I took my first hatha yoga class on the wrestling mat in the NYU gym in college and never looked back knowing I had found the connection to God and truth that had been naggingly missing thus far in my life. At 17 years old I wandered onto the mat, then off the mat, but never wandered far from the practice.  I traversed the studios of New York City and then many parts of Asia, searching for what would eventually become the practice that I love. I knew it was out there!  Early on, in my Ashtanga days, I really thought that yoga was this strict, rigid thing that was just what you DID everyday, not something that you LOVED everyday.

Then by some grace, bhakti yoga came into my life, and I felt for the first time the yoga of devotion and service and love, and all of it made sense! I learned to sing kirtan, to express my heart and prayers on the mat, and to work with my own noisy mind, directing it toward service. It accidentally leaked into my regular life. I was nicer, calmer, and more capable of seeing the beauty in all people.

The pranams: Many thanks to my first teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, for bringing it out of me upstairs at the old purple Jivamukti Yoga Center in New York in the early 1990’s. I would have given up long ago without dipping my practice in the love they started to awaken in me. Next came Beryl Bender Birch, who really brought me face to face with myself time and again, forcing me into more and more honesty in my practice. I am forever grateful for her stern but loving approach to yoga. Dana Flynn of Laughing Lotus showed up for me sometime around 1999, and she literally turned me inside-out. I had never practiced with the freedom, ecstatic grace, and deep soulful connection to all that is before she rocked my world. She first blew my mind with the idea of moving like yourself, and Jasmine Tarkeshi continues to surprise and delight my hatha yoga life as well. Around 2005, by my great good fortune, I read one of Swami B.V. Tripurari’s translations of The Bhagavad Gita, and was transformed. His wisdom, guidance, and living realization of Bhakti yoga have been illuminating the path for me ever since. I seek to serve the grace of all the teachers that have offered their generous help by extending their hand to me.

The practicals: I have been teaching in some form since 1995, and moved from NYC  to Portland in 2002. I believe in our own innate wisdom to move and flow with the rhythm of our divine breath, in exactly the way we feel we need to at any given moment in hatha yoga. Guided firmly by intelligence in anatomy and asana, and aided by a sense of adventure in the wild landscape of the heart, yoga comes alive for us as a living, dynamic practice. Sharing this colorful and ecstatic practice is what I was born to do, and every day that I get to wake up and breathe love, I am infinitely grateful. I am honored and blessed to share my vision of the ultimate yoga love-shack with you in The Bhaktishop. Thank you all for making it a reality, as well as a daily pleasure. Contact me at lisamaema@thebhaktishop.com and for Acupuncture visit sassyneedles.com.

Early on I was inspired by the ideas of seva (service) and bhakti (devotion), and I leaped into monastic life at the ripe old age of 20. I lived in ashrams in the NW and India over the next two years and had the great fortune to have bowed my head to, and taken instruction from many saints and sages.

I emerged back in the NW hoping to live a more thoughtful, progressive life centered on the incredibly profound and basic ideas of devotion and service. After eight years of yoga practice I finally knew it was time to begin my amazed journey into teaching. I've spent three years training with beloved local Hatha yoga teachers and studying asana, anatomy, pranayama and meditation.

Teaching yoga has given me new eyes to see this practice and its enlivening nature, each breath showing up as another opportunity to connect to the vast ocean of bhakti. I seek to serve and honor all of the great teachers who have helped me along the way, most importantly my guru Swami BV Tripurari, without whose words of wisdom I would be lost.

Lisa Mae adds:
“Hari-bhakti is an integral part of the Yoga School program here at The Bhaktishop. She has worked very hard in co-developing the core and philosophy curriculum for both the 200 Hour program and the 500 Hour program along with me for over six years, and her foundation in the truth of these practices as a lived experience is palpable every day. Her practical approach to these subjects is accessible and readily available to all who study with her. We are tremendously lucky to have a teacher like her to both co-lead the Yoga School Program, and as a pillar of this Yoga Center.”

Yoga first entered my life in the year 2000, via the doorway of my love for movement. At the time I was pursuing a degree in dance and movement studies, and I had no idea how dramatically these practices would change my life just a few years down the road. I have always had a keen interest in the way the world moves; its continuous oscillations filling me to the brim with wonder, inspiration, and love, and encouraging me to slow down long enough to look closer and go deeper.

