Nancy LaNasa
Director, Abhaya Yoga Center

Nancy began her practice in a basement on Ave. B in NYC’s East Village some 20 years ago. Her teachers there were Sharon Gannon and David Life, who were in the process of defining what would become Jivamukti Yoga. At the end of 1989, at Sharon’s urging, Nancy traveled to Kerala, India and received certification from the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Neyyar Dam. After 3 months in India she returned to NYC and began an apprenticeship with Sharon and David, teaching at the center they developed on 2 Ave. Sharon and David kindly certified her to teach nd Jivamukti Yoga officially in 1995. Living in NYC allowed Nancy to study with many of the hatha yoga community’s most renowned teachers, and this study with others was encouraged by the generosity of Sharon and David. Dharma Mittra’s studio became a haven of bliss for Nancy when her teachers traveled for long periods of time, and she has also been fortunate to have studied the graceful system of Anusara Yoga with its’ founder John Friend and her dear young friend Paisley Thompson. The depth of intelligence found in Alison West’s precise and dynamic instruction at Yoga Union has also influenced Nancy greatly. But it wasn’t until her discovery of The Integral Knowledge Center in Pensacola, FL and her teacher there, Rand Hicks, that Nancy realized the essence of Yoga; “all life is Yoga.” The Integral Knowledge Center is devoted to the study of the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and it is this Yoga that informs Nancy’s personal practice and teaching style. She is grateful to all her teachers, students and friends, both in NYC and Pensacola, FL. Sharon and David’s teachings in NYC remain with her at this distance, especially when she does her fundraising classes for Humane Society animal shelters along the Gulf Coast. But she is most indebted to her mom, Betty Loeffert, and her husband, Tom LaNasa. They both exemplify the nature of love and devotion. She lives with Tom and their two Boxer dogs, Sally and Paisley, in the North Hill neighborhood of Pensacola, FL.

Stacey Vann Founder and Owner of Universal Spirit Yoga, Naperville, IL.
Stacey teaches yoga because it gives practitioners the experience to move freely, breathe deeply and live joyfully. A few of her favorite sayings is "Lift the heart" and "Smile". Students learn to unite the mind, body and soul through a dedicated yogic practice and see the world with a fresh perspective. Students will come away with a deeper appreciation for art, nature, compassion for all beings, the environment and being in the moment. Stacey has over 15 years of experience teaching all levels of yoga for adults, teens, kids, as well as individuals with therapeutic needs, pregnant women and seniors. She has studied under such masters as Yogi Bhajan, Shiva Singh and Shabd Kaur Khalsa, Ramanand Patel, Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar, Rodney Yee, Kim Schwartz, Chris Saudek and Francie Ricks. She feels blessed to be a member of the Abhaya Yoga Center Family.

 

Beckie Sathre (Tripura Sundari)
combines her love of yoga with her love of people in her classes. She has a calm and peaceful presence while challenging her students cheerfully and with love. Rebecca has been studying and teaching yoga since 1997, beginning at Maya Tulum Yoga Retreat in Mexico. She began to delve deeper into the practice when she started to practice with Nancy LaNasa in 1999. She completed the Sivananda Teacher Training in 2001, and has studied Vinyasa Flow, Jivamukti, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Bikram, Iyengar and Anusara styles. Her greatest teachers however are her students, her mom, friends, daughter Kaya and above all the Great Spirit which is Pure Love. Beckie loves the outdoors, her family, travelling, and is also a massage therapist and Thai Yoga Practitioner. She hopes to deepen her yoga practice by applying it to the development of a children's learning center devoted to the yogic principles of love and compassion.
  Jennifer Roberts
Jennifer began teaching yoga in 2003 and completed her certification through Dragonfly Yoga Studies in 2005. Jennifer teaches a challenging, flowing vinyasa class with sequences that help to balance strength and flexibility. Combining over 6 years of experience as a personal trainer and a lifetime of athletic endeavors, Jennifer's classes will move you deep into your physical body while allowing your spirit to be free.

 
  Tammy Virchow Urbansky
Tammy began her yoga journey back in 1997 in Cincinnati, OH with a Jesuit nun. Little did she know how that experience would plant the seeds that would grow a future teacher. Since she wasn’t fully aware of the transformational and beneficial aspects of yoga, she took a 6 year hiatus to focus on running marathons (what exactly was she thinking?). Moving to Pensacola in 2003, she found a prenatal yoga class taught by Denise Kinnear which reaffirmed her love of yoga and helped ease her transition into motherhood. Tammy was then lucky enough to find Jennifer Roberts who helped her deepen her yoga practice and convinced her to find a certification program. In 2006, Tammy completed her certification through Dragonfly Yoga Studies under the tutalege of Laura Tyree. She considers herself blessed to have found Nancy LaNasa and the other wonderful Abhaya teachers. Tammy combines humor and humility in a gentle flowing class inviting people to access their own light-heartedness. She thanks her husband and young daughters for providing her with the inspiration to take her practice to new depths.
Jen Bersabal
Jen shares her love of yoga and passion for wellbeing in all her classes while genuinely challenging and encouraging her students to reach their potential. Her yoga journey began in 2001 when she took her first yoga class and immediately fell in love with it. What initially began as just physical postures later became a daily sadhana, ultimately leading to a way of life. Inspired by her teachers to further deepen her practice, she completed the teacher training program hosted by the Abhaya Yoga Center with the Lakulish Institute of Yoga in 2007. She is grateful to be a teacher at the Abhaya Yoga Center and to have found such a beautiful and nurturing yoga community. Jen has continually seen how yoga is transformational, both within herself as well as in her students. She will always be a student of yoga and enjoys sharing that experience with others as a teacher and as a fellow student.