Teachers - YOGAMAYA

Bryn Chrisman

Teacher, Studio Owner

Teaching classes since 2003, teacher trainings since 2006 and practicing much longer.

I opened Yogamaya in 2010 to share and care for what I love, yoga. My classes are challenging, devotional and fun, but not frivolous. A long-time student of Carrie Owerko & Kevin Gardiner, and shorter time student of Jules Mitchell, I integrate the texture and subtleties of alignment & biomechanics with feeling, flow, and creative sequencing to keep it fresh.

We approach the asanas and movement with the mood of appreciation and curiosity to discover a way of moving that is at once humble and powerful.

Danielle Harbord

Yoga Teacher

Danielle found yoga while seeking healing and inner peace. An avid runner and former athlete, she also enjoyed the physical and mental challenge yoga presents. Through the connection of body and spirit, she realized her practice would be a lifelong journey and an inspiration for living.

Her classes are challenging, yet carefully sequenced with attention to alignment and blended with her love of music. She aims to create a supportive and playful environment where students can expand their awareness and explore.

Danielle completed her 500-hour certification at Yogamaya and continues to learn and be inspired by her fellow teachers and community.

Amanda McDonald

Yoga Teacher

Amanda, E-RYT 500, has been practicing yoga since 1999. A graduate of Yogamaya’s 300hr Advanced Teacher Training, she loves the lessons yoga has to teach about life. Seeing students win small victories and gain confidence both on and off the mat is her favorite part of teaching.

Amanda loves the invigorating aspects of yoga as well as the deeply relaxing and meditative aspects. She delivers a strong and focused class while encouraging her students to enjoy their own experiences.

Julie Pasqual

Senior Teacher

I am a 500 RYT. I received my 200-hour TT at Devotion Yoga, and am REALLY PROUD to have been part of the first Advanced 300hr YTT at Yogamaya!! I find the teachings of yoga ENDLESSLY fascinating, inspiring, and humbling – from the intricacies of alignment to the heart-opening spiritual philosophy of Bhakti!

It is the practices of Bhakti that I try to center both my yoga teaching and my life around, taking inspiration and instruction from Radhanath Swami, Dhanurdhara Swami, Kaustubha Das, and other teachers at the Bhakti Center. I am ALWAYS inspired by Yogamaya’s teachers, and grateful to be part of this amazing staff!!

Rachel Fedde

Yoga Teacher

Rachel Fedde found that years of competitive fencing had left her muscles tight and turned to yoga to regain flexibility. She soon grew to appreciate yoga for not just its physical benefits but also the focus and calm that the practice brings. She completed her 500 hour certification at Yogamaya. In teaching she hopes to share the freedom and peace she’s found in yoga with others.

In what little time she’s not on the fencing strip or on the mat, Rachel is also an award-winning film and television editor who loves to travel.

Lindsey Rozmes

Yoga Teacher

Truth seeker, balance tipper, believer in the dig for the authentic self. Lindsey has been a devoted student of yoga and Ayurveda since 2009. Her personal practice has changed her life in infinite ways – most of all, it has helped her feel more lovingly situated within herself.

Lindsey brings all of herself to her yoga classes. She puts her brains and sweat and heart and soul into her teaching because she loves it and feels called to share the tools that have helped her navigate the complex experience of being human.

Lindsey’s classes include playful and dynamic movement with an emphasis on presence and smart sequencing. Her goal is to create a loving, safe container for you to gain the clarity necessary to heal and experience wholeness.

Gina Benson

Yoga Teacher

Gina is a full-time yoga teacher and Ayurveda Practitioner. After discovering yoga she made it her mission to share yoga and healing with others.

With a love for education and studying, Gina’s classes continue to change and improve. Don’t be surprised if she includes a mini anatomy lesson or Ayurveda jargon in her classes every once in a while. Gina’s infectious personality comes through her teaching, her warmth and friendliness will make you feel welcome and comfortable!

Emily Rawlings

Teacher

Emily has always been drawn to a physical challenge, but it was not until she began practicing yoga that she found the powerful connection between movement and mental healing. This mental aspect — and the introspective and forgiving nature of yoga — gave her a space to begin learning to love the challenges of her own particular practice in a non-competitive way. As a classically trained pianist, this lesson in non-competitive love for herself and others brought with it a desire to help others on their own journey of self-discovery.

She found community and open arms here at Yogamaya New York, where she earned her 200HR YTT in 2018 — and has been teaching and growing her practice ever since.

Her goal for her students is for them to feel individualized and empowered within their own unique yoga practice, and to be able to find joy in moving their bodies and minds so they can cultivate an openness for self-love through her fun and imaginatively sequenced flows and creative playlists.

