INSTRUCTORS / Y.T.T. GUESTS + MUSICIANS / STAFF
WE EXIST WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US.
Scroll down to read bios on our instructors + special guests.
GLORIA BARAQUIO: YTT LEAD TRAINER
Co-Director, Shivakali Yoga
Programs Director, Ratna Ling Buddhist Retreat Center
Gloria Marie Baraquio is a yogi and educator from Hawaii, and is currently a resident retreat leader at Ratna Ling Buddhist Retreat Center in Sonoma County, CA. She grew up the youngest of 10 children on the island of Oahu, praying and singing in the Catholic Church. Intrigued with other spiritual traditions from a young age, Gloria explored a multitude of philosophies and religions, connecting deeply with the teachings of Baha'i, Tibetan Buddhism, Kundalini Yoga, and Krishna Consciousness. She has practiced at temples, ashrams, churches, and healing centers around the world, and lived off-grid in the Hawaiian Jungle to experience simple living and high thinking.
Gloria discovered yoga in 2003 after experiencing anxiety and depression, and realized that the breath, body awareness, and mindfulness could relieve so much of human suffering, disease, and disorder. After years of dedicated self-study and independent practice, she completed her formal Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Hawaii with master teachers Rupali Embry and Tania Jo Ingrahm. Gloria began teaching Vinyasa Yoga in 2006 at schools, colleges, gyms, and studios. Since then she has taught thousands of classes in Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Aerial Yoga, Kids Yoga, and Meditation to various populations all over the country.
Gloria received her 300-Hour Advanced Teacher Training certification from Raghunath Cappo and Radhanath Swami in India, at the Govardhan Eco Village. On this sustainable farm she immersed herself in daily chanting, analyzed Vedic scriptures, and listened to the pastimes of Krishna. She further spent time on pilgrimage in Vrndavan, India, meeting other swamis, gurus, sages, and monks, and doing parikrama (a meditative walk/circumambulation) around Govardhan Hill. In this holy land said to be the birthplace of Krishna, Gloria experienced a deep inner awakening. She considers herself a bhakti yogi living a life of devotion to the Highest through song, sangha, and service.
In addition to her extensive Yogic training in Hawaii & India, Gloria spent nearly a year at Naropa University, studying and learning to teach Contemporary Performance and Meditation. There in Boulder she was able to meet and learn from close disciples of the great Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Gloria has practiced Kundalini Yoga intensively in Los Angeles with Tej Kaur Khalsa and Gurmukh, where she tapped into the technology of Kriya and Naad yoga. She has also spent time studying and chanting regularly at the LA Bhakti House with Shastrakrit and Kumari Gopi, and continued her studies with Tukaram Prabhu at the Long Beach Temple. In 2014, Gloria helped to open The Springs in Downtown LA, an urban oasis with a vegan restaurant, yoga studio, and a wellness center. There she founded and directed the Yoga/Wellness Program and launched a Meditation Program as well. Gloria has completed advanced sequencing training with Annie Carpenter, taught at festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle and Symbiosis, and while not traveling the world sharing Yoga on devotional retreats & trainings, she serves as a lead staff member at the Ratna Ling Buddhist Retreat center in Northern California.
SERGE BANDURA: YTT LEAD TRAINER
Co-Director, Shivakali Yoga
Founder, Light and Space Yoga: lightandspaceyoga.com
Serge Bandura has been practicing the Yogic arts of India & Tibet since his youth, and teaching Yoga since 2001. His approach evolves out of a deep transmission from younger years living in Kula (yogic community), engaging in lengthy daily practice before the hours of dawn, and undergoing rigorous study with his teachers. In classes, Serge blends his knowledge of traditional Yogic practice & philosophy with 1000's of hours of training in Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga, Yin Yoga, Rudra Yoga, Kundalini, Ayurveda and Tibetan Buddhism. He holds a BA in Religious Studies with an emphasis on South-Asian traditions, a certificate in Yoga Philosophy, a diploma in the study of Yoga & Ayurveda, many teacher training certifications from diverse lineages of practice, an E-RYT 500 designation from the Yoga Alliance, he reads/writes Sanskrit, and is currently enrolled in a Ngakpa (Tibetan Yoga) Seminary program.
