Gabe Hendrie

Yoga provides me with a framework to continue to study and increase my understanding of the intelligence behind the science of the human form, and how when we align it according to the laws of nature, we create more beauty both inside and out. I started teaching yoga in 2000, after taking my first Yoga teacher training. In following years I experimented with various yoga styles, until I happily found Anusara Yoga.My greatest joy in teaching is seeing a student discover that how through yoga we can unlock the key to a door that reveals a healthy mind, an energetic body and a warm, open heart.

Jeff Starin

I offer my teaching and practice to my teachers; Peter Barnett who got me to come back, even when I needed 3 blocks to do Uttanasana. Peter continues to teach me to make yoga light and fun. Anthony Benenati for teaching me the difference between leading a class and teaching a class. John Friend for his inspiration and wisdom, and his ability to organize an incredibly sophisticated system of hatha yoga into relatively easy to grasp concepts. Will Duprey for getting yoga off the pages of books and making it experiential. Will taught me that yoga isn't something you do. It's something you are. And I thank so many others who have offered wisdom, support, love, and encouragement, whether they knew it or not.

Scott Lewicki

Scott Lewicki has been teaching yoga since 1998. He became a dedicated student of John Friend upon meeting him in January 2000 and became a Certified Anusara teacher in January 2004. Scott has learned much from masters of partner yoga such as Ganga White, Cheri Clampett, Frank White and Shiva Rea. Scott's classes are playful and challenging, and encourage students to connect to their heart in all that they do.

Katie Black

I am a passionate Social Worker with the intention to spread the gift of yoga to cultivate healthy communities. My conviction to create supportive environments that foster change is the foundation for my yoga teaching. This is inspired by my own yoga practice and teacher trainings in Ashtanga Vinyasa and Anusara.

Kathy Bray

I am a strong fiercely independent woman with fire in her belly that lives to travel and enjoys moving through the world savoring new delights on each adventure. In 2006 I found my home at City Yoga and embarked on a training with Noah Maze and Anthony Benenati. It was during my apprenticeship with Anthony that I discovered my real interest was the power of touch and the healing aspects of yoga. Since that time I have trained extensively with Judith Hanson Lasater in both Restorative Yoga and Yoga Therapy and have studied Thai Yoga Massage with Saul David Raye. I am a certified Restorative Yoga teacher. I feel crazy blessed every day to have found something that lights me up from within and makes me all shiny and bright. I love to teach, to travel, to write and to play. My philosophy is simple: life is meant to be savored. I say savor away...

Billy Gill

I first discovered yoga during my theatre training at Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. At the time, I don’t think I even realized that I was doing yoga, but gradually became more and more aware of the connection between the mind, the body, the breath and eventually the Self. After moving to Chicago in 2003, I began practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with a wonderful teacher and soon became enthralled with the process of Yoga. In my classes, I tend to focus on breath as an avenue to the deeper layers of being and the fact that yoga is a process of transformation, reminding students frequently that in order to transform, we must first come to realize that we are beginning from somewhere. I strive for a fun and relaxed atmosphere while inspiring a passionate approach to this ancient and sacred art.

Patricia Hernandez

I have spent most of my life investigating the movement and form of the body. The curiosity began at the age of eleven when I began studying dance and gymnastics. The study of dance brought me to Los Angeles to study at California Institute of the Arts, where I received my BFA in dance performance and choreography. Since living in Los Angeles my study of the body has included the areas of balinese dance, Feldenkrais bodywork, yoga and massage therapy. I am fascinated with how the physical body allows the inner body (spirit and heart) to be expressed in a multitude of ways. Without fail, the outer and inner body connect in an attempt to express and bring into form the truths that are carried within our hearts. It is my goal to help my students reside in the space of their own hearts in order to playfully expand from within.

Rachel Jackson

I began practicing yoga in my hometown of New York City when a friend invited me to a class at Alan Finger's studio "Be Yoga" in 2000. There and then, I began a dedicated practice of ISHTA yoga. I was an eager and avid student and my passion for the practice of yoga developed quickly. A 2004 relocation to the West Coast brought the Anusara practice into my life. Since then, I have studied with a number of world-renowned teachers of Anusara Yoga including its founder, John Friend, and other established teachers including Desiree Rumbaugh, Ross Rayburn, Tiffany Fraser and Douglass Brooks among others. I found my first Anusara home at Yoga Inside Out, where I practiced and taught until the merger with Bala Yoga. Since the close of both those studios, I have had the opportunity to teach at the some of the best studios in town including Liberation Yoga, Black Dog Yoga, Center For Yoga-Yogaworks, Exhale, Mission Street Yoga and now Urth Yoga. I am a caring teacher with an inspiring energy that is matched only by my infectiously playful spirit. I look forward to seeing you in class.

