founder, co director, instructor

Meg has been working on educational development projects in India, Nepal and Tibet for the past decade. Her passion for sustainable development was ignited on an undergraduate research trip to the Himalayas. Upon completion of her thesis at Hampshire College, she moved to Asia where she studied and volunteered for the next seven and a half years. During that time she met her two root gurus, Ayang Rinpoche and Garchen Rinpoche. She founded the Ahimsa House in 2012, a center for nonviolence with $15,000 from the city of Philadelphia from a wrongful arrest.

garden co-manager

Jalana is an avid gardener and yoga teacher.

ope mic facilitator

Mike is an artist, musician, poet, and human. After sprouting and growing up across the bridge in South Jersey, he had a stint of tumbleweedy adventures before finally returning to set down roots and flower in West Philly. He is also a lover of foods, maps, the natural world, and other humans. He is inspired to help work for our collective liberation by a spiritual sense of love and empathy, rooted in the knowledge that everything on this planet is interconnected and interdependent. He is imperfect, still learning and maturing, open and excited for growth. He has hosted open mic nights in several cities and venues, as well as taken part in an eclectic array of musical projects. His artistic works often focus on emotional healing and savoring the jults and joys of this crazy ride of life we're all on. He is excited to share and learn with the community through being involved with Ahimsa House!

For over 25 years Food Not Bombs chapters have been redistributing free vegetarian food all over the world. The main point is that food is a right, not a privilege. Anyone is welcome to come cook, gather donations, distribute and eat.

many of our previous teachers remain involved as substitutes

We are grateful to all of the co-creators of this space. Ahimsa House was officially opened September 11th, 2012 and a number of beautiful people have helped make it what it is. 

co-director, instructor

Sade is a Philadelphia native, women rights/trauma & sexual assault activist working towards ridding the world of stigmas surrounding mental health and sexual assault. Sade is also a promoter of self-care and self-awareness in all things seeking the greater good.

yoga instructor

Erica fell in love with yoga after attending a few free classes offered near her hometown in NJ. During a time of unemployment her practice grew and eventually lead her to Philadelphia where she completed her yoga teacher training in March 2014 at Studio 34.

Meditation Instructor

Steve is a graphic designer, musician and dharma student. He’s been practicing mindfulness meditation since 2012 starting with Against the Stream in San Francisco. He is currently an active member of Philly Insight and Refuge Recovery.

Fair-Amount Food Forest  is a project which is working to build an educational, and community-driven public food forest in Fairmount Park. Food forestry is a gardening technique modeled after the forest but uses food- producing plants in a sustainable manner. As a volunteer-powered community resource, we can offer a variety of educational opportunities and be free to harvest from. Our coalition organizes outreach, fundraising and project planning together through our twice a month meetings at Ahimsa, and we welcome you. We are fiscally sponsored, volunteer run, and make decisions through a modified version of dynamic governance. Please join us if you'd like to help make this a reality! www.fairamountfoodforest.org

Meditation Instructor

Natasha has been a part of the Ahimsa house community almost since the inception! She has practiced mindfulness meditation for a number of years and offers silent space for others to practice at the house.

Movement Therapist

Chelsa’s healing philosophy is rooted in an earth-based practice informed by Core Shamanism, Reiki, Candle Work, and Dance/Movement Therapy. Chelsa’s movement-based work is a synergy of her earth-based practices and her traditional education; allowing for a communion of the mind, body, and spirit.

Everyone takes turns sitting for an evening and/or finds volunteer models. Potluck snacks too. This group has bounced around a bit,and are happy to land with Ahimsa! Please contact Meta if you would like to join us. metazhuraw@gmail.com

Yoga instructor and Reiki Practicioner

Eryn is a Philly-based yoga teacher and reiki practitioner. She studied yoga in India, where she became passionate about using yoga and other spiritual tools for healing. Eryn is a creative & healer based in Philadelphia. She uses the tarot, reiki energy healing, and yoga as tools to help you be present and come back home to yourself. 

Yoga Instructor

Cara came to yoga as a way to cultivate a deeper self awareness through a connection to her body and heart, and to create a home inside of herself that could support her in working towards collective healing and social justice. She believes our healing is completely interconnected and aspires to extend this practice beyond the mat and into every moment, always looking for ways to love herself, her communities, and everyone around her more fully. She also finds joy and meaning in growing food & herbs, organizing for racial justice & prison abolition, and sharing a deep-belly laugh.

Group Faciliatator

I AM YVONNE MCCOY

 AND  

I AM…….A SURVIVOR

After years of being pregnant with this purpose, the time has come to give birth.  Moving towards becoming the founder and Chief Executive Director of an organization entitled Life After Sexual Assault, L.A.S.A –Shaming the Shame.

As a result of my experiences, my struggles, my fears and my survival, I feel I have a voice that will help others who have had a similar experience in the following ways:

• From one survivor to another being able to relate to what they are going through

• Being able to assist them in understanding, it really was not your fault

• Helping them to understand what you are feeling is real, no you are not crazy

• Assisting them in understanding, L.A.S.A. --- there is Life After Sexual Assault

My ultimate goal is to educate, encourage, empower and inspire others who have endured such a haunting, traumatic, life changing YET survivable experience. 

facilitator

Licences and trained Spa therapist, Sunshine offers a relaxing approach for healing and self care.

music therapist & yoga instructor

Rachel has been a practicing music therapist (MT-BC, LPC) and yoga student for almost ten years. She recently combined these two passions during a Nada Yoga (the yoga of sound) teacher training in Rishikesh, India. Now a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher, Rachel is excited to offer classes and workshops that invite participants to get in touch with their voice, play with the world of sound and movement and experience the joy of singing together.

Instructor

My name is Rob Rose and I am honored to create space at Ahimsa for authentic connection, self empowerment, and letting go of energy which no longer serves us. There is tremendous power in group energy with the collective intention of surrender and my role as a facilitator will be to listening, responding and providing support.  www.connectwithrobrose.com 

Yoga Instructor

Georgiana teaches children and adult yoga classes in Philadelphia. She completed her yoga teacher training in December 2018 at Studio 34, where she currently teaches as a member of the Queer and Trans Collective.

