Our World-Class Instructors are Making Magic in the Mountains

Originally from Poland, Isha Justyna Kostek studied and facilitated active meditations at the Osho International Meditation Institute in Pune, India, where she earned her certification as an active meditation instructor. Isha has guided these transformative practices at various spiritual gatherings, including ecstatic dance events, women's circles, cacao ceremonies, and different yoga studios in NYC, upstate New York, Poland, and India. She is also the founder of Ecstatic Dance Oneonta and is very passionate about bringing wellness offerings to rural areas. She is a certified master-level sound healing therapist from Samaveda International Sound Healing Academy in Arambol, India. Isha is a born horse medicine woman and is currently a part of Therapeutic Horsemanship studies at SUNY Cobleskill NY. She is a singer/songwriter in The Lightning Girls, an uplifting rock duo bringing love, joy, and peace to your heart one song at a time! IG: @isha_activemeditations

Kelsie Rockefeller is a 500-hour ERYT with pending certification from the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Born and raised in upstate New York, Kelsie has been studying yoga and other forms of bodywork for more than a decade and has accrued more than 1,800 hours of training in yoga, functional fitness and massage therapy.

She works as part of an integrative team of physical therapists, chiropractors, physicians and mental health counselors and she teaches at Yoga People, in Oneonta. Her classes are informed by a longtime interest in Ayurvedic traditions, including the use of breathing and sound to create balance and ease.

Paola Cruz is a 700-hour E-RYT. She hosts events and retreats worldwide focused on Hatha-Vinyasa, mindfulness and meditation.

Originally from Honduras, Paola came to the US for university at age 18 and holds a bachelor’s degree in merchandising and marketing. Soon after moving to New York City and launching her own jewelry line, she discovered meditation in 2012 and began a dedicated practice. She took her first yoga asana class in 2018 and soon after traveled to India to study with yoga masters. For Paola, yoga is a way of life that brings balance to the mind, body and soul.

Swami Chidananda is a spiritual educator and monk initiated in the Hari Bhakta Lineage, holding the distinguished title of Swami.

Prior to dedicating himself to a spiritual path, Swami Chidananda was an investment banker and entrepreneur. Seeking a different life brough this to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the teacher Paramahamsa Vishwananda. He uses his experiences to convey the ancient Yoga Systems in a relatable and accessible way for those seeking to reconcile Western and Eastern philosophies.

Ananda Priti is a holistic healing practitioner who incorporates yoga, breath work, reiki and sound into her teaching. She is a 200-hour RYT, a certified breath work practitioner and a Usui Reiki Master.

Ananda completed her initial yoga training with Ami Jayaprada and Michael Stein, and also holds a 200-hour certification in Kundalini yoga through work with Gijanjali and Harbhajan Kar Khalsa. She has completed an additional 500 hours of yoga therapy training with Shanti Shanti, MD, and Hari Kirin Kaur Khalsa, MD, with a particular focus on sound-based techniques. Her training and teaching is dedicated to self-discovery and healing through energy.

Sabrina Elmaliah is a 200-hour RYT, the creator of Yoga Soul Medicine, and a student of Raja Yoga. Her Gentle Yoga classes focus on ease and flow for all levels, weaving movements stretches, breath work, and yogic teachings.

Melissa Boyd is a longtime yoga instructor, with over 25 years experience and the owner of Satya Yoga & Pilates Wellness Center in Port Jefferson Station, NY. She is also the owner of Yoga University-East Coast, the premier yoga teacher training school for 13 years. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and offering the confirmed benefits of yoga and pilates.

Melissa holds a 500-hour E-RYT certification and specializes in prenatal, fertility and chair yoga. She is also a certified instructor in the Iyengar method of Relax and Renew Restorative yoga. She is a certified Polestar Pilates teacher with 19 years of experience in reformer and studio Pilates.

A lifelong dancer, Melissa has studied and taught ballet, lyrical, jazz, ballroom and belly dancing through lessons and workshops worldwide.

Nikki Haas is a 500-hour E-RYT and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. She is an educator and trainer at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, NY, and facilitates holistic yoga retreats in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Nikki has trained in multiple yoga styles including Hot 26, Yoga Nidra, Yin, Restorative, Athletic Strength Training, Ayurveda and Bhakti. She combines her extensive knowledge of yoga philosophy and history with her studies in anatomy to create classes that empower people to be their authentic selves.

Allie O’Kane is a 500-hour RYT with a focus on Kundalini yoga. Originally from Connecticut, Allie currently lives in northeast Pennsylvania, where she teaches yoga classes that incorporate numerology, astrology, Reiki and crystal healing. Allie also brings her personal experience with Kundalini yoga confirmed the transformative power of this practice; as a teacher, she has seen results among her students even after just one class.

Corinne Gervai is Founder and Director of Euphoria Yoga in Woodstock, New York, and has more than 18 years of teaching experience in New York City and Woodstock NY. She is certified in yoga teaching through the Jivamukti Yoga School following a year-long intensive program in 2000 led by Sharon Gannon and David Life. In 2005, she received her advanced Jivamukti certification.

Corinne’s vinyasa practice is infused with teachings and music that aim to inspire participants with the transformative power of yoga for each individual’s realization of their fullest potential.

