Our Teachers
 Ryan Arnoldy leads yoga classes, workshops and retreats on the mainland US and Hawaii. He was born into a family of healers and inheriting his gift as a teacher from his great grandmother, a medicine woman in the Cherokee Tribe. Ryan trained at North America’s renown yoga school Sacred Movement/Exhale in Los Angeles and studied with many master teachers including David Life, Shannon Gannon, Dharma Mittra, Mark Whitwell, Micheline Berry. He continues to study with Max Strom and Shiva Rea. For the past two years he has been designing, facilitating and co-leading vinyasa yoga teacher trainings as well as teacher development and mentoring programs for emerging instructors.
Ryan's background in transforming consciousness and human potential both infuse and enrich his teachings. He completed trainings with The Mankind Project, Inner Journey Seminars, Micheline Berry’s Teacher Empowerment Intensive and Studio Serenity’s Annual Teacher Immersion. In 2007 Ryan graduated from the Facilitator Training of Inner Journey Seminars, San Francisco. A daily practitioner of yoga & meditation, he nourishes his musical bend with kirtan though occasionally returning to his early roots on the saxophone.
When not on the mat, Ryan can be found pursuing his love for adventure, freedom and acceleration with sky-diving, trapeze flying and motorcycling. He has crossed the continental US multiple times as well as multi-directional. With a degree in Global Studies from the University of Minnesota, he originally relocated to work in international affairs in Washington DC where he stumbled upon yoga as a catalyst for social and global change.
Class Style: Dynamic and challenging flow classes that are energizing, motivating and humor infused while always expanding a student's practice.
 Katja Brandis has been a healing arts practitioner for twenty years and leads yoga classes, workshops and retreats in the U.S., Europe and Hawaii. She is the owner of Studio Serenity and Child Birth Care and directs Teacher Trainings as well as Serenity's mentoring and staff development program. Katja studied with some of the most respected teachers in the world and holds multiple certifications; 200 hrs with Chuck Miller and Rod Stryker; 500 hrs advanced level with Shiva Rea. Katja read her first vedic text in 1988 and began her training in meditation in 1990 at the University of Freiburg. She received a magna cum laude degree in Dance from the University of Hawaii in 1996. She regularly travels to national teacher trainings with Shiva Rea and assists Shiva's classes at the renown yoga school Exhale/Sacred Movement in Los Angeles. Katja is a registered experienced E-RYT with the Yoga Alliance.
As birth advocate and doula, Katja has been teaching fertility awareness, childbirth education and women’s spirituality for the past ten years. Her birthing classes have been featured on Fox TV and have facilitated over 3,000 couples in the Washington DC area. In 2007 she completed the Peter Levine based Facilitation Training with Inner Journey Seminars in San Francisco, a therapeutic approach that assists people with trauma recovery and somatic healing.
Katja worked in the public policy field for 8 years and has been a presenter at the Truman Foundation, Green Festival and Voice of America and was interviewed by several media outlets -Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, Washington Times and City Paper. A business owner of two ventures in Washington DC, she is devoted to creating a caring, loving and joyful environment for all clients, students and teachers and to serve their fulfillment.
Class Style: Heating and high energy flow classes with complex arm balances and inversions that take you to the edge and spin the latest bhakti music.
 Abby Dobbs graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience and Marine Biology. She is an avid SCUBA diver, free-flow dancer, tea drinker, reader, and yogini. Abby's yoga journey began when she discovered the immense passion that was brought forth exploring Forrest Yoga with her teacher and mentor Ana Forrest. After completing her first teacher training through Forrest Yoga, she was given the opportunity to go further in a training with Natasha Rizopoulos of YogaWorks.
Abby added the complete authenticity, the power and depth, and the joyfulness of Forrest Yoga to the sequencing and exact alignment of YogaWorks. Through a dynamic and mindful combination of poses in Abby's classes, you will have fun, get sweaty, and most importantly, breathe deeply. Abby is so grateful for the opportunity to share her passion and delight of yoga to her students, both the physical asana, and the deeper philosophical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Through her teaching, she hopes to share with her students the importance of physical, but most importantly emotional strength- the ability to connect to and trust the inner wisdom of the body. Abby wants to help her students find and ride the edges of their body and mind honestly and without judgment- both on and off of the mat.
