teachers
Alicia Patrice
Alicia Patrice, registered yoga teacher, has been practicing for over ten years and believes in the healing potential of yoga. Her multi-level classes strive to foster community and trust and include gentle and relaxing asanas, breathing practices, and meditation. Alicia’s welcoming spirit and encouraging manner set students at ease and allows them the space to turn inward, concentrate, and become present. She enjoys using music and poetry to enhance the practice and utilizes a hands-on, creative approach to her teaching. A lifelong musician, Alicia is also devoted to the study of Sufism, and is a dance leader for the Dances of Universal Peace.
Christine Tringali
During my childhood I never felt flexible. I couldn’t touch my toes or stretch like the other kids. When I went to college I took yoga for my PE credits. This started my yoga journey and my learning the spiritual teachings of yoga. I learned to embrace the principle of flexibility. Yoga is the union of body, mind, and spirit. Through conscious breath I practice and teach a yoga flow that equally incorporates all three. In my 5 steady years of practice I have had a significant shift in my flexibility and consciousness. I find happiness in giving away the many gifts I’ve received from practicing yoga. Every other week I volunteer and bring yoga to a women’s recovery house, introducing yoga to women who have not yet discovered the benefits of yoga, sitting still, and listening to their breath. I am also an active comedian and actress. Occasionally this spills over into my teachings and practice as I learn to laugh at myself. I love yoga and I am thrilled to share my practice with the students at Rise Yoga! Namaste.
Daljit Bains
Daljit's love of Kundalini Yoga began about five years ago. Having been born into an Indian Sikh Family, discovering Kundalini Yoga has been a homecoming for her. Though she did not grow up practicing yoga, Kundalini Yoga mantras are familiar to her from childhood and she finds a certain peace and solidity in them. Daljit completed her Level I teacher training at Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles in May 2007 and is excited to be teaching in Sacramento. She is delighted to share the tranformative powers of Kundalini Yoga as she has seen many transformations occur in her own life with a dedication to this practice.
Deborah Whitcomb
Deborah comes to Rise Yoga after years of experiencing the flow of Yoga in her life and the world; it’s now time to share the lessons learned. Deborah’s life experience brought her from a successful nursing career of twenty years, to a successful legal career, now balanced by her yoga practice. Deborah has always been an active participant in the world, but her first love was dance. Due to age and injury, Deborah was seeking an alternative; yoga and pilates have provided the combination of movement, discipline and technique that Deborah was seeking. As Deborah’s practice has developed, her appreciation for the interconnectivity of the universe has deepened, not to mention the benefit of rehabilitating/healing those many injuries of an active life. Once on the path of yoga, there has been no turning back. Deborah has been practicing pilates and yoga for the past ten years; her yoga practice became much more focused in the past three years. Deborah is excited to join the teaching staff at Rise Yoga. Having watched Ann’s practice flourish and grow, Deborah has been inspired by Ann to begin giving back to the yoga community by sharing the practice with new students to yoga. Deborah’s teaching began by bringing yoga to her family in classes that include the little ones of four years old and her parents in their seventies.
Gladys Callander
My life path changed when I attended my first yoga class in1989, I was seeking to regain my health. Yoga became a big part of my life and the changes that started to take place where huge. I was attending classes almost daily and I loved the discipline. After a few years I started to feel the desire to share with others the knowledge of that wonderful discipline and understanding of my new world. My teacher suggested that it was time for me to meet his teacher Rodney Yee, I did, and everything developed very fast from that point. I started my training in 1997 with the advanced yoga studies program at Piedmont Yoga School (320 hours) with Rodney Yee as principal teacher and director, I graduated in 1998. I have also done work with Donald Moyer, Ramanand Patel, Mary Pabfard and others. I teach Iyengar style yoga, I invite my students to explore their relationship with self and others through yoga to obtain spiritual healing, also to pay special attention to the connection of their body, mind and spirit through the breath. Also body alignment is vital in the practice of Iyengar style yoga, and to have fun in the process of getting to know their bodies.
Jessie DeHaven
Jessie has been teaching fitness classes since the days of high-impact cardio dance. As an athlete in high school and college, teaching classes and working as a personal trainer was the perfect way to earn extra income and meet new people. Through the years, Jessie has taught various formats of fitness classes, including step, spinning, kickboxing, muscle conditioning, aqua, and dance classes. After an injury, Jessie began practicing Pilates to increase flexibility and promote muscle balance and core strength. After completing college and struggling through law school, Jessie realized that the most positive aspect of her life was teaching. What started out as a side job so many years ago has now become a very rewarding career. Jessie enjoys connecting with her students and watching them challenge themselves to meet their fitness and wellness goals. Currently, Jessie continues to teach group exercise classes, including mat and reformer Pilates to a variety of clients. She is also a presenter and continuing education provider for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). Jessie is always grateful to her students for the unique experiences they bring to each class. Her students are her source of inspiration and energy.
