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Amy Hamilton, CIYT, C-IAYT
Amy has been practicing yoga since 1993, and has been a dedicated yoga teacher since 2000. She is a CIYT (Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher), a C-IAYT (Certified Yoga Therapist) as well as a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer. A long-time student of Peentz Dubble and the late Theresa Rowland, Amy continues to study with Senior Teachers to advance her knowledge. She has traveled to Pune, India to study directly with the Iyengar family. Amy discovered Iyengar Yoga after a successful career as a professional dancer. While juggling her dance-teaching schedule with being the mother of two young children, she found an oasis of peace in a local weekly Iyengar yoga class. For Amy, yoga continues to be the perfect way to blend her love of movement with the study of the mind-body-spirit connection. Her teaching is nurturing yet challenging. With her clear demonstrations and concise instruction, she inspires her students to find alignment in their bodies and steadiness in their minds. She firmly believes that yoga is for everyone, regardless of age or fitness level. She teaches a variety of classes from Gentle Yoga to vigorous study for the experienced student. She also mentors other teachers, helping them to find their voice as they prepare for Iyengar teacher certification. She also offers private sessions.
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Alaka Palsolé-Srivastav, CIYT
Alaka has been practicing Yoga since her childhood days in India, where Yoga was a way of life in her family. An engineer by profession, she moved to New Jersey in 1986 where she continued to follow her passion for Yoga and Spiritual studies while working in corporate America.In the 1990s, she discovered the unique style of Iyengar Yoga, which lit a spark within her, and she has been studying and practicing this method with Mary Dalziel since 1999. Having completed the 500 hour teacher training certification, Alaka is currently on her way for the next level of certification with Theresa Rowland, a Jr III Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT), of Studio Yoga Madison.With her lifetime of Yoga experience, Alaka has evolved her own unique teaching style by observing people of all ages and competencies benefit from practicing Yoga. She combines the Iyengar discipline of alignment with her students’ individual abilities, and helps them develop their own practicing methods, with the goal of developing physical strength, spiritual centricity, and peace, that she hopes will continue to enrich their lives forever.
Carol Wipf, CIYT, C-IAYT
Carol Wipf began her yoga studies in 1994 with Lois Steinberg in Urbana, Illinois.
When she moved to New Jersey, she became a student of Theresa as well as Mary Dunn and Joan White. In 2016, she passed the national test to become an Intermediate Junior I Iyengar teacher.
Ellen Kaplan, CIYT, C-IAYT
Ellen is a Level II Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT). From 1999 – 2019 Theresa Rowland, Founder of Studio Yoga Madison, was Ellen’s mentor and where she completed her 500 hour teacher training. Ellen now studies primarily with Lois Steinberg and makes regular trips to Lois’ Studio in Urbana, IL. Amy Block-Hamilton continues to be another influence on Ellen’s training. It was Amy, along with Theresa, who recommended Ellen for Certification with the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS). Additionally, due to her extensive one-on-one yoga therapy work, Ellen is certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT). Since 2018, Ellen attends Lois Steinberg’s seven day International Iyengar Yoga Therapy Intensive annually. Ellen has also traveled to Pune, India twice to study directly with the Iyengar family. Practitioners of all levels will appreciate Ellen’s clear, precise instructions and her compassionate, humble manner.
“Health begins with firmness in body, deepens to emotional stability, then leads to intellectual clarity, wisdom, and finally the unveiling of the soul.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
“Health begins with firmness in body, deepens to emotional stability, then leads to intellectual clarity, wisdom, and finally the unveiling of the soul.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
Jane Caulfield, CIYT, C-IAYT
Jane Caulfield is the owner of Santosha Yoga Studio. She is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher at the Introductory Level. She began practicing yoga in 2001 to relieve knee problems that resulted from years of long distance running, and has been hooked on yoga ever since. Jane is a long-time student of Theresa Rowland, and also studies annually with Lois Steinberg, Kofi Busia, and Sri H.S. Arun. Jane continues her studies in the Assessment and Advanced Studies Programs at Studio Yoga.
Her teaching style reflects her love of yoga and her genuine desire to share its benefits with her students. She has been inspired by the sage advice to “ begin where you are” and tries to impart that message to her students.
Her teaching style reflects her love of yoga and her genuine desire to share its benefits with her students. She has been inspired by the sage advice to “ begin where you are” and tries to impart that message to her students.
Linda Cochran, CIYT
Linda took her first yoga class in the mid-90s and became a regular practitioner after joining Studio Yoga in 2008. Under the guidance of the late Theresa Rowland and Amy Block-Hamilton, she completed her 500-hour Teacher Training in 2019. That same year, she became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Level 1. For four years, Linda assisted Theresa Rowland in her Back Care classes. She has also studied scoliosis under Deborah Wolk. Linda continues to learn from Iyengar Yoga Teachers around the world. Since 2014, Linda has taught regular and restorative classes. Currently, she teaches movement/yoga classes for developmentally disabled adults through JSDD. Her teaching style reflects her passion to explore and play with the practice in order to challenge herself and her students. At the same time, she strives to make yoga accessible to all bodies and minds.
