162 Court St at Amity St 2nd floor
Brooklyn NY 11201 map
[email protected]
join our mailing list
162 Court St at Amity St 2nd floor
Brooklyn NY 11201 map
[email protected]
join our mailing list
Angela Clark (E-RYT 200 hour), a co-founder of Mala, has been studying and teaching yoga since 1998. She came to the practice as a dancer interested in the physical asanas, but quickly realized there was more to this "yoga thing" than stretching.
Angela's teaching intention is to equip students with enough information so they can translate the yoga practice to their physical, energetic, and emotional bodies at any given moment. She believes that mindfulness and sound technique are imperative to the strong foundation that allows one to "sway in the ever changing wind." She creates environments where each person and body can experience their practice in their own way. Contributing to the Mala vision, Angela furthers her own practice and development as a teacher to provide a supportive yoga community where students explore who they are, what they need, and what they want from life in the company of others.
For the last five years, Angela has studied with Tias and Surya Little of Prajna Yoga in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her early yoga life took her all around Manhattan and to ashrams and wellness centers to study with other amazing teachers from all walks of life. More recently, she has also deepened her scoliosis studies with Elise Browning Miller, studied anatomy with Jason Ray Brown, has been learning to play the harmonium with Gulam Mohammad Mirashi (aka Uncleji), and has been inspired by the teachings of Bon Tibetan Budhism taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
She gives many thanks and bows to all her teachers and students, the Mala Yoga community, her parents who taught her to believe that anything is possible, and to Stephanie and Christina for sharing their love, compassion, wisdom, and chocolate.
In 2007, Christina co-founded Mala Yoga. She wanted to build a place where students could not only build strong asana practices, but learn to take their hard work and translate it to their busy lives. Christina teaches compassionate, insightful classes that focus not only on building physical strength, but also self-acceptance.
An Ashtangi at heart, Christina made her first trip to India over 20 years ago. It made a lasting impression, and it was there she was first exposed to the Bhagavad Gita as well as Indian philosophy. It resonated so strongly that she made another trip, this time staying and studying intensively for almost a year.
Over the last 15 years Christina has studied extensively throughout Europe and the United States. She has has also studied with Om Yoga and Anusara Yoga, and credits her teachers Eddie Stern, Cyndi Lee, Derek Ireland, and Amy Ippoliti for evolving her practice. She is most grateful to her children, Julian and Marina, for providing the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding practice of all.
In 2007, Steph (E-RYT 200 hour) co-founded Mala Yoga, a community-based studio in Brooklyn, NY, with the idea that yoga can be a lifelong, life-enriching practice, both on the mat and off. She wanted Mala to be a place that felt inviting instead of intimidating, a safe space where students would want to bring their moms or boyfriends to give yoga a try. Steph teaches practitioners of all levels of experience. Her specialty is basics class, where she communicates advanced principles of anatomy and alignment with clarity, patience, humor - and a real-life context that helps students understand how these ancient poses can help them manage the physical and emotional challenges of the modern age. Steph's teaching and learning is inspired by her passion for the practice and its benefits, and the belief that everyone can (and should!) "do" yoga. Steph is also an avid, lifelong runner who believes that running and yoga can - and need to - peacefully co-exist! Huge shout outs filled with gratitude and love to her students, who inspire her each and every class; her family, who continue to put up with her wacky schedule, and Angela & Christina, who make this path an absolute joy in every way possible.
Alex grew up on a family farm in the Tyrolean Alps of Austria and has lived in the U.S. since 1997. She first encountered yoga in 2001 while working as a pre-school teacher at a Montessori school in Miami Beach, FL. She was inspired. Alex began practicing yoga herself and incorporating yoga routines in the classroom for her young students. She completed Radiant Child teacher training in 2005 and began offering yoga classes to children in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, VA.
In 2007, Alex completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training at US1, a Yoga Alliance registered yoga school, and has been a yoga instructor (to adults as well as children) ever since. Alex is also a mother of two and during both pregnancies maintained a consistent yoga practice. She can attest first hand to the many benefits of prenatal, postnatal, and "Mommy & Me" yoga. Alex has offered "Mommy & Me" classes in both the U.S. & Austria. She is fluent in English and German.
Upon moving to Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Alex discovered Mala Yoga and has been practicing with their wonderful, insightful, and knowledgeable teachers, and is now honored to teach at Mala. She feels deep gratitude towards all the teachers, students, and supportive family members and friends that have guided, helped, and inspired her along the way.
Bio: Anna was first introduced to yoga by her mother, a lifetime practitioner. The sounds of her mother chanting used to make her laugh and even roll her eyes, but eventually and probably inevitably the yoga practices crept inside her soul and she was begging her mom to give her classes and tell her what studios to go to!
