Side Plank)

Parivrtta = revolved; Vasistha was a celebrated sage and the author of several Vedic hymns. This asana is dedicated to him. I love practicing Parivrtta Vasisthasana because it connects me to a sense of flow and dance. I love the flipping over out of down dog to come into the pose, turning things upside down. The long extension of the pose and the lifting of the heart to the sky take me back to jazz dance class at the University of Minnesota, when my favorite teacher Kathy would have us pause mid-dance for a dramatic "jazz moment". Kathy would love this pose, too. Parivrtta Vasisthasana makes me feel alive and joyful.