Category Archives: Yoga Teacher

Sarah Walsh

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Sarah WSarah Walsh’s relationship with yoga began over 11 years ago in Toronto. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, her passion for Yoga led her to New York City where she now lives and teaches.

Co-founder of Drishti Yoga International Teacher Training, and an instructor at Sangha Yoga Shala in New York, Sarah also maintains a private practice.

Sarah has taught around the world – both at yoga retreats and at yoga teacher trainings. She taught in Italy in 2011 then headed to Goa, India, where she established her own yoga studio and taught for four months. She recently returned from Bali where she co-led a teacher training with Awakened Life School of Yoga. She has also led the Drishti Yoga Teacher Training in Mexico, India and Peru.

When not training teachers or leading retreats around the Globe, Sarah can be found in New York teaching varieties of classes. This includes pre-natal, restorative, baby and me, and core-based classes in addition to her Vinyasa/Ashtanga offerings.

Sarah is a health coach, providing counseling and inspiration to private clients on nutrition and healthy life-style. In the past she has taught at The Giving Tree Yoga Studio and at several public and private fitness studios in NYC.

She was featured as the Spiritual Gangster in Hipp Trip, an online travel site and was also featured in the Elephant Journal who showcased her teachings abroad.

Sarah Walsh has her YA 200 hour certification in Vinyasa yoga from Sonic Yoga in NYC and obtained YA 500 hours in Ashtanga in India.

She teaches both styles because she feels they are wonderful complements to each other: her Ashtanga classes are influenced by Vinyasa’s focus on alignment and her Vinyasa creative flow classes benefit from the structural element of Ashtanga.

A class with Sarah is a combination of both physical and spiritual experience. Sarah will guide you on a unique journey, while leading you on your own exciting and enlightening path to provide inspiration for others.

For more on Sarah: One Conscious Breath’s interview with Sarah Walsh

Jonah Fay-Hurvitz, NYC 2012

“I only realized how much yoga meant to me after found Sarah as my teacher. She perfectly balances spirituality and movement, and every class is a beautiful journey, always leading to a new and deeper place. Sarah develops meaningful connections with all her students, helping them fulfill their intensions, always with support, guidance and love.”

 

 

 

Aimee McCabe

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Aimee originally moved to New York from Kansas to pursue acting. She noticed that as her acting career progressed, she was continually more drawn to yoga because of the generosity, ease and sense of calm that her own practice cultivated in her life off the yoga mat. Aimee particularly enjoys working with women in particularly challenging times–teaching prenatal, Baby & Me yoga, and yoga to women through and after cancer, as well as working as a labor support doula. Bringing more than a decade of personal practice and teaching to her students, she infuses lightness into the practices that have brought her through difficult times. She is endlessly grateful for the support and compassion shown by her teachers and feels blessed for the opportunity to teach and learn from her students.

Certifications: Women Cancer Survivors Training: Tari Prinster, Pre and Postnatal Certifications: Deb Flashenberg & Nikita Maxwell, Baby & Me: Jyothi Larsen, How to Teach Restorative: Margi Young, Pranayama Teacher Training: Cyndi Lee & Joe Miller, 200 hour certification: Cyndi Lee, Joe Miller, Frank Mauro, Sarah Trelease, Margi Young, Christie Clark

View Aimee’s Schedule

Ryan Jedlicka

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ryanRyan Jedlicka found yoga in 2005 while working as an arts instructor in Baltimore, MD.  Soon after, his career as a dog walker led him to the non heated, silent practice of ashtanga.  Ashtanga soon became his preferred choice of practice, using postures and breath to warm and open the body while navigating the mat to quiet the mind.  In 2012, following the suggestion of a trusted teacher, he completed his 200 hour teacher training with Kim Manfredi and Charm City Yoga.  As a teacher of yoga, Ryan aims to listen to his students while providing a safe environment for deepening one’s practice.  His teachings encourage patience and self-awareness and emphasize the importance of intentional breath with the deliberate alignment of postures to strengthen the body and ease the mind.  Ryan enjoys teaching a variety of classes from basic and beginner to intermediate and advanced.  Having recently moved to New York City, Ryan is eager to share his practice and findings here with a new community of teachers and students.