Through Yoga Anna has found the stability and strength to begin to embrace and find joy in the wonderfully unstable nature of life. She is a graduate of the 2010 Jivamukti 300 hour teacher training, as well as the 2010 200 hour Prajna Yoga teacher training, and is currently apprenticing with the lovely ladies at Mala Yoga. Anna is continuously grateful to and inspired by all of her wonderful teachers and students. They infuse her life and practice with knowledge, joy, and an endless curiosity and passion to teach and continue to travel this beautiful path.
How I teach: Anna teaches a challenging vinyasa class with attention to proper alignment, creating a safe space where practitioners of all levels can challenge, nourish, and expand their bodies and minds through the Yoga practice.
Endless thanks to Stephanie, Angela, Christina, and Jen for their abundant love, support, and guidance. More on Anna at annagreenbergyoga.com
Annie Carlin has been practicing yoga for more than a decade, studying many different styles from vigorous vinyasa to technical alignment-based hatha and therapeutic yoga. She completed her 200-hour training with Tias Little in 2011 and has been teaching ever since.
Her goal is to create a safe space for all to enjoy the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of yoga. She emphasizes self-acceptance and specializes in customizing poses to suit each person's practice. Through thoughtful sequencing and creative modifications, Annie hopes to show her students that everyone can do amazing things on the mat. Annie offers profound gratitude to all of her teachers and is thrilled to be part of the Mala community once again after several years in DC! For more yoga with Annie, check out her website, Supportive Yoga.
Blakeney was urged by a friend to give yoga a try in 2004, but it wasn't until she came to Mala in 2007 that she discovered the precision, complexity, and depth to be found in the yoga practice. A former public radio producer, her time on the mat became an essential tool for managing the pressures and deadlines of life off the mat.
In her classes Blakeney seeks to share her curiosity about yoga, while providing her students with the space and support to find their own poses and practices. For her, a sense of humor is as much a part of the practice as any pose.
Blakeney completed Mala's 200-hour teacher training in 2012. Her gratitude to Angela, Christina and Steph for their continuing support, insight, and guidance runs very, very deep. And a profound thanks to the entire Mala community for their support and good humor.
Briana began practicing yoga in 2002 and immediately loved it. After suffering torn hamstrings in 2010, Briana�s focus shifted from appreciating yoga primarily as a physical exercise, to also valuing yoga as a deeply personal practice.
As a teacher, Briana incorporates yogic spiritual traditions, as well as weaves alignment, technique, music, and a dose of energy and excitement into each class. She strives to make yoga accessible and inviting to all levels of students, and wants students to leave her class feeling healthy and happy.
Briana will complete her M.S. in animal behavior and human psychology in 2014. She completed her 200-hr certification at Yogamaya in Manhattan. Briana is excited to join the Mala community, as Christina, Angela and Stephanie were some of her first teachers!
When Emily came to yoga in her early twenties, she was considerably overweight and out of touch with herself. Quickly, she realized that her physical body was inhibiting her from delving deeper into poses that she would otherwise be able to move into and enjoy. This want - to be better equipped in her physical body in order to deepen her practice - was when she truly understood her commitment to something meaningful. Thus, Emily is drawn to yoga not just for the movement but for the meaning behind the movement - a chance at stillness and calm.
Emily tries to participate in her daily life through a genuine lens of devotion and love. Above all, she aims to honor the importance of ahimsa, cultivating nonviolence through her choices and actions.
Emily earned her 200-hour certification at Yogamaya, and she intends to attain her certifications in restorative and yin yoga within the next year. She is grateful and excited to be part of the Mala community!
Jennifer Whitney has been practicing vinyasa yoga since the beginning of 2003, and teaching since 2006. In 2007 she received her 300-hour Jivamukti Yoga teaching certification, studying the integrated form with masters Sharon Gannon, David Life, and Manorama. The depth of their teachings spurred Jennifer to move from Hawaii to New York mid-winter that year, to further her studies. The integral tenets of Jivamukti yoga form the foundation of her teachings. She incorporates the wisdom of Ram Dass, Michael Stone and Rodney Yee.
In her classes, vigorous uplifting flows are met with explorations of yoga philosophy and meditation. Jen incorporates succinct alignment, challenging poses & sequences, and deep, timely and often humorous philosophy. Chanting and music are integrated into every class. In each student, Jen works to cultivate space in which the joy and peace of the teachings can be experienced, and personal practices expand into the lives of all beings.
Lokah Samasta Sukinoh Bhavantu.
