Agape Yoga with Dana Long and Cindy Bowman

Dana Long and Cindy Bowman offer "Agape Yoga", an asana practice with time for reflection, prayer and relaxation.  "In this Christ-centered practice, we turn our focus upon Him as we strengthen our bodies and nurture our spirits with God's grace and peace.  Agape yoga gives you time to be still with God.  Scripture and prayer flow with our breath and draw us closer to Christ"   ~   Cindy and Dana Classes are offered at Christ Church United Methodist, 5191 Caldwell Mill Road, B'ham, 205-991-5065 and Morningstar United Methodist Church, 11072 Highway 11, Chelsea, 678-2572. Instructors Dana Long and Cindy Bowman teach yoga at area YMCA's as well.  They have participated in workshops and classes under teachers such as Akasha Ellis, Rodney Yee, Sean Tebor, Betty Larsen & John Charping, as well as our own LeAnn Nequette.  They plan to continue their lifelong learning with YA 200 hour teacher training in Birmingham this year. Web site: www.agapeyogabham.com Contact information:  E-Mail:  danalong@charter.net; cbowman3@bellsouth.net,  Telephone:  Dana:  981-2705          Cindy:  381-1209

April Crunk
	April teaches on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM at the Hoover Rec Center.

Akasha Ellis

AKASHA ELLIS became a student of the renown master teacher of Kundalini yoga, Yogi Bhajan, at the age of 11.  This initiation with his teacher sparked his life-long quest to grow, learn and experience life through his body, mind and spirit.  He studied and practiced both martial arts and yoga throughout his teens and at 16 he was given an opportunity to complete his secondary studies and travel throughout India.  Following his return to the US at 18, and by the direction of his teacher, Yogi Bhajan, Akasha began teaching Kundalini yoga and martial arts. During his college years he was introduced to and began his studies of Ayurveda under Dr. Vasant Lad in New Mexico.  This was a truly healing experience.  The life style changes recommended by Dr. Lad offered Akasha a simple and complete method to begin balancing his life through his daily practice. In his twenties, while living and working in India, Akasha began studying Ashtanga yoga with Pattabhi Joi’s nephew, Vishwanath.  Through the daily practice of Ashtanga Akasha personally experienced the healing and recovery of a chronic sports-related injury, affirming Akasha’s commitment to share this practice with others.  He continued his study of Ashtanga while teaching the system when he returned to the US in his twenties, and became certified by American Ashtanga teacher, David Swenson, in 2002.  Akasha has been leading yoga classes around the country and in India for over twenty years and is now registered at the E-RYT-500 level with Yoga Alliance.       Akasha owns his own business and is involved in several outsourcing ventures between American and Indian companies.  He maintains a strong personal yoga practice (sadhana) that combines the daily practice of pranayama, mantra, meditation,  Kundalini and Ashtanga asana (Primary, Secondary and Third Series).  As Akasha believes “a teacher must teach what they know”, his classes reflect his personal approach and will include the traditions of Kundalini and classical Ashtanga for a heart-centered class that will leave the student toned, stretched, centered and open, from the inside out. Akasha's schedule is flexible, as he divides his time between Birmingham, Atlanta, Virginia and India.  He can be reached via email at akasha@eastwindtraders.com. When in town, he is available for private lessons, and when teaching, his classes are held at Pilates on Highlands (Notice:  Ashtanga Level 2 will take place Jan. 21-end of February, 2008, Mon and Wed. nights at 6:30 pm.  Call or email to check on space availablity, as we currently have full classes).    Akasha also leads workshops and retreats throughout the year.  We post these on our web site and include them in our email newsletter.

Stephen Fletcher

Stephen Fletcher, Director and Principal Teacher of the Yoga Circle studio, graduated Bikram’s 9-week teacher training course in Los Angeles in November, 2002, and has been teaching yoga ever since. Stephen’s background is in music and massage, both of which help expand his view of the body and mind and their ultimate union. "I love teaching yoga because it never seems to stop in a final resting place.  You'll ebb and flow, figure something out and then something new comes along and challenges you to let go again and go higher still.  Yoga integrates reality and perception and becomes part of your every waking consciousness.  When I see this infiltration of philosophy into a student it makes me feel that much closer to infinity and hopeful about the global society of peace."      ~ Stephen Fletcher  A schedule of Stephen's classes can be found on the studio web site, www.theyogacircle.net or by calling Stephen at 266-7547. Private lessons are also avaliable ($100, 90 minute, 1-3 people). The Yoga Circle Studio is located at 1805 11th Avenue S., near the 5-Points South Post Office.