Yoga & Kirtan Instructor

 I started to practice yoga to help connect me to my body when I felt lost and in pain from daily traumas of life. It continues to help me find healing when I need a reminder of spirit and universal love. 

Yoga Instructor

Blair is a long-time Philly resident with a love of many things: sunshine and rain, gardens, music, movement, reading and writing, the kindness of neighbors and strangers. She works full-time as a nurse in Philly.

Yoga Instructor

Breanne's yoga practice began a decade ago, when she came to her mat yearning to learn to rest in herself.  As a nurse and Registered Yoga Teacher, she values this practice as a process of self-discovery, a tool to heal our personal and collective traumas, and a path towards liberation. Breanne sees our mat as a place we can go to practice giving ourselves whatever it is we need.  In her time off her mat, she loves intimate conversation, writing, sipping tea, reading, reading and more reading, dancing, and watching/listening to people make music.

Training SOmatic Therapist

Mariana Pardes and I am training as a somatic therapist, offering free sessions to all.

Add some more info about this item...

I'm a LMT who has been working 10 years professionally  - having worked with children, prenatal clients, and adults of all ages in a variety of styles. My current work is transitioning into working with infants, their parents, and the birthing process.

In August I will be doing a Doula training as well to further my education towards working with younger populations and parents. Starting in the next year or following I plan to attend school for a Masters in Occupational Therapy where I'm excited to continue by education in the therapeutic field. I am also near-fluent in ASL, have taught yoga and meditation in the past, and have a general interest in the body as an interdependent organism of expressive and intelligent abilities as a teacher and student

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The Icarus Project is a support network and education project by and for people who experience the world in ways that are often diagnosed as mental illness. We advance social justice by fostering mutual aid practices that reconnect healing and collective liberation. We transform ourselves through transforming the world around us.

Dance instructor

Jamie is a lover of adventuring and creating, and is inspired by the beauty and wisdom of our natural environment. He still feels weird talking about himself in the third person and looks forward to connecting in person growing together. 

yoga instructor

Simrit Atma Kaur is a healer and Certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher. She serves West Philly through teaching, home cleaning and supporting cat rescue.

yoga instructor

Sandra is a Korean-American West Coast transplant who completed her Yoga Teacher Training with the Studio 34 family in West Philly. As a union organizer, she believes in the power of yoga to sustain our bodies and spirits to build a better world.

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Yoga instructor

Sarah is grateful for how the practice of yoga has enabled her to connect more fully with herself, other people, and the natural world. She also deeply appreciates how yoga has enriched other practices in her life. Sarah completed yoga teacher training at Studio 34 in 2018.

youth arts instructor

Naima believes yoga is a practice of empowerment, which reveals our truly divine nature in all living things including ourselves. She is passionate about the healing properties of yoga, which she considers so important in a world where wounds, aliments and traumas are often never really dealt with. She believes that healing, facing our fears and working through what feels uncomfortable is the real way to happiness and living life fully, yoga is simply a tool to help us along the way. 

yoga instructor

Hariprasad has been teaching vinyasa yoga both privately and publicly for over a year. He trained with Brittany Policastro and Maura Manzo in the Beyond Asana teacher training. Hariprasad is committed to social justice and as such teaches yoga at a long term juvenile justice facility and at a Project Home center in North Philadelphia.

Ryan has been a Philadelphia resident since September 2013 by way of Washington, D.C. She is a high school Special Education/ Reading Intervention teacher in North Philadelphia, and in addition to her passion for dedicating her Life’s work to the advancement and expansion of knowledge for today’s urban youth, Ryan holds empowering youth to develop their individual voice through the Spoken Word tradition as a core value as well as she hosts the Poetry/Spoken Word club at the school she currently teaches. From a more personal scope, Ryan has thrown herself into a journey of deepening her spirituality and building a stronger, healthier, more magical relationship with Self and has come to view self-care, self-exploration, and ultimately self-love as a human obligation not only to the individual, but to society, the world, and the Universe as a collective. As we navigate through today’s society, the demands piled on us to simply be Human have proven to have a toxic effect on this planet, and as a result, now more than ever, Ryan seeks to help heal other human relatives both metaphysically and physically. She especially feels a deep connection towards advocating for marginalized individuals who experience a unique form of suffocation at the hands of systemic oppression—especially people of color and the LGBTQ communities and has been involved in activism since her junior year of high school. A major part of her recently refreshed spiritual study is attributed to this connection. In March 2013, Ryan received her Gohonzon after her life-changing introduction to the Buddhist practice, and continues to further her practice of the teachings through chanting, meditation, and mindful living. In addition, Ryan was introduced to the physical practice of yoga in 2015, and has come to hold the teachings of Patanjali’s yoga philosophy dear upon the completion of Studio 34’s Yoga Teacher Training 2016. Ryan is currently a student at the Reiki School and Clinic studying Reiki 1 and has aspirations of delving into aroma therapy, massage therapy, and crystal healing. 

Facilitator

Jeanine Campbell is an ESL teacher who has found yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to be key to her teaching practice and journey to becoming a teacher. Born on the outskirts of Philadelphia, she now calls West Philly her home and loves living, working and volunteering in this beautiful community

community herbalist

DJ is a Community Herbalist, Wild Foodie, and longtime neighborhood resident.

Yoga instructor

After years of doing yoga and wanting to experience the subtle and energy bodies, I went on a quest to unlock those realms.  This lead me to months at a time at Agama Yoga in Thailand studying Chakra based Hatha Yoga and Tantra.  

expressive arts educator

Noelle Picara is a musician and expressive arts educator who develops safe, supportive spaces where people of all abilities feel empowered to access their own creativity and innate wisdom.  She has developed Re-Humanizing as a practice for moving past trauma through using the voice, movement, meditation, and play to build a sense of strength and safety in the present.  She specializes in working with survivors of sexual violence.

