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| Joy Wolfe | B.F.A., The Cooper Union; L.M.T. | | Joy is a certified yoga instructor and the founder of PRANANDA. She has conducted workshops and on-going classes in New York, California and Oregon. Joy has also taught anatomy, physiology and massage at the Massage School of Santa Monica. She has been a yoga practitioner since 1991 and has been trained by honored and respected teachers such as Alan Finger, Ana Forrest, Erich Schiffman and Rod Stryker.
Joy describes her teaching style as eclectic Hatha, with a strong emphasis on the breath. Joy believes yoga is for everyBODY and takes care to accommodate different levels of ability, body types and injuries. Joy created PRANANDA as a hate-free zone. Respect for people of all races, faiths and sexual orientations is part of the mission statement at PRANANDA. Namaste! | | | Tonya Adair | | | Tonya has been an instructor here at Prananda for two years (check out her film debut on the Prananda Hip Opening DVD). She started practicing yoga at PCC seven years ago curious if it would be as fun as the gymnastics she practiced as a kid. She uses yoga to stretch her biking, gardening, and kid sitting muscles, balance out her moods in the winter, and to stay in touch with what is going on in her body. Tonya likes the way that every posture in yoga has multiple levels of difficulty, so everyone in class has a comfort spot and a place to challenge themselves. She loves the way one small adjustment in your alignment can bring you into a pose and make you go “ah-ha, I get it”. She enjoys helping new and old aspiring yogis/yoginis to have those “ah-ha” moments as well as having those moments herself through teaching. It has been said that the best way to truly know a subject is to teach it; and Tonya does learn as much in class as her students. | | | Erin Bookout | | |
Erin began taking hatha yoga in 1998 in her home state of Indiana to assist in managing the stress of a graduate degree program in French Linguistics. Since then, through a cross country move, a couple of career changes, another graduate degree (Speech-Language Pathology), and an injury to her left sacroiliac joint, she has repeatedly returned to the practice of yoga as a source of healing, self-inquiry, creativity, and the cultivation of compassion. In her current work as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a local medical center, she has witnessed the power of breathwork and meditation in the management of a variety of diagnoses and in coping with chronic illness. In 2008, she merged her background in teaching and the therapeutic process with her passion for yoga, enrolling in the 200+ Hour Teacher Training Program at Prananda Yoga and Arts Center (a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School). When she’s not working or teaching, Erin can be found traveling, taking photos, plotting against ‘the man’, buying spices, reading post-modern fiction, pretending to garden, rocking out at shows and karaoke venues, eating breakfast, and generally loving life. She believes in the power of yoga to create meaningful and positive physiologic (body, brain, behavior, and emotion), psychic (prana, spirit, and energy), and, in turn, community change. | | | Chad Carver | | | After attending my first Yoga class in 2002, I knew I had found a powerful tool for self discovery. For the first time in my life I had felt inner peace and a profound connection to Spirit. Yoga and meditation transformed me from the inside out. The constant chatter of an untamed mind was gradually subdued, my physical appearance began to radiate health and vitality, and a deeper understanding of compassion began to blossom within my consciousness. Though Yoga is ideal for those that seek to strengthen and tone the body, Yoga is also a treasure chest of limitless possibilities. Having experienced these benefits first hand, I felt moved to share Yoga with others. In the classes I teach, there is a focus on alignment, synchronization of breath and movement, and always an emphasis on meditation. It is my intention to help every person that comes to me to experience the sense of peace Yoga brings. I have completed a 200 hour teacher training program with Prananda Yoga and am registered with Yoga Alliance. I believe that that everyone can do Yoga and I do my best to create a warm, welcoming environment for every person that steps into the studio. | | | Barbara Croas | | |
In 2007, Barbara was honored to be asked to be one of the models in the Prananda Hip Opening DVD. She was deeply touched by this because the DVD shows how people of all abilities can practice yoga. Barbara had experienced chronic lower back pain since she was 15 years old. Over the next 20 years, the doctors were not able to resolve the source of the pain. Knowing she had to help herself, Barbara decided to take a yoga class. From the first class, she was touched by the mind, body and spirit connection. Yoga reduced the physical pain and improved her mobility. She also realized yoga helped to calm her and bring more awareness to all aspects of her life. After about ten years of practice, Barbara decided to pursue a yoga instructor certification. Barbara feels everyone can benefit from yoga and no one should be afraid to try it because any pose can be adapted. She wants to help people incorporate the joys of yoga into everyday life by moving the physical body, developing awareness, slowing down, resting, and most importantly, breathing. | | | Binah Goldman | | | Binah felt the subtle yet powerful effects of yoga after her very first class. Since then she has used yoga as a means to enhance all aspects of her life. She describes her classes as playful and breath focused and encourages people of all walks of life to attend. She firmly believes that a regular yoga practice will open up the practitioner to a new sense of being, one with greater awareness and healing abilities. Binah has a deep sense of connection to her Indian heritage and enjoys studying other aspects of life such as astrology (Hindu and Western), philosophy, and Ayurveda as well as acupuncture, music and drama. She's a busy mama and appreciates the balance yoga provides for her each and every day.
| | | Rae Minten | RYT | | Rae was initially encouraged to try yoga by a friend who suggested that it would help improve her posture. The experience was love at 1st class for Rae who sees yoga as a great physical release for those who had never fit into a traditional athletic setting. After 17 years of practice, yoga has come to hold a central place in her life offering guidance and support in her emotional and spiritual life as well as her physical well-being. Wanting to share the amazing gifts of yoga, Rae completed a 200+ hour teachers training at Prananda Yoga in spring of 2007. Rae is endlessly fascinated with the power and healing qualities of the breath. Expect to explore a variety of pranayama (breath work) in her classes. Stay tuned to the 'Special Events', Rae teaches pranayama, sun salutation and moon salutation workshops at Prananda.
| | | Alison Wesley | RYT | | Alison was first exposed to Yoga watching her mother do lion pose in the living room after getting overwhelmed with housework. Although she did not begin her own practice until much later, there were always aspects of Yoga finding ways into Alison's life. Practicing Hatha Yoga in college, she enjoyed the physical benefits but after losing a loved one to suicide, Alison discovered the true meaning of Yoga and allowed it to carry her through her grief.
Proud to have completed her 200-Hour Teacher Training at Prananda, Alison is devoted to supporting others through their Yoga practices and places emphasis on keeping the breath moving, even after leaving the mat. She strives to help others learn to carry their Yoga with them every day; because to Alison, Yoga is the connection between all parts of the self as well as the connection to all parts of life: it can help one through monumental journeys like bereavement or simple daily stresses like cleaning the house. While focusing on the alignment of postures, Alison also teaches that Yoga should feel good, be fun and most importantly, it should open up any locked doors hiding inside ourselves.
| | | Sir Yukon Cornelius Claus (Yukie Wolfe) | | | Yukie has been doing yoga for 17 years. He occasionally assists Joy's classes, gently encouraging students and demonstrating a flawless Downward Facing Dog. (Until we get photos of the instructors...it should be clarified that Yukie is of the canine species! | |
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