Instructor Bios
November 4th, 2006 by Yoga World Staff
Gabriel Hall is the founder and co-owner of Yoga World. Gabriel together with his wife and co-owner Michelle have been building and running yoga world studio in long beach since 1997. He has been teaching yoga in Long Beach since 1996. He began practicing yoga at the age of nineteen while enrolled at Santa Monica College. Since then, he has been an avid student of yoga continually seeking a greater understanding of its many facets.
Gabriel studied and practiced yoga throughout college while completing a degree in philosophy at Cal State Long Beach. It was there that he was introduced to Iyengar style of hatha yoga. Later he spent a summer working at the front desk in exchange for classes at the Iyengar Institute in Los Angeles. At the institute Gabriel practiced with Leslie Peters and Karin O’Bannon. Years after he would complete two modules of teacher training courses conducted by Karin O’Bannon in Costa Mesa.
It was in early 1999 when Gabriel completed a rigorous and thorough teacher training program at Yoga Works in Santa Monica. The training was a blend of Ashtanga and Iyengar styles of yoga. While the initial course was taught by Maty Ezraty and Lisa Walford the prominence of Yoga Works attracted many of the country’s most elite teachers. Over the course of many years Gabriel has been afforded the opportunity to study with Aadil Palkhivala, Gary Kraftsow, Dona Holleman, Kofi Busia, Judith Lasater, Bryan Kest, Richard Freeman and John Friend. More recently Gabriel completed a concentrated teacher training course taught by Erich Schiffmann. Following the course Gabriel enjoyed a brief assistantship with Erich in Venice at Sacred Movement.
As a complement to his study of philosophy and practice of yoga Gabriel has been trained in the tradition of Thai Yoga therapy under the watchful supervision of Saul David Raye. In addition to incorporating elements into his yoga classes he also conducts private sessions of Thai Yoga therapy.
Gabriel teaches a variety of different leveled classes available weekly at Yoga World in Long Beach. In addition, Gabriel teaches 8 week sessions for beginners and intermediate students for the city of Yorba Linda and the city of Irvine through their recreation departments.
Regardless of the level of difficulty Gabriel’s classes are infused with humor, positivity and caring support. His sequences are safe yet challenging and always allow for individual modifications. His classes are well varied and rarely the same twice. It is most beneficial when practiced regularly and the best way to maintain a consistent practice is to enjoy it. So come and enjoy.
Private Instruction Available Upon Request.
Bonnie Knight
Bonnie’s early career as a teenager began when she toured internationally with an original musical production as a dancer and choreographer. Her work with a nonprofit educational organization produced original musical shows that toured internationally performed by students from all over the world and gave her hands-on experience of how movement can bridge cultural and language differences. Bonnie continued her education and earned a degree in dance from the University of California, Irvine. She continued with a professional career in performing, choreographing and ultimately directing her own company.
Bonnie made a successful transition to the business world centered in health care industry. She committed 18 years to health care consulting and in executive positions with large managed care organizations and health care technology companies. Her last five companies became the underpinnings for WebMD.
The influx of changes in health care gave Bonnie the opening to return to an earlier goal of studying Yoga as an extension of her dance movement and dance education experience. She completed the Bikram Teacher Training Program in 2002 and has been a teacher at Bikram studios in Long Beach, Costa Mesa, Anaheim Hills and Fullerton. Subsequent to her Bikram training she has also completed the Yoga Works teacher training program earning her certificate in 2006 and is a registered through the accreditation body, Yoga Alliance. Also, in 2006 she completed the Yoga Studies Program through the University of California, Irvine, which encompassed the study of yoga philosophy, Sanskrit language, experiential and subtle physiology, the yogic ancient Vedic texts, and ayurveda. Bonnie is also certified in Yoga Therapy through White Lotus. She continues her to learn from master teachers such as Saul David Raye, Gary Kraftsow, Judith Lasater, and of course Gabriel Hall.
An early injury during her dancing career continues to inform her in the healing potential of yoga. Bonnie’s focus in her teaching is tuned to how yoga can be accessible to all individuals regardless of their current health status. She currently teaches classes in back care, restoratives, pre-natal and post-natal, and for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as hath yoga classes for beginners at various yoga studios and Cerritos Colleges and continues to teach Bikram Yoga.
