Staff
Instructors
Tiiu Gennert is certified as a Sivananda Hatha
Yoga Instructor (Yoga Acharya, Master
of Yoga, M.Y.) and a Registered Yoga Teacher at
the 500 Hour Level. She is also trained
and certified in methods of deep relaxation, meditation,
and adapting yoga to life threatening
illnesses such as heart disease and
cancer. Tiiu has been practicing
yoga since 1997 when a close friend in law
school inspired her to explore the benefits of yoga.
Tiiu has a background in biology,
anthropology and public health. She has found
Sivananda yoga to be a perfect
complement to her academic training
because of its scientific approach to
holistic health. Tiiu has always enjoyed a variety of team
and individual sports, and
is fascinated with the way in which yoga practice
combines strength, flexibility
and mental poise for a healthier and more fulfilling life.
She is inspired by the way in
which yoga practice integrates into her daily
life as well as the
lives of her students. The practice of yoga is a constant
learning process as one searches for truth
and enlightenment from within.
Tiiu strives to create a safe and
positive environment in which her students
are comfortable learning, exploring and challenging
themselves.
Striving to provide high quality and individualized instruction, Tiiu was
looking for a way in which to better serve
her students with neck and back
sensitivities. In her search, she
found that Pilates instruction was a powerful
and energetic way to strengthen her students' bodies
from the “inside out”. Respecting
a classical approach to teaching yoga, she became
enamored with Power Pilates'
classical, systematic and integrative approach to strengthening
and stabilizing the core (the "powerhouse")
of the body. She is Mat Certified
and System Level I Equipment Certified with
Power Pilates, and is currently training
with the fitness-based Power Pilates program to
further hone her mat based class instruction
skills and work with the Reformer, Chair, Cadillac,
Barrels, Magic Circles, and
Ped-o-Pul.
Additionally, Tiiu practices the art
of Thai Yoga Massage. This healing tradition
can be traced back over 2,500
years to India and the spread of Buddism.
It is performed on a cushion on
the floor in loose and comfortable clothing. Thai Yoga Massage
combines yoga postures and
breathing practices, Aruveda, and meditation,
and has been described
as assisted Hatha yoga. In receiving Thai Yoga Massage one receives the
benefits of the practice
of yoga, including: stretching and toning the
muscles; improving
circulation; relieving muscle tension; helping regulate metabolism; boosting
the immune system; balancing the body energetically;
increasing mental poise
and calm; and perpetuating compassion
and loving kindness.
Shakthi Paramasivam has been practicing Yoga
ever since he was really young, the
benefits of being born in a family that appreciated
the esoteric and a culture that honored
the sacredness of life. This early upbringing in
yoga has imbued him with a sense
of the spirit that is deep and playful at the
same time.
Shakthi has had many teachers (family,
friends, kids, strangers,
animals, plants) who have each given him a glimpse
of the infinite. He has
also studied with the modern Masters: Tolly Burkan ( The Father
of the Fire Walking Movement),
Richard Asimus, Antoinette Asimus, Bodhi Avinasha
(Ipsalu Tantra Yoga),
Richard Bartlett (Matrix Energetics), Abraham – Hicks
( Law of Attraction), Larry Crane( Release Technique),
Marshal Govindhan
(Kriya Yoga). The effects of these modern masters
and other masters of different
times are apparent in the way he teaches and leads his life.
www.agnishakthi.com
Fabienne Bernard is a Certified & Registered
Yoga Teacher. Fabienne obtained
her teacher certification from Cyndi Lee’s OM
yoga training at Evolution Yoga and
is also registered with Yoga Alliance. She teaches a powerful vinyasa flow
class with a strong
focus on alignment, inspired by the OM yoga
and Ashtanga traditions. Her
classes are open to every body and all levels of experience,
so that all students may explore and challenge
their limits, and reap the benefits of
yoga in a fun and safe environment.
She practices yoga as a tool to thrive
in her everyday
life, and considers yoga her life philosophy as
well as her way to reach
toward a higher consciousness. She believes in simple and mindful
living, and that we can’t go wrong if we keep giving
it our best.
