Brenda Umana
Brenda Umana has over 500-hour certified in different Yoga and Mindful modalities. She has led international yoga retreats and currently growing a new sister-brand, Mother of the Mind.
Part of my process is to acknowledge that nothing is ever perfect. But yet perfect for right now.
At times it’s messy, and I’m ok with that now! I’ve gotten stuck many times in my process because I thought it needed to be a certain way. We are human and nothing is ever clear-cut or perfectly defined.
ROUND II CASTING:
Adaptive & Inclusive Instructors
Matthew Sanford
Matthew Sanford is an expert in the process transformation through the healing power of yoga. Paralyzed from the chest down at age thirteen and beginning yoga at age twenty-five, Matthew knows firsthand the transformative effect that yoga can have on the mind-body relationship. He is an internationally recognized yoga teacher, a sought-after public speaker. He is the author of the critically acclaimed WAKING: A MEMOIR OF TRAUMA AND TRANSCENDENCE (Rodale: 2006). Matthew has also emerged as a leading voice in the integrated health movement. He won the 2010 Pioneer of Integrative Medicine Award from the California Pacific Medical Center’s Institute of Health and Healing. Previous recipients include Dr. Deepok Chopra, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Mehmet Oz. He also has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, People Magazine, and American Public Media’s On Being.
Constanza Eliana Chinea
Constanza Eliana Chinea, a Brown Latinx anti-racism educator, producer, and certified Yoga instructor who has over 10 years of experience in the wellness industry and over 400 hours of training in Yoga, trauma, and anti-racism. She began teaching and consulting after noticing a need for diversity and representation in the wellness industry. She now teaches yoga teachers/practitioners and wellness entrepreneurs how to decolonize their practices, create equity for teachers of color, and build inclusive spaces in the community.
She has been featured in Well + Good, Speaking of Racism podcast, Yoga Journal, The Rising Woman Project, and many more. She is the creator of trainings like Embody Inclusivity and Unpacking Spiritual Bypass and is the host of Decolonizing Yoga & Wellness, a web series featuring BIPOC leaders of color who are taking up space in the wellness industry.
Dr. Terry Harris
Dr. Terry Harris has been practicing yoga for since 2015. A 200 hour registered yoga instructor, Dr. Harris teaches community based yoga classes as well as school based classes. Dr. Harris connects Black history and Storytelling in all of his classes as a reminder of the strength, courage and wisdom of the contributions of Black people worldwide. In addition to the yoga modality, Dr. Harris incorporates Restorative Justice/Circles to create healing spaces.
Dr. Harris also works on issues that affect the well-being of African American adults, because children cannot be well if the adults around them are not well. To help address health disparities, Dr. Harris co-founded The Collective STL, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing free yoga and wellness programs to African American communities in St. Louis. He has also created child-centered spaces for yoga through a Yoga for the Youth program.
Natalia Tabilo
As a Body Positive Teacher, Natalia tailored her yoga practice for All Bodies! The founder of Yoga for All Bodies™ was born in Chile and now lives in San Francisco, CA.
After feeling left out and unseen in yoga classes, she decided to create Yoga for All Bodies™, an inclusive and accessible practice based on choices to meet and enjoy one’s body where they are today.
Kelley Carboni
Kelley Nicole Palmer is a black, queer creative and community advocate based in Charlotte NC. Kelley uses the practices and philosophy of yoga to guide her work in creating equitable and sustainable access to wellness for BIPOC. Along with teaching movement, meditation and contemplative practices, Kelley leads retreats, hosts workshops and contributes to multiple teacher training programs. Kelley is a writer and collage artist focusing that work on black liberation, wholeness and healing. Kelley serves as a founding member of The Sanctuary In The CIty, a Charlotte based non-profit that focuses on equitable healing spaces for BIPOC all over the world. Kelley also serves as communications manager for Accessible Yoga and as a trainer for Accessible Yoga Training School.
Jivana Heyman
Jivana Heyman is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Trainings and a popular Ambassador program. He’s the author of the upcoming book, Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body (Shambhala Publications, November 2019), co-owner of the Santa Barbara Yoga Center, and an Integral Yoga Minister. Jivana has specialized in teaching yoga to people with disabilities and out of this work, the Accessible Yoga organization was created to support education, training, and advocacy with the mission of shifting the public perception of yoga.