 Ayelet Fischer's classes reflect her love of mindful movement, and dedication to the yoga heritage that was passed down to her from her teachers. As a yogini practicing for nearly a decade, and a 200-hour certified teacher through YogaWorks, Ayelet's classes draw on the Ashtanga and Iyengar traditions, while incorporating the fun and challenge of Vinyasa flow.
When not on her yoga mat, Ayelet works in psychology and public health research. In the past she has worked with victims of abuse and substance users, and currently works with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Ayelet's interest in psychology informs her yoga practice and vice versa, as she strives towards a greater understanding of holistic health-- that of mind, body and soul.
 Amy Goh began her yoga journey before embarking to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa. Knowing that she may need a therapeutic outlet in what could be a difficult experience, she found yoga to the perfect solution. She has had the great fortune of being able to share her passion for yoga with a rural Quilombo community in Brazil, Korean high schoolers studying in Australia and to US women who are victims of intimate partner violence.
Amy completed her teacher training at Power Yoga Works in Philadelphia, PA. She has practiced under Baron Baptiste and also studied in Mysore, India with the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath. She has a Master of Philosophy in International Development and when she is not practicing her supta kurmasana, she works as a nurse in infectious diseases.
 Gopi Kinnicutt is an Experienced Registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance (ERYT 500). She lived in an ashram for 8 years where she studied and taught Indian philosophy in-depth, vegetarian cooking, ayurveda and mantra meditation. She is the founder of Yoga Mandali in Saratoga Springs NY, she has been practicing yoga for more than ten years and has been teaching since 2002. She first trained in Astanga Vinyasa, she further trained extensively with Shiva Rea and completed an advanced training with Ana Forrest.
Through her personal practice and experience, Gopi has developed her own unique teaching style. She takes her students into a dynamic multi-dimensional flow, breaking through rigidity and stiffness; she infuses her classes with penetrating mantras and breath work. She incorporates deep marma (pressure point) therapy techniques when assisting students. She addresses individual’s needs and limitations, creating a safe environment for her students, guiding them through physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Gopi has furthered her studies in yoga therapy, completing her certification for trauma sensitive yoga.
She is certified in Thia yoga body work, completing her training with Micheal Buck. She specializes in privates as she incorporates marma point’s (accupresure), and Thai yoga massage techniques.
 Amberlyn Mathis hopes to share with her students the experience of being fully alive and in the present moment. Daily yoga practice has been transformational in Amberlyn's life and has provided a tool for knowing and accepting herself more completely. She invites individual exploration of the body, breath, mind, and heart as she believes that each student is their own best teacher and that through the practice of yoga, all aspects of the self can be unified.
Amberlyn enjoys working with students who are uncertain about what yoga can offer them, students just beginning their journey into yoga, students interested in the therapeutic applications of yoga, and students looking to experience their practice more fully.
Amberlyn's classes offer careful attention to the body, the safety and alignment of the poses, and creates the space for a safe opportunity to balance and heal. Classes with Amberlyn are slower paced, focus on on the breath, and are often taught without music to increase the student's attention to their breath. Amberlyn integrates the knowledge of modern psychology with the ancient wisdom of yoga and views both sets of teachings as opportunities for diminishing suffering and understanding the human condition. She completed her 200 hrs in 2007 and continues her training with Max Strom. She holds a PhD in Psychology.
"I aim to help students explore the ever-shifting balance of constructive challenging effort with a sense of ease, while maintaining care for oneself and safety."
Class Style: Instructional classes focusing on alignment. Slow pace, less flow, more modification and no music. Great class for beginners and students with injuries.
 Karoline Neville finds peace and joy through the beauty, grace and power of coordinating movement and breath through her physical yoga practice. She is a playful and nurturing teacher with a particular emphasis on protecting the body with proper alignment. Responsive to student needs, Karoline's classes range from gentle to vigorous and everything in between. She believes every person has an incredible inner beauty calling to be recognized and that we all have the power to radiate our joy!
