Certified Teachers

Ellen McNally

Ellen McNally is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher and certified Trauma Sensitive Yoga instructor. Ellen took her first yoga class in 1975 and in 2002, found two special teachers who inspired her to practice regularly and to study at the Himalayan Institute, where she now has a home in the Sri Vidya tradition.

Ellen teaches classes for cancer survivors at Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven and has worked extensively with veterans at the local VA. Ellen currently teaches at Your Community Yoga Center in Hamden, CT.

Ellen’s work outside the studio includes Peace Corps service in Senegal. West Africa, family mentoring through the Connecticut Tibetan Resettlement Project, and working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven to recruit volunteers and support Habitat families.

Her personal motto: “It’s all yoga practice.”

Contact:

[email protected]
https://ellenmcnallyyoga.com/

Filomena Duarte

Filomena has been practicing and studying Yoga for over 25 years following a first career in Occupational Psychology, vocational guidance, and counseling. She left the latter to prioritize family life. She subsequently qualified as a Yoga Teacher with The British Wheel of Yoga. She has been teaching yoga since 2000.

Filomena’s focus on personal practice, self-study, and research is reflected in the themes presented in her sessions, workshops, and courses. These have included meditation; yoga sutra; breathwork; Chakras and subtle body awareness; and managing anxiety, anger, and sadness.

Filomena has facilitated and led workshops and courses for various organizations including: – The Himalayan Institute (U.K.), The British Wheel of Yoga; The N.H.S; The John Lewis Partnership; Age Concern Carers and Homeless Charities; Family, Youth, Adult Learning and Well-Being Services; Mental Health and Support Groups.

Filomena’s current teaching direction is to share Vishoka Meditation as the pure and simple method that allows us to explore, transform and expand the inner dimensions of life. Though she will consider herself ‘A work in progress’ she says “Vishoka Meditation has the potential to replenish, free us from any sense of limitation, and allow us to embrace our intrinsic source of vitality, joy, love, and equanimity. Life becomes purposeful, fulfilling, and complete.”

Contact:

[email protected]

Hannah Holland

Jackie Le Brocq

Jackie is a Yoga Scotland teacher, teacher training tutor from 2001-2018, TT assessor, On-Going training tutor and yogic Living and Teaching tutor. After searching for ten years for someone who could give her a mantra, she encountered the teachings of the Himalayan Institute through a chance meeting with the late Peter Glover (Himalayan Institute – London) around 20 years ago. Since then, meditation practice and teaching has been firmly established in her life and Jackie is grateful for the continued ever-deepening support from HI teachers and teachings.

Contact:

Jackie Le Brocq Yoga
[email protected]
(780) 929-0049

Jason Rodon

Jason Rodon has been an enthusiastic seeker and teacher ever since he began his formal study of yoga over 20 years ago. Jason is a 500 HR E-YRT and is currently teaching privately, honored to be a steward of the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition via Vishoka Mediation.
Jason has studied yoga and meditation with Baba Hari Dass, Rod Stryker and currently studies with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait PhD.

Jason, an avid entrepreneur, holds an MFA in music performance, currently performing and recording with the Denver Brass. His hobbies include snowboarding, biking, cooking and flying his Cessna around the Colorado Rockies. Originally from Green Bay, WI he resides in the mountains of Colorado with his wife Leslie Ross, two cats (Little Man and Herman) and four chickens.

Contact:

[email protected]
(970) 389-1645

Jayne Bernasconi

Jayne is an E-RYT 500 and the owner of Yoga On York in Baltimore, MD. Initiated into Sri Vidya, a living tradition of the Himalayan Masters, Jayne is thrilled to now hold certification as a Vishoka Meditation teacher.

Jayne has also completed 10 ParaYoga Master Trainings with Yogarupa, Rod Stryker and has made pilgrimages to India and Brazil to develop her spiritual growth. She is the mother of two beautiful daughters (Stacey and Talia).

Contact:

Yoga on York
[email protected]
(443) 600-1305
https://www.yogaonyork.net

Jevon Rowden

Jevon Rowden has worked in the fitness and wellness industry since 2015, teaching kickboxing, yoga, and meditation—he holds that MOVEMENT is a gift, and MEDITATION is where we shift.