Bonnie’s passion for Yoga is best stated by the following: “I believe that yoga can be the voice of a person’s soul, and has incredible potential to heal us and improve our life.”
Bridget Ingham
Bridget has been studying and practicing yoga for the past ten years. She began her teaching career here at Yoga World Studio where she was first introduced to yoga by gabriel hall. She ahs trained with Karin O’Bannon, Shiva Rae, and Saul David Raye. Bridget is grateful for the opportunity to teach yoga, but also loves being a practicing student of yoga. She holds a B.F.A. in dance from California State University at Long Beach, where she also studied with “Cathy Davalos and Dancers,” performing in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area.
Bridget brings her love of movement as a dancer and various influences of yoga into her teachings, including the alignment principles of Iyengar and the fluid harmony of vinyasa. Her classes are creative and eclectic in style, with the intention to form a safe environment for people to discover and explore the depths of their potential to expand their awareness and connect with their inner wisdom.
Private Instruction Available Upon Request.
Monica Roman. In 1993, while working as a Speech Therapist Monica began researching relaxation and breathing techniques and became acquainted with the science of Yoga. Indra Devi, a highly accomplished yogini, introduced her to it. To be in Indra’s presence illumined her mind and set her on a new course. Since then, she practices asanas, pranayama and meditation in the viniyoga tradition and studies the philosophy of Yoga and eastern mysticism.
In 1995 she traveled to California and was introduced to many teachers and styles of Hatha Yoga. She took classes, workshops and studied with many wonderful teachers. These, and her daily commitment to practice, helped her deepen her understanding of the anatomy and physiology of Hatha Yoga and the art of asana sequencing.
One of the great influences in her career was that of Gabriel Hall. She has trained and learned from him for about four years, he trusted and encouraged her to begin teaching.
In 1998 as she was exploring metaphysics and Kundalini Yoga, she met her teacher, a Kundalini-Tantra Master. Under her guidance, meditation took on a completely new dimension and healing in consciousness began to unfold. This is the ancient, original way of yogic training, where a God realized Master helps the student attune to his or her own higher mind where the teachings of Yoga can be realized through the direct experience of Truth. In this method life is the school and practice is every moment. The main aspect of daily practice is meditation. All other yogic techniques are used to prepare body and mind for it.
Monica is currently completing an Ayurveda Clinician certification course under the teachings of Dr. David Frawly as a part of her ongoing training in the therapeutic applications of Yoga. She has been teaching group classes since 1998 at various locations including Yoga World Studio, Life Yoga Studio, Free Spirit Yoga, The Belmont Athletic Club and the Seniors University of Long Beach. She also does private Yoga therapy sessions for people with specific health conditions.
Sasha Papovich Sasha teaches an integrated practice of yoga, meditation, and breathwork. Her classes are known to inspire personal transformation through their healing blend of enlivening asana, philosophical depth, and compassionate awareness.
Sasha completed her teacher’s training with Ana Forrest in 2002 after five years of intensive practice, which included deep exploration of a debilitating spinal injury. Her understanding of yoga, anatomy, nutrition, psychology, and energetics was broadened by in-depth study with Julian Walker and Ellen Heed. She has continued her inquiry of transformational healing through the study of cranio-sacral work with the Milne Institute, structural integration with advanced rolfer Bruce Schonfeld, and manual orthopedic physical therapy with Annette Dugan. She is currently studying Chinese medicine meridian theory and Buddhist meditation with Sarah Powers.
Sasha’s teaching is continually fueled by her study of the integration and application of yoga, meditation, psychology, Eastern spirituality and philosophy, as well as her deep faith in the ecstatic experience of healing. She is committed to translating yoga and spirituality into an accessible, meaningful practice that leads to transformational change in the whole person.
She teaches ongoing classes, workshops, and private healing sessions workshops in Long Beach and in Santa Monica . Her classes cater to
students of all levels, ages, and abilities, and she enjoys collaborating with students in order to work effectively with their injuries and individual needs.
www.sashapapovich.com
Lisa Behrendt After undergoing some life-challenging events, Lisa began practicing yoga with gabriel hall at Yoga World Studio in 2000. She has an extensive background in dance spanning over 30 years of ballet technique and performance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Dance from Cal State University at Long Beach and recently completed an intensive yoga teacher training led by Saul David Raye and gabriel hall which focused on Holistic Yoga. The teacher training experience not only validated her desire to share her love of yoga with others but has sparked an interest in pursuing a deeper knowledge of Eastern philosophy and the principles of Ayurveda.
