Our Teachers
Fatima Adamu grew up in Nigeria, West Africa as an active child who ran track and played soccer. As a city planner and urban designer, she spent three years helping to beautify the central business district of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Center City District. She discovered yoga in 2002 and received her 200-hour yoga-teaching certification by studying with Ana Forrest in 2010. She currently teaches in Philadelphia at Studio 34 Yoga, the University of Pennsylvania, Centerpoint Pilates and with the non-profit Women in Transition (WIT), an organization serving women with a history of domestic violence and substance abuse.
Morgan Andrews jumped into practicing yoga more than a decade ago as part of a regimen for visual rehabilitation and eliminating chronic pain. When this this self-led daily practice changed his life, Morgan began studying various forms of yoga with numerous teachers. He’s since completed several Forrest Yoga teacher trainings with Ana Forrest, many immersions in Anusara Yoga, and continues to explore yoga both as a teacher and as a student. Morgan also has extensive experience with vegan nutrition and natural vision therapy (particularly the Bates method), and trained as a Theatre of the Oppressed facilitator under Augusto Boal at TOPLAB and with Jana Sanskriti in West Bengal. Morgan’s work at Studio 34 is a mixture of all these disciplines, rooted in commitment to community and a vibrant sense of humor.
Nicole Bindler, choreographer, improviser, curator, educator and bodyworker, organizes and teaches at the Sunday Contact Improvisation class series at Studio 34, featuring a dozen amazing guest teachers that infuse the class with a diversity of approaches and modalities. Bindler has an extensive movement and somatic education, including a BA in Dance from Hampshire College, a degree in Muscular Therapy from the Muscular Therapy Institute and a certificate in Embodied Anatomy Yoga from the School for Body-Mind Centering. She has taught Somatics for dancers at the University of the Arts; Therapeutic Bodywork at the Massage Arts Center of Philadelphia; Anatomy for Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Teacher Trainings throughout Philadelphia; workshops in Contact Improvisation, Performance Practice, Yoga and Experiential Anatomy throughout the U.S., Argentina and at the International Contact Festival in Freiburg, Germany. Her performance work has been shown throughout the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Berlin, Tokyo, Beirut and Quito, Ecuador. Recent activities include co-organizing the FALLS BRIDGE: New Movement, Improvisation and Performance Festival with Curt Haworth, and participating in Deborah Hay’s Solo Performance Commissioning Project in Findhorn, Scotland.- Ali Caccavella has been teaching yoga for over 7 years. She received her teacher certification from Wake Up Yoga in Philadelphia after moving from San Francisco where her love of yoga first took root. She teaches Vinyasa, Yin, and both Pre- & Post-Natal yoga, with a concentration on breath-inspired movement and a strong technical foundation to work safely and effectively with the body. Ali’s teaching melds modern applications of yogic philosophy with compassionate attention to strength-building, balance and attention to the physical & energetic body. Utilizing breath awareness, props and inspiration from the life, her classes are playful, creative and adaptable to individual needs. Her intention is to offer a practice that will allow her students to find breath, openness and peace in both body and mind.
Lily Cavanagh: When I discovered yoga, it was a welcome compliment to my competitive swimming background and at first taught me that there is joy in the process of exercise. Later, as my yoga practice deepened I realized that yoga, and especially the practice of AcroYoga (a partner acrobatic and therapeutic practice), had taught her to communicate with herself and others with kindness and love. I am thrilled to offer this same joy to children in a playful and loving way. I am certified through the Color Me Yoga(TM) 200-hour Childrens Yoga Teacher Training. My passion is teaching children to understand their own needs so they can communicate with compassion and clarity.
Abby Dobbs, RYT, NCTMB graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience and Marine Biology. She is an avid SCUBA diver, free-flow dancer, tea drinker, reader, and yogini. Abby’s yoga journey began when she discovered the immense passion that was brought forth exploring Forrest Yoga with her teacher and mentor Ana Forrest. After completing her first 200-Hour teacher training through Forrest Yoga, she was given the opportunity to go further in another 200-Hour training with Natasha Rizopoulos of YogaWorks. Through a dynamic and mindful combination of poses in Abby’s classes, you will have fun, get sweaty, and most importantly, breathe deeply. Abby is so grateful for the opportunity to share her passion and delight of yoga to her students, both the physical asana, and the deeper philosophical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Through her teaching, she hopes to share the importance of physical, but most importantly emotional strength- the ability to connect to and trust the inner wisdom of the body. Abby wants to help her students find and ride the edges of their body and mind honestly and without judgment both on and off of the mat. Abby is also a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, and loves joining the healing powers of bodywork with those of Forrest.
