Instructor Bios

Lara Land

Lara Land, authorized Ashtanga teacher, began practicing yoga in 1998 as a freshman at Boston University.  She was intrigued by the body/mind connection and continued to practice as she earned her BFA in Theatre and moved on to New York.  It was there that she committed to the Ashtanga tradition and to daily practice.  She then pursued a Vinyasa certification from Yoga Sutra, where she was able to practice under and assist long time Ashtanga teacher, Christopher Hildebrandt.  That year Lara made her first trip to India to learn from the Guru of Ashtanga yoga, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois.  She continues to study yearly at the Pattabhi Jois institute under Director R. Sharath and Saraswathi. 

In addition to asana, Lara also teaches chanting and philosophy which she studies in India with Acharye Hema.  Lara has brought this knowledge to a wide variety of students.  One of her undertakings is making yoga accessible and relevant to the Jewish community.  She also teaches children of all ages and abilities, including those on the autistic spectrum.  Lara has continued to volunteer her services to those in need, including a three-month stay in Rwanda where she taught yoga to HIV positive genocide survivors.  She is also an attuned Reiki healer.  Lara is forever in awe of the transformative power of yoga and is grateful for her teachers who have given her the opportunity to experience and share in this ancient practice.

Michael Guiou

After several years of yoga practice in various differing methods, Michael Guiou, RYT 500, was introduced to the Ashtanga system in 2007 while beginning his first teaching training in the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya.  He was immediately captivated by the consistency of the practice and the tangible results gained from this consistence.  While completing his second teacher training he had the opportunity to apprentice himself to long time Ashtanga teacher, practitioner, and studio owner Kimberly Flynn.  He later began assisting and teaching his own Mysore style classes under the supervision of Certified Ashtanga teacher Dr. John Campbell.  He continues to work on projects with both Dr. Campbell and Ms. Flynn.  In 2011, at the urging of his teachers, Michael took at three month pilgrimage to India where he studied with over 40 year yoga practitioner and Certified teacher Louise Ellis.  Michael is truly graced to have close relationships and access to the minds of some of the world’s greatest and most knowledgable Ashtanga teachers.  

Michael teaches how he was taught.  His teachers have always taken a non dogmatic approach to the practice, believing that the practice is molded to the student and not the student to the practice.  He takes the time and care to assess each student individually in order to make the practice accessible to all.

Come to class prepared to work and with an open mind. Practicing yoga is a blessing and teaching yoga magnifies this blessing 1,000 fold. Steady practice is established when undertaken for a long time, without interruption, with faith and a commitment to truth. - Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. You can find Michael on the internet at www.sadhanainthecity.net. 

Dana Tarasavage

Dana was drawn to the practice of hatha yoga nine years ago while living at home in Florida. She realized she’d met her match, however, when she found the athletic intensity and mental focus of Ashtanga Vinyasa. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Advertising, she completed a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training at Urban Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Orlando, Florida.  In November 2011 she made her first trip to Mysore, India, where she had the honor of studying asana yoga and Sanskrit at the KPJAYI. Dana is also a Pilates instructor and a published poet. 

PRENATAL TEACHERS

Clare Friedrich

Clare has been practicing yoga for well over a decade. Her true passion for this practice was sparked while living in Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer, where yoga became a personal endeavor and a community event, bringing friends together for weekend asana and pancakes. Specializing in teaching individuals with special yoga needs, Clare loves to work with people during exceptional times in their lives; her students have included children with autism, seniors, and pregnant women. She is a certified hatha and prenatal instructor, and has put to the test everything she thought she ever knew about the body while practicing throughout her own first pregnancy. Her son Liam was born in October, 2011 and quickly took to Mommy & Me Yoga. Clare is currently a graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University, studying Health Education and researching maternal and fetal health programming. She is also pursuing  Lamaze childbirth education certification and has served as a doula.     

POST NATAL TEACHERS

Donna Takeuchi 

Donna came to the practice of yoga after years as a competitive gymnast. She earned her teaching certification in 1999 and has been teaching ever since, both in Seattle and in New York City. After the birth of her daughter in 2007, Donna began specializing in pre- and postnatal yoga. She remains fascinated by the benefits of yoga for all stages of life, particularly in times of transition. Her down-to-earth approach to teaching encourages all levels of students to respect their limitations and practice at their own pace. Donna’s classes employ the use of breath in building strength and stamina, while increasing flexibility in mind and body. She encourages students to take their yoga with them when they step off their mats and incorporate it into their everyday lives.