INSTRUCTORS

Vlad Averbukh

Vlad received his Mat Pilates Certifications from Peak Pilates and Steele Pilates. In addition, Vlad is also a Certified Personal Trainer by National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Certified Boxing Instructor by International Sports Conditioning Association. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Baruch College.

Leiza Antonczak

Leiza’s yogic odyssey began over 20 years ago at an Ashram in Sweden. There she experienced her first deep meditations, asanas, kriyas and horticultural therapy.  She is presently a 500 hour Registered Yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance and has been inspired by numerous styles of yoga including Integral, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Kundalini and Anusara.  In college she studied yoga and attained a Bachelor in Music.  She has performed and practiced music therapy for many moons.  This explains why she takes a special interest and enjoys focusing her practice on pranayama: the breathing techniques.  Leiza teaches “Cardiac yoga” at UMDNJ, University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ as well as several other subacute and long term cardiac rehabilitation centers in New Jersey.  She is currently training for a license in therapeutic recreation as an Activity professional and is looking forward to leading more retreats.  She co lead a retreat to India last year as well as planting seeds for one to Spain soon.  Leiza will always be humbled by and remains in awe of the healing powers through an active yoga practice. In her life she tries to assimilate all her knowledge and her intention when she teaches is to impart cardiac centered yoga through a practice based in pranayama techniques, vinyasa movements and restorative poses.

Ruah Bhay

Ruah Bhay, a born and raised Manhattanite has lived as a student, then a teacher and researcher over a breadth of several years in France, Senegal & Sri Lanka and finally came full-circle returning to NYC.

Ruah crossed paths and fell in love with yoga while in college in upstate NY.  Ever since, she has dedicated herself to bhakti yoga (love & devotion) in a daily practice on and off of the mat, and in full expression while teaching yoga and meditation for nearly a decade.

Ruah has studied with a variety of teachers from backgrounds such as Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini and Dharma Mittra.  Ruah’s teaching style integrates each of these traditions while threading together every class with a main theme connected to a yoga philosophy that inspires a happy and healthy life.  She guides a flowing practice with mindful sequencing and focus on alignment in a fun, loving and nurturing environment – always leaving students with a smile.   Ruah’s class seemlessly brings the mind, body and breath into a harmonious union while encouraging a connection to the greatest teacher in the room  – the one that dwells in the center of the heart. 

Ruah has been in many health & fitness features and has also appeared in Marie Claire, Time Out, FOX, WPIX & NY1.  She leads private sessions and yoga retreats around the world and teaches group classes in NYC at Equinox, Yogaworks & Body & Mind Builders.  Ruah is a teacher, writer, non-profit fundraiser, rollerblader, singer, lifetime athlete and meditation practitioner.  She holds a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in Sustainable Development, is 500 hour Yogaworks Certified and Prenatal Yoga Certified.

Ruah Bhay, M.A.,
Yogaworks 500 Hr. & Prenatal Certified
www.ruahyoga.net

Caitlin’s teaching style places emphasis on precise alignment with meditative union of breath and movement.  Accessible instructions and a down to earth sense of humor make classes approachable for beginners, encourage playful exploration, and provide a light touch of philosophy, infusing inner awareness with everyday life.  Intelligent sequencing targets component parts, and teaches specific actions in preparation for challenging poses.

With over 11 years of dedicated personal yoga practice and six years as a designer, illustrator, and photographer in the corporate world, Caitlin gives special attention to the calming, focusing, and inspiring effect that asana practice has on the creative mind.  She teaches through personal experience, the profoundly therapeutic and rejuvenating benefits of consistent yoga practice to artists of all disciplines.

Influential teachers include Carrie Owerko, Jeanmarie Paolillo, Jenny Arthur, Jodie Rufty, Chrissy Carter, Susan Orem, and Tzahi Moskovitz.  500 hour certification through Yoga Works.


Clem Chin

Clemens Chin received his instructor training at Yoga To The  People, a Yoga Alliance Registered 200-hour program. Having discovered yoga at YTTP in the East Village, it quickly grew into a discipline of practicing at least twice a day.

