Dora is a former Medical Researcher (PhD in Immunology) who has spent the last several years immersing in the teachings of yoga. Dora has been teaching yoga for more than a decade and is especially interested in the interconnection between physiology and psychology. Her approach to teaching yoga asanas is based in the science of functional yoga and is influenced by her studies with teachers such as Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Mathews, Paul Grilley, Bernie Clark, and Tiffany Cruikshank. However, her passion lies in the teachings and practice of Integrative Restoration (iRest®) Yoga Nidra Meditation. The practice of iRest Yoga Nidra is rooted in the non-dualistic teachings of Kashmiri Shaivism and Dora continues to be a life-long student in this path of meditation. Dr Richard Miller, the creator of the iRest method, continues to be an important teacher, mentor and influence on Dora’s continual studies in the philosophy and application of Tantra. 

Brenda Lear is a seasoned yoga instructor whose teaching blends light-hearted curiosity with deep respect for tradition. Her classes balance precision and play, offering students space to explore movement, stillness, and personal growth. With undergraduate and graduate degrees in Exercise Physiology, Brenda’s professional path has been diverse: from NCAA Division I coaching and teaching health sciences to guiding mountaineering expeditions, training athletes at the Olympic Training Center, and supporting cardiac rehabilitation patients. Since 2011, Brenda has served as Assistant Director of Recreation for Fitness + Wellness at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In this role, she oversees education, advocacy, and wellness programming, fostering a vibrant and healthy campus community. On and off the mat, Brenda is inspired by curiosity and connection—whether teaching yoga, surfing, gardening, adventuring in the mountains, or dancing freely. Her passion lies in cultivating joy, presence, and deeper connection with self, others, and the natural world.

Jazmin maintains respect and amazement for the innate wisdom of the body and the transcendent experience of being more and more embodied. Expressed by her commitment to her own practice and living the principles of yoga, she shares her teaching from an integrated understanding of the postures and the practice. She has practiced Iyengar and other forms of yoga since she was a little girl and still considers herself a student first and always. With thousands of hours of study and 500+ accredited teacher training hours, her understanding of yoga, meditation, the human body, and well-being is extensive and heartfelt. She initially studied to become a yoga teacher with Ganga White and Tracy Rich. She then completed her 300-hour advanced teacher training with world-renowned master teachers Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee. Jazmin considers Rodney and Colleen her primary teachers and has studied with them since she was a teenager. Jazmin incorporates her deep-rooted background in Iyengar yoga with the fluid evolution of Vinyasa yoga and its older sister, Ashtanga yoga. Her holistic approach to yoga opens a welcoming door (hopefully with a little humor) into self-awareness and relationship with body, mind and Spirit. She believes it is in and through the body and life itself that we practice Yoga, that we realize our humanness, ours and each other’s. And that through the method of Yoga that we un-do patterns of fear and separateness, ‘sit with it’, and relax into our truest Self, a unique part of the whole. Ultimately, Jazmin believes in the power of Yoga to transform our world and uncover joy, breath by breath, through deep listening and compassion, from the inside-out. Her approach is rooted in postural alignment, therapeutic benefits and application, pranayama (breath), and meditation as a means to inner and outer peace. The thing she continues to find is that the deeper she dives, the more and more there is to discover and the practice is ever-giving. It is with great commitment that she lives and teaches from a place of deep embodied understanding. It is with great joy and passion that Jazmin offers classes, workshops and teacher trainings and shares her lineage of yoga with fellow students and teachers.

Sierra is dedicated to creating inclusive, change-inspiring spaces through her teaching. She blends the traditional 8 limbs of yoga with a scientific understanding of the nervous system and a hearty dose of playful embodiment. Her foundation began with a 200-hour YTT in Dharamsala, India in 2016, followed by a Stress Management YTT at Integral Yoga in Yogaville, a 500-hour certification in Goa, India, and an Accessible Yoga training with Jivana Heyman. She has assisted and led multiple teacher trainings in Santa Barbara and has logged over 3,000 teaching hours. Sierra’s passion is helping new teachers synthesize yoga’s vast teachings and make them accessible. She’s skilled at guiding teachers to turn “that was nice” classes into transformative journeys—immersive experiences that keep students inspired and coming back. She dives deep into teaching methodology and space-holding, emphasizing body-neutral and trauma-sensitive language to create safer spaces. Never too serious, she weaves humor and play into her trainings to bring students out of their heads and into community. Her learning spaces encourage feedback, vulnerability, and authentic leadership. Sierra’s mission is to redefine yoga culture, and she believes that new teachers are the foundation of that change!

Natalie remembers starting her yoga path through being inspired by her mother who taught her movement and meditation at a young age. She became certified as a teacher in 2000 in various trainings. These included Hatha Yoga with Eric Schiffman, an Ashtanga training in Thailand with Paul Dellaghan, and YogaWorks 500hr program with Lisa Walford and Jasmine Lieb focusing on Iyengar, Therapeutic and Restorative. While becoming a House Holder she studied Prana Flow with Shiva Rea and today teaches all levels interweaving Tantric yoga with her Ayurvedic teachings she received from Kerela Academy of Ayurvedic Medicine. At present time she teaches Group Classes and Privates in Santa Barbara and returned to her studies in Ayurvedic Medicine to deepen the Life Knowledge she can offer to students as an Ayurvedic Practioner. Her classes are inspired by life and cultivate a safe place to explore challenges in the body to create space in our lives. "I love life! I  create classes and sequences that reflect what is going on in my world as a house holder of two amazing kids, a woman who loves to be involved in business, and a constant lover and friend to many. All these aspects sprinkled with a lot of child-like joy and humor create a class or practice that will support a students individual nature with the nature around us.!

Arturo holds degrees in Telecommunications, Radio & TV Production, Education, and Social Work. He has been teaching at UC San Diego REC since the spring of 1980, with a teaching career that began three years prior. As an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (500 Yoga Alliance), Arturo has undergone extensive studies with master Yoga teachers such as B.K.S Iyengar and Indra Devi, as well as philosopher Georg Feuerstein.

Vou Athens is a dedicated yoga teacher specializing in meditation and pranayama (breath-work). With over 20 years in wellness, Vou blends her background in psychology, physical therapy, and eastern practices to deliver evidence-based, integrative health programs that empower others to enhance their well-being. A graduate of the University of San Diego, she earned her Psychology degree Cum Laude with departmental honors. She holds advanced certifications including E-RYT500 in multiple yoga styles and is a Reiki Master Teacher.

Dr. Sara Sandoval is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Neurokinetic Therapist (NKT), Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT), Yoga Alliance certified RYT-E500 and certified Kids Yoga teacher (GroovyKids® YTT). Sara started to study the beneficial aspects of Hatha Yoga in high school. Yoga, tennis, martial arts and competitive water sports accompanied her journey from Europe to North America, through college and the high demands of careers in architecture, lighting design and leadership in higher education. She holds a BA in Architecture, MA in Education Leadership and an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership. Since 2011, she has devoted her yoga studies with teachers of the Iyengar Yoga tradition and follows an intuitive contemporary yogic lifestyle. Sara’s teaching style is based on key human factors: anatomy, ergonomics, human cognitive behavior influenced by light, sound, and movement. She explores alignment and the human functional movement systems (all ages) to help minimize the effects of sports injuries, scoliosis, dedicated office careers, stress, PTSD. She is an avid Sanskrit scholar of ancient wisdom and holistic traditions. She takes the practice off the mat and explores the many different paths of yoga and its transformative skillful actions.