Aruna Peters explores the classical wisdom of the ancient science of yoga, creatively expressing it through movement, breath, sound and silence. Her unique style emerges from the journey of her ongoing experience of practicing living yoga. Years of study, inspiration and teacher training with Bhavani Maki, Astanga Yoga Kauai eventually led Aruna to continuous study and train under the guidance of her teacher, Baba Hari Das. She was then guided to explore intensive study and training in the disciplines of yogic lifestyle at the Bihar School of Yoga in India with Sw. Satyananda Saraswati and Sw. Nirangananda. After a recent two-year personal yoga sabbatical abroad, studying with a number of master teachers of various lineages, traditions and styles, she finds herself residing in Santa Cruz CA.

Aruna has shared her love of the practice of yoga through teaching in the US, India, Taiwan and Thailand. She is currently teaching to aspiring yoga teachers for the Mount Madonna Institute's Yoga Teacher Training Program. Aruna embraces yoga as a way of living, a path that involves practicing, and eventually Being...openness...acceptance...love.

"Love everyone including yourself. This is real sadhana." - Baba Hari Das

Aruna’s classes involve a flow of postures rooted in the ideas of strength with ease, balance and equanimity, and letting go. They incorporate mantra, pranayama and meditation. She enjoys working with and encouraging all levels of practice and ability. For more information or questions email arunalove@gmail.com.

"The body is a boat which carries the soul in the ocean of the world. If it is not strong, or it has a hole, then it cannot cross the ocean. So the first duty is to fix the boat." - Baba Hari Das

"What we carry in our hearts is who we are; and who we are is our gift to the world." - Rolf Gates

Rolf was recently named in Travel and Leisure’s Top 25 Yoga Studios Around the World.

Rolf Gates, author of the acclaimed book on yogic philosophy Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga (Random House) conducts vinyasa intensives and teacher trainings throughout the US and abroad. His workshops are a synergy of the freedom of a powerful vinyasa flow and the structural integrity of therapeutic alignment principles. Rolf and his work have been featured in numerous magazines, including Yoga Journal, Natural Health and People Magazine. A frequent conference presenter, he will also be the keynote speaker at the 2009 Midwest Yoga Conference in Illinois. A former social worker and US Airborne Ranger who has practiced meditation for the last sixteen years, Rolf brings his eclectic background to his practice and his teachings.

Rolf's monthly classes at One Yoga include a powerful combination of asana, pranayama (breathwork) and meditation. The practice is intentionally challenging, but open to all levels. The only 'requirement' is that you show up, do your best and let your best be good enough.

Of Rolf's Meditations from the Mat, Shiva Rea says, "These meditations are a friend on the path to anyone who is in the soil of their life and cultivating liberating change through yoga. Rolf is a heartfelt, wise and inspiring companion for the yogic journey." For more on Rolf visit rolfgates.com.

Dawn is first and foremost a student of yoga, eager to learn and expand her knowledge of the eight-limbed royal path. Her classes emphasize breathing, balance and grounding as the foundations of asana and a launching pad to introduce yoga into daily life and the world. Many people have inspired and encouraged Dawn in her path to teach, and she values their guidance and support of her as a student and a teacher. It is this same relationship and attitude that she aspires to provide her students.

While living in Chicago, Dawn had many roles at Moksha Yoga Center and enjoyed the evolution that came with each change. She began as a student holding a weekly shift at the front desk, graduated from her first teacher training in 2005, took every workshop and teacher training she could fit into her busy schedule, and recently left her position as the Assistant Director of Moksha Yoga Center. Each change provides Dawn a new challenge and a better understanding of herself and the world.
As a student of yoga and teaching, Dawn completed Tias Little's Prajna Yoga 200hr Teacher Training (Parts 1-3) in 2007. While living in Chicago, she apprenticed weekly at the Yoga Circle with local teacher Gabriel Halpern. During these two years, she helped students with the therapeutic application of yoga for a variety of ailments, conditions and injuries. The continuing influence of these two teachers has given Dawn a firm foundation that she incorporates in the classes she teaches and in her own practice.

As a new Boulder Creek resident Dawn looks forward to learning from this new community and sharing what she knows. She is particularly excited to explore the new terrain of her life and the geography around her. Learn more about Dawn and her teaching at radianthealthnow.net.

Kamala is a Buddhist monk from the Indo-Tibetan Vajranandacharya lineage. She has been engaged in a disciplined practice of meditation since 2002. She teaches introduction to meditation classes in locations throughout the Bay Area to share the powerful techniques she has learned with others. Kamala says, "Meditation is the pathway to Enlightenment, balance, happiness, true love and understanding. Smile, this is the greatest adventure ever! Discover yourself and take a hint from the Buddha, learn to meditate. Beginners are always welcome. Classes are free and open to the public, and can be joined at any time.