Jessica Eagan has been studying Vinyasa and Kundalini yoga and meditation for three years. She is ecstatic to be sharing this beautiful science with University City. She completed her first 200-hour teacher training course at Dhyana Yoga in Center City Philadelphia and is grateful to her teachers for guiding her along this journey. Her personal practice includes asana, mantra and meditation directed at a surrender to the divine energy within herself, others, and the world. In her class, you can expect to “tune in” with chanting, then move into a relaxing asana flow to open and relax your body and mind. She will also share and discuss bits of Yogic philosophy.- Stephen Fisher is one of the founders of Studio34, as well as a studio teacher. Check out his bio on the About Us page.
Julia Horn is not quite sure when it all began. From the time she was just a squirt, she was swinging from the arms of an om’ing mother. Next, it was the limbs of the towering oak in the backyard. The rest is history. What ensued was a lifetime of study and exploration of movement, breath and the interior of the self. Her study of dance continued at North Carolina School of the Arts and then Tisch School of the Arts in New York City. Julia grew up in the hills of Cakilaki (translation: Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina) which she stills considers one of the most magical places on earth. She is a member of Tripsichore Yoga Theatre, with whom she trots the globe for performances of yogic dance and workshops.
Jadee Klinger: Jadee discovered Yoga while dealing with a demanding career in the field of Architecture. She quickly found her Yoga practice to be the most grounding and stable source for inspiration in her life, so she redirected her life to center around her Yoga community and her practice. Following her heart, she left her office job to begin Yoga teacher training at Dhyana Yoga. After completing her first teacher training in Vinyasa Yoga, she continued her education by taking trainings in Anusara Yoga, Acro Yoga, Dynamic Flow and Prenatal Yoga. Now Jadee is enormously grateful to share her love of Yoga with everyone who seeks it. Jadee carries the yogic philosophy of ahisma over to her daily life, living a vegan lifestyle and practicing kindness towards others.
Ananda Mayi is a RYT Vinyasa Dhyana Yoga and 3HO certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor through teachers Dr.Mahan Rishi Khalsa and Nibhre Kaur Khalsa. She has gratitude for recent teachings through Dharma Mittra’s Master Yogi Sri Andrei Ram Om. She helped in the establishment of the Berks Buddhist Meditation group with the Thai Monks from Wat Thai DC. She currently serves by teaching at the Prison Re-Entry program Philly Fight and as a horse whisperer and instructor at Work To Ride Program at Chamounix Stables in Fairmont Park. She is a visual artist and teacher of Creativity.
Vicki Mehl has been a resident of Philadelphia since 1987. She began studying tai chi in 1995 and was given permission to teach in 1999. She has studied with several master teachers in the Cheng Man Ch’ing lineage and continues her study with Maggie Newman, of New York City, one of Prof. Cheng’s most senior students. Ms. Mehl has four grown children and is a special education teacher in a high school in Philadelphia.
Julia Naftulin is certified to teach classical Pilates through the Pilates Studio of New York and Bryn Mawr, and has been teaching in the Philadelphia area since 2003. She also practices Thai Yoga Massage and has a master’s degree in Dance/Movement Therapy. A dancer since childhood, Julia took up the Pilates method in college to ease chronic back pain. She is certified in the more athletic style of classical Pilates, and has studied Physical Mind Pilates under Michael Miller and others. Julia believes Pilates is a wonderful mind/body work-out for practitioners of any age and fitness level, and emphasizes its rehabilitative potential for those with physical illness or injury.- Angela Norris is one of the founders of Studio34, as well as a studio teacher. Check out her bio on the About Us page.