Healthy Masculinity Facilitator

Dave is an autodidactic polymath, multi-instrumentalist and computer guru from all over (mostly the East Coast). Dave values equality, precision, improvisation, deep introspection, deep conversations and open-mindedness. A trauma survivor, they have a deep drive to understand trauma and the healing of it on both the individual and collective levels. When not introspecting or playing music, Dave enjoys practicing and performing improv comedy.

yoga instructor

Melanie  just completed her 200-hour training in vinyasa yoga at Dhyana Yoga where they received in-depth training in yoga anatomy and physiology, assists and adjustments, pranayama (breathing practice), meditation, and more! They continue to deepen their studies to strengthen their practice as a teacher and a learner. They are currently pursuing and additional 50-hour training at Dhyana that focuses on assists and adjustments.

Instructor

Kristen Jas Vietty is into connection: with her self, our environment, and other humans. She can often be found playing with plants, dancing, singing, snuggling, sharing food and drinks, and intimately communicating. 

Meditation Instructor

Sina is a Neuroscientist with extensive practice in meditation and movement . After finishing his studies in Italy, he joined Princeton University as a researcher. Sina is passionate about ways of healing mental disorders and trauma through body movement. Sina has training in Butoh at the Vangeline Theatre in NYC, and practices improvised dance with Group Motion in Philadelphia.

Meditation Instructor

Hong-Mei is an enthusiastic yogi and meditator as well as a certified Art of Living meditation and yoga teacher. She is a scientist by trade and has Master's Degree in Non-Profit Leadership. Her true passion is connecting people, teaching yoga and meditation, and running and hiking.

Gestalt Coach and Trainer

Deb Lane is a gestalt coach and trainer, BSW ( ICF,PCC)  presenting her work both in the US and Europe. She has applied her Gestalt methodology and philosophy in her coaching, teaching, personal and professional relationships. 

healing arts practicioner

 Lani Sol is a natural intuitive who has been practicing various forms of healing arts for over 25 years. She has a masters in psychology and a professional certificate in spiritual coaching. She sees wellness as a way of life. Her goal in working with you is to facilitate a life changing & sustainable healing experience. Visit HealingHouseWellness.com for more information

Butoh facilitator

Victoria is an artist, facilitator, educator, and hypnotherapist and has created workshops, classes, and performances in PA, NYC, and Jordan. Victoria is passionate about utilizing research in Butoh and transpersonal drama therapy to facilitate growth and positive change. Victoria is certified by the International Association of Counselors and Therapists as a Hypnotherapist, has trained in Butoh at the Vangeline Theater in NYC, and has studied physical theatre at Dell'Arte International and elsewhere. Victoria is also a founding member of the 100th Monkey Theatre Ensemble, a new east-coast devising company. 
www.victoriamoyer.com

Children's reading club facilitator/Essential Oils Specialist

Ali is passionate about empowering others to live their best life through natural healing. Her mission is to help spread health and happiness with essential oils. Through her own wellness journey, she has come to understand the positive impact plant medicine, Yoga, meditation, and connection can have on our overall wellbeing. She is the proud mama of daughter Ruby and West Philly local for many years.

Yoga instructor

LaVondra (Lava) Ham has been teaching yoga and mindfulness educator to children since 2009. She earned her 14hr YTT certification through Childlight Yoga in Wayne, PA. She has since earned her 200hr YTT adult yoga certification from Studio 34 in Philadelphia, PA. She continues to journey into the world of spirituality and mindfulness through her personal practice and continued education. 

Yoga instructor

C-IAYT, ERYT-200, RYT-500, is a yoga therapist, instructor and Yoga of Recovery® counselor. She has been exploring the themes between somatic, emotional and spiritual healing through Integral Yoga® and Tibetan Buddhism for over 10 years.

Yoga instructor

Caroline Pocock is a certified Hatha Yoga instructor and philosophy nerd trying to find her path and her people on this beautiful winding journey. Born in North Carolina, she's lived in Ecuador, New York City, Argentina, Vermont, and now finds her new home in West Philly.

Spanish Instructor

Moving from France at the age of 13, I quickly found myself in a "teacher" role among my friends. I, later, traveled the world and discovered the importance of understanding one's language and culture to enjoy their country. This pushed me to become a French teacher and show the public that other cultures are just as intriguing as ours. 

Yoga instructor

Seven years after her introduction to yoga, Cari’s practice deepened in 2015 when she began to realize how its mind-body-breath integration helped to manage the onset of her chronic pain condition. She began to entertain the idea of enrolling in teacher training as a means to deepen her own knowledge, appreciation, and respect and to possibly share the practice with others—and safely. She is so blessed to have completed her foundational teacher training at Studio 34 in December 2017. Cari’s approach focuses on the tenets of the present moment as a way to connect the body to thoughts and emotions, and pays particular attention to transitioning with mindfulness, ease, and self-compassion while offering an adaptable physical practice to provide “yoga for every body”.

Yoga Instructor

Mary started regularly practicing yoga as a way to manage the onset of a chronic pain condition after a bike accident. She took the Studio 34 teacher training this past year to learn and share knowledge about how listening to the language of your body can significantly reduce stress and chronic pain.

Baking Instructor

I'm a vegan pastry chef that studied at the Art Institutes of Philadelphia, I attended the schools baking/pastry arts program for two years. I graduated in June 2014. I currently live in the suburbs outside of West Philly. I'm an assistant baker at Traub's Bakery in Prospect Park, Pa. I'm trying to break into the vegan philly scene day by day.

Non Violent Communication Facilitator

Sam is interested in the relationship between non-violence in society and non-violence within the individual. He practices hatha yoga, vipassana meditation, and Non-Violent Communication with the understanding that negativity inside and outside can be transformed into compassion through diligent awareness and life-enriching intention.

Yoga instructor

A returning teacher Loni will share what she has learned in her time away.

Writing Instructor

I am writer and poet living in near Cedar Park in West Philadelphia. I have enjoyed a freelance writing career. I have also worked in publicity and promotions, writing copy and press releases.

Yoga Instructor

Heather Renee, a Florida transplant, Birth Doula, Caretaker, and practitioner of yoga, completed her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India over the summer of 2017. She has worked with women and families for many years and is heavily active in Recovery Advocacy.  She believes that healing the world around us begins through self healing, and creating the space to be of service to others. She aspires to live a life of kindness and nonviolence, and feels that each encounter is an opportunity to learn how to hold more compassion.  