Datta brings together a dynamic blend of the Kundalini and Vinyasa Flow traditions. He spent his childhood as a Sikh, including several years in India immersed in the traditions of Kundalini and White Tantric yoga of Yogi Bhajan. After finding his own path as an adult, Datta found great success in his career as a top local real estate agent, using yoga along the way to cultivate a mindful approach and to refine his personal and business relationships.
In 1999, a Bikram studio moved into one of his properties, broadening the scope of his yogic awareness. After a few years of intense Bikram practice, he began exploring other forms of yoga, including Vinyasa, Forrest, Integral, Anusara and Universal Freestyle before finally receiving his formal education and certification in Vinyasa Flow Yoga with Mark Stephens' teacher training program. He also counts Mark Tanaka and Melanie Vizzusi as major forces in the development of his methodology.

Other key influences along the way have included Sri Dharma Mittra and Andrey Lappa. Datta’s focus is to share the techniques he has used in his own success with others, effectively bridging the material and the etherial. His classes draw from his experience on and off the mat, combining asana, pranayama, bandha and mantra to create internal strength, balance and harmony. All levels of students are invited, with props and modifications given for those seeking a customized practice suited to their personal preferences or needs.

Jayla teaches Anusara-inspired yoga, aiming to provide her students with an expansive experience of their deep aliveness and full potential. She completed a 200 hour teacher training in Anusara Yoga with Noah Maze and Jimmy Bernaert, and studies Anusara with John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Kenny Graham, and Jenni Fox. She also incorporates her studies of vinyasa and Iyengar yoga into her classes.
Jayla has taught yoga and dance at Cabrillo College and other schools over the past 20 years and enjoys working with a wide variety of people. She focuses on using effective biomechanical and alignment principles to build strength, flexibility, core power and mind/body awareness. She views yoga as a path for personal growth and the integration of mind, body, heart and spirit. In addition to her yoga studies, Jayla also receives inspiration from the teachings of Buddhism and her work as a psychotherapist. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance.

Michael McEvoy has been a diligent and passionate student and teacher of yoga since 2001. He is excited to be living in Santa Cruz after having lived in Chicago all of his life. Since 2001 Michael has studied and taught at Chicago’s Moksha Yoga Center. He has studied with many nationally and internationally recognized teachers. Most influential to him are: Gabriel Halpern, Tias Little and Andrey Lappa.

Michael’s style of yoga is a diverse and eclectic blend of the traditions he has studied and been influenced by. This includes various Hatha Yoga systems as well as other sects of eastern spiritual and philosophical systems such as: Advaita Vedanta, Tantra, Buddhism and Taoism. Michael’s teaching is rich with alignment, precision, fluidity and movement. His style of yoga brings grounding and stability as well as mindfulness and eka grata (one-pointedness of mind). In his classes he also teaches pranayama (breath development), mudra (energetic expression), bandhas (energetic locks), svadhyaya (study of yogic texts), mantra (vibrational chanting) and dhyana (meditation).

Before moving to Santa Cruz, Michael completed a two-year apprenticeship with longtime Chicago Iyengar teacher Gabriel Halpern at the prestigious Yoga Circle. There he studied therapeutic yoga in the Iyengar tradition and learned from a master. In addition to teaching yoga, Michael is a passionate nutrition counselor. He is the founder of Radiant Health Now, an organization based on customized nutrition protocols, detoxification strategies and optimal health and wellness. Please view his website: radianthealthnow.net.

Aimee Nitzberg has been a full time yoga teacher since 2000. The foundation of her practice and teaching began with the Bikram Method of Hatha Yoga. She opened studios on the East Coast in Burlington, VT and more recently here in Santa Cruz, CA. Several teachers from varying lineages have greatly influenced and refined her understanding and love for practicing and teaching yoga. Dharma Mittra, David Swenson and Richard Freeman are among the masters from whom she has been fortunate to receive guidance and profound inspiration.

Most recently the Ashtanga Vinyasa system of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois has been her passion. She finds physical health, mental clarity and a peaceful, centered heart to be the most treasured aspects of a yoga practice. Kindness, compassion, a sense of humor and consistency are the greatest tools for taking the practice deeper. Her intention is to help her students stretch their perceived limits with patience, mindfulness, playfulness and to connect to the teacher within.

Santa Cruz has always been home for Aimee. After growing up in this beautiful community, no matter how far a distance she travels, a huge part of her heart and soul are rooted here. The amazing redwood forests, the beautiful Pacific coast and the conscientious, colorful individuals of this special area cannot be outdone. It is her greatest hope to bring something back to offer this wonderful community by sharing what she's learned through yoga.