An ardent believer in the physical, mental and spiritual healing powers of yoga, Karoline has spent much time studying and applying yoga as an adjunct treatment for anxiety, depression and stress-related issues. She is currently studying and practicing Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is a facilitated self-awareness process utilizing the mind-body connection. A therapy session consists of supported yoga postures and client-directed dialogue, which may release underlying tensions, emotions, or beliefs and result in a deepened sense of self-awareness and relaxation.
Karoline is now offering yoga-therapy sessions at Studio Serenity. Read more here...
 Shannon Ramirez has been practicing vinyasa yoga for over eight years. Her main influences stem from the well-versed and creative teachers at OM yoga center in New York City, namely Cyndi Lee, Brian Liem, Frank Mauro, and Sarah Trelease.
Shannon’s classes are inspired by a playful flow and interconnection between breath and movement, especially embracing the philosophy that transitions in asana are just as important as the poses themselves. She aims to foster mindful awareness through a focus on the purification of the physical body as leading to the purification of the mind.
Class Style: Playful, energetic, and challenging flow to alternative music.
 Roxanne Rashedi has been practicing yoga since she was 16 years old. She completed the 200-hour RYT Teacher Training Program at YogaSource Los Gatos in California. Drawing from various styles of yoga, ranging from Power to Forrest to Yin, Roxanne’s classes are eclectic. As a developing literary scholar (B.A. English Honors, UC Berkeley), she brings in beautiful readings of poetry and a taste of various theoretical and philosophical works, making the experience of her classes interdisciplinary.
For Roxanne, synchronizing movement with breath is essential because she no longer is immersed in the crazy world of midterms, papers, and deadlines. Living in the 21st century, Roxanne feels that this can be truly liberating and pleasurable to the mind, body, and spirit, allowing one to delve deep into themselves—their ways of moving, being, thinking, and feeling. As she guides her students through the flow, she hopes to provide them with the space to express themselves to their fullest potential, not only on the mat, but also, off the mat and into their everyday lives. While not teaching, Roxanne attends Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
 Mimi Rieger was trained and certified by David Ingalls in Washington DC in 2003, one of the few teachers directly authorized to transmit the Ashtanga system by K. Pattabhi Jois. Her classes are distilled from years of strong personal practice in the Ashtanga system. She is the Regional Director of Budokon, an energetic practice that melds the yogic and martials arts, for DC, VA & MD and trains teachers and students in the area. Mimi believes in encouraging students to push past existing physical barriers and exploring new paths.
Most of Mimi's yoga classes are practices based upon sun salutations A and B infused with warriors, standing poses, arm balances and inversions. Come enjoy the journey.
Class Style: Vigorous but supportive vinyasa flow class with classical ashtanga elements, frequenting some "third series" asanas for the enjoyment of the experienced palate.
 Susie Ryan's first love was rhythm and dance. Her yoga journey began with her first class in 1970. After moving to DC in the mid-eighties she began to take her own sadhana (practice) more seriously as yoga became an integral part of her life, her passion if you will. After training with yogi Bhekja she began to explore different yoga systems, and to attend classes and workshops across the US and India with many of the Western and Eastern yogi masters.
Susie is committed to and enjoys introducing yoga to students of all ages. She embraces yoga not just as an exercise for the body, heart and mind, but as a way to live more fully in this world.
Susie's classes provide a beautiful even mixture of Shiva Rea inspired fluid vinyasa flow along with a solid foundation and focus on safety. Susie offers classes that allow students to both find a lively challenge in their practice from a safe and knowledgable place. Susie has completed Teacher Training Part 1 to work with people with cancer.
"We are all living lives that can at times be extremely stressful. My intention is to create a sacred space for students to come in and let go of all the chitta (mind stuff) of their lives, to free the mind and the body in a peaceful, healing, safe and caring environment where students of all ages can feel good about themselves."
Class Style: Lighthearted, gentle, poetry infused classes with relaxing music.
 Marika Suval has been practicing yoga for over 15 years, having completed her first yoga teacher training in the foothills of the Himalayas during the early 90s.
Her first teacher, Dr. Sushil Battacharya, was the quintessential yogi with a long beard and the ability to twist himself into jaw-dropping shapes, but his full-immersion training taught students self-discipline, balance and the ancient secrets of maintaining a healthy and vibrant body.
