Each instructor is a certified hatha yoga professional. Our teachers are highly respected and well-educated in various styles of yoga. More importantly, they have personalized the practice to incorporate their own studies, and classes will reflect this dynamic quality.
Instructors
Allison Waguespack: Allison Waguespack is a Vinyasa Flow Yoga teacher. She completed her comprehensive teacher training and certification in San Francisco with renowned Ashtanga Teacher, Larry Shultz in 2005. She has also studied with many Yoga masters including David Swenson, Shiva Rae, Rodney Yee and Sarah Powers. In her seven years of experience, she has taught all skill levels and ages from young children through senior citizens in San Francisco, South Florida, and New York.
Ani Laura Hadjian: Ani first discovered the transformative power of yoga some twenty years ago, working behind the desk at the then Santa Monica Dance and Exercise studio. After moving to Manhattan to work as a reporter, she began to study more seriously, better appreciating the many dimensions physical yoga offers.
Drawn, in particular, to the power of joining the breath, movement and attention, she made a journey to study Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore, South India with K. Pattabhi Jois in 1999. Back in New York, she explored other styles in the Krishnamacharya lineage, becoming a Certified YogaTeacher under Govinda Kai, David Hollander and Michael Gilbert. She furthered her training with YogaWorks, completing their Teacher Intensive, and also becoming certified in Baby OM.
Ani has been teaching yoga in Manhattan and Westchester since 2004, incorporating a friendly and accessible approach to help students tap into their potential. Her eclectic teaching style draws from the lineages of TKV Desikichar, B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois, focusing on correct alignment, the use of the breath and flow and internal awareness to uncover the highest within. She thanks all her teachers, in particular Greg Tebb, for their guidance.
Catie Newman: Catie's classes are meant to warm-up the body and soul so to unite and relax both mind and body. I concentrate on linking each breath to every movement in my Vinyassa flow classes while adding some core work influenced by Joseph Pilates beginner and intermediate mat sequences. I like to keep my classes light and fun so I can engage more with my students on a personal level so by the end of class, I've become more than their yoga instructor but a friend and a mentor. Part of what I have come to love about being a yoga teacher is just that - caring for people on their road to a better self.
Erinn Cayehal Chang: Erinn brings 30 years of personal practice and more than 6,000 hours of experience instructing group classes, private clients, and workshops since 2005. She crafts each class uniquely with an intention or theme that melds anatomy and philosophy, and is known for an intense presence of spirited energy, light-hearted sincerity, and infectious dedication to yoga. She blends various styles of yoga for engaging classes of creative sequencing, detailed and inspiring directives, and hands-on adjustments that encourage students to discover personal depths of practice.
Erinn completed a Yoga Alliance 200-hour certification at Kripalu Center, and has since accumulated over 500 hours of training in Anusara, meditation, vinyasa, restorative, youth, pre-natal, hot, and philosophy. Additionally, she has been a devoted student of Bikram yoga for eight years. Introduced to yoga as a child, Erinn's yoga practice continues to evolve through all ages and phases of life. The profound and transformational experiences of yoga reached far beyond the physical realm and inspired her to become a teacher and dedicate herself professionally to the path of yoga. Yoga and meditation are not only been a part of her daily life, but the pillars of her existence. Erinn believes that sharing the empowering practice of yoga with students is a joyful honor.
Fran Sperling, Skybody Float Yoga: Fran Sperling has spent over 30 years in the performing arts, beginning with her interest in theatre with her most notably performance as Sarah in Matty Rich’s film, Straight Out of Brooklyn. Her circus career took flight when she became the topmounter of a two-woman acrobatic duo. Acrobrats traveled worldwide and performed for Donald Trump, Patricia Birch, Lincoln Center’s Little Orchestra Society and Out of Doors Festival, Big Apple Circus, MTV, new world circuses and festivals, corporate events and for an educational program they created- teaching children about equilibristics.