India Henson

India Henson, ERYT, IAYT "My inital certification is through Integral Yoga at Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia.  Continuing studies at the Ashram include certification in Cardiac Yoga.  Further trainings include studies at the Amrit Yoga Institute in Salt Springs, Florida and Yoga Kula in Berkeley, California.  My certification in Personal Fitness Training is through WITS. My classes are based upon Classical Yoga incorporating posture, breath, concentration, deep relaxation, and brief mediation. Yoga is my chosen lifestyle'"  Class Schedule: Heartwood Yoga, 700 Century Park South, Suite 227, Birmingham, 35226 (205) 979-0019:  Beginning Hatha Yoga, Thursday @ 9:30 am Natural Leigh Yoga, 2341 John Hawkins Parkway (Hwy 150), Hoover, 35224 (205-989-6969):  Hatha Yoga, Tuesday @ 9:30 am and Wed @ 6:00pm  Email:  yogatiki@yahoo.com Website: indiahenson.blogspot.com Telephone:  205-936-0820

Krista Martin Jones

"I have always been interested in a healthy lifestyle and a sense of well-being.  For me this lifestyle is possible through my yoga practice, which has been going strong for over four years.  Although a native to Georgia, I have enjoyed living, working and practicing yoga in Birmingham for three years now.  After graduating from the University of Georgia with an Anthropology degree, I decided to go into education.  I am now a Montessori teacher at Hilltop Montessori School, where I enjoy working, playing and practicing yoga with the 3 through 6 year-olds.  As I became more comfortable with my day job, I then decided that I wanted to share my passion for yoga by teaching part time in the community.  I attended the Tallapoosa Center for Inner Arts in Carrollton, Georgia, where I got my Yoga Alliance 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certificate.  Shortly thereafter, I enrolled in the Mamaste Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Program, which is endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). I enjoy teaching Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga and Mom & Baby Yoga."  ~ Krista Jones   Krista is teaching a Mom & Baby Yoga class at the Yoga Circle on Thursdays (2-3pm) and also alternating with Becca to teach the Prenatal Class (also at the Yoga Circle--Fridays at 5:30).   Krista is also available to teach private lessons.    Contact:  kristamartinjones@gmail.com

Liz Mawhinney

Liz has been involved in yoga and tai chi since the early 90’s. She is certified by Yoga Alliance. Her style is an exciting blend of eclectic yoga mixed with tai chi, qi gong and Pilates. She has studied with international yoga instructors: Shiva Rea, Tias Little, Bryan Kest, Erich Schiffman, Cora Wen (Rodney Yee’s protégée) Stephanie Keach (Pre-natal Certification), Mukunda Stiles (Structural Yoga Therapy) and Michael Buck of the Vedic Conservatory (Thai Yoga Massage). Liz has taught yoga & tai chi at the University of Montevallo and at St. Vincent’s 119 Health & Wellness Center. Liz has practice tai chi since 1991 with the Taoist Tai Chi Society of North America and currently teaches the Yang short form. This 24-step format is lovely and accessible for everyone. Tai chi, as with yoga promotes balance, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Studies report that tai chi helps reduce pain, stress and anxiety. In addition to tai chi and yoga, Liz is a nationally certified massage therapist and has assisted in a physical therapy center specializing in chronic pain. She incorporates asanas and pranayama into therapy whenever possible. Having worked in this setting, Liz easily adapts her yoga for those with physical limitations due to trauma, surgery and injuries. She currently sees private clients at Innerbliss Therapy near Chelsea and offers massages at St. Vincent’s Spa 119 as well.  Liz provides a unique experience with her knowledge of the inner arts, anatomy and physiology. Please call 205-540-2438 or email theinnerbliss@aol.com to arrange classes.

LeAnn Nequette

LeAnn comes to the practice with a curiosity about the human body, it's need to move and breath fully in all living aspects: body, emotions, mind and spirit.  Always the student, LeAnn hopes to provide practioners the opportunity to address their own natural curiosity and more fully embrace the practice through an energizing series of asansa emphasizing alignment, steady observation and returning to "center". Her 200-hr. teacher training was through Peachtree Yoga, Atlanta; she continues to draw inspiration from Sean Tebor, Akasha Ellis, Doug Keller and Tias Little, as well as the many other teachers she has been blessed to practice with and is thankful to the other committed teachers of the ever-evolving Birmingham area yoga community and her Magic City Yoga partner, Terri Sellers. LeAnn leads yoga classes at the Shades Valley and Mountain Brook YMCA, the JCC,  and semi-private as well as community classes in her home studio, Terra Firma.  LeAnn can be reached by e-mail at: LNequette@bellsouth.net or by phone at 205.587.4500.