Joanne Kunz, CIYT
Joanne became interested in yoga in her early twenties and began trying out different styles through various classes and videos. Then, in 2009, she walked into her first Iyengar yoga class. She was instantly captivated. At that time, she was running marathons and doing triathlons; yet still she was amazed at how this style of yoga not only challenged her, but gave her a deeper understanding of her body, its limits, and its possibilities. She received a 200-hour teaching certificate in 2015. Thereafter, she began studying with Theresa Rowland at Studio Yoga Madison. In 2021, she became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher.
Joanne is ardent about sharing her knowledge of yoga. In her teaching, she communicates the passion and excitement of her experience and encourages students to be curious about what they might achieve in their own yoga journey. Her sequencing is creative, and she keeps classes light and lively.
Joanne continues her teacher education at Santosha Yoga Studio with Matt Dreyfus and is grateful to all the teachers who have inspired her and whose voices stay with her in life as well as on the mat. She continues to study with senior teachers and is thrilled that she had the chance to study several times with Abhijata Iyengar via zoom in the past few years.
Joanne is ardent about sharing her knowledge of yoga. In her teaching, she communicates the passion and excitement of her experience and encourages students to be curious about what they might achieve in their own yoga journey. Her sequencing is creative, and she keeps classes light and lively.
Joanne continues her teacher education at Santosha Yoga Studio with Matt Dreyfus and is grateful to all the teachers who have inspired her and whose voices stay with her in life as well as on the mat. She continues to study with senior teachers and is thrilled that she had the chance to study several times with Abhijata Iyengar via zoom in the past few years.
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Katja Huiras, CIYT
I started to practice Yoga in 2008 here in Bethlehem, PA. My very first Iyengar Yoga teacher was my dear friend Mel Robin. Through him, I came to know Theresa Rowland and Studio Yoga. Starting in 2009, I practiced and studied under Theresa's guidance and from 2015 to 2019 I assisted in her Back Care classes. In 2016 Amy Block-Hamilton became my guiding teacher as I prepared for Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification.
Mike MacDonald, CIYT
Mike started practicing Iyengar Yoga with Vince Fratello in 1996. From 2005-2018, he continued his studies with Theresa Rowland at Studio Yoga Madison. Under Theresa’s guidance, he completed more than 500 hours of teacher training and, in 2015, he became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. In 2017, he was certified as a yoga therapist through IAYT. Since Theresa’s passing in 2018, Mike has continued his studies with Matt Dreyfus. Mike’s style of teaching and study is orderly and progressive. He adapts the postures to meet the physical conditions and needs of each student. His knowledge of physics as well as anatomy are a crucial part of his teaching and practice.
Patricia Videgain, CIYT, C-IAYT
Patricia began practicing yoga in 1994, and started teaching in 2002. From 2006 onwards, she has enhanced her practice and teaching of Iyengar Yoga with the study of anatomy. Her anatomy studies include a teacher-training course in Yoga for the Pelvic Floor, and Elise Miller’s teacher-training course, Yoga for Scoliosis. Patricia became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher at the Inroductory II level in 2016. She was a student of Theresa Rowland for many years until Theresa’s passing in 2018. Currently, she takes Continuing Teacher Education classes with Matt Dreyfus. Patricia says, “The universe of Iyengar Yoga and the poetry of the body fascinates. I want to share that with my students, pose by pose, class by class. I believe in yoga as a tool for transformation, and yoga philosophy informs my practice.”
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Stephanie Perry-Bush, CIYT
Stephanie attended her first yoga class in 1995, and was quickly taken by the seemingly magical effects of yoga. She began teaching yoga in 2001 after earning certifications in Hatha and Anusara yoga. In 2019, she became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. Additionally, Stephanie is a Continuing Education Provider and is registered with Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level. As an instructor at Santosha Yoga Studio, Stephanie is eager to share her passion for yoga with others. She is deeply inspired by the power of precise alignment to create freedom in the body and clarity in the mind. Having many years of dedicated, enthusiastic, and consistent yoga practice and study, Stephanie teaches from the heart. Each class is a dynamic and methodical exploration of how to experience freedom within form.
Vince Fratello
Vince Fratello is a Level 1 (formerly Introductory II) Iyengar certified teacher since 1997. Vince has studied yoga since 1981 under principal Iyengar teachers Judy Freedman, Theresa Rowland, and Richard Schachtel. He has also had the privilege of studying under many senior teachers and credits as his major influences Gabriella Giubilaro, Lois Steinberg, Patricia Walden, Dona Holleman, Faeq Biria, Ramanand Patel, John Schumacher and Roger Cole. He has taught approximately 500 Level III/IV classes for teachers and senior students, many courses on pranayama, a number of short courses on body mechanics in yoga, and two weekend workshops in Pittsburgh.