Rudrani
Farbman Brown
"Rudrani's classes,
trainings and programs are grounded in deep wisdom gained through a
lifetime of immersing in the teachings and in the Shakti... you can
feel the depth of her own self-inquiry and her years of teaching
experience."
Rudrani began her study of Yoga in 1966 and founded the World Yoga
Center in 1972, with a vision of spreading the greatness and luminosity
of Yoga in the West. Originally certified as an Integral Yoga teacher
in the late 60's, she served on the Integral Yoga Institute's National
Board and as a staff lecturer, counselor and Hatha Yoga instructor. In
1974 she began a joyous life-long study of Siddha Yoga, having met her
teacher, Muktananda Paramahamsa. Part of his original core of teachers,
she ran a Siddha meditation center in NYC and lead programs and
meditation intensives throughout the U.S. She traveled with Swami
Muktananda as a speaker/teacher for many years and lived for three
years in his Ashram in India engaged in spiritual practices and the
study of Yoga scriptures and philosophy.
On the west coast during the eighties, Rudrani was a meditation
and yoga teacher in residence in the Santa Monica and Oakland
S.Y. ashrams. She was also on faculty at the JFK Graduate
School of Consciousness Studies and the California Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology and gave Yoga programs throughout
the Bay Area.
Rudrani directs the World Yoga Center, leading the teacher trainings,
meditation courses and Satsangs. She has been a teacher of meditation,
philosophy and transformational practices for 33 years She is trained
in several styles of Hatha yoga, and is an Anusara Inspired yoga
teacher who began her study with John Friend in 1994. A charismatic
teacher, her hatha classes are woven with Yoga teachings and are known
for their clarity of instruction, and depth. An innovative counselor,
Rudrani also maintains a private counseling practice since 1986 and
heads the WYC Counseling Program.
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Jackie
Prete
Jackie Prete is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor,
a Licensed Massage Therapist and Yoga Therapist. She
is also Certified by Om Yoga Center and The White Lotus
Foundation in Santa Barbara,California. Her training
includes 7 years of study at the Iyengar Institute of
NYC. Jackie has studied yoga therapeutics extensively
with John Friend and practices the techniques learned
in his therapeutic trainings. She is the owner of Ram
Sangha Retreats leading retreats in the Catskills and
Costa Rica for the past 7 years.
Jackie brings 18 years of teaching experience to her
Anusara yoga classes. She draws on her experience as
a body worker to help her students deepen their practice
in a safe yet challenging environment. Her spirited
yet playful classes are characterized by precision of
alignment with freedom to connect with the essence of
this sacred and heart-filled practice.
Since joining the World Yoga Center staff, Jackie and
Rudrani Farbman Brown (WYC director) have co-led Anusara
Immersions, Teacher Trainings and retreats. Their work
together is a profound and joyful exploration of the
weaving of Tantric yoga philosophy through the study
of Anusara yoga and yoga scriptures.
Jackie has appeared on Good Day New York and The Sally Jesse Rafael
Show. She has been published in Family Circle, Elle, Real Beauty and
First Woman magazines. She currently also teaches at NYC's premier
Equinox Fitness Clubs.
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Tracy
Toon Spencer
Tracy Toon Spencer has been studying and practicing many
types of yoga for the past 15 years. Dedicated to the
study of Anusara Yoga for the past three years, she has
completed many workshops as well as the 200 hour level
of teacher training with Amy Ippoliti, a certified Anusara
teacher. She has been teaching in wellness centers and
yoga studios since 2003. Besides teaching yoga, Tracy
also models with the Ford agency and owns her own career
and life coaching business, helping others to deepen their
connection in every aspect of life. Yoga students of all
levels describe her teaching style as enthusiastic, fun and
challenging. Tracy helps students to deepen their understanding of Tantric
philosophy and asana. |
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Tracy Toon Spencer, CPCC, RYT
Certified Professional Coach and Yoga Instructor
Connecting You and Your Life
(212) 375-1688
www.fertilelife.org
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Marjorie
Nass
Marjorie is honored to be a teacher at the World Yoga Center. Certified at Om Yoga Center and
a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance, she was drawn to Anusara Yoga's integrated
philosophy and alignment principles and has since been
a devoted student.
Marjorie continues to train extensively with
John Friend as well as the gifted Anusara teachers in the community.
Marjorie teaches her Level One and Therapeutics classes with empathy
and humor. Marjorie also holds a BA in Communications from the
University of Pennsylvania.