Writer

Eugene Carrington is a retired NYC bie messenger who began writing in 2005. A finalist in several national poetry contests, Carrington has published poems in California Quarterly and fiction in several literary magazines.

Psycotherapist

Alexei is a trained therpist residing in West Philadelphia, interested in integrative healing.

Yoga & Meditation Instructor

Maureen recently moved from the Santa Monica Mountains. She is a proud mother of twins toddlers. She's a student at University of Pennsylvania for Entrepreneurship. She's rigorously practiced yoga for fifteen years and meditation for four. She resides in University City.

Open Mic Faciliatator

Susan is working toward the completion of her master’s thesis for a graduate degree in Art Therapy from Drexel. Her thesis focus is on the development of a method of art therapy to reduce isolation and work through other difficult conflicts faced by patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. She also works as an Administrative Manager at a drug and alcohol treatment center in Philadelphia. In the past, she has led art workshops for teens, an experiential art course for military veterans, and worked with both children and adults through art seeking to create meaning and communicate their experiences. She believes that creativity is a deeply spiritual experience, innate within all of us.  The act of creation is capable of bringing out our inner truths and connecting us to one another, and connecting our inner worlds with the outer world.

yoga instructor

Joanna completed the 200 yoga teacher training at Studio 34 in 2016.   She believes the self awareness and acceptance gained through Yoga truly helps us all to find truth, see beauty, and act compassionately; inwardly as well as towards others.  Celebrating the diversity and ever changing nature of asana practice (and life), she encourages all students to bring a sense of humor and curiosity to their mats.

Spoken Word Artist, Open Mic Host

Massimo Elijah Pryor is a spoken word poet born and raised in Philadelphia. He has performed alongside many local poets and musicians, featuring for events such as Pecola Breedlove and The Freedom Party, Moonstone Arts 100 Poets Read, The New Mosaic Open Mic and Ahimsa House Poetry Jawn. He feels blessed to be part of such a thriving and diverse art scene in his home city, and loves seeing people use creative expression to change their world.

Yoga Instructor

Taylor graduated Studio 34's Yoga Teacher Training in December of 2017 and is super excited to begin sharing the art that has given her love, healing and community. She is a mover, dancer, theatre artist, sister, friend, barista, and lover.

Yoga Instructor

Through years of social work with Philadelphia's homeless individuals, Gina Cocchiaro witnessed the healing impacts of group fitness. With a BS in Neuroscience and certification in Aligned Vinyasa yoga from Studio 34 in West Philly, Gina, now studying medicine, believes in the power of yoga to unify, strengthen and heal community.

Inner Source Healing Arts is an energy healing school in Paoli, PA. Since 2003, Inner Source has been offering a variety of professional, results-focused programs and activities to help people gain a fuller connection to themselves and to others  In an atmosphere of acceptance and hope, our programs utilize a wide variety of techniques, including experiential exercises, meditation, sounding, movement, and group discussions, in order to facilitate unique and transformative healing. 

yoga instructor

Sasha Brown began practicing yoga in 2010, while working at her first office job and feeling the aches associated with sitting all day. Since then, she has studied the intersection of trauma, movement and mindfulness in healing the whole person. In May 2017, Sasha completed a specialized 200-hour Yoga and Social Justice teacher training at the DAYA Foundation in Portland, OR. Sasha believes in making yoga accessible to all, and has taught in a hospital pain clinic and alternative high school. Her classes combine breathwork and sensory integration with asana to increase students’ awareness of their mental-emotional wellbeing. 

The West Philadelphia Community of the Communist Party was founded in 1919, the Communist Party USA has championed the struggles for democracy, labor rights, women’s equality, racial justice and peace for 97 years. The Communist Party has an unparalleled history in the progressive movement of the United States, from the struggle against Jim Crow segregation, the organizing of the industrial unions, from the canneries of California, to the sweatshops of New York City.

Movement Instructor

Janna is a performing artist, movement educator and writer currently based in West Philadelphia, PA.  Her love of embodied practices lies in deep conscious play with unconsciously held patterns in the body. Grounding her work is long-time study of Body Mind Centering®, Contemplative Dance Practices and improvisational composition. She holds an MFA in Contemporary Performance, is a Reiki Practitioner since 1999, and is a lifelong student of traditions and views that cultivate living a Mythical Life. Www.jannameiring.com

Co- Director

Kellie has dedicated her life to the study and practice of yoga, meditation and self-inquiry for the last 14 years.  In her beginning years of college she discovered Iyengar yoga, and decided that the world didn't need more academics but instead it needed more relaxed, aware, joyful people, (i.e. it needed more yoga).  She has completed 3 yoga teacher trainings, and numerous hours of study with teachers such as Eileen Muir, Amy Ippolity, Sommer Sobin, John Friend, and Suzie Hurley to name a few.  Her studies in yoga led her to live in India and Nepal for three years, where she met and sat in months of retreat with her meditation teacher,s as well as delved into the study of Adviata Vedanta and Buddhism in its many facets.  From there her love for healing led her to Hawaii for 3 years to study and teach at a school for bodywork, yoga, mediation, and consciousness training. She is currently practicing massage therapy and Structural Integration, teaching yoga that is heavily influenced by the Anusara,  Iyengar, and Ashtanga traditions, and managing the Ahimsa House in West Philadelphia.  Kellie's teaching style is characterized by her precision to detail, understudying of the body, knowledge of therapeutics, and warm and friendly nature. At the core of her teaching is the philosophy that this life is a miracle and yoga is a tool to help us access this miracle as our momentary experience of the Now. Visit her website for more info about Kellie's classes and work: www.KellieBerns.com 

Victoria's relationship with yoga began in 2005 while living in El Salvador. At first it was a very physical practice driven by a competitive ego and tough self critic. Over time it evolved into a powerful space for healing, awakening, and connection, becoming something not that she did, but that she strived to live. Her commitment as a student inspired her to become a teacher and to provide a space and tools for people to be supported safely and wholeheartedly on their journey. Along with teaching in studios and giving privates, Victoria also teaches at the Philadelphia FDC and County Prison as part of Transformation Yoga Project. To learn more about Victoria's yoga journey and offerings, visit her website www.livingyoga.com. 