Today Marika blends many of these time-tested practices with more modern elements of hatha and vinyasa yoga into an integrated, meditative--and often playful--flow. Guided to work with awareness at their own individual level, students develop concentration, core strength and flexibility through carefully balanced movement and asana.
After successfully completing additional yoga teacher training programs in the US, Marika is currently deepening her studies to specialize in yoga therapeutics and Ayurveda.
Alex Smith has been practicing vinyasa flow yoga for four years. She fell in love with asana in India after only knowing yoga as a long time meditator. Alex is happy to be in DC after a move from San Francisco, and is grateful for yoga's ability to keep her grounded and whole in this bustling, busy city. She was certified by the Laughing Lotus in San Francisco and is eternally grateful to all her teachers and guides along her path. When off the mat, Alex works as the Communications Director at Choice USA, a reproductive justice non-profit.
Alex's vinyasa flow classes weave breath, yogic philosophy, poetry, mantra, and music with a playful asana flow. She understands the asana as a moving body prayer dancing on the constant in and out of the breath. Her sequencing is inspired by Laughing Lotus' playful dance-like style. Alex's classes invite students to explore the inter-connectivity of their inner awareness and all around them. As an activist, she believes it is this connection that inspires us to take our yoga "off the mat and into the world."
Class Style: Heart centered, inspiring and creative flow in the Laughing Lotus tradition.
 Margaret Ward first began yoga as a physical practice to enable more time in her running shoes, but eventually her practice grew into a mental and emotional practice to connect to a higher good. She finds great joy in sharing the gifts of this moving meditation with her students.
She teaches in a safe yet challenging fashion, encouraging her
students to enjoy the freedom of fluidity as well as the strength of grounding. In addition to teaching asana practice, Margaret has also lead a meditation group for veterans diagnosed with PTSD and continues to dive into the intersection of physical and mental health. Her interests include yoga as a healing and empowering form of love, as well as hiking, running and spending time with her family.
Class Style: Soothing, breath centered, slow flow to world grooves.
 Nikki Weaver discovered yoga and massage while running at a National level for Australia. It was part of her weekly self-care, along with stretching and pilates. After running in the 2000 Sydney Olympic trials she slowly began to expand her knowledge on how the body worked. First, she became a certified trainer which led to more yoga. Soon she was running less and standing on her head more.
In 2005, Nikki completed her Kripalu yoga teacher training. She then went on to study pre/post natal and children’s yoga. She has taught yoga around the globe, including Jamaica, Iceland, and Australia. In 2007, she began her career in massage after her training at The Muscular Therapy Institute. She holds a degree in Performing Arts from The Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Eric Yatar was born and raised on Guam, a beautiful island in the Pacific, Eric Yatar was instilled with a strong sense of family, community, and spiritual awareness; and it is through his yoga practice that Eric continues to revisit and experience those channels of strength and energy in his life.
Eric completed the Studio Serenity Teacher Training Level I with Katja, and has continued his yoga studies in a variety of lineages with several well-renown master teachers. He completed his 200 hrs teacher training at Prajna Yoga under the tutelage of Tias Little. Eric has also completed training in Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers, and in Pre-Natal Yoga with Linda Spackman. He is currently finishing his 500 hrs with Tias Little and continues studying Iyengar yoga with John Schumacher.
Eric's classes aim to foster truth, trust, and mindful self-discovery through a focused and energetic practice – inspired by the essential connectivity of breath, movement, and foundation, and the dynamic flow of energy through the body, harnessed by the energy of others. Eric's classes offer a great attention of detail to safe alignment while heating up the body as a preparation to explore poses in a deeper, longer, Yin like way.
Class Style: Strength and endurance focused vinyasa class with a flavor of Ashtanga & Baptiste along with a touch of techno.
Visiting Faculty
Dave Stringer
 The Los Angeles Times has declared the experience of chanting with Dave Stringer to be “a departure from ancient kirtan. Stringer’s performance shaped the experience into a far more compelling musical encounter.” Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) originated in India, and is currently experiencing a worldwide renaissance as a participatory live music experience. Stringer has been widely profiled as one of the most innovative artists of the new American kirtan movement in publications as diverse as Time, Billboard, Yoga Journal and In Style.
