Voted the Best Yoga Studio in DC by Washingotn City Paper, Flow is recognized throughout the community for the excellence of our teaching staff!  Here you will find the most experienced and skillful teachers in DC.  Each one brings years of experience joined with passion, soul and a deep commitment to their teaching and personal practice.  All Flow teachers are certified through the nationally recognized Yoga Alliance and are involved in ongoing trainings and studies.  

              Private Lessons |  Teaching Assistants| Teacher Training

Angela Cerkevich's teaching style is a collective expression of all the teachers she has studied under including:  Doug Keller, Jonas Westring, Amy Weintraub and Richard Miller. Her flow-styled yoga is alignment- based, and infused with techniques geared towards balancing. Her flow 2 and 3 classes are challenging and invigorating, while her flow 1 classes offer encouragement and a safe environment to learn and explore to new depths of the body-mind connection.  Classes include Pranayama, chanting, imagery, asana and meditation. She strives to inspire students through a mix of sacred poetry and nondual yoga philosophy.  Beginner yogis will benefit from privates with Angela by tailored guidance in what styles of yoga may be best for their individual constitutions.

Angela’s current interest lies in the application of yoga for of emotional and psychological healing. After training with Amy Weintraub in yoga for anxiety and depression and becoming a certified Life-Force Yoga Practioner, Angela expanded her studies to Richard Miller’s yoga nidra training. She has apprenticed at Walter Read Army Medical Center and assisted in facilitation of  yoga nidra for PTSD diagnosed veterans. Currently, Angela is studying for certification of yoga for trauma recovery  through The Trauma Center at  JRI in Boston. She teaches therapeutic yoga for recovery at a local women’s shelter and offers yoga nidra to the public at Flow.  In an effort to utilize yoga to make a real - world impact in peace, reconciliation and healing from life’s traumas, Angela created the NGO Anahata International whose mission is to assist with the self-healing of individuals and communities affected by trauma, by teaching strategies for recovery using yoga and meditation.  teacher spotlight >>

Angela's Teaching Style:  Her goal is for students to leave feeling balanced, energized and at peace. Her private sessions are an excellent opportunity to deepen an already existing practice by exploring the more subtle aspects of asana and meditation.

Angela Ingram began her dance career at the age of nine studying ballet, jazz, tap, and Hawaiian.  Her passion for dance and moment led her to study intensively with Alvin Ailey, Frank Hatchet and Fred Benjamin.   Angela is especially attracted to folklore dance and she frequently travels to Brazil and Cuba studying Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban folklore as well as samba and rumba.  Angela's love for teaching is evident in her classes.  teacher spotlight >>

Angela's Teaching Style:  Angela's classes are a celebration.  They are lively and fun incorporating vibrant music with accessible choreography that will keep you moving.   Friday night Afro- Brazilian is the perfect destination to unwind and rejoice!  All levels are welcome. 

Brittanie DeChino began her first major career shift in 2005, leaving the music industry and New York City in search of something more rewarding and more peaceful, but still in alignment with her interests and passions. A vegetarian since middle school and a yoga practicioner for most of her adult life, healthy lifestyle and fitness was her next best love. She moved to Washington, DC to pursue her MS at George Washington University in Exercise Science (concentration in Nutrition and Eating Behavior). She has been teaching Yoga and Pilates around the area since she moved here and has completed two Vinyasa-based Yoga teacher trainings, the most recent in Bali, Indonesia with Daniel Aaron, Dr. Gabriel Cousins, Alanna Kaivalya, Simon Borg-Olivier, Edward Clark, Wah! and Dave Stringer.

Constantly humbled by this practice, Brittanie thought, what better job than one with endless promotions? In yoga, you grow, learn and change almost daily - in one lifetime you simply couldn't figure it all out! Therefore, with this inclination to study and research since a very young age, becoming a teacher made the most sense. In addition to teaching at various local studios, she is also a Professor at GWU, teaching Stress Management and Body Image in the Concept of Health, and completing her thesis for her Master's Degree. Most importantly, she is deeply grateful to all of her teachers along the way.

Brittanie's Teaching Style: Brittanie's funny personality and positive energy shine through when she teaches - and you'll most likely catch her contagious laugh at least once during class. Heavily influenced by both Jivamukti and Kundalini Yoga, her classes always include mantra, meditation, music, and ahimsa - compassion, loving kindness for all living beings. She creates a safe environment to practice all 8 limbs of Patanjali's Raja Yoga Path - encouraging her students to find their edge and either go past it or back off...depending on their energy in that moment. Fulfilling her secret dream of becoming a DJ, Brittanie puts a lot of energy into musical choice and class themes, so each class feels like a mini adventure. Emphasis on breath, flow, alignment, and connecting with the creative conscious within. Come with an open mind and be ready for a journey on your mat and into yourself.

 Caroline Weaver, MA, RYT, first learned sun salutations as a teenager, then took a long and rocky detour before yoga called her back as a grown-up. She received her 200-hour teacher training at Flow Yoga Center and has completed more than 100 additional combined hours of training with Max Strom and Doug Keller. An editor and former literary studies scholar, Caroline's deeply rooted love of language, poetry, and philosophy drew her to Georg & Brenda Feuerstein's Traditional Yoga Studies 250-hour Yoga Sutras study course, which she expects to finish in 2011.