Lisa brings her enthusiasm for movement to the mat using a combination of yoga styles and outside influences that translate into a comprehensive exploration of the body in motion in the Hatha tradition.
Lisa’s classes are a challenging combination of stretch and asana flow designed to guide a student of any level to a deeper awareness of their body’s range of motion with proper alignment and breathe awareness. Her passion for encouraging students to find their own path of personal fulfillment and spiritual development, thru and active yoga practice is fundamental to her teaching style.
Dawn MacDonald
With a background in gymnastics, Dawn began practicing yoga in 2000. She enjoys running and hiking, and she first discovered yoga because it compliments other physical activities in regards to strength and flexibility, but then she fell in love with yoga because of its benefits beyond the physical. She completed the Yoga Works teacher training in Los Angeles in 2005 and continues her studies with many talented teachers in LA and OC. Her classes are upbeat, well-rounded and follow a “flow” style of yoga. She stresses proper alignment, but also encourages students to feel joyful and playful in their practice.
Lynette Klawon Rintoul
While earning a degree in psychology from Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges, Lynette studied dance at sister school Scripps College. She continued her dance studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she obtained a law degree. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she continued dance training and performed with choreographer Pat Catterson before retiring from the dance world. She had a fourteen-year career as an attorney, in which she practiced appellate law and environmental insurance coverage litigation as well as pro bono activities. Meanwhile, Lynette continued training in other disciplines. An interest in psychotherapy culminated in a master’s degree in social work from Cal State Long Beach and substantial experience as a counselor. She also obtained certification in massage therapy from California Healing Arts College in Los Angeles and studied the subtle physical arts at Touch Therapy Institute in Encino. In addition to developing a private bodywork practice, Lynette worked as a massage therapist in the Torrance office of acupuncturist Nancy Barnett. She also self-published a newsletter on issues of personal development and spiritual exploration. As her spiritual studies matured, Lynette obtained a ministerial ordination and became a chaplain and spiritual counselor for Haven Hospice in Signal Hill.
In addition to teaching yoga, Lynette currently maintains a by-donation practice of bodywork, counseling and sacred ceremonies (www.LynetteK.com) and also provides massage therapy to clients of Escape Above Spa & Yoga Lounge. She continues her writing practice, authoring the “Veggie Diaries,” a semi-monthly column on the vegetarian experience, for the Grunion Gazette. Her non-professional practices include continued spiritual study, ecstatic dance and drumming, drawing and crafting, acting and improvisational theater, and maintaining a loving home and partnership with her husband, Richard.
Lynette came to yoga in 1997 and began teaching in 2002. Her basic training was with Ginger LaRoche at In Yoga in Marina del Rey. She is blessed to have studied extensively and apprenticed with Bryce Ellory (formerly known as Bhavani) in Venice and Idyllwild. Lynette has had considerable experience teaching yoga to performance students, having taught at the Music Department of Cal State Long Beach, at Idyllwild Arts, at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. She has also led workshops for music professionals through the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. She has taught locally at Yoga Life Studio, True II Form, and Escape Above. Lynette dearly enjoys the intimate experience of providing private instruction to students who wish to explore their yoga in greater depth.
In her classes, Lynette attempts to teach the ancient practice of yoga stripped of personal extrapolation, allowing the simplicity of this great wisdom to transform the student. Her intention is to help students attune to the body’s timeless truth, emphasizing loving attention on the breath and the present-moment sensations of the body, as well as proper alignment. Through exploring the balance between exertion and effortlessness, Lynette’s students are led to experience the ecstasy residing in the body; through stilling the mind, they are guided to open to a peaceful awareness of the present moment, where life exists and the heart is felt; through consistent attention to the present experience, they are encouraged to begin an authentic exploration of their unique and infinite inner landscape.
