Lineup
Starr Anastasio
Starr Anastasio has been dancing her whole life and began studying world dance with an emphasis on African for the past 20 years. Starr has been a member of several dance companies. She has directed and choreographed countless shows.
As a dance teacher for the past 12 years, her classes are informative and fun and cover a wide range of history, song, story and dance. Because of her unique understanding of the music and language, students find learning easy and enjoyable. Her classes are high energy, sensual and fulfilling.
Rara Avis
Six Degrees recording artist Rara Avis has a deep love for the place where yoga and music meet. A pioneer in the world of ethno-techno fusion, Rara has produced and collaborated on many celebrated yoga music projects, ranging from his work with Shaman’s Dream and Desert Dwellers, to remixes and music production for Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Donna DeLory, Shiva Rea, Duncan Wong, Hemalayaa Behl, Karsh Kale and more. His musical styles are always seeking to blend genres as he has an eclectic array of training in blues, jazz, classical, ethnic, electronic, and contemporary song writing. Rara’s sets combine live instruments with lush downtempo grooves, heart felt melodies and motifs, ethnic and traditional elements, all while keeping the dance floor moving and grooving. It is through his devotion to both fields that he has found ways of facilitating healing music journeys that give listeners a deep sense of connection to their divine nature.
Lilly Barels
Lilly Barels is a funky, fun-lovin’ yogini who loves to pass on her passion to all who attend her classes. After completing her BA in Dance and BS in Neuroscience at UCLA, she went on to train and teach yoga in several Los Angeles studios. She has been evolving her yoga practice in Hawaii since 2003, incorporating Yoga Philosophy, Anatomy and Physiology, Sacred Path Energy Work, and North Shore Coop creativity!
Jim Bernaert
Jim Bernaert has been a student of yoga since 1984. In 1995 he began dedicated, intensive study with Anusara Yoga founder John Friend. Jimmy teaches on going classes on the Big Island of Hawaii and also travels around the US and internationally sharing his love of the path of yoga. He offers his years of experience with the Universal Principles of Alignment, inspiring Tantric philosophy, and therapeutics which embody Anusara Yoga. Students experience the clarity of his understanding, his precise instructions and his warm and generous heart. Jimmy offers his profound gratitude to all his teachers, especially Swami Chidvilasananda, John Friend and Paul Muller-Ortega.
Sarah Tomson Beyer
Sarah Tomson Beyer is an internationally recognized teacher and entrepreneur based in Park City, Utah; Sarah is the creator of Flowmotion® and the founder of the progressive apparel line, meSheeky. She has been featured on the cover of Yoga Journal, in a video with Shiva Rea, and in several other yoga-related publications.
Sarah presents a progressive approach to flow yoga, offering urban elements, the freedom to color outside the lines and a way to practice that serves the modern-day yogi. The roots of Sarah’s teaching are expressed through the creativity of her own signature style. With a background in dance and a Master’s in Physical Therapy, she presents an untraditional physical practice grounded in therapeutic movement. Sarah draws inspiration from many world-renowned master yoga instructors, including the leading teacher of Prana Flow, Shiva Rea, with whom Sarah is honored to have assisted. With the intention to inspire and empower, Sarah creates an open space that allows her students to express their own flow.
Ty Burhoe
Ty Burhoe has been a disciple of the great tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain, since1990. He has become well known not only for his talents as a tabla player, but also for his extensive experience as a recording and live concert producer. He has been featured on many soundtracks for film and DVD, including the academy award winning documentary, “Born into Brothels.”
His studies included violin, trombone, guitar, and voice, as well as an intensive focus on sculpting and painting. In 1990, Ty was introduced to the great tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and it was love at first sight. In 2004, after 11 years of producing, Ty opened “Tala Records”,a home-spun company focused on producing CDs, projects and tours presented by the many artists with whom Ty is involved.
