Steve Ross has practiced various styles of yoga for almost thirty years and has been an instructor for over twenty years. He has explored the physical aspects of yoga as well as the philosophical and spiritual roots of yoga. He spent four years as a monk in the Vedic tradition, and since that time, he has ceaselessly sought out and reveled in the presence of some of the most notable masters of our time - in India and elsewhere. He is honored to have the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience with other spiritual seekers. Steve combines upbeat, inspirational music with a relaxed, easy spirituality that make his classes at Maha Yoga some of the most popular in Los Angeles. His events are ecstatic. His sold out retreats are well known to produce a blissful state of being.
Jorgen Christiansson has been teaching yoga for almost 20 years. Since childhood he always had an interest in eastern philosophy and culture. He started practicing yoga and meditation at the age of 14 in his native country Sweden. By the age of 18 he had traveled throughout the world including Southeast Asia and Northern Africa. A year later he had his first visit to India. Jorgen met his teacher Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 1988 when he first visited Mysore. Ashtanga yoga has been his regular practice since then. He is faithful to his guru, and believes in the systematic approach of the Mysore class format.
Gabi grew up in England gaining a degree from London University in classical studies. His move to California in 1995 has been the ideal setting for his principal sports interests: tennis, kick boxing, mono snow skiing, pillatis, volleyball and of course yoga. After practicing yoga since 2000, Gabi completed a comprehensive yoga teacher training course and is ready to share his joy of yoga and his enthusiastic view on life with students here at Maha Yoga.
Anne Israel incorporates the physical and spiritual benefits of a traditional practice into a fun, fast-paced workout experience. Though experienced in many different types of yoga, Anne teaches a vinyasa flow style class that cultivates strength and flexibility of both the body and mind. She finds yoga to be the perfect complement to an active lifestyle, which for her includes running, hiking, spinning, and playing beach volleyball. Anne creates an atmosphere that is challenging, inspirational, and fun. In her classes, you can expect creative sequencing set to great music. Her students will push themselves, finding newfound strength and clarity, and probably even laugh a little.(www.anneisrael.com)
Marlize Joubert has been studying the healing arts most of her life. Her roots are in Yoga, Ayurveda, Thai Yoga Massage and the juicy mystery of life itself. Curiousity and self-exploration has always been a source of tremendous healing for Marlize and her calling to be of service has been clear to her since a young age. Marlize teaches Vinyasa Yoga to a wide variety of people, including athletes, the elderly, mommies-to-be and people with ailments/injuries. At the age of eighteen, Marlize left South Africa to travel extensively in search of adventure and the meaning of life. Her journey has taken her through many different avenues - Hospitality, Yachting, Acting and Modeling. She explored different meditation modalities to keep her grounded while traveling. She finally made her descent into the Yoga Lineage in 1995. Her Buddhist practice and her kind nature hold the secret combination to her radiance and wisdom- the place she teaches from.
Sally Lambert - Bio coming soon.
Amy Loftus The first time I did yoga was around age 3 with my Mom and the lady on PBS. My aunt was a serious practitioner, and my first teacher, during my teens. Movement came naturally to me and my childhood nickname was "Butterfly" because I was always flitting about. I felt as a young child that I could move my way out of a bad mood, and that led me to dance, which I did for many years. During my early twenties after I began suffering from severe panic attacks while touring as a musician, someone gave me a book on pranayama (therapuetic breathing). I realized singing was a healing vibration. Immediately a door into consciousness opened. I began healing myself. That led me to finding Ram Dass, and transcripts of his liberating talks. In 1997 my aunt sent me Erich Schiffman's book The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, and I went to his class. I have been practicing regularly ever since. In 2003 after completing a teacher training with Diane Avice du Buisson at Yoga Source in Nashville, TN, I was invited to assist her classes. Suddenly everywhere I looked someone was asking me to teach and I've been teaching private and group classes ever since. I am devoted to the practice and teach to share the freedom I have found. I want to help people slip out the back door of their brain's inventions and society's illusions, and enter the gift that this moment is, by using their breath, and their connection to Source. And by reminding them to laugh!! I believe there is an Infinite Source of Well Being available to us at any moment. Transformation does not take a lot of time, or mental energy, or anything else. It takes a moment, now. Yoga has taught me that.
