Urban Yoga Fest’s Teachers
We are in gratitude to the teachers that have shared their time with us during our festivals. Their work inspire us to be better humans, better at co-exciting with other humans and better at opening our connections to universal love. They teach us fine tune our bodies to breathe in and out to balance our mind, body and spirit.
Alyssa Berman - Bend and Brethe
Alyssa was introduced to yoga in her early teenage years by her mom. Honestly at first, it wasn’t for her- or so she thought. Being a very active person, she couldn’t seem to find the peace and stillness within during the slower paced classes her mom was fond of...so, she dropped it. About a year went by and Alyssa attended her first Hot Yoga class. The practice was vigorous and intense, and she immediately fell in love. Not long after a consistent practice began to root, she attended her teacher training during college up in Tallahassee, Florida. After receiving her certification, Alyssa began to focus solely on Ashtanga yoga, a practice she found to be beautiful and meaningful. Ashtanga helped her gain confidence in her personal practice as well as in her teaching. After teaching for a few years as a secondary job, she decided this was what she wanted to do full-time. Being able to teach her students and see their growth was one of the most powerful things Yoga has offered Alyssa. Finding that feeling was all she really wanted, she opened up Bend & Breathe in 2016, offering downtown Hollywood and the surrounding areas a place to practice with like minded people. Although Alyssa still practices her Ashtanga Yoga daily, she has now found the meaning and the beauty behind slower, more still practices. The classes she offers range from quiet and mindful to strong and powerful, and hopes to spread the love for all styles of Yoga.
Ariel Pinho
Ariel Pinho is originally from Brazil. Her first relationship with yoga started long ago during first grade, her grade school taught yoga once a week, and she remembers loving the experience.For the past 7 years, yoga has become an intrinsic part of Ariel's life. For Ariel, becoming a teacher felt very natural and it has expanded her view in every aspect of her life.
Nicolas de Villada
Nicolas de Villada was born in Paris, France and moved to the Miami with his family when he was four. Growing up Nick felt out of place and began looking for answers in all the wrong places. Through his Fiancé, Nick found Yoga. Since the moment he began taking his personal practice seriously, Nick began to see the transformational qualities of the practice blooming in his own life. Nick has completed a 200hr Power Vinyasa training and the Ashtanga Practitioner’s Intensive at Miami Life Center in 2017. He is currently part of the 2-year apprenticeship program at MLC.
Through the practice and teachings of Yoga Nick has found purpose in his life. Still in the early parts of his Yoga journey, Nick is eager to share his knowledge and passion of Yoga to as many people as possible, really believing that Yoga has saved his life.
Dawn B
Dawn Bianca Feinberg BCMT, certified Jivamukti teacher & Licensed movement therapist is widely recognized as one of the most charismatic and highly respected yoga teachers in South Florida. Her classes, shaped by her warmth and love for movement, are both creative and physically challenging. Dawn's inspiration for her teachings come from a blend of the breath based essence of ashtanga and the evolving freedom of Jivamukti Yoga. In a typical class you will find inspiring asana topped off with great music and her signature sense of humor.
Dawn leads Jivamukti workshops and teacher trainings throughout South Florida weaving in key components gleaned from her daily Mysore practice. Dawn has been blessed with an auspicious line up of amazing teachers. .
Paty Renda
Paty Renda is a journalist, translator and writer as well as a 200 hr certified Aananda hatha yoga teacher and Vedic Thai Bodywork practitioner. Although yoga has always been present in her life, her professional path started only when she moved to the US and received her first training as a Yoga Fitness instructor and Nutrition consultant. She has been teaching yoga for about 15 years and throughout this time she has had the pleasure to study with many great teachers in the country. Paty worked as a trainer for the Yoga Fitness certification, taught seniors, mommies and babies, powerful yoga classes as well as restorative yoga classes.
Angela Centers
Angela grew up in Jacksonville, FL and recently moved to Fort Lauderdale October 2018. She is drawn to teaching yoga to underserved populations with Yoga 4 Change (Y4C). Y4C is a non-profit organization that achieves meaningful change through a purpose driven yoga program for veterans, incarcerated individuals, vulnerable youth, and those struggling with addiction. As Director of Programming for South FL with Y4C, she is tasked with starting the expansion of the organization across the state with the primary focus of positively impacting the opioid epidemic. Angela took her first yoga class in February 2013, after seeking change and direction in her life. Soon after, she began teacher training completing a 100hr intensive with MBody Yoga in May 2013. Soon after she went on to receive her 200hr certification at MBody Yoga with Mark White. She went on to complete Level 1 with Baron Baptiste, Baptiste Art of Assisting, an advanced teacher training with Mark White and in 2016 completed her 300hr certification. Currently she’s teaching at Hot Yoga hOMe in Pompano.
“We don’t see change happen instantly and sometimes it can feel like nothing is happening. The beauty in yoga is that there is ALWAYS something shifting, creating and changing Every Time our mat is rolled out, we step on it and try!”
