The family of teachers at GSY bring education, experience and inspiration from master teachers such as Baron Baptiste, Sri Pattabhi Jois, Shiva Rae, Bikram Choudhury, Sharon Gannon, David Life and BKS Iyengar.
 
At GSY, you can expect to feel safe, encouraged, and empowered with our teachers. See you on the mat.

Seth Weisberg, co-owner - From the early years of his life fitness was a natural passion that led Seth down many different paths. Always interested in Far East philosophies, Seth began practicing martial arts at a young age. After years of practice, his martial arts practice naturally progressed to more stretching combined with breathing. Without realizing, Seth began his path to yoga. In his last year of college a mountain biking injury left Seth with a steel rod in his left leg and a prognosis of a life long limp. With a positive attitude and regular practice of yoga and stretching, Seth surprised doctors and friends with a quick and full recovery. After experiencing the healing powers of yoga, Seth was hooked and decided to share with others the unlimited benefits of this practice. Within two years Seth was certified to teach in Integral Yoga, created by Swami Satchinanda. After more years of study and practice Seth decided to continue his education with Baron Baptiste, completing both level I and II training. In these trainings Seth’s passion for the graceful and flowing nature of the Vinyasa style began. He realized that a Vinyasa practice was not only incredibly beneficial physically, but it simulated how he wanted to live his life off the mat as well. Power Vinyasa Yoga illuminated the path of happiness for Seth and his greatest goal is to help share that with others.

Alison McCue, co-owner & studio director -
Alison discovered yoga in 2004 as a way to cross-train for marathons. After a few months of practicing power Vinyasa, she was hooked. In 2008 Alison met Seth Weisberg in NYC and decided to move to NJ to open Garden State Yoga w/ Seth – a community of yogis that share a passion and commitment to the practice of yoga and balance of life. Alison is a Certified 200 hr Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa teacher, lululemon Ambassador and marathon runner. Her Power Vinyasa classes are physically challenging and athletic, yet irreverent and fun. Be prepared to sweat, breathe & move, and find your edge.

Ali Campbell - Ali completed her yoga teacher training at Starseed Yoga and Healing in Montclair, NJ. She has a Masters Degree in Education and has worked as an educator for over 10 years. She came to yoga through her background in sports and has developed a strong personal practice over the past decade. Her recent expansion in yoga has come through a gentler practice and devoting herself to meditation—always a challenge with two young children at home. She has taken time away from her career in the public schools to parent and can be found at home gardening, making pancakes with her kids and husband, or sneaking away to the coffee shop to read by herself. She believes fully in the possibility of everyone finding inner peace through yoga. If there is one thing she knows for sure, it’s that she knows nothing.

Danielle Diamond - Danielle is a 500hr+ registered teacher. She is committed to teaching her students the physical asanas with a focus on alignment and breath, then combining them with meditation and pranayama. Prior to becoming certified, she stumbled upon yoga through her career in television. In 1997 she was producing a fitness video for MTV and needed to find a yoga teacher. At the time she was a hard-core runner who had no time for stretching, but in the interest of research she took a few classes. The day she stepped into the now infamous Jivamukti yoga, and took her first class with Sharon Gannon, was life-changing. Danielle was hooked. Danielle has completed an advanced vinyasa teacher training with Shiva Rea, plus week- long trainings with Tim Miller, Anna Forrest, Cyndi Lee and David Nichtern. She has also taken intensive workshops with Rodney Yee, Bryan Kest, Beryl Bender- Birch, Rolf Gates, and Baron Baptiste. As a result of her practice, Danielle feels she is in the best shape of her life physically, mentally and ultimately spiritually.

Erin Barry - Erin has been practicing yoga for 9 years and comes from a professional dance and performance background. However, she became more focused on the teachings when she completed her 300 hour Teacher Training Program this year with Jennifer Kohl at Lotus Yoga. Now, she is a behavioral therapist for children with developmental disabilities, and she teaches yoga at an intensive outpatient therapy centers. She is forever grateful to Jennifer Kohl, who gave her the tools to gain this powerful and life-changing knowledge. She continues to study and practice for personal growth in order to become a better teacher to those around her. She is now enrolled in a 500 hour advanced teacher training.

Kristin Monk - From the beginning of her yogic journey, Kristin has found that dedication to all eight limbs of yoga has brought her balance and peace in her mind and body.  She encourages her students to meet their own edge within class and believes that yoga should ultimately feel good. Her classes are a blend of creative and challenging sequences that focus on finding the balance between alignment and flow. She believes that music uplifts the spirit during asana practice, and her playlists are often eclectic and always fun.
Kristin is forever grateful to the loving community that surrounds her and to the many teachers who have inspired her, and continue to inspire her every day, both on and off the mat. Through the study of yoga, she learns more about herself and her body every day, and she encourages her students to discover the same things in themselves in a fun, happy, and safe community setting. 

Donna Scro - Donna is an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher, registered through the Yoga Alliance and the former owner of Grace Yoga. She completed her 200 hour teacher training with Vishali Varga at Yoga Montclair in 2004 and has been teaching yoga ever since.  Donna has also participated in teacher trainings with John Friend, Ross Rayburn and Amy Ippoliti.  This past spring Donna had the honor of being a part of a mentoring program with Zhenja La Rossa and is currently on the path of becoming an Anusara Certified Teacher.   In addition to her yoga teaching and training, Donna was also on the dance faculty at Montclair State University for over ten years teaching and inspiring dance majors and is currently on the dance faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.  She has been a professional dancer for the past twenty years and is the Artistic Director of Freespace Dance, a bold and vibrant contemporary modern dance company. Her classes flow in her understanding of movement and kinetics. She is fascinated by the divine marriage of body, mind and heart as she continues to find the integration of dance and yoga, choreography and philosophy. Donna holds a deep gratitude to all her teachers that she has been so blessed to study with.

