Faculty

The program’s faculty includes the following top instructors in the fields of yoga therapy and ayurveda:

Featured Faculty

• Nischala Joy Devi

  

  Nischala Joy Devi is a master teacher and healer. For over 30 years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing.

  She was graced to study with Yoga masters in US, India and worldwide and was a monastic disciple of the world renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and spent over 25 years receiving his direct guidance and teachings. During her time in the monastery she began to blend western medicine with yoga and meditation. She then offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease where she subsequently served for seven years as Director of Stress Management. She also co-founded the award-winning Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

  Nischala Devi produced the Abundant Well-Being Series CDs to allow these simple yet profound Yoga and stress-relieving techniques to reach more people. Her book The Healing Path of Yoga, now in its sixth printing, also expresses these teachings.

  With her knowledge of yoga and her experience in assisting those with life-threatening diseases, she created Yoga of the Heart, a training and certification program for Yoga teachers and health professionals designed to adapt Yoga practices to the special needs of that population.

  Nischala Devi is now directing her energies to bringing the feminine heart perspective back into spirituality and the scriptures through her new book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman’s guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras, Random House 2007. When not traveling and teaching she divides her time between Northern California and Mexico. See Abundant Well Being.

  Nischala will be teaching Adapting Yoga for Heart Disease in this training program.

• Durga

  

  Durga (BA, CAS, PKS, Yoga Acharya) is the founder of Yoga of Recovery™, a comprehensive program that integrates Ayurveda and Yoga with recovery tools for a holistic mind, body and spirit approach for all those affected by addiction and self-destructive behaviors. Yoga of Recovery offers an integrative approach with yoga, herbal remedies, Ayurvedic body treatments, aromatherapy, detoxification, diet, color, sound, breathing exercises, meditation, and other mind-body integration methods to assist clients maintain lasting sobriety. It is currently offered as workshops, retreats and certificate courses in the US and internationally. Durga holds the RYT-500 qualification, having completed both the Sivananda Yoga teachers Training Course and an Advanced Yoga Training. She is also extensively trained in Meditation and Vedanta. She is a Clinical Ayurvedic and Pancha Karma Specialist, trained at the California College of Ayurveda and at the School of Ayurveda and Pancha Karma in Kerala, India. She is the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Yoga Farm in California and a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). She is also a member of Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

  Durga will be teaching Yoga of Recovery in this training program.

• Karen Soltes

  

  Ever since her first discovery of meditation while a undergraduate psychology student, Karen has had a fascination and interest in the intersection between contemplative practices and contemporary psychology.  Karen became increasingly interested in the practice of Yoga Nidra when she observed its potential benefits in improving psychological health and well-being.  Karen has studied with Dr. Richard Miller and is certified as a Level V iRest Yoga Nidra Teacher.

  Karen serves as the Director of Therapeutic Yoga Programs at Circle Yoga in Washington DC. Since 2007, she has taught classes in iRest Yoga Nidra at the Washington DC Veterans Hospital, where iRest is being used as an adjunctive treatment for alleviating the symptoms of PTSD, Substance Abuse, Anxiety, Depression, and Chronic Pain. Her intention is to weave together her years of clinical experience with the mind/body practices of yoga and meditation in order to empower and support people so that they may live life in a calmer, more balanced way.

  Karen will be teaching Yoga Nidra in this training program.

• Maria Kali Ma

  

  Kali Ma has a rich history in the field of wellness, yoga therapeutics & Ayurveda. She is an RN, with an MS in Community Health with extensive work in the fields of Rehabilitation and Women’s Health. She went on to receive extensive teacher training in yoga, and then yoga therapeutics, and has both a private practice in yoga therapy, ayurvedic consultation and an extensive teaching curriculum for advanced students of yoga therapy. She teaches both nationally and internationally with Integrative Yoga Therapy, and then with her own group of Functional Yoga Therapy.

• Lillah Schwartz

  

  Known by appreciative students across the country as “the queen of alignment,” yoga instructor and author Lillah Schwartz brings the benefits of her 30 years’ training with yoga experts such as BKS Iyengar, Aadil Palkhivala, Eric Small, and others to the Southeast region and, through her workshops, to studios across the eastern and central U.S.

  Her hundreds of hours of study in the U.S. and India with senior Iyengar instructors make Lillah one of the most accomplished yoga teachers in the Southeast region. She pioneered the Iyengar method in North Carolina from 1981, led the way to establishing Asheville as a yoga destination, and held an Iyengar teaching certificate from 1985-2009.

