My yoga practice began in 2002 while I was living on Maui in synchronicity with my growing addiction to surfing. Over the years, I have been blessed by the great company of incredible teachers and dedicated practitioners who have inspired me on the spiritual path and supported me in the process of self-discovery and wakefulness. I spent several years teaching on the road before settling down and establishing my homebase in NYC.
I am deeply...
Amanda McDonald started practicing yoga as a teenager, but didn’t find real commitment to the practice until she moved to New York. Once here, the practice spoke to her so strongly that she moved to India to further her studies. Upon returning to the states Amanda completed the Om Factory 200-hour Teacher Training and has since continued her studies at Studio Anya and at Yogamaya. Amanda teaches strong creative sequences that...
Amanda Wentworth, E-RYT 500, has created a life of studying movement arts. Her evolution began with varied disciplines through gymnastics, modern dance, and capoiera, yet her present focus revolves completely around the philosophy of yoga. She received her 1,000-hour Hatha Yoga certification with Iyengar instructors Betty Larson and John Charping at the Southern Institute of Yoga Instructors. In 2004, she moved to NYC to further her studies and trained in Katonah Yoga with Elizabeth...
Amanda began her yoga practice as a way to de-stress and stay in shape while working long hours as a fashion designer. She also thought it would be a great way to balance her body and cross train for running. Fate would have it that a running injury would provide an opening for Amanda to fully immerse herself in the practice of yoga. What had started as a casual practice soon became a way...
Andréa began practicing in 1997 at Integral Yoga, and teaching in 2007; she received both her 200-hour (2007) and 300-hour (2008) certification from New York Yoga under the guidance of Kristin Leal. In addition, she’s completed teacher trainings with David Swenson, Shiva Rea, and Isauro Fernandez. She brings an ever-expanding knowledge of bodywork to her classes, specializing in Thai Yoga Massage and Marma Point Therapy, and is an ERYT-200, RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance.
Andrea’s...
Angelina discovered yoga at the age of 15, when a public access TV series called Wai Lana Yoga initiated her into its mysteries. Over the years, a profound fascination with spirituality led to explorations of holistic therapies like massage therapy, energy healing, aromatherapy and angel healing.Angelina fell in love with circus arts in 2009 during a spontaneous trip to Trapeze School New York. Watching the spectacular Una Mimnaugh lead students through climbs, wraps and...
Arthur was born in New York City and was raised in both New York and Bogota, Colombia. Arthur was a shy kid who loved climbing trees and playing in the woods. Arthur has always been passionate about sound and music and plays as many musical instruments as he can get his hands on. However, he keeps coming back to his true love, the guitar. Arthur has been in many bands and once upon a...
Chris Loebsack, E-RYT 500, has been practicing yoga since 1995 and teaching since 2003. Chris uses the power of yoga to create a space for students that cultivates trust, playfulness and Divine connection with themselves and with community. Living by her mantra, Clarity, Integrity and Love, she draws upon her partner yoga practice to share the healing power of touch and safe intimacy. Her background includes a B.A. in Biology and a B.A. in...
Constanza was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, where she was a fun-loving wild child with a passion for the ocean. Having seen pictures of Canada as a child, and seeing the majesty of Canada’s landscape, she became determined to live there. She attended Art School in Toronto and Montreal where she studied painting. She started practicing yoga while in Canada in 1998. Subsequently, she lived in Costa Rica where she re-ignited her passion...
Corey grew up in Columbia, MD with lots of space and lots of love. His first experience with mindfulness practice was playing “the attention game” in Hap Ki Do class. The instructor and students were allowed to do anything but touch you to make you laugh or break stillness. He always outlasted everyone. Corey attained his first degree black belt in 1996. After some time away to focus on teenage things, he returned to...
Dee Holliday fell in love with yoga after her very first class and the love affair has only grown deeper and more important with time. Initially attracted to yoga for its physical benefits, she quickly realized that the practice has so much more to offer and Dee credits yoga with a spiritual, mental and emotional awakening. In her teaching she hopes to share the love she feels every time she steps on the mat.
Dee...
Yoga braids together Doreen’s passionate interests in and commitment to the body as a site for healing, empowerment and liberation. She has a bachelors Degree from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, with a concentration in social theory, women’s studies, and dance. In 2007, Doreen completed the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training with Ana Forrest in Hong Kong, and within the year became a Certified Forrest Yoga teacher. Her teaching is guided by intuition, intelligence,...
Emilia Conradson, M.A. L.M.T is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Structural Integration (Rolfing) practitioner, and certified Integrative Life Coach. She began practicing yoga to heal back spasms that were attributed to her muscular imbalance and functional scoliosis. Although her initial studies of Ashtanga yoga eliminated the back pain, it wasn’t until she discovered the Forrest Yoga method that she developed a connection to her inner strength- the “beyond the physical” element of yoga that she...