Emilia Hallquist

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yoga picEmilia first tried yoga twelve years ago in NYC to see if the boys in class were really as cute as she heard they were. Her practice has evolved from on the mat, to off, as she pursues her passion for teaching. To teach is to learn again. She obtained her 200-hour and pre-natal certification from OM Yoga Center in NYC. As a new mom herself, teaching pre and postnatal is a truly rewarding experience, helping expecting and returning moms reconnect with their body and breath for a few minutes during their hectic lives. Together in class, we explore how to turn obstacles into opportunities, focus on the breath for balance, and find the inner strength we might have lost under a pile of laundry.

Rebecca Cousin

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Rebecca Cousin grew up as a dancer. When she found yoga in 2000, she discovered a new journey in movement and in breath that lead to healing with her body, but also her mind and spirit. She has studied many different styles of yoga and is also a Reiki Master and a Doula. Her classes are a blend of hatha and vinyasa yoga, qi gong, natural movement, breathwork, and fun. Rebecca also teaches restorative and pre and post natal. She incorporates a strong element of connecting to the cycles of the Earth & Moon, and encourages students to connect to their own intuitions through meditation. Feel free to read more about Rebecca on her website ~ SapientiaOscen.com
Sapientia Oscen is latin for “Wisdom Bird”

Mistral Hay

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mhayHS2012webMistral hails from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and grew up on ballet. She sought out dance in New York, and she currently freelances as a modern dancer and yoga teacher. A chronic injury from dance brought her to yoga, and she quickly found that its benefits exceeded her expectations of the practice, as more than a supplement to dance. Mistral aims to teach insightful and safe yoga classes focusing on anatomical alignment and support. Yoga should be accessible to everyone in every walk of life. Mistral formats her classes based on the needs of individuals, and her classes range anywhere from a vigorous Vinyasa flow to a more restorative practice.

Susanna Breslaoukhov

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I received my certification to teach Vinyasa Yoga at the 500-hour level after completing multiple trainings with Elizabeth Neuse in New York City.  My curiosity about yoga and meditation led me to study in India, where my travels taught me as much about myself as they did about the different people and cultures of the country.  Having majored in Biology in college, I combine my knowledge of anatomy with creative sequencing, verbal and physical adjustments, and relaxing  guided meditations to create a class environment in which my students can learn more about their practice and themselves. I continue to be amazed by yoga and its ability to influence and improve every aspect of living.


 

Ashley Smith

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AshleyAs a former collegiate volleyball player turned marketing guru, writer and music aficionado, Ashley enjoys a life influenced by art, travel, wellness and human interaction. While working abroad in Australia and traveling throughout Asia in 2012, she studied in Bali, Indonesia (200hr RYT) with her teachers Alison Eaton and Craig Perkins to learn Hatha and Vinyasa styles of yoga. Her personal style of Vinyasa Flow reflects her love for music, rhythm and breath. Her classes balance a respect of the Eastern traditions of yoga with a Western flavor as she flows through the asanas with a diverse playlist of contemporary, soulful sounds. Each class is taught in a playful, nurturing style where all levels of experience are catered for. She aims to inspire students to find the joy in their yoga practice and leave class with a contagious smile.

Alana Kessler

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Alana Kessler MS RD CDN CYT, Ayurvedic specialist is the founder of Sangha Yoga Shala, a community nutrition, yoga and conscious living space located in New York City. Steadfast in her passion for healthy living, she continues to deepen her knowledge through her many teachers and life itself, which she firmly believes is the greatest teacher of all. With the integration of nutrition, yoga, mindfulness, and a dedicated personal practice since 1999, Alana provides individuals with the practical tools they need to live more balanced and meaningful lives. She founded Sangha Yoga Shala as a way of reaching a greater scope of individuals on a deeper level.

Eternally grateful to the people, experiences and education which have helped shape her practice and offering, Alana is committed to Ashtanga Yoga as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and is dedicated to a daily mysore style practice since 2007. In NYC, she maintains the connection between student and teacher sharing her practice and gratitude with Eddie Stern at AYNY.  She spent the summer 2012 at KPJAYI in Mysore, India studying under R. Sharath Jois, and is looking forward to her next trip in October 2013. A student first and foremost, her passion is inspiring, integrating and assimilating information learned through committed practice into a healing and accessible experience for everyone.

