Richard C. Miller, PhD

is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. For over 40 years, Richard Miller has devoted his life and work to integrating the nondual wisdom teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism and Buddhism with Western psychology. Among his mentors were Jean Klein, T.K.V. Desikachar and Stephen Chang.

Richard is the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is also a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology and a senior advisor for the Baumann Foundation for the study of Awareness and its impact on well-being.

Author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, Richard serves as a research consultant studying the iRest Yoga Nidra protocol that he has developed (Integrative Restoration ~ iRest, a modern adaptation of the ancient nondual meditation practice of Yoga Nidra) researching its efficacy on health, healing and well-being with diverse populations including active-duty soldiers, veterans, college students, children, seniors, the homeless, the incarcerated, and people experiencing issues such as sleep disorders, PTSD, chemical dependency, chronic pain, and related disorders.

Nischala Joy Devi

is a master teacher and healer. For over 30 years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing. She was a monastic student of the world renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

With her knowledge of yoga and her experience in assisting those with life-threatening diseases, she created The Healing Path of Yoga, and the “Abundant Well-Being Series” CD’s. Yoga of the Heart, a training and certification program for Yoga teachers and health professionals designed to adapt Yoga practices to the special needs of that population.

Nischala Devi is now directing her energies to bringing the feminine heart perspective back into spirituality and the scriptures in her new book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman’s guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras and The Secret Power of Yoga audio book (Nautilus Book Award Winner).

Joe Barnett, ERYT-500

has been teaching for 14 years. He travels nationally and internationally year round offering presentations and trainings on Yin and Yang (Vinyasa) forms of Yoga. Joe is a senior student and primary teaching assistant of Paul Grilley, a true Yoga Scientist and founder of Yin Yoga. After several years of apprenticing under Paul, Joe began roaming the globe to spread the word of his teacher’s work.

Monique Lonner, E-RYT 500

Yoga Therapist, is the Director and creator of Soul of Yoga Institute Advanced Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Therapy Training Programs. A Yoga teacher for 15 years, she studied in India, New York and California with Master teachers and spiritual sages including, most notably, the teaching faculty of the Soul of Yoga Institute Advanced Program. Drawing upon her professional skills as a non-profit event organizer she developed the Advanced Teacher Training and Yoga Therapy Program for Soul of Yoga, bringing together those who are considered to be the best of the best Master yoga teachers in the world today. A devoted spiritual seeker, as well as an experienced anatomy and physiology teacher she has created a comprehensive program which balances the study of Yoga Therapy technique with the insight and wisdom of Yogic and metaphysical philosophy.

Leslie Kaminoff

is a Yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with 30 years of experience in the fields of Yoga, breath anatomy, and bodywork. He has led workshops for many of the leading Yoga associations, schools, and training programs in America. Leslie is the founder of the Yoga blog, “e-Sutra,” and “The Breathing Project,” a New York City Yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered Yoga. Leslie teaches The Breathing Project’s unique yearlong course in Yoga anatomy, and is the co-author with Amy Matthews of the bestselling book, “Yoga Anatomy” published by Human Kinetics.

Trisha Kelly

started her career as a dancer and actress, Trisha removed herself from the world of performing to become immersed in the study of Raja Yoga and meditation. She served for over 20 years at Paramahansa Yogananda’s International Headquarters in Los Angeles, which provided the bedrock for her spiritual and professional life. Her desire to share this lifestyle with others, along with her love of spiritual community, led to her co-founding the Soul of Yoga and its Teacher Training Institute with her husband, Tom. Trisha’s continued love and study of metaphysics, Divine Light and healing inspires her to facilitate workshops, retreats, metaphysical classes and yoga. She is a Divine Light Teacher of Spiritual Arts Institute, Spiritual Counselor, certified Metaphysician, Direct Divine Light Healer and Interfaith Minister.

Tom Kelly

at the age of 24, entered the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) Monastic Order in California. Founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF has roots that trace back to the ancient lineage of Swamis from India. After taking vows of simplicity, chastity, obedience, and loyalty, he spent the next 25 years as a monk deeply involved in meditation and humanitarian service. As an inspirational speaker, workshop, and retreat leader, Tom has traveled around the world to teach the sacred art of Raja Yoga. In the fall of 1999, Tom left the monastic life in order to expand his life learning, as well as share the fruits of his self-transformation and direct experience of Yoga with all. Whether Tom is teaching a Yoga class, giving an inspirational talk, or leading a seminar or retreat, his passion for communicating the joy of spiritual living is highly contagious.