Through deepening his practice in the YTTP teacher training program, he is now a full time yoga instructor. Bringing a lighthearted, fun and simple energy into the room.  He challenges his students but reminds them that "it's just yoga"!

Jennifer Edwards

As an expert in stress reduction and management, Jennifer has led workshops for Columbia University Medical Center, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, The American Heart Association, and write for the Huffington Post on Heath Care and Wellness.  Jennifer is trained in dance (Masters of Fine Arts), Yoga and Meditation (500 hr. Certification), and as a rising star [Minjushri] practitioner.  Jennifer 11 years of teaching experience (11 in dance), 7 (in yoga) and have taught for populations including: tweens, teens, adults, prenatal and post natal women, and individuals living with cancer.

Jennifer is certified in: Hatha, Vinyasa, Prenatal, Post Natal, Meditation, Rising Star

Julia K. Haramis

Julia K. Haramis is an NYC native and has been an avid student of Yoga for more than 10 years. Her practice has transformed her body, health and view on life. She grew up playing soccer and later started going to the gym to keep fit. While she enjoyed being active and the camaraderie of team sports, it was never a true passion and always a struggle for inspiration. Seeking stress relief and a new way to get the body moving, she was first drawn to Yoga while in college. After completing a degree in Finance and entering a career in the ever-challenging world of Wall Street, she had little time for anything else beyond work, and it took a toll on her body and spirit. After a few years of occasional Yoga classes, Julia decided she was not happy with how she was feeling and it was time for a big change. She began taking daily classes at Yoga studios, changing her diet and making her happiness a high priority. This is when things started to transform. Her love of Yoga and improved health renewed her zest for life. Since then, she has never left the mat, as she realized Yoga is essential in her life for maintaining mental and physical well-being.

Wanting to deepen her Yoga practice, Julia completed her 200 Hour RYA Teacher Training in the spring of 2007 at Yoga People in Brooklyn Heights. Immediately after that she started teaching and fell in love with it. Since then she has also completed all 108 hours of Anusara Immersions 1, 2 and 3 with Tara Glazier and Zhenja LaRosa. Julia has also studied with Seane Corn and completed her Yoga, Purpose and Action Intensive with Off the Mat, Into the World. In her studies, Julia has been primarily focusing on Vinyasa and Anusara Yoga but loves to experiment with taking classes and workshops in varying styles. Julia’s classes are a blend of all of the teachings she has enjoyed and benefited from over the years. She truly loves sharing the gift of Yoga with her students and helping them on their personal journeys. Her teaching goal is to inspire her students to challenge themselves and she strives to make Yoga accessible to student of all levels. Julia also loves introducing Yoga into the less obvious places and currently teaches Yoga classes in a Senior Center in Brooklyn and a large Financial Services Firm in midtown.

Julia is also a Certified Holistic Health Counselor. She is certified though Purchase College of SUNY, the AADP and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She completed her training in Health Counseling at IIN in 2009. IIN is the only nutrition school that integrates all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies such as Macrobiotics and Ayurveda with modern concepts like the glycemic index, metabolic typing, the Zone and raw foods. She firmly believes that no single lifestyle or way of eating works for every person. She works closely with her clients to find accessible and sustainable ways to increase their energy, health and general well being through improved nutritional and lifestyle choices. Julia also leads workshops on nutrition and health-related topics. In May of 2009 Julia left Corporate America after 10 years to pursue teaching Yoga and Health Counseling full-time and has never looked back. 

Julia K. Haramis, RYT
www.brooklynyogini.com
www.nycnutritionista.com

A professional with a passion for dancing.

July 2008 - present Dirty Dancing The Classic Story on Stage US Tour (ensemble)

August 2007 - Choreographer in Dancing with the Stars, Warsaw, Poland

September 2003 - Bronze medalist, US Open Professional RS Latin Championships

September 2006 - Gold medalist, US Open Professional RS Latin Championships

November 2002 - Bronze Medalist, Professional RS Latin Championship, Ohio Star Ball

March-November 2000 - Performing and teaching in South Korea

Nathalie Jonas

Nathalie Jonas is a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner.  She received her training at The Feldenkrais Institute of New York under the direction of David Zemach-Bersin.  Nathalie was also a professional dancer based in New York City for 12 years where she worked with various choreographers.  She has been a Professor of Dance at Barnard College since 2000.  She is a graduate of Columbia University.