Read Eric Elven’s Introduction to Yoga
As a teacher Eric strives to create a spacious, calm, safe yet challenging environment for students to explore the postures. His classes combine concise explanations, supportive hands-on adjustments, an energizing flow and deep holds. Eric’s relaxed and grounded manner will leave you feeling serene. Discovering yoga during one of life’s “rough patches” Eric found it to be a potent catalyst for his personal healing. He has...
Faramarz is Om Factory’s founder, designer, and architect. A Persian native, Faramarz did his schooling at Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland, where he received his post-graduate diploma in architecture and product design, and at the University of Oregon, where he received his Master of Architecture degree. Since 1980, Faramarz has made his home in New York City, and in 1984, formed his architectural firm, Arte New York. Faramarz was introduced to yoga at Gold’s...
Greg has been a student of various forms of yoga, bodywork, and conscious arts for the past 15 years. As an undergrad, he focused his education on Studio Arts & Religious Studies, and then set out to explore the world up close and firsthand, studying formally for a year in Indonesia, then continuing an informal education through further journeys around the globe. After a two-year world traveling sojourn inspired by a hand reader, HH...
Holly Coles, E-RYT 500, hails from Australia, and growing up ‘down under’ is the only explanation she has for her insatiable desire to be upside-down. Holly leads Om Factory’s 200-Hour Hatha Vinyasa Teacher Training program with Amanda Wentworth. In her own words:
I am Australian. By default I love sport, I love to move and I love to play! I am motivated by the freedom that comes from movement. I have truly...
Jan Manke grew up among enormous political, social and artistic changes in his hometown of East Berlin, Germany. He was first introduced to circus as a kid seeing government funded , well organized socialist state circuses. He was nine years old after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and very few of the big circuses survived, lots of small avant-garde arts developed in clubs, warehouses and on the streets. Jan explored physical theater, ...
Jewels Ziff Sint choreographs long and unusual vinyasa yoga sequences, blending spirituality with playfulness and emphasizing body awareness to promote alignment and balance. She enjoys helping students find a balance between a challenging physical practice and a calming mental environment. Jewels has been practicing yoga for over a decade and owes elements of her style to a variety of teachers from different yoga traditions, as well as various types of dance and...
Born and raised in North Carolina, this Southern Belle moved to New York to pursue a job in fashion but found herself wanting to do yoga all the time instead. Finally Kat chased her dream of becoming a yoga instructor by completing her 200-hour Hatha Vinyasa certification at Om Factory School of Yoga in April 2012.
With a strong passion for living life to it’s fullest and to always have fun, Kat likes to carry...
Katharine moved to New York City to study fashion design but ended up spending more time on the Yoga mat than behind the sewing machine. She strives to pull her creativity for the arts into her classes and believes Fashion and Yoga are closely related. “They both show the beauty of the human body. Fashion enhances the beauty on the outside while Yoga enhances the beauty on the inside.”
I found yoga in 2004 in the basement of a grocery store across the street from my freshman dorm in Boston. I’ve never been the same. As life carried me from acting school to a farm studying physical theatre in Western Mass and finally delivered me to New York City, yoga has been one of very few constants in my life.
I’m constantly struck by the power of my practice to meet my...
Kirsten Adelia Collins, MBA, RYT, has been doing yoga for fifteen years and cannot imagine her life without this transformational practice. She completed her initial teacher training at the Buddhist-‐centered studio OM Yoga Center in 2005. In 2009, Kirsten began her study of Forrest Yoga with its powerful healing capabilities, and completed her second 200-‐hour level teacher training directly under Ana Forrest.
Kirsten teaches yoga with the lighthearted perspective while guiding students deeply through...
I honestly don’t remember a time when I didn’t know what yoga was. I have always been involved in some form of creative expression and had a connection with my body. From an early age, I enjoyed dance and gymnastics which then lead into dance aerobics and yoga during college. My yoga practice was sporadic at best during my early 20s as I slowly navigated my way through those formative years.
When I returned to...
Kristin discovered yoga in 1994, while earning a BFA in dance from Bard College. From her first class, she felt yoga was a pathway to a more authentic state of being. She has explored that pathway ever since. Over the subsequent years, her explorations of yoga brought her to study with a multitude of teachers and a variety of styles. In 2004 she got her certification through New York Yoga. Her continued studies...
I was always drawn to theosophical, metaphysical and spiritual knowledge, and besides my regular academic studies I would often immerse myself in books on universal consciousness, chakra healing, kundalini energy, kabbalah and meditation. Years later, after my flirtations with martial arts and after moving to the US, I started taking Bikram Yoga lessons in Williamsburg. I stumbled upon Om Factory Yoga Center on Google, in search of classes of AcroYoga. That was at...
Latham Thomas is a graduate of Columbia University and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Latham is a certified holistic health counselor, who mixes her passions of plant physiology, botany, holistic nutrition, fitness, yoga, and organic green cuisine into a lifestyle program that supports the various needs of her clients. Latham’s passion for yoga began in college when she attended her first Bikram yoga class. Shortly after she discovered Vinyasa and was hooked. Inspired by...
