Tony Giuliano
Tony G’s devotion to the path of Yoga fills his classes with both knowledge and intensity while his big heart lends sweetness and compassion. He pulls inspiration from his diverse background in the music industry, as a visual artist, and from his years of study of Yoga and meditation. Studying and practicing yoga for the last decade, it is his desire to weave asana, philosophy and music into his classes to take people on both an inner and outer journey. Tony’s love for alignment guides his classes and he wants the students to not only feel great after a class but also be able to access new poses. Tony is E-RYT 500 through Yoga Alliance.
Sonia Peltzer
Growing up as a gymnast, I discovered early on the joys of playing on my hands. I always loved to encourage family and friends to join in the fun of being upside down. My mom introduced yoga to the family when I was 16, but it wasn’t until the end of college that I began to develop a personal practice and intimate relationship with yoga. Though I enjoy exploring many different styles, I find my home in Anusara® and feel so blessed to grow in this community alongside such inspiring teachers and students. Acroyoga came to me in 2007 and I was immediately enchanted by this practice that cultivates an intimate environment balancing playfulness, creativity and deeper connections. After spending two incredible years in Nicaragua with the Peace Corps, I am happy to be back in Los Angeles and continue my journey as a student and teacher. Thank you to my teachers, students, friends and family who touch my heart, support me on my path and engage me everyday.
Stella Choe
I am a local gal that found yoga on the westside, sweating it out, power style. And then after a few other ventures here and there, I found Anusara®, which opened up the practice to me like never before and introduced me to a relationship that consistently inspires, uplifts, and kicks my butt. With a background as a professional dancer, I have a genuine respect for what the physical body is capable of, and a profound love of the freedom that comes with our innate desire to move, create and experience our embodiment. I am a graduate of the 2008 City Yoga Anusara® Teacher Training and it continues to be a journey of study, refinement, discovery, and gratitude. We may come to the mat for reasons that we articulate differently, but ultimately, this path of yoga simply reminds us that we are each a divine expression of love. It is my desire to support and uplift so that our time on the mat is one of deeper connection to ourselves and each other. I am so excited and honored to be teaching in this beautiful space and sharing the love for this practice. It’s time to rock!
Elizabeth Myers
Coming from a background in dance, I am a mover by nature and have a deep respect for weaving the heart and mind into movement. In 2010 a friend brought me to my first Anusara® class. At the time, I was transitioning out of a dance career and seeking to find a deeper connection to life. It was one of the most important decisions I have ever made and I am forever grateful. As a long time Pilates instructor, discovering the Universal Principles of Alignment was like being given a key to the mysteries of the physical form. That, coupled with Anusara’s deep connection to the heart, not only transformed my own body, but more importantly helped me connect to the divine consciousness within. We are all unique expressions of the divine and as a teacher I am humbled and inspired by watching each individual navigate their path to the heart. I am eternally grateful to my teachers Tony Giuliano, Paul Muller Ortega, Douglas Brooks and John Friend for sharing their gifts and paving the way for so many others.
Hagar Harpak
Hagar Harpak is an E-RYT 500 Hatha Yoga Teacher and has been teaching yoga since 2005, both nationally and internationally. She takes people on adventures into the depth of the heart and soul, while moving them creatively through a forest of poses, an ocean of breath, with a fire of discipline and the power of love. With a decade of study and practice, Hagar has cultivated her own style of yoga, weaving deep knowledge of the body and the therapeutic aspects of yoga, as well as her passion for philosophy and mythology into her teaching.
As a dedicated student of yoga, Hagar is grateful to all the amazing teachers she has studied with. She holds a special place in her heart for professor Douglas Brooks, a world-renowned scholar of Hindu Tantra. Yoga with Hagar encourages you to love yourself more fully, affirm your humanity, nurture your authenticity, and be more empowered in your life. She inspires you to live as your greatest self and have fun while you’re at it!
Hagar lives in Los Angeles with her husband Andrew, their baby girl Kesem, and Angel the cat. She teaches private sessions, public classes, workshops, intensives, and teachers trainings.
Gina Zimmerman
Gina has been teaching yoga and meditation for 11 years. She started practicing while living in New York in her early twenties. Immediately, yoga offered Gina access to life and to wellbeing in a
way that had eluded her until that point. After returning from an ashram in Argentina, she completed her first teacher training, and then moved to LA in 2003. Gina teaches in a way that is deep and transformative: she is known for her capacity to radically shift a student’s practice with her subtle articulation and attention to detail. In addition to studio and private classes, Gina leads retreats and workshops, and is excited to work with Tony to create ongoing meditation courses at The Raven. Gina is a devoted student of meditation and yoga philosophy, as well as subtle anatomy and body wisdom. She offers sincere gratitude to all of her teachers, as it is
in becoming a true student that she can fully embody her roll as teacher. Especially high regards are given to Paul Muller-Ortega
(teacher of Blue Throat Yoga), who has shown her how to sit for meditation; how to place the mind on the seat of the heart, and to live from that place.
