Our Teachers
Our teachers are the heart and soul of The Yoga Common.
Meet our NYC teachers
Alicia Cruz
Alicia has taught at Mang'Oh yoga, New York Sports Club, LL studio (formerly Laughing Lotus studio), and Westbeth Artists Residence.
Andrea Lodico
In addition to teaching yoga, Andrea is an arts administrator, working with choreographers and dance companies to bolster infrastructure and guide change and strategic planning. Over the last decade, Andrea’s creative and strategic vision, along with her commitment to collaboration and innovation, has distinguished her as a leader in the dance field.
Annie Hartkemeyer
Annie H is a New York-based actress and yoga instructor. Always one for an adventure, Annie has found that her yogic journey has been one of the most rewarding ones, and she loves sharing that journey with her students. Annie is now on faculty at her alma mater, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where she teaches Yoga for Actors. She teaches yoga at the United Nations, works one on one with patients at a doctor’s office where she leads yoga therapy sessions, and teaches group classes and private sessions across the city. Her classes are carefully crafted to nurture the individuals present, and include lots of detailed alignment work, quiet moments of introspective self-study, and a vigorous, heat-building Vinyasa flow. She received her yoga training at Sonic Yoga, her prenatal training at Sanctuary Pilates, and trained with Connected Warriors to learn how to teach yoga to veterans with PTSD.
Instagram: @anniefeelsthings
Chintamani Kansas
Chintamani teaches classic and specialty yoga, and is a longtime Teacher Trainer in the mang’Oh 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She continues to study yoga, yoga for injuries and other healing modalities, including Anatomy, Pilates and Mindfulness Meditation.
Chintamani’s classes blend mindfulness, alignment and joyful movement; encouraging safety and skillfulness, as well as freedom and expression. Chintamani’s mission is to get us all to move, breathe, find our joy, and feel connected and smart.
www.yogawithc.com
Facebook | Instagram
David Ito
However, such working conditions came with a price – PTSD, malaria, anemia, and Degenerative Disc Disease. His back pain was so bad he could not get out of bed in the morning. Eventually David decided it was time to recover and heal. That’s when a solid yoga practice and the will to become a yoga teacher emerged.
David is now a yoga teacher, a healer (Reiki Master) and certified in Thai Massage. In class, he focuses on balancing body and mind and strongly cues for proper alignment and safety.
David wishes to share his passion for yoga with his students and to encourage them to expand yoga practice beyond asana and help set a path towards healing and strengthening body, mind and spirit.
Gloria Koo
Ilana Lieberman
Josh Mathew-Meier
Adding in the deep intellectual and emotional connections had him immediately hooked. Following years of exposure to awe-inspiring instructors, he found himself full to the brim, and the only option was to start putting it back in the world. He received his certification in 2014 and has been upwardly expanding since. His goal in teaching and practice is to cultivate multiple levels of awareness while aligning the physical body with the heart’s intention.
By creating a safe, healthy environment for the exploration and play of dynamic asana, he aims to weave the depths of ancient philosophy with the demands of modern life, allowing for a yogic approach to any situation the every day might present.
Kineta Kinutu
I am a certified yoga teacher (CYT 350 hrs), originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. I passionately specialize in Vinyasa, Yin and Meditation. My classes are an invitation to breath, to pause, to release, to re-align and re-energize.
LiHua Sung
He came to New York City from Nashville, TN in 2020 at the height of the pandemic to support his wife’s work as an infectious disease scientist. Living and working from home through the pandemic, Li relied on yoga to maintain a strong body, persevere through the isolation and find gratitude in every breath.
In addition to his work in studios, Li is proud to have been a volunteer yoga instructor teaching in underserved communities in community centers, parks and events to encourage active and healthy lives.
Li received his yoga teacher training from the Baptiste Institute.
Maggie Romairone
She reconnected to her dancing past and started practicing yoga on a regular basis in 2010. Two years later, she completed her Yoga Teacher Training at Mang'Oh. Since then, she has plunged into teaching a wide range of students.
