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Faculty

Photo	Bio
	Heather Principe Program Director YTT 200, 500, Polarity, BS, ed., PWE, RPP Heather has been teaching yoga for over 25 years. Heather is owner and founder of The Yoga and Polarity Center, a center for teaching Yoga, Subtle Energy Healing Arts including Polarity and Pranic Healing, and Energetic Listening Skills for Bodyworkers. She is on the staff of the New Seminary, The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and runs retreats worldwide in all forms of Energetic Healing. Style: Hatha
	Jane McQueen 200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor Seeking relief from lower back and knee pain, Jane's life was transformed through yoga over 11 years ago. “My personal experience with the potential healing power of yoga placed me on a path that has dramatically improved my overall health and happiness. As a breast cancer survivor my daily practice has brought peaceful relief in the midst of daily changes”. Jane is currently working as a yoga therapist and yoga teacher. Jane also teaches students in the Teacher Training Program at both the 200 and 500 hour level. Her work empowers people to manage their current condition, reduce suffering and to attain optimal wellness. Jane's accreditations include: certified Yoga Therapist by The American Viniyoga Institute, Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (500 Hour Level), B.S. in Physical Education, and a M.A. in Health Education. Style: Viniyoga
	Anu Butani Program Teacher 200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor Anu Butani is a 500 hours certified Hatha Yoga Teacher. She teaches Iyengar Style sequencing method of yoga and her classes are based on individual student levels. With the help of props she holds space for each student to connect to their own energetic alignment of the body, mind and soul. She teaches Level 1 and Level 2 classes. Experience YOGA NIDRA in her class once a week. Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness, quietness and clarity. It is one of the deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of process to a state of supreme stillness and insight. Anu is a compassionate and inspirational teacher. She intuitively knows those students who are unsure, skilled or need support. She makes everyone feel that it is just the right place for them; to be in the present moment. The warmth of her voice is quieting and reassuring, as she shares with them a unique life-giving experience. Besides teaching the alignment of the physical body in postures, she teaches the union of the body and the mind in Pranayama. The flow of energy creates an open space in the body to become Present in the Mind. Her Daily Quote…..PRACTICE SILENCE, FOR THE VOICE OF GOD CAN BE HEARD IN THE REGION OF THE HEART WHEN THE SPEECH IS SILENT….Sathya Sai Baba Style: Iyengar
	Parameswari Frenkel (Mindy) Program Teacher 200 and 500 hours Mindy Frenkel graduated from the Yoga Zone Teacher Training with Alan Finger in 2002 and completed her 500 hours in 2005. She has been a devoted practitioner and teacher since 2000. She is a Reiki Master and has been trained in Polarity Therapy and Thai Massage. For Mindy, Yoga has been a transformational and healing practice and this is what motivated her to share this path with others. She continues to deepen her experience through the study of various styles of yoga including Ashtanga and Jivamukti and Nada Yoga as well as studying inspirational and spirtual texts. She is currently studying Sanskrit, chanting and meditation with her Guru, Manorama. Her teaching of yoga is steeped with an intensive background of yogic studies. Mindy brings a down-to-earth approach to her inspirational yoga classes. There is a high level of integrity and maturity to her graceful teaching style. You will find her classes challenging, informative, worshipful and fun! Visit Mindy's website: http://metro-yogi.com/ The path of Yoga is a journey and not a destination. It is my goal to help other’s access the teacher within. Om shantih Style: Vinyasa
	Diana Slattery 200 and 500 Hours Program Instructor Diana has walked for many years with one foot in the traditional medical model as an occupational therapist, and the other in the contemplative practices of yoga, Buddhism, and meditation. She is passionate about learning how to intelligently blend the best of these “two worlds”, bringing a truly holistic, accessible and joyful approach to those she works with. Diana is on the yoga teacher training faculty at The Yoga & Polarity Center at the 200- and 500- hour levels. She is also of the teaching faculty and board of directors for the School for Compassionate Action, a non-for-profit organization in NYC that teaches yoga instructors and health care providers alike how to safely and effectively bring yoga and Buddhist meditation into underserved and untraditional settings, especially health care facilities. Please visit her website at www.dancingsunyoga.com. Style: Hatha
	Gary Pfleger 500 Hour RYT, RPP Gary is a registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level. He is a Registered Polarity Educator and an advanced Reiki Practitioner giving him an experiential understanding of the physical, energetic and mental bodies. All of his training and experience has opened a flow of energies within him and given him a deepened understanding of the human experience that he integrates into his Hatha Yoga classes. Gary teaches an eclectic blend that includes elements of the sequencing method and breathing practices of Viniyoga, and the attention to alignment of the Iyengar method. With his mindfully paced teaching rhythm, students can fully experience the postures in a relaxed and steady way. Gary’s intention is to assist you in finding your own state of balance, as well as developing a toned and flexible muscular skeletal system. Within that healthy state, your own personal intentions can be nurtured and grow to realization. Style: Hatha