Linda Mittel’s certifications include AcroYoga®, Yoga, QiGong and Thai Massage. She has always been fascinated with movement, feeling it to be an integral part of the way she communicates. Linda has an extensive dance background in a variety of forms from classical to ethnic. She will warn you that AcroYoga is addictive. There is just so much fun to be had. This journey has led her to many very amazing teachers. She is most...
Mary grew up in Taipei, bouncing along behind her big brother and his friends, seeking to do what they could; fast forward to teenage and jazz shoes in Ottawa; college and dojos in Toronto; acting and cycling in New York. Not until new motherhood grounded her did yoga become the obvious choice for both spiritual sanctuary and physical focus all in one. So Mary’s yoga practice dates to her becoming a mommy in 1995....
Matt’s yoga journey began after having read “Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. Towards the beginning of his exploration, Matt was taking up to 3 yoga classes a day, sampling different styles and philosophies, and eventually focused on pursuing deeper studies in Acroyoga, an acrobatic, partner yoga, and Anusara, two styles that are built upon the principals of love, kindness, and trust.
His vinyasa classes are perhaps his most creative style that has...
My teaching style is flowing, athletic and highly eclectic, incorporating various influences including, Pilates, Strength Training, Plyometrics, Gyrotonics and the best practices of the many great teachers whom I have had the good fortune to meet.
My classes are an improvisational affair. No two classes are the same. I like to impart a sense of play, irreverence, good music and fun to promote a safe atmosphere of positive thinking and body awareness.
I use visual demonstrations...
Paul Gruen, a New York native, found his passion in yoga. His practice has led him to India numerous times to discover yoga philosophy, spiritual and physical practices to incorporate into his teaching. He brings his numerous talents to Om factory, as well as his passion for vegetarian food and making music.
“Paul is a creative and intelligent teacher who fills the space with interesting sequences and is able to challenge and relax you in...
Ever since I was a child, I’ve known I wanted to be a healer. Growing up I suffered from bouts of depression as I learned more and more about the complexity of human existence. Once I was able to recognize my suffering I began to seek out alternative modes of healing. Through painting, shamanic journeying, somato respitory integration, meditation and Forrest yoga, I’ve been on a constant hunt for my highest self and, along...
Ratna’s yoga journey was initiated by her wonderful parents in India, who took her to annual yoga summer classes while she was in school. She has been studying with B.K. S. Iyengar’s direct disciples including Firooza Ali in Bombay for many years.
Being involved in the field of healthcare and dance she is ever inquisitive about the human body and strives to combine creative expression of asana grounded in scientific understanding of technique. Along with...
Sandhi Ferreira has been practicing Jivamukti Yoga for the past 16 years as well as aerial and partner acrobatics for the past 6 years. She is an advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher, AcroYoga teacher, Aerial Yoga teacher and a professional fire, hula-hoop and aerial dancer. Through these practices, she has discovered the perfect way to share her love of the healing strength of yoga, acrobatics and aerial dance with playful intention and patience....
Sarah Sadie Newett has devoted her life to studying, creating, performing and teaching movement. Her study of dance, yoga, pilates and healing arts enables her classes to be well rounded, dynamic, playful and unique. In the past year she’s immersed herself in the study of aerial arts, and teaching aerial vinyasa is a welcome and new chapter down this road. She holds a BFA in Dance/Theater, 200 RYT through YogaWorks, certifications through Power Pilates...
As a teen Miss Wollschlager ran away and joined the Circus World Museum of Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey, where she stared in the aerial ballet, rode elephants and was cut in half in the magic show! She later attended The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee where she received her BFA in Dance and a minor in Women’s Studies. It was in Wisconsin that she had the pleasure of meeting, Janet Lilly, her first Iyengar Yoga teacher whom set...
Sasha’s insatiable curiously was sparked at a very early age, growing up to her father reading the Ecstatic love poems of Rumi and Enchanted wisdom of Hafiz, creating a lasting love affair with the mystery and potential in all things.
Yoga held one of the most revealing lanterns on her path, enabling her to grasp a balance between the physical and the mystical aspects of self and life. Her fascination with bridging the two initially...
Seanna Sharpe has been traveling the world and teaching people to fly for over seven years, specializing in Aerial Dance and Circustentialism (her merger of Circus Arts and Existential philosophy, combining images of performance, art, and meditation.) She teaches students of all ages and backgrounds, focusing on the individual strength and style of each student.
Yelimar Rodriguez has an unquenchable curiosity for applied anatomy, and its translation to movement and breath. She is inspired by it’s distinct power to bring us closer to Self. She is a graduate of Sonic Yoga’s Teacher Training program (2006), and a certified Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga instructor by founder Sadie Nardini (2009). The principles of her studies in Thai Yoga bodywork and holistic health coaching pepper her teachings on the mat.
Her style of...