Learn more about Jen by visiting www.jwhitneyyoga.com
Bio: Since attending her first Iyengar classes 10 years ago, Joanna has been deepening her contemplative and physical practices. She is a graduate of Conquering Lion Yoga teacher training program and is proud to name Annie Piper and Maria Cutrona among her most influential teachers. Her classes are designed to unite body and mind in the present moment, by building heat, strengthening, and releasing. She combines creative sequencing with attention to breath and alignment. She is knowledgeable about restorative yoga and breathing techniques that facilitate calmness and relaxation. She teaches asana and meditation to patients working with depression, schizophrenia, and addiction at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and loves seeing firsthand how yoga can promote healing.
Learn more about Joanna by visiting www.joannacantoryoga.com
A former gym rat and runner, Lisa dabbled in yoga intermittently for years before finding a home at Mala during her second pregnancy in 2008. Amazed at the ability of a consistent yoga practice to complement pregnancy, post-pregnancy, and a later back injury, she racked the free weights for good. An economist during the day, she completed training with Steph, Angela, and Christina in 2012, drawn to their blend of precise anatomy, creative sequencing, and grounded philosophy. Lisa's classes are a balanced mix of interesting yet accessible sequencing and strength building that will leave you just sore enough the next day. Neverending thanks and gratitude to the Mala community and most importantly, her family for their love and support.
Bio: Rachel began practicing yoga when she accompanied her mother to a class in 2004. In that first class, she discovered untapped flexibility and in the next class, she discovered the depth of her breath. Since then, she has learned something new at each class she attends. In 2012, Rachel decided to deepen her practice and education. She received the 200-hour YogaWorks teaching certification under the instruction of Chrissy Carter and Paula Lynch. Today, she continues to study with her mentor, Chrissy Carter, as part of the 300-hour YogaWorks certification.
How I teach: Rachel's teaching style is a mix between Ashtanga and Iyengar. She includes flow and movement into each class to build heat and encourage breathing and she utilizes props and instructs subtle alignment cues to ensure a better understanding of the asanas. Rachel strives to be a guide to facilitate compassion for one's self and all others. She believes that it is important for each student to walk away from class proud of his or her body and the shapes that it is willing and able to make.
Ruah Bhay has studied with a variety of teachers from backgrounds in Yogaworks, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, Dharma Mittra and Swami Vivekenanda. Ruah's teaching style integrates each of these traditions while threading together every class with a main theme connected to a yoga philosophy that inspires a happy and healthy life. She guides a flowing, challenging practice with mindful sequencing and focus on alignment in a fun, loving and nurturing environment - always leaving students with a smile.
Ruah is grateful for the introduction of yoga and meditation in her childhood by her mom's influence from Integral Yoga with Swami Satchidananda. She has also been guided by her aunt and uncle, TM practitioners/teachers and devotees of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Ruah fell in love with a regular yoga practice first while in college and then while living in Senegal as a high school teacher. While Ruah ended up with a fast-paced career in non-profit development and fundraising, she maintained her passion for teaching and practicing yoga whenever she wasn't at the office. Eventually, she made the leap of faith, quitting her job to pursue teaching yoga as a career and has been blessed with doing what she loves ever since.
Ruah has been in many health & fitness features, collaborated with celebrities such as Russell Simmons and has also appeared in Marie Claire, Time Out, In Resident, More, Uptown, FOX, WPIX, NY Post & NY1. Ruah is a teacher, writer, non-profit fundraiser, rollerblader, singer, lifetime athlete and meditation practitioner and mom. She holds a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in Sustainable Development, is 500 hour Yogaworks Certified and Prenatal Yoga Certified.
Learn more about Ruah by visiting her http://ruahyoga.net/
My yoga practice began when I was a BFA student in Dance, dragging myself to early morning alignment-based classes before a full day of dance curriculum and rehearsals. Upon moving to NYC in 2008, a friend brought me to Kula Yoga Project, which became my home base to truly develop a fuller practice, both physical and spiritual. Alongside my practice, I keep myself in motion with things like Crossfit (weightlifting and conditioning), running, and surfing.
In my teaching, I always strive to find the balance between crucial anatomy and alignment instruction and the delicious flow that gets our heat stirring and sweat pouring. I get equally excited to teach the foundation of basic poses as I do more "advanced" arm balances and inversions, as both will lead to opening in heart, mind, body, and spirit if practiced with good intention.
I completed my 200-hour teacher training in 2010 with Sondra Loring and Raghunath at the Sadhana Center for Yoga in Hudson, NY, and gratefully continue to study with the terrific trifecta of Angela, Christina, and Steph, as well as teachers like Schuyler Grant, Alex Auder, Julie Dohrman, Elena Brower, Kevin Courtney, Marisa Sako, and many more.
