Teachers

MASTER TEACHERS

Tim Feldmann is the director of Miami Life Center, the yoga shala he founded with his wife Kino MacGregor and Matt Tashjian. He was set on the yoga path by his first teacher Lino Miele and is Authorized to teach directly by the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga method, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and his grandson, R. Sharath Jois. A practitioner of the Advanced A Series, Tim is dedicated to Ashtanga Yoga’s traditional method. A near fatal falling accident in 1992 led Tim on the yogic path. His teaching integrates extensive studies of F.M. Alexander Technique and sitting meditation with 20 years of experience as a professional dancer and an internationally acclaimed choreographer. His in-depth knowledge of functional anatomy, alignment as well as the idiosyncratic body and mind in stillness and in motion creates the platform upon which his solid understanding of the Ashtanga method rests. Tim’s humorous, straightforward yet profound teaching style makes him a cherished teacher, traveling extensively throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
www.timfeldmann.com | www.miamilifecenter.com

 


Richard Freeman has been a student of yoga since 1968. He has spent nearly nine years in Asia studying various traditions, which he incorporates into the Ashtanga yoga practice as taught by his principal teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Richard’s background includes studying Sufism in Iran, Zen and Vipassana Buddhist practice, Bhakti and traditional Hatha yoga in India. Starting in 1974 he also began an in-depth study of Iyengar yoga, which eventually led him to Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Richard is an avid student of both Western and Eastern philosophy, as well as Sanskrit. His ability to juxtapose various viewpoints, without losing the depth and integrity of each, has helped him develop a unique, metaphorical teaching style. Richard teaches classes at the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado as well as teaching extensively throughout the world.
www.richardfreemanyoga.com

 


Manju Jois considers it a great honor to be the son of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. “He is my father and my teacher. I am grateful for both my mother and my father.” Manju’s mother, Savatri Jois, (Sathu to her family) was a beloved wife, loving mother and an expert in Indian cuisine. Sadly, she passed away in 1997. Manju is devoted to his wife Nancy and their young daughter Sathu, named after her paternal Grandmother, who was born in 2002. Sathu is a multi-talented, beautiful girl, who continues to bless the Jois family beyond measure. Manju has taught the true Mysore Ashtanga method for over 47 years. Spanning 22 countries and 21 states in the US, Manju’s world Ashtanga teaching tour is ever expanding. Manju is grateful to Gary Herlich and all of the other people who helped Manju to stay in US when he first started teaching in America. He offers Ashtanga weekend workshops, teacher trainings and intensive week-long classes. He incorporates pranayama and vedic chantings in his classes, which go very well with Ashtanga yoga practice. Manju’s intention is to teach in the way of the Ancient tradition and bring the many benefits of Ashtanga yoga to his students. He hopes to bring “better concentration and understanding” of Astanga Yoga to his students in a world full of distractions. Manju’s dedication to his life of teaching and practicing yoga has brought the benefits of the ancient tradition of Ashtanga Yoga Manju to many students throughout the world, as he guides each to “Unite with Yourself.”
www.manjujois.com

 


Dena Kingsberg has been studying and practicing traditional Ashtanga yoga for over 30 years. She is a devoted long term student of the late Sri K.Pattabhi Jois. She remains committed, deeply inspired and continuously amazed by the vast healing potential of this life changing practice. Dena has a disciplined, yet lyrical style of teaching. Her holistic approach looks beyond external form to guide the individual residing within.
www.dena.net.au

 


Tim Miller has been studying and teaching Ashtanga Yoga for over thirty years and was the first American certified to teach by Pattabhi Jois, with whom he shared a long and close relationship. Over the years Tim traveled often to Mysore, India, and  hosted Guruji ten times in Encinitas, California. Tim was blessed with the opportunity to  assist Guruji on many occasions during his US teaching tours, an experience that was profoundly educational. Tim has a thorough knowledge of Ashtanga Yoga, which he imparts in a dynamic, yet compassionate and playful manner. “My goal as a teacher is to inspire a passion for practice. The practice itself, done consistently and accurately, is the real teacher.” Tim teaches workshops and retreats throughout the United States and abroad, and has been the director of the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas California since 1981.
www.ashtangayogacenter.com

