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DURGA DEVI (DENISE TEPERINO)
Durga Devi, the name given to Denise by her beloved teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, is a former dancer and competitive gymnast who grew up in New York City. After high school, she studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and hung out in Manhattan's East Village soaking up the downtown music and art scene, which inspired her to take up guitar and become a singer/songwriter. Durga spent ten years performing as the lead singer for several bands, most recently Lady Luck, which released an EP and a full-length album and toured Europe and the United States.
Several close friends introduced Durga to yoga in 1994 . Asana practice felt very natural to the former gymnast, but it was the chanting, the philosophy and the ancient and holy teachings of yoga that really hit home.
Durga has been a devoted student at the Jivamukti Yoga Centre, N.Y. for over eight years. Durga taught at the New York Centre for over 3 years and is currently living in London to help launch the London Jivamukti Yoga Centre. In addition to her Jivamukti teacher training and most recent Jivamukti Yoga Advanced Certification, she completed teacher training at the Laughing Lotus Yoga Centre in New York City. Durga is especially inspired by Sharon Gannon and David Life, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Ammachi, John Friend, Yogeswari (Estelle Eichenberger), and Joan Suval (direct disciple of Shri Brahmananda Saraswati). Kirtan training with Jai Uttal inspires her chanting which is a very important component in her teachings. She also is inspired by Bhagavan Das and Krishna Das for opening up the doors of bhakti, uniting song and heart. All of her teachers have brought many blessings to her life for which she is truly grateful and she will continue to inspire and uplift the lives of all whom she teaches.
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STEWART GILCHRIST LLB HONS
Following a severe back injury in his mid twenties, Stewart experienced an amazing recovery through intensive Ashtanga Vinyasa Mysore yoga practice as taught by Sri K Patthabi Jois.
Eight years on and Stewart's sadhana led him towards an extensive yoga education with teachers from around the world who have had a profound effect on his unique style of teaching. He has and continues to study the system as taught by Sri K Patthabi Jois (Mysore), Hamish Hendry(Ashtanga London), Sri Shreshadree (Mysore), and the teachings of David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Yoga, New York).
Stewart qualified as a Jivamukti Yoga teacher in 2003 and since has taught extensively in the UK and internationally including London, Hawaii, Cornwall, Mexico and New York. His students include: world renowned musicians, Hollywood actors, judges, footballers and most importantly a broad cross section of working people.
His extensive academic studies have included post graduate studies in Law, ethnopharmacology, nutrition and Stewart has worked as a teacher, legal advisor and youth worker in inner city London mainly working with disadvantaged youths, the homeless, animal rights, anti-globalisation/capitalist and community groups. He also opened the UK's first rawfood vegan and approved organic cafes.
He founded Satyagraha Yoga in 2004 and attains to live and pass onto others its principles of satya, tapas and ahimsa. Stewart offers his eternal gratitude to all his teachers past and present: Sabel Thuram, Guy de Bord, Guruji, David Life and Sharon Gannon, Hamish Hendry, Bob Marley, Chogyam Trungpa, Ghandiji and Swami Niramalanda.
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EMMA HENRY
Emma was born in Cambridge and went to ballet school before starting her
career as a professional dancer. Emma initially started practicing yoga to complement her contemporary & classical dancing, and martial arts training. She found the benefits of yoga enhanced her flexibility, strength, balance and focus.
Emma has been teaching full time in London for five years and has studied
with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswami in Mysore, as well as David Swenson and John Scott. She recently completed Jivamukti teacher training in New York with her inspirational teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life.
Filling her classes with warmth and humour, Emma draws on her dance and broad yoga experience to teach the gift of yoga. Emma would like to thank all her teachers, especially Yogeswari and Durga Devi for their support and inspiration, as well as Manizeh for bringing this amazing method to London.
Om shanti.
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JENNIE MCGUIRE
A native Texan, Jennie grew up in Dallas and left the south to attend Skidmore College in upstate New York where she received her B.A. in Cultural Anthropology. After spending time in Asia, she returned to NYC and embraced a demanding corporate career in the big apple. Exploring the
streets of her neighbourhood on the lower east side, Jennie stumbled upon the Jivamukti Lafayette St. centre which changed her life. The centre became her haven for true physical and spiritual expression and served as a retreat from the manic pace of New York City. Jennie's practice began to connect her body, mind, and spirit and she attributes all blessings and success to Yoga.
After 5 years in NYC, she moved to London and was drawn to the Jivamukti centre after its opening. The grace of Jivamukti had been missed in her practice! She instantly realized that it was the time she had been waiting for...she stepped out of the corporate machine...attended Jivamukti teacher training in 2007...and now teaches yoga from a place of love and gratitude.
Jennie has a true passion for people. She is eternally grateful to her divine teachers Sharon Gannon, David Life, and cat for sharing their life long experience of yoga; to Manizeh, for having the devotion and desire to create a sanctuary for all to share; to Durga, Emma, and the Jivamukti London staff and community, for their gracious support and hard work; and to her mom and family, for teaching her about the circle of life....no beginnings and no endings.
