Stanton Street Yoga Teachers
Syama Masla
Syama Masla was raised in a family of Bhakti yogis and is very grateful for her teachers and life long inspirations, Srila Prabhupada & Radhanath Swami. She teaches yoga and Ayurveda in the New York City as well as 200 hr yoga teacher trainings and traveling retreats around the world with her sister, husband, father and brother bud! She loves animals and has been a lifelong vegetarian. Syama places a strong emphasis on tapping into the rhythm of breath as it guides movement. With over 1000 hours of certification in both Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, she keeps the practice rooted in its tradition and uses creative sequencing, inviting her love of dance and rhythm.
Dhyana Masla
Raised on the bath of Bhakti Yoga, Dhyana has been visiting India since her childhood. Her father opened the Ayurveda Health Retreat when she was 12 years old, and at the age of 15 she taught her first yoga class and was trained in the science of Ayurvedic body treatments. After seeing patient after patient experiencing deep transformation through the simple lifestyle practices of Yoga and Ayurveda, her faith in the sciences deepened and she wanted to learn more. She received her undergraduate degree in Yoga & Psychology at Naropa University and in 2011, along with her sister and father, founded YogaVeda; the Yoga Alliance certified school for uniting the philosophy, lifestyle, and sciences of Bhakti Yoga & Ayurveda.
She is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor and a dedicated student of Radhanath Swami on the path of Bhakti Yoga, deeply inspired to share the life transforming practices and principles of the path of devotion. Founding director of Stanton Street Yoga in New York City, and co-director of Yoga & Ayurveda trainings at the Bhakti Center, she leads teacher trainings, retreats, workshops and pilgrimages internationally. @dhyana.masla www.thesisterscience.com
Ira Ruiz
Born and raised in the west side of Puerto Rico, Ira is a dance-movement artist and yogini with a love for the rhythm in nature, dance-movement as creative expression, and deep sincere spiritual connections. She has dedicated most of her life to the study of dance-movement, focusing on the multiple ways one is able to use, and create with the body. After obtaining her Psychology degree, Ira felt inspired to cultivate different means for self-exploration and inner communication, which brought her face to face with yoga.
After completing 300hrs within the path of Bhakti Yoga at The Bhakti Center NYC, she delved deep into her own study and path towards self-awareness and self-realization in the hopes of being an inspiration for others to connect to the innermost part of the Self. She sees Yoga as a way to encourage and empower practitioners to rise above their current state of awareness, and create connection with the inner and outer environment.
Focusing on alignment and core strengthening, Ira guides a creative, yet challenging Vinyasa, exploring the connection between breath and consciousness, as well as the powerful and transformative experience that it is to witness your authentic Self. She now leads, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings in New York City & Puerto Rico.
Ann-Mary Kay
Ann-Mary Kay is an RYT800 yoga teacher; trained in Vinyasa, Restorative Yoga and Meditation, as well as a Reiki Master and Somatic Voicework Teacher. Born and raised in Denmark, her adventurous heart called her to travel through South America for 8 months in 1999. It was on this journey that she found the beautiful ancient practice of yoga. Inspired to live in a place where all cultures meet and blend, she moved to NYC in 2000 to pursue Music and Acting, while continuing to deepen her Yoga practice. Ann-Mary completed her first 200 hour teacher training at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in 2011, and has been teaching and broadening her studies ever since, both in NYC, CO, MA and in India. Over the years she has come to fully embrace herself as a healer. Her true calling is holding sacred space for others, as they too, dive deep into their own souls to find the truth, freedom, connection, grounding and happiness, that we are all longing for. Nothing makes her happier than seeing the light shine bright in others, as they discover the vast depths and power of who they are.
Alexandra Moga
I began practicing meditation and breathing techniques at the age of 7 under the guidance of my aunt. In 2001, I took my first yoga class and found the practice perfectly served my natural penchant for movement and innate dedication to seeking truth through spirituality. After 5 years living and studying abroad in Paris, I returned to my birthplace of New York and completed the New York Yoga Society's teacher training at Ananda Ashram under the tutelage of Ashtanga master David Hollander.
After working with children in a Brooklyn charter school, I was drawn to Bent on Learning's Kids' Yoga training to better understand the subtleties of sharing yoga with youth. Soon, India called and I was able to dedicated 6 months to immersing myself in the teachings of the Bhakti tradition, adding a new facet of depth and understanding to my practice and teaching. Overall, I seek to understand and serve the needs of the students before me in each class, which varies considerably at times.
These days, my classes are influenced by Ashtanga's physicality and Bhakti's wisdom. I am ever-grateful to the many teachers who have guided and inspired me with their humor, compassion, servitude, intelligence, devotion and kindness: Raghunath Cappo, Dhanurdhara Swami, His Holiness Radhanath Swami, and His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I look forward to sharing this rich practice with you!
