Lillah Schwartz , ERYT 500 holds over 30 years of teaching and hands-on study in the tradition of yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar. She is a seasoned teacher, nationally-acclaimed instructor, author, and founder of Lighten Up Yoga and Teacher Training Center.
Lillah teaches weekly yoga classes for novice, therapeutic, intermediate and advanced yoga students. She is also the director and primary instructor for the 200 Hour and 500 Hour teacher training courses.
For more information on Lillah as well as her reflections on yoga practice, please click here. If you have specific questions for Lillah you may contact her at Lillah@lightenupyoga.com
"My goal with my students is to help them to get their cellular and endocrine bodies percolating in a healthy way, gain confidence in their ability to heal through understanding proper alignment and action, as well as opening to receive the full potential of their body, mind, and spirit." |
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Lighten Up Yoga Instructors |
Danielle Goldstein, RYT teaches creative and insightful yoga classes with attention to precise alignment and bringing the joy of yoga into our daily lives. She has been teaching yoga classes and private yoga therapeutic sessions since 2003 and has been with Lighten Up Yoga since 2008. She is a 200 Hr Yoga Alliance certified teacher.
Danielle has studied with teachers grounded in both the Iyengar and Anusara Teaching Methods. Since 1996, she has studied with teachers including Donna Farhi, Judith Lasater and John Friend, and taught one on one yoga therapeutics at SOMA Physical Therapy in Boulder, CO. She is experienced in working with a variety of ages and abilities and is interested in making yoga accessible to all people. She is currently studying with John Friend and is working toward her Anusara Inspired (R) teacher status.
If you would like to contact Danielle, please call 828-450-1406 or email daniellefath@gmail.com
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Mili Perez Exquisitely combining alignment awareness, strength building, and a meditative mindset in each class, Mili brings a peaceful intention to the practice, encouraging increased flexibility and learning without criticism. Her soothing voice, touch, and presence create a comfortable and safe environment for students. She is skilled at providing individualized instruction, while maintaining a cohesive class because she is truly a nurturing person and gifted teacher. Mili’s unique style moves her students to be very devoted, as her leadership facilitates physical and mental openness and awareness, balanced with inner focus and calm.
Mili has been practicing for over 11 years and has studied with some of the best teachers of yoga today. Her training began with Lillah Schwartz in the 200 teacher training and for the past five years with Aadil Palkhivala of Purna Yoga and meditation classes with his wife Mirra. She is in the process of receiving her advanced 500-hour certification thru Lighten Up.
Mili is available for one on one instruction and can be contacted at 828.215.5656 or ymerli@hotmail.com.
"The practice of yoga brings
balance to our lives in all levels
physically-mentally-spiritually, and I just want to share
that gift with others."
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Laura Stone, RYT is a graduate of the Lighten Up Teacher Training Institute and holds a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.
I have practiced Yoga for over twenty years. I grew up watching my Mom practise to a record player and recognized how fun it was to go upside down! When I was an adult, my Mom hurt herself in a class and has been reluctant to return. This is why I love the Iyengar method of alignment and the use of props to stay safe while receiving the benefits of the poses. Yoga has strengthened and nurtured me through 3 pregnancies and moving around while my partner receives his medical training. In my classes, I strive to educate the body through movement, quiet the mind and awaken a playful spirit.
If you have specific questions for Laura, you may contact her at 828.281.2212 or via email at cstone138@charter.net.
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 Kim Drye began her yoga studies in Asheville in 2001 while attending UNCA. She considers herself lucky to have stumbled upon the rich source of the talented teachers in the Asheville yogic community. A graduate of Stephanie Keach’s 200 hour teacher training, currently continuing her studies with Lillah Schwartz, Kimberly is energetic, personable, and enthusiastic to share with you all the benefits yoga has to offer. Her classes are focused on awareness and the preservation of each moment. Breath control, relaxation techniques, and meditation are coupled with asana to bring students into a state of mindfulness in their practices that hopefully spills out into their everyday lives. Kim believes that yoga can help every individual lead a fuller and more satisfying life.