Cory M. Bryant is a 2008 graduate of both the Flow Yoga Center (200 hour) and the Jivamukti Yoga School (350 hour) teacher training programs. He first experienced the transformational teachings of Sharon Gannon and David Life shortly after 9/11 while living in NYC. Life has not been the same since. Cory truly believes that yoga can and is changing the world in a positive way and aspires to live by the words of his beloved teacher, Sharonji, “together we can create a world which is not based on the old paradigm of our culture which tells us that ‘the earth belongs to us and exists for us to exploit’ --- to be political is to care for others who you live with. We have no problem with being labeled ‘political yogis’. We encourage our students to dare to care about others. As yoga practitioners, we cannot be content to live in our own little ‘I-me-mine’ bubble while the rest of the world deteriorates.” Along with Agatha Glowacki and visiting teachers Alanna Kaivalya and Jill Abelson, he hopes to impart the spirit of Jivamukti yoga to the Flow community. Cory has a PhD in food chemistry and works for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Health through the University of Minnesota and hopes to begin the Jivamukti 500 hour apprenticeship program in 2009/2010.

Cory's Teaching Style: Jivamukti yoga is based on 5 tenets: (1) ahimsa - a nonviolent, compassionate lifestyle; (2) bhakti - acknowledgement that the realization of universal consciousness is the goal of yoga; (3) meditation - connecting to the eternal, unchanging reality that exists within all of us; (4) nada - development of sound body and mind through deep listening; and (5) scripture - study of the ancient yogic texts, including sanskrit and chant. Cory strives to adhere to these 5 tenets by infusing each class with chanting, motivating sound, spiritual activism, pranayama, meditation and vigorous asana. You will sweat!

Debra Perlson-Mishalove is an ERYT with the Yoga Alliance. Founder and Director of Flow Yoga Center. She first began practicing yoga while living in San Francisco. She has studied a variety of yoga traditions including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Bikram. Debra is a graduate of the renowned Yoga Union teacher training program in NYC through which she is formally certified. She embraces the interdisciplinary approach to lineages that she has experienced under the guidance of her teacher, Alison West, to whom she is forever grateful. Debra believes yoga is a powerful way to free the body and mind from the self limitations we impose on our selves and that through practice we are able to get in touch with the very essence of who we are. Her goal as a teacher is to help students uncover their own personal truth enabling them to live consciously, in touch with their hearts and finding a practice on sukha sthira (relaxed effort). An insatiable yoga "student" Debra has also completed formal teaching certifications with David Swenson and is currently immersed in Shiva Rea's Prana Vinyasa and working on her 500hr program. Outside of yoga she cares deeply about protecting our natural world, and human and animal rights. She is also passionate about creating community and each year helps to facilitate the DC Global Mala and DC Yoga Week. Her vision for Flow is to offer an environment that is a clear representation of all that yoga is -- vibrant, joyful, nurturing, spiritual, transformative and unifying.

Debra's Teaching Style: Debra's classes are playful and challenging, intelligently blending a vinyasa flowing class with healthy alignment. A typical class includes a well rounded sequence expressing a theme within yoga, building up to the exploration peak poses, accompanied by inspiring music from the Beatles to Bach, philosophy and a yummy dose of aromatherapy during savasana!

Erin Evans was certified as a Pilates instructor through the Articulate Eye Pilates teacher training program (AE) in 2007.  The comprehensive AE training program requires a year of service and a minimum of 700 work/study hours.  Erin is certified to teach Pilates exercises on all Pilates equipment as well as mat based classes.  In addition to classes, Erin also teaches private lessons for individuals of all levels.  She continues her education and training by attending workshops led by very knowledgeable and experienced teachers such as Amy Taylor Alpers, Michelle Larsson, Deborah Lessen and Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle.  Additionally Erin has taken courses on the Franklin Method taught directly by its founder, Eric Franklin.  Erin has always been involved in various fitness activities, but she found that the Pilates method gave her a unique awareness and control over her body.  Since teaching Pilates, Erin has found a great appreciation on how Pilates can be modified to provide beneficial results for any age or ability.  Erin came to the Washington area after receiving a BA in Arts Administration from Penn State University.

 Fidel Garcia finished his Studios at the National Ballet School in Cuba (Camaguey City)as a Professional Dancer and as a Ballet Teacher.  Since then he has been teaching Ballet in Mexico, Washington and New York, among other cities in the world,and dancing as a Principal/Soloist with Dance Theater of Harlem, The Washington Ballet, Ballet de Camaguey (Cuba)in Peru and Mexico.  In 2006 Fidel started to study Pilates in New York City in the School of the most recognized name in the Pilates world: Romana Kryzanowska (Mr. Joseph Pilates "Protege and Muse"). He learned from the direct hand of Daria Pace (his first teacher and Romana's granddaughter), and Sari Mejia Santo (Grand Maitre in the Pilates world and Romana's daughter).  Mr.Garcia finished his Certification Program at True Pilates/New York after more than 800 hours of dedicated practice where he had the great experience to work,observe and learn from the prestigious Instructors of True Pilates NY/Romana's Pilates (a unique experience).  Currently Fidel is working in different venues as a Pilates Teacher in the Washington DC area, faithfully keeping his dedication and loyalty to Romana's Pilates Method. Fidel is now a Certified Romana's/True Pilates Instructor since 2007.

Gail Harris has been teaching yoga for over 26 years.   She began her practice in 1974. In 1978 she went off to Canada and became certified as a Sivananda Yoga instructor. Gail has always had a vigorous teaching style and found herself drawn to Ashtanga in 1994. After taking a number of workshops with nationally recognized teachers such as Richard Freeman, Gail made Ashtanga her primary practice.  Gail has studied directly with Pattabhi Jois on his last three world tours in New York as well as senior Ashtanga teachers Dena Kingsberg and Lino Miele. “What I find appealing with an Ashtanga practice is the opportunity for the mind to gel with the body and become suspended, even while the body works. Eventually, with practice, one can have a strong physical workout while the mind is still. Ashtanga, simply put, is "meditation in motion".  teacher spotlight >>
Gail's Teaching Style:  Gail has a special way of connecting with others makings students feel both challenged and supported on their asthanga journey.  Her deep knowledge of the practice is translated to her classes in a way that makes it both accessible and fun.  Gail stays very engaged throughout the class and pays close attention through both verbal and physical assists giving students the opportunity to deepen their practice in every class.

