InstructorsStudio Yoga Instructors
In 1999, Amye moved to New Jersey from New York City and found Studio Yoga. Always on the go, she began practicing Iyengar yoga, got married and had two beautiful children, then decided teaching was something she very much desired. Teaching since 2006, Amye is currently completing her 500 hour teaching certification in Iyengar Yoga with Theresa Rowland. Amye enjoys teaching prenatal and open level Iyengar yoga classes. Teaching in an accessible way that is appropriate for beginners and intermediate practitioners alike, there is an emphasis on non-competition, listening to your own body and using props to the students fullest advantage. She loves seeing the progress people make even after a few weeks.
Amy Hamilton is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor with over thirty years of teaching experience. Her initial love of dance led her to complete a MA Degree in Dance at New York University and then to a professional ballroom dancing career. Her yoga practice, which began in the early ‘90s, continues to be the perfect way to blend Amy’s love of movement and study of the body/mind connection in order to live a balanced life. She has been teaching yoga since 2002.
Having completed her initial teacher training with Theresa Rowland of Studio Yoga in Madison, Amy went on to become Certified with the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS). She is also registered with Yoga Alliance at the 500hr level and studies regularly with Senior Teachers and in the Advanced Studies program at Studio Yoga.
Through group classes and private instruction, Amy has had the privilege to work with students of all ages and fitness levels, some who come to strengthen themselves, others looking for increased flexibility, and those who seek the stress relief that Amy’s classes provide. Her students are encouraged to explore deeply all aspects of yoga, develop a home practice, and are given instruction so as to avoid injury. Her teaching offers a way to find alignment of the body and steadiness of the mind.
Carlos Angel
Carlos Angel has been dancing since his teens. At age16 he was part of a modern dance company which toured around Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela. At age 22 he became part of the Colombian National Folkloric Ballet, where he was exposed to Zumba as a physical exercise and fell in love with it. In 2007, he obtained his certification as a Zumba Fitness instructor and has been teaching since then with an unrivaled joy and passion. In all of his classes you will be immersed in contagious rhythms from around the world.
Carol Wipf began her yoga studies in 1994 with Lois Steinberg in Urbana, Illinois. When she moved to New Jersey, she became a student of Theresa with Mary Dunn and Joan White. In 2003, she passed the national test to become a certified Iyengar yoga instructor. 
Cindy comes to yoga from a fitness professional background, working as a fitness class instructor and certified personal trainer for 20+ years. As an Iyengar yoga instructor, her studies with Theresa sparked a deeper interest in anatomy and as a result she pursued and achieved national certification as a massage therapist and recently with advanced study, became a certified neuromuscular therapist through the Cortiva Institute. Formerly an active participant in many community theater productions, Cindy now serves as a cantor in her church choir.Eliana Moreira
Eliana Moreira has studied and practiced Yoga for over 14 years. In her twenties, she explored various traditions and became a Certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher. A personal injury, as well as carefully observing injuries in her students, led Eliana to study Iyengar Yoga to learn about alignment. To her amazement, her experiences at Studio Yoga have gone far beyond alignment and have led her to her own inner authenticity. Her practice has deepened to such an extent that she is now wholeheartedly dedicated to disseminating Iyengar Yoga in order to help students find their own inward path. This humbling experience has made Eliana grateful to have found a way that guides her with clarity, integrity, and compassion towards others. This enables her to encourage her students to not just do Yoga, but to be and live Yoga right off the mat. Her daily life is dedicated to imparting her learning to her students, in the hope that they will not only benefit from it physically but spiritually as well. Needless to say, Eliana’s committed goal is Iyengar certification. She is thankful to those who come to learn from her but also to her spiritual teachers: Theresa Rowland, Kofi Busia, Sri Arun, Lois Steinberg, Gabriella Giubilaro, Carol Wipf, John Welshons, and Pema Chodron. She looks forward to studying with the Iyengars in Pune, India in 2013.