Keric Morinaga

In early 2002, I sustained a shoulder injury in the gym. As an alternative to lifting weights, I decided to try yoga for the first time. After one class, I realized that yoga offered much more than just a great workout. I migrated out of the gym and into local yoga studios. Yoga quickly became my primary training for body, mind, and spirit. I have studied a variety of yoga styles and respect all of them for their diverse offerings. My ongoing practice, training, and teaching is dedicated to the Anusara style, a heart opening practice that focuses on alignment. In my teaching, I strive to be creative and fun, helping students to take their practices off the mat and into their daily lives.

Sachie Alessio Heath

Sachie was first introduced to yoga by her mother. After fifteen years of urging, she decided to try it out for herself – Ashtanga, Hatha, and eventually Anusara. Anusara provided the complete integration of body, mind and spirit, in an uplifting, inspiring and empowering environment that truly felt like bliss. Sachie loves the transformative nature of this practice – both physically and spiritually, and strives to bring that essence into her classes. Yoga helps Sachie find the softness in strength and strength in softness in her daily life. She loves the powerful effects it has on the body and spirit, the way it kindles individual light from within and nurtures its brightness. She's inspired by witnessing growth in others, and invites you to challenge yourself in her dynamic, empowering and fun classes.

Danny Gray

I was taken to my first yoga class in 2001 on a date. It was the beginning of a lasting relationship! Although at first there was so much that I could not do, I was amazed at how fun and satisfying each practice was. Since 2005 I have been committed to practicing and studying Anusara yoga, and some of the teachers who have most influenced me are John Friend, Sianna Sherman, Darren Rhodes, and Noah Maze. In my teaching I try to create space for fun, challenge, and ever-deeper alignment of our bodies and hearts. My favorite pose is handstand!

Nicole Ulrick

Nicole found yoga while living in Spain in 1997. More than 10 years later she is still amazed by its magic & inspiration. She has crossed paths with many gifted teachers including John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Tara Judelle, Rusty Wells, Janet Stone, David Vendetti, Noah Maze, Shiva Rae and functional anatomy experts Ellen Heed and Michael Watson. She has completed Anusara Teacher Training, Bhakti Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training, Thai Yoga Therapy Essential Training and Craniosacral Therapy level 1. For Nicole, yoga is an ongoing self-study & a universal path offering the experience of being in sync with body, breath and spirit. Her mantra is to come play, explore & leave with a smile.

Jennifer Gaecke

I came to yoga out of a desire to exercise and reduce stress. What I found was a newly inspired spirit and profound connection to community. I started with yoga DVDs during a winter in Boston and took my first real class in Los Angeles. The vibrancy of the class setting blew me away and I felt as though yoga helped me align with my life's purpose. I saw how the teacher acts as an inspiring presence, seeing the highest potential in every student. I soon found myself diving into two teacher trainings. My classes are dynamic and challenging, with the intention to laugh, sweat, and connect to one’s true self. I am grateful for the calming and empowering effect of yoga and strive to give this gift to my students. I hold gratitude to my many teachers, including Anthony Benenati, Tiffany Fraser, Hagar Harpak, Jessica Jennings, and Tara Judelle.

Sarika Quach

Sarika stepped into her first Anusara yoga class in January of 2007 and immediately fell in love. She found Anusara yoga not only to be transformative and healing to her body, but also to her mind and spirit. The life affirming teachings of the Anusara principles led her to delve deeper into her own practice and urged her to share in the gifts of this teaching. She gives many thanks to her teachers, including founder John Friend, and to everyone whose support has helped carry her on this path. Sarika's ongoing practice, studies and teachings are dedicated to the Anusara style. Her love for yoga and for life creates a warm and welcoming environment. Her classes are playful, challenging and empowering. She is happy and honored to have found her home here at Urth.

Lara Catone

I fell in love with AcroYoga the very first time I saw an AcroYoga postcard at my local yoga studio. Every cell in my body echoed with the reverberations of my past as a gymnast, dancer and performer and I knew that someday I'd be deeply involved in the practice. One serendipitous year later, I'm sharing this work with others. Initially I was drawn to AcroYoga because of the strength, joy and play inherent in the practice. However, what keeps me completely enthralled is the deep connections made with others through partner work. Opening to others requires opening within first. Through AcroYoga my relationship with the internal and external world has become profoundly harmonious. It is with great enthusiasm that I share the sweet potency of this work with others. Let's play! I also teach vinyasa yoga, prenatal yoga and facilitate Yoga Trance Dance. I am passionate about the feminine aspects of yoga and through my own healing practice I have deeply explored the therapeutic aspects of yoga for women. In addition to studying with AcroYoga co-founders Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein, I am completing Shiva Rea's 500 hour teacher training and find inspiration from Anusara and Jivamukti yoga.

Aileen Kiernan

A member of the Silverlake community, Aileen joined Urth Yoga as a Manager three years ago as she was impressed by Urth Yoga's commitment to a green and sustainable business model.