Personally transformed by the cleansing and purifying sequencing of Ashtanga yoga, Alana’s classes are taught directly from her own personal practice, offering an intelligent, compassionately disciplined and introspective environment. Students are invited to embrace and transcend limitations by connecting breath with movement in a dynamic meditative flow.

As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Ayurvedic practitioner with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from NYU, Alana complements her teaching by encouraging and supporting individuals and groups to integrate nutrition, mindful lifestyle behaviors and yoga as an effective means to nurture and achieve their goals.

Testimonials /

Prior to coming to Sangha Yoga Shala, my relationship with yoga was casual at best.  I practiced on and off, whenever I “felt” like it, or if a friend dragged me to a class.  Truth was, I was a cardio junkie, and, while I appreciated the relaxation yoga provided, I didn’t think of it as a legitimate work out.  Forever desperate to lose 15 pounds, that’s what I was interested in–a work out.

And that’s how I discovered Sangha: a friend dragged me to an Ashtanga-inspired vinyasa class taught by Alana Kessler, the owner of the studio.  I sweated my way through 90 minutes of sun salutations, side crows, and headstands (none of which I could do), and for the first time I thought there might be something to this yoga thing.

Three years later, I have a dedicated Ashtanga yoga practice at Sangha.  I travel 45 minutes each way to practice in this space–it feels like no place else.  It is a supportive community of people at various stages in their individual yoga journeys–some of us are just beginning, and some have fully dedicated themselves, and still others might be doubting exactly where and how yoga fits into their lives–and everyone is accepted for who they are, exactly where they are.  

Alana is not only an exceptional teacher (she guided me all the way through Ashtanga’s primary series, and I have now just started second series), but she is patient and kind, and respectful of all of her students’ individual relationship to yoga.  Guided by Alana and the studio, my own path led me to a five day a week practice, huge emotional shifts, and a sense of stabiliy previously unknown to me. That I did lose those 15 pounds with Ashtanga yoga now seem irrevelent (though shopping is now way more fun), and the lightness I feel isn’t from losing body fat, it’s from losing a lot of emotional baggage.  Some people practice yoga to see what they can do, and others practice to see who they are–my journey took me to the latter.  Now, when I come to my mat at Sangha, I think, “I am home.”

-Suzanne G

Practicing Mysore Ashtanga with Alana Kessler has been an invaluable experience for which I am tremendously grateful. Not only is she attentive to my needs and abilities as an individual, she leaves me with an equally empowering space to explore my practice on a deeply personal level. Both my body and mind have transformed as a result of her teachings and guidance, and the strength, patience and love I have gained from this commitment have infiltrated my life at large. I feel truly at home in this small, but very special studio, made all the more unique by its warm and dedicated student following. It is such a joy to practice with Alana and to be a part of the Sangha Ashtanga community. 

- Emily K

As a beginner yogi just trying to catch my breath after every pose, I had to call on the yoga gods to help me get me aligned.  I’m so glad I did!  Alana, the owner of the studio, actually teaches the basic yoga classes and she is more than qualified in her craft.  She is helping me with my down dog, tree pose and hip opening, all the while focusing on breathing and perfecting my poses.  I must admit, it is a bit of a sweatbox especially because its the summer, but the sweat is helping me to release toxins and actually helping me with my poses.  The class sizes are small which works even better in my favor, and there is also a shower, changing area, awesome granola for sale and mat rentals.  After my trial period is up, I will be signing up for more classes and hopefully leaving this studio doing a full headstand.

-Ava A

I feel deeply grateful that I began my Mysore Ashtanga practice with Alana Kessler at Sangha Yoga Shala. Alana has been a patient, supportive, and wise teacher – something that, as a beginner to the practice when I began six months ago, I know had an enormous influence on my continued and committed practice. My experience in this studio has been transformational in both mind and body, and the benefits continue to change and surprise me. Sangha Yoga Shala is a warm, welcoming, and very special place.

- Emma B