Stringer’s sound marries the transcendent mysticism of traditional Indian instruments with the exuberant, groove-oriented sensibility of American gospel, and he is regarded as one of the most gifted singers in the genre. Stringer, who is also an accomplished composer and multi-instrumentalist, has a special ability to bring people together and inspire them to sing. His work intends to create a modern and participatory theatrical experience out of the ancient traditions of kirtan and yoga, open to a multiplicity of interpretations, and accessible to all.
Gaura Vani
 At the age of six Gaura Vani left the US to study sacred music in a gurukula or temple school in the timeless town of Vrindavan, India. He learned ancient prayers in Sanskrit and Bengali and to sing and play ethnic instruments like the harmonium and mrdanga. 25 years later he continues to share the magic he received and performs extensively with his kirtan ensemble, As Kindred Spirits, throughout the world from Europe, Africa and Asia, to the Americas.
As Kindred Spirits features the voice and harmonium of Gaura Vani, and the rhythms and melodies of multi-instrumentalist Shyam Kishore, along with a multicultural group of talented musicians, dancers and performers.
Dhanurdhara Swami
 Dhanurdhara Swami has been a practitioner of bhakti yoga for 40 years. He took initiation into the Gaudiya Vaishnava lineage in 1974 and accepted the sannyasa ashrama or renounced order of life and became a monk in 1982.
Dhanurdhara Swami spent the last 30 years in India where he focuses on studying, writing and taking people on pilgrimage of holy places. Half of the year he spends in the west traveling, leacturing and speaking about bhakti yoga.
He is the author of three books — Waves of Devotion: A Comprehensive Study of The Nectar of Devotion,Greetings from Vrindavana, a selected collection of his thoughts and realizations from 2000–2004, and Japa Meditations: Contemplations on Entering the Holy Name, a collection of selected personal realizations on japa meditation. He is currently working on several writing projects including a contemporary book on bhakti and a book on kirtan. He is originally from Brooklyn, New York.
Christopher Tompkins
 Christopher Tompkins is director of UC Berkeley’s renowned “Meditation, Mysticism, and the Mind” class. Christopher and his team of instructors have now initiated over 2,500 students in the practice of yoga meditation. He has 3 degrees in Religion, including a Master’s Degree from Harvard and a Master’s from Berkeley in Sanskrit. His doctoral dissertation focuses on the Tantric Origins of Hatha Yoga.
Christopher is a Yoga Philosophy teacher at Yoga Tree (SF), lectures nationally and trains Yoga teachers in the history and philosophy of Indian Yoga. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Yoga Foundation. He has also founded Yoga Sculptures of India, which imports rare and sacred Indian art for the Yoga Community.
Wynne Paris
 Wynne Paris is a world beat artist/producer and musician who has spent the last decade devoted to an emerging genre of spiritual music: Yoga music and Kirtan. Wynne’s artistic sound is derived from 20 years of musical adventures and spiritual experiences.
As a yoga musician, Wynne has performed his music on such diverse stages as those at Constitution Hall, the Smithsonian music series at the National Zoo and the Millenium celebration in Washington DC; CB’s Gallery (CBGB’s) in New York, the Health and Harmony Festival in northern California, and Karmapalooza in Florida; as well as at museums, holistic resorts, bookstores, raves, churchs, temples, and private gatherings. Wynne has also performed with the Indian Saint Ammachi, and sang at a Washingtonian event that featured H.H. The Dalai Lama. He has recorded with many of the best-known New Age musicians, including, Shahin and Sephir, Sophia, Bhagavan Das, Girish, and Kim Waters of Rasa. And in 1996, one of the songs he cowrote with Maura Moynihan, “Prayer for the Pure Land”, won first place (out of 1900 entries) in the SAW National Songwriting Contest.
Since 2004, Wynne has focused his live performances on a new, spiritual kind of venue -- the yoga studio. At his live shows he sings in English and Sanskrit, he plays guitar, Sarod and percussion with dance loops, and delivers a set that includes kirtan chanting, American music (jazz, gospel, rock), world beat rhythms and raga scales. A participation mystique is encouraged as Wynne leads the audience through singing, dancing and meditations during his performance. He has played hundreds of gigs across the country, alone or accompanying other chanters, including Krishna Das, Wah , David Newman, Dave Stringer, and Bhagavan Das.