Yoga Instructor

Catarina is a Portuguese Yoga Instructor since 2010, a Psychologist and an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Living in center city she loves Philly. She has completed 6 years of Yoga training and has experience giving Yoga classes to all levels and ages, including seniors, children and blind people. 

Yoga Instructor

Charity is known as a shaker and mover, and has come to appreciate the depth yoga brings to the meaning of all life. She ventured to India in 2014 to fully submerge herself in the yoga practice she had come to love, and with that, embodied the mystery yoga brought to her own healing-heart-path. There, she completed her 500 HR Hatha YTT, and has been sharing her practice in the clinical and wellness settings, and is excited to extend her joy and passion for yoga in the broader Philadelphia community. 

Yoga Instructor

Malika has been practicing Yoga since 2012 to help manage PTSD. She's now trained in 3 styles and very much committed to uplifting people of African decent throughout the nation and world.

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meditation instructor

Jensen has studied alignment based asana, yogic philosophy and meditation since moving to Philadelphia in 2011. As someone living with persistent anxiety and racing thoughts, meditation and mindfulness has become an essential part in Jazz's life. They find this practice helps slow things down, gently softening emotions that would otherwise feel paralyzing, so that we may hold them, feel them, and express them. Along with healing arts, their interests encompass community outreach, herbalism, nordic folklore // norse mythology, diy projects, performance expression, movement and motion, inclusivity, building safe spaces and learning new ways of dismantling oppression.

Music Instructor

Evan Cory Levine is a professional entertainer and music educator based out of West Philadelphia. With nearly two decades of experience, he is ready and excited to help develop a community of aspiring ukuleleists!

Yoga Instructor

Amelia completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Studio 34 in 2016. She believes in the transformative power of practice: a student of yoga since 2005, she has learned a variety of styles (vinyasa, ashtanga, hatha) in the US, and travelled with her mat abroad. Her classes take a student-centered approach, adapting planned sequences to the level and interests of those who show up.

Monica McCollin is a philly native who completed her 200hr yoga teacher training in June 2015.  She is a nutritionist and clinical herbalist who currently manages an affordable farm share program at Greensgrow, a Kensington/ West Philly based urban farm and garden center.

Monica is a performer and creator. She teaches Theatre at West Philadelphia High School and in her spare time, loves to draw, paint, collage, and make jewelry. She loves spending time making art with others while simultaneously learning about ourselves, life, and the universe.

Tracey Coretta Ferdinand is a self-love disciple who wants to live in a world where mango trees are plentiful, kindness is fashionable, and yoga classes are melanin friendly.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Ursinus College and a master’s degree in Africana Women’s Studies from Clark Atlanta University.  So she fancies herself a womanist writer.  She is also a certified 200 hour vinyasa yoga teacher with a passion for sharing creative wellness practices.  What can you expect when taking her yoga class? A powerful yet gentle flow. She loves yoga because it reminds her to get free, stay woke, and let shit go.​

Yoga Teacher

Rachel came to yoga after years of struggling with depression and an eating disorder, with very little progress in way of recovery. She quickly found that through yoga she was able to give herself the emotional space and connection back to her body that was crucial in her healing journey. Only four months after her first asana class, she began her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Studio 34, with the desire to eventually be able to share the transformative effects of yoga with others. Her classes involve connecting to the body through direct experience, allowing the focus to shift towards function over form. Outside of teaching, Rachel is also currently working to establish a body positive community-based program in the Philadelphia area.

Joyce is a mother of four, motivational speaker, life coach author, and youth leader for over 12 years

Vanessa believes that yoga has the power to be transformative, healing, and grounding. Vanessa loves teaching and helping fellow humans. Particular aspects of yoga interest are the yamas, niymas, and pranayama. Vanessa is committed to making yoga accessible for all bodies and has particular interest in teaching students that have rarely seen themselves represented in mainstream, Western yogic culture. She recently completed a teacher training program at Studio34.

Kelly R.  is a 2013 graduate of the Yoga Center of Minneapolis 230 hour yoga study and teacher training program. She is a poet, avid wanderer and a proponent of being. New to the city of Philadelphia, she enjoys walking the streets and discovering. By occupation she does travelling business to business technical sales. She aims to bring a feeling of temporary retreat, allowance to give and take what is needed and to teach to what the day brings to the classes she teaches.

Anisha After a long relationship with dance, Anisha came to yoga within the past few years and reveled in its benefits - physical and mental. She dove into completing an Ashtanga-Vinyasa based teacher training, and is in the process of completing an Anusara/Alignment-based training in Philadelphia. She loves practicing and teaching yoga with others and sharing the 'ah-ha' moments that transform the physical practice into a lifelong relationship. Anisha is so thankful for the Ahimsa house, students, and fellow teachers who allow the space to thrive.

Yoga Teacher

Blair feels truly jazzed to be sharing another season with Ahimsa, the house and all its peoples and creatures and spirits. Having practiced yoga for nine years and, now, having taught yoga for one, Blair loves being back at this point that feels like the VERY beginning and richly enjoying her beginner's mind. Blair delights in sharing the joy of being embodied, of feeling a sweet heart connection to her own body and then encouraging other persons to feel their own connection to their heart/body/mind. Blair would like to thank the Ahimsa co-directors, volunteers and community members for making this space possible. Winky smiley face. Come and take a class or come hang in the garden and find your own dance with giving and receiving.

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Kate Summerville: Injuries brought her to yoga 2.5 years ago. She fell in love with the philosophy and has been at it ever since. Did her teacher training at Studio34 yoga and teacher chair yoga at the YMCA. Also likes to go birdwatching and play old-time music on her banjo.