Barbara Alfonzo
Barbara Alfonzo, creator of lifestyle coaching company, Healthy Sexy Green, is a 500 RYT in styles of Vinyasa, Budokon, Yin, Aerial, and SUP Yoga, as well as a certified Integrative Nutrition Health coach. She combines her expertise in nutrition, sustainability, and movement arts to create an experience that cultivates strength, flexibility, and balance of all the different bodies: physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual. She has been practicing Yoga for 13 years and teaching for 8 yrs. Her classes are fun, challenging, and nurturing at the same time. You will leave her classes with a new sense of self-awareness, self-love, and gratitude.
Coach Jeremy 305
My name is Jeremy Abramson and I am the founder of E3 Lifestyle. Long story short, at age 25 I left my "dream job" in hopes to pursue the cornerstone of my passion...HELPING PEOPLE.
Over the next two years I dedicated my life to studying every aspect of fitness, nutrition, and overall well-being. I continue to travel across the country to work and learn with the best practitioners so that I can help you UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL, just like I've done for myself and hundreds of others.
The mind and body are such powerful tools that we often take for granted. Once we understand how to move and fuel our bodies, the SKY IS THE LIMIT.
Shelly Saunier
Shelly Saunier “Moon Mama & Yoga Confidante” is a South Florida Yoga Instructor known for bringing smiles to people on their mats through her candor, sense of humor and knack for helping others find peace within themselves. She's a mom, Registered Nurse who also holds a Masters degree in Holistic Nursing aside from teaching yoga classes. Shelly is heavily involved in community yoga events from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach and hosts Full-Moon yin yoga events as well as Seaside Vinyasa flows all by donation! To check out more events she is involved in find her on Facebook and Instagram @yogabyshelly
Shelly's approach in guiding people through their practice is centered around their desires to find balance and overcome self-doubt, surpass fears and simply learn to be kinder to themselves. It's for these reasons that loyal followers are willing to sit uncomfortably in different positions throughout her yin-style practices because she brings comfort to the mind and soul. It is her divine passion to help others love themselves unconditionally - as she aspires to help each person on their mat achieve a feeling of gratitude and fulfillment.
Michelle Alva
I am Michelle Alva, a licensed women’s physical therapist for over 22 years. I have created this safe-haven for your self-healing journey. It’s time to empower, energize and heal from the inside out.
As the creator of The Alva Method Of Self-Empowered Healing, I am passionate about my intention to educate and empower women to learn how to heal themselves, using the latest in science, practical and experiential methods. On your journey to self-repair, I will guide you to connect with your body and feminine essence, while embracing spirituality, balance and sexuality. You will feel empowered to let go of crippling past emotions, deepen your heart and soul connection, and live a richer, more fulfilling and healthy life.
This is done by integrating neuroscience, movement science of physical therapy, the latest in how to align our sub-conscious beliefs and mindset to make lasting changes, along with mind-body-spirit medicine, and ancient wisdom approaches.
Carrie Schell
Carrie has been immersed in health and wellness since beginning her career as a licensed midwife twenty-five years ago. Her career has evolved over the years with her doctorate studies, work as a health consultant, physical activity practitioner and yogi. Carrie’s involvement in addiction recovery spans decades. Her passion for recovery, physical activity, nature and yoga merged in her role as Director of Health and Wellness at a residential addiction recovery facility where she developed a unique and highly successful recovery program rooted in yoga, physical activity and meditation.
Carrie has been invited to speak at addiction conferences around the world, sharing the evidence and research supporting her approach to recovery. Carrie is excited to be launching her new book, Yoga Recovery…a mind, body, spirit journey to wellness, and its accompanying yoga dvd and guided meditation cd at this year’s San Diego Yoga Festival. An innovator in her field, she has developed physical literacy programs for schools to help improve the physical and mental wellness of children and youth. She is presently launching Moral Compass Therapy, for veterans suffering from PTSD.
Carrie believes in a mind, body, spirit approach to wellness and recovery as evidenced in both her personal and professional life, seeking to reconnect others to the Divine source of love in the Universe.
Maki Criscaut at Grandview
Maki Criscaut was first introduced to yoga by her mother at a very young age. She practiced in different stages of her life, but it wasn’t until she reached the mid 30’s that she attended a class that rocked her world. Since that day on, yoga became an obsession. Attending every possible class style , and reading everything she could get my hands on.
She got her 200h Yoga Teacher Training Certification from Aananda School of Yoga at Red Pearl Yoga in Ft Lauderdale. Since then, she has attended multiple workshops, trainings, and certifications that include: Certified Budokon Yoga Teacher, with founder Cameron Shayne. Connection Coalition (former Yoga Gangsters) Youth in Distress Program. Yin Yoga training, with Leslie Glickman, and Chakras with Terri Cooper, amongst others.
Although she enjoys both a strenuous physical practice as well as a slow restorative flow, most importantly, her classes are accessible to yogis of all shapes, age, levels, and interest. She usually introduces essential oils, pranayama, crystals, and/or singing bowls in my class.
Her passion is to share the positive effects yoga has had upon her life in hopes of continuing this positive effect among others.