Visvambhar (Vish)
ince his birth,Visvambhar has been immersed in kirtan. Singing the Sanskrit mantras in their original tunes came natural to him from a very early age. The Mrdunga drum has become his inseparable companion. While attending an ashram school in India, he studied the ancient origins of kirtan’s sacred mantras, tunes and beats. He also studied harmonium, sitar and flute, along with a number of Western instruments.
His knack of fusing the depth of the sacred knowledge of the ancient mantras and tunes with a passionate contemporary flair is elevating the culture of kirtan to new heights. Visvambhar has traveled to over 25 countries, sharing his unique style of kirtan.
Keshavacharya Das
For Keshavacharya Das, kirtan is not merely a musical style – it is a way of life.
Through his daily practice, he refined his natural talent for singing more and more and began to fall in love with kirtan. Desiring to go deeper in his chanting, he journeyed to several sacred places in India , staying in ashrams there and learning at the feet of masters in the birthplace of kirtan.
A life-long learner, Keshavacharya studied under renowned world music singer Jai Uttal and others. With their loving encouragement, Keshavacharya embarked on his own kirtan project. After regular concerts in the New York City area, including Jivamukti Yoga Studio, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and the Ananda Ashram Yoga Society, he recorded his first live studio recording of traditional Indian kirtan. Released in April of 2007, “Crying of the Soul” continues to be warmly received and praised.
Keshavacharya's musical and spiritual journey led him from the pristine mountains of Switzerland , to the ancient temples and simple monasteries of India , and now to the yoga studios and ashrams tucked within America 's bustling cities. He sees kirtan as a way to connect the performer and the listeners on a spiritual and artistic level, and an opportunity to create sacred space and invite others to enter into that space through the medium of sound.
Kamaniya Devi
 Kamaniya has committed her life fully to devotional chanting. Attracted by Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion, both Kamaniya and Keshavacharya have spent many years living in ashrams, searching for the divine through devotional service and singing. Seeing the impact of chanting on people, Kamaniya & Keshavacharya Das were inspired to dedicate their lives to sharing the universal spiritual practice of kirtan with the Western world.
Known for her joyful expression, Kamaniya's love for kirtan and Sanskrit chanting is contagious. As well as leading her own kirtan for the past ten years, Kamaniya has accompanied several well-known devotional singers, including Shyamdas, Jai Uttal, Girish, and Durga Das.
Michael Schiesser
 Founder, and a member of the board of directors of the Inner Journey Seminars, LLC, based out of California. Michael has 28 years of experience in the field of facilitation in the US, Canada, and Europe. Specializing in individual and group dynamics, he is a facilitator for The Inner Journey (outside of DC), the Human Experience Seminar, the Inner Journey Transformational Facilitation Training, and the Essential Pilgrimage courses.
He is also a life coach as well as a consultant for organizations.
He is a co-creator of A Journey into the Soul of Leadership, a transformational course for organizational leaders.
 Neelama Eyres 's vision and greatest joy are to assist people on their journey towards inner freedom. Her background includes a B.A. in comparative religion, counseling homeless people, facilitating meditation and yoga classes, and teaching children. She has worked with individuals in personal and group processes for the past 9 years, and currently works as a transformational coach with adults.
Neelama facilitates transformational seminars in the US, Canada and Europe, and is part of both course design and facilitator training for meditation retreats called "Inner Journey Seminars". She designed the workshop called "Body Embraced", a seminar for women, out of her desire to transform the body content that most women experience into a vehicle for profound healing and growth.
Penelope Bell has over 17 years of experience as a massage therapist specializing in working with people who have experienced post-trauma. Penelope is impassioned about facilitating personal transformation and deepening connections among all people. She has 27 years of personal experience in both group and individual counseling, including bioenergetics, Gestalt, Jungian, and cognitive therapies. Her spiritual practices include Women's Prayer Circles, Afro-Haitian dancing, Dynamic meditation and Buddhism. She is a founding member of "Inner Journey Seminars".