Anna holds a BA in English Literature and Studio Art and a Masters in Art Therapy from Pratt Institute in New York. Prior to moving to New York, Anna lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands where she studied theater for two semesters at the Theater School of Amsterdam. For the past three years Anna has worked with children and teenagers using art and drama as a therapeutic tools for healing and self-discovery. In addition, she has traveled to India and Armenia to work with Orphanage children giving group art therapy for children who were not able to develop their creativity through art. The Creativity development groups that Anna conducted helped children trust their own choices and instincts and follow their own creative flow. Blocks and emotional challenges were worked through during these groups by forming group cohesion through group art- work. She also worked closely with children in India infected by HIV/AIDS. With them she worked on body image and helped them express their mental concepts and ideas using art. Anna used different art modalities to tap into deeper places where healing was most needed and transformation could best be achieved. Anna creates a safe space that enables the people, young or old, to open up and allow another to witness what most needs to be seen at a given time and place. Anna currently is taking private art therapy classes and is preparing to study Sandplay therapy in April 2010. She is going to continue to work with children using creative art therapy to help children create safe bonds with their peers, build self-esteem, self-confidence and help develop their own unique creativity. These tools can help children feel supported in their own independence and healing and consequently children can learn the knowledge to sooth themselves constructively and work through issues that may come up in their lives. Her passion is to teach kids how to love themselves.

Liza Laird

Finding ways to quiet and calm the mind in a fast-paced city like New York is no small task. Liza’s teaching grew out of her own desire to balance many competing demands on her attention while still feeling a sense of purpose and direction. She quickly found that she was not alone and that many men and women are struggling with the very same challenges.

Liza turned to Yoga for guidance over a decade ago and has been practicing asana actively for over four years. She specializes in helping students translate physical movements into new perspectives that help provide clarity and purpose. She loves to cook, knit, read, dance and travel. She also has a particular fondness for lizards. For her, lizards' constant pursuit of sunlight symbolizes the soul’s unending quest for awareness.

Liza is a certified YogaWorks instructor and a respected Rising Star Practitioner. She has studied with Jodie Rufty, Ann Mosca, Ashley Turner, Tzahi Moskovitz and many more. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Lafayette College, where she specialized in the intersection of Eastern and Western thought.

Mary Madsen

Mary Madsen is a dancer, choreographer, and Pilates instructor based out of New York City.  She is originally from Wisconsin and received a BFA in dance from the University of WI-Milwaukee in 2003.  Mary has been teaching Pilates since 2006. She started her self-practice in 2001 as a supplement to her dance training. In 2005 she earned a Pilates Mat certification from the Pilates Method Alliance through Teri Steele, and shortly after began teaching. She began her equipment training early in 2008 with Lisa Yourke at One on One Pilates and in addition to BMB teaches private sessions at One on One Pilates and Gramercy Pilates Fitness. Mary also holds mat certifications for physio ball and foam roller work.  She holds a BFA in modern dance performance, and in the past has also worked as a personal trainer at Equinox. Mary has taught mat classes at various gyms and studios in Brooklyn including and Park Slope Fitness Collective, Heart and Soul Pilates, and Absolute Power Fitness.  Mary uses her combined knowledge of Pilates and movement to give her clients a well-rounded beneficial workout.

Cara J. Ottilio-Cooper

After her very first hour on the mat, Cara knew where her future would take her. Instantly adoring Yoga, and having the freedom to follow her dream, she dove right in head first and vows never to stop absorbing all the knowledge she can get about the many aspects of what Yoga is. She has an extensive background in wellness, working in spas and in the fitness industry for over ten years. Her passion for Yoga has brought her to a deep understanding of it both on and off the mat. She has spent a year submersed in the Ayurvedic teachings of the world acclaimed Chopra Center in California and currently is working very closely with the International Yoga Therapist, Claire E. Diab. Cara’s main goal in life is to help create world peace and Self-Realization.