Leah Briggs
Leah is a certified teacher of Ashtanga Vinyasa and Raja Yoga. She has traveled and studied Yoga, Buddhism and Eastern philosophy and psychology in Thailand, Burma, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. She has a black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu and is attuned in Reiki, energy healing. Leah has been exploring the mind~body~spirit connection for more than 15 years and shares her experience with compassion and humor. She believes the practice should be a playful exploration. Her classes are a fusion of Vinyasa Flow, dance, martial arts and philosophy. Her website can be seen at www.indigolotus.com and her e-mail address is indigolotus@yahoo.com.
Mychelle Crown
Mychelle is a professional Bellydance performer & instructor, certified yoga instructor, and personal trainer in the Sacramento area for the past seven years. It is her goal to share with the world the peace of mind and strength of body gained through mind/body wellness! Mychelle draws on an extensive background in formal dance training, yoga, and pilates. Her emphasis on core conditioning and mental focus brings a fun, effective approach to movement!
Nicole was lead to her first yoga class by severe neck pain. Having trained in gymnastics from the age of 6, injuries and chronic pain seemed normal. After her first yoga class, she was so inspired by the healing benefits, she began studying and taking as many classes as possible. During this time Nicole had the realization that teaching yoga was what she desired to do. She completed her first teacher training at It’s Yoga in San Francisco. After attending a Jivamukti Yoga class, she fell in love with it. With the encouragement of her mentor Amanda Moran; in May 2007 Nicole graduated from the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher training with her teachers Sharron Gannon, and David Life. In her classes, Nicole incorporates uplifting vinyasa sequences, with the traditions of Jivamukti yoga, using the vibration of sound through sanskrit chanting and music, as well as devotion. She encourages students to ultimately become liberated and free. It is Nicole’s goal as a teacher to assist students to experience the natural state of happiness and joy.
Reno Gorman
My name is Reno Gorman, and I just recently completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification Program through the Sierra Center for Yoga Studies. I have been practicing yoga and meditation for five years and tai chi and chi kung for the past two years. I work as a teacher-aide at a school for kids and young adults who fall in the autism spectrum, and I also privately tutor high school and college students (let me know if you need some tutoring!). I have worked in the educational field and with kids for the past six years. I myself am a college student. I recently finished up my studies at Sierra College and now attend California State University Sacramento, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Psychology. In my spare time I play drums for a local Sacramento band and love playing music, especially percussion, with other musicians. I enjoy foot-bagging and other outdoor activities and reading in my spare time. I am originally from Portland, Oregon, but I have been living in the Sacramento area for the past 12 years and I think it is one of the greatest places on earth!
Sandi Russi
Focused on bringing the essence of yoga to her students, Sandi teaches traditional hatha yoga classes designed to strengthen and stretch the body, release stress, calm the mind and enhance self-awareness. You’ll leave her class feeling nurtured, uplifted, re-energized and more deeply aware of your own inner peace. Sandi is a certified Ananda Yoga Instructor and is registered with the Yoga Alliance. She has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 12 years and has been teaching since 2000.
Stuart Rice
Stuart found yoga and Pilates as part of his personal struggle with weight loss. Combined with healthy eating and regular cardio training, his yoga and Pilates practice helped him shed almost 100 pounds. Stuart's primary goal in teaching yoga and Pilates is to help others discover their own path towards health and happiness. In addition to being a Yoga Alliance registered yoga instructor (ERYT-200), he holds 5 fitness certifications from ACSM, ACE, and AFAA, and is currently completing his Masters in exercise science, with a focus on corrective exercise. To learn more about Stuart and his thoughts on yoga and life, connect to Bhakti Warrior Yoga.
Trisha Gebhardt
In Svaroopa® yoga, Trisha discovered what she already understood deeply since she was a young child—we are all divine. As she practiced Svaroopa® Yoga, Trisha experienced profound changes that inspired her to pursue certification so she can share the gift of Self found in the practice. Trisha combines a natural inclination to teach and her three years of yoga training to guide students and clients to the door of their true nature. Having walked the path herself she guides the practitioner through life changes with the healing, illuminating, and transforming power of this unique yoga style. Trisha continues to train with Master Yoga Academy in Fallbrook, CA and Malvern,PA under Rama Berch. Her gentle soothing approach interspersed with light humor guides the practitioner to the power of healing, illumination, and transformation through the power of Svaroopa® yoga.
Ann DaPrato
Ann is an avid yoga practitioner and certified YogaFit Instructor specializing in vinyasa flow. She continuously explores many styles of yoga including ashtanga, kundalini and anusara. She takes great delight in bringing these influences into her classes. Born and raised in the South Sacramento and the Land Park area, Ann is the proud owner of Rise Yoga Studio.
