Ashley Albrand has taught Vinyasa Flow yoga, meditation, and many styles of dance in Los Angeles, New York and San Fransisco. She is a professional Hip Hop dancer and has been studying movement since the age of 5. She was drawn to the study and teaching of yoga for its powerful ability to heal the body and expand individual consiousness. After years of training in numerous styles and methods of yoga Ashley now teaches Prana Vinyasa Flow globally. Ashley donates a portion of her income and teaching to GEMS,a recovery program for female victims of sexual exploitation. Her classes focus on mood altering and enhancing asana, pranayama, releasing negative thought patterns and the pranic exchange. Ashley’s teaching schedule includes non-profit, workshops, classes & international retreats.

In addition to Prana Flow Yoga she has been named a White Lotus Yoga instructor after many years of study with her guru Ganga White. She is eternally grateful to Shiva & Ganga for continuous inspiration & connection. Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu May ALL beings flourish and be set free. May peace prevail on Earth.

Contact: Ashley Albrand at ashleyalbrand.blogspot.com | Download Flier (PDF)

I was lucky to find the Jivamukti Yoga Studio back in 1996, when it was still in a railroad apartment in the East Village of New York City. I had the honor of studying intimately with David Life and Sharon Gannon and other Jivamukti instructors daily for two years. My daily practice immediately began to draw me out of unhealthy patterns of movement, both in my body, and in my mind. Yoga helped me find balance during intense schedules as a fashion model, and as a touring musician, both of which careers allowed me to travel the world, and gain perspective on my purpose here. Two years ago, I moved from Brooklyn to Topanga Canyon with my partner, and our daughter, Puma Rose. Since then, I feel so honored to have been able to learn from incredible Los Angeles teachers, Annie Carpenter, Jasmine Lieb, Vinnie Marino, Lisa Walford, and so many others who have drawn me back into union with the practice. The peace and serenity of Topanga Canyon inspired me to seek a new career as a yoga instructor.In the Fall of 2009, I enrolled in the YogaWorks 200 hour teacher training. I’ve been teaching full time in Santa Monica and the Valley, and am so happy to now be teaching at Yoga Desa. I’ve been humbled by how, when I turn to it, yoga works from the inside out to guide me on my path. Increased stamina and flexibility and toned muscles are but the outward effects of a sacred practice, which slowly but profoundly infuses harmony and balance into our lives. NamasteDownload Flier (PDF)

Anna has been studying Iyengar Yoga since 1989 and teaching since 1994. She completed the 3 year Teacher Training Program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles and is certified at the Introductory Level. Anna has traveled to India to study with the Iyengars and continues to deepen her own studies and practice. She has studied with renowned teachers, such as Manouso Manos, Karin O’ Bannon and Diane Gysbers. Anna combines her love for the precision of Iyengar Yoga with a sense of humor to create an uplifting and motivating atmosphere. She encourages her students to look deeper than just the physical level to develop a sense of self-confidence and contentment.Download Flier (PDF)

After 5 incredible years of spiritually journeying and sharing the Art of Ayurveda, Yoga and Massage on the lush island of Kauai, Janice has returned to California to share her open heart spirit of “Aloha”. Janice creates a sanctified, nurturing space and gracefully guides one to the inner remembrance of a deeper embodied truth using the practice of asana, pranayama, mudras, sounds and chants.In 2004 Janice began to expand her knowledge and experience by studying Ayurveda.

Janice received her diploma in Ayurvedic Sciences at the Aloha Ayurveda Academy with Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar and she has also received Panchakarma certification with Viadyaratnam in Kerala, India. Janice specializes in Ayurvedic massage and rejuvenation therapies known as Panchakarma or Therapeutic cleansing. You can visit Janice at her Aloha Namaste healing temple in Topanga Canyon. Janice also produces and facilitates “Aloha Namaste” retreats on the islands of Hawaii for both individuals and groups.

