| Photo | Bio |
 | Heather Principe
Program Director YTT 200, 500, Polarity, BS, ed., PWE, RPP
Heather has been teaching yoga for over 25 years. Heather is owner and founder of The Yoga and Polarity Center, a center for teaching Yoga, Subtle Energy Healing Arts including Polarity and Pranic Healing, and Energetic Listening Skills for Bodyworkers. She is on the staff of the New Seminary, The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and runs retreats worldwide in all forms of Energetic Healing.
Style: Hatha |
 | Jane McQueen
200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor
Seeking relief from lower back and knee pain, Jane's life was transformed through yoga over 11 years ago. “My personal experience with the potential healing power of yoga placed me on a path that has dramatically improved my overall health and happiness. As a breast cancer survivor my daily practice has brought peaceful relief in the midst of daily changes”. Jane is currently working as a yoga therapist and yoga teacher. Jane also teaches students in the Teacher Training Program at both the 200 and 500 hour level. Her work empowers people to manage their current condition, reduce suffering and to attain optimal wellness. Jane's accreditations include: certified Yoga Therapist by The American Viniyoga Institute, Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (500 Hour Level), B.S. in Physical Education, and a M.A. in Health Education.
Style: Viniyoga |
 | Anu Butani
Program Teacher
200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor
Anu Butani is a 500 hours certified Hatha Yoga Teacher. She teaches Iyengar Style sequencing method of yoga and her classes are based on individual student levels. With the help of props she holds space for each student to connect to their own energetic alignment of the body, mind and soul. She teaches Level 1 and Level 2 classes. Experience YOGA NIDRA in her class once a week. Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness, quietness and clarity. It is one of the deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of process to a state of supreme stillness and insight. Anu is a compassionate and inspirational teacher. She intuitively knows those students who are unsure, skilled or need support. She makes everyone feel that it is just the right place for them; to be in the present moment. The warmth of her voice is quieting and reassuring, as she shares with them a unique life-giving experience. Besides teaching the alignment of the physical body in postures, she teaches the union of the body and the mind in Pranayama. The flow of energy creates an open space in the body to become Present in the Mind.
Her Daily Quote…..PRACTICE SILENCE, FOR THE VOICE OF GOD CAN BE HEARD IN THE REGION OF THE HEART WHEN THE SPEECH IS SILENT….Sathya Sai Baba
Style: Iyengar |
 | Parameswari Frenkel (Mindy)
Program Teacher 200 and 500 hours
Mindy Frenkel graduated from the Yoga Zone Teacher Training with Alan Finger in 2002 and completed her 500 hours in 2005. She has been a devoted practitioner and teacher since 2000. She is a Reiki Master and has been trained in Polarity Therapy and Thai Massage. For Mindy, Yoga has been a transformational and healing practice and this is what motivated her to share this path with others. She continues to deepen her experience through the study of various styles of yoga including Ashtanga and Jivamukti and Nada Yoga as well as studying inspirational and spirtual texts. She is currently studying Sanskrit, chanting and meditation with her Guru, Manorama. Her teaching of yoga is steeped with an intensive background of yogic studies. Mindy brings a down-to-earth approach to her inspirational yoga classes. There is a high level of integrity and maturity to her graceful teaching style. You will find her classes challenging, informative, worshipful and fun! Visit Mindy's website: http://metro-yogi.com/
The path of Yoga is a journey and not a destination. It is my goal to help other’s access the teacher within.
Om shantih
Style: Vinyasa |
 | Diana Slattery
200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor
Diana has walked for many years with one foot in the traditional medical model as an occupational therapist, and the other in the contemplative practices of yoga, Buddhism, and meditation. She is passionate about learning how to intelligently blend the best of these “two worlds”, bringing a truly holistic, accessible and joyful approach to those she works with. Diana is on the yoga teacher training faculty at The Yoga & Polarity Center at the 200- and 500- hour levels. She is also of the teaching faculty and board of directors for the School for Compassionate Action, a non-for-profit organization in NYC that teaches yoga instructors and health care providers alike how to safely and effectively bring yoga and Buddhist meditation into underserved and untraditional settings, especially health care facilities. Please visit her website at www.dancingsunyoga.com.
Style: Hatha |
 | Gary Pfleger
500 Hour RYT, RPP
Gary is a registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level. He is a Registered Polarity Educator and an advanced Reiki Practitioner giving him an experiential understanding of the physical, energetic and mental bodies. All of his training and experience has opened a flow of energies within him and given him a deepened understanding of the human experience that he integrates into his Hatha Yoga classes. Gary teaches an eclectic blend that includes elements of the sequencing method and breathing practices of Viniyoga, and the attention to alignment of the Iyengar method. With his mindfully paced teaching rhythm, students can fully experience the postures in a relaxed and steady way. Gary’s intention is to assist you in finding your own state of balance, as well as developing a toned and flexible muscular skeletal system. Within that healthy state, your own personal intentions can be nurtured and grow to realization.