Jevon’s journey began in 2015 at the Expanding Light Meditation Center; he received his 200 YTT certification from the Himalayan Institute (2020) and has been a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher since 2022.

What he has learned has reinforced the idea that we can truly create any life we want for ourselves through mindset, connection, community, self-development, and inspired action…knowing too that this all takes time. It’s a lifelong process of healing, resting, digesting, and uncovering layers and layers of what keeps us from the truth: the truth of our gifts and how we can bring them to life.

Jevon’s personal shift into this process began at an early age. Moving from self-medicating to self-empowering, he now holds space for others and shares the tools he found along the way, as he continues to learn and grow with new discoveries! Jevon currently lives in San Luis Obispo, from where he continues his practice and studies on California’s central coast.

Contact:

[email protected]
(775) 560-4481

Joe Falco

Joe Rocco Falco is a practitioner and devoted teacher of Yoga, Meditation, and the Vedic Sciences. He is the co-founder of Yoga Veda Center and Ahara.life and has over 7,000 hours of teaching experience. Joe seeks to spread the teachings of the Masters of Yoga through classes, private transformations, yoga teacher trainings, and masterclasses for advanced students of the yogic arts.

Contact:

Ahara
https://www.ahara.life/
[email protected]
(954) 309-3127

Joe Somodi

Julia Kress

Julia has been teaching Yoga and Yoga Therapy since 1995 in group settings and for clients. Her greatest drive has been to create a practice that has meaning and purpose for individuals that inspires them to commit to the lifelong transformative techniques Yoga as a whole grants sincere practitioners.

Julia is a certified 200 and 500 hour Hatha Yoga Instructor through the Himalayan Institute, a certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and is the Administrative Coordinator and Senior Teacher for the Teacher Training Programs at the Himalayan Institute of Buffalo.

With combined training in Vishoka Meditation, Ayurveda, Trauma, Adaptive Asana styles, and continuous personal practice, Julia can lead students towards a practice that serves, supports, and honors their current needs and capacities while also finding great joy and incentive to gently challenge themselves and grow as she has.

Julia works with individuals privately to set up a practice regime with a combined attention to all aspects of lifestyle, yoga, and meditation through the Zoom platform or in person. She also works with groups in guided practice as well as in lecture and practicum format. Vishoka Meditation and Yoga practice has altered Julia’s personal experience of herself and the world in the most compelling and gratifying ways. She is forever inspired and supported by the techniques, theory, and mentors of the Tradition of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy.

Contact:

Himalayan Institute of Buffalo/Yoga For Everyone
[email protected]
(716) 816-6802

June Hunt

June’s belief in the transformative power of yoga and meditation fuels her. “The changes in my life have been profound, and I want to share it.” She believes that everyone can benefit from practicing, and is passionate about finding new ways to make yoga/meditation accessible to all. Vishoka Mediation is one of the tools which make living a life of joy accessible to everyone.

Contact:

Moondog Yoga Studio Inc
https://www.moondogyoga.com/
[email protected]
(267) 374-4046

Katherine Moore

Katherine “Kitty” Moore is the creator and director of Sadhana West Teacher Training programs, and has been teaching yoga full time since 1997. She received her first 200 Hour RYT certification from Patty Townsend at the Center for Yoga and Healing Arts in Amherst, MA. She then went on to study with Yogiraj Alan Finger and was later initiated into the lineage of Sri Vidya in 2003 by her direct teacher, Yogarupa Rod Stryker, with whom she continues to study. In 2009, Kitty began studying with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, with whom she also continues to study, and is honored to be among the first group of Certified Vishoka Meditation Teachers.

In addition to now being a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher, Kitty is a Himalayan Institute 500 Hour ERYT, and a certified ParaYoga Four Desires Trainer. She’ll be offering Vishoka Meditation courses at her yoga studio, The Hidden Yoga Studio, in Niwot, CO. Kitty also teaches open classes, workshops and teacher trainings, and is available for individual private lessons.

Contact:

The Hidden Yoga Studio, Sadhana West Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Immersions
[email protected]
(303) 709-6243
http://www.thehiddenyogastudio.com

Kirsten Joy Burch

Kirsten began yoga as a practice for fitness and stress relief at 19 and found her way to yoga therapy and meditation when she lost her husband to brain cancer. She then devoted herself to study and earned her 500 HR ParaYoga Certification from Yogarupa Rod Stryker in 2014.

