Claire Hartley
From a very early age, I was interested in what made a person a happy person. What made a person cause suffering for others? And what could one do to inoculate oneself from pain?
My journey took me from London to New York and then to Los Angeles. I picked up a husband and a daughter and a yoga studio along the way.
And found out you cannot inoculate yourself from pain, no matter how much yoga or meditating you do.
But…I did uncover some pretty incredible tools along the way that can help us live with less pain, more freedom and definitely more joy. That there are ways to gain more steadiness and hold onto to more ease.
Are you someone that feels stiff, immobile, or that just walking up a flight of stairs reveals every ache and pain in your body? Or is your mind constantly jumping from one thing to another, never settling and you’re exhausted at the end of the day even though you haven’t really moved? Or perhaps, stress is constant companion, so much so that you’ve forgotten what it feels like to be easy and breezy? Then you need to practice Yoga. Slowly you will uncover yourself again and again. It is a coming home. Connect with me to find the right class and the right teacher. Life is too short not to feel good in your body, heart and mind.
I train yoga students to become yoga teachers. If you’re interested in become a teacher or are one already but feels they need more skills, reach out. I’d love to help you get you on a path to expressing your love of yoga and gifting it to others.
Co-Founder/Owner
Daniel Stewart
Daniel is dedicated to the practice of being fully alive in each moment.
His playful, heart-centered teaching, combines alignment, meditative breath, and spirit in vigorous vinyasa-flow classes that encourage reconnection to Self, renewal and joy. He incorporates music, eastern philosophy, depth psychology, poetry and laughter to create a stimulating environment where students can release physically, quieting their minds to experience a deep sense of peace and well-being.
I have an MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in depth psychology, a psychodynamic process which engages the natural healing power of the psyche through symbolic experience, fantasy and dream work.
Co-founder
Nina Siemaszko
I believe that all movement is valid and there are many paths to take. The idea that there is only one way is a thing of the past. I explore the meaning of mobility, the importance of strength, and how to make lasting freedom and change in the physical structure of our bodies. I share a blend of tradition and science and PLAY is EVERYTHING. I marry the old with the new and am the embodiment of all that I am interested in and learn.
I am committed to being the change in the yoga community that I wish to see. I am excited about whats happening right now and am thrilled to be a part of it.
Thank you to Claire Hartley, Leslie Peters, Matt Phippen, and Pema Chodron for your teachings over the years. Coming in contact with all of you, your joy and curiosity keeps my flame lit!
Other inspirations are the following, anything and everything Hip-Hop ( Happy 50!), Dr. Peter Levine and Somatic Therapy, and Gil Hedley and Manouso Manos. An extra special shout out to all the outliers. You know who you are.
Keep learning, keep growing, keep grooving and always ask a million questions. Peace.
Micki Duran
Micki began her yoga journey eight years ago. After surviving drug addiction, a friend invited her to her very first yoga class. She had no idea the effect it would have on her and her life. Through yoga she learned that the search is never ending, that the journey of the search IS the reason for living. The thread between each moment through every experience with every emotion being happy, sad, good, bad...IS yoga. After completing the 200 hour teacher training program with Rising Lotus Yoga in Sherman Oaks, Micki hopes to pass on what she's learned through where she's been and to give peace to those who are struggling. She believes with all her heart that we are all beautiful and lovable and worthy of great things.
Stacy Jackson
Stacy is a based 500 hour RYT yoga teacher ,Yoga Tune Up teacher, as well as a Roll Model Method Practitioner and Roll Model Method Trainer.
Stacy has pursued yoga and movement practice since the 1990s. In 2013 she took her practice to an advanced level, studying with Claire Hartley and Daniel Stewart at Rising Lotus Yoga, earning her RYT 200 hour teacher credential. Later she was introduced to Jill Miller’s Yoga Tune Up, and was intrigued to learn how the Roll Model therapy balls and YTU poses were physically preparing the body for the yoga asana. She knew this was something she wanted to integrate into her practice and teaching program, and enrolled in Yoga Tune Up teacher training in 2014 to study with YTU creator Jill Miller. In 2019 she studied with Jules Mitchell and earned 300 hours in yoga biomechanics.
Her full spectrum of training allows her to offer an interdisciplinary approach, emphasizing anatomy and biomechanics. Her classes blend Yoga Tune Up, with its therapeutic style of conscious corrective exercise, with the worlds of yoga, fitness, pain management, and myofascial self-care. She is passionate about guiding students toward finding intrinsic delight in living, moving and breathing, no matter their condition, age, or stage of life
Scherry Harrah
After many years of quietly struggling with anxiety and depression and determined to finally learn how to do the splits…
Scherry found herself in yoga.