Style: Hatha |
 | Marguerite Westbrook
200 Hour RYT
Marguerite Westbrook has practiced yoga for three decades. She completed her teacher certification training in 2005, and is a registered member of the International Yoga Alliance. Marguerite has been teaching several classes a week at various locations on Long Island, as well as teaching private yoga classes. Marguerite is dedicated to the healing art and practice of yoga and continues her study by attending workshops, classes, conferences and extensive reading. Her classes use physical movement connected with breath at a moderate pace to allow time for inner reflection and observation. Her class consists of seasoned yogis and students who are newer to the art. She encourages her students to incorporate yoga into their daily lives through self-awareness and acceptance. In Marguerite's class students stretch and strengthen their bodies, calm their minds and nourish their spirits. Marguerite believes that the yoga practice leads to more awareness, balance and serenity.
Style: Hatha
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 | Mary Clare Chiofalo
MaryClare Chiofalo has been practicing yoga for over a decade, taking her first yoga class at the Yoga Polarity Center. Yoga classes led to Polarity sessions which lead to Training and Practitioner courses. MaryClare is a 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher as well as a Registered Polarity Practitioner. While MaryClare’s classes are both fun and relaxed, they are also meditative and focused on fluid movement and its connection breathe. “Yoga and Polarity have changed my life, making me a more centered, more aware person. My passion is sharing these gifts with others for their highest good and healing.” Visit MaryClare’s website: www.FiveElementsWellness.com
Style: Vinyasa and Hatha
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 | Luciana Biondi
500 Hour RYT, RPP
Luciana Biondi has been teaching yoga for nearly a decade. She began to practice yoga because of a lower back problem. Luciana came to see that aside from fixing her back problem, yoga made her stronger, leaner and more flexible than she had ever been before. Luciana loves to share what she knows about yoga and life with her students. Luciana’s classes help to bring her students into the present moment with breath awareness and centering. Luciana’s class is designed to help open joints, stretch muscles and strengthen your body slowly.
Style: Ashtanga/Hatha |
 | Sandy Carrion
200 Hour
Sandy Carrion began practicing yoga as a way to keep fit. She found her practice gave her much more than expected. Aches and pains began to fade while strength and flexibility surpassed her expectations. She recently completed her training and is a registered yoga teacher at the 200 hour level. She began her study with Kim Zawacki at the Yoga and Polarity Center and continues to study with Jane McQueen and Anu Butani also of Malverne. Sandy’s approach to yoga is in the Viniyoga tradidition emphasizing a strong connection of breath to the movement. She continues to advance her knowledge by attending workshops and maintaining a personal practice. Her classes are geared toward individual’s needs and intentions. In addition to yoga, she served as department chairperson and District coordinator of art for 32 years and is currently teaching photography at Nassau Community College. She is an exhibiting artist and finds strong links between yoga and photography. Using yoga principles to calm the mind, Carrion turns to her cameras to unite both practices into one.
Style: Viniyoga |
 | Marianne Bochilo
500 Hour RYT
Marianne Bochilo is a Bhaki yogini. Along with holding her RYT 500 Certification with Yoga Alliance, she holds Certifications in Yoga for Breast Cancer survivors from OM Yoga and Therapeutic Yoga through the Integral Yoga Institute. Her training continues as she just completed her training in Thai Yoga Massage. A mother of three who earned her BBA from Hofstra University in 1990. Marianne is also a former ACE certified Fitness instructor. As a member of the St. Agnes Cathedral Adult Choir Chorale; Marianne holds an affinity for chanting Sutra and her classes center on opening the heart to bring peace and balance.Visit Marianne's website: http://web.me.com/peacefulyogini/Site/
Style: Hatha & Vinyasa |
 | Elizabeth Ferrara
500 Hour RYT, RPP
Lizzie's personal journey has led her through both the yoga (at the 200 hour level and the 500 hour level) and polarity programs (Registered Polarity Practitioner). Lizzie’s intention to provide a safe environment for a wide range of student to experience Restorative/Gentle Yoga, Deep Relaxation and highly intentioned Polarity Education comes to fruition at the Yoga & Polarity Center. This class is designed to allow ones’ body to (perhaps once again) feel safe in movement and in rest. Gentle, restorative yoga serves many masters: the novice who is concerned about flexibility and stamina will be able to coax new movement and gain new connection; the sometime yogi will value the slow, gentle stretching and connection to breath that will entice them to be more present in their practice; and the serious yogi will enjoy the reminder that yoga is about union and honoring the Self.