Ty is also the North American tour assistant for his teacher, Zakir Hussain; a versatile job involving concert production, stage management, sound board engineering, light design and operation, repairing/maintaining instruments, playing tamboura, managing the artists, and much more. He currently lives part time in Boulder Colorado, part time in Maui Hawaii and part time in Japan.
Brynne Caleda
With unparalleled passion, vision and enthusiasm Brynne Caleda, M.Ed.,RYT has been a pioneer in the field of yoga education for youth, an accomplished Mom & Baby and Pregnancy instructor as well as flourishing labor doula. Brynne combines distinguished professional credentials including a M.A in Education, over 5 years of yoga instruction experience, apprenticeships in Pregnancy and Mom and Baby Yoga under Cathy Louise Broda of Purple Yoga as well as becoming a CAPPA certified labor doula under Katherine Julia.
In 2006, Brynne founded Under the Yoga Tree with the mission to share the gift of yoga with teachers, parents and children to create natural pathways towards health and wellness in communities throughout Hawaii. During the 2006-2007 school year,Brynne successfully implemented her Master’s Thesis, Yoga Ed. youth yoga education program, at Jarrett Middle School in Honolulu, Hawaii. With the success of the program Under The Yoga Tree now has flourishing youth yoga programs in the public and private schools across the state. In addition to her work in the schools Brynne trains school teachers, yoga teachers, and parents in the Yoga Ed. curriculum across North America, Asia and Europe.
With the vision of Under The Yoga Tree encompassing the whole family, Brynne has been teaching yoga classes to expecting mothers and new families sharing the amazing physical and emotional benefits yoga has for them before and after the child is born. Inspired by her pregnancy students and the belief that women’s bodies have the wisdom to give birth, Brynne supports women on and off the mat as both a pregnancy teacher and labor doula.
Annie Carpenter
Annie Carpenter is known as a “teachers’ teacher,” Annie’s classes have evolved into an intelligent, organic “SmartFlow”, marrying juicy movement with rigorous discipline. Having studied anatomy, kinesiology, and developmental movement, her classes are informed by the body’s structure and evolution; with great passion for creativity and metaphor, Annie loves to play with sequencing in order to take her students into a deeper understanding of a pose, and of themselves. She believes that focusing on alignment ensures a safe practice, but more importantly provides “points of dharana” or gateways to inner stillness and meditation. Annie has a playful spirit and encourages a balance between working hard, and a light, joyful exploration into one’s own practice, into the awareness of one’s true nature.
Annie leads public classes, in-depth workshops and teacher trainings at Exhale in Venice, CA.
Cristi Christensen
Cristi Christensen’s interest in movement has been a lifelong pursuit. As the daughter of a dance instructor, she was enrolled in dance class from the time she could walk. Cristi developed her natural athletic ability through gymnastics, and for eight years competed at the elite level. Her love of acrobatics drew her to platform diving and to the University of Houston, where she earned a degree Kinesiology and trained with members of the Olympic diving team. When her own Olympic dreams were cut short by injury, Cristi shifted her focus to helping others improve their level of fitness and awareness. She became a personal trainer and pilates instructor and moved to NY. In 2004 she joined exhale, bringing inspired energy and enthusiasm to her classes. Since making the move to Los Angeles, Cristi has completed Saul David Raye’s 200 hour Holistic Yoga Program and has trained extensively with Shiva Rea.
Eoin Finn
One of Canada’s most popular yoga teachers, Vancouver’s Eoin Finn is a Blissologist, Yogi and a Surfer. An ocean-worshipper who strongly advocates a belief in yoga environmentalism and social change, Eoin has been a disciple of Yoga, Eastern and Western philosophy, martial arts and meditation since 1987 and has been teaching Yoga for well over a decade to thousands of students around the world.
Fusing his passion for athletics and yoga as an essential cross-training element, Eoin has worked with high-level athletes ranging from NHL hockey players to Olympic skiers in the US and Canada for whom he has created customized, performance enhancing yoga programmes.