As an aerialist, Fran has performed on trapeze, double trap, lyra, rope, and Spanish web. Her credits include Late Night with David Letterman, Bindlestiff Circus, Big Apple Circus, the Zipper Theatre’s Above the Belt, Streb, Zampirla Circus and the spider in Alessandra Belloni’s various adaptations of Tarantella; Spiderdance-- most recently directed by Jeff Whiting. Fran performed in this past New Year’s Eve Phish concert in Madison Square Garden. The aerial show, above the 20,000 fans, and stage show was conceived by David Gallo, with choreography by Lisa Shriver (currently of Jesus Christ Superstar fame).
Fran started her own company 4 years ago. Skybody System is a fitness fusion of aerial artistry, conditioning and yoga. Her signature FIERCE and FLOAT® classes are licensed into facilities, and she teaches classes in NYC out of Manhattan Movement and Arts Center and Bridge for Dance. Her classes have been seen on Live with Kelly and Regis, TV Guide Network, Good Morning America and have been hailed by NY Magazine, Time Out, German Glamour Business and Vogue, Self, the NY Post and Vital Juice online. She is a certified personal trainer, ISHTA Yoga instructor, Thai yoga practitioner, Acro yoga performer and instructor, and Yamuna Body Rolling Practitioner.
Karen Young: Karen is a passionate yoga instructor who focuses on proper alignment and energy channeling. She studied with the legendary Tao Porchon-Lynch, a student of BKS Iyengar, and holds a Master of Public Health degree with a specialization in health education and nutrition. After ten years of coping with chronic pain due to ruptured discs and stress, Karen found yoga, and now enjoys a virtually pain free life. Karen believes that “yoga removes obstacles from our true path, leading us to the abundant health, happiness, and dream realization that we all deserve.” With nurturing (and sometimes comedic) instruction, her students find her positivity and energy contagious. As a blogger and nutrition geek, she shares her plant strong recipes with the world on KarenYoungYoga.com, KrisCarr.com, and EatCleanDiet.com.
Isabella Cannizzaro : Forrest Yoga changed my life. The first class made an immediate impact on my body and I felt how real it was. I started working in a yoga studio and shortly afterwards I went to Seattle to study Forrest Yoga with its creator, Ana Forrest. I have been teaching ever since. After completing the Foundation Course, I joined the Mentorship Program and studied under Erica Mather, Forrest Guardian for a year in New York.
Kristine Gerber: Kristine facilitates a strong as well as healing interactive flow in her Vinyasa classes. She has a Modern Dance background from Bennington College and She completed her 200 hr teacher training in 2008 under Cyndi Lee at OM in NYC. You can expect an evenly blended class of challenging sequencing, mixed with dharma talk and meditation. Kristine is also studying to become a psychologist, has a very approachable demeanor and makes connections with her students that opens them, keeps them motivated and gain deep self acceptance.
Michelle Low: As a child in China Michelle began her training as a ballet and modern dancer where her love for movement was founded. She began her yoga tutelage under Duncan Wong, a world-renowned master, and completed her 500 hour teacher training at Y+ Yoga Center in Shanghai.
Michelle quickly became one of the most highly sought after yoga teachers in China. Her teaching is inspired by many different styles of yoga, and her background in modern dance keeps these classes dynamic and fun.
Michelle focuses on precise alignment to maximize core power and stability. She supports the individual needs of her students allowing them to find their personal power. As you master breathing, moving and meditation you leave with a quiet mind feeling satisfied and alive.
Mike Sheriden Michael has been assisting students reach their fitness goals for 12 years, and helping enjoy their yoga
experience for 5 and ½ years. As an ACE certified personal trainer, I have created Core and Fitness
based toning classes, and I specialize in Core, Balance and Assisted Stretching.
As a Yoga Instructor Michael has taught hot yoga 26 for over 5 years, and Vinyasa for over 2 years. I focus on alignment ,attention to details, and helping you integrate the pose structure into your body. Doing poses the correct way is a truly enlightening feeling, grounding you and helping you find more personal power, length, and openness you likely didn’t know you possessed!