Leigh Brown
After taking my first yoga class in the late 80’s in my hometown, DC, I knew I was home. I stepped deeper into my journey when I moved to NYC and found my first teacher Ravi Singh. While living in NY I was so blessed to study with some of the great Yoga masters including Pattabhi Jois, Dhrama Mittra and Yogi Bhajan. All these teachers have strengthened and added to the richness of my yoga practice. I took my first Anusara yoga class with Noah Maze in 2007 and was blown away. Since then I have studied extensively with John Friend, Noah Maze, Tony Guiliano, Kenny Graham, and many other wonderful teachers. I am in deep gratitude to my teachers, Douglas Brooks with whom I study the deeply life enhancing philosophy, Rajanaka Yoga, and Michael Bernard Beckwith & the Agape Spiritual Community. My love for yoga is in the process of remembering and learning who I am in this ever evolving life. Learning to integrate all parts of myself; even life’s hardest challenges can become great gifts. I love to explore, honor, and take a stand for the divine beauty that emanates from all of us. Let’s do this together on and off the mat.
Leigh is an RYT 200 teacher.
Amanda Hamm
My journey of yoga began at the local YMCA. I appreciated the balance of effort and ease that yoga provided, merging highly physical demands with a softness of the breath and mind. As a longtime dancer, alignment-based work spoke to my need for intensive body awareness and desire to push my edge safely. I took my first yoga class with Tony Giuliano in 2008, and was instantly drawn to the intense physical practice he married with elegant Tantric philosophy that has become a guiding force in my life. It is my intention to offer space for students to explore deeper connections yoga offers, as well as find balance, joy, acceptance, and freedom. I bow humbly in gratitude to my teachers on and off the mat, especially Tony Giuliano and Paul Muller Ortega.
Steffany Vance
Movement has moved my life and I have moved through life with various forms of movement my entire life. On my path different forms of movement carried me, held me, and shaped me into a more authentic self. My passion for discovering the paths of my heart and offering my discoveries is my joy. I am a dancer, a parent, a teacher and a student. I have a rich and colorful novel to all of those titles. I co-created and was co-director of Renaissance School of Arts and Sciences, for students on the outside of the “norm” in the educational system. As a teacher, I remain a student deeply immersing myself in the training’s of Anusara Yoga. Noah Maze’, John Friend, Darren Rhodes and Dr. Douglas Brooks are a few brilliant lights I have, with gratitude sat before to listen and receive. I also had the honor assisting Noah Maze’. I am currently an Inspired-Anusara teacher.
Nan Hebert
Nan is a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher with over 800 hours in training. After teaching abroad for a year, she is a recent transplant to LA via NYC, where she has taught at the flagship Jivamukti Yoga School since 2008. Known for her intelligent sequencing, she unlocks the body allowing for the wisdom inherent within to be released. Her teachings draw from her vast interests and background in dance, Ayurveda & Tantric studies, love of music, kirtan, work with shamans and indigenous plant medicines of the Amazon, Reiki and meditation. When she is not on the mat, you’ll find her sweating prayers in a 5rhythms class or in her kitchen getting creative with fruits and veggies.
Denise Woods
Denise Woods is a classically trained dancer with a degree in Dance and Communications from California State Long Beach. She has performed professionally in Los Angeles, New York City, and Santa Barbara. As a graduate of the Rainbow Kid’s Yoga and the White Lotus Foundation, she now teaches throughout greater LA. Teaching at various dance and Yoga studios, corporations and schools she has the opportunity to work in various settings and has learned to adapt to the unique needs of each class. Denise is continually inspired by the way Yoga can positively transform a life at any age by setting constructive thoughts and habits. Supporting the growth of organizations that are dear to her heart she takes on the role of Ambassador to lululemon athletica Glendale, Yoga Gives Back and Chipkos. Denise finds the sparkle in each day by bringing out the essence of a person through the sacred practice of moving from within. By instilling a deep sense of joy, balance and awareness, her hope is that students take these virtues off the mat and into their lives. Denise is forever grateful to her teachers and students for all of the guidance and support along the way.
Dafna Laurie
Dafna is an Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher, a Licensed Acupuncturist & Herbalist and a Medical Qi Gong Practitioner. Dafna started practicing yoga over 20 years ago. Her practice took on new import and depth in 2001 while she was recovering from a debilitating herniated disc in her lower back. Four years later, in 2005, she began teaching. Both in her own practice and her teaching, Dafna treasures yoga as a physical modality for healing as well as a psychological and spiritual vehicle for transformation. The yoga mat provides a safe and playful place to experiment, a laboratory for living, and a microcosm of the macrocosm of our lives.With major influences from Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara and Yin Yoga, Dafna also enjoys weaving insights from her Chinese Medicine background throughout classes. Yoga continues to bring so much joy and richness to her life – she is honored to have the opportunity to share what she knows.
Brandee Goatcher
After taking my first yoga class, I had a thirst for more. I wanted to conquer those balancing poses, but mostly, I craved that miraculous feeling of relaxation and energy combined. The connected nature of yoga gave me the confidence to explore my True Self, meaning, my own body, mind, and spirit. Everyone has a unique and beautiful individual practice. We can grow and become inspired by other yogis, but must honor ourselves, quirks and all. My classes are arranged in a way that allows me to share all of this mind-blowing truth with my students. Everything I learn as I try new styles of yoga, every piece of information I read or learn from another teacher, and every philosophical realization that clicks is my opportunity to offer my students something new, something bigger, something extraordinary. That’s what yoga can be for you, and I only hope I can take you a step closer to that place. I studied 200 hours of Anusara in an Immersion with Maria Cristina Jimenez and Keric Morinaga and in a teacher training with Noah Maze and Tony Giuliano. I recently completed 50 hours more with Tony Giuliano.