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RACHEL MIDDLETON
Already a busy yoga teacher since 2003, and a North-West Londoner born and bred, Rachel rushed to try the Jivamukti Yoga method almost as soon as the London studio opened its doors. The Bhakti (devotional) approach of the method, its vibrant soundtrack and creativity appealed and she was hooked. Two years of practice with the inspirational London team led to teacher training with Sharon Gannon and David Life in 2007 and a subsequent apprenticeship with Durga Devi. Now, finally, she is ready to unite the down-to-earth-ness of her Bikram teaching experience, the medical insight of her yoga therapy and pre-natal training and the hands-on application of her Thai Yoga Massage work with the sheer joyfulness that is Jivamukti yoga!
Rachel has taught yoga in Paris, Los Angeles, Ibiza and on retreats in Turkey and Spain. She extends warm thanks to Bikram and Rajashree Choudhury, Michele Pernetta, Dr. Robin Munro and Ruth Gilmore and all at London's Yoga Biomedical Trust, Kira Balaskas, Dharma Mittra, Manorama and of course Sharon and David, not to mention every day's nameless yoga teachers.
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LIZZIE REUMONT
Lizzie experienced her first yoga class while earning a living as a creative director in interactive design over 10 years ago. Living abroad since 2001 in the Netherlands, Austria and Kosovo, it was in Amsterdam that she came into contact with the Iyengar and Astanga yoga methods and became a devoted yoga practitioner. In 2004, a longterm illness followed by a process of healing led her to Svaha Yoga Shala where she was introduced to the Jivamukti yoga method. Since this time, Lizzie has become a certified Jivamukti teacher, children's yoga teacher and thai yoga masseur, dramatically changing the rhythm and focus of her own life so that she may uplift the lives of others.
Counting Rusty Wells, Dharma Mittra, and Thich Nhat Hanh as sources of inspiration, her deepest love and gratitude extends to Sharon and David; Patrick and Gosta from the Svaha Shala Amsterdam; to Manizeh, cat, Emma, Durga at the Jivamukti London Centre for their faith, selfless service, vision and love; and lastly to her parents and friends who gave her the courage to jump off the cliff and experience living life joyously in the present.
Lizzie holds a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Communications Design, and is currently studying advanced Thai Massage techniques and Cranio-Sacral Therapy. Check out her website for more info at www.freeliz.com.
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MANIZEH RIMER
Manizeh was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and as a child moved with her family to Geneva, Switzerland. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Brown University in 1996. After graduating she moved to San Francisco where she worked in the high-tech field during the dot.bomb era. After years without sleep she began taking desperately needed Yoga classes. The physical practice was rewarding, but the philosophical and spiritual aspects, which she was always drawn to from a young age, were missing.
Soon after, her sister, Mithra, took her to a Jivamukti Yoga Class in New York. This was what she had been waiting for: in addition to a vigorous asana practice, she learned about karma, she meditated and chanted. The doorway to Yoga was opened.
In March 2001 she moved to London with her husband, Danny, and knew right away that Londoners were missing out on Jivamukti Yoga. She completed Jivamukti teacher training, as well as the Advanced Certification with Sharon Gannon and David Life. She has also worked intensively with Yogeswari at the Jivamukti Centre in New York. She has had the privilege of learning from several renowned Yoga teachers from all over the world.
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KRISTEN RUEBESAMEN
Kristin Ruebesamen is certified with both OM Yoga (2000) and Jivamukti Yoga (2005). She has also studied with Rodnee Yee, Colleen Saidman, David Swenson, Susan Orem, Genny Kapuler, Patrick Broome, Mark Whitwell and many excellent non prominent teachers (the gurus nearby and around us). She holds an MA in German and Russian Literature, published two novels for Random House and is a contributing editor for German Vogue, Vanity Fair and Sueddeutsche Zeitung. She has lived in New York and Berlin where she has taught Yoga since 2001. She gives gratitude to the Jiva London teachers for being removers of obstacles and illusion.
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SUNDARA - DYNAMIC VINYASA
Sundara is dedicated to the path of freedom and joy. Her dynamic style is challenging, yet compassionate and fun. She believes that bringing practitioners to their "safe edge" encourages transformation and remembrance of their internal power and enlightened, joyous, natural state
Sundara's Yogic journey spans over three decades. 10 years training as a competitive gymnast, classical ballet dancer and martial artist as a child, fueled her passion for the body, it's mechanics and abilities on the physical and energetic levels.
Dancing, choreographing and performing with troupes in New York City as a young adult lead her towards Yoga and massage practices. Intensives, seminars and trainings with Master teachers in New York, Hawaii, India and Thailand have comprised the last 15 years of her life.
She offers eternal gratitude to Sharron Gannon, Richard Freeman, Dharma Mittra, David Life, Duncan Wong, Shiva Rea, Uma Saraswati.... and many others for their invaluable contributions to Yoga and her life.
Sundara is one of the few Senior Yogic Arts Instructors worldwide, holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Dance, is an accredited Facilitator of training teachers with the Yoga Alliance in America and has lead workshops, retreats and trainings all over the world.
To learn more about Sundara, check out her website at www.sundarayoga.org.
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