We are a community of people, in constant learning, dedicated to sharing with you our years of practice and study of yoga so that you can remove boundaries between your body, heart and spirit. We love the body details, the flow, music, and philosophy. Here, you will find hOMe.
Bryn Chrisman
Teaching classes since 2003, teacher trainings since 2006 and practicing much longer.
I opened Yogamaya to share and care for what I love, Bhakti, Asana, and Kirtan. My classes are challenging, devotional and fun, but not frivolous. A long-time student of Iyengar teachers Carrie Owerko & Kevin Gardiner, I integrate the texture and subtleties of alignment with flow and purposeful sequencing. We approach the asanas with the mood of appreciation, climb deep into our bodies, and discover a way of moving that is at once humble and powerful.
Julie Pasqual
I am a 500 RYT. I received my 200-hour TT at Devotion Yoga, and am REALLY PROUD to have been part of the first Advanced TT at Yogamaya!! I find the teachings of yoga ENDLESSLY fascinating, inspiring, and humbling – from the intricacies of alignment to the heart-opening spiritual philosophy of Bhakti! It is the practices of Bhakti that I try to center both my yoga teaching and my life around, taking inspiration and instruction from Radhanath Swami, Dhanurdhara Swami, Kaustubha Das, and other teachers at the Bhakti Center. I am ALWAYS inspired by Yogamaya’s owners Stacey and Bryn, and grateful to be part of this amazing staff!!
Bridgette Trezza
In June of 2012 I graduated from Yogamaya New York’s 200-hour teacher training program. Coming from a dance and art background, I was, and continue to be, deeply charmed by the creativity and freedom yoga feeds my body and mind. Since graduating, I have completed half of Yogamaya’s advanced 300hr training- with focuses on restorative yoga, prenatal, therapeutics, and pranayama. I am also a mentor in the 200hr teacher training program. My classes are inspired by the inherent ability to ground for flight, music that travels deep, and kind self inquiry.
Danielle Harbord
Danielle found yoga in search of healing and inner peace. An avid runner and former athlete, she also enjoyed the physical and mental challenge it presented. Through the connection of body and spirit, she realized her practice would be a lifelong journey and an inspiration for living. Her classes are challenging, yet carefully sequenced with attention to alignment and blended with her love of music. She aims to create a supportive and playful environment where students can expand their awareness and explore. She completed her 200-hour certification at Yogamaya and continues to learn and be inspired by her fellow teachers and community.
Katie Facada
In 2010, I moved from SF to NYC and found Yogamaya, where classes wove poetry into the very cells of my being and helped me somatically process and show up for my life.
Teaching and mentoring new teachers are ways for my love of the practice to emanate out. I believe in intelligent sequences paired with a sweet, sweaty flow, and I aim to help students find their strength, softness and “enoughness” in every class.
I bow deeply to the practice and all it’s given me, especially my teachers and everyone I’ve come to know on this path.
Frank Wildermann
Frank believes a yoga practice is an opportunity to use the physical body to delve into the realm of the breath so we can explore the depths of the heart and mind. He believes in creating a joyful and compassionate vinyasa flow but also recognizes the relevance of nurturing a deep restorative practice as well. Frank is a graduate of the 200-hour Yogamaya teacher training program, a graduate of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute, and holds a B.A. from Middlebury College. He is an Eagle Scout, jumps out of planes, has run the NYC Marathon twice, and watched the sun rise from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Halima Henderson
Halima’s classes combine proper alignment and a straightforward yet challenging sequence, in a light-hearted and welcoming environment. After years of dance instruction, she finds the flow-based movement of Vinyasa a perfect fit. Halima believes a mindful practice can decompress and strengthen the body, mind and spirit while allowing space for reflection and growth. A Michigan native and University of Michigan alum, Halima received her 200-hour Teacher Certification from Yogamaya New York. Off the mat, she’s an actor and teaching artist. Halima has a penchant for the arts, good books, good laughs and Michigan Football. www.HalimaHenderson.com
Stacey Brass-Russell
Teaching since 2001 and co-founder of Yogamaya, my classes are rooted in classical Yoga merged with my observations of life as a lover of NYC, the arts, psychology, philosophy, the nature of time & the cosmic universe. I teach Vinyasa classes that incorporate alignment, intelligence & clarity for every different level of student. My teachers Rodney Yee, Carrie Owerko & Kevin Gardiner have inspired me to teach from the heart & with a deep caring for my students & their experience. I am so grateful to share what I love with the best crew of Yogis in town!