Gopi Kinnecut is an Experienced Registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance (ERYT 500). She lived in an ashram for 8 years where she studied and taught Indian philosophy in-depth, vegetarian cooking, ayurveda and mantra meditation.  She is the founder of Yoga Mandali in Saratoga Springs NY, she has been practicing yoga for more than ten years and has been teaching since 2002.  She first trained in Astanga Vinyasa, she further trained extensively with Shiva Rea and completed an advanced training with Ana Forrest.   Gopi has furthered her studies in yoga therapy, completing her certification for trauma sensitive yoga. She is certified in Thia yoga  body work, completing her training with Micheal Buck. She specializes in privates as she  incorporates marma point’s (accupressure), and Thai yoga massage techniques.

Gopi's Teaching Style:  Through her personal practice and experience, Gopi has developed her own unique teaching style. She takes her students into a dynamic multi-dimensional flow, breaking through rigidity and stiffness; she infuses her classes with penetrating mantras and breath work. She incorporates deep marma (pressure point) therapy techniques when assisting students.  She addresses individual’s needs and limitations, creating a safe environment for her students, guiding them through physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions.

Greg Marzullo was first introduced to yoga while attending a theater summer camp as an adolescent. Struck by the way sun salutations made him feel focused yet mentally expansive, he continued to come back to asana practice throughout his teens and early twenties. After the rigors of a dance and movement theater career, during which he helped to found the Helen Hayes award-winning Synetic Theater, he rededicated himself to yoga as a way to begin bringing his body back into balance. Developing a regular practice quickly evolved into asana becoming a spiritual gateway to walking a more peaceful, compassionate, and loving road – something he hopes to share with everyone he meets in all situations. Greg completed his 200-hour yoga teacher training at Flow Yoga Center and views his role as one of deep service to yogis of all backgrounds. Spellbound by the power of the body to unlock spiritual awakenings, Greg also studies bellydancing and has taken workshops in ecstatic dance traditions of Northern African and Southern Italy.

Greg’s Teaching Style:  Focusing on the journey of the practitioner, Greg uses dynamic music and open-herated guidance to lead people on their own yogic trip. Students can expect to enjoy flowing sequences, mythological storytelling, heartwarming laughter, and the chance to open the rivers of the body and the spirit.

Hawah is an artist, author, educator, yoga instructor and community organizer. He has dedicated his life to teaching about solutions to violence and ways to peace, and has traveled to over 23 countries in the past 9 years to facilitate interactive workshops, dialogues, perform poetry, teach yoga, and speak with those interested in creating a caring, sustainable, and equitable world. 

Hawah was trained and certified at the Yoga Vidya Gurukul, a world-renowned teacher training college in India.  He has spent his entire life traveling back and forth between India and the U.S., where his exposure to eastern asceticism and western materialism inspired a quest to transcend duality.  In this way, he maintains a consistent Vipassana Meditation practice and yearly returns to India to reconnect with his roots.  Most recently he has been experimenting with Capoeira (a Brazilian form of martial arts and dance) and Kung Fu (specifically training in Shaolin & Bagua styles). 

No matter how much yoga Hawah practices however, it is clear his most focused and cultivated discipline is Seva Yoga (the Yoga of Service).

HawaH's Teaching Style:  HawaH's classes are dynamic and shamic; a journey integrating his knowledge of ancient yoga forms with parallel modalities found in other cultures & traditions.   

 Hugh Byrne, Ph.D.,has studied and practiced Buddhism (in the Theravadan and Zen traditions) in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Hugh is a contributing Buddhist minister at Georgetown University and a co-founder of the Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship. He is a member of the teachers council of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW)--a large and growing Sangha (community) whose senior teacher is Tara Brach--and teaches classes on Buddhism and meditation in the Washington area. Hugh is committed to sharing the wisdom and compassion of Buddhist meditation and mindfulness practices to help individuals find peace and awaken to their true potential and to help transform the suffering in our world.  Hugh directs our Meditation Program and offers a weekly class and monthly workshops.

Jen Rene began practicing yoga in this lifetime in 2003 and teaching in 2005. She has completed nearly 500 hours of teacher trainings in various styles of asana including Ashtanga, bhakti flow, and hatha, as well as Pilates and fitness. In 2008 and 2009 Jen spent nine months at the source of yoga; living and studying in Mysore, India. She practiced the primary and second series of Ashtanga yoga in the presence of her guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois and under the guidance of Sharath. During this time in India, Jen had many teachers and embraced many different yogic studies - including Sanskrit, meditation, philosophy, chanting, pranayama and anatomy.

Jen's Teaching Style: Jen tries to incorporate as much of her knowledge of yoga as possible
in her classes. Don't be surprised to start or end the practice with chanting or pranayama or to hear philosophical or hindi teachings intertwined in her dialog. Jen is insistent on proper alignment and breath. Her classes are appropriate for all levels, from the person who needs a down dog explanation, to the experienced practitioner who is looking for advanced asana guidance. Jen's classes are physically and mentally challenging; they have a quick tempo, a fresh soundtrack, and a core focus while striving to stay loyal to the authentic teachings of her guru.