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Mary-Beth is one of the founding owners and manager of Yoga Desa. She began the study of yoga over 18 years ago and has been teaching for over 15 years. In 1996, she completed the Yoga Works Teacher Training Program with Rod Stryker and Lisa Walford and the Advanced Teacher Training Program with Maty Ezraty, gaining her Yoga Works Teacher Certification in 1996.

Having studied both Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, Mary-Beth’s teaching style artfully blends the fluidity of Vinyasa style yoga with the attention to alignment and form of Iyengar yoga. She creates a class that challenges her students to focus on the precision and alignment of the asanas, while maintaining a deep sense of awareness to the breath and its relationship to the pranic energy body as you flow from one pose to another. Allowing her students to create not so much a perfect practice or pose but a practice which opens the energy and brings awareness and integration of the body, mind and spirit. Mary-Beth’s classes encourage a playful sense of spirit and emphasize finding the balance between the effort and the effortlessness, both in yoga practice and in life.

Mary-Beth continues to be influenced by her daily practice, her life, her students and the world around her. She currently lives in Topanga Canyon with her husband and two children.

Like so many people, Lydia was drawn to the yoga mat by its physical practice and the way it made her feel. Not only did it give her that physical exercise she was looking for but it helped her channel her energy, giving her a sense of calm. For Lydia, yoga made the every day challenges seem less overwhelming and life seemed to have a little more breath in it. Coming from a professional dance background where strength and dedication was very important, yoga brought this familiarity to Lydia and at the same time added balance into her life. Her intention in her class is to create an environment where every student feels comfortable. Acceptance of strengths and weaknesses are equally embraced in her classes, every student is encouraged to accept new challenges, yet at the same time always feel safe. Her door is open to anyone who wants to explore physical challenge and her space is open for you to connect with yourself and together, experience the exciting journey of yoga.

Yoga makes Masha feel good. In the beginning of her yoga studies, Masha would stomp down the dark slushy NYC streets after a grueling day workin’ for the man, and wonder why on earth she was feeling so euphoric after just having tried (many times unsuccessfully) to twist herself into a pretzel. Ever the hedonist, she chased this euphoria through all kinds of yoga schools in NYC, India and Los Angeles. She studied Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, Vini, Bikram, Vinyasa Flow and as many blends of Hatha yoga as there are blends of Starbucks coffee.Her alignment focused classes blend steadiness and sweetness and through no effort of her own (the practice is just built that way) will leave you too, feeling good. Slimming down and glowy skin are just a by-product of this feel-good-yoga. Masha received her 500-Hour Yoga Certification from YogaWorks in Los Angeles. She is grateful for her many wonderful teachers along the way which also include her colleagues, students and the ever-present teacher within all of us.

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Vivica guides her students through a soulful Vinyasa Flow that is both invigorating and heat-building, and at the same time calming and self-reflective. Her nourishing personality encourages students to inquire within as the body takes on various shapes to enhance the flow of energy and to remove blockages. She invites students to practice at their own pace and follow their own breath, so that the postures unfold as a result of an inner opening and expansion. She describes her yoga practice as a ‘full body prayer’ or ‘moving meditation’ in which we follow the internal flow, keeping the spirit centered and the mind open.Her sequences allow students to explore postures progressively, opening the body gradually, and going deeper only when the body is ready. Vivica teaches from the heart, her instructions are clear and specific and her focus is to help create an opening, a space, where there was none before.Vivica emphasizes the importance of listening to the “Inner Teacher” and waiting for “Inner Guidance” in order to know when to push or yield to create balance in body and mind. “Advanced” practice is having the awareness to determine when enough is enough. “I am convinced that Yoga can be self-transformative if practiced with compassion and mindfulness, rather than competitiveness. We can, through Yoga, assume a different relationship to the ordinary activities of daily life. Once we become aware of our habitual patterns and egoistic attachment we can learn to transcend them and wake up to who we truly are.”

Vivica is also the Co-founder of GGO Clothing, an organic eco-conscious and sustainable clothing line. She lives in Topanga with her husband, artist Steve Schwartz, and their 3 daughters Cleo, Juno and Harper.