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Susan
Kotcher
Certified by the World Yoga Center, Susan Kotcher teaches Hatha yoga,
inspired by the grace of Anusara yoga, imbuing rigorous asana practice
with celebration of the luminous consciousness that is our core. Susan
sees that yoga encourages us to practice even while "off the mat" in
our daily lives, co-creating a powerful force within our city of 8
million people for a more compassionate world. Susan began a daily
meditation practice 15 years ago, studying Tantra and Tibetan and Zen
Buddhism. In 1997, she discovered the beauty of Hatha yoga at the World
Yoga Center and began her studies with Rudrani Farbman Brown. Susan's
practice continues to be shaped by the World Yoga Center, and she is
blessed to teach at the school. She thanks Rudrani Farbman Brown, John
Friend, Robert Thurman, Thich Nhat Hanh, the sangha and fellow yoga
students, and her life partner, Steven, for their generous inspiration.
Susan holds a BA from Barnard and an MA from Columbia University, both
in Political Science. She works with the International Rescue
Committee, which rescues refugees around the world. Susan also teaches
yoga and meditation in non-profit settings and privately.
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Michael
Fergot
Michael happily joins the faculty at the World Yoga
Center and is unabashedly in love with the dynamic dance
of Shakti and Shiva. He began studying yoga in 1982,
but it wasn't until being introduced to Anusara Yoga
by Jackie Prete that he feels he really met Yoga. He
views each day, class and breath as an opportunity to
deepen his connection to that divine mystery called
Grace. While each practice is guided by the scientific
principles of biomechanics, these principles are employed
to elevate and celebrate the human heart. That the human
heart can aspire and magically unite with the divine
is the greatest gift. Michael's classes balance vigorous
action and this life affirming qualities of heart. He
has been a student of the body and mind for over 25
years ranging from martial to the performing arts, philosophy
and sciences. He has been a dancer for 15 years and
holds certification in both Sports Medicine and Medical
Exercise. As an Anusara Yoga affiliate he is working towards
certification. Michael is known for his sweetness and
gentle approach.
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Tyrone Holmes
Tyrone fell in love with Yoga several years ago and has never looked
back. He was introduced to Yoga by a co-worker. Like many,
he at first came to Yoga for the physical aspect but quickly realized
that there was much more. It is the formless essence, the
indescribable beauty, the poetry of Yoga and wonderful teachers that
inspired him to continue.
Throughout his study he has been blessed with amazing Anusara Yoga
teachers to whom he extends much love and gratitude. On the
journey towards becoming a teacher he was equally blessed to complete
his teacher training at the World Yoga Center where his teachers,
Jackie Prete and Rudrani Farbman Brown, transformed his practice.
Through the spirit of both his teachers, he embraced the wisdom of
Anusara alignment and the beauty of Yoga that takes us beyond the
form.
Tyrone enjoys the diversity, energy, and pulse of city life. His
classes offer students from all walks of life an opportunity to explore
and share the unifying powers of the practice. He enjoys bringing
the energizing physical practice and the breath together to create that
subtle space for students to travel inward and dance with the luminous
energy within.
“Unity is the very breath of existence without which one
suffocates. The journey continues to shape and transform me from
within.” |
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Irina Core
Having taught yoga privately and in a number of New York studios, Irina
is delighted to join the deeply spiritual and highly committed faculty
of the World Yoga Center, a true Anusara school of impeccable
integrity and longevity.
In her classes Irina gently, yet methodically, builds on principles of
Anusara Yoga, subtly encouraging students' self-expression, so that
their luminous "inner asana" shines through its outer form.
A long-time resident of New York City, Irina came to Yoga about ten
years ago and quickly discovered the transformative and spiritual
aspects of Yoga. This amplified her interest in this ancient and
honorable practice. Deepening her studies in the tradition of Anusara
Yoga, Irina recognized the possibilities of sharing the incredible
physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits of Yoga through
teaching.
She studied extensively with John Friend, Douglas Brooks, Ellen
Saltonstall, Amy Ippoliti and she continues her studies with particular
interest in Yoga philosophy and Yoga therapeutics.
Irina is truly and immeasurably grateful to her teachers for their light and support.
In addition to being a Yoga teacher, Irina is also an Information
Technology professional and a certified teacher of Kinetic Awareness.