 


David Swenson began practicing yoga at the age of 13 under the guidance of his older brother Doug, and later was introduced to Asthanga Yoga in 1973 by David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff in Enciintas, California. At their invitation Sri K. Pattabhi Jois made his first trip to the U.S. in 1975 and David was fortunate to meet and begin study with him. Two years later David made his first trip to Mysore, India and learned the full Ashtanga system from Pattabhi Jois. David teaches yoga throughout the world and is recognized today as one of the world’s foremost practitioners and teachers of Ashtanga Yoga.
www.ashtanga.net

 


2018 MODERATOR/ASSISTANT TEACHER

 

Jessica Walden is a long time Ashtanga yoga practitioner, teacher and mother. She also has worked in organic food production for 20 years. She started a daily Ashtanga Yoga practice with David and Simi Roche in 1994 while
 studying as an exchange student at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and moved
 to Encinitas in 2004 to study with Tim Miller. Since 2001, Jessica has made 
several trips to Mysore, India, to study with Guruji, Sharath and Saraswati and has been
 granted a Teaching Authorization Certificate (Level 2) from the KPJAYI in Mysore. Because of other career commitments, she currently teaches workshops and private lessons. Previously, Jessica has taught at Simi Roche’s studio, Tim Miller’s Ashtanga Yoga Center, Jois Encinitas, Creativity and Personal Mastery Courses (San Francisco, UK and New York), Quality Assurance International (San Diego), Next Generation Gym (Adelaide, Australia) and has assisted Sharath at KPJAYI Mysore. More than anything, Jessica prefers to remain a student of this amazing and essential yoga, and continues 
to practice daily in Encinitas, California. Four years ago, Jessica suffered a major spinal injury and was diagnosed with a severe spinal condition. While initially this injury caused a lot of fear and pain, she used it to inform how she would not only practice yoga from that day forward but how she would approach life. With an awareness of what is happening on the inside and an observance of how to access the subtle energies deep within, she has cultivated a gentle strength, grace, flexibility and relationship with her practice and with life. Jessica’s approach to her teaching is to use humor, stories and techniques for students that help them to find their own strength, grace, and effortlessness in their practice.
www.jessica-walden.com

 


2018 SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS

 

Dr. Manoj Chalam uses an entertaining story telling style using Hindu deities in his lectures and workshops to illuminate deep Vedanta philosophy. An Indian-born scientist with a PhD from Cornell University, Manoj helps individuals find their archetypes in Hindu Yogic deities and teaches the 4 ways to work with an archetype as a Vedantic practice. He has also compiled a book on the symbolisms of Hindu and Buddhist deities. Manoj presents workshops at yoga studios, keynotes at festivals, yoga journal conferences, ashrams, and universities.

 

 

Diana Christinson lived in Asia for two years and began her yoga practice in Kyoto, Japan in 1987 which inspired her lifelong studies of Eastern Philosophy. In 1999, after practicing yoga for more than a decade, Diana took the first of 9 trips to India in order to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy at the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore. Eventually, she was authorized by Jois to teach Ashtanga yoga at the first and second level. She has also studied with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas, CA where she received both her first and second level teachers training. She has been teaching since 1996. Diana is the Director and Instructor at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Dana Point, California. She received her Master’s in Psychology and has combined her deep appreciation for Eastern philosophies, Mythology and meditation practices with the Ashtanga Yoga system.  Diana is also currently a guest editor for the Orange County Register. Diana instructs all class levels at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala and conducts both international and local yoga retreats, workshops, and wellness programs.
www.pacificashtanga.com

 

2018  ASSISTANT TEACHER

 

