Abigail recently completed The Yoga Common’s 200 hour teacher training program, after practicing for about 7 years. Her practice is influenced by her dance background and she aims to create a positive environment that facilitates her students growth and connection to the practice.

Andrea is the Owner & Creative Director of The Yoga Common. She found yoga through dance, beginning a new journey of movement and discovery. Since 2004, yoga has been a source of joy and calm within the hustle of life in NYC. In her teaching, she hopes to share the passion and peace she feels on the mat and provide students with an environment in which they uncover new insight, vibrant presence, and strength. Andrea infuses her classes with playfulness and dynamic sequencing in which students move through asana from a strong foundation of alignment. A vigorous and lighthearted practice works to encourage mindfulness of breathing and somatic awareness. Andrea is filled with gratitude for her teachers and the community that yoga has brought into her life, having completed a 200-hour certification at The Yoga Common (then mang’Oh yoga) in 2014 with Erica Whalen and her 500-hour training in 2017 at Boston Yoga School in Boston, MA under the mentorship of Ame Wren and Kevin Courtney. She received a 75-hour certification through Kula Yoga Project & The Sacred Fig with Nikki Vilella and Anton Brandt in September 2019.

In addition to teaching yoga, Andrea the longtime producer of KEIGWIN + COMPANY, a contemporary dance company based in NYC.

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Annie (she/they) has over 10 years of experience teaching yoga, Pilates, and various movement modalities. She worked for several years as a yoga therapist at a neurology practice, where she helped patients re-pattern neural pathways for muscle movement, rebuild their strength, and address chronic pain via meditation, breath techniques, yoga, and other physical and alignment-based work. She has extensive experience teaching pre and postnatal yoga and Pilates, and considers it an honor to work with women during this incredibly special time in their lives. She is passionate about her work with veterans and those suffering from PTSD, and has volunteered at veteran centers and domestic violence shelters across the five boroughs. Annie has taught movement, wellness, and yoga workshops in many corporate and hospitality environments including Condé Nast, Misha Nonoo, the Shimano Bikes, the Park Avenue Hyatt, Lloyd's Banking Group, the United Nations, and many more.

Annie has a private practice in Manhattan, and offers in-home yoga, yoga therapy, Pilates, rehabilitative movement, and healing sessions. These one-on-one sessions are extremely focused on whatever the individual needs, and she takes great joy in helping clients discover their ability to heal themselves. Her clients range in experience levels and profession -- everyone from students to marathon runners to CEO's to Grammy Award winners.

Annie is also a professional actor and director and studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where she now directs and is on faculty in the movement department. Her creative spirit informs her eclectic, inspired teaching style and permeates everything she does. www.practicewithannie.com // @anniefeelsthings

Chintamani (she/her/hers) discovered yoga on a whim and quickly realized how powerful, yet simple, yoga can be to help bring balance and healing. Yoga helped Chintamani overcome trauma and redirect her life towards health and wellbeing. She quickly realized yoga was a gift that needed to be shared with everyone.

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
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David’s journey in yoga started over 20 years ago. Being a former gymnast and of Japanese descent, he was immediately attracted by yoga’s vigorous yet meditative approach. During his decade long work as a relief worker for the Red Cross and the UN in Africa, Middle East, and South Asia he worked in terrible conditions, war, and natural disasters. Many elements of yoga – breath work, meditation and asana- helped him towards managing emotional and physical hardship.

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 infuses artistry and musicality into her classes with creative choreography and uplifting playlists that range from traditionally classical to cutting edge hip-hop; inspired by years of formal dance and music training. Her classes are non-intimidating, challenging and fun!

She credits the Mang'Oh Community for providing the solid foundation upon which her personal practice is based, and for inspiring her to become a certified instructor.

She is trained in the Hatha/Vinyasa style of yoga for adults, children and teens, having also studied at the Karma Kids Yoga School in New York City. She also has a certification in Mindful, Trauma-Informed Yoga from the Yoga Medicine Teacher Training Program.

She has studied the practice of yoga in studios all over the country, and was a devoted Jivamukti Yoga practitioner for over a decade.