Kim can be reached at kymdrye@gmail.com
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Jennifer Soule, PT began practicing yoga in 2000, beginning with Ashtanga and Jivamukti yoga classes before discovering the Iyengar style. She graduated from Lighten Up Yoga 200-hour teacher training program in 2005, where she was inspired by the focus on anatomical alignment. Her interest in yoga as a therapeutic tool led her to return to graduate school; she completed a Master’s in Physical Therapy at Western Carolina University in 2009. She currently works at Mission Hospital as a physical therapist. She continues her yoga studies with Lillah and is also strongly influenced by teachers with a firm basis in anatomy and physiology such as Roger Cole and Elise Miller.
“I enjoy introducing and teaching yoga to individuals of all skill levels and backgrounds. Alignment-based yoga can be a safe and effective approach to balancing strength and flexibility of the body, as well as developing the mind-body connection.”
If you have specific questions for Jennifer, you may contact her at 828-230-5517 or via email at yoginipt@gmail.com.
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 Michael Johnson ERYT-500 is a certified Jivamukti instructor who has studied directly with Sri Swami Satchidananda, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar, Sharon Gannon, David Life and many other Yogins and Yoginis. He has been a full-time yoga teacher in the Detroit area since 2001. He enjoys bringing together the inner and outer methods of yoga in his classes, with a focus on safety, total enlightenment and fun.
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 Andrea Franchini is a 200 hr RYT certified yoga instructor and a Holistic Health Counselor. Andrea's training has been in Vinyasa yoga, Iyengar yoga, and extensive studies with John Friend and Sienna Sherman of Anusara yoga. Andrea taught movement and dance for 7 years prior to her past 8 years of yoga studies and teaching.
Teaching yoga came out of her desire to share and incorporate her love of movement, culture and healing. Having taught primarily in Washington, DC and in the San Francisco Bay Area, Andrea shares her teaching gifts with Yoga Studios, At Risk youth, Cooperate yoga and in private therapeutic yoga sessions.
Andrea’s classes are intelligently sequenced, and she incorporates her knowledge of anatomy and movement into sequences allowing students to evolve in their own practice with both ease and steadiness. She draws on the alignment and structure of Iyengar and Anusara while incorporating subtle movement modalities that give greater understanding of our inner and outer form.
Andrea can be reached at andi.franchini@gmail.com
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 Deborah Tobias is a Certified Introductory Iyengar yoga teacher who began studying Iyengar Yoga in 1985 due to a neck injury. Through years of studying with some of the nation’s most respected certified teachers, Deborah has developed a teaching style that is both informative and fun, energetic and precision-oriented. A balance is created between the physical and spiritual aspects of Hatha yoga to deliver a focused and meaningful class.
Deborah studied 10 years with Colleen Gallagher at Yoga Sol in Florida and has attended workshops with Senior Iyengar teachers Manuoso Manos, John Schumacher and Gabriella Giubilaro. When not practicing or teaching yoga, Deborah can be seen walking her dogs Chelsea and Tanner throughout the trails of Asheville.
You may contact Deborah at 828.275.7552 or debtobias45@gmail.com
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Camille Kingsolver has been teaching yoga since 2005 and studied primarily with Tias Little in both the Iyengar and Astanga schools. Her style emphasizes both the importance of alignment and the benefits of practicing flow sequences. Her degree is from Duke University where she majored in anatomy, understanding and passion for the mechanics of the human body really come through in her teaching. In Camille's seven years of teaching she has worked with beginners, children, college athletes, senior citizens, adolescents and pregnant women, never having a student she didn't love to teach. You may contact Camille at 276. 698.5877 or camille.kingsolver@gmail.com.
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| Yoga Alliance Continuing Education - Guest Instructors |
Gary Schwartz Ph.D., is a retired psychologist with 36 years experience in the areas of self help and Personal Growth. He is living the life that he always wanted, and loves to teach. Gary offers training in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Meditation and Life Skills.
If you have specific questions for Gary, you may contact him at 828.253.9451 or via email gary@garyawake.com. |
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Aadil Palkhivala, JD, CYT, AHSP, Naturopath
Aadil is recognized as one of the world’s top yoga teachers. He is regarded as a “teacher of teachers,” and many of the world’s top yoga instructors have studied with him. He has a unique teaching style, mixing melodious instructions with recitations of poetry, philosophical insights, and in-the-moment humor.
