MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
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CHERYL
MOSS
Cheryl Moss M.A. MFT, owner of Goda Yoga, is
an eternal student of Life. Her fascination with how people
heal and grow led her at an early age to the study of traditional
psychology and later, to eastern therapeutic methods and indigenous
curative approaches.
Cheryl brings depth and love to her yoga classes. She creates
the space for her students to honestly meet all parts of their
selves on the mat—to bravely shift from conditioned and self
limiting patterns so that they may delightfully re-unite with
their Spirit, Essence, and Creative Life Force. Cheryl understands
hatha yoga practice will look and feel different for everyone.
She invites her students to discover what the energy and sensation
in their bodies is teaching them; and to pay attention to how
their thoughts affect their moment to moment experience in order
to establish an individual practice that works best for them.
She hopes each of her students will cultivate unconditional
acceptance of what arises at any given moment; whether it be
challenging or pleasurable, and continue to develop this learned
consciousness off the mat.
Cheryl is a licensed psychotherapist and has been practicing
yoga for 15 years. Cheryl has been teaching hatha yoga for seven
years having completed both the foundation and advanced level
teacher trainings with Ana Forrest. She has also completed Erich
Schiffman’s teacher training and other strong teaching influences
are Catherine MacNamara, Heather Tiddens, and Shiva Rae.
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ANGELICA
SINGH
Originally
trained by Ana Forrest, Angelica has studied with many different
teachers over the past eleven years in yoga, as well as the
healing arts. She holds a Masters Degree in Psychology, and
is trained as a trauma resolution specialist in Pre and Perinatal
Birth Therapy as well as Craniosacral Therapy.
Angelica teaches yoga as a practice of joyful embodiment. She
is also deeply inspired by John Friend and Anusara yoga, as
its roots are based in Tantric tradition. As an instructor,
she works diligently with each person to get the felt-sense
of each asana, building the poses from the foundation up. In
this way, flexibility, balance, strength, and alignment develop
naturally through awakening the innate wisdom and intelligence
of the body.
Angelica’s classes are appropriate for beginners as well as
more advanced students. Along with the wisdom from her own practice,
she holds the perspective of beginner’s mind in her approach
to teaching and practicing yoga and meditation, and in understanding
a student’s way of learning as they develop their own practice.
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Visit
her website at theoceaninside.com |
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APRIL
KIRKHART
April KirkHart, M.S.W., has been practicing yoga for over 12
years and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004.
April has studied and practiced many forms of yoga, and believes
that each method has something to offer students. She teaches
beginner-to-intermediate level classes that combine classical
Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow elements, in addition to the
playful heart of Anusara. Her classes focus on building student’s
strength and flexibility of both body and mind, while learning
to respect their boundaries. She incorporates some breathing
practices (pranayama) as well as humor and compassion. Her students
have ranged in age from 17 to 78 years old, and April is mindful
of helping each student practice to the best of his or her ability
taking into account injuries, limitations, ego, fears and misconceptions.
In her classes, students will sweat some, breathe deeply, and
find neat little spaces in the body and the mind to remind them
they are alive. April was a community organizer, activist and
social worker who was passionate about social justice. Her path
towards combining these interests with yoga continues to evolve.
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Visit
her website/blog:
workofheartyoga.com |
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DEARBHLA
KELLY
Dearbhla Kelly, M.A., began her practice of yoga 14 years ago
while studying in Amsterdam. She left her hometown, Dublin,
Ireland, in 2001 to pursue a Ph.D in philosophy in Chicago.
She relocated to Los Angeles in January 2006.
The yoga she loves cultivates compassion, radiates calm, and
celebrates play, and her teaching hopes to inspire these qualities
in others. Her studies of both Yoga and Western philosophy give
balance and nuance to
her teaching style. Her life’s purpose is to use the tools of
yoga and philosophy to help people connect to themselves more
deeply and in so doing live a happier, more fulfilling life.
A long-time student of Ana Forrest, Dearbhla has completed both
foundation and advanced level teacher trainings with Ana and
assists her at yoga conferences and trainings around the country.
She also studies with Anthony Benenati, Denise Kaufman and Saul
David Raye. Dearbhla also gives significant time to service
and reflection in the ashrams and centers of the Sivananda lineage,
and finds great joy in the heart-opening chanting practice known
as kirtan.
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Visit
her website at durgayoga.com |
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GILLIAN
BRECKER
Gillian Brecker came to yoga by way of acting. While getting her
Bachelor's degree at San Francisco State University, she pursued
as many different movement classes as she could. Gillian fell
in love with exploring the connection between emotion and the
body. It was this interest that led her to Forrest Yoga where
she completed her teacher’s training with Ana Forrest. Gillian’s
own practice is a continual unfolding of her Self, and her classes
are a safe place to explore mind, body, heart and soul. |
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JUDITH
LUTZ
Judith Lutz is a Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. She has been
practicing Iyengar yoga since 1996 and is a graduate of the BKS
Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles. Judith enjoys the improved
clarity, focus and sense of well-being she learns through yoga.