Serge entered residential training in a tantric yoga school as a homeless 19-year-old, completing a 1000-hour yoga teacher training program in traditional lineage-based Hatha Yoga. There he further studied, practiced, and completed intensive retreats in Kundalini Yoga, Taoist Yoga, Tibetan Yoga, and Sufism. During this time, Serge began managing the school's local yoga center, teaching countless yoga classes each week and organizing retreats. Upon completing his training and being initiated as a teacher, Serge moved on to complete over 20 retreats with Pema Khandro Rinpoche, wisdom holder & Lama in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He further took refuge with and continues to honor/attend teachings with Lama Acharya Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche, and spent years studying and practicing Kundalini Tantra intensively with Umaa (Uma Inder), master kundalini tantrika & dedicated practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine.
While continuing to practice with his heart-teachers, Serge refined his studies in Sanskrit mantra with Vedic priest and pujari Shri Shiva Kumar. He deepened his knowledge of sacred texts studying with Srivatsa Ramaswami, longest-standing disciple of Sri T. Krisnamacharya (outside the guru's family). Serge studied Yin Yoga with Paul Grilley, and completed residential training with Yogiraj Ganga White, founder of the original Center for Yoga in Los Angeles in 1967. He has undertaken studies with (Yogarupa) Rod Stryker, received certification in Vedic Yoga from Mas Vidal at Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda, completed multiple residential trainings in Atma Yoga with Saul David Raye, and studied advanced vinyasa architecture with Chad Dennis & Jenn Perry of Wanderlust/Roam LA. In India, Serge was certified to teach traditional Tantric Asana practices by Shri Kali Ashram, and studied the system of Sri Vidya extensively in a remote complex of Goddess Temples. He has stayed in many Ashrams, received meditation instruction from many Swamis, learned classical Hatha Yoga directly from Nath and Kanpatha Yogis in the North, and received Puja & Homa instruction from a wide variety of priests, sadhus and tantric adepts throughout the Indian sub-continent.
Academically Serge studied Samkhya, the Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads and many other sacred texts/philosophies under Dr. Christopher K. Chapple, founder and director of the Yoga Studies program at Loyola Marymount University. He further completed a wealth of coursework and large body of papers under the advisory of Dr. David White. Perhaps the greatest living historian of Hindu Tantra, Dr. White is known for publishing encyclopedic works such as Kiss of the Yogini, Tantra in Practice, and The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India.
When not teaching, you can find Serge DJing, producing /creating music, and searching for rare records under the moniker Earthtones (earthtonesmusic.com).
KIMBERLY MILLARD: YTT LEAD TEACHER
Lead Teacher, Shivakali Yoga
Founder, Pine Reef Yoga (pinereefyoga.com)
Kimberly Millard is an esteemed Yoga Therapist, Ayurvedic Health Counselor and Yoga Teacher Trainer. She received her 500hr Yoga Teacher Training certification through Shivakali Yoga, International Association of Yoga Therapists Certification through Loyola Marymount University, and 750 hour Ayurveda Health Counselor certification through Joyful Belly.
Kim’s classes weave together extensive training in sanskrit, vinyasa, hatha, ayurveda, yoga nidra, restorative, pranayama, meditation and yoga philosophy based on sacred texts such as The Yoga Sutras, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita. With an emphasis on the subtle body, she brings the vibrational power of harmonium, mantra and crystal bowls as additional tools to move her students beyond the physical.
She began her yoga practice seeking relief from chronic pain due to a life-altering spinal injury. What began as a skeptical experiment blossomed into a life-affirming journey that evolves and continues to heal her physical body through deeper, more subtle dimensions of the Self. With gratitude and compassion, she guides her students towards accessing their own innate wisdom and self healing capacity.
After receiving transmission from a variety of masters, Kim has come to learn that yoga doesn’t belong to any one person or lineage. Rather, it is a living pulsation that threads itself through the eons. Her intention as a teacher is to serve as a channel for these potent and healing teachings just as all her teachers and their teachers have done before her.
Years of study and practice have shaped her life into living closer to the earth: simply, sustainably, and in harmony with nature's rhythms. With her partner Paul, she has abandoned city life and relocated to the northern California coast where she lives completely off grid. Paul designed and built their home and yoga studio (Pine Reef Yoga) by hand, overlooking 20 acres of land where the ocean, coastal prairie and redwood forests meet. They enjoy serving the community by hosting classes, workshops and retreats. Otherwise, they're raising chickens, growing their own food, riding motorcycles, taking photos, roller skating and cohabitating with three crazy cats.
