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OUR TEAM

Yoga Instructor - Celeste Cusumano

CELESTE
CUSUMANO

Hometown: Sea Isle City, NJ
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Playlist Favorites: Kaleidoscope Jukebox, Sia, Nujabes, Tycho
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana
Local Restaurant Pick: The Franklin
Guilty Pleasure: Dark Chocolate and scrolling through pictures of my baby girl, Rose. 


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.

Yoga DJ - Marc Cusumano

MARC
CUSUMANO

Hometown: New York, NY
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Playlist Favorites: Emancipator, STS9
Favorite Pose: Savasana
Local Restaurant Pick: Karma Kafe
Guilty Pleasure: Naps
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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. 

Yoga Instructor - Kieran Swanson

KIERAN
SWANSON

Hometown: Nutley, NJ
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Playlist Favorites: Trevor Hall, Sol Rising, Tame Impala
Favorite Pose: Uttanasana 
Local Restaurant Pick: 
Guilty Pleasure: French Fries

Yogi Goal: Kieran's goal is to continue to learn about yoga through practicing as a student & teacher. Her intention is to connect with others who are like minded on their journey toward living in alignment of mind, body & soul. 

Yoga Instructor - Rachel Fischer

RACHEL
FISCHER

Hometown: Winnipeg, MB. Canada

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Playlist Favorites: The Mates of Soul, Mid Week Jams

Favorite Pose: Virabhadrasana II

Local Restaurant Pick: Tacoria (Vegan, Double Tortilla Brussels Sprouts Tacos!)

Guilty Pleasure: French Fries & Terrible Reality TV

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Yogi Goal:

To sit in the discomfort.

To deepen the breath.

To slow down.

To create space in the body.

To make eye contact.

To have fuuuuuun

To connect with community and encourage my yogis to arrive, to ground, to let go, to fill their cup.

Yoga Instructor - Stacey Lawrence

STACEY
LAWRENCE

Hometown: Syracuse, NY

Astrological Sign: Gemini 

Playlist Favorites: For yoga, I tend to keep it instrumental with tracks that suit the energy of the class I am teaching. In general, I grew up on early 2000s emo bands and it was NOT a phase ;)

Favorite Pose: Supta Virasana 

Local Restaurant Pick: Wurstbar

Guilty Pleasure: Coming up with silly little songs about how cute my cats are, and singing them (often poorly) out loud

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Yogi Goal: To show up authentically, and to create a space where others are inspired to do the same

Yoga Instructor - Shilpy Jain

SHILPY
JAIN

Hometown: Mumbai,India

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Playlist Favorites: Sol Rising, Coldplay 

Favorite Pose: Uttanasana(Forward Fold), Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (King Pigeon Pose) 

Local Restaurant Pick: Orale, Cafe Dolma 

Guilty Pleasure: Afternoon Naps, Pineapple and Jalapeño Pizza (The best combination ever) 

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Yogi Goal: To connect with people and spread the love for yoga both on and off the mat. Find strength and grace on mat and always keep learning both as a student and a teacher. (Always a student first)

Yoga Instructor - Amanda Gloria Valdes

AMANDA GLORIA

VALDES

Hometown: Edison, NJ 
Astrological Sign: Pisces

Playlist Favorites: Ambient, Deep House, Afro Beats, Acoustic 

Favorite Pose: Compass 

Local Restaurant Pick: Alfalfa 

Guilty Pleasure:  Binge watching shows on Netflix 

 

Yogi Goal: My goal is to eliminate barriers to access, ensuring that yoga and well-being practices are available to all. By fostering greater equity in yoga and wellness resources, we can create thriving, liberated communities where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

Yoga Instructor - Monisa Parekh

MONISA
PAREKH

Hometown: Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India)

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Playlist Favorites: Soulful Bollywood Songs, or Indian Classical Music 

Favorite Pose: Padmasana(Lotus Pose)

Local Restaurant Pick: Karma Cafe 

Guilty Pleasure: A good cup of Filter Coffee 

Yogi Goal: A yogi isn't supposed to be attached to goals, I want to live each day to its fullest. 

Yoga Instructor - Erin Clyne

ERIN 

CLYNE

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Playlist Favorites: Fujitsu, Mono:Massive, Joey Pecoraro

Favorite Pose: Trikonasana

Local Restaurant Pick: …Food…Madame, Jane Doe, Gaia & Loki, OR Hudson Hound for that great local vibe 

Guilty Pleasure: Dark chocolate in any form, and a hot drink with a good book

Yogi Goal: Bring the awareness and connectedness found on my mat into the world around me, and to encourage both curiosity and compassion. 

Headshot of yoga instructor Lauren Hemley

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.

Yoga Instructor - Danielle Tideman

DANIELLE
TIDEMAN

Hometown: Sartell, Minnesota
Astrological Sign: Pisces 
Playlist Favorites: Imagine Dragons, Prince and ODESZA 
Favorite Pose: Ardha Chandrasana and Pigeon
Local Restaurant Pick: White Star, Talde and Lo-Fi
Guilty Pleasure: My deep, undying love for Hanson and crappy reality TV (Jersey Shore reboot anyone?). 
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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. 

