Emily Barnes, a native of Cincinnati, OH, began her training as a dancer and gymnast at the age of 7. While in the midst of her ballet studies, she discovered Pilates and the immense benefits that Pilates had on her dance studies. While in college, Emily studied Pilates with Susan D'Aranzio at the Cleveland Pilates studio, immersing herself in the vast repertoire of exercises that the Pilates method offers. She continued her Pilates studies at Excel Movement Studios in Washington, DC. In 2005, she completed the 700 hour Teacher Training Program at Excel Studios, under the guidance of Lesa McGlaughlin and Kerry DeVivo, proteges of Romana Kryzanowska, a student of Joseph Pilates.
Laura Bonkosky is a recent graduate of the Kripalu Yoga teacher training and has been practicing yoga, pranayama and meditation for many years. Laura strongly believes in the innate wisdom of the body and that we are each capable of creating positive transformation, vibrant health and abundant joy through the practice of yoga. Yoga has been an integral part of her own path to wholeness, and it is with great enthusiasm that she shares it with her students.
Carrie Ganz loves to share her delight in yoga with her students. She is a graduate of the Willow Street Yoga Center's 400 hour Teacher Training in the Anusara tradition, and continues to study with senior teachers. Her classes emphasize empowerment and joy and are imbued with a sense of creativity, play and freedom.
Karl has been active in the self-exploration arts for over 10 years. He has studied Kung Fu and is currently studying Korean martial arts and Qi Gong at Hillside Martial Arts Center in Bowie. Karl is a recent graduate of Integral Yoga's teacher certification in Basic Hatha Yoga at the 240 hour level. He became interested in Yoga through Qi Gong and loves to share the similarities of these systems. Karl lives in the Greenbelt community with his wife and their dog. When not teaching Yoga, Karl is taking pictures for his Photography business, practicing martial arts and Yoga, working towards his Qi Gong teacher certification and enjoying the great outdoors.
Carol Iverson's classes combine the joy of movement and the healing wisdom of Hatha Yoga, to take students on a journey of self-discovery and appreciation. Working with Carol, students will tap into their individual capacity for strength, flexibility, inner harmony and a life of greater ease, joy and enthusiasm. Carol's classes are a unique blend of movement, rhythm, breath and stillness flowing into a Meditation-in-Motion that facilitates integration of all aspects of body, mind and spirit. Carol's passion for Yoga has carried her through more than 30 years of personal practice and nearly 20 years of teaching Yoga. Carol is a member of KYTA (500 hour level), Yoga Alliance (500 hour level), and ABMP, and has been trained and/or certified in Kripalu, Integrative, Ashtanga, Amrit, and Forrest Yoga, as well as Thai Yoga Massage. She is a Bodywork practitioner of 25 years, certified Massage Therapist in Maryland, Shiatsu practitioner, and a registered Polarity practitioner.
Melissa Lindon, RYT 500, brings inspiration to her teaching from the rich traditions of Anusara, Para Yoga, and Kripalu styles of yoga. A longtime yogi with a background in dance, she is also a professional flutist and enjoys introducing the benefits of yoga to musicians. She loves how yoga develops awareness, opens our hearts, and supports us in being free, powerful and inspired in our lives. Her teaching style is compassionate, encouraging, and light-hearted.
Debbie Martin, RYT 500 took her first yoga class in 1977 to help her mend physically and emotionally after a serious accident.She has been practicing yoga for 19 years and is a graduate of Willow Street's Yoga Teacher Training in the Anusara Tradition. Her teaching uniquely blends Anusara, Kripalu, and ParaYoga styles. Debbie believes yoga can provide a pathway to a healthier mind, body and spirit, bringing more joy to the journey of life. She has a lust for life and infuses her classes with passion, caring and humor.
Penny Martin has been playing and studying T'ai Chi (mostly Yang style) for more than twenty years. She recently completed instructor certification in the Arthritis Foundation's "T'ai Chi for Arthritis" program and has given numerous seminars and workshops on T'ai Chi, as well as teaching regular classes on Yang style T'ai Chi. Penny is also the Medical Librarian at Prince George's Hospital Center.
Carol Mermey, Anusara-inspired, RYT 500, is a graduate of the Willow Street Yoga Teacher Training Program in Takoma Park, and continues to study with John Friend and other senior Anusara yoga teachers as well as Rod Stryker (ParaYoga). She uses principles of physical alignment and connection to the life-affirming qualities of peace and compassion to create a sense of well-being, empowerment, and joy. Carol's classes are designed to provide a welcoming and encouraging environment for anyone who wants to get in shape, feel good about their bodies and selves, or simply de-stress.
Carla Moodie started dancing when she was three years old and hasn't stopped since. She is experienced in a variety of dance styles, has taught people of all age groups, and is able to get the stiffest of bodies moving. Carla has a B.S. in psychology, with a Masters of Science level of studies in Counseling Psychology and Dance Therapy. In 2002, Carla moved to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health as a resident volunteer, working in exchange for yogic teachings. In 2003 she earned her yoga teachers certification. The experience of living at Kripalu helped Carla to be a detailed yet compassionate instructor, whose guidance has made a positive difference in those she has taught. In addition to her studies and experiences at Kripalu, she also gained a very close friend and partner in yoga who eventually became her husband, Joel Moodie.
Joel Moodie has been living yoga and martial arts for over 8 years and received his yoga teacher certification while residing at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Joel loves intensity and he approached his tenure at Kripalu as a monkhood, abstaining from even the thought of sense pleasures and practicing verbal silence for up to a week at a time. Subsequently, Joel has knowledge of yoga that is deeper then the yoga exercise that is commonly taught today, and he works to impart that depth in all of his classes. After meeting his wife Carla and leaving the Kripalu Center, Joel started training at the Jow Ga Kung Fu Athletic Association, where he learned a more traditional form of Kung Fu. There he learned of Qi Gong exercises and martial arts energy that somehow filled a gap that was still in his practice. This warrior energy has helped Joel to balance strength and sensitivity, compassion and honesty.
Before coming to the United States in 1988, Manju taught and did research for 7 years at the prestigious yoga institute under the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. She also taught at the Central Research Institute of Yoga, Vishwayatan Yogashram, New Delhi. After moving to the United States, Manju taught first for the Montgomery County Department of Recreation, then for the City of Greenbelt Recreation Department. This year marks her tenth anniversary with the City of Greenbelt, where she continues to teach. Manju's warm, enthusiastic style has built for her a large, loyal following in the Greenbelt area, and her classes at Greenbelt Om will allow old students and new to grow their practice with her in a relaxed, dedicated yoga space.
Brecken is a certified Life in Yoga instructor, integrating movement, breath, sound, visualization, and meditation to help students who may be new to yoga or looking to deepen the spiritual elements of their practice. She has had years of training in various Asian schools of energy work (qigong, tai chi, and reiki) in both China and Japan, and discovered yoga through its role in helping her overcome a serious muscular disorder that made it difficult for her to walk. With a Masters in Education and a PhD in Communication, Brecken is an expert at tailoring learning environments to individuals with special needs of all kinds, and she brings humor and acceptance to helping students find their own flow and integrate aspects of the yoga path into daily life with grace and ease.
Kim Kash and her husband Michael Cooney own Greenbelt Om. Kim began practicing yoga in 1999. Before Greenbelt Om, she was piecing together a yoga practice that included three very different, scattered yoga classes per week. One of them was a lunchtime yoga class that she organized in a spare room at Daedalus Books, her former employer.