Eoin’s teaching offers a heart-opening, invigorating and experiential practice that is grounded with humor, dynamism and a focus on physical and energetic alignment. Yoga, when practiced with this holistic awareness becomes fluid therapy, movement guided by the innate knowledge of anatomy and evolution.
Michele Ford
After a lifetime as a competitive gymnast, Michele retired from the sport upon completion of her collegiate eligibility with the University of Iowa. With the close of one life and the start of another, Michele lost direction and inspiration until she found a sanctuary of peace in the practice of yoga, initiating her on a journey inward. Her classes blend principles of alignment and heart opening insight into a rejuvenating and flowing vinyasa practice. Her teaching style encourages healing at the physical, mental and emotional levels as she guides students on a path of self-discovery and transformation in the midst of fast-paced modern living. Michele is founder of OneTree Yoga in Cleveland, Ohio and co-founder of Free to Be, an exploration of what it means to be free through the mediums of yoga, music and life. Michele is a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher. She is blessed to have shared in the light of her teachers Sharon Gannon, David Life, Marni Task, Todd Norian and Anne Greene. Michele currently teaches at Yoga Hawaii and Open Space Yoga in Honolulu, Hawaii. Check out her blog at www.michelefordyoga.com. Peace!
Guy Forsyth
It’s been a long and dusty road for Austin singer/songwriter Guy Forsyth that’s led to a surge in praise over his dazzling live shows and his rich Americana roots sound. Guy Forsyth is best known as a fantastic live performer and for his multi-instrumentation talent (guitar, harmonica, ukulele, saw, lead vocals). His music brings a unique flavor that generally makes for a crowd enthralling, memorable experience. Forsyth’s music is a unique mixture of styles, such as folk, rock, country, and Tin Pan Alley to create a sound that’s as heterogeneous, raw and compelling as America itself. You’ll hear powerhouse vocals deliver energetic yarns about love, the government and the apocalypse, to name a few, as Forsyth squeezes everything he has into each song and rarely comes up for air.
Terra Gold
Terra Gold, D.O.M. (FL), C.Y.T., E-RYT is a licensed Oriental Medicine practitioner, a clinical nutritionist, certified Yoga therapist and Bhakti Kirtan musician. Growing up, Maui was Terra’s second home and from an early age she was immersed in the Aloha spirit as well as the metaphysical traditions of Yoga, Buddhism, esoteric Christianity and Shamanism. She holds a graduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture, a BA from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures and an allied professional degree in Integrative Body Psychotherapy. Co-founder of the wellness group Yoga Doctors, Terra is also a member of the California State Oriental Medicine Association, a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and co-director of the “Yoga and the Healing Sciences” Yoga Teacher Training Program at Loyola Marymount University. She has been featured on the cover of LA Yoga Magazine and in the widely acclaimed books, Yoga For Dummies and Shakti: The Feminine Power of Yoga.
Eden Goldman
Dr. Eden Goldman, D.C., C.Y.T., E-RYT is a wellness-based Chiropractor, certified Yoga therapist and physical rehabilitation specialist in private practice in Santa Monica, CA. Raised in the Kriya Yoga tradition of Paramahansa Yogananda, Eden integrates classical eastern Yoga therapeutics with western advancements in movement science, preventive medicine and peak performance athletic training. He is a member of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic, a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and co-director of Loyola Marymount University’s “Yoga and the Healing Sciences” Yoga Teacher Training Program. Co-founder of the wellness group Yoga Doctors and director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit charity Karmapalooza Yoga Productions, Eden has been featured in many forms of media including Yoga Journal, Yoga for Dummies, Yoga Mind Body Spirit, PLUM TV, The New Times and LA Yoga Magazine.
Murti Hower
Murti has been practicing Hatha Yoga since 1982 and teaching for over 20 years. Murti has mentored with world renowned yoga teacher Rodney Yee for the past 17 years and is Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500hrs. He has also studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in Estes Park, Colorado. Through the years of personal study and healing a chronic back injury, Murti developed a vinyasa style of teaching that allows all levels of students to heal themselves through the practice of yoga. Murti has facilitated and ran his own yoga studio in Austin, Texas for 12 years called Healing in Yoga.
Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo
Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is the founder and lead singer of the music group The Rock by Funk Tribe. Iyeoka is at the forefront of creating a new artistic genre that gracefully interweaves spoken word poetry with jazz, blues, gospel and electronic soul. Iyeoka & the Rock by Funk Tribe is one of the most sought after supporting acts for touring artists showcasing in New England. As a dynamic sensation in the Boston music scene, Iyeoka and the Rock by Funk Tribe have been invited to locally support touring artists including FEMI KUTI, ZAP MAMA and Slick Rick. In April 2010, Iyeoka performed at Jazzmouth, The Seacoast Poetry & Jazz festival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, alongside former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky, Ray Manzarek of the Doors, and original beat poet Michael McClure. Iyeoka’s latest hit single, “the Yellow Brick Road song” received national placement in an episode of the new hit HBO series “How To Make It In America”, gaining many positive reviews for both lyrical content and musical composition. Embracing the power of words from writers such as Sonia Sanchez, Patricia Smith and Alice Walker, Iyeoka is a powerful songstress whose lyrical prowess invokes the spirit of the renowned soul-shaker Nina Simone. A story teller to the core, Iyeoka’s hope-filled poems come from within and build momentum with truth transformed into songs that reemerge as unique, emotionally complex gifts to her audience, touching on a wide range of issues-love, women, culture, struggle, relationships, among many others. In 2008, Iyeoka’s vocal talents on a cover of U2’s 1988 hit song “Desire” was showcased on a compilation of U2 covers Produced by Shawn Amos and Paul Heck, In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 features Grammy Award-winning/nominated African artists including Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Tour, Vusi Mahlasela and the Soweto Gospel Choir where proceeds benefited the Global Fund.
Denise Kaufman
Growing up in San Francisco placed Denise in the center of the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Her exploratory approach to life shaped her journey on the path of yoga. She was first introduced to yoga by her mother. She practiced with Yogi Bhajan in the late 60′s, trained in Aikido with Robert Nadeau in the 70′s, was one of Bikram’s early teachers in the 80′s and studied Ashtanga with Pattabhi Jois in India and Sanskrit with Vyaas Houston in the 90′s. This summer she will be one of the first graduates of the Yoga Philosophy program at Loyola Marymount University. Over the last fifteen years Denise has embraced the deep and nurturing practice of Yin Yoga, to which she was introduced by Paul Grilley, with whom she continues to study and assist.. Having studied with many of the great masters of our era and having taught the likes of Madonna and Quincy Jones, the most striking thing about Denise is the fact that she isn’t the least bit impressed by any of it. In her eyes, it is all part of her unique journey and all in a day’s work. Presently, Denise divides her time between Venice and Kauai, HI where she can be found surfing her favorite breaks.
Craig Kohland
The driving force inside Craig Kohland is the healing rhythm of the drum and the creative expression of the sacred. He is a talented multi-percussionist, performer, DJ, music and film producer, retreat facilitator and healing arts practitioner.
Shaman’s Dream Music Collective is Craig’s multi-faceted musical project that, along with producers Rara Avis and Amani Friend, has produced 25 albums in the last 15 years. Craig has also performed with Krishna Das, Dave Stringer, Donna Delory, Suzanne Sterling, Tina Malia, Jaya Lakshmi, Bluetech, Chris Berry, Jason Hann and BarabaJaba. Craig’s team of producers have produced remix projects for Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Donna Delory, Karsh Kale and many others.
Since 1995 Shaman’s Dream has been at the forefront of the yoga music/ ecstatic dance scene. Craig is the musical director of the “Shaman’s Dream World Groove Ensemble” and along with yoga teacher Micheline Berry has co-facilitated over 400 ecstatic dance/ “live” world music concerts plus countless live music yoga classes and ritual retreats.