For more information about signing up for a private session, attending a live stream or joining an in person class, please visit her website at KimberlyMillardYoga.com or PineReefYoga.com
AMBER LEE: MASSAGE & HEALING
Amber Lee's lineage is rooted in the Andes, the Hawaiian Islands, in prayer, and in service. Years of study in the healing arts has resulted in a healing practice that is woven with the teachings of Acupressure, Integrated Energy Therapy®, CranioSacral®, Esalen Massage®, & Deep Bodywork®. In addition to her therapeutic practice, Amber works with plants and essential oils as tools for healing, offering essential oil education, consultations, and aromatherapy treatments. Amber alsoleads educational and ceremonial workshops for women and co-ed groups, and produces an array of conscious and heart-centered community events through her holistic production company, Sister Valley. She has further served by assisting massage trainings & certifications with her mentors at the Esalen Institute, in Big Sur.
Amber shares her teachings and healings in California, Hawaii, Bali, and beyond, seeking to return the balance of spirit and nature in all her work. Her personal treatment philosophy & teaching style is inspired by our innate intelligence and power to self-heal, which lives inherently in every being.
(plantascompass.com)
Nati Colvin: Guest Teacher
Nati has been teaching yoga and sharing the dharma for almost 15 years. Since a young age she has been fascinated with our human experience and what it means to be alive now. That curiosity led her to religious studies, yoga asana and mindfulness, meditation, anthropology, buddhist philosophy, energy healing, bhakti, and kirtan.
She is now a certified 500hr Shivakali yoga teacher and spiritual counselor, as well a certified yin and restorative yoga teacher (certified by Anjali yoga), meditation guide (certified by the International Mindfulness & Meditation Alliance), and energy worker (certified under Sharna Langlais through the lineage of Mikao Usui and the Kwan Yin Holistic Center). In addition to teaching yoga and meditation, Nati often leads retreats at Ratna Ling Buddhist Retreat Center in Sonoma County, CA and facilitates corporate self-care and mindfulness workshops both in person and virtually. She also loves supporting individuals through one on one spiritual mentorship sessions.
She has an MBA in Sustainable Business from the Lundquist College of Business, at the University of Oregon and spent many years helping companies live their values through corporate life and consulting. Her background in environmental management has deeply shaped her teachings as she considers Mother Earth her first spiritual teacher.
Nati has lived and traveled all over the world including Argentina, Costa Rica, the UK, Mexico, and the United States. She now calls Ventura, California home, where she can surf and rock climb as much as she wants.
Nati relies on her Buddhist teachings to support individuals in connecting with their best selves. She deeply believes in the power of play and joy as a means to living our best lives.
(natabhakti.wixsite.com/natalie-colvin)
Heldine Aguiluz: Guest teacher + Musician
Heldine, an LA local, has been practicing yoga since 2010 and teaching since 2016. She completed 500 hours of yoga certification with Shivakali Yoga, studying alignment-based vinyasa and elemental tantra. She also finished a training on trauma-informed yoga and continues to deepen her studies, currently focusing on bhakti. Along with yoga classes, Heldine also offers spiritual guidance counseling sessions and kirtan. In January 2017, she started taking pole, twerk, and aerial dance classes. Through all of these practices, Heldine hopes to help others deepen their awareness about their thoughts and bodies and find the tools they need to cultivate deeper self-love and purpose.
ARIANE AUMONT: HEAD CHEF
Nurtured by a rich family cooking history, LA native Ariane Aumont spent much of her childhood enraptured by all things food related. Ariane’s professional cooking experience is inspired by extensive world travel, and enriched by her culinary education at Cordon Bleu (San Francisco). Equipped with passion, creativity, and culinary knowledge Ariane has excelled as a private chef throughout Europe and the USA for various high profile clients. She has also taken a primary role in establishing many successful food industry businesses, cafes and other ventures in California. Ariane's fondest memories were summers spent on her grandparents' farm in Corsica, relishing in the vibrant, rustic food her grandmother harvested and prepared.
SCOBY BABY / SALOMON ANAYA:: GUEST ARTISAN
Scobybaby Kombucha is a local, raw, organic, creative and artisanal kombucha company based in Los Angeles, California. Brewer, craftsman and artist Salomon Anaya creates a fusion of unique teas, herbs and culture. With incredible flavors such as hibiscus rosewater, lotus tea pear, green tea aychee and artichoke apple berry, Scobybaby delivers some of the most interesting and absolutely delicious beverages that exist on the planet.
Scobybaby.com
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