Laura Pickens

Laura Pickens began her Yoga practice because of health reason.  Living with a chronic illness requires special needs.  After being a student of both Yoga and Pilates for eight years she decided to share her experience with others.  Having the pleasure of different instructors during that time, Laura is proud to have taken the best of those teachers to become the best instructor she can be.  Laura is a hands on instructor.  In August 2006 she received her first two certifications from YogaFit.  Level one and Seniors.  In the December 2006 she continued her education with YogaFit and received level two and in January 2007 she received level three.  In February 2008 she obtained her Practical Pilates certification with AFAA.  (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) Laura owns her own studio "Yoga with Laura"  located on the Bent Brook Golf Corse.  Group classes as well as private session are available.  And coming soon, a class for the Golfers.  "Stretching of Strokes for Your Golf Game".  Laura also teaches for St. Vincent's  One Nineteen Health and Wellness center located at 7191 Cahaba Valley Road. Class schedule: "Yoga with Laura"  group classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings @ 6:00 and Saturday mornings @ 10:00 for $10.00 per class. St. Vincent's 119 group classes with Laura are offered Sunday afternoon @ 3:00, Monday evenings @ 6:30, Wednesday and Friday mornings @ 10:00. You are invited to Yoga with Laura at either location. CONTACT INFORMATION: Lpickens001@bham.rr.com 205-915-7772

Laura Thornton

Laura Thornton, RYT, leads yoga classes in the following locations: Tuesdays, Noon at Devyani Dance Center (2621 Crestwood Blvd. 35210, 205-956-3384) Tuesdays, 6:30 pm at Trussville Community Center (215 Parkway Drive, Trussville, 35173, 205-655-2503) Thursdays, 6:00 pm at Trussville Community Center  "I have a 200 hour RYT certification through Yogafit systems.  My background includes teaching yoga for five years and the study and practice of Iyengar and other styles of yoga for over twenty years.  I have taken trainings in Therapeutic Yoga at Dragonfly Yoga Studies in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.  My newest project involves teaching yoga to people who are in treatment for alcohol and drug addictions.  Yoga is an important component in their recovery program.  I consider sharing the gift of yoga to be a wonderful blessing. What could be more exciting than helping others discover the science of bringing the body, mind and breath into harmony in the present moment!" Contact Information:  Email: gradylauraT@aol.com                                       Telephone:  205-854-5683 Laura also offers Private Lessons.

Susanna Whitsett

Susanna teaches yoga for children, youth, and adults in Birmingham.  She approaches yoga instruction for adults with a sense of simplicity, a joy of movement and careful attention to postural alignment.  Her work with children, youth and their parents, draws on the creative, playful, and imaginative aspects of the practice.  Her teaching style offers gentle vinyasas and echoes of Iyengar yoga.  You may hear her name in connection with “Yoga Ed.” or “Yoga Friends”. Susanna has a background in classical ballet and low level gymnastics, and she taught both to children and youth in Tuscaloosa & Birmingham, AL for many years.  She began group fitness instruction at age 16 and has taught regularly in this arena since 1997, beginning first in aerobics and free weight classes, then moving on to mat Pilates and yoga.   These experiences, along with  15 years working with youth in the Episcopal Church, and her more recent domestic “career” as mother of beautiful 8, 6, and 2-year old daughters, informs her yoga instruction to the extent that Susanna sees and holds valuable the changes and chances that come with age, ability, and a desire to cultivate life-long health. Susanna is certified as a Group Fitness Instructor through AFAA, with an emphasis on yoga and mat Pilates.  She continues to build on that training through workshops including ones led by Doug Swenson, Sean Tabor, Doug Keller, Akasha Ellis and Becca Impello.  Susanna also holds training through YogaKids (Atlanta) and Yoga Ed. (see yogaed.com for more information), the Los Angeles-based program that seeks to promote lifetime health and wellness in school children. At present, Susanna is the only person in Alabama trained in this internationally recognized program. Susanna teaches adults at the YMCA (Mountain Brook & Vestavia Express) and sometimes children’s yoga sessions there, as well. Please go to YMCAbham.org to view the weekly schedule.  She also teaches students K-6th grade at Creative Montessori and 5th-12th grade students and faculty at The Altamont School (Birmingham). Susanna is currently offering the following classes: I.  Yoga & Pilates Summer Session at the Homewood Community Center.  Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:15-6:15 PM on the following days:     June 2&4   16&18   23&25           July 7&9   21&23      Reasonble rate of $65 for all 10 sessions. Please register by May 30 by contacting Susanna or stopping by the Homewood Community Center.     II. "Yoga & Art Camp” and “Yoga Friends Yoga Camp” at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. These week-long camps will be offered for children ages entering K-6th grade.  For more information, contact Ellen Hardy at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens at 414.3900 or ehardy@bbgardens.org Contact information:   Email: swhitsett3@bellsouth.net; Telephone:  205.281.1903 Susanna is available for private sessions.