Craig’s has also produced, assistant directed and musically supervised over 20 health related instructional DVD’s for such teachers as: Shiva Rea, Sharon Gannon, Duncan Wong, Hemalaya Behl and Desiree Rumbaugh.
In fall 2010, Craig is launching – Yogitunes.com – the ultimate online destination to discover and purchase music for the Yogic Lifestyle.
Ian Masterson
Ian ʻAkahi Masterson, AKA The Surf Professor, is an educator, an ocean recreation specialist, and a passionate Hawaiian cultural practitioner. Hailing from Koʻolaupoko, this Oʻahu surfer has developed college courses in Surf Science, Culture, and Technology at two different Universities, specializing in place-based, culturally oriented curriculum. His own research focuses on surfing as a traditional Hawaiian cultural activity, one heavily integrated into the daily and ritual lives of the Hawaiian people. As a way to display and acquire mana, surfing was more than just a popular sport to wager on, it was part of a greater poetic vision encoded with environmental and cultural information. Surfing sites are important, both then and now, and Waimea Bay is one of the most famous surf spots in the world. Experience Waimea in the context of the Hawaiian ahupuaʻa, a holistic land management system that provides physical and spiritual resources for everyone living there–residents and visitors alike, and one linked to the rest of the island through sacred sites like Puʻu o Mahuka and Kukaniloko. Join the Surf Professor to celebrate Waimea’s Hawaiian spirit, through the eyes of a surfer.
Twee Merrigan
Twee Merrigan is a yoga activist, senior teacher and trainer of Prana Flow Yoga, a transformational vinyasa flow yoga style integrating Hatha, Tantra + Ayurveda. As a change agent and dream recognizer, she lives and travels nomadically to a different country almost every two weeks on a three-year tour to inspire, empower, and pollinate change wherever she lands. Her classes are thought- and heart-provoking, encouraging us to respond to each moment with our authentic voice and inner teacher. Often described by students and hosts as “a life-changing experience,” her teachings remind us to heighten our awareness of how our individual actions affect all beings on our planet, as one collective tribe, from local to global. Twee is inspired by a decade of corporate world experience in New York City , her global friends, family + Support Tribe, surfing, nature, and her teacher Shiva Rea.
Twee donates her time and a portion of all her proceeds to local and global charities as a contribution to improving the lives of those less fortunate, and reducing the impact on the world’s natural resources. These charities have included kenya education fund, youth focus, parkinsons wa, surfrider foundation australia, war child, royal flying doctors, trees for the future, unicef, oxfam, doctors without borders, and youthaids.
David Moreno
David Moreno has taught at international conferences, festivals, universities, retreats, and teacher trainings programs worldwide. He has worked privately with clients in the fashion and entertainment industries, and has trained world-class athletes, including the coach of 2004/2008 Olympics U.S. Men’s Swim Team. His articles and commentaries on yoga have been published in various yoga journals and periodicals, including LA Yoga Magazine, Yoga International, and Yoga: Body & Spirit and his dance reviews are featured on Culturevulture.com. He is a Product Advisor and Community Representative for Canadian based, Lululemon Athletica, and a certified Pilates instructor. David began practicing yoga in the late 70′s learning the Iyengar and Ashtanga styles of yoga before studying the Anusara and Bihar methods. He continues his studies in Ayurveda and Tantra, delving deeper into the primordial tantric roots of the yogic tradition. David is known for his keen sense of humor and timing, making classes both playful and informative. When not traveling, David teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Edison de Paula
Edison de Paula is the head surf instructor and founder of Surf Hawaii – Surf School and www.SurfHawaii4u.com. He has been in Hawaii for over 20 years and has dedicated his time to big wave surfing, life guarding on the North Shore, and going to school at BYU Hawaii. After all of these years, He still thanks God every day for living in paradise and doing what he loves
Rebecca Pflaum
Rebecca Pflaum has been teaching the joy of movement for the past 26 years and dedicated herself to the study and practice of yoga and meditation for the last thirteen years. Her passion is to share what she has experienced on this genuine journey so our lives can reach their fullest potential, richness and natural beauty. Her classes are joyful, challenging and encourage you to realize your full potential by opening body, mind and spirit.
