Tawanna Kane
Co-Director/Owner

Tawanna Kane, RYT is a certified yoga teacher and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, motivated by the heart and inspired by the healing power of movement. Her teaching style is a joyous reflection of a variety of yoga techniques.

Tawanna founded Soulful Eruption, a movement of peace and ease, as the first yoga studio in Fort Greene, Brooklyn in 2001. Concurrently, she sought to bring yoga, as a vehicle for growth and transformation, to underserved populations. For three years, she served as the executive director of The Lineage Project, a non-profit that offers yoga and meditation to incarcerated and underserved youth throughout New York City.

Her relationship and love for children is informed by working for over 15 years in the areas of conflict resolution, peer mediation, theatrical expressions and building accountability systems and developing for citywide recreational programming in Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Tawanna has created stress reduction curriculum for juvenile halls, level III schools and other specialized populations in New York and Maryland. She has offered workshops at universities and in corporate environments.

She has been featured in Yoga Journal, Ascent Magazine, American Legacy Woman and in the documentaries, "Yoga comes to Brooklyn" and "The Fire of Yoga".

 

Alden Caldwell-Gaines
Co-Director/Owner

A former schoolteacher, Alden has been practicing various styles of hatha yoga such as Iyengar, Anusara and Ashtanga for over ten years. She has been influenced by the teachings of Kofi Busia, Victor Van Kooten and Barbara Benaugh. In 2007 Alden completed a 200-hour Integrative Yoga Therapy certification at yama studio in Baltimore. She is Registered Yoga Instructor with Yoga Alliance and is currently pursuing her 500-hour certification to become a Yoga Therapist.

From her love of yoga sprang a desire to learn more about the human body and the mind-body connection as it pertains to healing. In the spring of 2006 Alden graduated from Holistic Massage Training Institute's 600-hour massage therapy program and continues her private practice as a certified Maryland state massage therapist. Alden has additional continuing education hours in the areas of myofascial release, hot stone and Thai yoga massage.

Alden loves playing with the complimentary elements of bodywork and yoga. Often she incorporates many of her yogic philosophies and breath work into her bodywork sessions as well as uses her knowledge of anatomy and physiology to aid with correct alignment in yoga postures. Her philosophy is to address specific problem areas while revitalizing the entire being, promoting mind-body awareness and allowing space for healing to occur.

Her passion for teaching continues as she dedicates her work to the education and empowerment of both her clients and students to help them improve upon their own wellness.

Alden focuses her massage practice on working with women and children.

 

Angie Gentile

Angie has been studying yoga in Baltimore for 9 years, and her love of the practice led her to earn her Integrative Yoga Therapy 200hr certification in 2006. In addition, she has 15 years of dancing and performing experience. Currently she is pursuing her 500 hour certification in Vinyasa Flow style yoga. She enjoys creating a friendly non-judgmental classroom sanctuary. Students are invited to let go, and allow for the unfolding of limitless possibilities.

 

Beth Malcolm

A certified yoga instructor and massage therapist, Beth has been teaching yoga for more than eight years. Her background is in the Ashtanga lineage. She also has been trained in yin and restorative yoga. She encourages her students to focus internally, moving them beyond the physical posture to explore the rehabilitative and healing potential in yoga. Beth is currently working on her Master's in Acupuncture at the Tai Sophia Institute.

 

Deb Donofrio

Deb Donofrio is a certified YogaKids® Facilitator and YogaKids® Teacher Trainer, as well as a certified Itsy Bitsy® Yoga Teacher.

Deb's mission is to help all children find that innate knowledge of who they are with respect to and for the world around them and, in turn, grow into peaceful, loving adults. Deb strives to live her life with compassion and awareness.