 Jessica Lazar Jessica Lazar began practicing yoga 14 years ago, while living and working in Israel. Daily life in a war zone drove Jessica to a weekly class, where she explored the peaks and valleys of the meditative mind for many subsequent years. The power of the practice took hold, and Jessica soon found herself on her mat every morning. Today, Jessica is still a daily practitioner of yoga, chanting, and meditation. Her practice has given her a strong, flexible body, a calmer mind, and a deep sense of practice as prayer through prostration. Jessica believes the authenticity, wisdom and grace of the ancient practice is available to anyone who will get down on their knees to receive it from themselves. Through her teaching she finds great joy in empowering her students to be their own best teachers in living yoga. Jessica has a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification from locally based Martha Lonergan, and has also studied extensively the Sivananda and Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga styles. These days, her primary teacher is Prana Flow founder, Shiva Rea,with whom she frequently studies, and for whom she assists and mentors within the context of Rea's 200- and 500-hour teacher certification programs. Jessica has a masters in journalism from Northwestern University, and has worked as a reporter for a major daily newspaper, as a translator for Israeli publications, as a teacher of English as a second language, and as a documentary film research editor for National Geographic. Since 2007, Jessica has spearheaded the DC Global Mala effort, a fundraiser that corresponds each year with the fall equinox, and that aims to raise awareness among yogis worldwide regarding the urgent issues of our era, such as global warming, fair trade, and equal education opportunities. Her most important job to date is that of mother to her two beautiful girls: Ella, 7, and Eden, 5.  Jessica currently lives in Chevy Chase with her family. Her decade in Israel blessed her with fluency in all aspects of modern Hebrew, which she sometimes shares in class through music and poetry.

Jessica's Teaching Style:  Jessica's classes are offered in Prana Flow style, which blends classical hatha yoga with new-school asanas, dance, martial arts, and sacred play.  It's liberated flow supported by intelligent structure; spontaneous openings complemented by intentional waves of movement.Come ready for a fresh, integrated approach to yoga practice. teacher spotlight >>

Joline McGoldrick Joline's teaching centers around utilizing yoga as a gateway to physical and emotional well-being.  She endeavors to integrate the power of the breath, the mechanics of alingment, and the presence of focus and intention to help students achieve their potential on and off the mat.  Joline found yoga nine years ago and has remained amazed by its power to heal and transform.  Joline has concentrated on alignment, breath, and san kulpa (intention) with master teachers such as Doug Keller, Shiva Rea, Ana Forrest, Desiree Rumbaugh, Amy Ippolitti, Susie Hurley, and Amy Weintraub.  

Joline has also trained with Shiva Rea in pre and post-natal yoga, and as the mother of a new baby girl is committed to helping women, post-partum, to reclaim their yoga practice and utilize the focus and strength that yoga provides in their parenting.  

Joline's Teaching Style:  Joline's classes emphasize the reciprocity of the body-mind.  She hopes to provide students with insight into the anatomy and physiology of relaxation and physical transformation, specifically focusing on the balancing the nervous and endocrine systems and holistically understanding one's unique body type, energy and strengths

Juliet Stovall is an ACE Certified personal trainer, with additional certifications in Spinning and Body Pump.  She adores exercise and becoming an instructor was a natural progression.  She feels sharing her knowledge, time and energy with others is positively addictive and oh so satisfying!  Her yoga practice began 5 years ago, initially as another form of physical exercise.  She immediately became aware that it was also a powerful mental and spiritual exercise.    Deeply drawn to her yoga practice, she obtained a 200 hour Yoga Training  and continues to grow in her practice through continuing education conferences/retreats and through other teachers in the DC area.   Juliet's philosophy is that our bodies and minds are beautiful works of art even when we don’t exercise or take care of them.  And through fitness and yoga we have a great opportunity to enhance our works of art and to maintain them as a gesture of gratitude for what they do for us everyday.

Juliet's Teaching Style:   A passionate teacher with a love for fitness, Juliet often uses “toys” such as the fitness ring, light weights, tubing in her classes.  She also incorporates pilates poses and yoga sequences aimed at working the muscles so that they become toned and strong.  She also also employs cardio conditioning which completes the circle of strength & flexibility that we need to stay fit.

 Kelly Griffith is a self-proclaimed “workout freak” turned pilates instructor! When she got tired of her usual routine of cardio & weights at the gym, she tried pilates and never turned back. She has her certification from Power Pilates of New York City, and is excited to continue advancing her Pilates knowledge through practice and teaching. Kelly’s philosophy is that if you do one push-up today, you’ll do two tomorrow! She is thrilled to be a student and an instructor at Flow!

Laura Ivers journey into yoga started in the early 1990s as a means to balance a physically active lifestyle as a figure skater, avid skier, tennis player and hiking enthusiast in the West. Subsequently, as a New Yorker for a nearly a decade and now a Washingtonian, Laura discovered the gift of yoga as a way to manage urban stress by finding the quite and abiding bliss "inside".  Laura is a certified and registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance, having completed the 200 hour teacher certification. While off the mat, Laura is committed to helping to resolve global environmental and development issues through her work on forests, climate change, and agriculture at the World Bank. A frequent international traveler, Laura takes her magic yoga mat wherever she goes to maintain her journey within while venturing out in the world.

Laura's Teaching Style:  In her own practice and as a teacher, Laura's emphasis is on fluidity in movement, freedom through strength, and a quest for self knowledge through using the yoga mat as a mirror for daily life. In her vinyasa flow classes, creates a comfortable atmosphere where students of varying levels are guided through options to practice in a manner that meets their individual needs.

Leah Kalinosky teaches alignment-based vinyasa classes, and focuses on creating a comfortable, non-competitive space where students can safely explore their practice while challenge themselves. Leah has studied ballet and modern dance and loves the dance-like quality of vinyasa yoga. She completed her 200-hour teacher training at Flow in 2006 and has continued her studies with Flow teachers. Her teaching and personal practice have been influenced by additional training with Susie Hately Aldous, Alison West, Doug Keller, Jenny Otto and others. Outside of the yoga studio, Leah works as a development writer for a national nonprofit. She is grateful to Debra and the wonderful teachers at Flow for their teaching and inspiration.