Fabienne holds a master’s degree in
English and has
also been licensed both as a private pilot and
skydiver. While the first
part of her life has been rather nomadic, taking her from France
(where she grew up), to Germany, San Francisco,
Boston, and Los Angeles, she has settled
in Cleveland for over
three years now and loves it! A random mix of her favorite
Cleveland staples includes Agni Shakthi, The Gathering
Place, Ty Fun, Nature’s
Bin, the West Side Market, Balanced Living
Magazine, Lincoln and Rocky River
Parks… Look them up if you’re new – or not so new – to Cleveland…
Shanna Sheline is a Cleveland-based Modern Dancer, teacher, practioner
of Thai Yoga Massage,
and Pilates instructor. She received her M.A.
in Contemporary Dance
from Case Western Reserve University . Shanna is certified at the mat
level in Power Pilates and continues her training
through this classical
system. Shanna turned to Pilates to become
a better dancer and received so
much more. She believes that core strength, balance and control gained
from a regular Pilates
practice enhances the body’s performance no matter
what kind of mover
you are.
Marcia Sachs took her first
yoga class in 1979 and began teaching in the
90’s. She has been fortunate to have been exposed
to various styles and teachers but
identifies to the Sivananda lineage of yoga and in 2000
became a certified Sivananda instructor.
Her classes are heavily influenced
by the this classical
style of yoga with a focus on the mind/body/spirit
connection. She enjoys
helping others explore this through self-acceptance along with developing
deeper inner-awareness.
Typically a class will include centering,
pranayama (breath
work), warm up, asanas and relaxation.
Denys Morgan, LMT has been working professionally with movement and
exercise since 1986.
Her lifelong dedication is to heal one’s body,
mind and spirit. Denys
founded Total Body Solutions in Cleveland,
Ohio in 1994 to offer her clients a holistic
approach to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
well being. She has an extensive knowledge of anatomy
and physiology, great
enthusiasm and creativity, and a sincere desire to
help others. As a healer, body worker and teacher, Denys
relies heavily on
her intuition.
Denys began studying yoga in 1991
at the Reese Institute
in Orlando, Florida and in 1992 she completed
her teacher’s training. In
1994, she began teaching in the Cleveland area. She teaches a dynamic,
eclectic blend of
several styles of yoga including Hatha, Ashtanga,
Raja, and Kriya Yoga as well
as Tibetan yogic techniques. Denys’ follows the teaching of
her gurus: Sathya Sai Baba, Pramahansa
Yogananda, Meher Baba and Guru Mai.
By Their grace she is blessed
to spread Their message.
In 1991, Denys began the practice
Sufi Dervish whirling,
a movement meditation. While in India, she
furthered her studies of Sufi
religious philosophies. Over the years, Denys has also done self-guided
studies of the teachings of the Light of Yoga Society,
The Self-Realization Fellowship,
the International Yoga Association,
and the Bihar School of Yoga.
Denys is an ordained minister with
The Universal Life
Church and is licensed in the State of Ohio
to perform wedding ceremonies.
Denys has held numerous workshops
and retreats nationally
and internationally. She has traveled the
globe spreading healing energy
and sharing her life lessons. The highlights of her yoga career
have been teaching
in Serbia, England, Italy, Costa Rica, and India.
She is currently offering spiritual
healing retreats in the U.S., Costa Rica, and various
other exotic locations. Her
dream is to open an alternative teaching and
healing center on the Caribbean coast of
Costa Rica. Another project on the
horizon is the launch of her new
technique of practicing yoga in water, which
she calls “Waga (sm).”
www.totalbodysolutions.net
Deanna Black's favorite quote is from Gandhi,
“Live as if you are going to die tomorrow,
learn as if you are going to live forever." She
has been in the fitness industry since
1985, teaching group and individual exercise,
cycling, and yoga classes throughout
the Midwest and internationally. With
a BSBA in marketing-management and
a minor in athletic training from Missouri Southern
State College and later undergrad and graduate
coursework in advanced exercise physiology
and psychology from Iowa State University, her education
continues to be diverse in dance,
martial arts, Pilates, yoga and massage
therapy, as well as a variety of
certifications and workshops by ACE, AFAA,
AIFE and Yoga Alliance. The classes she
creates accommodate a wide range of levels designed
to empower you to do more than you thought possible
in a safe, non-threatening
environment. The benefits are more that meet the
eye. Your reactions and/or responses
to the challenges in your physical practice
often reflect and carry over to those
from the challenges of daily living.