Jessica Swesey
Jessica was introduced to yoga at a young age and has felt a deep connection to it ever since. Being a professional dancer, she was first drawn to yoga for the physical aspects of the practice. She soon realized that her yoga mat also provided a safe space for emotional and spiritual growth. Her classes are composed of a graceful flow with a careful focus on alignment in a warm and nurturing environment. Jessica completed her 200-hour certification and is currently working towards her 500-hr certification through Yogamaya New York. Jessica is also a Reiki practitioner and is continuously studying a variety of healing modalities.
Victorine Lamothe
Born and bred in Louisiana, Victorine grew up twirling her way through ballet studios. After years of dance training, she went on to discover a new body-mind connection in Vinyasa yoga. In 2013, she stumbled into a class at Yogamaya and was instantly hooked. A few years down the road, she made the jump from student to teacher, completing her 200-hour certification under the inspirational guidance of Stacey, Bryn and Anna.
While her classes brim with heat-building, fluid movement, they’re also infused with nurturing and fun. A writer and editor when she’s off the mat, Victorine lives in Manhattan with her two clingy cats.
Karen Jane Wright
Karen aims to offer her students a space for deeply personal practice and growth, knowing firsthand just how transformative it can be. Her classes tend to be athletic and challenging, yet she’s a supportive and personable guide, wanting her students to feel strong and capable in their practices. As a former high school teacher, she thrives on the energy of a room full of learners, and relishes the opportunity to demystify challenging poses, or just offer a judgement-free space for personal and physical development.
Rachel Fedde
Rachel Fedde found that years of competitive fencing had left her muscles tight and turned to yoga to regain flexibility. She soon grew to appreciate yoga for not just its physical benefits but also the focus and calm that the practice brings. She completed her RYT-200 hour certification at Yogamaya. In teaching she hopes to share the freedom and peace she’s found in yoga with others. In what little time she’s not on the fencing strip or on the mat, she’s also an award-winning film and television editor who loves to travel.
Joanne Silver
Joanne’s life changed the first time she stepped onto a yoga mat. She knew she had found a way of moving and being that could open her body and soothe her soul. She completed yoga teacher training with Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in 2002, and has been teaching yoga ever since. The yoga practice has taught her that being flexible is often more a state of mind than a physical state of being. She is certified in vinyasa, restorative, therapeutic, pre-natal yoga and Urban Zen and is also a certified Reflexologist and Reiki practitioner. Joanne enjoys leading yoga retreats to places near and far, hiking, and kayaking on the Hudson River.
Amanda McDonald
Amanda, E-RYT 500, has been practicing yoga since 1999. A graduate of Yogamaya’s advanced teacher training, she loves the lessons yoga has to teach about life. Seeing students win small victories and gain confidence both on and off of the mat is her favorite part of teaching. She loves the invigorating aspects of yoga as well as the deeply relaxing and meditative aspects. She tries to share the joy and clarity she finds in her practice with her students, while encouraging them to enjoy their own experiences.
Alexandra Paddock
Alexandra, who responds to Alex, Ham, Pad but mostly Allie, first came to yoga to rehab a hamstring torn dancing. Through the process of her recovery, she healed a leg and found a new way of moving that in turn awoke a sense of mind-body-spirit connection that has fueled her ever since. Alexandra received her 200-hr certification with Yogamaya and thanks Stacey, Bryn and Anna for their wisdom, guidance and inspiration. Always with a playful spirit, Alexandra’s classes aim to balance thoughtful inquiry with fine attunement to detail. Alexandra is grateful for the practice of yoga for helping her see with her heart and hear with her bones.