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Kate is a 5Rhythms teacher, shamanic teacher, and an exceptionally gifted shamanic practitioner, known for her enormous passion, a vulnerable sense of the intimate and the ability to create community and tribe. She is a senior instructor within the Moving Center School founded by Gabrielle Roth with whom she has been closely associated since 1992. She is accredited to teach both Waves and Heartbeat.Kate is an initiate of the Path of Pollen shamanic tradition and one of only two individuals authorized to teach seminars and trainings for women on behalf of the Path of Pollen. In that capacity she co-teaches The Way of the Melissae seminar and the year-long training Arte Triptych Melissae with The Sacred Trust, a UK-based educational organization.Kate possesses a bold improvisational style and a passionate sense of humor that enables magic to ooze into the everyday moments. She has worked with adults, teenagers, medical students, nurses, drama students, gay men’s groups, the Polish National Ballet, and the British Association of Anger Management – always aiming to empower people to inhabit their bodies more fully and to inspire a heart-driven life full of love and spontaneity.

Kate is also a wardrobe stylist, working for television and films and is a certified massage practitioner. She divides her time between the USA and the UK.

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Annmarie Solo is a soulful yoga teacher and singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles. She teaches vinyasa flow yoga as well as foundational yoga in the Krishnamacharya lineage. Her classes are deep and rich allowing the student to explore consciousness in action cultivating healthy new patterns and ways of being.Annmarie first discovered yoga at Jivamukti in NYC in 1997. Inspired to travel to India with her guitar on her back, she learned sacred mantras from the Brahmin in the villages and sang in the temples absorbing these sounds and prayers. Upon her return to the US Annmarie recorded a mantra cd called Devotion which received powerful praise. Michael Mollura of LA Yoga writes, “Annmarie Solo’s voice touches the notes and we are transported into a space that is abundant and ethereal. Annmarie is an L.A. artist who sings like her heart would dissipate if she didn’t.”

In 2000, Annmarie completed the Yoga Works Teacher training after which she taught at Yoga Works for the next 6 years. She currently teaches at Yoga Desa in the enchanted mountains of Topanga Canyon and leads yoga retreats and concerts around the world. She has a clientele that includes some of Hollywood’s most successful directors, writers and producers. Most recently Annmarie released her folk/pop debut called Rising which Music Connection Magazine calls,” “Honest, delicate and heartfelt”. Her songs are filled with hopeful, inspiring messages about humanity, love and evolution during these times of great change.

Annmarie can often be found hiking trails in Topanga where she’s lived for the past 8 years with her dog, Cedar Boy. Visit yogawithannmarie.com

Kara was born and raised in Santa Monica and has trained with some of the most-renowned teachers in the world. To her, yoga is a beautiful and personal journey. A moment-to-moment transformation that deepens one’s relationship to their unique inner-truth.Using an eclectic variety of music, she intuitively guides a class through asana, pranayama, and meditation, allowing students to release old habits, attachments and judgments to discover the universal love within. In her immense gratitude for what yoga has given to her own life, she hopes to assist in bringing this positive awareness to the world around her.

My intent is to serve the higher purpose of each individual by creating space in the body, mind and spirit for discovery, acceptance and growth. Drawing on a love of nature, I weave the mountains, lakes and trees into class, tapping into the metaphors and energy we see and feel in the world and in ourselves. Trained at YogaWorks, my class combines precise alignment cues with uplifting flow and thoughtful sequencing. An eclectic soundtrack will get you out of your head and into your heart!Over the past 8 years, I’ve practiced in Minneapolis, Toronto, Boston, New York and Los Angeles, in a wide range of styles including hatha, anusara, ashtanga and vinyasa flow. A former runner and swimmer, I devoted myself to yoga exclusively after an ankle injury, and have been blessed to discover the fruits of a consistent practice – joys to take with me on and off the mat. An avid traveler, I believe there is a journey and a purpose in every breath, pose, class and lifetime.