Outside of her time in the yoga studio, Emily is a musician and performer, rock climber, and avid baker.

Alexandra Paddock

Yoga Teacher

Alexandra, who responds to Alex, Ham, Pad but mostly Allie, first came to yoga to rehab a hamstring torn dancing. Through the process of her recovery, she healed a leg and found a new way of moving that in turn awoke a sense of mind-body-spirit connection that has fueled her ever since.

Always with a playful spirit, Alexandra’s classes aim to balance thoughtful inquiry with fine attunement to detail. Alexandra is grateful for the practice of yoga for helping her see with her heart and hear with her bones.

Alexandra received her 200-hr certification with Yogamaya and thanks her teachers for their wisdom, guidance, and inspiration.

Amanda Gates

Teacher

Amanda discovered yoga shortly after moving to NYC in 2008 and eventually found her 2nd home at Yogamaya. As a student for many years, she was fascinated by yogic philosophy and the benefits of practice on the mind and body. Inspired to share what she learned from her amazing teachers, Amanda completed her 200 Hour TT in 2019.

Amanda aims to hold space for those on their own journey, while combining the fundamental principles of yoga with creative sequences and inviting music.

Phillip Pettiford

Teacher, He/They

Inspired by his love for movement, Phillip crafts his classes striking a balance between strength and fluidity. He specializes in leading creative classes with challenging balance postures and a brisk pace which allows you to quiet your mind and connect with your body.

Phillip has been teaching Yoga since 2017. He has completed over 500hrs in Yoga Teacher trainin, first receiving his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Laughing Lotus, and his advanced teacher training at Laughing Lotus, Soulfull Solution, and studying under Rocky Heron. Phillip is masterful at teaching the student and encouraging his students to their highest potential. Off the Mat, he is trained in contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and modern dance. He currently teaches at various top yoga studios in NYC and choreographs contemporary jazz.

Jamie Wilhelm-Schlef

Teacher She/Her

I fell in love with yoga while searching to find my true self and am still on the journey. Struggling to heal from anxiety and depression, I found that yoga was a tool to calm my racing mind, while also satisfying my desire for a physical challenge. Through connecting with my inner self, my yoga practice has turned into a lifestyle – a way of being.

I completed my 200-hour certification at Yogamaya in NYC and my 300-hour with Yoga Oasis in Tuscon. My classes are challenging and creatively sequenced. I aim to create a supportive environment where students can be themselves and explore, focusing on practice, not perfectionism. I am charmingly awkward and bring fresh energy to the mat.

Suzie Matthews

Yoga Teacher

I began taking yoga asana classes with the goal of becoming more flexible and grounded. I continued because I found so much more –– an ever-evolving strength, alertness, and joy in movement and stillness.

My classes provide accessible opportunities to challenge yourself and respect where you are, to create an intentional connection to your body and spirit as well as to the light of those around you. Together, we seek the important interplay of effort and ease, stillness and movement – the music that happens between the notes.

I completed my 200-hr teacher training at Yogamaya, and I am endlessly grateful to all of my past and current teachers.

Jesse Maldonado

Teacher, Asst. Manager

I started practicing yoga in 2017 as a way to combat back and sciatic nerve issues. The lessons I learned through this process have changed all aspects of my life. I aspire to hold space and share these life changing lesson’s with others. I love to see students experience mental gains just as much as physical ones.

My 200-hour training at Yogamaya transformed my life and has given me the tools to pay it forward. I’m forever thankful to all the teachers and students I’ve had the privilege of learning from.

Julia Brawley

Teacher

Julia, 200 RYT, began practising yoga in 2017. She is a graduate of Yogamaya’s 200 hour teacher program. Coming from a musical theatre and dance background, Julia loves to explore the flow and movements that come from a great vinyasa class.

The life lessons and continuous practice and discipline of yoga is what draws her to the practice. She loves the personal growth, inside and outside, and the loving & encouraging community.

Julia strives to create feel good classes with good music and good vibes that contribute to helping you achieve asanas that feel good in your body.

Ambyr D’Amato

Yoga Teacher

I have been teaching yoga since 2005. I have a keen attention to detail in many aspects of my life, and I think this translates well into my yoga practice and teaching.

My classes encourage students to find heart healing through meditation, breathwork, and movement. I love inclusivity, social justice, and creative time. I play seven instruments and write songs for fun. I love kirtan, and chances are, if you come to my class I’ll sing with you.

I wanted to teach at Yogamaya because from the moment I first walked it, I felt at home with its beauty, people, and dedication to yoga.