  Lillah is well known for her excellence in the therapeutic applications of yoga. Her “Healing Our Backs with Yoga” program brings the science and spirit of yoga to hundreds of people each year who have connected with their healing potential, overcome their pain, and improved their functional ability with her guidance.

  Never more at home than in front of a group of students with diverse body issues, Lillah pulls a hip back by one inch here, has a student turn a foot out two percent there, and suddenly a miracle happens: her students find themselves pain free and in the quiet joy of pure being. It is at this place of alignment that the deep spiritual work of yoga begins.

  Says Lillah, “My job is to support and guide my students to a deeper understanding of alignment, action, and breath so they might release their resistance, love themselves, and discover their own inner potential.” And as the body wakes up, magic happens. Just ask Lillah’s student Jeanne Kalogridis: “Lillah understood exactly what was causing the pain and showed me the way to overcome it…. She’s the most gifted yoga teacher I’ve ever worked with.”

  Lillah founded Lighten Up Yoga, her studio in Asheville, NC in 1981. In addition to her weekly classes, she offers true transformation at her yearly 200-hour and unique 500-hour Teacher Training programs. Her “Healing Our Backs with Yoga” program is registered for both massage therapy and nursing CE credits. Her popular DVDs, “Yoga: Your Freedom from Back Pain” and “Yoga: Relief from Neck and Shoulder Pain” are recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, Prevention Magazine, Booklist, and Yoga Journal.

  Visit her blog for free videos and yoga tips at LillahSchwartz.com; or contact her at Lillah@lightenupyoga.com or 828.254.7756.

• Dr. Marc Halpern

  

  Dr. Marc Halpern (DC, CAS) is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda, California. An internationally recognized expert in the field of Ayurvedic medicine, Dr. Halpern has trained hundreds of practitioners and thousands of students around the world.

  After completing his Doctor of Chiropractic training, he completed post-graduate work in Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, herbalism, homeopathy, holistic case management and he was certified as a Holistic Health Care Specialist in 1991. Dr. Halpern undertook further study in Ayurveda with Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subash Ranad, and other noted teachers. Dr. Halpern has been a contributing writer in several books, and his articles have appeared in magazines throughout the world including Yoga Journal, International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Light on Ayurveda, and many other publications. In 2005, Dr. Halpern was interviewed by Mike Wallace on CBS’s 60 Minutes about Ayurveda. In addition, Dr. Halpern’s remarkable story of self-healing was featured in the national magazine, Spirituality and Health.

  Dr. Halpern’s accomplishments have been recognized in India. He received the award for Best Ayurvedic Physician from the Hakim Ajmal Khan Society of India. This award was bestowed upon him by Dr. A. Ram Das, India’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

  Dr. Halpern is on many national and international advisory boards. He is a founding board member of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (C.A.A.M.) and the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). For more information please visit Ayurveda College.

  Dr. Halpern will be teaching Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy in this training program.

• Neil Pearson

  

  Neil Pearson (MSc, BScPT, BA-BPHE, CYT, RYT-500) is an exceptional educator, a physical therapist and a certified yoga therapist. His presentations, which focus on the interplay of yoga and physiology, are entertaining, engaging, and informed by over 20 years of therapeutic practice. Neil spends most of his time working with people with chronic pain conditions, including providing small group therapeutic yoga classes, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, and yoga retreats for people with chronic pain. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and author of the pain-management education book Understand Pain, Live Well Again. Neil travels throughout Canada and internationally educating health care professionals and yoga teachers about modern pain science and pain self-management.

  Neil will be teaching Yoga for Chronic Pain in this training program.

• Antonio Sausys

  

  Antonio Sausys (BA Psychology, MA Body-Oriented Psychotherapy) is a somatic health practitioner and yoga instructor specializing in one-on-one yoga therapy for people with chronic and acute medical conditions as well as emotional imbalance. During his career, Antonio discovered a key correlation between modern body-oriented psychotherapy and ancient yogic teachings, integrating the best practices from both worlds. He applies specific yogic applications working with individuals to create a “Yoga Sadhana.” This is a specific and personalized yogic routine that best serves the individuals’ needs and abilities, integrating mind, body and spirit to fully embrace the experience of life. He studied with Yoga masters and teachers such as Indra Devi, Swami Shankaradevananda, Swami Ekananda, Babashi Singh, Ram Dass, Swami Mairtreyananda and Larry Payne. He has continued his professional development with training in Foot Reflexology, Swedish Therapeutic Massage, the Degriefing Process, and Reiki. Antonio teaches and lectures at U.C. Berkeley, California Institute of Integral Studies, Alive and Well, Institute of Conscious Body Work, and College of Marin, has been a faculty member at the International Yoga College and the former Honorary Secretary of the International Yoga Federation for USA. He is a member of International Association of Yoga Therapy, member of the World Yoga Council, and the US Delegate of International Yoga Therapy Association. Antonio Sausys resides in Marin County with a thriving yoga practice throughout the Bay Area. In addition to speaking engagements and workshops, he is an accomplished opera singer, accordion player, actor, and is fluent in four languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian.

