Michelle Martone
Michelle has been studying and practicing Yoga for 22 years. She received a Doctorate in Pharmacology in 2009, completed her first Yoga Teacher Training in 2014 and has been teaching ever since. She studies in the Sivananda lineage and in addition to daily study she travels to India to sit with her teachers, study meditation, Yogic and Vedic Texts. The philosophy and teachings from these texts are woven into her Yoga classes.
Michelle teaches alignment based Vinyasa, Hatha, Yoga Nidra, Meditation, and is also a pharmacist and health & wellness coach. She is passionate about Yoga, healthy lifestyle including work/life balance, simple food, stress management through physical exercise and gratitude and mindfulness practices.
Elise Marie Collins
Initially drawn to yoga to manage pain from a back injury, Elise Marie Collins found that yoga was potent medicine for her mind and spirit. Drawing upon her extensive study of Ayurveda and Gerontology, Elise guides students towards joy and a sense of internal connection in their practice. She is the author of three books, Chakra Tonics, An A-Z Guide to Healing Foods and most recently, Super Ager, You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, A Better Memory, and Live a Long and Healthy Life.
She has studied extensively with author/yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater and many other master teachers. Elise’s deepest desire is that her students access the healing power of yoga to connect with their own inherent wisdom, ability to heal both psychologically and physically and to be present for the daily miracle of life.
Speaker, USC Institute of Integrative Health and Wellness Conference
Author of Super Ager, You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, A Better Memory and Live a Long and Healthy Life
David Calhoun
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David Calhoun is a San Francisco based dance artist and movement instructor. Their journey in yoga began while attending University for their BFA in Dance Performance. Looking for ways to heal a knee injury David discovered the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga. To deepen their practice, David then went on to obtain their 200hr RYT Certification in 2017. Their intention with teaching is to help others connect to the joy of movement and find gratitude for their physical body. With the desire to always be in the seat of the student, David is currently working towards their 300 hr RYT Certification in 2021.
Sara Niforatos
Sara has always been very active, especially with her love of the outdoors, but found her love of yoga over 18 years ago with bikram yoga. Looking for more than just the physical push asana, 15 years ago she found Hatha and Vinyasa which gave her the balance of asana with mindfulness through the practice. She was drawn to studying yoga philosophy and deepening her knowledge, so completed her 200 Hour Yoga Alliance training at Yoga Tree in San Francisco in June of 2016 and is currently working on her advanced teacher training course.
Sara leads versatile, adaptable vinyasa flow classes that will challenge the students, in mind, body, and breath.
She finds she teaches what she needs taught herself; connecting the spirituality of the practice with the posture, all with the balance of effort and ease and with center in through stillness and intention.
Mark McCormick
Mark began his practice in his 30’s, 20 years ago, at the YMCA in Berkeley. Since then he has explored a variety of styles and had the opportunity to study with leading Bay Area teachers including Gizella Donald, Maria Stanford, Charu Rachlis, Rusty Wells, Janet Stone and others. In addition, he studied at the Iyengar Institute for 2 months in Pune, India. He holds a 200hr RYS certificate from Centered Yoga in Thailand and a 300 hour certificate from Janet Stone Yoga. He studies yoga philosophy with the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale Pennsylvania.
Mark is interested in all of the limbs of yoga, and believes that the science of yoga can bring happiness through self-awareness. Besides asana (poses), his personal practice includes daily pranayama (breath work) and meditation.
Nicole Duffy
Nicole found yoga in college as a way to cope with her anxiety and depression. It helped her connect to her body and breath and focus on the present. She was hooked after that and got her 200 hour YTT from Yoga Tree in SF in 2016. She taught yoga classes to her coworkers and students (she was a high school math teacher for 10 years). Then, in 2019 she left high school teaching to pursue yoga full time.
The common thread in her life will always be teaching yoga. It is her passion to help others connect to their body, breath and mind through the practice. She teaches in a way that is accessible to all by building poses from the most simple version and adding on layers from there. She believes in yoga as a way to heal, to connect inward and to not take yourself so seriously. You will find all these themes and more woven into her classes. She can’t wait to meet you and flow with you! Namaste