Diana Christinson lived in Asia for two years and began her yoga practice in Kyoto, Japan in 1987 which inspired her lifelong studies of Eastern Philosophy. In 1999, after practicing yoga for more than a decade, Diana took the first of 9 trips to India in order to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy at the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore. Eventually, she was authorized by Jois to teach Ashtanga yoga at the first and second level. She has also studied with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas, CA where she received both her first and second level teachers training. She has been teaching since 1996. Diana is the Director and Instructor at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Dana Point, California. She received her Master’s in Psychology and has combined her deep appreciation for Eastern philosophies, Mythology and meditation practices with the Ashtanga Yoga system.  Diana is also currently a guest editor for the Orange County Register. Diana instructs all class levels at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala and conducts both international and local yoga retreats, workshops, and wellness programs.
www.pacificashtanga.com

 

Holly Gastil began the practice with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in 1994. Through her continued yoga practice and teacher trainings with Mr. Miller she started teaching in 2002. Holly’s lighthearted teaching style reflects the flexibility she has gained, both mentally and physically, through the practice of Ashtanga yoga. Holly teaches Mysore style as well as led classes at the Ashtanga Yoga Center. Her classes are geared towards both the beginning practitioner and the more advanced Ashtangi. Holly continues to be challenged and inspired in her yoga practice on a daily basis.
www.ashtangayogacenter.com

 

 

Kiran Kennedy began practicing yoga with Tim Miller in the year 2000 at the old Encinitas E street studio. After attending numerous teacher trainings with Tim I began teaching in 2003. I have been teaching at the Ashtanga Yoga Center since then with a year off to teach yoga to elementary school children with the Sonima Foundation. I am a 13 year breast cancer survivor and have had to restart my practice after surgeries many times over the years. I recognize that every student steps onto the mat with different life experiences and as a teacher it is so essential to be insightful and compassionate.
www.ashtangayogacenter.com

 


Mary Taylor began studying yoga in 1971 while earning a degree in psychology. It was not until the early 80’s, when she moved to Boulder, CO and started studying yoga with Richard Freeman, that yoga became a central thread in her life.  Before that, yoga had provided a means of relieving stress and honing a sense of focus and well being. In 1988, Mary traveled to India to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and began to see the overlay of yoga with her interests in food, cooking, movement, anatomy and art. Mary has authored three cookbooks and co-authored a book which explores yoga, meditation and finding one’s personal dharma as a means of bring lasting meaning and happiness. (“What Are You Hungry For? Women, Food and Spirituality.”) As the Yoga Workshop’s director, Mary has attended all of Richard’s teacher trainings and feels she’s just beginning to understand the subject at hand. She brings a deep respect to her teaching for the healing and calming effects of yoga. Her classes are engaging and fun, focusing on the flow of breath, steady movement and the feeling of completeness that can be cultivated through a lasting practice.
www.richardfreemanyoga.com

 

Jessica Walden is a long time Ashtanga yoga practitioner, teacher and mother. She also has worked in organic food production for 20 years. She started a daily Ashtanga Yoga practice with David and Simi Roche in 1994 while
 studying as an exchange student at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and moved
 to Encinitas in 2004 to study with Tim Miller. Since 2001, Jessica has made 
several trips to Mysore, India, to study with Guruji, Sharath and Saraswati and has been
 granted a Teaching Authorization Certificate (Level 2) from the KPJAYI in Mysore. Because of other career commitments, she currently teaches workshops and private lessons. Previously, Jessica has taught at Simi Roche’s studio, Tim Miller’s Ashtanga Yoga Center, Jois Encinitas, Creativity and Personal Mastery Courses (San Francisco, UK and New York), Quality Assurance International (San Diego), Next Generation Gym (Adelaide, Australia) and has assisted Sharath at KPJAYI Mysore. More than anything, Jessica prefers to remain a student of this amazing and essential yoga, and continues 
to practice daily in Encinitas, California. Four years ago, Jessica suffered a major spinal injury and was diagnosed with a severe spinal condition. While initially this injury caused a lot of fear and pain, she used it to inform how she would not only practice yoga from that day forward but how she would approach life. With an awareness of what is happening on the inside and an observance of how to access the subtle energies deep within, she has cultivated a gentle strength, grace, flexibility and relationship with her practice and with life. Jessica’s approach to her teaching is to use humor, stories and techniques for students that help them to find their own strength, grace, and effortlessness in their practice.
www.jessica-walden.com