At the time, working in the exhausting field of pastry kitchens and restaurant management, her early experiences on the mat opened up new revelations about herself and she realized that what she really wanted to do was help people to feed themselves in a different way. She wanted to share what she had learned in her yoga practice, how to move the body and feel better in the mind, body and spirit.
Inspired by the certainty that she could help others to heal from feelings of disconnect and isolation, she sought knowledge and embarked on a Certification Journey. She became a certified group fitness teacher and was grateful to discover the comprehensive teacher training program at Rising Lotus Yoga which she was able to participate in a few years later in 2015.
She added various additional certifications along the way and then, a deep personal loss sent her seeking yet again for the pieces of the puzzle that were still missing. Her complete journey was realized in Ayurveda and she is now an Ayurvedic Health Counselor. She believes that practice of Ayurveda and Yoga is the holistic life nourishment that finally healed her years of searching.
Scherry’s teaching style is both light-hearted and challenging. She is always seeking the harmonious space between opposites and her approach is imbued with her fascination of balance, strength, flexibility and equanimity.
Scherry is elated to have the opportunity to teach among her beloved peers and revered teachers.
And...She still can’t do the splits.
Adina Beam
Adina began her yoga journey as she entered on of life’s greatest lessons—motherhood. The birthing process opened a connection for her that she had long since forgotten and yoga kindled that flame. She sees every moment as an opportunity to be present, to learn, and to grow. Forever grateful for this practice— there is nothing more exciting for her than being able to share that with others. A passionate yogi, with a hunger for knowledge, Adina is committed to providing a safe space for students to begin their own transformational journey.
Rose Moran
At age 22 suffering from severe lower back pain Rose was diagnosed with a benign tumor on my L4 vertebrae, the osteoblastoma was impinging on the root nerve causing nerve spasm. Laminectomy surgery followed, fusion of L3/4/5 including a bone graft from rib and hip. In 2004 Rose started down a path of self-healing, making good nutrition medicine and healthy lifestyle choices daily. Rose discovered the healing powers of yoga, she also enjoys lap swimming and hiking with 2 large dogs. Rose’s mission is to inspire others to take responsibility for their healing, her motto is “Self-Care is Health Care.”
Rose hopes inspires the people she serves to live a healthier & happier life and to do everything within their power to achieve this in every moment. Rose is passionate about self-education at any age. -2023 Certified hypnotist, Master Hypnosis Society-2018 Advanced practices, Foundation Training. -2016 & 2017 Foundation Training Certification-2015.Health Coach. Institute of Integrative Nutrition. -2014 Thomas Myers, Intrinsic muscles of the hip, fascia release. -2011. Level 1 Yoga Tune Up. Jill Miller-2007 Thai Yoga Masseur. Phoebe Diftler -2006 Yoga Teacher White Lotus foundation.
Carmen Guerrero
Empowering each yogi’s authentic self, is Carmen Guerrero Falcon’s ultimate mission as a yoga facilitator. “I started teaching because I wanted to practice all day long and feel that ease, softness, contentment, and release. Yoga is more than a break in your day, it’s a way to cultivate space between perception and thought, to bring precision to your life experience.” A passionate student of Jasmine Lieb and Jeanne Heileman, Carmen seeks to nurture an increased understanding of movement, a sparkle of awareness in each student’s eyes, and the potential for rejuvenation of both body and mind. “Yoga brings a greater sense of oneness and that everything is connected, prettier, more radiant,” she says. “Yoga helps me feel more like me.”
Dorit Hurst
Dorit first stepped onto her yoga mat in 2002, in Studio City, CA. She was born and raised in California as a dancer but grew up to be a traveler & Set Decorator for Television & Film.
"The slow stretching is what lured me into that first class. Very quickly I found there was more going on in yoga class so kept exploring… on and off again… for years. In any time of difficulty I would find myself back on the mat. It brought me ease & peace. In times of stress it brought me back to my true nature. And in off hours it brought physical relaxation, strength & fun. Bonus! Why would I ever leave my mat? These are the aspects I focus on in class. A steady Vinyasa - studying breath, alignment, & stability – sprinkled with the philosophy behind how it’s all connected."
She earned her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in 2014 at Rising Lotus Yoga under the tutelage of Claire Hartley & Daniel Stewart. She was additionally certified in 2014 to teach kids yoga through Mini Yogis.
"It’s a lifelong journey – Let’s explore."
