SUNSHINE STUDIO STAFF
MEET OUR STAFF.

TANA

CYT 200, Tana has been a yoga lover for 8 years, growing deeper and deeper in the process. Having completed her 200 hour teacher training program with Daren Freisen of Moksha Yoga and studied with a variety of master teachers; Tias Little, and Aadil Palkhivala resonate with her style. Her classes focus on centering and turning your focus inward, proper alignment, slowing down the mind, body and spirit to create harmony throughout the body.

"Yoga isn't about mastering a certain pose: yoga is about you, your own life, and what you most want to change. Connecting on your mat and sharing that light both on and off your mat with the world. Yoga is an energy that breathes into all aspects of life."

Smile, breath and go slowly... (by Thich Nhat Hanh) my new motto on life

MELISSA

Melissa is an Illinois certified middle/high school teacher who has taught in both Honduras and Cambodia. During this time, she has practiced yoga in Central and South America, South East Asia, South Asia including the Himalayas in Nepal, and Uganda.  Melissa has been training in Yoga for over 5 years, and started to go deeper into her practice after she was injured in a motorcycle accident in Honduras, and needed to re-gain strength on the right side of her body.  Melissa is also a year-round international marathon runner, and has been amazed at the improvement of her overall time and stride.  Melissa's greatest achievement thus far has been the brisk completion of a two-day double marathon across Vietnam, the success she accredit to practicing the deep breathing exercises and postures she has learned in yoga. Melissa is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher and received her certification and training through Core Power Yoga, as well as certification in prenatal training from Global Yoga Center.

BRENDA

Brenda is thrilled to be teaching yoga and to have the opportunity to pass on the joy and freedom that she found in her own practice. Brenda's teachings draw from the intention that breath-synchronized movement becomes an expression of what makes you feel alive inside and out. She will encourage you to discover a new edge both physically and mentally by moving your body in effort to free your mind and most importantly to have fun. Brenda has been influenced and inspired by many incredible teachers including, Shiva Rea, Janet Stone, Max Strom, Seane Corn, Anna Forrest, Andrey Lappa, Kim Schwartz and Tias Little. She received her first certification from the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago by attending their 200 hour teacher training program. Brenda also studied with master teacher Jonny Kest, director and owner of Center for Yoga in West Bloomfield, Michigan and has completed an extra 200 hour Ashtanga/Vinyasa teacher training. She continues to gain insight from her students, and learns daily lessons about love, light, and devotion from her boyfriend, Ron.

DANETTE

CYT 200, Danette's interest in yoga began in her early 20's when a friend took her to an Iyengar class held at Lakeside Yoga in Evanston. She was immediately drawn to the combination of strengthening & balance that the practice provided. Over the next 10 years she's studied a variety of other traditions including Vinyasa, Kundalini and Anyusara. When deciding what she wanted to do when re-entering the work force after being home raising a family, Danette decided to become a yoga teacher, the perfect blend of service to others and a continuation of a "lifestyle" that brought her so much joy! Having completed a 200 hour teacher training program with Daren Freisen of Moksha Yoga and studying with a variety of master teachers, she is currently studying Tantric yoga with Jim Bennitt. www.madhuriyoga.com.

MARY

CYT, 200, Mary's interest in yoga began 11 years ago, when she looked for a more gentle approach to correct a chronic low back condition which caused her to become immobile. In her efforts to avoid surgery she searched for alternative methods to heal her condition. She began her personal practice with Iyengar in 2000, which focused on strength, flexibility and alignment and found that it also relieved stress and helped to restore and rejuvenate the body. Through the years of practicing yoga she learned that yoga not only greatly impacted her body physically and corrected and healed her condition, but noticed a shift and change in the mind, and spirit. Having completed a 200 hour teacher training program with Daren Friesen of Moksha Yoga, she was introduced to a variety of styles of yoga including Astanga (Vinyasa), and Viniyoga and studied with master teachers such as Tias Little, Aadil Palkhivala and Gabriel Halpern. Her classes focus on alignment, strength and flexibility with particular attention to body awareness, tension, and any past or present injuries. Mary's is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and embraces the importance of the breath, meditation, and a yoga practice to relieve emotional illness. "Deep inside the chest lies a quiet place where the soft whispers of conscience and wisdom reside—the Heart Center. In these antechambers, the spirit makes its home and has its deepest connection with the physical body. When we care enough to go within and listen, the Heart Center is always there to guide us." Aadil Palkhivala, The Fire of Love.