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An authentic, powerful Hawaiian Kahuna Healer, Master Sio enables you to heal yourself on physical, mental, spiritual and emotional issues. He primarily practices at the innovative Beneveda Medical Group in Beverly Hills, directed by integrative medical doctor Thom Lobe, M.D., former professor of medicine and a frequent guest on Drs TV, ABC, NBC, L.A. Times and other major media. He also consults with several other medical doctors, primarily on pain management.Born with a natural healing gift, Master Sio helps people suffering from cancer, arthritis, lower back pain, insomnia, high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack, depression and mental dysfunctions, among other issues. Results vary from dramatic to more subtle over time, and there is always healing at some level. Master Sio suggests attending at least 10 classes for the most lasting effects.Hawaiian Kahuna Healing requires very light or no physical contact, no disrobing and no interviews. It comes directly from Source as sacred and powerful energy. Master Sio has an international clientele in the USA, Germany, France, New Zealand, and South Africa. He trained with native healers in Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Also a master of Medical Qi Gong, Master Sio was certified as an elite instructor of Biyun Medical Qi Gong by a prominent doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and grandmaster of Medical Qi Gong in China. He recently relocated his practice to Los Angeles from Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Has taught dance for over 20 years. Specializing in West African Dance, Afro Caribbean Dance and Rhythm Tap Dance, she studied abroad for a year in Ghana West Africa, training in dance, drumming and African flute and performed with a traditional dance troupe. She continued her West African training with the internationally acclaimed Nzingha Camara and danced professionally for Carolina Mendizabal’s Afro Caribbean company. She currently teaches West African and Afro Caribbean Dance Thursday nights in Topanga Canyon at Yoga Desa. She also performs professionally throughout Los Angeles, and makes dance for camera films, experimental shorts and documentarieswww.cariannshimsham.com

I discovered Sivananda yoga for myself in 1995 in Munich. Since then, I lived on and off in the Ashram of Swami Sivananda in Reith in Austria and learned under the wing of Swami Sivadasananda for the years to come. In 2003, I met a fellow yogini who was practicing Ashtanga. I was intrigued by her skill to live competently as a yogini in the outside world – something I had always found contradictory: how to be an authentic yogi AND have a full life. So I decided to do another four year teacher training with certified Ashtangi Beate Guttandin, scholar of Sanskrit in Cologne, Germany. Just a year later I became Founding Owner of YogaOne, school of Yoga in 2004 in southern Germany. I am also the editor of the first direct translation of the yoga sutrani by Patanjali translated written by my teacher Beate Guttandin in 2012.

In the variety of styles of yoga we all want to find what serves and supports us best. I have found my personal yoga in the combination of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and the study of Patanjali. I find in it the inspiration which helps me remain motivated and supported both in my practice and in the demands of my everyday life. Ashtanga is a very practical, down to earth practice which I have been teaching now for 8 years. It combines the aspects of body work, breathing technique and meditation.

Tracey teaches Yoga Blend and Yin Yoga classes that are accessible to students of all levels. Offering a nurturing space where students feel safe to let go, explore and play, Tracey guides a practice designed to challenge and invigorate as well as restore. Students are encouraged to focus on their breath, apply compassion and allow their practice to evolve from the inside out as the union between their breath, mind, body and inner spirit deepens. As balance grows, students (re)discover their strength and resilience on the mat and off as they meet life’s everyday and surprise challenges.

Tracey is a graduate of the YogaWorks Advanced Teacher Training Program. She has learned from many gifted teachers and feels very fortunate to have apprenticed with Jasmine Lieb and Chad Hamrin. Tracey continues to be inspired by her mentors and students. When off the mat, Tracey feels the bliss when with her husband and three daughters.

Yin Yoga is offered the first Tues. and third Thurs. of each month. Yoga Blend classes are taught the third Tues. and first Thurs. of each month. Classes are accompanied by an eclectic mix of music.