Rebecca is certified through the Kundalini Yoga Institute, has a specialized certification in pre-natal yoga, is a level 2 Reiki practitioner and is a facilitator for the giving of Deeksha through Oneness University, India.
She gratefully spends much of her time now traveling the world and sharing the beautiful and transformational technology of Kundalini yoga and the wisdom gained through life experiences.
She has been married for 25 years, has lived and taught in 5 countries and is the proud Mama of 4 great sons who have been 4 of her greatest teachers.
Lisa Rapp
It was through the Jivamukti method of yoga that her heart was open and although devoted to the teachings of Integral Yoga through Sri Gurudev it was a long time dream to teach as a Jivamukti Yoga teacher. That goal was obtained for Lisa in May of 2005, and is certified through Integral and Jivamukti Yoga as well as years of training under great teachers such as David Life, Sharon Gannon, Dharma Mittra, Ruth Lauer, and Manorama D’Alvia.
Ann Richardson
Ann Richardson is registered as a 500 hour multi-style Experienced Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She teaches a variety of classes emphasizing technique and alignment. Ann leads privates, classes, workshops, continued education, and occasionally takes her practice on the road in various locations across the country.
Ann’s love of teaching and years of experience are evident in the comfortable manner in which she conducts her classes. She is known for the infectious enthusiasm she brings to each sess ion. With a keen eye for correct alignment and knowledge of modifications, Ann’s gift is the ability to tailor the practice to the specific need of the student, allowing that student to realize their own inner strength to face what life has to offer.
Steve Ross
Steve Ross has practiced various styles of yoga for almost thirty years and has been an instructor for over twenty years. He has extensively explored the physical aspects of yoga as well as the philosophical and spiritual roots of yoga. He spent four years as a monk in the Vedic tradition, and since that time, he has ceaselessly sought out and reveled in the presence of some of the most notable masters of our time – in India and else- where. He is honored to have the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience with other spiritual seekers. Steve combines upbeat, inspirational music with a relaxed, easy spiritual- ity that make his classes at Maha Yoga some of the most popular in Los Angeles. Steve has written the book, Happy Yoga, published by Harper Collins. Steve also records and tours with Krishna Das and has recorded two of his own kirtan albums called “Grace is the Name of the Game” and “Give Love a Chants”. He has been chanting for over 20 years, and his chants are well known to produce a state of intoxicating euphoria.
Rupali
RUPALI has been studying, practicing and teaching yoga for 25 years. It is her passion to impart the deeper understandings of yoga and to give students an experience of their true nature through the vehicle of these practices. Her main teaching influences have been the Kripalu Yoga community in Massachusetts, where she was initially exposed to the yogic lifestyle and continues to study, and Ashtanga master K. Pattabhi Jois, with whom she studied for the last 10 years of his life. She has trained over 200 yoga teachers internationally and is co-owner with Tania Jo Ingrahm of Yoga Hawaii on Oahu, Hawaii.
Jeff Von Schmauder
Jeff has had a lifelong relationship with breath and movement. His style of Union Yoga is an evolving art which has come from his background in gymnastics, figure skating and flying. Jeff teaches workshops and teacher trainings globally. As a combat medic in the Air Force, he was able to share his yoga with practitioners around the world. He resides in Maui, HI and continues to be a citizen of the world. Union Yoga is grounded in the tradition of the Aloha spirit and is his life’s passion.
Jesse Seymour
Jesse Seymour has established himself internationally as a talented and innovative percussionist, music educator, band leader, and facilitator. He brings an energizing and mystical expression through blending rhythmic styles from Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.