  Antonio is the Founder and Executive Producer of Yoga for Health: the International Yoga Therapy Conference. His web site is satyoga.com and you can read more about his grief work at Yoga for Grief Relief.

  Antonio will be teaching Yoga for Grief and Yoga for Cancer in this training program.

• Amy Weintraub

  

  Amy Weintraub (MFA, E-RYT-500), author of Yoga for Depression (Broadway Books) and founding director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute, is a leader in the field of yoga and mental health. She offers professional certification in LifeForce Yoga® Practitioner Trainings for Depression and Anxiety and speaks at medical and psychological conferences internationally. Amy is involved in ongoing research on the affects of yoga on mood. Her evidence-based yoga protocol for managing mood is featured on the LifeForce Yoga® CD Series that includes Breathe to Beat the Blues, LifeForce Yoga Nidra, and LifeForce Bhavana, and the first DVD home Yoga practice series for mood management, the award-winning LifeForce Yoga® to Beat the Blues, Level 1 & Level 2. She edits a bi-monthly newsletter that includes current research, news and media reviews on Yoga and mental health.

  Amy will be teaching Yoga for Depression in this training program.

Program Directors

• Michele Lawrence

  

  Michele Lawrence (ERYT-500, CYT) has been practicing yoga since 2000 and has studied various yoga styles. She believes that all yoga can teach you something, if you allow yourself to be open to it. She is a graduate of the New Jersey-based Devalila Yoga Teacher Training, a registered 200-hour level training with the Yoga Alliance, and then completed the 300-hour Yoga Therapy Certification Program at Ananda Seva Mission in California.

  Michele is an owner of Yogadurango a studio in Durango, Colorado and instructs weekly classes there. She also works one-on-one with individuals who face challenges and adapts the yoga practice to meet their needs. In addition, she brings yoga therapy programs to the schools and hospital in Durango and the surrounding area.

  Michele also has a M.B.A and has worked for over 15 years in several large and small corporations. She blends her backgrounds in yoga and business to help direct the Inner Peace Yoga Therapy program.

• Hamsa Eliza Gooderham

  

  Hamsa (CYT, ERYT500) has been teaching yoga for 10 years and working as a Yoga Therapist for 4 years, certified by the Ananda Seva Mission. She works in conjunction with other health professionals at an alternative health clinic in her community in southern British Columbia. Combining Thai Massage, Cranial-Sacral, and Healing Touch modalities into her Therapeutic Yoga sessions, Hamsa’s work is compassionate, intelligent and deeply connected to Spirit.

  Hamsa believes firmly in the transformational potential of a balanced practice as a portal to our True Nature and the Divine. Her classes are imbued with humor, spontaneity, and wisdom, energized by a conspiracy of Love. She is committed to finding ways for all people to awaken to, and embrace, the intelligence of their body-mind to facilitate consciousness evolution.

  She lives in the mountains of southwestern BC, on a 10 acre farm with her husband, horses, and dogs.

• Stevi Self

  

  Stevi Self (ERYT-500, CYT) is a certified yoga instructor and certified yoga therapist with 12 years experience. She is the co-owner of Southern Star Yoga Center in Oxford, MS where she teaches a variety of classes for special needs–including prenatal yoga. Stevi is the mother of three beautiful children: Riley (11), Raina (9), and Jaden (7). She completed her first teacher training when she was pregnant with her oldest child. “I owe the ease of three successful home-births in part to my genetics but also to my daily yoga practice. During pregnancy yoga helped me to feel comfortable in my body, and during labor it was a source of personal strength. Yoga showed me how to surrender to the innate wisdom that exists within me. In essence, it taught me how to get out of my own way.” She is a member of the Yoga Alliance and the International Association of Yoga Therapists.