Emily Broms
Emily Broms-Jacobs began her yoga journey nearly 20 years ago. Whenshe settled into her first ever savasana, she knew her life path hadchanged. Her decade of teaching experience ranges from addictionrecovery, to corporate wellness, to intensive retreats, to some of thetop yoga studios in Southern California.
Emily began her teacher training in San Francisco with Asta Yoga. Shehas since completed her 500 hour teacher training with JenniferElliott, as well as studied with Annie Carpenter, Jillian Pransky, andChristy Lynn Hicks.
Emily’s classes are centered around the breath and range from strongchallenging flows to restorative restful sessions, with a particularpassion for Yin and restorative classes. Through it all she weaves anawareness of the deep history and traditions of yoga, and how ittouches every aspect of our being. Her graceful guidance provides asafe and joyful environment for curious exploration, leaving studentsrelaxed and empowered to take on the challenges of their worlds.
When she is not in the yoga room, Emily is either surfing some waves,making amazing gluten-free pancakes, or dreaming big.
Jay Averell
Jay Averell has been a student of Iyengar yoga since 2001. As the transformational effects of yoga took hold in his life, he found he wanted to share this experience with others. He graduated in 2006 from the three year teacher's training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles and became certified to teach Iyengar yoga in 2010.
His extensive medical background allows him a great knowledge and understanding of the anatomy of the human body, which he incorporates into his classes. Most recently he has studied with Abhijata Iyengar. His love of Iyengar Yoga is evident to his students through his infectious enthusiasm. Come share his humor and desire to understand and improve oneself.
Katie Owsley
Katie's practice is fueled by the desire to cultivate awareness of body and mind, by integrating an acute attention to anatomical form of postures with Pranayama breath work that drives a heart-full and flowing Vinyasa. Life continues to teach her of its precious and precarious nature - all too fleeting, even before factoring in the ever-accelerating pace of a modern society at increasing disconnect with itself. Today, nothing could be more sacred than returning to consciousness, time and again.
After 10 years of practice at various studios in Los Angeles, Colorado, and her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Katie was thrilled to study with Tiffany Cruikshank, of Yoga Medicine, and received her 200-hr RYT in 2015. Always seeking to find balance of discipline and light-heartedness, challenge and reprieve, her classes vary from a slower-paced, calming flow, to more rigorous and playful sequences. She is ever-humbled by her own evolving practice and a constant quest to learn from her beloved teachers and students alike. Namaste!
Erica Kleinman
Erica is a San Fernando Valley native who began her yoga journey in 2004 to prepare her mind and body for pregnancy. Health and fitness have always played a huge roll in her life to preserve physical, mental and emotional sanity. She is never happier than when she can share this passion with those around her. Erica started her career in health and wellness when she became a NASM certified personal trainer in 2000. In 2011, she earned her 200 hour yoga teacher training certification at Black Dog Yoga in Sherman Oaks. Forever a student, she continued to grow her personal practice and teach public classes around the Valley. In 2019, she completed a 50 hour Teacher Training at Rising Lotus Yoga with Claire Hartley to further expand and elevate her teaching style. Erica’s classes are best described as alignment focused Vinyasa flow. She strives to create challenging, yet accessible classes for all ages and abilities. Erica is thrilled to be part of the community at Rising Lotus and encourages all of her students to enjoy the present moment, breathe, play and have fun!
Robyn Harrison
MA. CIYT, C-IAYT, ERYA-500
Robyn’s interest in yoga began in the late 1980’s when a friend recommended she read “Light On Yoga” by BKS Iyengar. Immediately fascinated, she began studying and practicing in earnest. Robyn began teaching yoga in the Iyengar tradition in 2004. She is a graduate of Iyengar Yoga Association of Los Angeles Teacher Training Program and is certified (CIYT) at the Intermediate Junior-Level 2. Robyn completed a three Iyengar Yoga Therapeutic Training Program, she is certified by the International Association for Yoga Therapy (C-IAYT) and is registered with Yoga Alliance (ERYA-500). She has been to India to study at the Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIMYI) and she continues to study with senior teachers locally, as well as with the Iyengar family and other senior teachers at national conventions.
Robyn developed an interest in the connections between yoga and mental wellness through her own journey of healing and recovery with the support of Iyengar yoga. She has taught yoga in high schools, community centers and residential treatment centers for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Robyn currently facilitates yoga groups for trauma survivors at an outpatient clinical program in Los Angeles.
Robyn is a dedicated and enthusiastic practitioner and believes that the practice of yoga can bring health, serenity and stability. Her practice includes pranayama (breath awareness) and meditation. She resides in Los Angeles with her two-legged and four-legged family members.