Stacey Bell-Elder — Stacey teaches from the understanding that yoga practice awakens the healing power of stillness and flow within us. As we grow more adept and master the asana (postures) we are able to listen and witness ourselves in a deeper way. Stacey’s approach is to support each student on the journey of awareness. Her classes are challenging, spirited and inspiring. Her yoga classes are informed by 20 years of practice and 14 years of teaching. Alexander Technique was the first mind/body discipline that Stacey studied and it laid an important foundation for her understanding of movement and balance in the human body. Stacey is also a certified Craniosacral therapist which adds a juicy energetic dimension to her teaching.

Loryn Riggiola - Loryn aims, through yoga, to guide those like herself, to live a more Spiritual life in this world.  In their everyday life, to live more consciously. She began spiritual study at a young age, fascinated with the commonality of religions, and not their differences.  It is in these common precepts that she discovered what she believes in her Soul to be the Spiritual Truths.  For many years, she studied and practiced  meditation with her Spiritual Teacher to whom she is eternally grateful for the blessings and precious Teachings.  She became a certified pranic healer and continues her study of this healing modality.  She began a more serious physical yoga practice under the guidance and generosity of an old friend and renown yoga teacher, Seane Corn, who taught her to let the movement of her body express the essence of her Soul. Loryn became a certified yoga teacher and completed her training at Yoga Synthesis and Lotus Yoga.  She is a practicing lawyer for over 20 years and loves what she does.  She practices yoga to be a better lawyer and, practices law to be a better yogini.  It’s all about balance.  The scales of justice symbolize the balance of severity and mercy.  For the yogi, balance fueled by compassion is a key step toward enlightenment.

Rebecca Rothman - When Rebecca attended her first yoga class 12 years ago she couldn’t touch her toes. Something resonated and she was hooked. She has since found the practice to be a continual and considerable force in her life that stretches both her body and her mind.  Rebecca completed her 200 hour certiciation in 2004 at Sonic Yoga in NYC and her 500 hour advanced certification in 2009 at Lotus Yoga. Rebecca teaches a dynamic vinyasa class in which she pulls from many sources of inspiration, including Jennifer Kohl,  Rusty Wells, Dharma Mittra, Patthabi Jois, Sundara, Baron Baptiste, Irit and her her personal boddhisatva, Turkey Tom.

Becky Middleton - Becky was immediately enthralled by yoga during her first class in 2001 and to this day cannot stop smiling through every practice.  She is grateful for the calm, steadiness and joy her practice brings to her life and immensely grateful for the opportunity to share yoga with others. Becky has been teaching Ashtanga, and Vinyasa flow classes since 2005.  She received her 200-hr certification from The Yoga and Healing Center in Scotch Plains and her 500 hr certification in 2009 from Lotus Yoga. She loves to challenge her students with dynamic and fun sequences set to various soundtracks, asking each to explore and discover their edge.

Kristy Link - As an accomplished athlete diagnosed with Scoliosis; Kristy quickly realized the importance of physical movement and exercise at a young age. She stumbled upon yoga as a supplement to her strengthtraining regimen after college merely to switch up workouts. Kristy completed her 200-hr certification through YogaWorks, NYC and completed a restorative training with Ellen Pheffer of Masala Yoga. Kristy has grown to believe that the ability of the mind is revealed through the stability of the body and the ability of the body is revealed through the stability of the mind. She encourages her students to explore their mind, body and breath to see their limitless ability both on and off the mat. Kristy feels honored to be a part of Garden State Yoga.

Christopheray - Three decades ago Christopheray began to explore the foundations of yoga through self-study. He then met his root guru the late Sri. Sw. SatchidanandaJI and following his teachings taught at the Integral Yoga Institute in N.J. and later on staff in their teacher training program. Two decades ago he began to understand the fundamentals of alignment through his first and most influential Iyengar teacher, Judy Brick Freedman.
In his Iyengar-Influenced classes Christopheray will introduce basic asanas based on the sixteen points of foundation in the body and the fundamentals of doing them, including pranayama and the basics of yogic philosophyC-Ray, as he is known, is well respected and renowned for teaching simply and intensely yet with compassion and humor; in keeping with a yogic philosophy of life...discipline, reflection, and devotion.

Beth Ann Schroeder - Beth Ann’s style of yoga is best described as a rhythmic, Vinyasa flow, using the principles of alignment to hold postures, creating strength, and the use of the pranayama to breath life into each pose.  She received her 300-hour Yoga Teacher Certification through Yoga Synthesis in 2007 where she is currently finishing her Advanced Training in Fall of 2011.  Students should plan on having fun, as Beth Ann takes a playful approach to teaching and finds that laughter can be a great elixir for releasing excess tension, creating a more joyful experience.

Jessica Sporn - A mother of two, artist, performer, and former litigator (!), Jessica is a life-long seeker of truth and liberation.  While completing her  500 hour teacher trainings at Lotus Yoga in Montclair, Jessica met her passion in a lineage that combines heart-opening yoga and Buddha Dharma - Tibetan heart yoga.  She is committed to teaching its wisdom, to help others keep focused on the true purpose of the yogic path and to bring about its joyful fruits more quickly.