Kaleigh Lundy's background and love for dance led her to try her first official yoga class in 2006. She quickly realized the profound physical and mental benefits that could be achieved with a regular practice and became hooked! Since then, she's immersed herself in studying and practicing the fundamentals of yogic philosophy, in particular power/vinyasa flow and hatha yoga, and enjoys training with a wide variety of instructors including Matthew Reyes, Tom Morley and Annie Carpenter. She completed 200 hours of teacher training with Matthew Reyes and is a registered yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance. Kaleigh blends a mixture of basic yogic fundamentals with creative sequencing and uplifting music to motivate her students to further deepen and develop their own individual practice. You can expect to challenge your strength and balance, develop a deeper mental clarity and experience a newfound sense of achievement and purpose each time you come to class. /span>
Ish Moran's teaches a flow yoga class set to world beat music with an emphasis on alignment. Teaching yoga is the yin to his "day" job as a probation officer. As a result of sports injuries, Ish began practicing Iyengar yoga to strengthen muscles and focus mentally. After dedicating his first six years of study with Iyengar instructor Judy Narvid, Ish happened on Steve Ross's class. Ish practiced for another six years with Steve Ross before becoming certified through a Teacher Training program with renown yoga teacher, Rod Stryker.
Tom Morley has been teaching yoga for over 10 years. He was formally trained in Hatha yoga at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, California in 1997. Tom is a devoted meditation practitioner and facilitator drawing from Tibetan Buddhism,Taoism, Tantra and other traditions. Tom has pursued various spiritual teachings and healing modalities his entire life. Tom's first introduction into spiritual studies was through his father, an avid meditation and tai chi practitioner, reiki healer and spiritual seeker. Tom's philosophy is "We are all capable of being more fully alive and aware human beings if we are wholeheartedly open and willing." Tom teaches public classes at Maha Yoga in Brentwood, manages an extensive private practice and leads retreats worldwide. He has been a professional massage therapist and energy healer for over 20 years. You can watch Tom on the nationally syndicated network show Exercise T.V.
Stephanie Phelan a student of yoga for 20 years, has been teaching at Maha Yoga studio since 2004. Her challenging Vinyasa flow classes (set to eclectic music) are fun and heart opening to all levels of practitioners. Stephanie's compassionate teaching style is a great opportunity to fortify your practice while feeling part of a special community. After a career as a producer with NBC News, her personal yoga practice evolved into a pathway of service and teaching. Sincere study led to five Yoga Teacher Trainings, an intensive Pilates course, and numerous workshops. Stephanie extends gratitude to those who continue to inspire her journey of courage and contentment. A published writer, Stephanie recently earned her Master's degree in counseling psychology and is now combining her Depth Psychology training with Yoga as a Life Strategies Coach (www.innerlightshine.com).
Stephen Weigand has been an eager student of yoga for over five years. Initially drawn to yoga for its athleticism, Stephen found himself drawn deeper to its healing and restorative benefits. Stephen uses yoga as a means of healthy exercise, stress relief, relaxation and centering. In his teaching, he provides these same components to every student who comes to class. His power yoga classes are both challenging and lighthearted giving students a nurturing environment to grow their practice. In addition to a daily yoga practice, Stephen is a certified 200-hour Yoga Alliance instructor trained by Matthew Reyes. He has additional yoga intensive training during 2005 with Tom Morley and 2008 with Steve Ross.
Suzy Shelton has been the manager of Maha Yoga since 2004. Working with Steve Ross, Suzy tries to give you the best service and finest yoga instructors in Los Angeles. After spending many years in the advertising industry running major accounts such as Hyundai, Disney and Mattel, Suzy made the life changing decision to move into the yoga industry. As a student who has practiced yoga for over 15 years, Suzy fell in love with Maha Yoga. Then, after meeting Steve Ross, she knew she wanted to be a part of the Maha family. If you have any questions regarding Maha Yoga or Steve Ross, please email Suzy at info@mahayoga.com