She continues her studies with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait and the Himalayan Institute, a living tradition rooted in the Yoga Sutras and the traditional texts of Yoga philosophy and Ayurveda.

She is humbled and honored to offer the teachings and practices to others through public and private classes, workshops, and events. She is the owner of Living Yoga Dallas and PraniLife Consulting. Kirsten teaches at Central Commons near Highland Park, and Atma Bhakti near Lakewood in Dallas, Texas.

Contact:

PraniLife Consulting & Living Yoga Dallas
https://www.pranilife.com/

Laura Mellencamp

Laura Jane Mellencamp is the founder and owner of Yoga Among Friends (1998-Present) in the western suburbs of Chicago. Laura has been teaching yoga since the late 80’s, first in LA and later continued her study in the lineage of Krishnamacharya with the late T.K.V. Desikachar at the KYM in Chennai, India. She is proud to be a C-IAYT yoga therapist, combining her work as a counseling psychologist (MA,) with the tools of yoga. Her passion has led her to study under Pandit Rajmani Tigunait beginning in 2011 and, as of 2021, is a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher. As a practitioner and teacher, she shares Vishoka Meditation with her students and her community.

Contact:

[email protected]
(630) 960-5488

Léa Fritsch

Léa began to study and practice yoga in 2003 to support her recovery from cancer. Léa found that the slow, inwardly focused, breath-aligned asana (as taught by Vanda Scaravelli and Gentle Somatic Yoga) to be most healing. Because she loves the practices so much, Léa became a teacher. She loves helping others along their journey to a whole body and mind experience. Léa prepares her students to build a body awareness that fosters self-inquiry and a deepening trust of one’s own perceptions. When the physical body can move freely with fewer restrictions, the mind’s capacity to explore an inner realm is enhanced. Léa practices daily to befriend her mind as well as create a positive body awareness to live more pain-free.

Contact:

[email protected]
(469) 449-7468

Leah Kinsella

Leah Kinsella is a mom, educator, coach, and entrepreneur. She has been teaching for over a decade and practicing for twice as long. She is the author of The Pregnancy Deck, the first oracle deck for pregnancy. Leah took her Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training while she was pregnant and believes meditating daily during that time was a tremendous benefit. Today Leah is honored to share the numerous rewards of Vishoka Meditation with others.

Contact:

[email protected]
https://leahkinsella.com/

Leslie Robinson

Leslie has been a nurse-midwife for 40 years. Her practice of women’s health and her yoga studies inspired her to teach. She has taught prenatal yoga for many years at Your Community Yoga Center in Hamden, Ct, (hired by Kitty Moore and then by Jennifer Brosious). She has worked with women and couples to incorporate yogic breathing and movement into their preparation for labor, birth, and parenting. Leslie was introduced to the Himalayan Institute by Kathryn Templeton and the late Sue Neufeld, and began to study with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait via the Living Tantra series. Through the Himalayan Institute, she has completed her 500 HR YTT, Ayurveda Yoga Specialist Certification, visited India twice, and continues to study the Yoga Sutras and Sri Sukta with the faculty. After taking the first class of Vishoka Meditation, the depth and accessibility of the practice drew Leslie to go deeper, to become a certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher, and to share this practice with others.

Contact:

[email protected]

Leslie Ross

Leslie, always a seeker and student of life, discovered yoga in the early 90s and continues to dive deeper into this ancient science and practice. Orienting her compass over the years through the body and the natural world as a backcountry guide and outdoor enthusiast led her to the mind-body-spirit aspects of yoga which continue to draw her in further. Leslie completed her 200 HR YTT in Jan 2010 (after taking a brief detour into Tai Chi, Qigong, and Reiki) and shortly thereafter, opened a studio with her husband: Yoga Shala in Breckenridge, CO. Leslie began studying intensively with Rod Stryker, and through the Para Yoga Community, was introduced to Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. She shifted her focus to studying with the amazing team of teachers at the Himalayan Institute. In 2018 Leslie and Jason sold their studio to create more space for personal practice, deeper studies, and the next evolution of their yoga offerings… Vishoka Meditation.

Contact:

Empower, LLC
[email protected]
(970) 389-9654
https://www.summitcelebrant.com/