Dianne Mekelburg

Dianne Mekelburg, M.Ed., E-RYT Dianne brings a deep reverence and respect for the uniqueness of each person in her classroom. Dianne is a certified yoga teacher in Hatha Yoga, and a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Teacher and Practitioner with Karen Hasskarl. She is a certified practitioner of Thai Yoga Massage Therapy with Kam Thye Chow and has completed an 18-month course of study in Ayurveda with Dr.Rama Kant Mishra.

Dianne has a Bachelor's degree in Human Growth and Development and a Master's degree in Special Education. Her learning and training imbue her teaching with a maturity, insight and understanding that is well suited to the yogic path of mindfulness and yoga as a healing art.

 

Gina Strauss

Gina Strauss is a co-facilitator for the Sacred Parenting Circle. Gina has her Master’s degree in counseling Psychology and has worked at The Community College of Baltimore county for 14 years. In her work as career counselor, academic advisor, and instructor, she has learned the importance of listening, connecting, and providing support without judgment. Gina is the mother of tow young girls and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Healing Arts at Tai Sophia Institute.

 

Lesley Castle

Lesley Castle is a co-facilitator for the Sacred Parenting Circle. Gina has her Master’s degree in counseling Psychology and has worked at The Community College of Baltimore county for 14 years. In her work as career counselor, academic advisor, and instructor, she has learned the importance of listening, connecting, and providing support without judgment. Gina is the mother of tow young girls and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Healing Arts at Tai Sophia Institute.

 

Lorraine Farley

Lorraine was certified as a massage therapist in 1999 from the Baltimore School of massage. While studying to become a massage therapist, she began to specialize in craniosacral therapy. Lorraine has also received additional craniosacral training at the Upledger Institute. Along with treating adults, Lorraine has developed a deep love for working with infants, children and young adults. Many childhood conditions can be treated with craniosacral therapy such as colic, hyperkinetic behavior, torticollis, and ear infections. The primary goal of Lorraine's practice is to educate, uplift and assist clients in realizing their own healing power.

 

Ragan Sheridan

Ragan is certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy and Prenatal Yoga. She began studying yoga after multiple injuries and chronic pain. She focuses on slow, gentle movement combined with breath work to reconnect with and heal our body, mind and spirit. This nurturing style of yoga, develops self confidence as we learn to trust our inner wisdom for deep relaxation and inner peace. Ragan enjoys teaching gentle yoga, prenatal yoga, seniors yoga, restorative yoga and yoga nidra.

 

Sarah Strahorn

Sarah Strahorn graduated from Baltimore School of Massage in 2002. She specializes in relieving headaches and lower back pain using modalities such as deep tissue, Swedish massage, trigger point therapy and Thai stretching techniques. She also enjoys working with pregnant women, athletes and the elderly population. Sarah's philosophy is that massage should be intense as well as relaxing, and she strives to meet the specific needs of each client.

 

Shelley Work

Shelley Work is a nationally and state certified massage therapist. She received her 500-hour certification training at Holistic Massage Training Institute in Baltimore, MD. Shelley focuses on Swedish and deep tissue massage. Her philosophy incorporates massage as an important part of the balance between mind and body. She feels therapeutic touch is important to help focus on self and create an environment for relaxation, peace and harmony.

 

Simone Smith-Stevens

Simone is a German trained architect and has been working as an architect and interior designer for over 10 years.

Her interest in the healing arts has grown over the years. The personal growth she has experienced led her to become a practitioner.

Simone holds certificates in both levels one and two of Reconnective Healing. She is also a registered Reiki Master. Simone is an active member of the International Reiki Association.

 

Tammy Carr

Tammy Carr holds a 200 hour RYT certification in Yama Therapeutic and has also completed Level II Radiant Child Training. As a military wife and mother of two teenagers, Tammy knows about the stresses of daily living. As well, Tammy has a deep sense of mission when it comes to personal wellness from maintaining her 160 weight loss. She strives to educate and encourage her students to practice yoga to develop a deeper awareness of their body, mind and spirit and respect for themselves. Tammy feels by teaching others to grow from within she is planting the seeds for positive choices tomorrow.