Franco was introduced to Ashtanga Yoga in January 2001. He began his practice as a way to supplement his exercise routine; however, within the first month, priorities had changed and spending time on his mat became a daily commitment.
He took Tim Miller's teacher training, attended workshops with Leigha Nicole, Clayton Horton and Dena Kingsberg and has been studying Ashtanga with Catherine Shaddix since 2005.
Join Franco in his attempt to encourage you to have a mindful, detail-oriented, fully present Ashtanga yoga practice, which will not only stretch and strengthen the body, but, ultimately, increase awareness of the self. |
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Dawn Summers was initially drawn to yoga in 1983 for inspiration and support during a major personal transition. She also wanted to improve certain spinal imbalances with the practice of yoga. She discovered yoga provided a source of comfort and stability, as well as improving her back and producing an overall feeling of well-being.
She deepened her commitment to the practice of yoga and became a teacher in 1985 through Swami Satchidananda's Integral Yoga. Continuing her dedication, Dawn became certified again in 1992, successfully completing a two year teachers training program by Gary Kraftsow in the Viniyoga tradition of Krishnamacharya and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar.
In 2001, she was the first to be certified at the most advanced level through American Viniyoga Institute - as a Yoga Therapist. She continues to study with her teacher, Gary Kraftsow (author of Yoga for Wellness, and Yoga for Transformation); and assists him with teacher's training programs. |
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Born and raised in Germany , Marianne discovered the seeds of yoga, meditation and bodywork during extensive travel in Asia . She has been studying and practicing yoga and meditation for 18 years. In 1994, she was certified with the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Society in Austria and continued her studies in the Iyengar and the Astanga Vinyasa traditions, and also took the teacher training at the Iyengar Institute in San Francisco . Marianne has been a student of Shandor Remete for eight years and his Shadow Yoga greatly influences her practice and teaching. Her study of Tai Ji and Qi Gong has also deepened her awareness of and connection to the presence of the universal life force energy.
Her asana teaching draws from the essential elements of many great teachers such as Shandor Remete, Ana Forest , Andre Lappa, Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley, Doug Keller, S.N.Goenka and Adyashanti, as well as from her own experience as a Bodyworker and from her study of the Nature of Mind. Her passion to cultivate awareness of form and experience of one's body and mind comes from inside, from a place that each of us can reconnect to.
Marianne's vinyasa classes integrate a continuous, slowly paced and challenging flow of postures with the exploration of Being in poses. Her classes provide a supportive and light-hearted atmosphere where you are encouraged to start where you are and learn to explore the harmonics of postural alignment and the embodied and alive connection between body, breath and mind. In every posture we mindfully "play the edge" while both respecting and challenging the possibility of moving beyond physical and mental barriers.
Marianne's classes are designed with experienced beginners and intermediate level students in mind. Some beginners have also done well. All sincere students are welcome.
Marianne is also a certified Bodywork Practitioner, since 1996. She offers Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Deep Tissue, Chi Nei Tsang, Prenatal Massage, and On-Site Chair Massage. She also offers therapeutic and individualized private yoga sessions.
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Alex Martins began practicing Ashtanga yoga in 2000 and it soon became a regular part of his life. He completed the 200-hour teacher training with Clayton Horton and has studied with Sri Pattabhi Jois, Tim Miller, Richard Freeman, Ana Forrest and David Swenson. Alex's classes are firmly based in Ashtanga yoga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
The classes will give you a workout, but ideally relax and rejuvenate you as well. Classes consist of sun salutations, standing, seated, and balancing poses as well as multiple vinyasas. Each class begins with a gentle warm up and ends with some finishing poses and shavasana - the ultimate relaxation pose. Students of all levels are welcome. |
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Come discover the joy of Belly Dance with one of California's premier teachers.
Asia has over three decades of experience as a teacher, solo performer, choreographer and troupe director. Asia has taught workshops throughout the US. She also taught for Delta College and U.O.P. in Stockton, CA and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Asia was commissioned to present a special choreography as part of a celebration for Warner Brothers pictures in Hollywood in 2002. Other performances include several galas for the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Film Festival, the Asian Art Museum, Lucas Films anniversary party for Indiana Jones and the J. Paul Getty Passage to India Ball held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
Asia's classes feature traditional techniques for Belly Dance plus many beautiful folkloric styles of dance from the Middle East. Classes also include finger cymbals and veil technique.