 Angela Cerkevich's teaching style is a collective expression of all the teachers she has studied under including: Doug Keller, Jonas Westring, Amy Weintraub and Richard Miller. Her flow-styled yoga is alignment- based, and infused with techniques geared towards balancing. Her level 2 and 3 classes are challenging and invigorating, while her level 1 classes offer encouragement and a safe environment to learn and explore to new depths of the body-mind connection. Classes include Pranayama, chanting, imagery, asana and meditation. She strives to inspire students through a mix of sacred poetry and nondual yoga philosophy. Her goal is for students to leave feeling balanced, energized and at peace. Her private sessions are an excellent opportunity to deepen an already existing practice by exploring the more subtle aspects of asana and meditation. Beginner yogis will benefit from privates with Angela by tailored guidance in what styles of yoga may be best for their individual constitutions.
Angela’s current interest lies in the application of yoga for of emotional and psychological healing. After training with Amy Weintraub in yoga for anxiety and depression and becoming a certified Life-Force Yoga Practioner, Angela expanded her studies to Richard Miller’s yoga nidra training. She has apprenticed at Walter Read Army Medical Center and assisted in facilitation of yoga nidra for PTSD diagnosed veterans. Currently, Angela is studying for certification of yoga for trauma recovery through The Trauma Center at JRI in Boston. She teaches therapeutic yoga for recovery at a local women’s shelter and offers yoga nidra to the public. In an effort to utilize yoga to make a real - world impact in peace, reconciliation and healing from life’s traumas, Angela created the NGO Anahata International whose mission is to assist with the self-healing of individuals and communities affected by trauma, by teaching strategies for recovery using yoga and meditation.
Guest Instructors
 Daysha Hampton has been studying yoga for 7 years. After graduating with an International Business degree, she set off on a nine month backpacking trip through India, studying in many ashrams and under many teachers and traditions there. She studied at Yoga Vidya Gurukul under the Bihar School of Yoga and completed her US Yoga Alliance R.Y.T certification.
She also completed a course in Ayurveda at Yoga Vidya Gurukul and recently completed a Yoga for Therapy course in Boise.
She began her Theravada Buddhist study in Thailand during 2005 with the venerable Thai Buddhist monk, Dr. Chatree, who opens meditation centers around the world. She stayed and studied in monasteries and ashrams in Southeast Asia and India, including but not limited to the OSHO ashram, Amma's ashram, Shivananda Ashram, BKS Iyengar's ashram along with other ashrams in Rishikesh, India while taking time to explore Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram. Last year, she attended the 14th Dalai Lama's Annual Spring Teachings in Dharamsala, India, at the base of the Himalayas where the Dalai Lama resides in exile and took her Bodhisattva vows.
Daysha has studied philosophy and meditation under Theravada Buddhism , Tibetan Buddhism, Hindu, Zen and Yogic traditions. She is happy and excited to convey what she has learned around the world.
 Vincent Hu is a Holistic Health Counselor, Yoga and Meditation instructor. He brings with him more than 10 years of wisdom and experience in the healing and arts. He first discovered meditation 11 years ago while struggling with depression and living a stressful sophomore year in college. His discovery and committed meditation practice led him to experience life outside of depression, and he learned early on that true healing begins with self-healing.
Vincent is passionate about sharing his experience, knowledge and wisdom with others, and inspiring individuals to take responsibility for their health. Through his gentle and compassionate guidance, he has helped many individuals recognize their self-sabotaging habits, reconnect with their authentic self, and create balance in their lives.
 Todd Kirkbride was officially introduced to yoga while traveling throughout Southeast Asia back in 1998 at the same time beginning a dedicated Vipassana meditation practice. Once returning to San Francisco, he established a more formal practice experimenting with many different styles and types of teachers.For Todd, yoga is the perfect connection of focusing the mind, building up one's core physical strength and arriving at the present moment taking time out for only you.
Through teaching he is able to share his passion for yoga and diverse training background to the students through a very meditative and energy-releasing vinyassa flow class combining both the Ashtanga and Hatha disciplines. After spending the past 2 years teaching for the UN in Kosovo he is very happy to return to DC and the Serenity community.
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