She obtained an advanced teaching certification in Yoga for Arthritis in 2013 and certifications in Yin Yoga, Chair Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Yoga Therapy in 2014 from Integral Yoga Institute. Most recently, after several years of study, she has been accepted as a Yoga Therapist by the International Association of Yoga Therapy.
Maggie also studied the roots of Yogic philosophy in Haridwar, India. In addition to teaching at Mang’Oh, Integral Yoga Institute and other New York studios, Maggie has a private Yoga Therapy practice for students with movement disorders, arthritis and other health issues. Maggie hopes to share her enthusiasm for the benefits of yoga with the Mang'Oh community.
Masako Miyakawa
Originating from Japan and having gone to an all-girls Buddhist school has prepared her to infuse Buddhist teachings with yogic philosophy, and weaving them into the class. She is known for her mindful, caring, kind, and light-hearted approach to yoga and to her students. Masako is a certified Integral Yoga and OM Yoga teacher, with additional training in restorative, yin, pre-and-post natal, and chair yoga.
Phillip Pettiford (he/they)
Phillip has been teaching Yoga for over 5 years. He has completed over 500hrs in Yoga Teacher trainings, first receiving his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Laughing Lotus, and his advanced teacher training at Laughing Lotus, Soulfull Solution, and studying under Rocky Heron. Phillip is masterful at teaching the student and encouraging his students to their highest potential. Off the Mat, he is trained in contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and modern dance. He currently teaches at various top yoga studios in NYC and choreographs contemporary jazz movement.
Stephie Maravankin
Stephie teaches classic and restorative yoga and her classes blend alignment, mindfulness, breath, and joyful movement. Stephie encourages safety and skillfulness, as well as creativity and individual expression. Stephie's mission is to promote inclusion in the search for wellness and wellbeing. She's humbled to pay forward the wisdom of her teachers and mentors.
Stephie can be found on Instagram @stephiesyoga and on Facebook at facebook.com/stephiesyoga.
Meet our Austin teachers
Erica Whalen
Today, The Yoga Common has become the place they always dreamed it could be: a sweet yoga sanctuary full of heart and soul. Erica is in love with the practice of yoga. She profoundly believes in its healing effects for the individual body and spirit, as well as the collective whole. She delights in teaching beautiful and expressive asana classes in the hatha vinyasa style. Every day, she is inspired by and grateful for all of the students and teachers that call The Yoga Common their yoga home. Erica has a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University, and she received her yoga certification through Laughing Lotus Yoga School. She lives in Austin with her husband, Evan and her two children, Charlie and Lila.
Erica Santiago
In 2011 Erica took a sabbatical from the dance world to pursue her love of yogic philosophy. By the grace of Mother Divine, she was introduced to Vedic rituals and the study of the scriptures of ancient India. Over the last 10 years, she has had the good fortune to study with authentic teachers from Chinnmaya Mission and Sri Rajarajeshwari Peetham while being held in sacred space to journey through her own rebirth and deep healing. She is a devotee of our Mother Divine, a student of Advaita Vedanta and is receiving ongoing tutelage in the philosophical applications of yoga and evolutionary astrology which she integrates into her movement practices and choreographic explorations to round out her teaching style as a universal approach to conscious living through artistic expression.
Trained as a massage therapist at Lauterstein & Conway and mentored by Dr. Arthur Peterson, D.C. and Jeff Johnson, LMT she learned (and continues to explore) ways to harness that energy and focus it for the well being of others. Erica has learned that dance, yoga, massage, and meditation are all different tools in her toolbox of healing modalities through the years. Her deepest passion addresses the whole being, body, mind, emotion, and consciousness in an intuitive and creative way that affirms one with his/her most profound knowing of truth for their greatest benefit. The cornerstones of Erica’s work are willingness, conscious consent, faith, and curiosity. From this foundation, Erica co-creates actively with her clients to bring them into a profoundly transformative space where they have the choice to bring into conscious awareness that which no longer serves and therefore release at the cellular level.
