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| Lauren Willett-Benson - Owner & Founder Veda Yoga Space After being in a car accident several years ago and sustaining injuries at various levels of my spine, I began to search for ways to end the pattern of chronic pain. Yoga resurfaced in my life and became a healing modality. Yoga has allowed me to resist surgery and medications while learning to manage the pain on my own. It has given me a sense of confidence and strength as I continue to learn more about not only the physiological aspects of the body and pain management, but also the more subtle energetic and spiritual aspects of self. It is my desire as a yoga instructor, to help others who find themselves walking the same path. Everyone has the potential to be healthy and radiate well-being, though not everyone may know how to get there. My classes integrate classical Hatha postures with a wide range of joints and glands movements to loosen muscle restriction, increase blood flow, and relax the mind into a state of contentment. The practitioner will leave class feeling newly prepared to face bodily discomfort and alleviate the impact of stressful experiences. During a lengthy systematic relaxation, achieved through breath awareness, we learn to let go of thought and distraction, moving deeper and deeper into the tunnels and alleyways of ourselves. What we soon discover is a beautiful silence. Rather than perceiving the individual as a mere outward force which affects and is affected by other outward forces, yoga helps us begin to understand the existence and immense importance of the divine individual within. When we can view both ourselves and our world holistically, integrated through body, mind and spirit, we begin to move toward a truer experience of life. This balanced awareness renews feelings of empowerment to conquer hate, grow love, bring peace to chaos and most importantly, to guide body and mind in their unified journey toward light and goodness. B.A. in English/ Studio Art, University at Buffalo Ed.M., University at Buffalo Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher, Himalayan Institute Teacher’s Association Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher |
| Kate Baer-Gagola Kate has over 25 years experience teaching Physical Education at both the elementary and secondary levels. Her undergraduate degree is from SUNY Brockport, and her Master of Science degree in Adapted Physical Education is from Canisius College. Kate is also a licensed Brain Gym® Instructor/Consultant, presenting all over New York State, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. Kate’s great passion is movement education. After first experiencing yoga in the early 1970’s, Kate went on to explore yoga in depth in college. She feels like she has been teaching yoga for years, without actually calling it that. Kate made it “official” in July of 2008, and is now a Himalayan Institute Certified Yoga Instructor. Kate practices Hatha yoga and is particularly interested in studying the subtleties of the poses. She is always striving to best reach her students and meet their individual needs and concerns. Kate has an energetic and eclectic approach to her classes, borrowing from her vast background to create a challenging, yet gentle experience for participants. |
| Morgen Love The path of Yoga is one that has unfolded organically in my life - each door opening unexpectedly and offering up a new permutation of this sacred practice. An inquisitive seeker since childhood, I have always felt the intrinsic vibration within, but could not fully understand it's meaning or potential. Yoga has helped me to tap into this energy and begin to understand it's ability to heal and transform, to create balance, and to cultivate trust. In 2007, I completed my 200hr Prana Vinyasa Flow training with Shiva Rea at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement in Venice Beach, California. My studies have included 7 years of devoted practice with many inspiring teachers at studios in the NYC area, including Dharma Yoga Center and Laughing Lotus, as well as Vinyasa workshops with Shiva Rea,Twee Merrigan, and Simon Park, Acro Yoga with San Francisco yogis Jenny Sauer-Klein and Jason Nemer, and various Yin Yoga workshops across the Tri-State area. My prana vinyasa flow classes create a space in which students can explore the balance between grace and body awareness, alignment and flow. Serving as a guide along this path, I offer a safe environment for beginning students to develop and grow, and for experienced practitioners to experiment and play. Through creative sequencing and inspired music, I invite students to tap in to their feeling, fluid bodies, to enter the flow, embrace dynamic movement as meditation, and love in every moment! |