Leah's Teaching Style: Students can expect a steady, yet gently-paced class with a combination of movement to slowly open up and release joints and muscles, and longer-held poses – with the occasional block, strap, blanket, or tennis ball thrown in for fun!

teacher spotlight>>>

 Leticia Franchi embarked on her Yoga journey by looking for a healing and balancing physical and emotional activity after some injuries caused by her career in Tumbling and Acrobatics.  She has always liked dancing and expressing herself by movement and music, believing in it as the only way to be healed and set ourselves free from our own limitations. After her immersion in this journey she found herself drawn by the natural course of living Yoga so she started exploring the depths of this art. She is trained with Neva Ingals as her daily practice and certified in Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Yoga Trance Dance by Shiva Rea, Power Vinyasa with Jennifer Baldwin and done various workshops and trainings around the world experiencing different branches of this art. Leticia keeps following Shiva’s and her own creative way of teaching. She believes love is within everyone and everything; we just have to believe...

Leticia's Teaching Style:  Leticia's classes are poetic, flowing, meditative explorations of asana and movement.   She shares creative sequences that encourage deep opening and self exploration.  

 Mariska Breland, has loved working out ever since she was a little girl sweating through her first dance class.  Today, she fuses aspects of her favorite past fitness obsessions in a unique style of Pilates.  Her teaching philosophy is simple - no one exercise system offers everything, so mix it up by combining elements of everything from Pilates and yoga to dance and plyometrics, and keep the class moving with upbeat, fun music that makes you want to move. Mariska Breland received her initial certification from Power Pilates, a nationally-recognized Pilates organization.  She began teaching standard Pilates mat classes in Washington, D.C. in 2003, which evolved over her 1,000+ hours of teaching experience to Fuse Pilates, a trademarked fitness phenomenon that began right here at Flow Yoga Center.  Mariska holds additional certifications in PureBarre, an off-shoot of the Lotte Berk Method, and holistic health counseling and natural nutrition.  She is a graduate of New York City’s Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she studied diet theory with Drs. Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Barry Sears and literally dozens of other leaders in the alternative health world.  She holds her counseling certification with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and is a member of the IDEA Health and Fitness Association.  Mariska is also the founder of Fuse Health, an organization committed to teaching the bioindividuality of nutrition and exercise.

Mariska's Teaching Style: Mariska’s class, Fuse Pilates, is both her creation and the epitome of her teaching style - creative, challenging, choreographed on the spot, request-driven, hardcore and combining the best of multiple fitness disciplines.  She wants you to work up a sweat, see significant results and have fun in the process.  Mariska’s music is one of the highlights of her class.  Expect everything from rap to Bollywood! 

Megan Davis, is an ERYT with the Yoga Alliance and a member of The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). She has been studying yoga since 1988 when her first yoga teacher, who was also her high school English teacher, invited her to a community Iyengar class after an ACL surgery. Her study and practice of yoga are informed by her experiences with rehabilitation after knee surgery and after a car accident that injured her neck, back and hips. She received her 200 hour vinyasa certification in 2003 and in 2007 completed a 50 hour yoga therapeutics training and was certified as an Anusara-Inspired teacher. She has a special interest in working with people who have injuries or special conditions and want to explore asana, pranayama and meditation as healing or therapeutic modalities. Her goal as a teacher is to help students tap into the inherent healing and radically transformative power of yoga. Megan has studied with many world-renowned teachers including John Friend, Ana Forrest, Doug Keller, Douglas Brooks and Shiva Rea. Off the mat, Megan teaches undergraduate philosophy and religion courses and is working on finishing her dissertation in disability studies.

Megan's Teaching Style: Megan’s classes combine the anatomy and physical alignment of Anusara with the creative aspects of vinyasa. She generally introduces a focus or theme from the tantric perspective through a dharma talk at the beginning of class and explores that theme through meditation, asana, pranayama. While her classes are not necessarily fast paced, they are always focused and challenging with a healthy dose of humor. teacher spotlight >>

Murat Uzuntepe  - For the past 20 years, both in my home town of Istanbul and here in Washington DC, I have been building my passion and expertise for fitness.  I began by building two fitness clubs in Istanbul and training countless people. I then moved to Washington DC to begin building my career as a Master Trainer.  I am certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and also specialize in Corrective Exercise which allows me to correct imbalances such as lower back, shoulder or knee pain by isolating the problem and developing a tailored exercise.  In addition to personal training I teach group exercise classes.  I am a certified Pilates and Kickboxing instructor and I often weave personal training elements into my group classes.  

Murat's Teaching Style:  My classes are characterized as demanding, fun and creative.  I look forward to helping you reach your fitness goal.

 Rob Hess has been practicing yoga of many forms for ten years.   He completed  his teacher training in 2004 here in DC. After years of trainings with other great teachers, Rob found his home in the Prana Vinyasa Flow community  with Shiva Rea, and assists her workshops regularly.   Rob loves to get off his feet and turn the world upside down whether it be through inversions or arm balances --  he loves to see the world from a different point of view.

Rob's Teaching Style:  Rob's style of teaching is fun, challenging, and lighthearted as he tries not to take life to seriously.  He encourages students to enjoy the journey rather than fighting to get to the destination.  If you come to his classes you can plan on moving in a mandala connecting to the energy of the whole collective and sweat.  He will help you bring your practice to a whole new level!

 Shawn Parell was introduced to Ashtanga's primary series at 12 years old, and has been a devoted student of yoga ever since. After countless namaskars over the years, Shawn embodies the spirit of practice – she has logged well over 500 hours of teacher training, teaches private and public classes regularly, practices shambala meditation daily, travels to India every chance she gets, and is ever-deepening in exploration of asana, meditation, and philosophy. 