Erica founded Shakti Moves Dance Company seven years ago to provide a sacred place to explore spiritual philosophy, the human condition, and artistic expression.
Erica is currently self employed through Elemental Therapy where she uses movement, meditation and massage to support people on their healing journey.
Jackie Ey
After high school, I went on to receive a full golf scholarship to play four years at Texas Tech University, continued my yoga practice and ultimately wrapped up my decade-long junior/amateur “career” receiving a BA in public relations with a minor in psychology. Out of college, my yoga practice continued to grow into studio classes where I discovered heated yoga and an array of other styles. I dabbled in Bikram, Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin and studied under some great teachers. Along the way, I found my personal practice. Although I aspired to teach at the age of 19, I didn’t come into being a teacher right away as I thought I would. It was a journey that meant to unfold exactly at the right time in my life 10 years later through LifePower Yoga. At that time I was a personal trainer and found a passion for helping people correct imbalances. I found yoga to be a beautiful compliment to fitness, creating balance within the body as the practice helps one observe oneself from the inside-out, find inner strength, overcome challenges and discover peace. Not only that, the practice was one that was deeply healing for me as I personally went through major life changes and rediscovered myself.
Fast-forward to now, I have under my belt 10 years of being a nationally ranked golfer (AJGA/collegiate), 15 years of being a personal trainer/corrective exercise specialist (NASM); almost a decade of teaching yoga (E-RYT200, about 3000 hours of teaching experience); and owner of Yoginistones, a small jewelry business. With a big-time love and appreciation of energy work, I am expanding how I affect people energetically by pursuing my Kundalini & Reiki certification this year. On top of this, I am a mother in a blended family that consists of my 17yo step-daughter, my 13yo daughter from my first marriage, my 5yo son with my partner now and our fur baby, a mini Aussie named Orion. This dynamic has taught me more about love and growth than I can ever imagine. If I can sum it up, my life goal is to spread as much positive, self-perpetuating, healing energy as possible. It is not energy we find externally but rather what we discover from within and what this raw energy creates that is the most important. We each have a potential–if each breath is a gift coming in, what is our gift back to the world?
Jess Deskins
Lauren McLaughlin
Lauren’s diverse training and experience allows her to create dynamic and well-rounded classes, catering to practitioners of all levels. Lauren understands that each individual's journey is unique, and she takes great care in tailoring her classes to meet the needs and goals of her students. Her teaching style emphasizes mindfulness, breath awareness, and proper alignment, guiding her students to deepen their mind-body connection and cultivate a sense of inner balance and peace.
Lindsay Skelton
In class, my hope is to create a safe space for students to return to themselves, and feel held by communal breath and movement. Further, I hope in my class you can find balance between ease (Sukha) and strength (Sthira); allowing yourself to create the space you need to thrive. I believe that a yoga class full of warmth and fellowship can be the best balm to soothe any aches. We are humans, doing our very best at any given time - I hope to nurture compassion (especially towards self), kindness and support in every session. As Ram Dass said, and I firmly believe, "We are all just walking each other home".
I look forward to practicing with you!
Nathan Wilgeroth
Having completed his 200-hour power yoga teacher training in 2016, Nathan has since grown his practice through such programs as a 300-hour training; a “Yoga For All” certification to guide students of all body sizes and abilities; and “Embodied Social Justice,” an exploration of how the body responds to unjust social conditions and how a disciplined embodiment practice can sustainably fuel one’s own social justice work.
In class, Nathan invites students not to escape the world around them, but to orient themselves within it. He encourages curiosity and compassion, using a physical challenge as a mechanism through which to accept, embrace, and marvel at one’s own limitations and abilities alike—all while leaving room for the occasional pun and a please-don’t-take-me-too-seriously demeanor.