Ambyr D’Amato
Although I am one of Yogamaya’s newer teachers, I have been teaching yoga since 2005. I have a keen attention to detail in many aspects of my life, and I think this translates well into my yoga practice and teaching.
My classes encourage students to find heart healing through meditation, breathwork, and movement. I love inclusivity, social justice, and creative time. I play seven instruments and write songs for fun. I love kirtan, and chances are, if you come to my class I’ll sing with you.
I wanted to teach at Yogamaya because from the moment I first walked it, I felt at home with its beauty, people, and dedication to yoga.
Annabelle McDonald
Annabelle has practiced yoga for many years in NYC. She’s a believer in the transformative power of practice on all levels, and aspires to convert the inflexible nay-sayers into passionate, dedicated students.
With a background as an award-winning television producer, Annabelle takes a logical, practical approach to her classes (yes, she’s a Virgo), but her love of the practice is always evident. She creates a calm environment including space for just being, and believes that with a small kernel of willingness, anything is possible. Annabelle loves practicing yoga, teaching yoga, making videos, and spending quality time with Max the cat.
Paula Loose
Yoga found me after I was recovering from knee surgery in 2001. Living in NYC, I was searching for something both mentally and physically challenging that was not taxing on my body. What I did not expect was for yoga to change my life. Becasue my knee surgery left me with a noticable physical imbalance, which I hated, I learned to accept my imperfection over time. The practice helped me to have a better relationship with my body and thoughts. Yoga has the ability to heal us inside and out. I challenge you to experience it for yourself. I’m also proud to say I was part of Yogamaya’s first 500 hr advanced training!!
Anna Krasnovskaya
Anna, Siberian girl with Russian accent, had always loved to dig deep into details of what she likes. Taking Amanda McDonald’s class, she was amazed how paying attention to small details changes the yoga experience. Since then she fell in love with the Yogamaya style and in 2016 received her 200hr certification and in 2018 500hr.
Anna also is a holistic practitioner, trained by Dr. Naina Marballi.
Anna is passionate about chakras and Yoga Nidra and weaves a spiritual & educational theme into her flow. She cannot stop being impressed by capability of the mind.
Off the mat, she is an ecologist and a choir member.
Desiree Fiorentino
Hi I’m Desiree but you can call me Des or Desi. I consider myself the Bodega Cat of Yogamaya, always around or lingering closeby. My first passion in life is helping people which has manifested as a career of doing hair and more recently teaching yoga.
I had no awareness of the impact my practice had on myself until someone dear mentioned it. I knew it felt good and that’s all that mattered. When I’m not cutting hair, I’m running away to a beach or burying my nose in my yoga studies. I blend my other passions of recovery, chanting, reiki and laughter into my classes. I finished my 200hr at Yogamaya and currently working towards my 500hr.
Dan Coogan
Dan initially sought yoga for its physical benefits, hoping to gain balance and flexibility to improve as a rock climber. As his practice deepened and became more consistent, however, he began to understand yoga as a means to explore, understand, and challenge himself non-physically as well as physically. A graduate of Bowdoin College and the New York University School of Law, Dan completed the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York’s teacher training program in 2017 and became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher in 2018. He continues to study with his primary teachers, Institute faculty members James Murphy and Michelle LaRue.
Christina Chang
Christina first encountered yoga while exploring a small beach town in Peru. As an avid traveler and student of the world, she approaches her practice with a sense of joy, compassion and curiosity. She believes that yoga is a lifelong journey and that there’s always something new to discover, whether it’s physical or from within.
Christina received her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and First Degree Reiki Training from Yogamaya where she continues to learn and teach. When she’s not teaching, she’s thinking about her next adventure and trying to keep her inner cat lady in check.
Babette Becker
I’ve pursued my love of movement through dance & yoga classes. While raising 3 daughters, I obtained a social work degree & doctorate in psychology. My psychotherapy practice includes a specialty in geriatric care & the relationship between physical & emotional issues among the elderly. I bring this awareness to my yoga classes & include meditation as a vital & integral part of any yoga practice. My goal is to help older students reach their potential within the parameters of age through increased awareness & development of alignment, flexibility, movement & strength. I received my 500 hour yoga certification from Cyndi Lee/OM yoga.