Durga Leela

BA, CAS, PKS, Yoga Acharya, is the founder of Yoga of Recovery. She is a Certified Yoga Teacher E-RYT 500 through the Sivananda lineage and extensively trained in Meditation and Vedanta. A Clinical Ayurvedic and Pancha Karma Specialist, Durga trained both in the US and India and has served as the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Yoga Farm in California since 2003. She is a professional member and speaker for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), also a member of Yoga Alliance. Durga has worked on her own path of recovery and has been a grateful member of 12 step fellowship for over 14 years.

Flossie Park

is Director of The Soul of Yoga Institute for Spiritual Yoga Teacher Training. She has been practicing and teaching Raja Yoga for the majority of her adult life, as well as training hundreds of Yoga teachers in an eclectic blend of Hatha Yoga. One of her main strengths is the application of yogic philosophy to everyday living. Flossie has an innate ability to inspire and fuel all those who learn from her.

Ema Mostofian, MD

graduated from Dartmouth Medical School in 2004 and finished residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Naval Medical Center San Diego in 2008. She served with Marines and Sailors in Iraq for 7 months as a Naval Officer and Physician and finished her tour of service at the Navy at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in October 2012. She currently is a staff Obstetrician and Gynecologist at North County Health Services and Tri City Medical Center. She is also a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Teacher through the Soul of Yoga Institute.

Dana Damara

a Master Teacher and Healer. She began her yoga journey almost 20 years ago which has included working with prenatal women and new mothers, owning a successful yoga studio in the NW, writing and running Embody Truth Yoga School, creating Youth and Girls Elevate (a yoga program for middle and high school adolescents), facilitating Moon Circles, and leading workshops, trainings and retreats around the world. As a spiritual Ninja, walking this mystic path with practical shoes, Dana Damara is a mother, author, coach, teacher of teachers, speaker, and servant of the heart. She exudes a balance between the mystical realms and realities of motherhood.  She also dabbles in crystal therapy, essential oils, Tarot and Astrology readings, and Reiki healing. She is AN ACTIVIST FOR WOMEN OF ALL AGES OFFERING PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT: feminine embodiment, self-love, sisterhood, sacred ceremony and ritual, AND A SAFE SPACE FOR EXPLORATION AND CURIOSITY. She is based in Southern California, and traverses the planet, offering her wealth of knowledge and breadth of wisdom through a deeply spiritual and physically rigorous vinyasa practice.

Justine Shelton

is a graduate of Soul of Yoga’s 200 hour training and a four year training program with Gary Kraftsow of the American Viniyoga Institute, she is a 500 hour AVI Certified Yoga Teacher and a 500 hour AVI Certified Yoga Therapist. Justine specializes in structural yoga therapy, specifically spinal disc injuries, back pain management, structural instability, as well as shoulder and knee therapy. She teaches students and trains teachers in Yoga for Healthy Backs and runs the cancer recovery yoga program at Yoga Vista Academy. Many people know her through her video “Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Low Back” by Yoga Journey Productions (www.yogaJP.com). Her passion is working with people who have different forms of catastrophic disease, helping them to manage their condition, minimize and cope with pain and, most importantly, helping them to realize they are not their condition.

Chinnamasta Stiles

is a deeply spiritual teacher with roots in both the Western Medical field and Eastern Holistic disciplines. She was a pediatric nurse caring for her young patients in intensive care when she followed her longing to learn about holistic approaches to health by studying Ayurvedic Medicine with Vaidya Baj Rathod 33 and Kiran Vyas at the most respected Ayurvedic and Yogic Ashram retreat center in Europe. While Western medicine taught her how to work with the physical structure, Eastern medicine deepened her understanding of how to help people gracefully deal with difficulty, prevent illness, and live a joy-filled life. Chinnamasta’s true gift is her ability to identify the root cause of a disease (physical, emotional, mental or karmic imbalances) and understand how these causes can lead to health issues and deep suffering in the individual. Chinnamasta is also an editor and a contributing author of Mukunda Stiles’ book Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine. She is a 500-ERYT Yoga Teacher, Ayurvedic Practictioner and trained as an End of Life Counselor.