	Marguerite Westbrook 200 Hour RYT Marguerite Westbrook has practiced yoga for three decades. She completed her teacher certification training in 2005, and is a registered member of the International Yoga Alliance. Marguerite has been teaching several classes a week at various locations on Long Island, as well as teaching private yoga classes. Marguerite is dedicated to the healing art and practice of yoga and continues her study by attending workshops, classes, conferences and extensive reading. Her classes use physical movement connected with breath at a moderate pace to allow time for inner reflection and observation. Her class consists of seasoned yogis and students who are newer to the art. She encourages her students to incorporate yoga into their daily lives through self-awareness and acceptance. In Marguerite's class students stretch and strengthen their bodies, calm their minds and nourish their spirits. Marguerite believes that the yoga practice leads to more awareness, balance and serenity. Style: Hatha
	Mary Clare Chiofalo MaryClare Chiofalo has been practicing yoga for over a decade, taking her first yoga class at the Yoga Polarity Center. Yoga classes led to Polarity sessions which lead to Training and Practitioner courses. MaryClare is a 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher as well as a Registered Polarity Practitioner. While MaryClare’s classes are both fun and relaxed, they are also meditative and focused on fluid movement and its connection breathe. “Yoga and Polarity have changed my life, making me a more centered, more aware person. My passion is sharing these gifts with others for their highest good and healing.” Visit MaryClare’s website: www.FiveElementsWellness.com Style: Vinyasa and Hatha
	Luciana Biondi 500 Hour RYT, RPP Luciana Biondi has been teaching yoga for nearly a decade. She began to practice yoga because of a lower back problem. Luciana came to see that aside from fixing her back problem, yoga made her stronger, leaner and more flexible than she had ever been before. Luciana loves to share what she knows about yoga and life with her students. Luciana’s classes help to bring her students into the present moment with breath awareness and centering. Luciana’s class is designed to help open joints, stretch muscles and strengthen your body slowly. Style: Ashtanga/Hatha
	Sandy Carrion 200 Hour Sandy Carrion began practicing yoga as a way to keep fit. She found her practice gave her much more than expected. Aches and pains began to fade while strength and flexibility surpassed her expectations. She recently completed her training and is a registered yoga teacher at the 200 hour level. She began her study with Kim Zawacki at the Yoga and Polarity Center and continues to study with Jane McQueen and Anu Butani also of Malverne. Sandy’s approach to yoga is in the Viniyoga tradidition emphasizing a strong connection of breath to the movement. She continues to advance her knowledge by attending workshops and maintaining a personal practice. Her classes are geared toward individual’s needs and intentions. In addition to yoga, she served as department chairperson and District coordinator of art for 32 years and is currently teaching photography at Nassau Community College. She is an exhibiting artist and finds strong links between yoga and photography. Using yoga principles to calm the mind, Carrion turns to her cameras to unite both practices into one. Style: Viniyoga
	Marianne Bochilo 500 Hour RYT Marianne Bochilo is a Bhaki yogini. Along with holding her RYT 500 Certification with Yoga Alliance, she holds Certifications in Yoga for Breast Cancer survivors from OM Yoga and Therapeutic Yoga through the Integral Yoga Institute. Her training continues as she just completed her training in Thai Yoga Massage. A mother of three who earned her BBA from Hofstra University in 1990. Marianne is also a former ACE certified Fitness instructor. As a member of the St. Agnes Cathedral Adult Choir Chorale; Marianne holds an affinity for chanting Sutra and her classes center on opening the heart to bring peace and balance.Visit Marianne's website: http://web.me.com/peacefulyogini/Site/ Style: Hatha & Vinyasa
	Elizabeth Ferrara 500 Hour RYT, RPP Lizzie's personal journey has led her through both the yoga (at the 200 hour level and the 500 hour level) and polarity programs (Registered Polarity Practitioner). Lizzie’s intention to provide a safe environment for a wide range of student to experience Restorative/Gentle Yoga, Deep Relaxation and highly intentioned Polarity Education comes to fruition at the Yoga & Polarity Center. This class is designed to allow ones’ body to (perhaps once again) feel safe in movement and in rest. Gentle, restorative yoga serves many masters: the novice who is concerned about flexibility and stamina will be able to coax new movement and gain new connection; the sometime yogi will value the slow, gentle stretching and connection to breath that will entice them to be more present in their practice; and the serious yogi will enjoy the reminder that yoga is about union and honoring the Self. It is essential for the follower of the yoga journey to understand the need for integration and balance… BKS Iyengar Style: Gentle