Today, Shawn anchors her yogic journey with the Prana Flow global collective, guided by world-renowned teacher Shiva Rea. She works as a communications specialist for the United Nations Foundation, and studies the dialogue between modern psychology and eastern philosophy as a masters student at Naropa University. Shawn is also a catalyst of the annual DC Global Mala, part of a worldwide event that raises awareness and funds for issues such as global warming, fair trade, and equal education opportunities.


TEACHING STYLE: Shawn’s classes are strong and deeply nurturing, full of humor and heart. Her roots in the Krishnamacharya lineage and mystical poetry infuse the intelligent and progressive patterns of pranic movement she shares today.  Expect lighthearted and challenging play, and whatever funky or sacred rhythms fit the mood that day.

 Sierra Weaver was first drawn to yoga in 2001 as a way to maintain the flexibility and strength developed through her lifelong love of dance.  She discovered early on, however, that there was a mental and spiritual side to this practice that she wouldn’t find in a hip hop or modern dance class.  That early knowledge has deepened over the years as Sierra has personally experienced the power of yoga to carry her smiling through injury and illness, inspiring her to complete Flow's 200-hour teacher training program in 2007.  Through her classes, she seeks to help all students befriend their bodies and themselves, learning to honor each moment and cultivate gratitude for whatever it might bring.  Sierra's teaching style is influenced by her trainings with Sarah Powers, Sharon Salzberg, and Alison West, and offers students an opportunity balance to their fast-paced active lives (and yoga practices) with a slower, gentler combination of asana and meditation.  Off the mat, Sierra is an environmental lawyer, currently working to protect our nation's wildlife from the impacts of a world not living mindfully.

Siobhán Alfonso stumbled into her first yoga class in 2005 after having studied pilates for two years. Instantly, she felt the calming effect of yoga on both her mind and body and began to study yoga intensively at Flow Yoga Center where she also completed her 200 hour, Yoga Alliance approved, teacher training program. Siobhan has studied pre and post natal yoga with Shiva Rea as well as Lila Wellness' Dr. Eden Fromberg and Mia Borgotta and is certified to teach children through the Budding Yogis teacher training program. Siobhán is excited to share her passion and knowledge of yoga creating a nurturing environment for students to explore their bodies, abilities, and experiences without judgment.

Siobhan's Teaching style: Siobhan’s classes are challenging and inspirational emphasizing both healthy alignment and creative movement. Siobhan encourages her students to use meditation, mantra and intension setting to create a journey towards self-awareness, patience and acceptance both on and off the mat.

Tazima Davis, born in Georgetown, Guyana and raised in Evanston, Illinois, began practicing power style yoga in 1999 while living in Chicago.  After relocating to Washington, DC, she continued her study of yoga with various local teachers.  An insatiable student, Tazima seeks opportunities to study with teachers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, both locally and in her travels.  She has attended teacher training courses with Beryl Bender Birch and Doug Swenson and continues to deepen her understanding of yoga through meditation, independent study, and personal practice.  Tazima creates a light-hearted environment in which students explore a physically challenging, yet mindful practice, and cultivate compassion through self acceptance.  In addition to teaching yoga, Tazima is a holistic health counselor and a food scientist. 

 Terence Arman Ollivierra delights in the study of Patanjali’s Yoga sutras and the Bhagavad Gita and has been practicing for half of his life. Beginning in his late teens, his only teacher for 8 years was B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga. The years that followed were of intensive consistent practice of Sivananda Yoga, and then Astanga Yoga until he met his primary teacher John Schumacher, who brought Terence back to his roots of Iyengar Yoga. This journey has given him the capacity to bring detailed alignment adjustments and stability to the Vinyasa practice, minimizing injury and optimizing efficiency of movement and action in asana. 

Vanessa King has been studying yoga since 1998.  She has been honored to share the empowering teachings of yoga with seniors, professional athletes, troubled teenagers, power execs and all those in between. On her journey, she has learned that yoga offers something special for each of individual, regardless of background.  She teaches Anusara-inspired yoga and which encourages students step into the currents of their own greatness. Vanessa is deeply indebted to her many teachers, past and present and continues to be a grateful yoga student.   She has a RYT-500 certification in Ashtanga Vinyasa  Yoga.  In addition, Vanessa is a Thai Bodywork therapist and holds certifications in Reiki 2 and craniosacral therapy, among other modalities.  When Vanessa is not teaching yoga, you can find her upside down, practicing Flying yoga with the DC Flyers crew, cooking, drinking wine or planning her next surf getaway.

Ximena Gutiérrez is an experienced communicator who uses her radio and television background to share her love of yoga with her students in the United States and Latin America. Gutiérrez is a certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher originally trained in the Sivananda tradition. She holds a master's degree in communication and education from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is featured on the television series Aire Yoga, shown daily on PBS's Spanish-language network V-me. Ximena is also a member of the faculty of Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, the nation's most trusted source for wellness and personal growth.

Ximena's Teaching Style: Her teaching style combines intense physical energy with compassionate guidance to turn deep postures into even deeper life changes. You will be encouraged to cultivate the power of positive thinking and sense of humor to reach the realization that we are all one.

Ximena Savitch, Certified Jivamukti® Yoga Teacher, 300-RYT, began her yoga journey 10 years ago practicing Kundalini Yoga at her local community center, in search of balance and peace while working and attending college full-time.  The energizing practice introduced her to many aspects of yoga: the chakra system, chanting, asana, and meditation.  Soon after she discovered Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga styles, and was drawn to these styles, finding the meditative aspects of the physically challenging asana to serve her as she searched even further for continued mental and physical health.

She is a graduate of the 2009 Jivamukti® Yoga (300-hour) teacher training.  She was initially drawn to the Jivamukti Method because of its rigorous flow sequences, along with the integration of yogic philosophy, chanting, and strong emphasis on activism and animal rights.  Previously, she received her 200-hour teacher certification from Flow Yoga Center in Washington, DC, in the Vinyasa Flow style of yoga, where she was introduced to the Jivamukti Yoga method. 