Julia Sabangan

Julia Sabangan is a native New Yorker and professional modern dancer and choreographer. After graduating from Vassar College in 2005, she received her Pilates Mat certification from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York. Since then she has been teaching Pilates both in studios and privately throughout the city. She has much experience teaching seniors, clients with injuries, pre-natal and postpartum women. She has also taught creative movement and dance, music, and gymnastics to children ages 4 months to 12 years of age. Julia also enjoys a successful career dancing for companies throughout New York, including her own, VaBang! Dance Company.

Lana Seiler

I began practicing yoga in my early twenties. I fell in love with the feeling and dove into a straightforward hatha practice with a wonderful and inspirational mother daughter teaching team in my home state of Florida. Life happened as life usually does and I practiced off and on for the next few years until I moved to New York City last year. Here is where my love and dedication to yoga turned from a joyful hobby into my life's work. I found the healing and strengthening of yoga practice to be life changing and I knew I needed to share this with other city dwellers. I became certified to teach through Yoga to the People and I have been teaching at their studio part-time. I am working to bring yoga into institutions and rehabilitation centers where people cannot always get to a class. The heart of it for me is that a yoga practice is a deeply personal and profound endeavor. It is my great honor to be able to hold space in this hectic world where people can find the courage to breathe through the uncomfortable and the challenging, to look deep within themselves, to feel the tremble of openness, to fall into tears and laughter, to dig down and offer up, to find humility in order to see real strength, to discover other faces of beauty, and to work towards balance in life on and off the mat.

Jill Stevenson

EDUCATORS

Jennifer Yim

Hi, my name is Jennifer Yim and I am a New York State Licensed teacher. I have also received my masters from Bank Street College of Education. Growing up, I attended only traditional schools and I have melded my own personal experiences as a student with my progressive educational background as a teacher. I infuse both rote learning and learning by experience so that students can gain the best experience possible with the materials I am teaching them. 
 
As a New York State educator, I am certified to teach Pre-K to 6th grade but I prefer to work with children ages 6 and above. I enjoy teaching children during the early stages when they learn how to read and write, make logical math connections and be able to show their work on paper. Graduating from a progressive masters program, I am adept with the TERC program. 
 
I have also been a SAT instructor for the past seven years. In terms of SAT prep, I am skilled to teach all three subjects, but I have a strong preference to teaching Math and Critical Reading. I have also been a private SAT tutor for three years now, primarily focusing on the Math section. 


Keisha Morgan

I'm Keisha Morgan. I have over a decade's experience teaching standardized test prep, Math, Critical Reading and Writing, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. I hold degrees in English and Biology, and am currently pursuing my Ph.D in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology. Many have asked me about the connection between English and the hard sciences, and I can only say that my extensive training in Reading and Writing have helped me to develop an avid analytic capacity that I believe has allowed me to function effectively as a researcher. For me, a marriage between the two fields has always been inevitable.


Carleigh Brower

Carleigh holds a BA in English & Psychology from Fairfield University and an MFA in Writing (Fiction) from Sarah Lawrence College.  She is a professor of College Writing at SUNY Purchase. Additionally, she is a college advisor teaches SAT prep classes in Critical Reading & Writing as well as Reading and Writing seminars.  She is also a freelance writer, and is currently working on her first novel. 

David Ciminello

Allow me to introduce myself! My name is David Ciminello. I have a BFA Degree in Acting from The Catholic University of America (I can be seen cutting Jerry Seinfeld’s hair in reruns of The Barber episode, and kidnapping both Angela Lansbury and Andy Griffith in reruns of Matlock and Murder She Wrote). I have an MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. My fiction has appeared in literary journals and anthologies, my poetry in Poetry Northwest. I have written a screenplay (Bruno, directed by Shirley MacLaine). I have taught screenwriting to adults, middle school and high school students, and have worked as a reading and writing coach. As a teaching artist I have worked with grade school and middle school students, teaching poetry and creative writing, often marrying creative writing to the visual and dramatic arts. I have done SAT prep, essay and vocabulary building, college-styled Reading and Writing Seminar, and I have worked extensively coaching students on college application essays. I am most interested in teaching reading and writing seminars, and creative and expository writing.