	Lisa Ries Lisa Ries grew up in the fitness industry and began teaching classes when she was fifteen years old. Her yoga practice began gradually: at a Mind-Body Conference in Santa Fe; with a book on a rooftop in Tucson; in a small studio with Adrienne Samuels in Long Beach. Eventually, an inwardly geared exploration merged with group instruction. Her study is highly eclectic, including a Power Flex Yoga certification, years of classes at Laughing Lotus in NYC and innumerable workshops with established instructors from a range of disciplines. Her own classes, primarily vinyasa, blend precision with freestyle. They focus on the symbolic resonance of the ancient asanas -- yoga as an inquiry into the soul. Teaching yoga has shown her the beauty of each individual’s expression of the art of yoga; meditation has offered a sense of deep interconnection. Basically, it’s the love of the practice, and fascination with all of its aspects, that compels her. She is proud to be a part of the yoga community based in Malverne here at the Yoga and Polarity Center. Style: Vinyasa
	Dale McInerney 200 Hour RYT Dale is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired science teacher and understands the stresses and pressures of work and family life. Her yoga practice helps her attempt to balance it all. She hopes to bring that same sense of balance and focus to her students. She offers a gentle Viniyoga style class emphasizing linking breath to movement, teaching her students to be mindful of their own body and present with the limitations of the moment. Dale believes that yoga can help you to gain flexibility, build strength and balance; and learn to honor your unique body, mind and spirit. Her classes include conscious breathing and guided meditations. Style: Gentle
	Irene Dougherty 200 Hour RYT, LMT, APP It was Irene’s time spent in the massage field that led her experience of yoga to evolve into a way of life and ultimately teaching. She is continuing her studies at the 500 hour level and through Polarity Therapy with the Yoga Polarity Center. Her teaching revolves around the Chakra system and the Ayurvedic elemental model. Classes with Irene are taught in a vinyasa flow with influences from Iyengar and Sivinanda lineages. It is through physical alignment, pranayama and meditation that we can explore our inner peace. Irene believes that yoga is a personal journey that when attended to for a long time, without break and with love and devotion (sutra 1:14) one can open up to their highest potential. Style: Hatha
	Tracey O’Donnell 500 Hour RYT Tracey O’Donnell RYT-500hr, KKYT, has been practicing and studying various styles of yoga and eastern arts for the past 15 years. She is trained in the Krishnamacharya lineage. Vinyasa flow classes blend elements of Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Viniyoga into a dynamic experience. Classes are challenging but possible for students of all levels. A lighthearted and sensible approach is taken with emphasis on developing mindfulness through pranayama and asana practice. Tracey loves the practice of yoga for the peacefulness and clarity of mind that comes from the breath flowing freely in the body. Off the mat, Tracey is a Commodities Credit Analyst for an International Bank and has a Masters Degree in Feng Shui. Style: Vinyasa
	Wendy Kaufman-Harper Polarity Instructor, CSW, RPP Wendy Kaufman-Harper is devoted to the the practice of the western spiritual arts of life and healing through alignment and sacred reciprocity with our creator. Wendy chose her initial training and profession in classical theatre to understand the gifts of the imaginal world, to develop the ability to shapeshift energetically, and to gain a broader perspective of the human condition. Wendy received her Masters in Social Work 15 years ago from NYU and has since deepened her clinical work with the study of Polarity, Enstatic Kabbalah, Hermeticism and the Pachakuti Mesa of Peru. Her belief in the connectedness of all things has taught her that when we achieve inner balance on a personal level we can deeply affect balance externally on a global and macrocosmic plane. Wendy feels very grateful to be able to share what she has learned through the teaching of Polarity. She currently has a private practice in New York City.
	Gary B. Strauss Polarity Master Instructor, MS, RPP, PWE Gary continues to inspire the healing arts community with his approach to well being restoration, honoring the wisdom within and instruction through alignment. His crafted method of Holding Space™ for the client, classroom and practitioner, has stemmed from 30 plus years of experience in energy medicine, nutrition, and natural healing. Those related walk away with an empowerment so personal and self sewn; it’s as if Gary has known them all their lives. He is an incredible and articulate intuitive whose presence and openness allows for transformation, regardless of the relationship. Just ask the thousands he has trained and mentored internationally and in the U.S. His Polarity Therapy and Cranial Sacral Unwinding programs are offered through The Institute of Psycho-Strucural Balancing (IPSB, Los Angeles), The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA, Arizona) The Energy Open Center (Kobe, Japan) and The Open Center (NYC).