Most of Asia's classes feature live drum music for a high energy experience. Belly dance relieves stress, empowers the feminine spirit and delivers a perfect workout all while you learn an ancient art form. |
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Dana Pifer is a Pacifica local and has been a student of Yoga since 1994. She completed her teacher training program in 2001 and has been teaching yoga ever since. Dana teaches Hatha yoga which is a physical, mental and spiritual practice. Alignment in the asanas (poses), use of the breath and specific sequencing are taught in order to deepen the experience of the practice.
Dana brings a compassionate understanding of students' individual capabilities while encouraging self-exploration, self-confidence, awareness and progress. Her students are guided to perform the asanas in a correct, vigorous and safe manner. Dana's yoga classes are challenging and fun!
Regular yoga practice with Dana will help you reduce and manage stress, improve flexibility, increase vitality as well as build muscle and bone strength, improve posture, agility, balance and concentration. When practiced with patience, determination and effort, yoga invigorates the health of the body, mind and spirit. |
Linda Russell, on her life-long journey of self-discovery and spiritual exploration, has gained insight, warmth and compassion for the human spirit. Each Hatha Yoga class is designed to assist in integrating mind, body and spirit.
Yoga postures not only help us to relax, strengthen and tone, but through breath and awareness, assist in opening major energy centers. Over time, many of us build up and hold blocked energy within, creating tension, stress and disease, which limits us from vibrating at our highest level.
Take time for yourself and join classes which are non-competitive, relaxing and life-giving. No previous experience is necessary. |
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Tonia Weakland began to discover the benefits of Yoga in 1998, soon after the birth of her first child. She found Yoga to be so helpful in maintaining her physical and emotional health that she wanted to share it with more people. In the summer of 2005 she went to Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville CA (where they teach traditional Ashtanga yoga) and became a Certified Yoga Instructor. She also has a special certification in Pre/Post-natal Yoga.
The special time in life when a woman becomes a mother is often when women first discover Yoga. Tonia specializes in teaching those who are newer to Yoga how to practice safely. By paying attention to how we use our bodies and our breath we can become physically stronger and mentally more at peace. |
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Kristin Werner is a Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor and Massage Therapist. She encourages her students to honor themselves and discover their yoga practice with fun and laughter. Kristin discovered her passion for yoga in 2001 and completed her teacher training in 2004. Along with a strong foundation of Hatha yoga traditions, Kristin has college degrees in exercise science, psychology, and integrative health. |
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Margot Crosman is a certified Viniyoga teacher currently pursuing advanced studies. She became keenly interested in yoga at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico and found her teacher, Dawn Summers, in 2004.
Margot enjoyed a first career as a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher. She moved to the Bay Area with ODC Dance, touring, performing, teaching and creating her own dances with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Pacifica has been her home for 20 years. Working in the financial district now, she appreciates every trip back home, cresting Route 1 and marvelling at the natural beauty of the coast that we share.
Yoga is a perfect expression of her commitments to both physical and spiritual health. She loves returning to teaching with her dancer’s eye and sharing her passion in her own community.
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Claudia Dallendorfer is a certified Yoga Instructor from
the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco.
Claudia has been an Integral Yoga teacher since 2004. In May 2008 she started a prenatal yoga class. Each class offers a carefully selected series of asanas and
breathing techniques to restore balance and vitality while deepening awareness of pregnancy.
Meditation and relaxation techniques assist in preparing for and providing relief during labor and birth.
She has taught Yoga in hospitals, businesses, and in private sessions at her home studio in the Castro, and she has led workshops for pregnant women at the Integral Yoga Institute preparing women on how to lead a holistic, healthy and happy life during transition into motherhood. |
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Rachel Gladstone has been a student of yoga since 2000. She is passionate about spreading the many benefits of yoga to others. Rachel specializes in teaching yoga and wellness classes to teens. She holds an M.A. in Education, and has taught in the public school systems in Northern California, Central China, and New York City. Her experience in the classroom helped her to see the immediate need to educate the youth on issues relating to health and wellness.
Rachel is a Certified Yoga Ed. Teacher and has completed her 200-Hour Teacher Training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts. Additionally, she studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition which is affiliated with Columbia University, where she completed her training in Holistic Health.
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