Ximena's Teaching Style:  Ximena incorporates many aspects of her personal practice of Ashtanga and Jivamukti styles of yoga to her classes.  She challenges her students with a fast-paced class, while keeping a focus on alignment and breath awareness.

Visiting Guest Teachers

We are honored to present an amazing array of guest teachers at Flow to support your practice and exploration of yoga.

Shiva Rea is a leading teacher of transformational Prana Flow Yoga and Yoga Trance Dance. She began exploring yoga at the age of fourteen as a way to understand her name, given to her by her father, a surfer and artist. Her studies in the Krishnamacharya lineage, Tantra, Ayurveda, Bhakti, Kalaripayattu, world dance, yogic art and somatic movement infuse her approach to living yoga and embodying the flow. She is known for bringing the roots of yoga alive for modern practitioners in creative, dynamic and life-transforming ways and for offering the synthesis form of vinyasa flow out in the world.

Alanna Kaivalya - A life-long obsession with sound led Alanna to Jivamukti Yoga, where her teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life gave her the freedom to immerse herself in the power of yoga, chanting and music. Also known as the JivaDiva, she produces the Yoga Jam podcast which garners over half a million listeners worldwide. Her album, Shine, was released in May. For more information about Alanna, please visit www.jivadiva.com.

David Newman (Durga Das) is a frequent guest at Flow.  David or Durga Das, as he is also known, is a Kirtan Chant Artist and a practitioner and educator of Bhakti Yoga - the yoga of love. David's music, rooted in the ancient yogic tradition of sound as a healing path toward self discovery (Nada Yoga), embodies a devotional mysticism, distinctive musicality, poetic intimacy and a deep respect for India's ancient chant tradition.  Learn more about David and his music by visiting his website!

Dana Flynn is Co-Founder and Co-Director for the School and Center at Laughing Lotus, NYC.  Dana has been dubbed the Janis Joplin of Yoga. Always wild and playful, creative and offbeat, she is a Mystic, a Minister and Messenger of Light.  Her classes are designed for you to uncover, explore and Celebrate your own Greatness!  Teaching from her own practice, Dana is constantly reminded that Yoga is a Living, Breathing Tradition, one that is constantly evolving...just like YOU!

Jasmine Tarkeshi is Co-Founder and Co-Director for the School and Center at Laughing Lotus, NYC.  Jasmine Tarkeshi was born into a mystical heritage where Eastern philosophy, spirituality, and pure creativity have saturated her whole life. Her teachings are inspiring, passionate and devotional and are always infused with her wisdom, humor, and creativity that come from a lifetime of Spiritual exploration. Her classes enable you to reveal and express your true essence as an instrument of Divine Love to help serve and heal the world.

Estelle Eichenberger "Yogeswari" is one of the foremost teachers of the Jivamukti method, and is hands-down one of the most knowledgeable  teachers in the yoga community today.  She graduated from the Jivamukti teacher training program in 1999 following extensive studies in Integral, Kundalini, Sivananda and Kripalu yoga, and complimenting a lifelong background in professional dance and choreography.  Based in New York City, she teaches around the world, and is well-known for her thought-provoking teachings, and her vigorous and inventive sequencing.  A native of Switzerland, Yogeswari spent extensive and highly influential periods of her life around the Meditteranean, Middle East, Asia and South America, and speaks multiple languages.

 
Sharon Salzberg has been a student of Buddhism since 1971, and has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. She teaches both intensive awareness practice (vipassana or insight meditation) and the profound cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion (the Brahma Viharas). She is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and The Forest Refuge, a new center for long term meditation practice.  Sharon has recently finished writing a book titled Faith. She is the author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness and A Heart as Wide as the World, by Shambhala Publications; Lovingkindness Meditation (audio) by Sounds True; and co-author with Joseph Goldstein of Insight Meditation, a Step-by-Step Course on How to Meditate, also from Sounds True. She has edited Voices of Insight, an anthology of writings by vipassana teachers in the West, published by Shambhala.

 
Simon Park is an innovative teacher of Vinyasa Flow and Thai Massage. Drawing inspiration from many yogic
styles and master teachers, he has developed a truly unique and energetic practice. Simon has taught Yoga and Thai Massage workshops nationwide, assisted extensively with Shiva Rea, and has been featured in New York Times and Yoga Journal. Nomadic by nature, he travels the world to celebrate the pulse of the global yoga community.

 Alison West is known for her dynamic and precise instruction, coming from both backgrounds of Iyengar and Astanga yoga. Her first training was under the aegis of the Sivandanda organization where she completed both the Teacher Training and Advanced Teacher Training Courses. She then studied for many years with senior Iyengar teachers Kevin Gardiner and Mary Dunn, as well as other leading Iyengar teachers Genny Kapuler, Bobby Clennell, Robin Janis, as well as Astanga yoga with Sri K. Patthabi Jois in Mysore and with Eddie Stern in New York. Alison spent September 2004 in Pune, India, studying at the Iyengar Intitute and apprenticing in the medical classes with BKS Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar and Stephanie Quirk. She has been teaching in New York since 1988 and gives workshops around the country and in Europe.

 Cameron Shayne has devoted 20 years to the study and mastery of body organization and awareness through the classical arts of Yoga and Martial Arts. His keen understanding of body dynamics, coupled with an eye for the complex qualities of movement, make him an uncommon commodity. "Yoga and martial arts are simply an external expression of ones internal being. Therefore by better organizing the way a person moves, we serve to better organize the way that person thinks and lives."  in 2002, Cameron created Budokon, a holistic training method that combines the classical martial arts, hatha yoga, meditation and optimal nutrition.