She is currently pursuing a 500-hour certification through MangOh Yoga’s 300- hour advanced teacher training program, and is proud to call Mang’Oh Yoga Studio her home.

Li practices a challenging and energetic vinyasa to strengthen and stretch the body. He is passionate in living an active and mindful life, and draws inspiration when guiding students to unlock and discover potential in their practice.

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.

A performer from a young age, Josh has always had an interest in movement as a form of expression. While receiving his BFA in Musical Theatre, he was exposed to multiple forms of dance but was never really a ‘dancer’. He arrived in NYC in 2005, attended his first yoga class, and found that it was the right speed for a ‘mover’ while being just as expressive and beautiful as classical dance.

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.

Masako stumbled into a yoga class after having a particularly hard day in February 2001. The rest, as they say, is history. She practices yoga not only for its physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but because it is just so much fun! Sharing what she has learned and experienced with her students has brought her joy and happiness beyond all measure.

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.

Olivia is a firm believer that movement is medicine. She’s been an avid practitioner of yoga and adult ballet for over two decades, turning to these disciplines for physical fitness, mindfulness, and stress relief. When a corporate shake-up altered her media career’s landscape, Olivia used this transitional period to focus more deeply on her yoga practice. She immersed herself in a 200-hour teacher certification program at The Yoga Common as part of her healing journey. Now she’s inspired to share the transformative power of yoga with others. She brings empathy and resilience to her practice, proving that every twist and turn in life’s path can lead to strength and healing.

Rachel has been practicing yoga since 2008, but her journey towards teaching really started in 2018, when a sports injury forced her to dial back her athletic lifestyle. Yoga emerged in her life as a saving grace—a style of movement she could study when all other sports were inaccessible. And through practicing yoga, slowly, she made a full recovery. By practice in balance and stability; core strength and flexibility; breathwork and meditation; she developed new levels of body awareness, self-confidence, and adaptability, which helped her heal. Rachel holds a 200-RYT Certification with a Vinyasa focus from Pure Yoga. She enjoys teaching all ages and skill levels. One of the great joys of teachings is getting to observe the ideas, moods, and energies that students bring to their own practices. In her classes, Rachel tries to make space for all of it—power and stillness—and every effort in between.

Maggie has been teaching yoga since 2012, but her fascination with movement and body awareness began long ago when she trained as a ballet dancer and started teaching dance during college. She then went on to enjoy running a successful recruiting business in New York City, M. Luca & Associates.

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.

When Erica found The Yoga Common, she was running around New York City teaching at various studios, gyms, and living rooms. At the time, the studio had a tiny community and was in need of some love and inspiration. In 2007, she, along with her business savvy sister and dearest friend Cynthia, purchased and reinvented the studio.

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.

Ripple has always enjoyed fitness and taking on new challenges like running 4 marathons and many half marathons. When life took an unexpected turn and hit her with back-to-back personal tragedies, Ripple found yoga as a place of calm. And then, yoga found her. She fell in love with how yoga reconnected her to who she is and every time she steps on the mat, she lands in an emotionally, mentally and physically balanced state. Originating from India from a town at the foothills of the Himalayas, Ripple has always appreciated the history and philosophy of yogic principles. Her past 2 decades in the financial corporate world in New York arose in her a quest to keep searching for a balance between living in the now and staying connected with a larger reality. Her desire to learn more about the evolution, anatomy and alignment of yoga brought her to the teacher training program at the Yoga Common. Ripple is a 200HR certified yoga teacher. She enjoys sharing her passion for the transformative power of Yoga. She encourages students to find connection while flowing and creating balance while moving.

Love at first sight – that is how Danielle’s relationship with yoga began. She has been practicing since 2002, and like any truly great relationship, the connection has only gotten stronger over time. After spending five years in a very fast-paced corporate job, Danielle decided to turn her passion for yoga into a profession and became a Registered Yoga Teacher, certified at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center.

She wholeheartedly believes that happiness is a choice. And for her, yoga is happiness. In her teachings, Danielle incorporates asana flow with pranayama and meditative techniques. The goal, first and foremost, is to move in harmony with your breath, while tapping into a deeper awareness of your self to provide a balance that will bring you to a peaceful, happy place.