ROUND II CASTING:
LATINX INSTRUCTORS
Minerva Arias
Born and raised in “the Heights” in NYC, to a Puerto Rican mother and a Dominican father, a queer Afro-Latina femme, Minerva loves to create and holds space for holistic healing designed to break the internalized chains, both individual and collective. Her experiences as a priestess in her ancestral practice of Ifa, combined with explorations of the psychology of yoga, the philosophy of meditation, and the science of Ayurveda, led her down a path towards the creation of Roots Healing. She is consistently engaged in her own growth, truth-seeking and becoming the best version of herself so she can show up for others in a way that continues the work of dismantling generational trauma.
Rina Jakubowicz
Rina Jakubowicz, a founder of Rina Yoga and Super Yogis, is known for her vibrant and uplifting approach to students of all ages. She has been teaching yoga in English and Spanish for over 20 years and has been a featured presenter at Wanderlust Festivals, Yoga Journal Conferences, Kripalu Center, Himalayan Institute, Omega Institute, Yogaville, Sedona Yoga Festival, Telluride Yoga Festival, and Mammoth Yoga Festival. Rina is the author of “The Yoga Mind: 52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen Your Practice” and has an international following in the U.S., Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South Korea, and Andorra. Rina’s yoga videos are found on Gaia TV, Yoga Journal Online,
John San Juan
For John, risk has played a tremendous role in his life’s path. He has an MBA from Cornell University and comes from a background working at Warner Bros., in theatrical finance. Being deeply unhappy with American corporate life that values salary over well-being, he made a hard pivot and became a wellness entrepreneur. His role as a Wellness Activist and yoga instructor is to guide his students toward the clarity they are seeking. His yoga practice helps people get more in tune with their highest self.
Sabrina Mata
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Sabrina studied Chromotherapy and Reiki while finishing Law School in Brazil, and published two poetry books in her country. Yoga has been part of her immigrant transition when she moved to the U.S. She immersed herself in the 500 hours Yoga Teacher Training program at Yogaworks, and kept expanding her knowledge by taking trainings such as 100 hours of "Smart Flow" with Annie Carpenter, 27 hours “OTM - Yoga, Purpose & Action Leadership Intensive” with Seane Corn, 40 hours Trauma-Informed Yoga, 50 hours Yin Yoga, 50 hours Yoga Sculpt and 85 hours of Prenatal and Postpartum YTT; registered at the Yoga Alliance.
Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez is a bilingual yoga teacher (E-RYT 200) from Los Angeles who inspires students to celebrate their own unique light and beauty. Her yoga style is a blend of strong and playful, incorporating precise cues and pose breakdowns to help students understand the movements of their bodies and the path to personal growth.
Jay Moton
Jay Moton (he/him) is a teacher and practitioner of Kundalini Yoga & Meditation since 2007. Having transitioned 20 years ago set him on a path of deep spiritual self-discovery, acceptance and expansion. Experiencing a deep transformation and awakening in his own life through this yogic practice has sparked him to uplift, heal and bring a deeper sense of physical, mental and spiritual awareness to others who are looking for a more authentically driven life and mind set.
Maria Leguizamon
As a mother of 3 boys, Maria has learned how important it is to be active throughout pregnancy and after birth.
In the last few years, she became a certified Vinyasa Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, Hot Power Fusion, Bootcamp instructor, TRX Certified Trainer, and a Certified Personal Trainer.
She has combined her passion for yoga, as she believes it helps students master better breathing techniques to achieve focus and strength while empowering their bodies and mind.
Lamise Mansur
Yogi, writer, and photographer Lamise Mansur is a full-on creative whose fluidity extends beyond just the mat. Raised in a small town in upstate New York called Oneonta, she spent most of her childhood getting dirty, playing outside, and exploring the three acres of land my family and I lived on. Lamise first encountered yoga at the age of 9 when her mother brought home a yoga VHS tape. Since then, the multi-talented yoga teacher who is of Lebanese, Palestinian and Brazilian descent has continued to wow with her incredible skill and strength on and off the mat.