Brianne Barrett, Owner
E-RYT500, RPYT, RCYT, CLD, Reiki Master
Brianne Barrett, owner and founder of Bhogah Yoga, has been instructing yoga since 2003 and training yoga instructors since 2009 throughout the US. Brianne first came to the yoga mat as a way to help ease the stresses that came with living in the lifestyle of the metro New York area. Her first yoga class was a deeply energetic and profoundly life changing experience and first experience of feeling the prana or life force that is moving through all of us. She was inspired and touched from her first moment on the mat that she knew her path would be to instructor others in this ancient practice of mind, body and spirit. Her teaching is an eclectic blend of her original practice from NYC and Southern CT, as well as, inspired from what she has learned in trainings from many master yoga instructors across the USA. She first became certified in March 2003 with AAAI just after moving to Colorado. Eager for a deeper training, she discovered and completed a 200 hour training with Inner Connections Yoga (registered with Yoga Alliance) that same year. She has been blessed to be teaching ever since and have complemented and expanded her teaching with numerous workshops, conferences and prenatal training with Hansa Knox and separately with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. Brianne continues to deepen her study with enrollment in advanced trainings in almost every year of her teaching since 2003 which have given her a stronger foundation in therapeutics, ancient texts and spiritual practices. Brianne's teaching style has been inspired by the trainings and workshops she has taken with master yoga instructors such as JIllian Pransky, Shiva Rea, Seane Corne, Tias Little, Beryl Bender Birch, Gurmukh, Alan Finger and more. Brianne especially enjoys leading her specialty classes: Prenatal, Mommy & Me, Family and Kids classes. Much of Brianne's private clientele work is therapeutic with careful consideration of injuries and healing. Complementary to her instruction of yoga, Brianne is also a Reiki Master, Labor Doula and Lactation Educator. As a Doula, she aspires to continue her support of mothers from pregnancy yoga into birthing their beautiful babies. Brianne has a deep love of guiding students of all levels or abilities and training yoga instructors in the 200 hour level, 300 hour, 85 hour prenatal and 95 hour kids levels. Her heart opens to all she instructs in a supportive embrace. She hopes to inspire students to find their own yoga from within and feels blessed to connect with them on their path of this exciting journey.
David Macharelli
E-RYT 200
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David first walked into the yoga classroom in 2003 as a tag along, and though he had little idea of what to expect, he was taken with the practice immediately. The eventual transformation in body & personality was startling. Through yoga, a man with little confidence, who was utterly mortified by public speaking, restored the long forgotten playful, inquisitive, extrovert that he’d been as a child. After developing a strong personal practice, David was slowly coaxed (dragging kicking and screaming) into a teacher training in 2011, and has been teaching ever since.
A Yoga Alliance certified E-RYT 200 with an artist’s open mind and a love of constant tinkering with different sequences, David's style is best described as a challenging yet playful, eclectic free-style Vinyasa.
David is self-deprecating and silly, encouraging students to explore their anatomical quirks and learn which poses suit them best. He has a tendency to use rhyming and alliterative cues that draw on elements of many yoga schools, pop-culture references and a (hopefully) charming wit to help student move beyond their fears, to embrace what works and find strength within themselves.
When not teaching or practicing yoga, David is an artist, actor, avid rock climber, museum worker and volunteer for art organization and animal rescues. He lives in Waterbury with his wife Shannon and their two cats.
Lisa Cammuso
ERYT® 200, RYT® 500, RCYT®, YACEP
Lisa first discovered yoga over fifteen years ago while looking to heal her body from a car accident and relieve stress from the daily grind of the corporate environment. In her classes, she strives to share her passion for yoga with others while promoting a tranquil space to heal from within. She completed her 200 and 300-hour yoga teacher training, and 95-hour children’s yoga teacher training through Bhogah Yoga school and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an ERY 200®, RYT® 500, RCYT®, and YACEP. Having a deep interest in the yin style, Lisa took her yin training with Heather Tiddens, restorative training with Jillian Pransky, is a Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra® guide, and is a Five Element Yoga® teacher. Lisa has also been attuned as a Reiki Master through Lotus Moon Studios.