Elizabeth Cappuccino is yoga teacher and actor. As a teacher she brings her passion for self expression, storytelling, wellness, and movement all together under one practice. She initially became certified at Skyting, and has since continued studying Katonah Yoga and Kinesiology. In group classes she uses narrative and metaphor to weave students through asanas to land in a place of purpose in their body

Her functional movement focus synthesized to traditional yoga practices is a real east meets west approach, no strict recipes, whatever works on the mat that day, season, or year.

Megan completed her 200-hour teacher training at the Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 2014 under Brahmani Liebman and Jashoda Edmunds. She is on staC at several NYC studios and has previously taught in Virginia, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Megan's parallel career in the performing arts has informed a yoga practice that is grounded, meditative, and deeply embodied. Her emphasis on the breath-body-mind connection helps students practice safely and joyfully. Beginners and advanced practitioners alike will find her classes a healthy balance of eCort and ease. You can look forward to a little bit of everything – breathwork, creative flows, posture work, meditation, and yoga philosophy.

Judith has practiced yoga for more than 20 years and is a recent graduate of the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program at the Yoga Common. Currently, she works in pain management and aims to integrate its principles into the practice of yoga.

After being sedentary for 41 years, Lisa realized that to live well into middle age and beyond she would have to become active. She forced herself to lift weights and do aerobics without joy. Then a yoga studio opened near her and she found what felt natural and even fun. And she discovered an unexpected benefit: more acute self-awareness and deeper body awareness. Since then, Lisa has practiced Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar and Bikram yoga. She became a 200 hour trained teacher through Mang'Oh studio in spring 2015 and loves sharing the joy with her students!

Marcus found the practice of yoga in the 1990s after moving to New York. With a desire to be fit and healthy, but mostly to temper his new life in the unfamiliar fast lane of the big city, Marcus began exploring this ancient method of calming the mind at the local “sacred” YMCA. Following brief periods exploring several methods such as Ashtanga and Iyengar yogas, he decided to combine his professional skills as a NY State Licensed Massage Therapist with his deepening yogic discipline and completed his first of two yoga teacher certifications through Laughing Lotus, and his second training with Tias Little at Prajna Yoga. Marcus’s classes combine vigorous and inventive asana sequencing, along with breath awareness, yoga theory, alignment, humor, and lots of heart to invoke a sense of joy and celebration of one’s body and life.

In 2012, during his time as a Health Coach in a Brooklyn medical practice, Marcus teamed up to develop 'Body Lab,' a yoga therapy workshop. Here, he used yoga, massage, and breathing techniques to assist patients in recovering from physical and mental challenges. These holistic practices continue to be an integral part of his healing approach today. In addition to teaching private and public classes locally, he’s taught yoga retreats around the globe in destinations such as upstate New York, Colorado, Vermont, India and Turkey. He’s been involved with several yoga teacher training programs with Prema Yoga Brooklyn.

Julia Bembenek is a philosopher, scholar, and yogi based in Los Angeles, California. Drawing together the functional, spiritual, and communal aspects of the yoga practice and philosophy, as well as forging connections to diverse belief systems, Julia offers practices that encourage self-inquiry and exploration and aims to create a space where the most serious and most silly manifestations of the Universal can coexist. She holds her Masters in Eastern Classics from St. John's College and a 200-RYT certification from Namaste Highland Park.

Russ has had the privilege of successfully completing not one but two 200-hour Teacher’s Training programs at The Yoga Common, in 2013 and 2021, and completed his 500-hour certification through The Yoga Common’s 300- hour advanced teacher training program in 2023. Each experience was unforgettably transformative in its own special way. In his group classes, Russ offers a creative vinyasa meditative flow that emphasizes natural, graceful movements and whole-body awareness based on his study of vinyasa yoga, qigong/tai chi, and physical theater. He believes the study and practice of the philosophical and ethical principles of yoga are as important to health and well-being as the physical. Russ has taught yoga and meditation at studios in the Washington, DC area and New York. He has called The City home for over thirty years, where he lives with his Bodhisattva and the third incarnation of their cat, Sweet Demon.