Elizabeth Marrero
Growing up in a Puerto Rican family, I was always surrounded by the wonderful sounds of Latin music and the movements of our cultural dances like salsa and merengue. A self proclaimed fitness addict, I have to admit I hit an exercise slump so I was thrilled when a girlfriend of mine suggested I should try Zumba. I couldn't believe there was a class out there that incorporated all the great music and dancing that I grew up with. I fell in love with Zumba after taking my first class. Now a few years later I'm an instructor and I'm having a blast!
An award winning competitor, Mr. Carbone studied in Shanxi, China with Master Chen Junhao, disciple of Hao Queru.Hector J. Martinez
Hector has been practicing yoga for five years and teaching for two. He is a graduate of the Studio Yoga Teacher Preparation Course and is now part of the three year Teacher Workshop Class. He is inspired by the teaching of BKS Iyengar as diseminated by senior teachers such as Lois Steinberg, and Gabriella Giubilaro. He believes in the transformational power of yoga. "As yoga helps one connect body with the mind, one become more connected with others around. Helping us feel the unity of humanity despite the differences. Fostering understanding with-in and creating harmony." He continues to study with Theresa Rowland and assists her in the Back Care Clinic Classes.
Jane Caulfield
Began practicing yoga in 2001, to relieve problems with a knee
injury that resulted from years of long distance running. She has been hooked on yoga ever since. In 2005 she began weekly Iyengar Yoga classes at Studio Yoga, entered Teacher Prep in 2006 and has been in the Teacher Workshop Program with Theresa Rowland since 2007.
Jane volunteered her time and taught weekly yoga classes to women from domestic violence shelters through Women Aware of Middlesex County, and to stressed mental health counselors and social workers through Catholic Charities in East Brunswick. Currently she teaches classes in Yoga Basics, Open Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and Plus Size Yoga at both the Madison and Chatham locations of Studio Yoga. Her teaching style reflects her love of yoga and her genuine desire to share its benefits with her students. She has been inspired by and tries to impart to her student the message of the sage advice, "To Begin Where You Are."
I was born in Paterson, N.J. and currently reside in Chatham, N.J. with my wife, Liz, and two teenage children, Catherine and Patrick. I am a practicing attorney at Lowenstein Sandler PC in Roseland, N.J., and am listed in the Best Lawyers in America, (2005) and (2006) and New Jersey Super Lawyers (2005) and (2006) and have tried many cases.I began practicing yoga in 1990 as a way to relieve stress and to regain my strength and agility after years of working behind a desk and jogging. My first teacher was Vipin Garg, the Father of a friend, and a long time student of Dhirendra Brahmachari, a well known yoga master in India. (Brahmachari taught yoga to Indira Gandhi)
Yoga has helped me to be more aware on many levels: how posture and movements affect the body, how breath reflects the mental state, how thoughts affect performance and experience. Yoga is ever new, always bringing new insights and useful knowledge. I am thrilled that Yoga is a tool for improving all aspects of one’s life, and not just an exercise system.
I started teaching in the Iyengar tradition in 1999. I felt that teaching would both improve my own knowledge of yoga and permit me to share this great gift. As an attorney, I know that rules have many variations in different situations and I hope to teach this flexibility to my yoga students.
I currently teach the Yoga for Men classes at Studio Yoga and substitute teach classes at all levels from intro to the most advanced. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level. I also teach meditation in Chatham. I teach with several goals in mind: to keep the students safe, to make them aware of the do’s and don’ts of the poses, to improve my students’ well being, to make the students glad they came, and to help them see how to integrate things we have learned into their everyday life.
Ramananda John Welshons has been a popular teacher at Studio Yoga for many years. He is a much beloved, internationally recognized counselor, lecturer, and teacher of meditation. He has been studying and practicing various forms of yoga and meditation for more than thirty-five years. He holds a B.A. in Comparative Religions from The University of South Florida, and an M.A. in History of Religions from Florida State University. In 1973 and again in 1983, John spent periods of time in India studying and practicing in the ashrams of Meher Baba and Neem Karoli Baba. He has presented lectures and workshops across the United States and has worked extensively with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Awakening from Grief: Finding the Way Back to Joy (with foreword by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer) and the newly published book When Prayers Aren’t Answered, and author of the forthcoming book, The Yoga of Love and Relationship to be published by New World Library in 2008. He is also the author of the popular audio cassette tape entitled “Beginning Meditation.”
