Yoga teachers subbing my current classes

Melanie Vissuzi melaviza@peoplepc.com
Subbing Saturday classes occasionally at the Pacific Cultural Center

Melanie is a dynamic teacher who has studied over 300 hours under yoga pioneer Andrey Lappa. In addition to her solid foundation of Universal Freestyle Yoga and Dance of Shiva, she also brings a diverse background in other yogic traditions including Iyengar and Ashtanga. Melanie’s teaching is founded on 15 years of asana and meditation practice and is fueled with her one-of-a-kind wit and energy.

She uses key principles of yoga, the synthesis of asana vinyasa, pranayama, and the bandhas to create a calm and clear state of consciousness and balance of the koshas. In each practice, asanas are practiced that work all joint directions of mobility to promote flexibility, agility and core strength. Using the cross mat system, asanas alternate between stretching and strengthening arms and legs as well as movement in multi-dimensional space to create balance in the body. Unique to this style is an unusual set of shoulder stretches designed to free the entire range of motion within the shoulder.

Tamara Leah Lewis tamaraleah@cruzio.com
Subbing Saturday Pacific Cultural Center classes on occasion

Tamara is a senior certified TriYoga instructor who has also studied Iyengar Yoga and is an enthusiastic, compassionate, and knowledgeable Yoga guide. She teaches at studios and corporate sites in the Santa Cruz and San Jose area.

Mark Tanaka miroku78@yahoo.com

Mark Tanaka has been studying the yogic art forms for the past 9 years, exploring an array of disciplines in the world of yoga. His hatha yoga studies have been in many styles; Ashtanga,Traditional Hatha Yoga, Iyengar, Kundalini, and Kali Ray Tri Yoga. He has also explored Taoist Yogas; qi gong, meditation, breathwork
acupressure. Mark is well known for his unique teaching style that reflects his broad scope of study. His Hatha Yoga Vinyasa classes blend the principles of the healing arts, and he attempts to transmit the essence of these art forms to individuals so they can discover their inherent wholeness that exists in mind, body and spirit. Mark currently teaches at numerous gyms and yoga studios in Santa Cruz and San Jose, California.

Delana Thompson yogawithdelana.com

Delana’s practice combines a rich blend of Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, and Iyengar yoga. Her classes encourage calm awareness, inward listening, and non-judgment, in order to cultivate a meditative atmosphere and help students to connect with inner wisdom. Precise adjustments are offered with a healing touch, transmitting relaxation, stability, and a sense of well-being within the postures.
She is the former director of the 2005-2007 enormous and moving Santa Cruz event "Yoga for Peace", taking place this year on September 20, 2008 in the San Lorenzo Park.

Brooke Spittler brookespit@technocommune.com

Brooke teaches a blend of Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga using breathing as a foundation from which to flow. She encourages students to explore their practice from within, guiding them to deeper self-awareness. Her knowledge of yoga, anatomy and western medicine assist her in promoting health and wellbeing. Brooke has a MS in Physician Assistant studies from Samuel Merritt College and a BA in Human Bio-dynamics from UC Berkeley. She currently works at Kaiser Santa Teresa in the orthopedic department treating a wide array of musculoskeletal injuries. She is extremely fascinated with the human body and has studied anatomy extensively. Brooke has been practicing yoga since 1999. She feels very fortunate to have studied with many amazing teachers. She currently studies Iyengar yoga with Kofi Busia and Ashtanga yoga with Adarsh and Heleen Williams. Other influential teachers include Phil Lynch, Tim Thompson, Mark Stephens, Kelly Blaser and Rusty Wells. She is completing a teacher training course taught by Kofi Busia and has completed a teacher training with Mark Stephens.

Gabriel Benjamin mistergabriel@yahoo.com

Gabriel began yoga practice in childhood and became certified to teach in 2001. His parents have been involved in the healing arts for decades and Gabriel benefitted from early exposure to east/west integrative principles of living from his father Lloyd, who is an acupuncturist, and his mother, Martha, a longtime Yoga teacher.
Gabriel has three levels of certification in the Tri-Yoga tradition (a flowing Vinyasa-styledeveloped by Kali Ray) and is working on a fourth. For the past two years he has assisted Teacher Trainings and leads regular classes between 5-7 days a week. For him it is important for yoga to bring the practitioner to their edge but with the breath as a primary focus, and always honoring the uniqueness of each participant's body.
Influential teachers to name a few are Tom Machado, Phil Lynch, and Kali Ray.

Chas Mercurio chas_610@yahoo.com

Chas began teaching in 2007 and established Bare Yoga studio of Los Gatos out of a sincere desire to help others better balance the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of their lives. Chas was first introduced to yoga in early 2003, and has recently completed Joyce Anue's Y.E.S. 200-hour teacher training program.

Carolyn Vitale foxvitale@yahoo.com

Carolyn is an active Ashtanga Yoga Institute committee member, staff resident of PCC, and a certified AYI instructor whose classes offer an opportunity to more deeply connect with our breath, our bodies, and our divine Self. She is also an astrologer, whose planetary insights can be found here: shivawarrior.com.