Selena Reynolds currently teaches at Shakti Yoga Studios, Menla Mountain Retreat Center, and privately in Woodstock, NY, and the surrounding area. She completed Shakti Yoga’s 500-hour Advanced Teacher Training with Linda Lalita Winnick in 2015, and continues to study all aspects of yoga.

Selena’s vinyasa classes are informative, exploratory, fun and designed to leave students feeling nourished, balanced, rejuvenated and empowered. She first came to yoga as a college student in 1998 and, over time, found that studying yoga helped her make sense of life and being human. Her practice helps her maintain balance, openness and joy and she is passionate about the promise of yoga to contribute positively to our relationships and communities.

Laura Olson teaches traditional ashtanga yoga and ashtanga-influenced vinyasa in workshops, classes and private lessons in the Hudson Valley and New York City. She also teaches cooking and works as a health coach. She studied yoga extensively in the United States and in Mysore, Indian, with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois.

A former dancer, Laura has always been attracted to the power of movement but found her home in yoga. She offers deep gratitude to the friends, mentors and teachers who have guided her and kept her company along the path.

Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower is a co-founder of Plant Pioneers, a multi-generational movement focused on the relationship between humans and plants. She is a clinical herbalist consultant and a retired registered nurse who is dedicated to building a connection with nature through sensory exchange and heightened consciousness. Working with a medium best described as frequency, Marguerite’s workshops and other offerings focus on restoring our ability to commune with nature.

Marguerite studied with clinical herbalist Kate Gilday and has spent decades studying the plant knowledge of First Nation peoples. She is the lead project trainer at Plant Pioneers, where she also focused on researching sensory exchange between plants and humans.

Elena Theodorou is a 285-hour RYT and a licensed Reiki 1 and 2 teacher and practitioner. Elena has been studying yoga for more than a decade and teaching since 2018, with a special focus on sound healing, breath work and meditation. She leads workshops, retreats, classes, events and private sessions for all levels of practice.

Karisa Johnston is a 5,000-hour yoga and meditation therapist, and has extensive training as a special needs yoga therapist, sound therapist, breath work therapist and trauma therapist. Karisa, known by her students as Kundalini Karisa, is the founder of Unum Heart Elevation Station, and the Elevation Tool Box Method, which incorporates Kundalini, breath work and sound vibration in a vibrant approach to wellness and to help those coping with depression, anxiety, grief, sleep disorders and other issues.

She holds an MA in psychology and is a Wanderlust 108 global teacher and community influencer. She offers retreats, classes and personal sessions through uh-meditate.com and at Unum Heart The Space in Wading River, New York.

First as a student, Karisa learned that Kundalini Yoga is the Yoga of Self Mastery. It is a Yoga that makes you drop your self-limiting beliefs so you can fulfill your destiny, your purpose, and understand what you are here to do. Karisa is one of those rare teachers that brings the teachings of Kundalini Yoga into a safe space so people can rediscover the joy and wisdom that already lives inside of them.

Nancy Forstbauer is a 300-hour certified yoga trapeze instructor through the Yoga Teacher’s College. She completed 300 hours of training with global prana vinyasa teacher Shiva Rea and is certified in yoga trance dance. She has trained with prominent yoga instructors Rodney Yee and Colleen Sandman, and studied joint mobilization through work with Jill Miller, author and creator of the Roll Model, and is certified in Every Kid’s Yoga, which focuses on children with special needs.

Tessa Raine Robinson is a 500-hour RYT through Shakti Yoga, in Woodstock and Saugerties, New York, and has completed 50 hours of advanced training. She currently teaches at Shakti Yoga and Firehouse Jiu Jitsu, in Catskill, New York.

Raised in the Catskill mountains, Tessa has been practicing yoga for 13 years. She has a particular passion for yoga nidra, meditation and applying the teachings of Ayurveda to modern day living. Her goal is to make yoga comfortable and accessible to everyone.

Jessie Moore teaches aerial yoga for adults and children. A longtime member of The Cardio Club and Delhi Dance Studio, Jessie has seen the multitude of benefits from aerial yoga on physical strength and agility, self esteem, self awareness, teamwork and community. Jessie is a registered nurse and currently works in the emergency department at Margaretville Hospital.

As a devotional Kirtan artist and singer/songwriter, Darren has had a rich and eclectic musical career with more than 30 original songs featured in film and television. Harboring a deep commitment to the awakening of our true-selves through the power of sound, he is devoted to sharing his unique blend of pop/folk inspired melodies and sacred chants with as many people as possible around the world. He shares his music at yoga studios, yoga festivals, music festivals, and other conscious event venues.

Sarah has over 1,000 hours of specialized training in various forms of yoga, meditation and energy healing, and is a 200-hour RYT through Asheville Yoga Center in North Carolina. She holds advanced certifications in trauma-informed kundalini yoga, yoga for enneagram, Tibetan Buddhist meditation, trauma-informed vinyasa, kundalini rebirthing, yin yoga, Ayurveda, yoga nidra and prenatal yoga. She is also a Shamanic Reiki Master Teacher who has supported many students toward their own Reiki certifications.

Through her work as both a teacher and healer, Sarah guides individuals toward personal empowerment and nurturing the whole self, with a focus on harmony among the mind, body and soul. She is dedicated to incorporating yoga philosophy into daily life, through the principles of the yamas and niyamas, and is devoted to offering support and guidance toward the growth and well-being of others.