It is essential for the follower of the yoga journey to understand the need for integration and balance… BKS Iyengar
Style: Gentle
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 | Lisa Ries
Lisa Ries grew up in the fitness industry and began teaching classes when she was fifteen years old. Her yoga practice began gradually: at a Mind-Body Conference in Santa Fe; with a book on a rooftop in Tucson; in a small studio with Adrienne Samuels in Long Beach. Eventually, an inwardly geared exploration merged with group instruction. Her study is highly eclectic, including a Power Flex Yoga certification, years of classes at Laughing Lotus in NYC and innumerable workshops with established instructors from a range of disciplines. Her own classes, primarily vinyasa, blend precision with freestyle. They focus on the symbolic resonance of the ancient asanas -- yoga as an inquiry into the soul. Teaching yoga has shown her the beauty of each individual’s expression of the art of yoga; meditation has offered a sense of deep interconnection. Basically, it’s the love of the practice, and fascination with all of its aspects, that compels her. She is proud to be a part of the yoga community based in Malverne here at the Yoga and Polarity Center.
Style: Vinyasa
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 | Dale McInerney
200 Hour RYT
Dale is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired science teacher and understands the stresses and pressures of work and family life. Her yoga practice helps her attempt to balance it all. She hopes to bring that same sense of balance and focus to her students. She offers a gentle Viniyoga style class emphasizing linking breath to movement, teaching her students to be mindful of their own body and present with the limitations of the moment. Dale believes that yoga can help you to gain flexibility, build strength and balance; and learn to honor your unique body, mind and spirit. Her classes include conscious breathing and guided meditations.
Style: Gentle |
 | Tracey O’Donnell
500 Hour RYT
Tracey O’Donnell RYT-500hr, KKYT, has been practicing and studying various styles of yoga and eastern arts for the past 15 years. She is trained in the Krishnamacharya lineage. Vinyasa flow classes blend elements of Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Viniyoga into a dynamic experience. Classes are challenging but possible for students of all levels. A lighthearted and sensible approach is taken with emphasis on developing mindfulness through pranayama and asana practice. Tracey loves the practice of yoga for the peacefulness and clarity of mind that comes from the breath flowing freely in the body. Off the mat, Tracey is a Commodities Credit Analyst for an International Bank and has a Masters Degree in Feng Shui.
Style: Vinyasa |
 | Wendy Kaufman-Harper
Polarity Instructor, CSW, RPP
Wendy Kaufman-Harper is devoted to the the practice of the western spiritual arts of life and healing through alignment and sacred reciprocity with our creator. Wendy chose her initial training and profession in classical theatre to understand the gifts of the imaginal world, to develop the ability to shapeshift energetically, and to gain a broader perspective of the human condition. Wendy received her Masters in Social Work 15 years ago from NYU and has since deepened her clinical work with the study of Polarity, Enstatic Kabbalah, Hermeticism and the Pachakuti Mesa of Peru. Her belief in the connectedness of all things has taught her that when we achieve inner balance on a personal level we can deeply affect balance externally on a global and macrocosmic plane. Wendy feels very grateful to be able to share what she has learned through the teaching of Polarity. She currently has a private practice in New York City. |
 | Gary B. Strauss
Polarity Master Instructor, MS, RPP, PWE
Gary continues to inspire the healing arts community with his approach to well being restoration, honoring the wisdom within and instruction through alignment. His crafted method of Holding Space™ for the client, classroom and practitioner, has stemmed from 30 plus years of experience in energy medicine, nutrition, and natural healing. Those related walk away with an empowerment so personal and self sewn; it’s as if Gary has known them all their lives. He is an incredible and articulate intuitive whose presence and openness allows for transformation, regardless of the relationship. Just ask the thousands he has trained and mentored internationally and in the U.S. His Polarity Therapy and Cranial Sacral Unwinding programs are offered through The Institute of Psycho-Strucural Balancing (IPSB, Los Angeles), The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA, Arizona) The Energy Open Center (Kobe, Japan) and The Open Center (NYC). |
 | Francine White
500 Hour RYT
Fran has completed a 500 hr yoga teacher training certification from the Yoga and Polarity Center in Malverne, N.Y. She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. Fran found her way to yoga after suffering from back and knee injuries. Prior to yoga she was a competitive runner and triathlete. Yoga has helped her injuries, but more importantly has helped her find some peace. Yoga started out as a daily physical practice and now it has become her way of life. As a devoted student and practitioner she would like to share what she has learned with the hopes that others can experience yoga in their lives. Under the guidance of Anu Butani, she was mentored in the Iyengar style of yoga. “Focusing on alignment and balance in our bodies will also help to bring alignment and balance into our lives".