Christine Caiola

Christine Caiola is a native of Birmingham, with a strong foundation in dance and gymnastics. While attending the University of South Alabama, Christine began pursuing an active Hatha practice under Nadia Jenkins in 1999. After graduating with a BA in Psychology in 2000, Christine returned to Birmingham and began studying Yoga under Akasha Ellis, who had just returned from an executive position and eight-year Ashtanga study in Bangalore, India. Under Akasha’s instruction, Christine’s interest in teaching intensified. In March of 2002, Christine received her Yoga certification from David Swenson, a renowned American teacher and one of the first Westerners to learn the Ashtanga system under renown Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Since receiving her certification in 02, Christine has developed her practice of Ashtanga under many noteworthy Yoga masters, including Shiva Rea, Doug Swenson, and Bryan Kest. Ashtanga combines a specialized sequence of postures with focused, rhythmic breathing. When combined, the postures create a continuous flow of energy that heats and invigorates the physical body. Consistent practice of these postures develops a meditative awareness of the mind/body connection, in which a lighter, stronger physical body gives way to a clearer and more peaceful mind. Christine’s ultimate goal is to help others explore this intensely physical practice and lead healthier, happier, and holier lives.  Christine currently teaches Ashtanga at the Yoga Circle on each Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 PM.

Swami Kalanatha

Born and raised on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Swami Kalanatha is a Grahasthya Sannyasi in the Mahasiddha Indo-Tibetan tradition of Kundalini Maha Yoga Tantra. Having practiced some aspects of yoga and tantra since the age of 7, his serious study of East Indian Yoga began at the age of 20 in 1971, the year in which he received guru diksha (yoga initiation). After 7 years of study and practice he completed the 'commercial formality' of yoga teacher training. In 1997 he received Highest Yoga Tantra initiations in the Tibetan tradition as layman Amitabha Lokeshvara. Resisting an inclination towards sannyas until 2007, his doctoral studies have included chiropractic (NWCC), behavioral medicine & clinical (health) psychology (Ford Foundation Fellow), and computer & information sciences (NASA Fellow). Practical Yoga is his formulation of much of what he has learned in more than 36 years of training, study, and practice of Indian, Indo-Malay, Chinese, Tibetan, and S.E. Asian yogas & martial arts and Western science. His curriculum is comprehensive and his presentation is straightforward, simple, and direct ... well-suited for people with a practical or scientific inclination. He teaches for the local Hindu community and privately for individuals & small groups (~8): Ashtanga (per Patanjali), Kriya (Purification), Rasa (Emotion), Jnana (Reasoning), Kundalini Tantra (Esoteric Energy) Yoga, and Yoga Teacher Training. You may contact Swami Kalanatha via e-mail: kalki@bellsouth.net. You will find the link to his Practical Yoga web site on our Links page.

Brenda Anderegg

Brenda received her Teacher Training and certification at the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Ashram in Val Morin , Canada in 1977, where she studied with Swami Vishnu Devananda (The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga). She taught in New Zealand the following year in Dunedin. She resumed teaching in Birmingham in 1995. The only class open to the public is downtown Tuesdays @ 11:30. Please email her bsanderegg@bellsouth.net or call 205.322.2658. This class is very eclectic drawn from her many years of practice and study with various teachers. She is most interested in connecting with the eternal .

Heather Gruber
	Heather Gruber teaches yoga at the HealthSouth Fitness Center, 1 HealthSouth Parkway, 35243. Heather is certified in Yoga Fit Level I, II, III, Yoga Fit Kids and Seniors. You can reach Heather at 205-970-7800

Blissful Heights Blissful Heights, at 3157 Cahaba Heights Road, is listed here on our "Area Teachers" page, but is actually a holistic healing center with several highly qualified teachers offering a 6-week Yoga Study Package. Included in the package is a personalized yoga instruction booklet with one-on-one yoga teaching and assisting, 6-weeks of twice-weekly classes, plus your own personal healing oil and eye pillow for relaxation and mediation. You can obtain more detail about this by clicking on our "Studios" page or by calling Denise at 205-967-8582