She loves to teach and constantly learns from her students. Known
for her warmth, she aims for clarity and depth in her teaching
and encourages students to seek the best in themselves. |
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JULES
HOGAN
Jules Hogan has fused her love of teaching and her extensive experience
working with children in her highly original kid's yoga classes,
UPDOGS and DOWNDOGS. An actress, nanny and performing arts teacher,
Jules teaches with a strong foundation in play and creativity.
In addition to her many years of yoga study she has completed
both The Radiant Child, and Mini Yogi's teachers trainings. |
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Visit
her website at updogdowndogyoga.com |
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KAITLYN
MCCONNELL
Kaitlyn McConnell has been studying yoga since 1997 and teaching
since 2005. She completed her first teaching training through
Yoga Works in Los Angeles under James Brown and Julie Kleinman.
She enjoys teaching all levels of students, from brand new beginners
to experienced practitioners. Her teaching is driven by the idea
that yoga is a pathway to our true selves and her teaching style
is influenced by her practice- the heat and flow of Vinyasa flow
classes and the precision and alignment of Iyengar style classes.
She is registered with Yoga Alliance and holds her BA in Acting
and Women's Studies from Western Washington University. |
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Visit
her website at yogakm.com |
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LESLIE
PORTER
Leslie Porter is a certified Yoga and Pilates instructor. Her
classes, workshops, and retreats are compassionate, supportive,
healing, wise, deep, playful, relaxing, invigorating, sweaty,
stress reducing, and community building with an emphasis on integrity
and awareness in safe physical alignment. Her expertise with emotional
trauma, spiritual/energy work, injuries, and stress reduction
extends to the patients of physical therapy, psychology, and acupuncture
professionals. Teaching is one of Leslie's favorite things to
do and she would love to share it with you. |
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Visit
her website at leslieporter.com |
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LISA
ANN GOLD
Instructing yoga since 1995, Lisa Ann Gold is inspired by nature
and people and brings patient humor to the art of introspection.
Lisa Ann’s classes are a compassionate space allowing students
to cultivate curiosity as they expand within life and learn to
walk into each new experience of delight or conflict with grace,
strength and marvel. Lisa Ann's strongest yoga influences range
from Ana Forrest, Mark Witwell, Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten.
As an ayurvedic practitioner and body worker she is influenced
by the common sense system of Ayurveda as taught by John Holmstrom.
Additionally, Movement educator Eric Franklin is bringing a new
facet of ideas to her love of yoga and expression. Lisa Ann is
so pleased to be part of Goda Yoga’s Teacher group. |
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NATALIE
STAWSKY
Natalie Stawsky blends a variety of Yogic and spiritual traditions,
incorporating elements of Iyengar, Anusara, Viniyoga, Vinyasa
and White Lotus Flow. Her classes are centered on the breath,
the search for fluid movements, the spirit generating internal
peace and the finding of a unique and individual expression of
each body and soul.
Natalie is currently pursuing her yoga therapist training at Loyola
Marymount University. She has studied Pre-natal yoga
at Golden Bridge, Yoga for Kids with Annie Buckley,
Radiant Yoga with Shakta Kaur Khalsa and trained at the White
Lotus Foundation.
Natalie created and produced three yoga videos in Spanish:
Pre and Post Natal Yoga and Yoga for Beginners. |
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Find
out more about Natalie’s extensive knowledge at natiyoga.com |
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NATHALIE
CANESSA
Nathalie Canessa uses her knowledge in various forms of Hatha
Yoga, (including Viniyoga, Iyengar and Ashtanga), dance, and Vedic
Meditation to create a meditative, slower, vinyasa style class
with emphasis on breath, alignment, and connecting to the spirit
as a way of healing. She assists her students in finding their
own Ritam, (rhythm or evolution), balancing strength and flexibility,
to move with grace and to connect to the joy that resides within
us. She has been a meditator for years and was taught in the Vedic
traditions of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Deepak Chopra. She is
deeply grateful for the continued inspiration and connection to
her teachers, including her late father who taught her to always
notice the beauty in Nature. |
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ROBERT
RIGAMONTI (RIG)
Employing a number of Hatha Yoga styles and his wide knowledge
of Yoga Kinesiology, RIG has created his own uniquely personal
style of yoga that is mindfully strengthening and challenging,
as well as therapeutic and meditational — beneficial for beginners,
and propitious for advanced practitioners.
He has had a yoga practice for 25 years, a teaching practice for
15 years, and a Soto Zen meditation practice for 10 years. He
received his training at Integral Yoga Institute in New York,
and with Erich Schiffman here in Los Angeles. In September of
2006, he was given the Bodhisatva Precepts in a Lay Initiation
Ceremony at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in Northern California,
and hosts a weekly sitting group at his studio near Culver City,
where he also sees private yoga clients. |
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For
more information about sitting or appointments email Rig at robert@rig.cc |
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