“Regular practice of yoga can help you face the turmoil of life with steadiness and stability.” - B.K.S. Iyengar
Style: Iyengar |
 | Dianne Condon
200 Hour RYT
A fitness enthusiast for nearly two decades, Dianne deepened her Yoga practice after a serious bike accident caused her to slow down and look inward. Dianne completed her 200 hour teacher training at the Yoga and Polarity Center and started teaching classes based on the concept of "stretching and strenghening" with a few laughs thrown in for good measure! As the mother of four sons, Dianne helps to blend the strength of body and mind that yoga brings with a calmness and clarity to navigate the chaos of life. Her classes will help you do the same.
Style: Hatha |
 | Stephanie Cleary
Stephanie has been teaching yoga since 2000. She completed a Yoga/Veda teacher training at the Queens Yoga Institute under the guidance of Kris Lanzaro. She also completed Kundalini teacher training under the guidance of Ravi Singh. Stephanie has completed workshops with Dharma Mittra, Alana Kaivalya, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Maty Ezraty and others. She is a certified Helix Practitioner: Counseling adults in spiritual psychotherapy. Stephanie is a Reike Master. She is currently completing her certification in Waldorf early childhood education. Stephanie teaches an energetic vinyasa class with a concentration on breath linking the body mind and spirit. A consistent yoga practices improves flexibility and strength, it de-stresses and focuses the mind and connects you to your higher self.
Style: Vinyasa
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 | Jack Cleary
Jack Cleary has been teaching since 2004. He completed the Yoga/Veda teacher training at the Queens Yoga Institute under the guidance of Kris Lanzaro. He has completed workshops with Dharma Mittra, Richard Freeman, Alana Kaivalya and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. He is also a certified Helix Practitioner: Counseling adults in spiritual psychotherapy. Jack was a college athlete that found yoga through an injury and has been a dedicated practitioner ever since. Jack teaches an energetic vinyasa class with a concentration on breath linking the body mind and spirit. The question I ask students after class, is not what did you think, but how do you feel?
Style: Vinyasa
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 | Eileen McKenna
200 Hour RYT
Eileen is a certified as a RYT-200hr practitioner and has been practicing yoga for the past eight years. Eileen teaches Iyengar style and children’s yoga and will be working with Diana Slattery to develop a children’s yoga program at the center. In addition to teaching yoga, Eileen is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist. Eileen has worked for the past twenty-five years helping individuals of all age groups achieve a healthy diet and lifestyle. For Eileen, the pursuit of certification as a Yoga practitioner has enhanced her nutrition practice. Her yoga teaching offers her clients the opportunity to go beyond the benefits of healthy lifestyles by adding spirituality and inner peace. Eileen also aims to help her clients find relief from many life stressors. Yoga helped Eileen find acceptance, compassion and joy in one of most difficult stressors: parenting a special needs child and the brother of a special needs child. She hopes to help other parents deal with these same stressors through her teaching.
Style: Iyengar |
 | Geetha Narasimhan
PT, 500 Hour RYT
I am a physical therapist with 30+ years of experience working with adults and children. I am a registered yoga instructor at the 500 hour and teach an eclectic style of Vinyasa/Hatha (flow) and Restorative Yoga. In my class we will focus on Pranayam (breath work) as we learn to align the physical body through Asanas (poses) thus bringing the mind and the body together.
That is the true meaning of yoga.Yoga has brought me a deep sense of calmness, well-being and peace and I want to share the tremendous benefits yoga has to offer for the physical body and for the mind. I want my students to learn to listen to their bodies and develop an intuitive feeling for being present and find peace. As Yogacharya BKS Iyengar says in his book “Light on Yoga” “Words cannot convey the true value of yoga. It has to be experienced."
Style: Gentle |
 | Patty Maraldo
RYT
Patty Maraldo is the Director of Pilates for EVERY Body. She holds a BFA in Dance Education from Marymount Manhattan College and Pilates and yoga certifications with many other certifications. Patty has appeared in and is a contributing writer for The New York Times, Strong Magazine, New Living and Long Island Woman Magazines. She has been featured on network television including FOX channel 5, CBS channel 2, CBS's Eye on America and Cablevision’s channel 12. Through Pilates for EVERY Body, Patty strives to to introduce the technique, grace, true courtesy and dignity of ballet, Pilates and yoga into the fitness world and hopes to be able to offer an all-encompassing perspective influenced by the discipline of dance, the collaborative qualities of theatre, the diligence of business management and the open-minded approach of working with a variety of populations.