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Doug Hayward has was introduced to Yoga thru the Bhagavad Gita while taking an Eastern Religions course at Millersville University as an undergraduate in the early 70's. However, that exposure simply turned out to be a seed that didn't blossom until the mid 90's when he went to a Bikram class in West Reading Pennsylvania. Under the tutelage of Sarita Rocco, Doe Wails, Maryann Blefko, Joel Pier, JoAnn Morrell, Bikram, Jimmy Barkam, Eric Schiffman, Rama Berch and Bri Maya Tiwari he was introduced to the wonderful world of Asana and self discoverable meditation. His journey continued over a couple of years of practice till he became one of the first members of Yoga Alliance when their headquarters was in West Reading, PA. He went on from there on a trip to State College, PA to teach Yoga at a local Massage School and the Pennsylvania State University. Those opportunities continue to flourish to this day while at the same time he opened a small studio called Yoga in State College. Being an avid reader of antiquated Yoga Books, Doug helped to establish Yoga in State College as a portal of Yoga education for thousands of students thru the help of over 20 other teachers either living in the area or acquiring the knowledge of Yoga at the studio itself. He continues a tradition of Free Yoga Classes at Berks County's Heritage Center ~ every Sunday at 11:00 am from May to September.

My name is Sharon,  I'm West Philly-ite, and a big lover of the beautiful openness I've found in people here. I am driven by my love for making art! I paint, draw, weave, and craft. During the day I work as the Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Architecture and Design, and at night I go home and release my tension by dancing. I find a wonderful relaxation in getting down and groovy with some good tunes - and I hope to share that with you!

Ruchama Bilenky is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Instructor who specializes in bringing the spiritual and physical benefits of Yoga to diverse individuals and populations. She is also an actress and musician. She is inspired by music, travel, meditation, yoga and chocolate! Think Yoga isn't for you? Try a session with Ruchama and have your misconceptions dispelled!

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​Courtni lived On 50th And Cedar for 26 Years until she moved In 2014, she hosts the Sister's Motivational Group.

Katie Scott: Mission to share the healing and transformational benefits of yoga, mindfulness and meditation to people of all ages and body types. Kate brings a playful and passionate edge to class with a strong focus on grounding, connecting into the source, and proper alignment. kate is a 200 hour RYT with experience in mindful yoga therapy for Veterans, yoga for Addiction and Yoga to cope with anxiety and depression.

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Matt is a permaculturist, musician, and trained engineer.  He has experimented with different forms of meditation and wellness practices for the past 5 years.  Matt has completed a 10-day silent Vipassana Meditation retreat, practiced community Reiki, practiced Falun Dafa, and utilized various Soul-Mind-Body practices from Dr. Zhi Gang Sha, in addition to his dedication to deep nature connection work.  Raised Lutheran, Matt is an advocate for spiritual syncretism: the combining of different, often seemingly contradictory beliefs, while melding practices of various schools of thought.

Michael is a living, breathing human- no better or worse than anybody else. He believes in spirituality as a foundation for creating meaningful, peace-cultivating change in the world. Presently, discussion groups and honest conversations are the preferred medium of choice for that cultivation. Michael loves hiking, trees, relationships, honesty, and bread. He is striving to find his place in the River of Existence, as well as creating a deep attentiveness to the present moment.  

Eliza has just begun her journey to becoming a full, healthy, sexual being. She wants to meet others who are also on this journey, either beginners or seasoned travelers. She hopes that the group will be a source of strength and restoration for its participants.

Jared is currently engaged in figuring out who he is and what he’s doing on the planet Earth, though he’s becoming increasingly suspicious that this question is not one to be answered, but rather one to be lived. Above all though, he is unsure. While he’s figuring that out he’s also working on a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology, which has no simple definition but to him means the study of the human experience that values all parts of the human: physical, emotional, intelectual, and spiritual. He spends his days pursuing a wide array of topics that all converge around what he thinks of as his soul. This pursuit has thus far included a healthy helping of entheogens, practice in meditation and yoga, research into and increasing experience with the occult or hidden sciences, tarot-card divination, and an insatiable affinity for wilderness wherever he may find it.

Cassendre Xavier is a Leeway Transformation Award winning multi-media healing artist and community arts organizer. She came to yoga in the early 2000s, and began studying and practicing Kundalini Yoga in 2007. That same year, she also began leading "Affirmations Sing-Alongs" and writing, singing, and recording affirmations, which you can hear on her YouTube channel and her guided meditation albums "Affirmations for Survivors: Self-Love", "Affirmations for Survivors: Spirituality", and on her latest musical album "Hope". 

Sasha came to yoga looking for relief from chronic pain and ended up finding a practice that has enriched and transformed her life in more ways than she could have hoped for.  She is a firm believer in compassion,love and empowerment as tools of healing and growth and grateful for every opportunity to practice and teach yoga.

Ojetade Ifasooto Ajala (Oman), A student of Love, a Father, Spiritual Enlightenment Educator, (Ifa Priest) Martial Artist (Capoeira Angola). A student of the art and lineage of Capoeira Angola through Mestre Joao Grande. Practicing the art of Capoeira Angola for 9 years now has enabled me to better understand my physical limitations. Through the adept teachings of the spiritual system of Ifa, I am learning the limitations of the human spirit. Thus combining the two systems of Ifa and Capoeira Angola, have produced a overall system of Positive Enhancement for the Spirit and body. You are all welcome!

Jackie is a lifelong student of dance. With a foundation in Russian ballet, and over 20 years in Middle Eastern/North African dance styles, she has a  passion for learning new techniques to express the bond between music and movement. She studied with such amazing dancers as: Morocco, Dalia Carella, Anahid, Kiki Aziz, Aviva!, Su'ad, Farasha and many more. She has been part of Troupe Fantazeyah and the Egyptian American Folkloric Group. After a few years, she realized her heart was much more interested in dancing for experience and joy than for profit. She then left the professional circuit to persue her own voice. Alongside her technical training, Jackie has been heavily involved in the goth/industrial club scene and incorporated the styles she saw and created into her dance. THEN, she found fun and power in West African dance with Janet Peck and Sogbety, and brought that into her own style. Now, you can find her dancing to anything from Garbage, to Balkan music, to Assemblage 23...anything! Since there are a myriad of styles, cultures, variations and fusions of Belly dance available, Jackie is offering Ahimsa House a deconstructed, purely technique class, that can be the basis for any path her students may choose. She will put emphasis on form, isolation, strength, and flexibility. "If dance is a language, I hope to give you an alphabet, and the basic grammar of Belly dancing. Please, take what I can give and write your poetry!​

Olivia, April, Lindsay, and Annette all met while studying with a local medicinal herbalist in Philadelphia. We are passionate about cultivating our daily relationship with our herbal allies, and bring different points of view on plant medicine and wellness. We are so ecxited to sit in circle and share this wisdom, promoting green vitality in our community!