Stephani Sutherland, PhD, RYT500

earned her doctoral degree in neuroscience in 2001 and has worked as a freelance science writer for the past 15 years; her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Pain Research Forum, and The Journal of Neuroscience. Stephani has practiced yoga for over 20 years, and she trained with Gary Kraftsow of American Viniyoga Institute. Find more about Stephani at stephanisutherland.com, facebook.com/StephaniSutherlandPhD, and @sutherlandphd.

Amy Weintraub

is the author of the ground-breaking Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists. She is a pioneer in the field of yoga and mental health and has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. Amy is the founding director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute, which offers professional certification trainings in LifeForce Yoga for Depression and Anxiety. Amy speaks at medical and psychological conferences internationally and consults on yoga and depression studies at major research institutions.

Sherry Zak Morris

is owner of the Yoga Vista Studio in Vista, California and studied under the tutelage of octogenarian yoga teacher, Mary Cavanaugh, who studied with octogenarian Indra Devi. As a corporate marketing road warrior for 25 years, Sherry experienced first-hand the ravages of stress and found relief through gentle and chair yoga. In 2004, she founded Yoga Journey Productions, a company that specializes in gentle, senior and chair yoga videos and DVDs. In 2005, she bought her local neighborhood yoga studio that continues to serve thousands of baby boomers and seniors in the San Diego area with creative and specialty offerings. As Co-Director of the Yoga Vista Academy, Sherry has a proven track record for empowering and igniting passion for 50+ yoga and wellness and has presented for 3 consecutive years at the annual Yoga Alliance Conference, the professional and trade association of the yoga world.

Philip Goldberg​

has been studying India’s spiritual traditions for more than 45 years, as a practitioner, teacher and writer. He is the author of numerous books, most recently the acclaimed American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. The co-host of the podcast​ Spirit Matters​, he blogs regularly on the Huffington Post and Spirituality and Health online. He is currently working on a biography of Paramahansa Yogananda. See​ www.PhilipGoldberg.com​ and​ www.AmericanVeda.com​.

Antonio Sausys MA, IGT, CMT, RYT

is a somatic psychotherapist and yoga instructor specializing in one-on-one yoga therapy for people with chronic and acute medical conditions as well as emotional imbalance.

He studied with Yoga masters and teachers such as Indra Devi, Swami Shankaradevananda and Larry Payne and has continued his professional development with training in Integrative Grief Therapy with Lyn Prashant, Foot Reflexology, Swedish Therapeutic Massage and Reiki.

Antonio’s work has been or is presented periodically at U.C. Berkeley, California Institute of Integral Studies, Kripalu, is a member of the World Yoga Council, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, a TV Host for YogiViews and the founder and Executive Director of ‘Yoga for Health’ the International Yoga Therapy Conference. He is the author of ‘Yoga for Grief Relief: Simple Practices for Transforming Your Grieving Mind and Body’ (New Harbinger).

Tony Chadwell, HHP

Tony has been a Holistic Health Provider and Cranial Sacral Therapist for 14 years, now operating his a private practice in Solana Beach, CA. Tony received a B.S. Degree in Injury Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with certifications in neuromuscular therapy, nutrition, and cranial sacral therapy. Anthony also graduated from the Canadian College of Osteopathy in Vancouver, B.C. with a D.O.M.P -Diploma in Osteopathic Manual Practice. Anthony is a Nationally Registered Craniaosacral Therapist (RCST®), one of only 200 in America, through the Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America (BCTA/NA).

Erika Lee E-RYT 500, RMT

Erika Lee walked into her first Yoga class when she 18 years old, and her world was literally and figuratively flipped upside down! Through her years of practice, Erika felt her life transform in powerful and positive ways. She felt her life begin to shift not only in the physical realm by the healing of her chronic back pain, but also emotionally and spiritually. After over ten years of personal study and practice, Erika decided to share the healing power of Yoga and meditation with her loved ones and became a teacher in 2008. She holds several certifications and is currently a student of Soul of Yoga in Encinitas where she will soon earn her degree in their extensive Yoga Therapy program. She loves Yoga for countless reasons, however to her one of the most beautiful aspects of the practice is that it evolves with age and is available to students of any walk of life. In addition to her Yoga training Erika is also a Reiki Master and leads powerful Reiki circles and trainings. She is a philanthropist and donates a great deal of her time and teachings to benefit charities and local non-profit organizations. She has led several retreats around the world. Erika believes that Yoga is for everyone and strives to create a safe and sacred environment for her students to learn and transform. Let the journey begin…Namaste!