_________________________________

:: David Life and Sharon Gannon ::
_________________________________

David Life (Deva Das)

David has been recognized by Yoga Journal as an "innovator" in yoga in the U.S today. Together with Sharon Gannon, and through the blessings of his teachers, David has helped create the Jivamukti Yoga method, which focuses on teaching and practicing yoga as a means to enlightenment.

David's gurus are Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Shri Swami Nirmalananda and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. David is a certified Advanced practitioner of the Ashtanga Yoga method of Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, which he began studying in Mysore, India in 1988. He spent several years as a sannyas (renunciate) initiated by Swami Nirmalananda in 1989. He has received Kalachakra and Bodhisattva initiation from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. His interest in yoga is supported by his artistic, literary and metaphysical studies. He imbues his classes with metaphor, musicality and spirituality, spiced with humor, vigor and spontaneity. He is considered to be a "teacher's teacher" and he is a respected, popular, and in-demand teacher around the globe.

Together with Sharon Gannon and Janet Rienstra, he established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic in New York City at the Humane Society of NYC in 1999. He is a long time vanguard member of PETA, working with them on various projects and campaigns to help make this world a kinder place. Along with Gannon he has established and maintains a 76-acre wildlife forest sanctuary in upstate New York.

Sharon Gannon (Tripura Sundari)

Yogini Sharon Gannon's quest for independence began with her birth on July 4th in Washington, DC. Her interest in mysticism was nourished by her Catholic upbringing.

In 1984 Sharon Gannon and David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. They are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation. The JY Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism. Jivamukti?s passionate focus on the original meaning of the Sanskrit word "asana" as seat, connection, relationship to the earth is as practical as it is radical at this time of global and consciousness shift.

Sharon has studied yoga since 1976. Her guru's are Shri Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami Nirmalananda, and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Sharon brings a rare blend of scholarly study, artistic pursuits and a highly disciplined asana and meditation practice to her offerings as a teacher. Sharon is a renowned teacher around the globe.

Sharon is an animal-rights activist and outspoken advocate of ethical veganism. She was nominated for the "Gutsiest Woman of the Year 1999" by Jane Magazine. She is the author of Cats and Dogs are People Too, an investigation of the corporate profit-driven insensitive attitudes that result in commercial "pet food" and the health risks to companion animals who eat it. Sharon has co-authored two books on Yoga with David Life, Jivamukti Yoga, Practices for Liberating Body & Soul and The Art of Yoga. She is the author of Cats and Dogs are People Too and the newly release Yoga and Vegetarianism .

Together with David Life and Janet Rienstra, she established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic, which was the first free spay and neuter clinic in New York City, at the Humane Society of NY in 1999. In 2004 she was recognized as "Friend of Ferals" by the Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats. She is a long time vanguard member of PETA, working with them on various projects and campaigns to help make this world a kinder place. In 2003 she appeared on a video screen in Times Square behind the New Years Ball advocating Yoga and Vegetarianism as a step toward world Peace. Along with Life she has established a 76-acre Wildlife Forest Sanctuary in upstate New York.

_________________________________

:: Sarah Powers ::
_________________________________

Sarah Powers began teaching in 1987. She interweaves the insights and practices of Yoga and Buddhism into an integral practice to enliven the body, heart and mind. Her yoga style blends both a Yin sequence of long held poses to enhance the meridian and organ systems, combined with a flow or Yang practice, influenced by Viniyoga, Ashtanga, and Iyengar teachings. Sarah feels that enlivening the physical and pranic bodies, as well as learning to open to our emotional difficulties is paramount for preparing one to deepen and nourish insights into one's essential nature--a natural state of awareness. She draws from her studies in Transpersonal Psychology, as well as her in-depth training in the Vipassana, Tantric and Dzogchen practices of Buddhism. She is co-founder of Metta Journeys, a service oriented organization that offers yoga retreats internationally to help women and children in developing countries. She also teaches trainings and silent retreats with her husband Ty. They live with their teen-age daughter Imani-Jade in Marin, California. She is author of the upcoming book Insight Yoga: Integrating Yin/Yang Yoga and Buddhist Meditation.