As Jacob Needleman so sweetly says "All through my life I've experienced a sense of wonder that has to do with something that's out there but also touches a place within me. It feels as if I'm part of something bigger." It was when I had the good fortune of connecting with Uma Diana Hulet and Lisa Mae Osborn shortly after moving to Portland in '05, that the seeds that had been planted so long ago finally began to take root. I knew I had found my home with these women who also  happened to be incredibly gifted hatha yoga teachers, and who seemed to strike a chord in my heart in each her own way. I was introduced to the practice of kirtan (call-and-response chanting) the following spring, and have been participating in this beautiful devotional practice with Mala (our house kirtan collective) ever since. I had been cracked wide-open, and I've never looked back!

I have been teaching movement now (everything from children's dance to therapeutic private yoga classes and many things in between) since 1999. I have had the honor of being a part of The Bhaktishop Yoga Center since its inception, and I am currently enrolled in The Bhaktishop Yoga Grad School 500-hour program, as well as a part of the teaching staff for the 200-hour Yoga School program. When I am not teaching or studying yoga, I am doing my work as a licensed massage therapist, where I am able to spend valuable one-on-one time with those who are looking to find ease, balance, and wellness in their bodies.

It is my goal as a practitioner and teacher to serve and honor each individual that I encounter, whether on the mat or off, in the best and truest way that I know how. Movement of course is still endlessly fascinating to me, but it is truly the connection to Source that we may encounter while engaged in yoga practices, that has me hooked.

I bow in deep gratitude for the guidance of all of my teachers as I continue to walk this path, but most especially I am humbled and ignited by the generous teachings of Swami B.V. Tripurari, whom I have had the immeasurable blessing of encountering in this lifetime. By the grace of God I hope that I might serve others to the best of my ability, and that my sadhana (practice) and bhakti (devotion) may permeate and inhabit all aspects of my life.

Lisa Mae adds:
“Monicka is an integral part of the Yoga School program here at The Bhaktishop. She joined the team in 2012, and shares her skilled and graceful understanding of the mechanics of the body through both anatomy and asana, as well as side by side with me in Teaching Methodology. Her practical and inspired approach to movement and grace is inspiring and soft, and she is able to help guide students with that innate wisdom often reserved for those twice her age. We are tremendously blessed to have a skilled teacher like her as a co-teacher in our 200 Hour Yoga School Program, as well as one of the mainstays of our Yoga Center.”

Yoga is life-changing. Whatever the reason a student steps inside the brightly painted walls of The Bhaktishop, I see them leave transformed, even after only 1 hour of practice. This is precisely why I love to teach so much, to share this amazing practice and to watch people learn something new every time they step onto their mats. I especially find absolute joy in teaching beginners and watching their beautiful curiosity and excitement for this practice unfold.

I have been enthralled with the joys of yoga since the age of 16, when I took my first class in a high school gym. Since then, many inspired and influential teachers have shown up in my life, including (but definitely NOT limited to): Sharon Gannon and David Life of Jivamukti Yoga Center in NYC, who blew my mind in so many ways and made the practice much more than physical for me; Jai Uttal, who sings with such Bhakti sweetness and humble love and taught me to open my heart to kirtan; Nancy Schalk in Indianapolis, the sweetest, most loving teacher who continues to inspire me with her work as a Yoga Therapist; Matt Huish, who finally brought a much needed discipline and steadiness to my yoga practice in both the physical AND the spiritual aspects; and finally, Lisa Mae Osborn, along with all of the other amazing teachers at The Bhaktishop, whom I learn from every day and who remind me of the many ways in which we can approach the paths of yoga and Bhakti.

I started teaching in 2005, after a 2 year Yoga Teacher Training at the Yoga Shala of Portland. After getting a degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant n 2011, I became much more interested in the therapeutic aspects of yoga and I continue to infuse my teaching with precise anatomical alignment, while not forgetting the many facets that make this practice rich: a strong connection to breath, sound, and inner stillness. Finding this balance is something I explore at each and every class and private session, whether it be in yoga or physical therapy. My classes are always inspired by my love of nature, poetry, music, life, and sound in all forms. I am also so blessed to sing and lead kirtan with Mala, The Bhaktishop's house kirtan band, every second Sunday. I offer unending pranams to my many teachers, students and yoga family for their support, blessings and continual inspiration.

For more information, please visit my website. www.tashadanner.com

I thank God for the little sandwich board sign on the sidewalk that read "Orlando Yoga: First Class Free". That was enough to lure me in, and towards the end of class I remember having the strangest realization that I hadn't really TRULY been breathing…my whole life! Initially, I was attracted to the physical benefits of the poses and how relaxed I felt after class, but my practice waxed and waned for several years. Then in 2003 I was blessed to cross paths with teacher Jeannie Laslo, who alluded to the deeper aspects of Yoga in her classes. The more committed I became to a regular Hatha yoga practice, the more curious I was to find out about Yoga as a way of living. In 2004 I completed my teacher training with Jeannie at Red Door Yoga in Winter Park, Florida in the Integral yoga lineage. I began teaching at the studio right away, and am forever grateful to Jeannie for her support, guidance, and love.