CATHERINE

CYT 200, Catherine grew up in California & began practicing yoga 27 years ago while pregnant and later became certified as an Instructor at a university based program while a graduate student in Clinical Psychology. Since that time, her studies of psychology, spirituality, health & fitness, and yoga have been woven together in both her personal and professional lives. Throughout the years Catherine has studied with a variety of teachers including Sara Strothers, Allison Haugh, Desiree Rumbaugh, Amy Ippoliti, Seane Corn, Dharma Mitra & Maty Ezraty as well as others through the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.

Catherine's experience is that Yoga has the ability to touch our bodies & spirit in a way & depth that words may never reach, gently releasing sometimes stuck energies, wounds and trauma while uncovering our own natural healing. Catherine recognizes and has personally experienced the beauty, strength, joy and healing of the practice in her own life as well as a professional therapist supporting yoga as an integral component of mind - body therapies.

Catherine is committed to the teachings and traditions of Yoga in her own life & believes that the practice makes us kinder, gentler and more loving people who aspire to bring peace to the world around us.

PAIGE

CYT 200, Paige began practicing yoga while pursuing her BFA in Dance at New York University. She was certified through the Mind Body Dancer® 200 Teacher Training with TaraMarie Perri. Through this comprehensive yoga teacher training, she was certified at the 200-hour level to teach alignment-based, breath-focused Mind Body Dancer® Yoga and licensed to teach TaraMarie Perri's Mind Body Dancer™ Yoga curriculum. In her Vinyasa based classes, you will focus on breath awareness and increasing strength and flexibility, as well as finding an overall mind/body wellness.

RANDY

CYT 200, As a former athlete, Randy was looking for an alternative to his exercise regime and discovered yoga. Years later, he is still a serious practiciner and yoga teacher for the past 2 years. Randy has personally aspired to push the physical, mental, and spiritual limits with the focus on growing and evolving as a person. Randy wanted to offer others the same opportunity and rewards that yoga has brought to him. Randy has a 200 Hour Hatha Certification from SoderWorld Academy of the Healing Arts taught to him by an Anusar-Inspired teacher and lineage. In Randy’s class, expect to practice from a heart-orientated place while focusing on breath-work, balance, strength, and flexibility with an emphasis on having fun, staying present and tuning in to ones own awareness. Randy understands that with continual regular practice, yoga has the power to change lives and is excited to share the journey.

 

JENNIFER

CYT 200, Being a Vinyasa practitioner and a high school teacher, Jenn decided to naturally fuse these two passions by becoming a certified yoga instructor. Jenn's teaching style is student-centered, allowing each student to honor his/her own body and to encourage an individual practice. By synchronizing breath with movement, emphasis is placed on a balance of the mind, body, and spirit – a practice that can be extended beyond the realm of one's mat. Jenn has received much of her inspiration from many incredible master instructors, including: Jonny Kest, Joe Barnett, David Swenson, Janet Stone, and Micheline Berry. She received her 200-hour certification in Ashtanga-based Vinyasa from the Center for Yoga in Birmingham, MI, and is registered with the Yoga Alliance. She continues to gain insight from her fellow yogis, students, husband, and 8-year-old son.

SARAH

CYT 200, Sarah Buividas is drawn to yoga because it helps her to maintain balance in her life. She completed her 200 hour teacher training at CorePower Yoga in Chicago, IL. Sarah is an adventure seeker and is always looking for the next laugh. Practicing yoga confidently reinforces her core values of mindfulness and unconditional acceptance. She finds strength in poses that challenge her physically and mentally and finds santosha (contentment) in her favorite poses, such as happy baby. She knew years ago that she had a passion for the practice of yoga and maintains a strong desire to share her joy and interest with others. She hopes to guide others to find ways to transfer their asana practice off of the mat and into their daily life. In the future, she plans to one day combine yoga with her other passion-psychology- and provide yoga therapy to people of all ages.