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Naz Sarman
Naz is an Anusara-inspired Hatha yoga teacher; she has been
practicing since 1999. She had her first teacher training in New
York with Jackie Prete. Naz is honored and thrilled to be joining
the staff of the World Yoga Center - a respected Anusara school and a
spiritual oasis come to life under Rudrani's leadership
Since 2004 Naz has been trained in yoga
therapeutics and advanced teaching with Anusara founder John Friend
and has studied with his senior certified teachers throughout
the country including Elena Brower, Ellen Saltonstall, Lois
Nesbitt and Paula Tursi. She continues to study yoga philosophy with
Professor Dr. Douglas Brooks and meditation with Sally
Kempton. Naz has a strong interest and committment to meditation
and spiritual development.
Currently Naz enriches
her Anusara Yoga classes with her knowledge
of Reiki, Alexander Technique and Body Mind Centering techniques.
She explores the wisdom of the moving body and the
body's healing capacity through a balance of holding and
moving fluently within poses. She emphasizes breathing,
alignment and imagery related to the mechanism of the inner body. In
her classes you will develop a heightened awareness of your body's
movement patterns while getting a complete workout through isometric
holding of your muscles.
Naz recognizes and thanks all her teachers
and mentors as well as her students for their constant inspiration
and support.
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Stephanie Bifolco
Stephanie’s classes are playful and
insightful and will awaken your love of yoga. She hopes to help
her students open more deeply to themselves and to their greatness
inside. Her vision as a teacher and yogini is to promote
individual healing, balance, and growth through yoga, meditation,
storytelling, and community empowerment. Her greater intention is
to bring diverse people together to honor each other and work for
positive social change.
Stephanie’s inspiration to teach comes
directly from her experiences studying Anusara Yoga with founder John
Friend and Certified Anusara Instructor Zhenja LaRosa,
with whom she has taken Anusara Teacher Trainings, therapeutics
workshops, public classes, and retreats for several years.
She plans to continue studying Anusara Yoga with her teachers and
others who inspire her. She is very grateful to be teaching at
World Yoga Center and to begin the year 2008 entering into a beautiful
relationship with its spiritual community.
When Stephanie is not teaching yoga, she
works with undocumented immigrant communities in Jackson Heights,
Queens, building individual capacities and promoting community
empowerment. She is interested in bringing the experiences of
spiritual development and growth to underserved communities in New York
City.
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Susan Genis
Susan began studying yoga in 1993, while
she was a practicing attorney. In 2000 she left her job
as assistant DA of NYC and began teaching Yoga full time. In 2001
she completed a 300 hour teacher training and joined Yoga Alliance as a
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). In 2003 she encountered Anusara
Yoga for the first time and felt she had found home. Since then
she has completed over 600 hours of classes, workshops, and trainings
with John Friend and several senior certified Anusara teachers
including Ellen Saltonstall, Jackie Prete, Todd Norian, and Elena
Brower. She is now a registered
“Anusara -inspired” teacher.
She is particularly committed to working
with beginning students, seniors, and those dealing with stressful
medical conditions such as cancer. She delights in sharing
her love for Anusara’s uplifting and life-affirming philosophy
with those who may be hesitant to try yoga because of their age or any
physical limitations. She believes that if you can breathe, you
can do yoga. It’s not just exercise but a pathway into a
deep connection with yourself. With clear alignment instruction she
guides her students to open to their full potential and experience more
than they thought possible.
She is honored to be apart of the WYC
faculty and share in the divine energy of the sacred space that Rudrani
and all the WYC teachers have created. She invites you to find
the joy in your heart and celebrate life through the practice of yoga.
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Danielle Lee
Danielle offers a personal approach to
yoga that integrates the insights of various traditions into a vital
practice that cultivates strength, grace and awareness. Her
classes draw on the precise alignment and heartfelt spirit of Anusara,
the fluid grace and creativity of Vinyasa, the breath centered approach
of Desikachar, and the quiet power of Yin to help students experience
the stillness in movement and the flow in stillness.
Also passionate about food and healing, Danielle has developed insight
from a variety of nutritional and philosophical paradigms on preparing
foods that are beautiful, delicious and health supportive.
She is currently enrolled in the Chef's Training Program at the Natural
Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. It is her hope to
inspire her students, through the healing arts of yoga and food, to
create a life of expanding consciousness and deliberate positive action
that will better their lives and the lives of those around them.
Danielle is honored to join the faculty at the World Yoga Center - a
sacred space where she herself studied yoga and meditation with Rudrani
Farbman. She is grateful to John Friend, Lois Nesbitt, Amy
Ippoliti, Shiva Rea, Leslie Kaminoff and Sarah Powers who have taught
her to become the teacher she is, and to the community of teachers and
students in NYC who continue to inspire her.
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