In 2005 I moved to Portland, and have taught in Milwaukie, at Portland Community College, and through the Living Yoga program. It makes sense to me that in this beautiful city, so full of life and outside- the-box living, my own practice has grown in ways I never could have imagined. This evolution is due in large part to Lisa Mae Osborn. Lisa Mae showed me that yoga doesn't have to be a somber, serious matter. At the same time, I've never been more serious about this practice. Lisa Mae's soulful, creative style has influenced my own practice and teaching; she and the rest of the Bhaktishop crew continue to be my guides in transformation. I am forever indebted and grateful to them.

For many years I thought something was missing from life. Through my practice I've come to understand that there isn't anything missing, we've all just become really good at covering ourselves up, at getting lost. For me, Yoga is the path back home. It is this personal experience of reconnecting with Self, breath, spirit and love that informs my teaching.

Lisa Mae adds:
"Marianne is an instrumental member of our family of assistants, holding down the fort as the mistress of The Bhaktishop's Giving program. She is dedicated to seeing that the community is served in the form of donations, auctions, gifts, and immediate help from our donations program, as well as staying true to the highest vision of our Yoga Center. I am SO grateful for her thoughtful and loving approach to the seva (service) ties that hold this place so close to our heart, and her dedication makes everything easier!"

Not long ago, I was visiting with my mom on her couch when she handed me a few pages from a journal she used to keep when I was young. I was three years old on the day of this particular entry, and we laughed as we read the probing questions I was asking, such as this one that would drive my life for many years: "Mom, when I grow up, will I make sense?"

Though posed with all the depth a three-year-old can muster, not much has changed in terms of what I'm still asking and am interested in understanding. I have always been drawn toward spiritual practices and have explored a variety of spiritual traditions along my way. I spent many years being inspired by the teachings of Dr. Marilyn Sewell, who encouraged me to develop my own understanding of life and the driving force of Love as the source of it all. I was simultaneously taking yoga classes at the "big gym," but yoga didn't become a main part of my spiritual practice until stepping into The Bhaktishop in 2008.

It was here that I first encountered the idea that becoming who you are isn't always a process of adding on, but is often a process of letting go. That everything already makes sense, and my task is to discover and release all the obstacles I have put in the way of experiencing this truth. I LOVE this.

In the following months I began to change my trajectory, to make room in my life for practices that help me to turn inward, to open outward, to stay inspired, and to be of service. I was especially inspired by the use of music and mantra in class and began exploring how to integrate these into my own practice at home. I applied to The Bhaktishop’s Yoga School program to further develop and deepen my understanding of all the practices of yoga, and to study the texts from which they originate.

Following graduation from teacher training in the summer of 2009, I began teaching level 1 and 2 asana classes as well as the restful, quiet restorative class that is offered on Thursday evenings. I have also been offering classes in sign language to the Deaf community, and have so much appreciated the enthusiasm and support that has surrounded this teaching and learning experience. I am so humbled, honored and blessed to have been welcomed into the teaching family here at The Bhaktishop. I am forever grateful to Lisa Mae, Diana, and the many amazing people I have met in this community; there is no part of my life un-touched by what you have shared!

Lisa Mae adds:
"Jeannie is the manager of The Bhaktishop Yoga Center, and a seriously dedicated member of The Bhaktishop team. Her presence is an instrumental heartbeat of our studio in everything from the down-and-dirty details that no one ever sees (like making sure you have a steady supply of cookies) to helping bring The Bhaktishop's highest vision into reality, step by (often annoying) step. I LOVE that she is with us on this deeper level that makes all the difference. This is a tremendous group of skilled teachers, all of whom playfully and steadily transform together along their unique paths. I am honored to have her here, and the center is forever better for her presence and dedication."

Yoga has been a practice of coming home—home to my body, my spirituality, and to my truest self. I have spent most of my life believing in something greater; something that not only was outside of myself but that also came from within. And yet I lacked the words, knowledge, and practice to be able to understand what that might mean. When I finally started to dive deeper into the practices of yoga, slowly pieces began to merge together bringing into focus a clearer vision of what it is that I have longed for all this time.