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 | Jenya Raytses
500 Hour RYT
Jenya emigrated from Ukraine into USA in 1992. After working in several unsatisfying jobs, Jenya wanted to explore his spiritual curiosity. He traveled extensively through SouthEast Asia and India, began practicing Vipassana meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, started regularly attending retreats and completed a yearlong comprehensive Dharma study course as well as a Thai massage certification. In 2011, Jenya became a Certified Advanced Jivamukti Teacher, completing his 300-hour training.
Style: Jivamukti |
 | Linda Babolcsay
200H RYT
Linda, who is registered with the Yoga Alliance, received her 200 hour training through the Yoga and Polarity Center in Malverne where she is currently pursuing her 500 hour teacher training. Linda first started practicing yoga four years ago and immediately felt its life changing power; spiritually, emotionally and physically. She was drawn to the beauty of how yoga brings us deep within ourselves to find who we truly are. As a Clinical Social Worker and Addictions Counselor for over 16 years, she approaches each student with compassion, intuitive understanding and acceptance. She has a strong belief that one can overcome obstacles and transcend to a life full of gratitude, joy, and courage. What is learned on the yoga mat translates to fearlessness, confidence and empowerment.
Style: Hatha |
 | Tina Lear
200H RYT
I’ve studied yoga off and on for 20 years, and recently completed my 200-hour certification as a yoga teacher. I’m a singer/songwriter by trade, and also compose music and lyrics for musical theatre. My practice explores Hatha Yoga in a new way, by blending buddhist principles with the physical asanas, increasing a mindful and compassionate connection with the body. I also love working with metaphor and imagination. We think wholeness it out there somewhere, and that we have to work hard to get to it. But it’s actually within us, all the time…just waiting for us to click our ruby slippers together and come home to ourselves. The power of the mind combined with the commitment to a physical practice can bring us to wholeness when we remember this. Beginners welcome!
Style: Hatha |
 | Sharon Epstein
500H RYT
Sharon Epstein is a Yoga Teacher, Nationally Registered Dance Movement Therapist since 1989 and a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. Sharon continually builds and broadens her knowledge, skills and experience in working with the body/mind/spirit paradigm. As a yoga teacher, Sharon received her 300 hour level training from Laughing Lotus, NYC (2012) and her 200 hour training at the Yoga and Polarity Center of Malverne, Long Island (2007). She has additional training in prenatal yoga and yoga for kids.
Style: Vinyasa |
 | Jean Treglia
200H RYT
I come from a Kundalini background and incorporate different styles in my teaching. I look forward to sharing this passion with you that has truly brought me inner peace. Jean’s accreditations include: Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (200 Hour Level). She is continuing her yoga teacher training at the Yoga Polarity Center working towards the 500 hour level certification. She has a BSW and is currently pursuing her MSW at Stony Brook University.
Style: Kundalini |
 | Bridget Boyd
200H RYT
My journey with yoga began with a desire to get a "yoga butt", as they
say. I quickly discovered my practice was going to give me much more
than just that. Inspiration. Joy. Peace. Acceptance. Compassion.
Balance. Stillness. Strength. Through my four years of practice and
200 hour teacher training experience I have learned to nourish these
qualities in my self. My hope is to continue this process of growth,
to share with students, to learn from students and to spread the love
in whatever way possible! I am currently registered with Yoga
Alliance as a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher, and continuing to
pursue my 500 hour training at the Yoga Polarity Center. Previously
an elementary school teacher, I changed career paths to pursue my
passion for yoga, to deepen my practice in order to create a dynamic
class experience. Through meditation, modification of asanas, and
awareness of breath I will create a challenging yet peaceful yoga
experience that can be carried out into your daily life. All levels
are welcome. To find out more information please visit my website at
http://shineonyoga.wordpress.com/
Style: Hatha |
 | Heidi Donner
200 Hour RYT
Heidi began her practice of yoga in 2008 as a way to improve her physical strength and flexibility. What she didn’t expect was the positive and awakening effect it would have on her mind and spirit. She was hooked after her first class and her passion grew steadily, leading her to continually deepen her practice with various teachers and ultimately enroll in the YPC 200 hour teacher training program becoming a registered Yoga Alliance teacher. Heidi hopes to share her passion and love of yoga with her students, providing a physically safe yet challenging experience that is spiritually joyful!
Style: Vinyasa |