OUR TEAM
CELESTE
CUSUMANO
Hometown: Sea Isle City, NJ
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Playlist Favorites: Kaleidoscope Jukebox
Favorite Pose: Peaceful Warrior!
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Antique Bakery
Guilty Pleasure: Dark Chocolate and Kitteh Video's
Yogi Goal: Celeste opened Asana Soul Practice to answer her life calling: to share the gift of yoga! She loves the Hudson County community and seeks to unite and celebrate our shared lives through yoga and meditation.
MARC
CUSUMANO
Hometown: New York, NY
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Playlist Favorites: Emancipator, STS9
Favorite Pose: Savasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Karma Kafe
Guilty Pleasure: Naps
Yogi Goal: Marc opened Asana Soul Practice with Celeste to share his passion for music. As our resident DJ, he puts his heart and soul into every playlist, uniting music and movement with the intention to allow you to dive deeper into the immersive experience of yoga.
MEGHAN
KRAMER
Hometown: Ramsey , NJ
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Playlist Favorites: Garth Stevenson, Jose Gonzalez, Cat Stevens
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Bin 14
Guilty Pleasure: Ben&Jerrys
Yogi Goal: Meghan's focus is to share the benefits of yoga with everyone. Every student of any level is welcome in her class. For Meghan, the beautiful part of the practice of yoga is that you make it your own; you make it work for your own body, mind, and soul.
MELANIE RODRIGUEZ
Hometown: River Edge, NJ
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Playlist Favorites: Too many to name!
Favorite Pose: Pincha Mayurasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Napoli's
Guilty Pleasure: Nutella and Lifetime movies
Yogi Goal: To spread the benefits of yoga to everyone she can! Melanie wants to encourage physical and mental growth in a light-hearted manner so we can try to stop taking ourselves so seriously and just have some fun !
MELISSA
SCHULTZ
Hometown: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Astrological Sign: Leo
Playlist Favorites: Bebel Gilberto, Vance Joy, Van Morrison, Neil Young
Favorite Pose: Wild Thing!
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Court Street
Guilty Pleasure: French Fries & Romantic Comedies
Yogi Goal: Creating a space where we can find stillness, feel grounded and connect with body, mind and breath. Deepening our inner connection as we flow and let go. Finding balance physically as well as mentally. Feeling grounded, uplifted and on top of the world!
MANJARI
GOPIKA
Hometown: Scottsdale , AZ
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Playlist Favorites: kirtan, DJ Drez, DJ Taz Rashid
Favorite Pose: Utthita Trikonasana
Jersey City Restaurant Pick: My husband’s cooking is better than any restaurant!
Guilty Pleasure: Pasta
Yogi Goal: Manjari calls herself a yoga evangelist. Her classes are brimming with enthusiasm, encouragement, and wisdom regarding alignment and yoga philosophy. Expect to laugh, learn, and sweat as you move through alignment-focused vinyasa. Her goal is best said by B.K.S. Iyengar: “It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity “
NICOLA
PRING
Hometown: Hoboken, NJ
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Playlist Favorites: DJ Drez, LUCHS, Maggie Rogers
Favorite Pose: Pigeon
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Otto Strada
Guilty Pleasure: Romantic Comedies
Yogi Goal: Nicola believes yoga is for everyone and she loves sharing the benefits of this incredible practice. She guides her students through creative, fluid movement that offers a balance between strength and ease, and connects mind, body and spirit. Nicola aspires to create an inviting space for everyone that is both challenging and fun. In addition to Vinyasa, Nicola has also completed advanced teacher training in prenatal yoga.
JAMES
CALLEO
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ + Tokyo, Japan
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Playlist Favorites: Vetiver, Bahamas
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Pilsener Haus
Guilty Pleasure: 5 Hour Energy
Yogi Goal: You can expect to flow from start to finish, with logical sequencing that will allow your body to reap the benefits of combining steady strength and free flowing movement. James’s classes are inspired by his singer/songwriter career in music, creating a class that plays like a sweet song. Have fun. Be yourself.