Kori Moore: is a 5 year running, Philadelphian, by way of Ohio. After attempting fashion school, and feeling unsatisfied, she discovered painting and yoga the summer of 2010. She believes in the power of kindness and feels art will save us all. Kori recently completed a yoga teacher training course through West Philly’s Studio 34. She is an avid bike commuter, lover of music, explorer of forgotten spaces, and personal chef to anyone wanting to eat delicious vegetarian cuisine. She also teaches at Sweat Fitness in Center City, with the intent to bring a more Hatha based focus to gym culture, rather than just Vinyasa or Power Yoga.

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Matt Peterson is a Multimedia Artist and Yogi.  He has dedicated the last 10 years to practicing Internal Martial Artsts (Xing Yi Quan) and Yogic meditation.  While living in NY he ran a DIY art space (called 'La Grotta') which focused on promoting visceral media (performance, installation sculpture, video installation).  While keenly interested in the body as a means of expression and self development, Matt's art tends towards surreal/mythical story telling.  He also has a talent for reading Tarot.  ​

Priscilla is a holistic-minded, master’s prepared, health practitioner with deep reverence for our environment. She is trained in ashtanga-based vinyasa and hopes to share the benefits of yoga to whomever is interested! She is also an activist at heart and is passionate about making this world a little safer, healthier, inhabitable for all of it’s creatures. She is happy to be involved with Ahimsa house in whatever faculty possible. 

Zoe loves to move and has been practicing mysore ashtanga while teaching vinyasa classes for several years in Boston and NYC.  She recently relocated to Philadelphia and completed the Studio 34 teacher training with Angie Norris, Kellie Berns and Jess Eagen.  She is currently working on her PhD in religion with a focus in Buddhism and film.  Her engagement with both yoga philosophy and practice comes from a desire for healing through mind/body integration.  

Vicki is a person who has lived a life and continues to. She is a grateful student of Tibetan Buddhist master Ngawang Gehlek Rimpoche. She is honored and delighted to share his teachings whenever possible. She is also a yoga teacher. She believes in your potential

Alice is certified Nutritional Therapy Consultant, real food educator and RESTART® program instructor based in West Philadelphia. Using a foundational approach towards dietary and lifestyle changes, she helps clients address underlying issues and and meet their individual health goals. When she's not thinking or talking about food, she's probably dancing. Email her atAThatcher.NTC@gmail.com

Samar (pronounced as Summer) Shraim is a 2015 graduate of Studio 34 | Yoga Relief 200 Hour Teacher Training program in West Philly where she fell in love with sun salutations and having a committed personal practice.  She practices yin yoga and loves to incorporate some yin asana in her teaching.  Samar loves music, poetry, and languages and finds joy in cooking as well as writing.

Kim is a full believer in the healing power of the breath. She is a clinical social worker and newly-minted yoga teacher who views yoga as any practice that connects you with your truest self and that cultivates liberation and compassion in your life. Kim was drawn to body-based therapies after experiencing first-hand the ability of meditation and yoga to unlock the body’s natural creativity, wisdom, and capacity to heal. In 2015 she completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Studio 34 in West Philadelphia, a community she cherishes and loves deeply. Kim’s warm and open teaching style invites you to listen to yourself and enjoy all that you are.

Mare Bear -- I am a dancer, yogini and global explorer. During backpacking adventures in South America and Asia, I discovered the healing power of music and dance. I met my teacher, conscious dance living legend Ellen Watson, during a work study program at the historic Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. I completed the SpiritDance SoulSong teacher training in Bali, and I'm thrilled to guide others to radiant physical and metaphysical wellness through the world's oldest spiritual practices.

Naseem is a west-coaster with real love for west philly, especially west philly yoga. Five years into a regular yoga practice, she still feels like a beginner, discovering new depths in her mind and body on the regular. Join her for a light-hearted and sweet morning practice!

Gabriel Nyantakyi has studied many styles of belly dance, from traditional, to fitness dancing! He enjoys sharing the expressive form of dance.

He also organizes West Philly Food Not Bombs out of both Ahimsa House and Lava Space and can help you get involved if you would like to start helping!

Diana Misdary is a teacher in West Philadelphia and has been writing poetry since the 1st grade. She believes writing is one of the most powerful and beautiful expressions of the heart and mind. She spends countless hours outside and is always looking for ways to live vibrantly.​

Daphne Shatto is a mother, massage therapist, vegan, traveler,  freshly forged yoga teacher and full time student of life.  She began  practicing meditation and yoga within the last 6 years and the passion quickly grew after becoming a part of the Studio 34 community.  Daphne believes that practicing awareness of one's true self and knowing the connectedness of all things changes lives and changes the world. Connecting conscious breath with movement nurtures self awareness and being able to share this practice with others is a blessing.

Hayley The power of the mind-body connection fascinates me. After being diagnosed with two chronic illnesses, I discovered the healing potential that dancing has to offer. On this path of learning about healing, yoga started to become a major part of my life. In July of 2015 I received my 200 hour yoga certification from Dhyana Yoga.  To further my studies in dance and the mind-body connection, I am currently studying Dance at The University of the Arts and Psychology at the University of the Sciences. My mission is to share my knowledge and to bring peace to people through art, dance, and yoga!

Nicole Pepe began practicing yoga over 10 years ago as a way of bonding with her mom.  Little did she imagine how profound an experience it would become, renewing her perspective on life, love, career, and everything in between.  Yoga makes Nicole feel good - physically, mentally, and spiritually - and now she wishes to create a space for her students to discover the same.  Receiving her 200 hour RYT certification in 2014 from Philadelphia's Studio 34, Nicole has studied a spectrum of yoga styles including Vinyasa, Hatha, Baptiste, Anusara, and Ariel.  Still inspired by her first yoga teacher, Johnny Gillespie, Nicole's vinyasa-based classes place special emphasis on the connection between breath, movement, and alignment.