Angel and Matt Singmin
Angel and Matt are the creators of the Future Sound of Yoga (www.futuresoundofyoga.com) – a sensory experience that fuses yoga and music with a live DJ. Angel’s passion for the art of movement began as a child and teenager studying ballet. Turning down offers to study at London dance schools, she chose to go to university and started her career in the world of advertising. However, after a few years in the corporate world, she found herself being pulled back to her passion for movement and began training to become a yoga teacher. Today she teaches yoga to people from all walks of life across Sydney (www.angelyoga.com.au). Recent highlights include teaching at retreats across Australia (Mission Beach, Bamarang), the Earth Festival and Yoga Trinity in Port Douglas. Angel has also modelled for Identitaet Fashion Design (www.identitaet.com.au).
Matt’s passion for electronic music began in the late 90s. While studying philosophy at Oxford and playing a jazz-funk collective, he became fascinated by the dance music scene in London. Inspired by the culture, he started travelling the world to tap into other areas where dance music was igniting: Goa, Thailand, San Francisco, Burning Man. In 2003, he moved to Sydney and it was here that he began to experiment with synthesisers, electronic composition and Ableton Live. Today he is focused on producing, DJing, and running Wildlife (www.facebook.com/wildlifebondi), a monthly event in Bondi centred around cutting edge deep/progressive/tech house.
Tom “Pohaku” Stone
Tom “Pohaku” Stone, a legendary native Hawaiian surfer and waterman, has been on a life long journey in search of his cultural heritage. Starting in the ocean surfing as a young boy, Pohaku grew up in a world of contradiction. Part of his life was surrounded by beauty and pride, surfing in the paradise where he was born, while another part was surrounded by a world of frustration, where his native culture was cast aside as backwards and ignorant. Through his career as a pro surfer Pohaku often battled this contradiction, always searching for clarity and unity between his pride as a waterman and what he deeply felt should be his pride as a Hawaiian. It has been through education that Pohaku has been able to find clarity. Using his love of he’e nalu (surfing) and his culture as a focal point Pohaku has spent the last ten years at the University of Hawaii , gaining his masters degree in Pacific Island Studies, specializing in ancient Hawaiian sports. He is credited with single handedly revitalizing the sport of he’e holua (Hawaiian sledding), a centuries old extreme sport, and for the past several years he has been sharing his knowledge and his aloha as a teacher and craftsman, instructing students in the arts of sled building and ancient surf board carving. Through this balance of riding, teaching, and craftsmanship, Pohaku has found peace within himself and a sense of pride in his culture that can never be broken. It is this peace and pride that is put into every papa holua and papa he’e nalu he crafts, making these works of art truly “He mea Kanaka Maoli – Native Made.”
Max Strom
Born with severe clubbed feet, Max Strom spent much of the first six years of his life with his feet confined in plaster casts and braces. Today, he is known for inspiring and impacting the lives of his students and has become one of the most respected teachers of personal transformation and yoga worldwide. He has taught tens of thousands of students, and trained several hundred teachers. He is the author of the new release, A Life Worth Breathing, Skyhorse, 2010. You can see more of his work on his DVDs, Learn to Breathe, to heal yourself and your relationships, and, Max Strom Yoga – Strength, Grace, Healing.
Rod Stryker
Rod Stryker is the founder of ParaYoga® and widely considered one of the country’s leading yoga and meditation teachers. He has taught for nearly thirty years, leads retreats, workshops, and trainings worldwide. Rod is one of very few American teachers today transmitting an ancient tradition, one that has been handed from teacher to student for literally thousands of years.
Skeeter Tichnor
The unique wisdom and beauty of the Anusara Tantric Philosophies and Universal Principles of Alignment guided her to devote the past 4 years of her Life to study directly with John Friend. Skeeter has had the great honor to assist John Friend at workshops in London, Park City Utah, Denver Colorado, Santa Fe New Mexico, and Japan.
