Teachers
Ralph Adams
Amber Robertson
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Michelle Lee
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Partnerships
Sophia Ludyjan
Sophia trained in Classical Hatha Yoga methods as handed down from Indra Devi, known as the First Lady of yoga. Indra Devi received her training from Krishnamacharya and other East Indian teachers. Sophia completed the 500 hour teacher training in the Indra-Devi style at the Spiritual Yoga Training Institute with Lesli Foxworth-Feree in Camel Rock, California in 2002. Sophia also completed an additional 200 hour Anusara teacher training at the Yoga Center in Carlsbad. She continues to expand and grow as a teacher by attending seminars and workshops with amazing teachers such as Desiree Rumbaugh, Roger Cole, Geri Portnoy, Michael Fukumura, Maty Ezraty, and Jason Crandall.
Sophia’s teaching style is fun and compassionate. Drawing from her experience as a ballroom dance instructor and personal trainer, Sophia knows how to make her students feel comfortable, even when upside down. Her charming and dedicated presentation of yoga is truly unique incorporating elements of fitness training to strengthen key core muscles and balancing that with flexibility and mental focus techniques. Having a very patient, compassionate and friendly demeanor, Sophia truly cares about her students and makes certain that each receives personal attention as well as hands-on support.
Sophia is also a certified Yoga for Golfers*Instructor. She trained directly with Katherine Roberts, founder of Yoga for Golfers* featured on the Golf Channel, in Golf Fitness Magazine and golfonline.com. Yoga for Golfers*is a series of golf-specific yoga poses, designed to effectively help golfers of all ages and fitness levels, utilize the many benefits of yoga to improve the physical and mental aspects of their game.
Sophia is a certified personal trainer with NASM, National Academy of Sports Medicine and has certificates in Integrated Stretching and Scientific Shoulder Training from the C.H.E.K. Institute.
In addition to personal fitness and yoga programs, Sophia utilizes her years of experience in the health industry to help you realize the connection between the physical manifestations and the spiritual origins. Reviewing one’s lifestyle and habits, as well as habitual ways of thinking and sleeping can provide insight into any existing imbalances. Developing a practice of meditation and mindful living can be facilitated by setting up a sacred space in your home and identifying sources of negative impact in your life. With dedicated practice, the mind and body become more focused and strengthened, and a new conscious awareness of one’s body and inner state grows. This higher consciousness reminds you of your divine nature and reconnects you with your natural state of joy and well-being.
Marv Fraser
Marv is a natural competitive bodybuilder with a strong yoga practice currently working on both his yoga teacher and personal training certification at Mira Costa College.
Training since he was a teen, Marv has developed and utilized short intense workouts for years to perfect his symmetry. In 2010 Marv was introduced to yoga by Sophia and he began incorporating yoga into his bodybuilding regiment. He took more than a year off from competitive bodybuilding and began to focus on a full time yoga practice with Sophia to help enhance his bodybuilding competitive pursuit.
Two years after adding yoga to his routine, Marv competed in the Mr. Natural California bodybuilding show in Folsom, California. He placed 1st in his division, was crowned overall champion and earned his first professional natural bodybuilding pro card. The flexibility he developed from yoga increased his overall strength and focus.
If you would like to learn how to incorporate more flexibility training or add powerful yoga movements into your fitness routine, Marv is available for personal training sessions. Marv currently teaches the Warrior Cats classes, helping students develop strength and muscular endurance utilizing exercise bands.
Jennifer Suchmann
Come flow with Jennifer on Fridays at 10:45 am till 12:00 pm or try a New Cats class on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. Jennifer has been practicing yoga since 2001, teaching since 2008. She received her 200-hr certification from Mira Costa College and has participated in workshops with some awe-inspiring teachers such as: Roger Cole, Leslie Kaminoff, Paul Grilley, Justine Shelton and Sherry Zak Morris among others.
She also currently practices on a regular basis with a variety of accomplished teachers. Despite not having a background in personal training, Pilates, dance, martial arts or sports, she has worked for most of the last 26 yrs in counseling and health care. She has confessed to being pretty uncoordinated and had rather bad posture. However, through the practice of yoga she has gained not only a physical strength and balance but an emotional strength as well, that has been a great support in challenging times. She has also gained some stillness of mind, not to mention much better posture.
These are the kinds of benefits she would like to share with you.
Sandra Cadet de Fontenay
From Taiwan to Thailand to Mauritius, for the past fifteen years, I have ecstatically appreciated my life abroad. Connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures has inspired and fascinated me. I first discovered my love for yoga while living in Bangkok. I immersed myself in every style I could: Bikram, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa. Rather than adapting to just one style, I valued variety within multiples styles in my own practice. It is through this lens that I found Yoga Elements Studio in Bangkok, a place where I took my journey a step further by starting my teacher training. Through the support of the amazing friends and community I was lucky enough to have, I had the confidence and passion to finish my 200-hour Teacher Training Course and became a Registered Yoga Teacher in 2009.
After spending a year in Mauritius, an island off the coast of Madagascar, teaching yoga to a wonderful group at Northfields International High School, my family and I have finally settled back into my hometown of Oceanside, California. We are thoroughly enamored with the beautiful weather and coastal lifestyle North County has to offer. I am inspired by the dedicated yogis I have met here and look forward to contributing to this blossoming community.
The main reason I love yoga is for its focus on self-awareness. These techniques and tools have improved every aspect of my life; Everything essential comes from observation of one’s self. Yoga clears your mind and takes away the cloud of mental chatter that causes us stress. I love all styles of yoga; My personal practice and teaching style is heavily influenced by Ashtanga and Vinyasa. Through focus, one can experience the meditative power of yoga.
“There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples, my philosophy is kindness.” — Dalai Lama
Teresa Petersen
Teresa Petersen completed her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certification and teacher training at the Yoga Studio Carlsbad, with instructor Cindy Gibbons in 2002. After completing this certification, Teresa taught groups of children at local private schools and assisted with training programs for other local yoga instructors to learn to teach yoga to children. She has taught group and private instruction while raising her two daughters.
Teresa completed her most recent yoga training with instructor Lisette Hart, at Roots and Wings in Vista, CA. The primary style of yoga that Teresa practices is an active Flow/Vinyasa. Her classes are designed for all levels to participate and benefit. Teresa’s familiarity with the body reflects in her practice and instruction. Other modalities of health and fitness that she has studied include Somatics, Reiki Healing level 1&2 and Energy Medicine such as Homeopathy and Bach Flower.
For fun and fitness outside of the yoga studio, Teresa runs and swims. You can find her swimming at local pools or running in and around Oceanside. Teresa has participated in events such as Dirt Devil 1/2 Marathon Trail Series and other local 1/2 Marathons. Teresa is an active member of the West Coast Road Runners Club.