Joni Wellness
Joni Yecalsik has been in the field of Wellness and practicing and teaching yoga for over three decades. She has relocated back to the east coast from Redmond (Seattle), Washington where she ran a popular and expanding yoga program, including Yoga Teacher Training, through the Redmond Parks Dept, also taught in Bothell and had a private practice of body work and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. Locally, in Washington, she also taught at Evergreen Hospital and at Yoga Centers. Based in Manhattan for over 20 years, Joni taught classes and Teacher Trainings at the top NYC yoga studios, including four years at Jivamukti Yoga Center, where she served as a bridge between the Iyengar and other styles of hatha yoga, and gleaned a broad exposure to many aspects and branches of yoga. In NYC she also taught yoga at Crunch, Equinox, YogaZone and Urban Yoga, and served as Teacher Training Consultant. She conducted many Yoga Teacher Trainings in Manhattan, nationally and internationally. She has healed her own injuries, is a leading authority on yoga, and loves passing on the practical shortcuts and efficient techniques of her field(s). Joni is also a graduate of the 2002 class of the Eastside Leadership Institute, and has a Marketing-Prosperity company.
Kerry Rasp
Kerry Rasp is a meditation instructor, MBSR facilitator and life coach. He completed his training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Umass Medical Center in 2000 and at Coach U in 2001. Kerry has been practicing meditation, primarily in the Theravada tradition for over 12 years and his teachers include Joseph Goldstein, Christopher Titmuss, Jack Kornfield, Stephen Batchelor, Bikkhu Bodhi and Shinzen Young. He is on staff at Summit Psychological Services, a psychotherapy practice in New Jersey, and teaches meditation at Montclair State University. He regularly leads meditation groups throughtout the NY/NJ metro area, and workshops to a variety of companies and organizations. He also enjoys traveling around the country sharing the experience of mindfulness wherever he goes. Those who most benefit from his training include young adults, parents, caregivers, entrepreneurs, are in transition, stressed out, in chronic pain or anyone seeking to live a clear minded, simple and fulfilling life.
Kirsten Dalsgaard has experience with yoga for more than 10 years and she is currently a student of Iyengar yoga at Studio Yoga, NJ where she is pursuing her certification in the principles and teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. Kirsten has a background in the fashion industry in Europe but since she has moved from Denmark to USA in March 2004 dedicated her time fully to family and Yoga.
Maiga Palkaunieks has practiced Iyengar yoga since 1998 and taught since 2004. She is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor having graduated from the Advanced Studies Program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, and is Yoga Alliance registered.Mimi Stella
From as far back as I can remember I have danced. By the age of five I was donned in pink tights and a black leotard. At 12 I moved away from the ballet barre to the center of the floor and discovered jazz and modern. In high school I earned my way into the dance company and headed off to college to pursue a degree in dance. Somewhere along the path I got sidetracked into believing that marketing would be a more lucrative profession but I never lost my desire or need to move.
Musical Theater caught my eye and for many years I performed and choreographed at any local musical that would have me. Twenty years ago I heard the call of the drums of West Africa which began my studies of West African Dance. I started in a small local NJ class and have subsequently moved on to study in NY. I have taught and performed West African dance for over ten years in and around New Jersey.
And then came ZUMBA®! I was curious, so I took a class and have never looked back! In three months I was licensed to teach Zumba and now do so with much love and enthusiasm. My background in West African dance made this genre a natural for me and my favorite thing to hear a student ask me is how is it that I can move my hips that way! Zumba has the ability to reach so many people as a fun and exciting latin dance fitness program that has millions lining up to participate. Classes are for any level and once you start you won’t believe how it can transform and tone your body while burning calories and strengthening your heart muscle. It’s a new passion for me and you can see it and feel it in my class! I hope to transfer the passion to you.