Aadil and his wife, Mirra, are the founders of Purna Yoga™, a holistic synthesis of yogic traditions based on the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Aadil and Mirra also founded Yoga Centers® in Bellevue, Washington, and The College of Purna Yoga, a 200-hour, 500-hour and Certificate-Level teacher training program licensed by the State of Washington and Yoga Alliance Certified. Aadil teaches seminars, classes, teacher trainings, and workshops at Yoga Centers and throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, India, and other parts of Asia.
Aadil is the author of Fire of Love: For Students of Life and Teachers of Yoga, a book that seeks to restore the essence of yoga. He has also written three manuals used in his beginning, intermediate, and therapeutic teacher trainings. In addition, Aadil has written extensively for Yoga Journal, having been the Asana Columnist in 2003 and author of the Teacher’s Column for the website, as well as the “Asana Expert” for both the magazine and the website. He is frequently a keynote speaker at national events.
An encyclopedic knowledge of health matters informs Aadil’s teaching. He is a naturopath licensed by the District of Columbia, a certified shiatsu and Swedish bodywork therapist, a clinical hypnotherapist, and an Ayurvedic health practitioner recognized by the American Ayurvedic Association. He continues to be a student in the healing arts. |
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 Roger Cole Ph.D.
Primary
Instructor: Anatomy and Physiology of Asana
Roger Cole, Ph.D. is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institutes in San Francisco and Pune, India. He has practiced yoga since 1975 and taught since 1980. He has been featured in five of Yoga Journal’s asana calendars, co-organized two Iyengar yoga conventions, authored articles on yoga biology and therapeutics, and taught yoga as a healing art to physicians, physical therapists, medical students and patients. He currently teaches near San Diego and conducts workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad. His specialties include teacher training and the anatomy and physiology of yoga and relaxation.
Roger is also an accomplished scientist. He began studying sleep physiology at Stanford University in 1975. He earned his bachelors degree in Psychology from Stanford in 1979 and his doctorate in Health Psychology from the University of California, San Francisco in 1986. At UCSF he investigated the human relaxation response and the effects of posture on sleep and brain waves. He co-founded Synchrony Applied Health Sciences of Del Mar California in 1987. Synchrony is an innovative provider of health promotion services and products. At Synchrony, Roger is currently developing products, conducting research on sleep and biological rhythms and consulting to industry.
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Linda Cammarata, RN is a Registered Nurse, Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Energy Therapist, Alternative Healthcare Consultant, and professional singer/songwriter. She is a consultant at the renowned Golden Door Spa in San Marcos, CA. Her teaching spans over 30 years of experience in healthcare, integrating traditional and alternative healthcare practices. Linda received her registered nursing training at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA. She has received numerous trainings in yoga, most notably yoga therapy certification with Nischala Joy Devi, Yoga for the Heart. Linda completed a comprehensive 3-year certification program in Energy Therapy with Dr. Michael Mamas in San Diego, CA. Linda has also received training in Aromatherapy, Healing Touch, Reflexology, Qigong, and is certified in meditation. Linda maintains a lifestyle and wellness coaching practice throughout the United States. National women’s health conferences, private industry, as well as several medical programs have utilized Linda’s mind-body programs. Linda’s latest DVD Support Strengthen and Your Immune System published by Inner IDEA guides individuals on the path of integral health.
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 Laurel Mamet is a gifted healer and teacher of the spiritual arts whose life focus has been to understand the energetics of the body. She has over 30 years of training with master healers. She graduated from the Swedish Institute of Massage in 1978 and has had a private practice in bodywork and healing ever since. She attended the TriState School for Traditional Chinese Medecine (acupuncture) and has a good grounding in Oriental diagnosis. She is a cranial-sacral therapist and graduate of the Upledger Institute and has studied Esoteric Healing with various teachers in the Alice Bailey tradition. In 1994 she graduated from the European School of Energy Mastery under the guidance of Dr. Robert Jaffe and Rev. Dr. Alixsandra Parness both clairvoyant healers. In 1995 she joined the faculty of the Inner Focus School for Advanced Energy Healing and is currently Dean of Education and senior faculty for that international school.
She is a clear and passionate teacher whose tenderness invites healing on all levels. She is dedicated to world service and bringing transfromation into the lives of students so they can be beacons of light in their own communities.
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