 

Jack Wiseman was introduced to yoga by his older sister when he was in his early twenties. He took classes and workshops at various Satyananda Ashrams around Australia before returning to the north coast in 1991 where he began the practice of Ashtanga Yoga and met his future wife. He first went to Mysore in 1995 and recalls spending three months in daily fear of Baddha Konasana. That first trip coincided with the celebration o Guruji’s 80th birthday. He has since returned a dozen times. Jack teaches classes in Byron Bay, Australia and supports his wife Dena both inside and outside of the yoga room. Most years they travel together to conduct classes and workshops around the globe. Together they have built their handcrafted home and co-parent their children Zoli and Izac. Many years of carpentry and farm work contributed to a stiff body. Jack believes that his personal experience of working through his structural restrictions have given him the understanding and ability to be patient and helpful when working with others. Yoga also allows Jack to indulge in his penchant for wearing loud yoga shorts, many of them carrying the label, “made with love by grandma”.
www.dena.net.au

 

PREVIOUS MASTER TEACHERS

 

Eddie SternEddie Stern has been teaching yoga in New York City since 1989. He studied under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois for eighteen years and is the director of Ashtanga Yoga New York (AYNY). Over the past years, Eddie has published four books on Pattabhi Jois and Ashtanga Yoga including the translation of Pattabhi Jois’ 1960 book Yoga Mala and is as well the co-publisher and editor of a monthly Indian philosophical journal entitled Namarupa, Categories of Indian Thought. He has served for ten years on the board of directors of Bent On Learning, a 501c3 that teaches yoga and meditation to 2,800-disadvantaged public school children every week.
www.ayny.org

 

Laruga Glaser has been fascinated with mind/body connections and spiritual philosophy since a young age which later attracted her to the practice of yoga in early 1996 after a sincere connection and study of yoga philosophy. It wasn’t until she stumbled upon Ashtanga Yoga when she fully immersed herself into a devoted practice a few years later in 1998. Since then, she has continued to draw inspiration from her daily visit to the mat, along with long term studies with her teachers, the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and now his grandson, R. Sharath Jois, of Mysore, India. An advanced level practitioner and student of yoga, as well as, a Level 2 Authorized teacher from KPJAYI of Mysore, India, Laruga entered into teaching after many years of sustained practice and brings with her over 20 years total experience instructing body movement. In turn, she is dedicated to teaching the method of Ashtanga Yoga to its fullest capacity, cultivating transparency to the tradition, and the deeply rich lineage the practice originates, otherwise known as parampara. Through it all, Laruga teaches as an act of deep sharing and love for what yoga develops in each individual; facilitating space to open, challenge, and inspire those to step into the center of their own being, and experience their inherent potential. Currently Laruga heads the Mysore program at Yogayama in Stockholm, Sweden and teaches workshops and retreats internationally.
www.larugayoga.com

 

Kino MacGregor is an international yoga teacher, author of three books, producer of six Ashtanga Yoga DVDs, writer, vlogger, world traveler, co-founder of Miami Life Center, co-fouder of Yoga Challenge and OmStars Clothing. Kino’s dharma is to help people experience the limitless potential of the human spirit through the inner tradition of yoga. She is one of the few people in the world of yoga to embrace both the traditional teaching of India’s historic past and the popular contemporary social media channels. You can find her teaching classes and workshops all over the world and on Kino Yoga Instagram with over 960,000 followers and on Kino Yoga YouTube channel with over 90 million views. With more than 15 years of experience in Ashtanga Yoga, she is one of a select group of people to receive the Certification to teach Ashtanga yoga by its founder Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India and practice through the Fourth Series of Ashtanga Yoga.