Yoga Instructor - Claire Bilavsky

CLAIRE
BILAVSKY

Hometown: Cranford, NJ

Astrological Sign: Pisces

Playlist Favorites: Lane 8, DRAMA, SZA, and Lennon Stell

Favorite Pose: Child's Pose and Pigeon

Guilty Pleasure: Chocolate and cuddles!

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Yogi Goal: Allowing the authentic self to unfold, heal, and rise..

Yoga Instructor - Sarah Carvalho

SARAH
CARVALHO

Hometown: Merrimack, NH

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Playlist Favorites: Anything moody like Lorde or Florence + the Machine with a little Otis Redding thrown in. I also love a good slow cover!

Favorite Pose: Half Moon

Local Restaurant Pick: Gino's in the Heights

Guilty Pleasure: Re-watching all the seasons of the Great British Baking Show!

 

Yogi Goal: My goal as a teacher is to encourage you to feel good in your own body and to appreciate and ENJOY your practice — not to try and live up to a specific yoga aesthetic. 

Yoga Instructor - Autumn Perez

AUTUMN
PEREZ

Hometown: Perth Amboy, NJ

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Playlist Favorites: Anything with a tribal or electronic vibe, especially if the flow is extra spicy! 

Favorite Pose: Revolved Half-Moon. Also LOVE arm balancing and going upside down!

Local Restaurant Pick: White Star (Brunswick St.) 

Guilty Pleasure: Haribo Gummy Bears

 

 

Yogi Goal: To continue to grow my retreat business, hopefully open a space of my own and host teacher trainings internationally through it! Where zen meets adventure. 

Yoga Instructor - Meagan Woods

MEAGAN
WOODS

Hometown: Kendall Park, NJ

Astrological Sign: Gemini

Playlist Favorites: Goldmund + Library Tapes

Favorite Pose: Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold)

Local Restaurant Pick: Orale

Guilty Pleasure: classic movies + dark chocolate

 

Yogi Goal: Living, loving, and giving generously

Yoga Instructor - Lauren Denney

LAUREN
DENNEY

Hometown: Parsippany, NJ

Astrological Sign: Taurus 

Playlist Favorites: Hozier, Kygo and any instrumental upbeat song

Favorite Pose: Prasarita Padottanasana

Local Restaurant Pick: Taqueria Downtown

Guilty Pleasure: Sweets!

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Yogi Goal: For both myself and students, my goal is to feel better in the body and the mind after class. 

Headshot of yoga instructor Steph Khoury

STEPH
KHOURY

Hometown: Oakridge, NJ

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Playlist Favorites: Olivia Dean, ODESZA, Léon, Maggie Rogers

Favorite Pose: Crow Pose

Local Restaurant Pick: Sirenette

Guilty Pleasure: Re-watching Disney Channel classics

 

Yogi Goal: Yoga has taught me to embrace the unpredictability of life with compassion and joy. My goal is to create classes that are engaging, fun, and provide options for students to discover their own story, strengths and resilience.

Headshot of yoga instructor Grace Stauffer

GRACE

STAUFFER

Hometown: Northern Los Angeles, CA

Astrological Sign: Aries

Playlist Favorites: Jungle by Night and anything with an Afro beat

Favorite Pose: Dancer 

Local Restaurant Pick: Corto and Ani Ramen

Guilty Pleasure: Science Podcasts

 

Yogi Goal: Finding the joy and fun in movement of your body.

Yoga Instructor - Megan Reinking

MEGAN
REINKING

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Playlist Favorites: I will slip in Radiohead any chance I get.

Favorite Pose: Prasarita Padottanasana

Local Restaurant Pick: Obsessed with Masala Cafe - best Indian food (outside of London, England) I've ever had.

Guilty Pleasure: Video Games, Scary Story Podcasts, and Pancakes. 

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Yogi Goal: My goal is to continue to show up, be present, and provide a safe place for people to move their bodies and feel better. It's a gift to be able to give people the space and freedom to grow and heal themselves through movement. 

Yoga Instructor - Mariah Gibson

MARIAH
GIBSON

Hometown: Maywood, NJ

Astrological Sign: Pisces

Playlist Favorites: Sade, Alina Baraz, Jhene Aiko, Pink Sweat$, Sol Rising

Favorite Pose: Bird of Paradise

Local Restaurant Pick: Il Tavolo di Palmisano

Guilty Pleasure: Capri Sun

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Yogi Goal: Achieve Lotus Pose!

Headshot of yoga instructor Emma Whitford

EMMA
WHITFORD

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Astrological Sign: Virgo 

Playlist Favorites: Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Fleetwood Mac

Favorite Pose: Ardha Kapotasana

Local Restaurant Pick: Alessio’s cafe 

Guilty Pleasure: Bad reality TV

 

Yogi Goal: To create a welcoming space for students to unwind and enjoy moving their bodies. 

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