Yoga Biographies

Debbera - Debbera Blackwell founded JP YOGA in 1994, and has taught thousands of classes over the past 15 years in a variety of settings.   She obtained her first teaching certificate from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA, and studied subsequently with many internationally known teachers including Patricia Walden, Rodney Yee, and John Schumacher.   She is also a Svaroopa yoga teacher, having studied with Rama Berch at Master Yoga Academy in La Jolla, CA and in Reading, PA. Debbera is also an Embodyment yoga therapist.

Phoebe - Phoebe stumbled into Yoga. She wasn’t looking for it. But when her work with Bob Cooley, creator of Meridian Yoga, began to transform and heal her from the inside out, she experienced coming home to her true self. After 10 years of practice and studying Phoebe wanted to share the healing benefits and joys of yoga with others as an affirmation of life. She completed her Certified Teacher Training in Meridian Yoga in 1996 and is a Certified Intern in the Meridian Flexibility System and Resistance Stretching. She is also certified in Pilates Mat.
     Phoebe completed her Foundation Teacher Training in Forrest Yoga in 2006 and has completed 2 Advanced Teacher Trainings with Ana Forrest as well. Phoebe is an Associate Forrest Yoga Teacher currently finishing her requirements for certification.
     Community service – giving back – is a path to complete the healing circle. Phoebe volunteers with YOGA HOPE, an organization that brings yoga to women in recovery. A regular Yoga practice is key to a healing process that reclaims one’s self and one’s life. It means a lot to Phoebe personally to share this process with others.
     Combining studies in Kripalu, Restorative and Forrest Yoga with her teaching practice, Phoebe has been working with individuals and groups in the Boston area for 11 years. Influenced by Ana Forrest Phoebe teaches a strong class inspiring others to reach into their human potential. By attending to individual needs and injuries, Phoebe seeks to support others in this process of self-discovery as we all move towards wholeness bringing spirit, love and joy into our lives.

William - William received his yoga teacher certification from the White Lotus Foundation in 1997. He has been teaching at the YMCA since 2000. His studies include Ashtanga yoga with Richard Freeman, Iyengar yoga with Patricia Walden, and Viniyoga with Gary Kraftsow. He is a Certified Rolfer and Feldenkrais Practitioner. He has an extensive knowledge of anatomy.

William's emphasis on safety and his clear teaching style will put beginners at ease, while yogis of all levels will enjoy the contrast of challenging practice followed by deep relaxation. Regular attendance at his classes will give you a strong, healthy back, improved posture and body use, and greater ease in the neck and shoulders.

Jane - I started practicing yoga as a relief from chronic wrist pain that seemed to baffle my doctors. Yoga helped me to manage and eliminate the emotional and physical stress that was causing the pain, and it enabled me to live with a great deal more vitality and clarity. This was an unexpected benefit that altered my life dramatically, and it is what inspired me to start teaching. The practice of yoga changes the way that each of us operates in the world, and it makes a difference to everyone we interact with.

I received my certification in the Iyengar method of teaching at the Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts under the care and guidance of Eileen Muir, an amazing teacher to whom I am forever indebted. I have also trained with Rodney Yee and Dharma Mittra, and taken classes with countless other incredible teachers, all of whom have influenced my teaching. I train weekly with senior Iyengar teachers Peentz Dubble and Patricia Walden.

My classes are physically and mentally rewarding. I stress the use of props to make poses accessible to students at all levels of experience. I give detailed instructions with the characteristic Iyengar focus on proper alignment, which is deepened by my current academic training in Physical Therapy. My teaching style is calming, and I encourage using the asana practice as an act of meditation. In this class, we develop a strong understanding of our bodies, and by focusing on precision, we learn to sharpen our mental capacity for concentration, which leads to meditation.


Dorian - Dorian Rose fell in love with the energizing and therapeutic aspects of yoga when she began studying Ashtanga. Having been injured training in dance and suffering from anxiety/depression, she found joy and relief in yoga.  She wished to share this experience and completed an Ashtanga teacher training intensive with Manju Jois, son of Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. She has since explored the therapeutic and spiritual aspects of yoga studying with Sundara Doplan, Kelly Morris and others.  Currently she is finishing her Yoga Alliance certification with Bo Forbes, whose uniques style of Elemental Yoga integrates mind and body healing in therapeutic yoga flows. In her practice and teaching Dorian seeks to join breath with flow of movement to create space in mind and body.   She seeks to share her bliss in yoga in a therapeutic approach that will open your heart and strengthen your body.

Saundra - It is funny how some things seem to find us when we are ready to be found.  So it was with yoga and me.  I started practicing in 2000 and quickly noticed that after I took a class, I was left with a serene feeling of calm.  Yoga became my antidote to the demands of a trying life transition, and the more I practiced, the more I wanted to practice.  I fell in love with the simplicity and the difficulty that the different styles of yoga can present. 

I began teaching yoga in 2005.  I have taught Astanga, Power Yoga and Vinyasa Flow classes at a number of studios and gyms in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.  I enjoy challenging my students and supporting them with humor and encouragement and a sense of wonder.


Kari - Kari began practicing yoga and meditation 7 years ago in the hope of reducing anxiety and stress.  The sense of calm she attained with a simple 30-minute practice at the end of the day inspired her to make yoga a regular part of her life.  Appreciating the balance of yin and yang, Kari practices both vigorous, heat-building styles and contemplative, restoring styles of yoga.  Kari studied with Ana Forrest, completing the foundational teacher training in Forrest Yoga and with Sarah Powers, completing a teacher training in Yin Yoga.  Kari’s teaching emphasizes breath awareness; building strength; and maintaining a sense of humor.  She believes yoga can be tailored to meet each student’s physical and emotional needs.  Her motto in life and yoga is, “Do what makes you feel delicious.”
(-Stephen Cope)  Off the mat, Kari delights in the challenge of working as a mechanical engineer, investigating train collisions.

Dan - Daniel Orlansky, M.A., has taught Yoga in Boston and Europe for 16 years. He is certified in Meridian Yoga, Kali Ray TriYoga, and Kundalini Yoga, and is a graduate of the Boston Shiatsu School. His degree is in Dance Therapy, and he has been a visiting lecturer in movement studies at Tufts University. He has taught in many locations including the Kripalu Center, the Omega Institute, Mass College of Art, Interface, the Dance Complex, YogaSpirit Studios, the Waltham Athletic Club, Charles River School of Shiatsu, Finding Inner Peace Yoga Center, and the Kali Ray TriYoga Center. He is currently the co-director of several yoga teachers training programs in the New England area and teaches regularly in Germany and Austria.

Ian - Encouraged to give yoga another try in 2006, Ian found through practice something new - a greater awareness of body, mind and spirit.  His teaching is inspired by a 200-hour Training in the Yoga of Energy Flow style given by Daniel Orlansky, Carrie Tyler and Aaron Cantor.  Ian has practiced a variety of yoga forms - Anusara, Ashtanga, Hatha, Jivamukti, Kali Ray TriYoga, Kundalini, Vinyasa and Yin.
 
Joining asana, pranayama, philosophy, and music - he invites you to ‘listen’ to your inner voice and outer body as you practice.  His classes are challenging, self-awakening, and joyful. 
 
Outside of the studio, Ian has studied Medical Technology and Public Health.  He values physical fitness, emotional and spiritual wellness, and hopes you will achieve your best self-care.