Janaki Pierson Janaki Co-founder, executive director and principal instructor of the Woodbury Yoga Center, presents seminars on: Hatha Yoga, Meditation, Stress Management, Death and Dying/Life and Living, Elementary Sanskrit, Thinking Into Being: Creating Your Own Reality. Ms. Pierson has been teaching meditation for over 25 years and has been established in her own daily practice for 30 years. She teaches extensively throughout New England in medical, educational, corporate, and community settings. Janaki received Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification from the Siddha Yoga Dham of America in 1982. For the past few years, she has been spending two months each winter doing spiritual practices on the banks of the holy Narmada river in Gujarat, India.

Melissa Vinson Melissa began her formal practice and study of yoga at WYC in 1985. She went on to become a certified yoga teacher from the International Sivananda Yoga Vendanta Centers in 1987. Melissa teaches traditional Hatha yoga; her teaching style is slow, deep, and gentle emphasizing concentration on the breath and allowing movement to flow from the breath. She begins each class with quiet sitting and breathing and ends with a 12-minute guided relaxation. She received Kundalini awakening from Shri Anandi Ma in May 1986 and continues her dedicated immersion in the traditional yogic lifestyle under Ma's guidance. Her yoga practice - aside from the physical postures and pranayama (breathing techniques) - consists of mainly meditation and seva (selfless service, or karma yoga. Melissa is also an avid student of Ayurvedic study, philosophy, and practice.

Vincent D’Alessio Vincent was certified as a yoga instructor in 1994 by Sivananda and has continued his yoga training in various disciplines including Ashtanga yoga with Richard Freeman, Anusara yoga with Tod Norian, Body Mind Connection with Donah Farhi, Viniyoga with Grary Kraftsow, and Restorative yoga with Judith Lassiter. He will soon be certified at the 500-hour level through The Yoga Alliance from his current Advanced Teacher Training at Kripalu. He began teaching at WYC in 1995 and has also taught classes for the Southbury Seniors Program, National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and the Brookfield YMCA.

Diane Scuteri Diane has studied and practiced Hatha Yoga since 1987 and has maintained a regular meditation practice since 1990. Diane completed her teacher training at WYC in 1994 and began teaching here at the center in 1995. She has continued her studies with Swami Chetananda, Ken Cohen, Rod Stryker, and Shri Anandi Ma. Diane teaches traditional yoga, emphasizing the integration of asanas with breathwork. This attention on the breath brings to the practitioner a deep release of muscular tension and an increaded energy flow for an experience of complete relaxation, balancing the body and mind. Diane balances challenge and relaxation in her classes to give every student, regardless of years of practice, a profound expierence of yoga.

Hilde Brehm Hilde has been a part of the WYC community for over 15 years. Since completing her Hatha Yoga Teacher Training at WYC and has also attended numerous workshops at Kripalu and Omega Ceter. In 2004 she received her certification as a natural childbirth pregnancy yoga instructor from Kripalu. In her regular classes Hilde teaches traditional hatha yoga, focusing on basic postures, breathing, gentle opening, deep closing relaxation, and ending with a brief deep stillness for meditation. She tailors each class to the level of the students participanting: sometimes strenghtening and vigorous, sometimes gentle and restorative, always attententive, present and accepting.

Mary Ellen Porrata Mary Ellen has a Masters degree in nursing and is as a nurse practitioner with experience in adult medicine and geriatrics. Her background in nursing has drawn her to study the health and stress reduction benefits of yoga as a healing science. She has a strong interest in mind-body medicine, completing clinical training at the Mind Body Medical Institute in Boston, MA. She is also a member of Lotus, a Waterbury area group of health practitioners involved in integrative health care. Ms. Porrata has been practicing yoga and meditation daily for since 1999, and teaching since 2002. She teaches beginners Hatha yoga at WYC Muktidham, and affiliated satellite locations. She enjoys blending different styles of postures, along with deep relaxation and visualization, keeping in mind the individual needs of her students.

Laura McEvoy Laura received her Yoga Teacher Certification from Kripalu in June 2002. She has been practicing for 15 years. She has a special interest in teaching children. Their ever present, unique and authentic spirit serves as a reminder that yoga can bring us "home" to that true being. So often children are told to calm down and relax, yet they aren't taught how to. Through yoga children learn to develop coordination, healthy habits and coping mechanisms. Ms. McEvoy regularly attends workshops at Kripalu. She has been the recipient of various diversity grants providing Yoga instruction to economically disadvantaged children in various urban settings. Her work with children of diverse cultural background has been recognized in the KYTA Yoga Bulletin and the National Tides Foundation Publication. She holds an Elementary School Teacher Certification and Masters Degree in Counseling. She recognizes student-learning styles and teaches postures and relaxation techniques in a variety of ways.

Grace Van Akin Grace Van Akin, completed her yoga teacher training this past February after taking Meditation Course here 4 years ago, Shaktipat with Sri Anandi Ma 3 years ago, and meditates daily. Her day job is teaching 3rd graders at Wooster School in Danbury.

Susan Hyde-Wick Susan has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 30 years. An active participant at WYC 22 years ago, she is now joyfully returning with her Kripalu yoga teacher’s certification. First introduced to meditation many years ago, she has, with determination, established a regular practice in the past few months.   Of yoga, she says, ""Yoga has allowed me to more fully live life. When I was fighting for life after an auto accident in 1980, a doctor told me he believed that the fact that I practiced yoga literally saved me.  I can't live without it".

JoAnn LiVolsi JoAnn began practicing yoga when she was 17, and has been a certified instructor for 23 years. She took a break from a busy yoga-teaching schedule when her children were born, and is now ecstatically re-connecting to the bliss of teaching, because "Yoga is good for the soul."  She began meditating 15 years ago, and has recently established a regular daily practice.

Doug Greene Doug, a Reiki master inspired to incorparate Reiki into his personal yoga practice, Doug has published a book on the topic.  An off and on meditator for 30 years, he's been meditating regularly for over 2 years. With deep appreciation and respect for yoga, he enthusiastically joins WYC teaching staff.

122 West Side Road
Woodbury, CT 06798
(203) 263-2254