Guru Leeza

Owner and Instructor

She teaches a Vinyasa Flow Level 1-2 & Meditation Class

Monday & Wednesday at 6:00PM
Tuesday & Friday Meditation at 8:45AM & Yoga at 9:30AM

Leeza discovered and fell in love with yoga during her twelve years, in the often grueling and hectic world of modeling where the opposite dualities of both a health-conscious, as well as party-heavy lifestyle, that are available. The lifestyle components of the practice, along with meditation and finding happiness and health became her anchor and kept her balanced over those years. Her love of Yoga led to completing a number of teacher training programs and studying with a variety of teachers, traditions and lineages. The years of continuous study have given her an eclectic fun, flowing style where she plays music and chooses sequences that feel right for the people in the room. Leeza’s roots are from Corona, CA. Grew up on a small farm, showing horses, practicing 3 days a week Hawaiian, Polynesian, Tahitian and Mauri dancing where she learned to spin Poi. She Loves life and many activities, rock climbing, surfing, dancing. She believes its all Yoga. She has a great love for History, Music, ancient lineages, sacred traditions and God. In Leeza’s class you will experience just that with the occasional radiant musicians showing up.

Mod

Yoga Instructor Tuesday at 6:00PM

Yoga has put me back together more than once, and it continues to maintain me physically, emotionally, spiritually… you name it. I began my yoga practice after an interesting lumbar injury, one that helped me to discover that I have two congenitally fused vertebrae in my spine. Yoga enhanced my recovery after the injury and gave me a completely new experience of well-being, one that I have since expanded upon.

I’ve taken Anusara Teacher Training, and I honor the teachings of John Friend (along with those of all my teachers) in my classes. In class, we use the Universal Principles of Alignment, work toward opening our hearts, go upside down often, and most importantly – Play! Hope to see you in class!

Monday at 9:30AM

Level 1-2 Class

Tuesdays at 12Noon Yogalates

Instructor
I was introduced to Yoga several years ago as a warm up when dancing was my life and soul. Three years ago I suffered from a severe lower back injury. It took a while for me to recover, but through the grace of Yoga and Reforming Pilates I was able to recover and re-pattern my body to a healthier place. Soon after Yoga became my life and world, and I strongly believe now that this injury has saved my soul. Noticing my obvious recovery with Yoga not only did I heal physically but I also noticed the tremendous positive benefits it had on my mental and spiritual being. This journey continues to nourish my soul in the continuous work to find balance in life. I still have a deep passion for dance and have in the past taught yoga-dance classes in the Bay area.

I became certified in the Bay Area by my teacher Yoshua Shy Sayar in Upeksha Yoga. This was a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Course of Upeksha Yoga ( Sanskrit means Equanimity) consisting or training and practice of techniques of Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting, Anatomy & Philosophy, Yogic Philosophy, Ethics & Life-style, and teaching practicum.

Since I was a child I’ve had a deep fascination for dreams. As I became older I realized that I was a lucid dreamer (one who experiences lucid dreaming). This means becoming aware that you’re dreaming while you are in dream state.  Thus, Yoga has led me to discover my great love for Tibetan Dream Yoga. The purpose of Tibetan Buddhism is to awaken out of the delusion of the dream of life so as to become enlightened. To this end, it emphasizes a dream yoga which includes lucid dreaming. This ancient tradition has developed sophisticated strategies for awakening while asleep so that one can experience the expansive freedom that accompanies waking up out of self-created delusion and become enlighten. My great interest for dream yoga has lead me to guide Dream Yoga workshops and retreats in Berkeley California.

Currently, I’m working on my Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Somatic Psychotherapy in hopes to integrate Somatic (body therapy approach) with Yoga.

Tess

Tess DeBlander

Wednesday & Thursday at 9:30AM

“Do not let what you cannot do, interfere with what you can.” -John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach

Instructor

Tess has a Masters in Exercise Science, and a Bachelors in Marketing. She received her hatha yoga training from the Temple of Kriya Yoga* (Chicago, IL) in 2003 (466 hrs).  Relocated from the Midwest, her active family enjoys yoga to surfing and anything outdoors!

She’s been lucky enough to enjoy a national, diverse career involving motivating and educating all ages toward healthy lifestyles. This includes:  Teaching national training workshops (exercise/fitness certifications), providing corporate wellness (health education, stress management, lifestyle/behavior programs), managing commercial fitness centers, consulting for park districts (fitness, healthy lifestyles), published author of an adoption book, “Parents by Choice,” and University instruction in the Physical Education, and Recreation Departments for Chicago State University and a variety of Community Colleges. Currently she’s online faculty for the University of Phoenix, teaching Nutrition and Health and Wellness Courses.  She’s proud to be a member of the Yoga Den Tribe!

Jay

Saturday & Sunday at 9:30AM

Instructor
Jay has been studying the science of Yoga for 7 years and has been a devoted Yogi for 6 of those years. In 2010 Jay published his first book named Sea of Circles as visual explanation to finding balance in our relationships with people, places, and/or things. In 2011 Jay has begun to take his Life Coaching skills to the public instead of just close friends and family, thanks to the teaching of openness at the Yoga Den. Through humble explanations of success and failure from his own life and marriage of 24 years, Jay teaches ways of letting go of our assumptions and expectations instead of blaming others for our negative actions and emotions.  Jay brings his love of music and movement to his Yoga Class to get people out of their daily grinds and into some awesome Asana’s. When asked why does he teach, Jay replies, for the Love of teaching and learning how to be a better person.

Kama

Monday’s Gentle Yoga 5:00 p.m.

Instructor
I was raised in a very athletic family with a mom who taught fitness classes and a dad who was a basketball coach. My parents kept us very busy and instilled a sense of fitness into our beings. I began teaching water aerobics at the young age of 16. I went to college and received my undergraduate degree in kinesiology and within two years after that I received a Masters in Education. During my time in school is when I discovered yoga. After graduating I moved to California where I began teaching PE and coaching swimming and water polo. I still practiced my yoga as a stress relief. Yoga also gave me a sense of family being that I was so far away from my family. One day I just realized that I could teach yoga so I took some Yogafit trainings and began teaching classes at LA Fitness. Soon I wondered into Yogaden and meet Leeza and took her teacher training. Yoga has brought balance to my life, it has also brought family, stability, spirituality, freedom, calmness and unity. I’m a better mom, school teacher and overall person because of yoga.