With the community developed in Deanna's
classes, we can work individually on our
well being, yet know we are together in enhancing
our world around us. Many thanks to her
teachers, Shiva Rea, Shri K Pattahbi Jois, David
Swenson and his wife
Shelly, Daren Friesen, and locally, Marni Task, Jan Hauenstein
and Brian Ballentine, She is humbled and inspired
through each of their teachings.
And to her students, she is truly touched
to share the journey. Life ... Love!
Peace! Enjoy!
www.deannablack.com
Laura Noss Sutphen is a Certified
Jivamukti Yoga Teacher
who studies
directly under the guidance of yoga masters Sharon Gannon and
David Life. She has been practicing yoga since the
early 1990s, when she
found herself in a Jivamukti Yoga class in
New York City, with purple walls
and a group of people standing on their heads and thought, “Who
are these crazy people and where do I sign up to
become one of them?” A teacher since
2001, she infuses her sessions
with humor and laughter, accessibility, a
sense of ease, and guides students to find simple ways to take
their yoga off the
mat and into daily life. As one of the only Certified
Jivamukti teachers in
Cleveland, Laura's classes incorporate the classic elements of the
Jivamukti method: chanting,
to help students find their true voice; a lesson
drawing from ancient
texts with modern, relevant (and sometimes funny) commentary;
a challenging but fun, flowing asana class; and
the tranquility of meditation.
Laura is known for her approach to music
as a transformative element in yoga:
each class is set to a unique playlist of fresh music that
makes a statement, ranging from
hip hop and rap, to rock and roll, to the best
of the 70s and 80s, to folk
and jam bands.
Featured in national press including
The New York Times,
Common Ground, Yoga Journal, Real Simple, and Living
Fit, Laura is a recent
transplant from San Francisco back to her hometown of Cleveland,
and hopes to inspire students to ‘rock out’
with their yoga and in doing
so, become grounded but inspired to
take action in the world. In addition to
yoga, Laura founded and teaches Urban Meditation
for BeginnersTM, a series designed for any urban
(or suburban) dweller who has been curious about
meditation or getting
centered, and offers grounded, accessible, and easy practices
to quiet the mind. Laura offers thanks and
pranams to her primary teacher
Ruth Lauer Manenti, who consistently
inspires her from afar to practice with
integrity and intention, to David Life and Sharon
Gannon, who remind her to live life on
the cutting edge, and to her meditation teacher
Jack Kornfield, whose loving presence
calls her to the quiet within. Learn more at http://www.onewithintention.com
John Bowden has been practicing
Yoga for 8 years and
discovered
Ashtanga Yoga while being in YTT. "The practice
spoke to me in so many ways
that I decided to teach this vigorous athletic Yoga to
all that would like to learn. I like
to have fun and bring a down to earth approach
to my teaching style
infusing humor and playful qualities. I have a background
in martial arts Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo,
teachers that have inspired me are
Robert Moreno, Ginny Walters, Tim Miller, and David
Swenson and my students.
I like fine dining and a nice bottle of Scotch now and
again."
Meg Witt is a Cleveland native with a love for urban living, writing
and all-things-yoga-related,
Meg Witt teaches power vinyasa yoga and was trained
by Tami Schneider
of Cleveland Yoga. Passionate, energetic and joyful, Meg’s
classes infuse the ancient spiritual teachings
of yoga with up-beat music
and powerful movements. If you’re looking for a
yoga class where you can “sweat it out” and really
flow from pose to pose with grace and strength
while getting into the groove with some fun
tunes, you’ll enjoy Meg’s style.