PRACHI
SINGH
Hometown: Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh, India
Astrological Sign: Leo
Playlist Favorites: Ancient chants and mantras
Favorite Pose: Mayur Asana
ersey City Restaurant Pick: Mantra
Guilty Pleasure: Cheesecakes
Yogi Goal: Enjoying inspiring others to discover well-being, peace, perfection and auspiciousness within themselves.
JAINA
LUMKONG
Hometown: Byram, NJ
Astrological Sign: Libra
Playlist Favorites: Odesza, Jack Johnson, Dirty Heads
Favorite Pose: Kapotasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Illuzion
Guilty Pleasure: Frozen yogurt with all of the chocolate toppings
Yogi Goal: Jaina is committed to sharing the practice of yoga and loves to flow with the breath. Her mindfully designed vinyasa style classes create ease and flexibility, allowing you to reconnect to your breath and yourself.
PATRICK
MURRAY
Hometown: North Bergen, NJ
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Playlist Favorites: The Doors, Jimi Hendrix
Favorite Pose: Supta Virasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Trattoria Soporito
Guilty Pleasure: Ice cream
Yogi Goal: Patrick, our resident sound bath instrumentalist, uses tibetan bowls, tuning forks, drums, and bells to produce sounds and music that allow you to dive deeper into meditation and find balance between mind and body.
CHARLOTTE
STOUT
Hometown: Miami, Oklahoma
Astrological Sign: Aires
Playlist Favorites: Blank & Jones, Bon Vie
Favorite Pose: Malasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Sri Thai
Guilty Pleasure: Buying (perhaps hoarding) an outrageous amount of yarn for future knitting/crochet projects.
Yogi Goal:As an instructor, I'd like to be as unessesary as I can. I hope to empower yogis to move and groove on their own, by listening to their bodies and minds without judgement.In my own practice, my goal is to continuously be grateful for this body and the time I have on this Earth to use it.
KELLY
WHELAN
Hometown: Sea Girt, NJ
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Playlist Favorites: Talos, Haux, Wild Rivers
Favorite Pose: Pigeon or Plough Pose
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Grand Vin
Guilty Pleasure: Chai Tea Lattes
Yogi Goal: Kelly aspires to create a caring, challenging, and open space for all students. Kelly’s passion for the connection of breath to movement and focus on alignment is evident throughout her sequences. She encourages the use of breath work to tap into the here and now as well as to calm the mind, both on and off your mat.
JULIANNE
DE POL
Hometown: Montvale, NJ
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Playlist Favorites: I can’t pick one!
Favorite Pose: Supta Baddha Konasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Grand Vin
Guilty Pleasure: Charcuterie board
Meditation Goal: Julianne De Pol hopes that each of her students discover the calming balance between the breathe, body and the mind, in both a studio setting and out in life. Through this practice of self reflection and stillness, I hope my students leave feeling a little lighter. The best part is you get to take this blissful feeling with you!
VIKRAM
HIRANI
Hometown: Randolph, NJ
Astrological Sign: Gemini (in Indian astrology!)
Playlist Favorites: AK, Edamame, Phaeleh
Favorite Pose: Ashtavakrasana (Eight Angle Pose)
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Simply Chai
Guilty Pleasure: Funny Yoga Memes
Yoga Goal: Formerly a hard-nosed businessman, the practices of yoga have opened Vikram's heart and awakened a passionate desire to serve by sharing these transformational tools with others.
EMILY
SMITH
Hometown: Needham, MA
Astrological Sign: Leo
Playlist Favorites: For my restorative classes I always curate my playlists based on the theme of the class, but I really love bringing in the sounds of nature like birdsong and ocean waves. On my personal playlist is a lot of Phish, The Beatles, Incubus, and The Grateful Dead :)
Favorite Pose: Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon) and Lounge Chair Pose in restorative
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Dozzino’s
Guilty Pleasure: Peanut M&M’s
Yogi Goal: Emily hopes to provide her students with a space to find inner peace, deeper breath, and a calmer mind amidst the flurry of daily life.
LAUREN
HEMLEY
Hometown: Pennington, NJ
Astrological Sign: Aries
Playlist Favorites: Tycho, Liquid Bloom, Grimes
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
Jersey City Restaurant Pick: Razza
Guilty Pleasure: dark chocolate and pastries
Yogi Goal: Lauren's goal is to continue on a journey of healing herself and others through the practice of yoga. She believes that when we are more integrated in body, mind and spirit we are more able to express and share our luminous nature.