Amanda DeLeo When I'm not developing sites, I'm teaching yoga classes, running with the West Philly Runners, riding my Jamis Beatnik day or night, blazing heat or freezing cold, reading on my kindle or hanging out with my two amazing cats. 

Alyssa Songsiridej has been meditating for many years, and has attended silent retreats in the Theravada IMS/Spirit Rock tradition. She is Thai-Chinese American and will start her first meditation teacher training in Spring 2017. She is also a writer, editor at Storyscape Journal and adjunct professor at Temple University and

the Community College of Philadelphia.

Terese is an eccentric ball of light transplanted from oregon to bless the city of philaldephia with boundless giggles and shimeys.

Loni is a Part time accountant and part time yogini. Graduated from Penn State in 2014 and receieved her yoga instructing certifcate in July 2016 in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Amanda Sebald After a long and painful bout of sciatica, Amanda started taking yoga classes to strengthen her lower back and noticed a meditative quality to yoga that took her by surprise. Wanting to explore this feeling further led her to take the Yoga Teacher Training at Studio 34 in 2014. Forever a student, Amanda has continued to explore yoga and mindfulness with curiosity, apprehension, fear and excitement. Her classes aim to use yoga as a tool to quiet the mind and tune into the body without judging oneself. 

Julianne Jules Weingart Is a yoga teacher trainer certified yoga practitioner who has a deep love and appreciation for the link between breath and body and the creative spark in all of us.

Zivile P. Skiles has been practicing yoga since 2010. Passion and love lead her to completing her Anusara/Alignment based yoga teacher training and a foundations course of Teaching Kids Yoga in Philadelphia. With inspiring teachers she found patience, compassion, clarity and self love in a yoga of life.

My initial intention was to nurture my practice and share it with my life partner while relocating far away from home. Without further intentions of teaching others, I found myself in front of a class not long after. Taking a seat of a teacher was an organic extension of myself, a desire to share yoga with more than one. I am grateful to all my teachers for letting me spread their wisdom and generosity.

I teach alignment based yoga practice where I focus on moving through yoga asana slowly and with precise attention to safe and proper body alignment. The yoga that I teach is for everyone that wants to move with awareness.

Yoga Teacher

Lane Taylor is an experienced yoga practitioner who has drawn into the practice while in cancer recovery. She followed her passion for teaching individuals how to care for and strengthen their immune system into a Masters in Public health in Infections Diseases and Microbiology, and she is currently working in HIV/ADS education. She is a recent graduate of Studio 34/YogaRelief’s 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training program and she is looking forward to helping individuals improve their health through yoga and meditation.

Kari uses breath as the central rhythm from which all movement stems, encouraging each student to find their unique flow. Kari pauses at each key pose allowing time to explore proper alignment, a deeper stretch, and more subtle sensations. Kari began practicing yoga at Studio 34 to work on posture, never guessing that it would change their whole way of thinking, feeling, and perceiving the world. The simple act of moving their awareness out of their mind onto the bones, muscles, breath, and deeper inside made them experience life in so many new ways. Finding a deep sense of stable happiness, Kari knows that every practice will produce a smile. Kari was moved to help others find the treasures inside themselves and pursued teacher training at Studio 34. Kari looks forward to all the places this journey will take them.

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Art has been searching for the divine secrets all his lives. He has researched many metaphysical topics including Astrology, The I Ching, the physics of Chaos and Random events, Tarot (he even designed an updated tarot incorporating astrology and the I Ching) and he created an interesting, often amazing free oracle website (The Electric Fortune Cookiewww.askEFC.com). He has a BS in Physics from Drexel and even went halfway through medical school at Hahnemann before leaving to pursue writing and research. He also does energy work combining Reiki, Qigong, sonic attunement (chanting) and Yoga with Acupressure (EFT). His workshop will engage everyone in an interactive experience where amazement and the unexpected will involve and evolve you.

Non Violent Communication Teacher

Gina Molinari was led to yoga by back pain in 2008 while living in NJ. She has since discovered its healing and balancing power and teaches yoga at The Yoga Garden every Sundaymorning. A 200RYT, her classes use intention, breath, and movement to focus on aligning our bodies and spirits. Anticipate a journey of passionate discovery. Gina also practices Vedic Thai Massage, Reiki Energy Healing, and Intuitive Counseling.Check her out at  www.YogiGiGi.com .

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River Dunavin, the facilitator, has brought Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in the form of classes, workshops, practice groups, conflict coaching, and mediations to hundreds of adults, parents, students, co-workers, and colleagues since 2006. Beginning in 2002, he has studied directly with Dr. Marshall Rosenberg (NVC creator) and eighteen other trainers certified by the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC). River is a candidate for certification as an NVC trainer by CNVC; he anticipates completion of that process in March 2016. River is committed to personal, interpersonal, and social change toward a contagious, nonviolent culture where we all can thrive and be harmless.

Elizabeth is a youth worker, yoga teacher, aspiring aerialist, and gardener.  She's lived in West Philadelphia for 10 years, and has been practicing yoga here for nearly as long. In 2014, she became a CYT-200 through Studio 34's Yoga Teacher Training program.  Elizabeth has a particular interest in the mind-body-spirit connection, and how our physical practice influences our spiritual lives. She strives to teach people at all levels, offering modifications whenever needed, and often has a focus on office workers and bringing people back into feeling their physical experience.​

Lula discovered Yoga in 2007 in Paris were she lived for 10 years and she has never stopped practicing.

Yoga has transformed Lula's life and the way she sees the world.

She decided to go deeper in her practice and share with others her experience. In 2010 Lula enrolled at “École Français du Yoga” in Paris. She received her Professional Certificate in Yoga Instruction in 2014. Her main teacher was Isabelle-Moran Larbey who shared her practice that was received from Yvonne Millerand who was formed by Krisnamacharya.

She arrived to West Philly in September with her family. She teaches Yoga to children at the French International School of Philadelphia.​