 

Mark Robberds has been studying yoga since 1997. He is one of the few Certified Ashtanga Yoga teachers by KPJAYI. He spent 10 years travelling regularly to India to practice with the late, legendary Guru Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, and the last 6 years with his grandson R. Sharath, of Mysore. He also trained as an apprentice, first with Mathew Sweeney and then with Eileen Hall from 1999-2005 at YogaMoves in Sydney. Mark has studied extensively with some of the world’s best yoga teachers including Richard Freeman and Dena Kingsberg, and his teaching reflects the essence of these influences. He is currently studying Yoga philosophy, particularly Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, with his teacher Professor Nagaraj Rao in Mysore. In 2004, Mark realized that in this lifetime he wanted to wake up to his true purpose. A part of that journey has been to travel all over the world, and to go deeper into his own love of yoga, surfing, teaching and music, and in doing so, find the thread that connects them all. He has been teaching workshops, retreats and as a guest teacher, internationally since 2005. Mark wishes to share the teachings of yoga in a way that inspires people to develop a passion and love for the practice. He incorporates the philosophy of yoga into his talks, music and devotional songs, so that the deeper aspects of the yoga tradition can connect people and bring them closer together.
www.markrobberds.com

 

Tarik Thami began exploring different forms of yoga in the early 1990’s. In 1994, he was introduced to the Ashtanga Yoga system. It was precisely what he had been looking for and from that point on he has been dedicated to the system and to deepening his practice. Tarik has practiced Ashtanga yoga for 18 years and over the last 13 years he has studied with his primary teachers Sri K.P. Jois and his grandson Sharath Ranganswamy. He visits Mysore, India annually to continue his studies and practice and was blessed to be taught by Pattabhi Jois in 2005 and certified in 2012. Tarik currently teaches all over the world but his heart and home is at his daily morning Mysore class in Shibuya, Tokyo. Tarik is committed to teaching the traditional Ashtanga practice as taught by Pattabhi jois and providing students with an ideal environment for them to discover the beauty and power of their own practice and their own yoga.
www.tarik.com

 

PREVIOUS SPECIAL GUESTS

 

Dominic Corigliano is a teacher of rare breadth and depth of experience since having started Ashtanga Yoga with Pattabhi Jois in the early 1980s. This long continuous period of study under Guruji has provided him with unique insights into the Ashtanga method. Dom’s varied interests and eventful life have also helped develop a unique and balanced philosophy and wisdom, which he generously shares with his students. After many years working as a software engineer for General Dynamics, getting married and raising 3 children, Dominic began teaching yoga full-time in 1989. Then, in 2000, at age 47, he returned to Mysore to study intensively with Pattabhi Jois for much of the next seven years, during which time he received his certification. Recently Dominic has traveled and taught throughout Japan, the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a visiting teacher at the Jois Yoga Center in Greenwich, Connecticut. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle and foraging for mushrooms and berries on the rugged coast of northern California, with his wife, Stephanie, and their 3-year-old son John.
www.aumboy.com

 

Jesse Gordon was raised in England and Spain by American parents. He attended college and graduate school in New York City and eventually settled in LA where he works as a writer-producer-director in the television business. In 2001 he made his first trip to Mysore which was life-changing on various levels. He met his future wife Petra, was deeply imprinted by Guruji and Sharath, and also began a study of Jyotish. In 2014 he received his Authorization to teach Ashtanga, and this year he received an advanced certification in Jyotish from his teacher Pt Sanjay Rath. He lives with his family in Topanga Canyon, California.