	Francine White 200 Hour RYT Fran has completed a 200 hr yoga teacher training certification, a 300 hr bridge program and she is currently in the process of completing her 500 hr. teacher training certification at the Yoga and Polarity Center in Malverne, N.Y. She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. Fran found her way to yoga after suffering from back and knee injuries. Prior to yoga she was a competitive runner and triathlete. Yoga has helped her injuries, but more importantly has helped her find some peace. Yoga started out as a daily physical practice and now it has become her way of life. As a devoted student and practitioner she would like to share what she has learned with the hopes that others can experience yoga in their lives. Under the guidance of Anu Butani, she was mentored in the Iyengar style of yoga. “Focusing on alignment and balance in our bodies will also help to bring alignment and balance into our lives". “Regular practice of yoga can help you face the turmoil of life with steadiness and stability.” - B.K.S. Iyengar Style: Iyengar
	Dianne Condon 200 Hour RYT A fitness enthusiast for nearly two decades, Dianne deepened her Yoga practice after a serious bike accident caused her to slow down and look inward. Dianne completed her 200 hour teacher training at the Yoga and Polarity Center and started teaching classes based on the concept of "stretching and strenghening" with a few laughs thrown in for good measure! As the mother of four sons, Dianne helps to blend the strength of body and mind that yoga brings with a calmness and clarity to navigate the chaos of life. Her classes will help you do the same. Style: Hatha
	Stephanie Cleary Stephanie has been teaching yoga since 2000. She completed a Yoga/Veda teacher training at the Queens Yoga Institute under the guidance of Kris Lanzaro. She also completed Kundalini teacher training under the guidance of Ravi Singh. Stephanie has completed workshops with Dharma Mittra, Alana Kaivalya, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Maty Ezraty and others. She is a certified Helix Practitioner: Counseling adults in spiritual psychotherapy. Stephanie is a Reike Master. She is currently completing her certification in Waldorf early childhood education. Stephanie teaches an energetic vinyasa class with a concentration on breath linking the body mind and spirit. A consistent yoga practices improves flexibility and strength, it de-stresses and focuses the mind and connects you to your higher self. Style: Vinyasa
	Jack Cleary Jack Cleary has been teaching since 2004. He completed the Yoga/Veda teacher training at the Queens Yoga Institute under the guidance of Kris Lanzaro. He has completed workshops with Dharma Mittra, Richard Freeman, Alana Kaivalya and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. He is also a certified Helix Practitioner: Counseling adults in spiritual psychotherapy. Jack was a college athlete that found yoga through an injury and has been a dedicated practitioner ever since. Jack teaches an energetic vinyasa class with a concentration on breath linking the body mind and spirit. The question I ask students after class, is not what did you think, but how do you feel? Style: Vinyasa
	Eileen McKenna 200 Hour RYT Eileen is a certified as a RYT-200hr practitioner and has been practicing yoga for the past eight years. Eileen teaches Iyengar style and children’s yoga and will be working with Diana Slattery to develop a children’s yoga program at the center. In addition to teaching yoga, Eileen is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist. Eileen has worked for the past twenty-five years helping individuals of all age groups achieve a healthy diet and lifestyle. For Eileen, the pursuit of certification as a Yoga practitioner has enhanced her nutrition practice. Her yoga teaching offers her clients the opportunity to go beyond the benefits of healthy lifestyles by adding spirituality and inner peace. Eileen also aims to help her clients find relief from many life stressors. Yoga helped Eileen find acceptance, compassion and joy in one of most difficult stressors: parenting a special needs child and the brother of a special needs child. She hopes to help other parents deal with these same stressors through her teaching. Style: Iyengar
	Meredith Narissi Meredith Zelman Narissi is a polarity therapist, hypnotherapist, yoga teacher, and belly dance instructor. She enjoys inspiring others toward self expression and self-fulfillment. With a 25 year extensive background in professional dance, fitness and yoga she has had the pleasure of teaching workshops nationally and internationally. Being a fitness presenter to educate other instructors, a professional belly dancer, and personal trainer, she has also shared her experiences as a fitness writer and motivational speaker specializing in the mind body connection. Her quest is to share the journey from the physical body into the spiritual realm: “to broaden our understanding of who we are in the presence of love; the one love that exists for all.”