Ashtanga Yoga and then Hot Yoga helped me overcome ailments and limitations in my spine and hips. I began Ashtanga in 2004, then Hot Yoga and Warm Vinyasa in 2006.
I took my 100 hour hot yoga certification in 2007 and 200 hour Vinyasa RYT certification from New York Yoga with Michael Gilbert and Jenny Gammello in 2009. I have been happily teaching yoga in Rockville Centre, Bayside, and in Long Island. And I look forward to my new experiences and yogi’s in Tarrytown as we journey together.
I look forward to meeting you in class, and flowing together.
Natthanan Junthongpipat (Nat): Nat is a certified Bikram Yoga instructor from Spring Teacher Training 2006. Since then she has been teaching yoga in New York, Manila and Bangkok.Yoga has always been a resource for her and helped her realize how important it is to nurture body, mind and spirit, and to develop a sense of well-being. Yoga is her way of life and is the way she takes care of herself. During her pregnancy, practicing yoga proved essential in staying strong and healthy throughout those months, helping her deal with the physical and emotional changes that occur during and after pregnancy. In addition to her own practice, the wonderful experience of practicing yoga with her newborn babyafter the delivery brought her a new joy and added a new dimension to her practice and teaching - Yoga and the inspiration of new life. Nat is also certified to teach Prenatal,Baby Om, and yoga for children. Nat and her family recently moved to Tarrytownand she is very happy to be part of the yoga community here, and to share her love and experience of yoga at Riverstone.
Patricia Fischer Donohue: Patricia began her teaching career as a Bikram Certified Instructor in 2002. She teaches with purity, straight from the heart, her classes are demanding, thoughtful and fun. From her early years as a hot yoga devotee, Patricia now teaches and practices many different yoga disciplines and is an E- RYT-500 registered instructor.
Patty Broderick: Patty completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training through Yoga Works and has been a practitioner of Hatha yoga for over 6 years.
The emphasis of her teaching style is on alignment and breath work. Both components together allow the body to practice the asanas safely and with stability, so students can remain present to release and move deeper into the pose. She believes that when we give ourselves a chance to release, our body can begin to heal itself of the stress and tension that we all have in our lives.
Patty attributes her personal asana practice with helping her heal her heart and soul from her daughters’ battle with cancer at the age of two. Her daughter is now healthy and strong. She now wants to take what she has learned to help others heal through yoga, since we all walk around with experiences that need healing.
Suzanne Braden: Moving from a career in traditional healthcare to becoming a Bikram Method Yoga Instructor in 2002 led me on a journey that today encompasses a holistic approach to yoga, yoga therapy, nutrition and wellness in general.
Following Yoga Teacher Training, I was certified in Thai Yoga Therapies and subsequently as a Nutrition and Wellness Coach. My eclectic background in traditional healthcare, yoga, bodywork and nutrition enables me to see my students in a unique, "wholistic" perspective. I specialize in one-on-one instruction, therapy and consulting... working with those who face challenges in their pursuit of a rewarding yoga practice or healthier lifestyle. The joy in my life comes from helping my students, clients, and loved ones find more balance in theirs!
Victoria Ramos: Victoria's journey into the yoga practice began at the Jivamukti studio in the East Village in 1990. Ten years later she was certified by Cyndi Lee at Om Yoga and has been teaching in New York City and Westchester studios since. She is also certified in pre-natal yoga trauma-sensitive yoga and Somatic Healing. Victoria is known for her deep knowledge, and visual imagery (no surprise as she holds a degree from Pratt in photography). She teaches vinyasa flow classes from all levels from beginner to advanced with a strong commitment to alignment. She currently studies with one of the master teachers on alignment, Genny Kapuler of the Iyengar Institute in New York. She is the creator of AjnaYoga.