Tal Saporta
Tal Saporta was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel where she spent her childhood surfing the waves of the Mediterranean sea. At the age of 17 she started to compete in local surfing events and soon became the women's surfing champion of Israel for three years in a row. In the last decade Tal traveled the world to compete, looking for the best waves. Early during her surfing carrier Tal's surfing coach introduced her to the yoga world. She began practicing daily and was amazed from the impact on her physical and mental state.
Tal followed the path of yoga and became a full time instructor. She considers each practice as an opportunity for new insights and feelings. Tal's journey into yoga allowed her to find balance that goes far beyond surfing waves. She enjoys practicing and teaching inversions, and finds joy in being upside-down. She is excited to be a teacher in Stanton Street Yoga and looking forward to practicing together.
Petya Georgiev
Petya first discovered yoga in a workshop in college. At this time she didn't know anything about the science or philosophy of the practice but was attracted to the loving and healing energy her teacher brought to the small class. Not long after, she realized how much wisdom lies even further than the asana practice, and decided to go even deeper into its study.
Petya began to take more eastern philosophy courses in school, started reading sacred texts, experimented with different practices, and eventually embarked upon an internship, where she spent time living in a Zen monastery in the mountains. There, she continued to train through the Rinzai Zen lineage for numerous silent retreats and workshops in a more hard and strict discipline setting. However, as with many aspects of life, there is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to a devoted practice; Petya returned to her feelings and found that the Bhakti path of yoga was aligning more with her inner emotional and heart centered side. Now, embedded in Bhakti, Petya continues to go deep through chanting, meditating, and using yoga to move in creative, nurturing, and loving ways.
Lauren Baptiste
On Lauren's first journey through India in 2012, kundalini meditation inspired her to enhance her spiritual life. Upon arrival back in the US, she gravitated towards yoga and eastern homeopathy and found Stanton Street Yoga.
In 2017, Lauren completed her 200 RYT from YogaVeda, empowered to share this gift of yoga with the community. Although Lauren's interest for yoga began in 2012, her love for health and wellness stemmed from an early age. She is also a women's health coach, running coach, Reiki practitioner and health advisor. Outside of the wellness world, Lauren is a financial consultant and CPA. Despite the stress and rigidness from the corporate world, yoga continues to pave the way to a path of love, service and devotion (bhakti).
Lauren brings creativity, introspection and perspective into each yoga class. Her style integrates power and allows for vulnerability, creating a space for all to thrive. See Lauren Baptiste's schedule
Emilie Brockmann
Emilie received her 200 Hour Yoga Vinyasa Certification through Stanton Street Yoga & The Bhakti Center. Her interest in yoga sparked while attending Virginia Commonwealth University where she studied Anthropology and Religion. That interest blossomed into a deep passion and dedication. Her practice goes beyond just the physical aspects of yoga and continues to go deeper in the teachings of yoga and different lineages of meditation.
Emilie’s teaching style has been described as “warm and nurturing”. Her classes weave the integration of breath and mindful movement. Her classes focus on grounding, balance, alignment, expansion and the mind-body-soul connection. Always encouraging students to explore the inner depths of each moment and reconnect to the rhythms of nature.
She is also teacher and practitioner of Restorative Yoga and includes elements of this active relaxation practice in all levels of classes. Emilie also guides sound meditations, encouraging mindful listening while playing overtone emitting instruments that produce frequencies that stimulate brain waves, calm the nervous system and expand consciousness. She enjoys biking around the city and playing ping pong with her husband.
Marina Sky
Marina was born in Latvia and raised in Kazakhstan. She’s been living in NYC for the past 14 years. Yoga has been a part of Marina’s life for the past 10 years. She chooses yoga practice simply because as she quotes “It doesn’t make any sense to not do it”. The practice of yoga allowed her to meet her true-self, recognize self-imposed limiting believes and gifted her a “magic wand” to fully transform from within. Marina was a spiritual seeker and enthusiast for more than a decade before she finally anchored her faith in Bhakti Yoga or Devotional Yoga. The Bhakti Lifestyle inspires her greatly and as a result, she wishes to share it with others.
Marina loves "straddling the mind" and tries living the life open-mindedly and full-heartedly every day. One of Marina's hobbies is Vedic Astrology and some special classes might even offer an astrological hue to it. She received her 200 Hour Teacher Training Certification through Shanti Yoga and 200 Hour Certification through Stanton Street Yoga & The Bhakti Center. Marina is known for her energetic and fun demeanor which reflects her teaching style. Her classes invite you to take your body on a “date” to get to know your mind better. When teaching, she is passionate about proper alignment and effective wisdom from the ancient texts of India. As a yoga teacher, Marina devotes her life to guiding people to themselves, their true nature - which is joy and inner happiness. To her, yoga is the means to become self-realized. Marina says she is in debt to all the teachers who she came in contact with. She quotes: "I wouldn't have been where I am today without the grace of my teachers who influenced my life in the best possible way and led me by example. Namaste."