KAELYN
TATE
Hometown: Newtown, CT
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Playlist Favorites: Father John Misty, Arctic Monkeys, Walter Parks and Brian Crain
Favorite Pose: Ardha chandrasana (Half moon)
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Panello
Guilty Pleasure: Paperback mysteries and rummaging through the Anthropologie sale rack
Yogi Goal: Kaelyn focuses on creating energetic, joyful flows for yogis at all levels. She decided to make her dream of becoming a yoga teacher a reality while on maternity leave after the birth of her first child and loves supporting new moms through movement and breath. She believes that making time on the mat to turn off your phone, tune into your body and let go of your worries is what yoga should be all about.
MARYANNE
KILEY
Hometown: Gloucester County, Virginia
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Playlist Favorites: Classic Rock, 80's pop, and lesbian anthems from the 90's
Favorite Pose: Adho Mukha Vrksasana (aka: handstand!)
Jersey City Restaurant Pick: Subia, on Jersey Ave. Bonus points for the 90's vibe the Papyrus font on their storefront. I actually heard the some "MMM-bop" there yesterday.
Guilty Pleasure: I'm 40. I don't feel guilty about pleasure anymore. When I'm not teaching at ASP, my favorite thing to do in Jersey City is run in Liberty State Park with my rambunctious dog and my rambunctious partner.
Yogi Goal: I think our bodies can be metaphors for the kind of world we want to create: one rooted in justice and universal liberation. And handstands. Or child's pose. Your choice!
MELISSA
CHERNOW
Hometown: Chester, NJ
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Playlist Favorites: Depends on the day!
Favorite Pose: Restorative Supta Baddha Konasana
Restaurant Pick: Porta
Guilty Pleasure: Chocolate croissants and binge-watching Hollywood Medium
Yogi Goal: Melissa aims to create a space where you can still the mind and simply be. She believes in the power of meditative yoga practices, as they allow you to turn inward, relax, release, and connect with your true essence. Prepare to leave class fully rejuvenated in a place of quiet bliss.
DANIELLE
TIDEMAN
Hometown: Sartell, Minnesota
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Playlist Favorites: Imagine Dragons, Prince and ODESZA
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana and Pigeon
Jersey City Restaurant Pick: White Star, Talde and Lo-Fi
Guilty Pleasure: My deep, undying love for Hanson and crappy reality TV (Jersey Shore reboot anyone?).
Yogi Goal: To make people feel good both in their bodies and their minds. Not only is yoga an incredible physical challenge, but one of the best benefits has been to erase anxiety and self-doubt through the practice. To be able to share this positive experience with others and be part of a collective community is the greatest achievement of all.
RICKI JEAN
TRINK
Hometown: New Haven, CT
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Playlist Favorites: Led Zeppelin, Bruno Mars, Stevie Nicks
Favorite Pose:Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Choc-o-Pain
Guilty Pleasure: reality tv + coconut ice cream
Meditation Goal: Ricki Jean invites students into connection and communion to the deeper self, to the well of healing energy we each possess. She hopes her students leave class with an experience of feeling supported, and awakened to harmony and balance that they can then lean into in their daily life outside of class time.
TAM
TURSE
Hometown: Westfield, MA
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Playlist Favorites: Any acoustic pop song, anything from Vance Joy
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana, Half Moon
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Saku
Guilty Pleasure: Watching the Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise
Yoga Goal: Balance - not just physically, but being able to take a lesson of balancing action and release on and off the mat.
SHOKO
DUBISKI
Hometown: Hokkaido, Japan
Astrological Sign: Virgo
Playlist Favorites: Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Queen
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana Chapasana(Sugarcane pose)
Hoboken Restaurant Pick: Karma Kafe, Grand Vin
Guilty Pleasure: Tiramisu
Yogi Goal: Shoko offers an inspiring and powerful combination of asana, breath, and meditation that leaves students uplifted and empowered. Her focus is to provoke and elevate all students to discover new realms of energy and inspire them to experience the joy of breaking through their barriers in their own practice and life.