About the StudioScheduleWorkshopsInstructorsInspirationOff the MatDirectionsShopMail to Yoga for Health

 
Instructors

All Yoga for health instructors believe that each student is a unique individual and that his or her yoga practice must be adapted to benefit and support that uniqueness. No matter how large or small a class, each person is encouraged to focus within him or herself and to move with the breath, as deeply or softly as feels right to them. The practice of yoga is a personal experience that brings balance to the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves.

Our certified yoga instructors all practice and study various styles of Hatha Yoga and Yoga Therapy and are experienced group facilitators.

Janet Green Garrison, Founder and Director
Janet began teaching Hatha Yoga thirty years ago and named her practice Yoga for health because of her personal experience with the healing powers of yoga. Within six months of regularly practicing the yoga asanas, or postures, Janet stopped smoking, lost weight, changed her diet from junk food to health food and felt as though she had found a path that could guide her through whatever challenges life had to offer. The positive changes in her body, mental attitude and spiritual beliefs were undeniable and inspired her to pursue further training and become a yoga instructor.

Janet completed the 6 week Teacher Training Program with Swami Vishnudevananda in 1973 and the White Lotus Teacher Certification Program in Santa Barbara in 1994. Each year she continues her studies with various renowned Iyengar, Bikram, Kripalu and Sivananda instructors and maintains a personal practice that feeds the wealth of experience that her teaching comes from. Her classes are an eclectic blend of Hatha Yoga styles reflecting her continued study with instructors such as Rodney Yee, Angela Farmer, Erich Schiffmann, and Gayna Uransky.

Janet is also a Certified Substance Abuse Therapist and has led therapeutic groups at local substance abuse clinics for two decades. She is a popular speaker on the benefits and pleasures of yoga, and hosts "Yoga For Health" on Cape Ann Cable Access Television, Channel 12, Thursdays, 8:30 to 9:00 pm.

Joan Collier
Prior to becoming a certified Yoga Teacher Joan Collier was a Registered Pediatric Nurse, and Patient Advocate. "I have practiced Hatha Yoga under Janets' excellent tutelage for eight years.  Yoga is the love of my life. With the encouragemnet of Janet, Bo Abrams and Carol James, I completed the  Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training in 2002."  Joan has been teaching in the Cape Ann area for 3 years.  She is a member of the Kripalu Teachers Association and Yoga Alliance. "I truly believe the best gift we can give the world and ourselves is the peace and mindfulness that can be attained from the regular practice of Yoga.

Jennifer McTiernan
 Jenna, as she is known to her students and friends, is the founder of BrightEyes Yoga, a business dedicated to empowering practitioners of all levels to the innate wisdom of their bodies through the flow and grace of yoga. As a founding member of Global Mala Boston, Jenna's intention is to be instrumental in the collective movement that is transforming the world. She is an optimist and an advocate for personal and universal peace, committed to offering her service in healing the planet through environmental and social activism.

Jenna is a certified instructor at the 200 hour level, and is currently expanding to the 500 hour level, studying with Kim Valeri of YOGAspirit Studios. Her practice continues to grow as she is influenced by teachers of various styles, working with Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Patricia Walden, Hala Khouri, Joan White and David Magone. As a teacher, Jenna offers us her enthusiasm and warmth to cultivate a nurturing environment for students to deepen their practice. Jenna creates a non-competitive atmosphere, allowing her students to uncover their own unique expression through yoga postures (asanas) with a clear framework of proper alignment and guided imagery. Classes range from restorative Hatha yoga , to invigorating Vinyasa flow, which emphasizes the connection between the breath and movement of the body.

Jenna is a registered yoga teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, certified to teach Hatha yoga and the Iyengar-style of yoga.  Residing on Cape Ann, Jenna teaches locally and offers private and group instruction upon request. For more information contact jenna@globalmalaboston.org .

Carla Mattioli, M.A. artist and Yoga teacher has been practicing Yoga for over 30 years and studied with teachers of the Iyengar, Kripalu, Sivananda, Himalayan Institute, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Kali-Ray, Parahamsa Yogananda and Krishnamacharya lineages.

Carla’s personal practice and research led her to “Vini-Yoga:” a heart-centered, safe, healthful practice of asana and breath with modifications available for each student. She is a certified instructor and has completed several teacher trainings inspired by Vini-Yoga. Carla also brings to her Yoga classes the inspirations she received from four meditation retreats with Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hahn and her studies with Pema Chodron, as well as many other spiritual mentors over the years. As well as pursuing additional training toward her 500-hour certification in ViniYoga, Carla is also studying to become an Interfaith Minister with her ordination in Spring 2011. A painter and art therapist for 25 years, she teaches workshops in Art as a Spiritual Path. For more information about Carla, see her website at www.awakearts.com.

Vini-Yoga, with its roots in a classical style of Yoga, offers gentle and invigorating practices that transform us on every level. Safe and effective healing sequences flow smoothly with the breath, strengthening and re-vitalizing the entire body, focusing and quieting the mind, opening the heart to the present moment. Poses and sequences can be adapted to meet individual needs. The Viniyoga™ approach evolved out of the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son T.K.V. Desikachar of Chennai, India.