Susan Hu
Susan is an RYT 200 based in the lower east side of Manhattan. She received her nickname, Bhakti Butterfly, when she graduated from her YTT at YogaVeda. Susan was fascinated and drawn to the teaching of Bhakti yoga from day one and quickly dived deeply into the practice and transformed her life. Born and raised in Shanghai, she is a gypsy at heart and has always been looking for the meaning and purpose of life. After studying in different fields and living in different parts of the world - including living onboard a cruise ship, she followed her heart back to LES and found her community.
Inspired to serve, to tell stories and to share the concept of sustainable living, she became a yoga teacher. She believes when you open up your heart and mind, and when you trust the universe, life will take you on the right path and your story will unfold in a perfect way.
Melody Schröer
Melody Schroeer finds inspiration in every facet of life---from nature, to people, to tender moments on the mat, she believes that the Divine can be found anywhere. As a transplant from Hamburg, Germany, Melody fell in love with New York City the moment she arrived. She found a spiritual home at the Bhakti Center and Stanton Street Yoga, where her wellness background expanded to devotional practices, too.
She loves to learn and her thirst for knowledge thrives in a city like New York. Melody is certified through the Bhakti Center, and studied advanced asana and storytelling with Raghunath Cappo. To augment her teaching, she’ll complete a 100-hour Ayurveda training with the Bhakti Center; she’ll also add Reiki trainings to her heartfelt repertoire.
“You’ll never find rainbows if you’re looking down,” sang Charlie Chaplin---and that’s her guiding mantra. She views the world through bright eyes, remembering that the soul is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss (Sat Chit Ananda). Bhakti’s deep wisdom is to act in the consciousness of service, and to see the connection within every existing soul; that’s what inspires Melody to love all beings.
Alexis Bonaventura
Alexis is a NYC native who first discovered yoga post-college in 2011, simply hoping to reap the physical benefits. She quickly felt a much deeper connection mind, body & spirit, realizing it was a healthy way to help cope with personal grief and life’s struggles. Attracted to the ongoing ‘magic’ of yoga for years she finally decided in 2017 to receive her 200 Hour RYT certification through the Bhakti Center & Stanton Street Yoga.
She strives to be an awareness facilitator for students to experience the present moment by connecting the mind, breath & movement, tapping into one's true self.
Her classes create space to infuse a deeper intention while focusing on alignment and building strength internally & externally. She is passionate about her continued exploring of a plant-based lifestyle for ahimsa as well as the many health benefits. Continually inspired by both the Ashtanga yoga lineage of detoxifying through a focused moving meditation and Bhakti Yoga’s devotional heart-centered path to self-realization through love, gratitude & ultimate oneness with all. Always a student herself, forever grateful to her teachers and every student who shows up to practice. Words to live by: “Practice and all is coming.” -Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
Naushin Rahman
From sunny Queensland, Australia, Naushin grew up in a very slow and laid back lifestyle surrounded by nature. She grew up with a special bond to the ocean, describing the feeling of being in the water as being connected to a universal heartbeat, a feeling of complete surrender.
After completing her studies in Architecture in her hometown of Brisbane, she made the leap to move to New York City in 2017. Naushin quickly became overwhelmed by the mode of passion of the city and her lack of proximity to nature created an aching void in her life. After taking her very first yoga class at Stanton Street Yoga, she instinctively felt a pull towards spirituality and the deeper teachings of Bhakti Yoga.
She completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training under the grace and guidance of Bhakti sisters Dhyana and Syama Masla in 2019, since then her purpose has been very clear. Through her own practice of yoga, she became deeply interested in Vedic Philosophy and teachings, core values that she now swears by.
To her, yoga and meditation are lifelong practices that have helped her become familiar with her own habits and patterns in order to experience life consciously, on purpose and in slow motion to connect to the grace of divinity. Through her classes, she hopes to empower others to see themselves for who they are, and use this awareness to step into their higher selves. Growing up in a house with strong cultural roots, Naushin learnt traditional Bangladeshi folk dance from her Ma and weaves this flow into her sequences. Focusing on connecting with the rhythm of nature and building strength of body and mind, her classes are structured to encourage yogis to challenge themselves while still having fun and not taking it all too seriously!
Roya Pourshalchi
Aligned with the changing seasons and influenced by the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, Roya hopes to bring balance and harmony into the lives of others. Guided by her intuition she cultivates a space that encourages you to connect back to yourself.
Through compassionate communication, deep listening, and a nurturing touch her classes emphasize breath, encourage inquiry, and aspire to inspire with creative sequencing. Engaging all your senses, her classes will always end with a nourishing essential oil and a long savasana.