Brittany Policastro completed her first 50-hour teacher training six years ago, less than one year after her first experience with yoga. In 2006, she discovered Anusara Yoga and since then has completed the 200-hour Anusara Teacher Training, two 20-hour Yoga Therapeutics Trainings, a Prenatal Yoga Training and the Level 2 Anusara Teacher Training. Brittany has also received training in kids yoga through Yoga Child. She has over 5,000 hours of experience teaching and was recently featured on NBC’s The 10! Show demonstrating poses for healthy backs. Brittany brings an enthusiastic and energetic approach to her classes while focusing on proper alignment, cultivating awareness and opening others up to their own magnificent potential. In 2008, Brittany created the One World Many Hearts Project in which she raised $20,000 for the Cambodia Children’s Fund and in 2009 traveled to Cambodia with Seane Corn and the Off the Mat into the World Team to experience Sacred Activism first hand.
Portia (Keren Portia) developed a love for yoga in 2001 while working as seasonal staff at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. As an Intuitive Healing Practitioner and Meditation Teacher for almost 20 years, Portia’s approach to Kundalini Yoga blends her unique and intuitive teaching style with the traditional teachings of Yogi Bhajan. She is blissfully enthusiastic about Kundalini Yoga and believes it to be one of the most transformational and empowering practices on the planet! Portia considers herself a bit of a “spiritual tour guide” inspiring her students to awaken their inner teacher and explore their inherent self-healing abilities. Fascinated by both spirit and science, she is a passionate student of all philosophies and religions, as well as quantum physics and brain neurology. In addition to Studio34, Portia has been joyously blessed to share her gifts in many diverse arenas including The Omega Institute, The University of Delaware, Montessori Schools, Life Coaching Seminars, Holistic Health Fairs, The Delaware Children’s Museum, and even The Delaware Bar Association.- Marion Ramirez is a Puerto Rican dance artist. For the last 15 years, she has enjoyed teaching creative movement to children and adults from a variety of cultural backgrounds. In New York City she worked as a teaching artist for The Joyce Theater and for Brooklyn Arts Exchange where she developed a bilingual creative movement program as well as babies and parents classes. As a dancer/choreographer she has had the opportunity to perform and study in Europe, US, South Korea, Cuba and Puerto Rico. She completed her BA in dance and education at the Laban Center in London and has continued her research in different modalities of somatic practices including Alexander Technique, Body Mind Centering, Kinetic Awareness, Contact Improvisation among others. She is currently a spanish teacher for pre-schoolers at Greene Towne Montessori School in Philadelphia.
Jason Schoen took his first yoga class at Studio 34 during its grand opening week of free classes. Initially attracted to the enormous potential that the studio had for galvanizing community, he started doing work exchange. It was after he started taking Forrest Yoga classes with Angie and Stephen that his interest in yoga intensified. This led to the Forrest Foundation Teacher Training which he completed in August 2009. He also helps coordinate the work exchange program at Studio 34 and along with friends Rob, Ross, and Morgan organizes the monthly events Feet Active and Vegan Bruncheonette.
Anssumane Sillá began his dancing career at the tender age of 11. He has since danced professionally for over 18 years with the National Ballet of Guinea Bissau. His career has lead him to perform for Dignitaries, Ambassadors and Presidents from around the world. Anssumane has performed in Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, South Africa and Libya. He has garnered numerous awards for excellence in dance performance and teaching. He is very excited to teach the traditional and contemporary dance style (Bijagos, Balanta, Fula, and Manjaco) from Guinea Bissau and for people to enjoy themselves while having an amazing workout and learning a facet of culture from his county.- Nicole T. Taylor, RYT, MA, has practiced yoga and meditation for 10 years and taught for 4. She has studied ParaYoga with Yogarupa Rod Stryker for two years. Nicole’s purpose is to embody and create sacred spaces for joy, healing, and transformation. Her classes provide a playful, connected experience with an emphasis on stabilizing the body, drawing awareness to the breath, stilling the mind, and experiencing the higher self.
- Jen Web is a dedicated artist that has been busy making her mark in the exciting world of hoop dance. After teaming up with Funtown Productions in late 2007, she has redefined her playful hooping hobby into a serious lifestyle. Whether she’s performing on stage, making hand-made hoops, or teaching her hoop dance class, Jen Web doesn’t seem to have trouble finding new avenues to explore her passion. Jen has Philadelphia’s thriving music scene to thank for her impressive resume of performances. Some of her highlights include performances in venues such as the Tweeter Center, the Franklin Institute, World Cafe Live, the Theatre of Living Arts, and the National Constitution Center.