After 18 years of study, Skeeter has an expansive knowledge of the many diverse forms/philosophies of Yoga. Skeeter is also a guild certified Feldenkrais® Teacher and Bones for Life® Teacher. Skeeter began studying the work of Dr. Feldenkrais in 1983. She continues to deepen her Yoga practices and teaching through the insights she gains through her Somatic practices.
Andrea Torres
Brazil born, dancer & yogi Andrea Torres is the Founder and Director of Hawaii’s only Aerial Company SAMADHI HAWAII. Andrea is the original aerialist/acrobatas Hina, the moon goddess, in the acclaimed ‘Ulalena production at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina by ARRA Montreal. Torres’ is a recipient of the Choreography Award by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Heraerial work has appeared with Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, Tau Dance Theatre, Sonny Ching’s Halau Na Mamo o Pu’uanahulu in Hawaii and Japan, I ka Wa Kahiko-Haleakala Productions, Honua’ula Luau at Maui Marriott Wailea, Nohelani Cipryano “Nostalgic Hawaii” Show at Hale Koa Hotel, Art Spree at TCM, Bank of Hawaii’s family Sunday at The Art Academy, Live from the Lawn at Hawaii State Art Museum, Youth Fair at The State Capitol, Na Hoku Hano Hano Awards, Raiatea Helm at The Hawaii Theatre and in collaboration with Hawaiian Musician Makana and Grammy nominee Jeff Peterson.
Daphne Tse
Daphne Tse is a multi-faceted artist (musician, painter, photographer and poet) with her first love being singing. Originally from Texas, she started singing at a young age and explored different genres of music through her college years. After graduation from college, she relocated to Los Angeles and was inspired after listening to Shawn Colvin’s “Live ’88″ album to pick up the guitar and start writing songs. Since her initial yoga class almost 15 years ago, she has merged her spiritual practice with her contemporary folk singer/songwriter style. She studied music at The University of Texas at Austin, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and kirtan music with Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul in Guatemala. She has travelled extensively sharing her music in Europe, North America, Central America, Asia and beyond. Daphne is inspired by her yoga practice, her travels and the diverse, compassionate human beings she meets worldwide to continue creating and sharing her soulful blend of folk/pop/spiritual/jazz music. She is committed to expanding consciousness on the planet through global community events focusing on music, yoga, dance and all forms of art that inspire peace in action. She has released music on Shiva Rea’s yoga music compilations, Jala and Nataraja. Her recent solo EP, Mata, was released in 2008. She is currently traveling and being inspired to write songs for her new album coming in 2010.
Ellen Watson
Ellen Watson is celebrating her 25th year on staff at Esalen Institute, where she studies, practices, and teaches various modalities of moving meditation practice. A licensed minister, Ellen believes that the core of all healing begins in the realm of the heart and the Spirit. Among her great pleasures are opening the door for people to dance, to sing and play and pray, to touch and be touched. She is passionate about spreading the good news about how waking up can heal and transform the mind, body and soul. Ellen is a teacher of Esalen® Massage, Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms™, Holotropic™ Breathwork, SpiritDance, The Art of Essential Touch, and Your Body is a Musical Instrument. From 1984 through 2003, Ellen developed and administered the Movement Arts Program at Esalen. In 1996, she founded MovingVentures™ School, a 501c3, whose mission is education in the somatic arts, focusing on women and men in developing countries, and the southern USA. MovingVentures™ faculty offer workshops, retreats, and trainings at Esalen, in Bali, and at other inspiring locations around the globe.
John and Christopher Yax
Raised by holistic pioneers and spiritual educators, John and Chris have been following the yogic path their entire lives. With a dedication to healthful living, both have created a lifestyle that combines yoga, body work and martial arts as the center of their practice and teachings. Specializing in Hot Yoga methodology and Vinyasa systems, John and Chris share knowledge which has been molded by masters from every discipline. With a passion to help people wake up from the maze of past conditioning and struggle, the Yax brother’s have a natural way of supporting and encouraging
growth in every student.