Lisa values yoga as a means to re-energize, challenge, and heal the body, mind, and spirit and weaves these principles into her classes. She teaches with intention to hold a space where all can be safely present and free of judgment, while feeling supported. Her wish is for all of her classes to come away with a sense of peace, awareness, and balance through blending different styles of yoga. She feels fortunate to acquire knowledge from each student and is extremely thankful for the opportunity to grow her yoga and receive inspiration.
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One of Lisa’s foremost passions in life has been traveling to other nations in order to educate herself on other cultures and witness the beauty that they offer. She is realizing this passion through offering transformational yoga journeys, inviting rejuvenation and immersion in diverse cultures.
Cathy Pedemonti
RYT
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Cathy’s journey with yoga began many years ago when she decided that she needed more than just the gym experience. She found the mind, body and spirit connection that yoga offers to be transformative. In a desire to deepen her practice, she completed a 200 hour teaching training through Bhogah Yoga School in 2013 and is a Yoga Alliance 200 RYT. After completing the training, Cathy knew that she had to share the amazing gift of yoga with others so she pursued teaching. Cathy is committed to continuing her training and yoga journey having taken Kids Yoga teacher training, prenatal yoga teacher training and in the process of completing her 500 hour certification. She has taught in an elementary after-school program in the city of New Britain and also teaches in Bhogah Yoga’s teacher training programs.
In addition to yoga, Cathy has a passion for new adventures, such as riding motorcycles, travel and wine. She strives to bring her enthusiasm for living, positive outlook and humor to her classes for adults and children.
Cathy is an accountant by trade, but intends to spend her post-accounting life teaching yoga on beautiful beaches underneath flowing palm trees (and becoming the first middle-aged woman astronaut!)
Jenifer Heseltine
RYT500
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Teaching is how Jen shares her 10 plus year passion for yoga. She completed her 200 hour at Bhogah Yoga School Teacher Training with Brianne Barrett at Bloom Yoga Health and Wellness in May 2013 and her Advanced Teacher Training RYT500 with Rolf Gates and Heidi Sormaz in June 2016.
Her Vinyasa training was deeply rooted in the work of B.K.S. Iyengar with a strong focus on alignment to attain maximum flexibility with maximum stability to avoid injury. She highly values the practice of ahimsa-nonviolence which comes from within, working to help her students alleviate dis-ease in the body, thus freeing the mind to achieve inner peace and well being on and off the mat. Jen teaches us to use the breath to turn the physical practice of asana into a meditation in motion. She creates a safe space to allow students the freedom to find their own expression while letting go of what the pose is "supposed to look like", encouraging them to instead feel the pose from the inside out.
In addition to her formal teacher training Jen has furthered her educational journey with gifted masters including Desiree Rumbaugh, Todd Norian, Rolf Gates, Jack Kornfield, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Caroline Myss, Lorne Roche and Heidi Sormaz. She approaches the mat aspiring to make it a warm, inclusive, safe and fun experience for all, regardless of level or ability. Students are encouraged to embrace themselves as perfect beings in the present moment exactly as they are.
Jen believes that each arrival on the mat is an opportunity to gain insight into ourselves and the world around us as we strive to reach union of mind, body and spirit, which is the ultimate purpose of this ancient art and science we call Yoga.
Sharon Bailey
RYT
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Sharon Bailey has over 40 years of formal training in Classical and Contempotary dance. She has expanded her love for movement to the art of yoga. She is 200 hr Vinyasa certified and has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. She teaches gentle yoga to help clients learn how to incorporate the mind and body as one to bring about breath awareness, relaxation, calmness,flexibility and body strength. In her class you will leave free of stress, anxiety and presented with a positive affirmation quote to ponder and lift your spirits. Sharon is also trained in total barre teaching and is currently working towards her certification in Spiritual Coaching and has training in Thai yoga bodywork. When she is not focused on sharing her dance, yoga and barre teaching Sharon enjoys handcrafting and designing jewelry, writing children books and practicing the flute.
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Currently Sharon is teaching Bhogah Yoga gentle classes offered on Wednesdays at 9:30 am at the North Branford Park and Recs Dept.