Coming to The Bhaktishop for the first time in 2008, I immediately knew I had found a place to belong. I felt the love, warmth, and devotion that I never knew had been the missing piece from my prior years of asana practice, and quickly realized that there was a whole lot more to learn. I took my teacher training in 2009 with Lisa Mae, Uma, Hari bhakti, and Tasha at The Bhaktishop, and apprenticed with Uma following graduation. I feel truly fortunate and blessed to have found my own practice, and to have the opportunities of study that have been presented to me. As I began to venture into the practice of teaching in 2009, I discovered yet another way to learn and enliven my own study. Teaching is one of the greatest ways to learn and a wonderful blessing in my life. It informs my own practice and keeps me connected, grounded, and inspired. Some days, I honestly cannot believe how lucky I feel to be able to work in something that I am passionate about and that is so important in my own life. My style of teaching is a fun and loving devotional vinyasa flow that incorporates mantra, pranayama, and meditation. I try to infuse my classes with a mix of humor, education, love, and lightheartedness.

I continue to work towards my 500-hour certification at The Bhaktishop with Lisa Mae and many other incredible teachers. It is an honor to be a part of such an inspiring group and an amazing community of yogis. I strive to continue to study, soften, love, and bow down to all that is divine around me, knowing that all I ever needed is already within me.

When I walked into my first yoga class, I had a feeling that yoga and I would be growing old together, and after over a decade of yoga studio dabbling, I finally landed home at The Bhaktishop.  Here, my practice began to fly off of my mat and into my life.  Inspired by these changes I enrolled in The Bhaktishop School of Yoga 2011. 

Although I wasn’t attached to the idea of being a teacher at first, I fell in love with the experience of sharing yoga.  Teaching has shown me that it is not only okay, but absolutely necessary to be a perpetual student.  As I continue to study and practice the line between yoga and the rest of my life has softened and blurred, affording me the opportunity to offer up my love each day.  I feel truly blessed to be a part of this amazing community of teachers and students. 

When I was a teenager, I borrowed my sister's yoga book and locked myself in my room to try to replicate the pictures. It was almost a decade later before I was brave enough to walk into a yoga class. I took hatha and vinyasa classes for a couple of years, and then found my Iyengar-trained teacher Anne Adams. Over four years, Anne matter-of-factly taught me how to go about the messy, scary business of opening and changing. Yoga continues to awaken dormant parts in me.

Kirtan brought me to The Bhaktishop, and as I found my voice, I also embraced the generosity and joy of the flowing asana at The Bhaktishop. Finally, I took a deep breath and enrolled in The Bhaktishop Yoga School of 2011, led by my dear teachers Lisa Mae, Uma, and Hari-bhakti. After just a few weeks, I shed my unfulfilling job and began the full-time work of blossoming into a new way of living, with wholly different priorities. I continue to enthusiastically study, now in the 500-hour Graduate Program at The Bhaktishop.

Finding and honoring the connections among everything—to be that vulnerable and willing is the most worthwhile endeavor I can imagine for myself. That's where I want to surrender, and yoga is my means. Skilled, caring yoga teachers showed me how yoga can be a tool for transformation. Now, the best way I can imagine to honor my teachers and express my gratitude is to pass on what was given to me and what I continue to receive.

Yoga has been in and out of my life since a Kundalini Yoga class I took in college. It wasn't until I moved to Portland and dove into an alignment based Astanga Yoga practice with Timo Jimenez that I started to live my practice. I just could stop. I was attending the National College of Naturopathic Medicine at the time, studying an emphasis in Midwifery and Women's health, and I graduated in 2003. As I began to apprentice as a midwife I decided to get training in Pre-natal and Post-Partum yoga. I was fortunate to have found Collette Crawford at her Holistic Prenatal program in Seattle, WA., where she taught me the nuts and bolt of these special gifts of yoga to women, but also about the importance of empowering mothers. Anyone can teach poses, but as it is with any yoga class, it is what happens inside that matters most. I began to teach Pre-natal and Post-partum yoga classes in 2001, building an amazing community of Mamas at the SE Yoga Shala, and have been fortunate to remain involved in the Portland birth community.

As for my own study and practice, I have taken classes throughout Portland over the years but my heart (and my love of how the body works) always brings me back to Lisa Mae Osborn and the community that is The Bhaktishop Yoga Center. I finished the 200hr teacher training at the Bhaktishop in 2012 and am now taking classes in the 500 Hour Program there are well. I am so excited to be joining all the amazing teachers at The Bhaktishop, to share what I love with the community I love.

Lisa Mae adds: "I have been a huge fan of Shana since we first met and bonded over 10 years ago, and for years have yearned to offer her a forum to share her love, passion, and skills with The Bhaktishop Community. At long last, the stars have aligned and we get to offer the community this jewel of a teacher and person, and we are all simply delighted! She is skilled and tender, compassionate and capable, both as a pre-natal teacher and a hatha yoga teacher. We are also currently in the development stages of a Pre-natal teacher training program as well, so stay tuned for that within the year. A huge, warm, loving Bhaktishop welcome to Shana!"