| Molly Hoeltke Molly has been training in the Taoist discipline for seven years, receiving her training at Spirit Wind International Arts under Sufi, Chik Mason. She received her certifications in Dao Yin Yoga level one in 2004, Dao Yin Yoga level two in 2006, and Chi Kung in 2006. “ I began training in the healing arts in college in my pursuit of studying my spiritual self. I have always been inclined to learn as much as possible about life through spirituality, and I thought it important to become fully aware of my body in a spiritual mindset. I had always been very athletic and quickly took to yoga as I watched it transform my body’s muscles in a way traditional western workouts had never done. More than this, yoga has become a way of life I could never again do without.” |
| Dr. Indranill Basu Ray Dr. Indranill Basu Ray is a physician by training receiving medical training in both India and the U.S. He has worked as a physician in different capacities including work as a faculty member at the Harvard Medical School. He has also undergone advanced training in meditation from multiple masters and gurus and has been an avid meditator since childhood. Dr. Basu Ray has been involved in clinical research investigating the role of meditation as it affects different disease states. His expertise in the field has been widely recognized and he has been invited to deliver talks and conduct meditation workshops world wide. With over two decades of experience with meditation practice and teaching, he has been able to develop a structured protocol to teach meditation and wishes to now share it with the yoga community through weekly in-depth classes at VEDA. Meditation, a technique practiced for thousands of years by eastern masters, is used to deepen the understanding of the sacred forces of life in our yogic journey towards self-awareness. However, it can also be used for relaxation and stress reduction, wiping away the day’s tensions and bringing a sense of inner peace. This process very quickly results in enhanced physical and emotional well being. Immediate benefits are reduction in stress, improved sleep, decimation of anxiety, ability to better face challenging situations, a greater sense of self confidence and a true sense of joy and accomplishment, just to name a few! Scientific research has shown that meditation helps to ameliorate a host of health conditions such as hypertension, coronary heart disease and cancers, among others..” |
| Seonseang I have worked in the Health & Wellness field for over 10 years in many different capacities. First trained in Kickboxing in 1995, I competed as an amateur and also began training in several Martial Arts disciplines including Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu. I worked as a Fitness Manager for a Martial Arts School until 2007. Since 1999, I have both taught and trained in Kickboxing and Boxing, as well as Yoga and Pilates which I received my certification through the AAAI/ISMA. I also have experience in Ballet, Tap, Modern & African Dance among others. Currently I am a Wellness Instructor specializing in Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, Cardio, Weight Training, Kickboxing, Seniors & Kid’s programs, etc. I also educate potential instructors and present Health & Wellness lectures on Fitness, Nutrition, Stress, Weight Management, Relaxation, Meditation and Tai Chi. Tai Chi has become my passion and my pleasure to teach and spread to others. Come join me to discover your Chi and peaceful inner self. |
| Angel Sorrentino Bailey I have been engaged in asana practice on and off for the last 7 years, but I would say that I have been a yoga practitioner for only the last 3. I am just completing teacher training through the Himalayan Institute, and I have learned that there is so very much more to yoga than just asana practice. I took my first Intro to Yoga course in 2006. I came to yoga to tone my body and lose weight, and I had an agenda for practicing, a goal to be accomplished. Yoga did help me meet my goals, but in a very unexpected way. Yoga has taught me to love and honor the “skin I’m in,” regardless of what our culture says a woman’s body “should” look like. While I have lost weight, toned my body and gained strength, these things happened as a result of learning to listen not only to the needs of my body, but also to the needs of my mind and spirit. I’ve found no other exercise that offers such benefits. I’ve been practicing with exceptional teachers from Buffalo’s Himalayan Institute for the last 3 years. I believe that there is a “style” of yoga for everyone. My practice and my training have given me a deep appreciation for the classic Hatha postures. I enjoy and encourage students to connect with the feeling that comes from staying a bit longer in poses, and my hope is that this connection is the beginning of an accepting and respectful relationship with their bodies. I believe that a solid asana practice prepares our body for stillness and meditation. For me, this is where the real gem of yoga lies—the peace, the quiet, the space we discover within our selves, and the feeling of equanimity that can be cultivated as a result. My sincere hope is to share with others the many gifts my teachers and yoga have given to me. |
© 2009-2010 Veda Yoga Space, Inc.