 

 

Andrew Hillam began the practice of Ashtanga Yoga in 1994 in Adelaide, Australia but it was not until 2001 that he finally made it to meet and study with Guruji, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and Sharath Jois in Mysore, India. Since then he has spent much cherished time in Mysore studying at KPJAYI and is Certified to teach the traditional ashtanga yoga system. Andrew has also devoted many years to the study of Vedic chanting and the philosophy of the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads etc., while immersing himself deeply in the local culture of Mysore. He currently teaches and directs the Jois Yoga Mysore program in Encinitas, California, USA.
www.andrewhillam.com

 

PREVIOUS ASSISTANT TEACHERS

 

Kathy Cooper has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga consistently since 1976. David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff were her primary teachers, teaching her all of the series and pranayama. She also studied with Guruji (Sri K. Pattabhi Jois) on many of his extended trips to the US and in Mysore, India. The inherent wisdom of Ashtanga yoga has led her on a transformative journey and has deepened her life’s journey for the past 39 years. The longing for a deeper truth of life has led her to explore Sufism, Shamanism, Buddhism, Vipassana meditation and awake teachers. She have done many retreats over the years. Daily practice has supported her journey impeccably, both in integrating openings and in surrendering to the now. Kathy has been teaching internationally since 2007 in Sri Lanka, Europe, Morocco and Brazil. Her teaching focuses on the breath, bandhas and alignment to support the deepening, opening and healing that occur both in the present moment and with a long and dedicated practice.
www.kathycooperyoga.com

 

Leigha Nicole has been teaching yoga for 29 years and taught at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, CA from its inception in 1987.  Her love of Ashtanga Yoga brought her to India 21 years ago to study extensively with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and was authorized to teach by him in 1996. Leigha has a gentle approach and encourages students to embrace the contemplative aspect of the practice with attention to alignment and the cultivation of awareness. She has an intimate knowledge of anatomy that stems from a 25 year bodywork practice which enables her to address the specific therapeutic needs of her students. Leigha moved from Point Reyes, California to the spiritual town of Crestone, Colorado in 2005 where she built a straw bale solar home and yoga studio. She returns regularly to the San Francisco area for group classes and workshops.
www.splendidyoga.com

 

Johnny Smith began his yoga journey over 25 years ago. In 1990, John met Tim Miller, who inspired him to pursue the Ashtanga method. The next year, John made his first trip to Mysore, India, and thereafter made almost yearly excursions there to study with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois. He is one of only a handful of practitioners in the world who has been certified by Pattabhi Jois and The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. John is the director of the Ashtanga Yoga program at Westside Yoga Studio in Sebastopol California.
www.westsideyogastudio.net

 

 

Jocelyne Stern first traveled to India to learn yoga in 1986, and began studying under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 1991, until his passing in 2009. She is the co-director of Ashtanga Yoga New York.
www.ayny.org

 

Shelley Washington has had a stellar career in the world of Modern Dance and Ballet, studying and performing with such legendary figures as Twyla Tharp,  Mikael Baryishnikov and Martha Graham, to name only a few. She continues to work with Twyla Tharp as a Repetiteur, Setting, Staging and Directing Ballets for various dance companies. In 2000, Shelley initiated her studies of Ashtanga Yoga and dove fully into the practice. She made her first trip to Mysore, India in 2003 and has since made 14 subsequent pilgrimages to Mysore, receiving her First Level authorization from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 2005 and her Second Level authorization from Sharath Rangaswamy in 2010. Shelley brings a fresh and invigorated energy into the classes she teaches. Her deep compassion, humor, energy, joy and depth of understanding of movement combine to make her a wonderful asset to all of those that have the opportunity to study with her. When not traveling the world, Shelley lives in Austin, Texas with her husband David Swenson, their cat, “Yogi” and 16 Koi fish.
www.ashtanga.net

 

Noah Williams began practicing Ashtanga Yoga  in 1993 with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas, California. At Tim’s suggestion, Noah traveled to Mysore, India in 1995 to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Noah returned yearly to India to further his studies and, in 2001, received Advanced Teaching Certification from Pattabhi Jois – one of only a few dozen Advanced Certifications personally bestowed by Jois. Noah has since studied yoga with Sharath Jois. Noah has also studied sanskrit recitation, the yoga sutras and philosophy under Dr. M.A. Jayashree and Professor M.A. Narasimha of Mysore. Noah currently resides in Los Angeles and founded Ashtanga Yoga Nilayam, teaching a daily Ashtanga Yoga Mysore-style program hosted at Studio A Dance.
www.ashtangayoganilayam.net