Jeff Cohen and Andrea Boyd are both personally trained and certified by Sharon Gannon and David Life in the Jivamukti Yoga® Method. Jeffrey has been studying and practicing yoga since 1995, and is one of the few Jivamukti teachers to teach extensively at the popular New York City centers.  Andrea, a former dancer, searched to regain extensive flexibility and strength by enrolling in a yoga class at the College of Charleston in 1997, later moving to New York City, where she found Jivamukti Yoga, served as long-time personal assistant to Sharon and David, and received her teaching certification.  In 2005, Jeffrey and Andrea relocated to Charleston, South Carolina and opened Satsang Yoga, which quickly earned a feature story in Charleston City Paper, as well as many loyal students.

Michael Hewett has been teaching yoga since 1997 and is a student of Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally, with whom he has been studying Yoga Sutra, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Tibetan Heart Yoga.  An accomplished composer, guitarist, and recording artist, in 2000 he released "Hidden in Plain Sight", a CD of original compositions written for solo acoustic guitar. In 2002, the Dharma Moon record label released his second CD "Being in Dreaming", which is used in yoga centers around the world.  Michael's third CD "Ally," was released in Fall 2005. He currently performs in the hit Broadway musical, "Wicked," and is recording his first classical CD.

 
 Narayani (Nicole Nichols) has been teaching yoga for over ten years, and is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher. She also studies and teaches Tibetan Buddhism in the Gelukpa Tradition with Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally . By using the asanas and breath as the outer method and intention and prayer as the inner method, Narayani teaches yoga as a transformational means to discover joy, overcome suffering, and to realize one’s full potential in this lifetime. Deeply inspired by Sanskrit and the relationship between yoga and sound (Nada Yoga), Narayani has created live-music yoga workshops for Sony Music as well as yoga centers throughout New York City. She has had the privilege of working with internationally renowned musicians including Laraaji, Michael Hewett, and music healer Tom Rossi.

Mike Graglia began practicing yoga in 2002.  He knew that he would be practicing for the rest of his life.  Mike is blessed to have met many great teachers in his journies; many of them here at Flow which is his "Yoga-homebase."  Mike spends every class trying to imitate his two greatest teachers--Kartik and Dharma. Kartik Master from Nairobi, Kenya often looked at students and told him to do things that they were sure they couldn't do (but did) but Kartik always made his demanding classes fun creating a strong community.  Mike completed his teacher training with Sri Dharma Mittra in New York in mid-2006 and Mike's classes always begin with variations of Dharma's challenging Shiva Namaskara and end with Dharma's closing "Be receptive, to the grace of God."  He has also studied with Ana Forrest, Rusty Wells and Janet Stone as well as Surinder Singh in Rishikesh, India.  This year he is looking forward to formal training in ArcoYoga and meditation.  Regardless of the level, Mike seek to make his classes challenging for everyone.  Mike teaches level 2, 3, Midnight Flow and Flying Yoga.

 Jill Abelson has been teaching at Flow since the studio first opened its doors.   She met Ian in 1999 and Debra in 2001 while teaching yoga at a local gym.   A graduate of teacher trainings in Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Jivamukti Yoga (800-hour level), Jill founded the Jivamukti satsang in Washington DC in 2005, which under her leadership grew to hundreds of practitioners and now 9 certified teachers.   In 2008, she and Flow hosted the largest ever individual studio workshops with Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David Life.   She lives in San Francisco, where she teaches for Yoga Tree, and travels home to DC several times a year.

Laura Zam has been practicing yoga and meditation for 15 years. Though originally trained in the Vinyasa tradition, she draws from varied yoga styles in her teaching. In all of her classes, she emphasizes a celebration of life through a celebration of the body – just as it is at this moment. She has been privileged to study with many world-renowned teachers including Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffmann, Sharon Gannon, David Life, and Aadil Palkhivala.   She is certified with Yoga Alliance.  When off yoga mat, Laura can be found both teaching and performing theater, performance arts and workshops encouraging individuals to explore their creativity and inner artist!  teacher spotlight >> 

Radhika Thakkar fell in love with yoga after taking her first Vinyasa Class in Central NJ because it reminded her of her roots in classical Indian dance.  She has studied with Baptiste Power Yoga in Massachusetts and completed her teacher training at Sonic Yoga in New York City.  Before moving to Washington DC in 2004, Radhika taught vinyasa yoga to at-risk high school students in summer programs in New York.  Radhika thinks of yoga as a moving meditation, and she tries to cultivate this sensation in her classes by combining flowing asana with upbeat music.  Outside the yoga studio, Radhika spends weekdays traveling throughout the US as she pursues a career in marketing and enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, and time at the beach.  She is excited to be teaching at Flow Yoga Center on Saturday afternoons!

Agatha Glowack is a Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher and RYT-300 by Yoga Alliance. After being introduced to Jivamukti at Flow Yoga Center by Jill "Janaki" Abelson, she underwent Flow's Teaching Training Program, and apprenticed with Jill. Soon thereafter, she underwent the rigorous teacher training program in the Jivamukti Method and was personally trained by co-founders Sharon Gannon and David Life. For her, yoga is an ancient technology that can be used to achieve ultimate personal potential, or liberation.
The Jivamukti Method is able to do this by integrating the physical, philosophical and spiritual practices of ancient yogic seers into a holistic and transformative practice. Through consistent and dedicated practice of the Jivamukti Method, she believes it is possible, eventually and inevitably, to become a "jivanmukta" – a liberated being. "Through repetition the magic will be forced to rise." – Alchemical precept commonly referenced by Sharonji and Davidji.

Agatha's Teaching Style:  In her classes, Agatha strives to share the authentic teachings of yoga as passed down from a long lineage of teachers. Her classes consist of rigorous vinyasa sequences set to inspiring music, combined with teachings on scripture, chanting, meditation, and nonviolence in a creative yoga practice with a strong spiritual message.