Pam Sheldrick first began teaching fitness in the mid-1970s. For the past six years she has focused her teaching on the matwork of Joseph Pilates. A resident of Morris Township. Pam holds group and private classes in Morris, Union and Somerset counties. She is certified by the Pilates PhysicalMind Institute of New York. Former owner of a bookstore on Waverly Place in Madison. 
Patricia took her first Iyengar yoga class in 1999, she had done yoga before, but knew immediately that this was the practice for which she had been searching. She began the Teacher Training course in the Iyengar style with Theresa Rowland in 2002. In the practice, she discovered a life passion for teaching and learning the yoga work which is reflected on her commitment to workshops with senior teachers. You could call her a yoga-workshophoolic.
Patricia's teaching style can be characterized by her love of movement and deep enjoyment in guiding her students through their personal discovery of yoga. Careful attention is given to body alignment. The use of props offers a way for students with varying degrees of flexibility and strength to enjoy the practice. Each class begins with centering, then moves on to asana instruction and ends with deep relaxation. Care is taken to accommodate individual needs.
Patricia Videgain
Patricia took her first Iyengar yoga class in 1999, she had done yoga before, but knew immediately that this was the practice for which she had been searching. She began the Teacher Training course in the Iyengar style with Theresa Rowland in 2002. In the practice, she discovered a life passion for teaching and learning the yoga work which is reflected on her commitment to workshops with senior teachers. You could call her a yoga-workshophoolic.
Patricia's teaching style can be characterized by her love of movement and deep enjoyment in guiding her students through their personal discovery of yoga. Careful attention is given to body alignment. The use of props offers a way for students with varying degrees of flexibility and strength to enjoy the practice. Each class begins with centering, then moves on to asana instruction and ends with deep relaxation. Care is taken to accommodate individual needs.
Peter Kurczynski
Peter Kurczynski has been practicing Buddhism under Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for over eight years. He has studied the books of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in formal study programs including the teacher training program of the New Kadampa Tradition. He has participated in numerous meditation retreats, and he regularly attends international festivals of Kadampa Buddhism. He is currently an instructor at Chakrasambara Buddhist Center and he teaches classes in South Orange, Maplewood, Summit and East Orange. He has a doctorate in physics from the University of Maryland.
Sabine Skinner-Baur
Sabine is originally from Switzerland, and has been living in New Jersey since 2008, with her husband and their two children. Although Sabine has been doing Yoga for quite some time, and tried a variety of styles, it was Iyengar Yoga which opened a whole new and exciting perspective in the practice of Yoga. Sabine is enthralled by the focus Iyengar Yoga has on alignment and the many facets of life, both in the physical and mental settings, that yoga can influence. Sabine has experienced first hand the dramatic positive effects yoga can have on her own health challenges, and is excited to share these experiences with others and help them to realize these benefits of wellbeing from Yoga. Sabine is passionate about Yoga, and brings that to her classes. In her free time, Sabine enjoys long walks in the woods with her dog, loves visiting NYC, spending time with her family and enjoys reading. Sabine is also an accomplished skier, and enjoys many days out in the mountains in winter.
Sandee, who is multi-lingual and originally from Quito Ecuador, graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth receiving a degree in business and computer information systems. She currently keeps busy working at a not-for profit school for the blind in Morristown NJ. Sandee has been practicing yoga for approximately 8 years and currently she is teaching Iyenger Yoga at the Studio Yoga in Madison NJ. She has experience in both teaching yoga to children and to adults of all levels, keeping her style innovative and fun.
The mysterious, timeless beauty of Middle Eastern Dancing is brought gloriously to life through the tasteful and highly entertaining abilities of Tasha. Tasha has danced throughout the tri-state area in events from Caesar's Cove Haven in the Poconos to the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.