The daughter of a protestant minister,
Meg grew up wanting to be a missionary
and even went on a missionary training course
for 5 months where she lived in Scotland and
Egypt. Since discovering the power of yoga, Meg
has decided her new mission
is to simply LOVE and share that love with others. Combining
and exploring the spiritual traditions
of the east and the west, Meg loves
to teach an inspirational yet
down-to-earth class that is creative and FUN.
One of her favorite teachers, Diana Vitantonio, likes
to say, “No fun.
No yoga”. This is the message Meg seeks to live
and teach. Meg’s teachers in life
and yoga are her boyfriend and fellow yoga teacher, Eric
Tabora, as well as Tami Schneider, Diana
Vitantonio, Laura LaRosa, Marni Task and
her lab/border collie mix,
Thea.
Carli Taylor Miluk has taught and performed
dance locally for many years. She currently
teaches dance not only here at Studio 11 but with
Young Audiences of NorthEast Ohio ArtWorks
program, Karamu House, Tri-C, and with MorrisonDance.
Carli has worked
as a guest artist with Cleveland Public Theater, Solon Center
for the Arts, Jete Dance Centre, and Brecksville
Theater on the Square. Her
Cleveland performance credits include
MorrisonDance, MegLouise Dance, Great
Lakes Theater Festival, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival,
Cleveland Public Theater, Fourth Wall Productions
and the Magic Mike Productions magic shows.
International credits
include a European tour for Armed Forces Entertainment
as the host of a puppet show with Natural Bridges Puppet
Production Company.
She graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College with
a BA in Dance and Theater.
Lisa Kozak is one of the few female 6th Degree Black Belts and Certified
Master Instructors* in the traditional Korean
Martial Art of Soo Bahk Do
Moo Duk Kwan. She is annually certified
through the United States Soo
Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation.
She has been the owner of the Moo
Duk Center since
1995.
She is also a member of the Black
Belt Magazine Hall
of Fame since 1987 as the female competitor of
the year. Her work as a martial artist and instructor has been
featured in national magazines such as Marie
Claire. She was selected by
guest editor Demi Moore to be featured along with
three other women as national examples
of women in athletics.
She is a past national and world champion
in martial arts
competitions and was selected in 1995 as a member
of the United States demonstration
team for a presentation to a worldwide audience in Seoul,
South Korea.She currently serves as the
Regional Examiner for martial artists seeking black
belt or higher level certification from the
four state region
comprising Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.
She has been an instructor in the
martial arts, to
both children and adult students, for more than
25 years. She has a B.A. in psychology from
Cleveland State University
and a post graduate certification as a surgical
technologist.
*To obtain her master instructor status,
she was required
to attend an 8-day intensive training seminar
along with other elite martial
artists. Her first such seminar attendance was in 1994. Since
that time, she has attended that 8-day seminar
in 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
She is married with three great kids,
all martial artists
themselves.
Additional information about the Moo
Duk Kwan Center
can be found at the studio's website: www.moodukkwancenter.com
MaryAnne Jage is a RYT 200 with Yoga Alliance
and is currently enrolled in RYT 500 with Yoga Therapy Certification.
She began practicing 6 years ago upon returning
back to the Cleveland area. Truly impassioned
on the path and love to share the benefits of yoga, Maryanne
was inspired to complete her teacher training in 2006.
"Yoga has enchanted my life in countless
ways. I truly enjoy meeting and serving those
I teach. My desire is to continue to travel and
learn on the path, sharing yoga and the healing
it can offer. When we truly connect to selfless service, we are connected
to Divine Source and each other."
Maryanne has traveled and studied
in Costa Rica, Utah, and has attened the Yoga
Journal Conferences in 2007 and 2008. She has trained
with Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Rodney Yee, Sharon
Gannon, David Life, David Swenson and Anna Forrest.
Her "aha" moment was the women's sacred
retreat at Feathered Pipe Ranch, Montana. It
is here she truly realized that her joy in life
was to spread the blessings of yoga. She has made
this her "second-half" life career and adores bringing joy to others
– especially friends, family and grandson Kadin
through yoga.
Karma Yogis
Greg Jerman
Julie Brown
John Fahsbender