Briana Aguilar-Austin
Briana values yoga as a way to mindfully connect to our physical bodies. The asana practice gives us awareness and information about our individual strengths, imbalances and injuries. She teaches vinyasa flow, with a strong focus on alignment and technique. Briana strives to make yoga accessible and inviting to all levels of students, and wants students to leave her class feeling healthy, happy and accomplished! You just did yoga! She completed her 200-hour certification, and is currently working on her 500-hour, at Yogamaya New York. She loves traveling and is an avid long distance runner. Her New England sports loyalties run deep!
Liz DiLuzo
Liz believes a yoga practice should be three things: challenging, enlightening, and versatile. Over the course of twelve years and four continents, Liz has refined an approach to yoga for today’s on-the-go culture. One essential element of this approach is finding a sanctuary in which to practice, connect, and rejuvenate. This place for her is Yogamaya, and she strives to create this same environment for her students. Her classes will stimulate and nurture you as you explore your physical, mental, and spiritual boundaries. A true advocate for the benefits of yoga and a holistic, healthy lifestyle, Liz is determined to empower you to make yoga a part of your life, wherever you are.
Jess Parks-Kocher
Jess has been a mover and a seeker her entire life. Jess has been practicing yoga for nearly two decades and teaching for 9 years. Additionally, Jess works as a birth doula, reiki practitioner and is studying Chinese Medicine. She is an anatomy dork, birth nerd and all around movement enthusiast.
Keely Garfield
Keely Garfield, originally from London, is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Instructor, Urban Zen Integrative Therapist, Reiki Master, Zen Meditation teacher, hospice caregiver, and wellness coach. She is an acclaimed choreographer and dancer with her company Keely Garfield Dance, a dance professor, and mother. Her work in the body of the world reflects her immersion in yoga, yoga therapy, restorative yoga, movement, meditation, breath awareness, essential oils, Reiki, Buddhism and contemplative care. Keely’s spirited teaching is infused with thoughtful inquiry, a keen focus on alignment and sequencing, and a deep sense of gratitude.
Deborah Bagg
I received my Masters in Somatic Psychology from Naropa University in 2005. There I met my lifelong teacher Sofia Diaz who taught me the depth of sacred feminine yoga and how to live open-heartedly. I began teaching yoga in 2006. My classes are focused on wisdom traditions, rhythm and somatic attention.
I passionately teach the subtle body, prenatal yoga, hands on assists and yoga psychology in the Teacher Trainings at Yogamaya. On Mondays I guide a special women’s class which is dear to my heart. My love is for all things witchy, wise and wonderful.
Doug Kocher
Doug is honored to have participated in the Yogamaya community as both a student and the studio’s architect since its founding. As with his architectural practice, Doug seeks to evolve with and serve a community of individuals striving for deeper understanding of themselves and others in a process of grounding experiences and enlightening insights. Doug credits studio co-director Bryn Chrisman for the initial spark of interest in yoga, and as well for the sustained engagement in the practice as a conversation between life-long friends.
Sarah Foster
A designer by trade and a yogi at heart, Sarah is delighted to have found her second home at Yogamaya. She completed her 200hr training at YM in 2014 and although she is not teaching at the moment, Sarah loves contributing to the community in other ways and being a student as often as possible. When she’s not at the yoga studio you can find Sarah riding her motorcycle, making ceramics, running or surfing.
Yogamaya is made of people from all walks of life who practice yoga that’s rooted in alignment, grounded by self study, and inspired by truth and possibility. We are united by our love for asana, kirtan and spiritual teachings all under one roof – and we love experiencing those things together.
Yoga is a practice of self study. But we believe that connecting with each other on this journey is the key to a deeper connection with ourselves, and everything we’ve created is to help foster these connections. Through movement, stillness, song, silence. And everything in between.
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