Janet (”J”) Vecchia has been a student of Anusara Yoga for more than eight years. She began her practice at Willow Street Yoga Center (WSYC), an Anusara studio in Takoma Park, Maryland. Janet completed the year-long teacher training in 2004 at WSYC in the Anusara tradition with Anusara senior-certified teachers: Suzie Hurley, Moses Brown, Jenny Otto, and Joe Miller. She has also trained extensively with John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga, and Desiree Rumbaugh, a senior-certified Anusara teacher. Additionally, Janet studied with Dr. Douglas Brooks, Anusara philosopher and Sally Kempton, a nationally renowned meditation teacher. Janet is in the process of completing the final Anusara certification with John Friend. Janet has been teaching Anusara inspired yoga since she moved to Southern California in 2004.
For two years, Janet taught at Yoga Works in Huntington Beach, CA. Since January 2007, she has been teaching at Main Street Yoga in Irvine, CA.
For Janet, Anusara Yoga is a precious gift that has enhanced and transformed her life in countless ways. Her goal is to assist her students in experiencing similar shifts and awakenings. She teaches her students to deepen the connection to their spiritual core; she strives to make the practice inspirational, challenging, comforting and fun. The more Janet practices Anusara Yoga, the more she finds greater strength, peace, joy and grounding permeating her life. She aims to give her students those same gifts.
Denise Hammond Denise found the yoga practice after a lifetime of movement and dance. As she discovered the healing powers of yoga for the body, a deep passion and reverence for the practice fell into place. Very quickly she was drawn to the practice almost daily. Ten years ago she began with the study of ashtanga yoga and then she experienced several schools: anusura, vinyasa, viniyoga, iyengar and Forrest.
Because of the facts that the yoga experiences were life changing and that she is an elementary teacher as a career in a performing arts school teaching drama and dance, she became inspired to teach yoga. In 2001, she met Ana Forrest and an opportunity arose to enroll in teacher training with Ana Forrest in 2002. After eight weeks of training Denise began to inspire others to discover the path of yoga. She did shorter teacher trainings with Shiva Rea and Max Storm. Other major influential teachers for her have been Steve Rogers, Jerome Mercier, Gabriel Hall, Juris Zinsbergs and Tias Little.
Currently, Denise continues to practice yoga intensely and regularly and to teach as often as possible. She brings a love of the process of yoga to each class and she hopes to guide others to discover the depth of knowledge that yoga has to offer. Through the breath each student will experience a journey into the body, a relaxation of the brain and a fullness of the spirit in the center. Denise teaches in the spirit of vinyasa yoga with a focus on alignment, strength and flexibility
Kelly Wackerman
Kelly first came to us as a student of Yoga in 2000. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cal State Long Beach she then found herself working many hours sitting at a desk in front of a computer. It was during this time that she was introduced to the world of Pilates. For the first time she began to understand the importance of proper alignment and the benefits that come from being able to “stand up straight”. Kelly quickly learned how the basic principles of Pilates can help each of us in our life out side of the studio and made a commitment to learn all she could about Pilates, so that she could be able to someday teach it to the rest of the world.
After extensive research of many styles of Pilates Kelly decided to receive her Pilates certification at Body Arts and Science International in Costa Mesa. She noticed that the BASI style teachers were always the ones who paid extremely close attention to each student and their specific needs, especially in the Mat Class setting. She was privilaged to be part of a course that was taught by the school’s founder, the world renowned Rael Isacowitz. Rael’s style of teaching has been able to integrate a respect for the traditional teachings of Joesph Pilates while keeping an openness to recent scientific advances.
Kelly’s approach to teaching Pilates places a strong emphasis on enabling clients to apply what they learn in the studio to their daily lives. She uses a hands on approach in order to help her students understand how it feels to work in perfect alignment. Through her extended education Kelly has realized that she finds great satisfaction in working with specific populations and has been certified by the Center for Women’s fitness in teaching Pre/Post Natal Pilates. Whether you have just had a baby, are experiencing low back pains, or are just looking to gain strength, come join the many people who have experienced the following benefits…..
Better posture, body alignment, and balance
Greater body awareness
More flexibility
Increased and balanced muscle strength, particularly of the abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks (the core muscles of the body)
Relief from back pain, sports injuries, and other chronic health problems
Enhanced muscular control of the back and limbs and improved stabilization of the spine
Longer, leaner and better-conditioned muscles, especially your “deep” or underlying muscles
Better range of motion and freedom of movement
A whole-body workout
Relaxation of the shoulders, neck and upper back
Less stress and physical/mental tension