Amy Cooper, E-RYT-500; Program Director
Asana, Pranayama & Meditation; Teaching Methodology
Eight Limbed Path

“2016 marks my 35th year teaching yoga and integrating yoga into my personal, family and professional life. My motivation at this point is to have a greater impact on the evolution of yoga in the community and society through sharing yoga’s true lifestyle benefits and mentoring yoga teachers. In 1988, I graduated from the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, primarily under the wings of Judith Lasater, Manuso Manos, and Arthur Kilmurray. Although I have studied directly with many world renowned instructors- Judith Lasater, Dona Holleman, Kofi Busia and Anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff- my essential guidance has come from bringing the principles and usefulness of yoga and Buddhist meditation into daily living …”

In 1981 Amy’s inspiration for becoming a Yoga teacher came after seeing B.K.S. Iyengar at the San Francisco Yoga Convention. In 1988, she graduated from the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco and also received certifications in massage therapy from the Institute for Educational Therapy and the National Holistic Institute in Berkeley. From 1990-1992, Amy trained teachers in the Integrative Yoga Therapy Program. Her passion for how the body/mind/heart moves and breathes most freely is expressed in her teaching through the integration of somatic education, primarily anatomy as well as meditation with emphasis on Buddha’s Mindfulness and Loving Kindness practices. Amy is currently completing a Yoga Anatomy certification program with Leslie Kaminoff as well as UMass Medical Center’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training program.

Since 2003, after teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area for 22 years, Amy has served as Founding Director for the Shasta Yoga Institute and since 2008 for the VajraPani Yoga Teacher Training where she continues to share her dedication to the practice of the Eight Limbs of Yoga on and off the mat.

Amy was featured in the Yoga Journal Calendar (1989) and in the Yoga Journal articles, “The Psoas is…” (May/June, 1999) and “Standing on Your Own Two Hands” (May/June, 2003).

“I have truly embodied ‘Right Livelihood’ and feel honored to be a Yoga instructor; offering these wisdom teachings and witnessing many people re-connect with what is most meaningful in their lives.” –Amy Cooper, Founding Director; Shasta Yoga Institute & VajraPani Yoga Teacher Training.

Mette Kolding
Vinyasa Yoga Practice & Teaching Methodology

Yogini Metta teaches yoga with the focus on alignment and flow using the constant flow of breath as the most central tool to build body awareness from the inside out. Meditation and Pranayama (breathing exercises) will often be a part of a carefully sequenced class where detailed instructions invite the students to empower their Inner Teacher. The Chakras, being “the organs” of the Energy Body, will often be an important component braded into the flow of a class. Metta has practiced different styles of yoga for the past 25 years, mostly Astanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar. Through yoga she has fully recovered from serious back, knee and neck injuries and she enjoys teaching others how to use yoga therapeutically. Allowing obstacles to be removed from the physical, mental and emotional bodies are an integral part of her teaching style. The Spiritual field always has a standing invitation throughout the class, but is emphasized during the meditation part.
As an experienced stage actor, certified life coach and workshop facilitator, Metta discovered that yoga connected the dots of her working life in a profound way. Yoga has become a reliable friend in a life stretched out between two continents and cultures… Uniting everything, as consciousness deepens and awareness expands is what we can create space for within to be more present in the world.
Metta has studied with Amy Cooper at Shasta Yoga Institute since 2004. She graduated from the Yoga Teachers Training there in 2012 and started teaching right away.
Metta is both giving a talk and teaching at the first yoga convention in Greece, April 2017 and will have a 5 day retreat there as well at The Hotel Spa Aegialis, Amorgos.

Krista Holland
Philosophy & Ayurveda

Krista Holland, is a yogini, teacher and life mentor that helps others create satisfying, passionate lives both on the inner realm and in the outer world through yoga, conscious life design, embodied mythology and mysticism. Krista draws from her in-depth practice and studies in the realms of yoga, Ayurveda, Tantrik philosophy, sacred drumming, permaculture and ancient culture to guide students to the depths of their own beauty, power and unique offerings to the world.

Krista was first introduced to Eastern philosophy, mysticism and various practices of meditation at an ashram in India at the age of twelve. Krista is a devoted practitioner and teacher of the essence of non-dual tantra yoga, inspired by the lineage and sacred texts of Nondual Saiva Tantra and Sri Vidya. She is known for her gift of weaving the ancient wisdom of yogic philosophy through the embodied practice of full spectrum yoga and Conscious Life Design. Krista is also a faculty member of the College of the Melissae – Center for Sacred Beekeeping where she teaches Embodied Mythology, Symbol Systems and Sacred Drumming connected to the ancient Bee Priestess traditions. The synthesis of her multidisciplinary work and dharma is embodied through Yoga and Living Arts, where she offers a rich mandala of teachings and private coaching dedicated to personal and planetary healing, spiritual liberation and the full flowering of embodied life mastery.  kristaholland.com

Vrnda Leier Hayden
Asana, Pranayama & Restorative Yoga

Vrnda has been exploring yoga and meditation for decades and her diverse background includes certification in the Sivananda style, training in the Iyengar style with senior teachers, including Geeta Iyengar and an Anusara Training in 2002, with ongoing studies.

Both a student and teacher of focused, purposeful living, she weaves the Classical 8 Limbs of Yoga into her classes, creating a sacred space for deep personal exploration, making possible growth in body, mind and spirit. transformation and increased self- awareness.

Deeply commitment to personal growth, Vrnda’s teachings are described as “heartfelt, knowledgeable, insightful and transformative.” She inspires students to celebrate the present moment through breath awareness, connect to their inner teacher, and explore their potential, while respecting individual capacity.
Vrnda is also a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist, Hakomi practitioner, a Relax and Renew Trainer, and a certified Postural Alignment Egoscue Specialist. (541) 552-0108 or vrnda@mind.net

GUEST FACULTY

Kristen Meyer Stroud
Mindfullness Facilitator

As a Mind-Body Wellness and Mindfulness Facilitator, Hakomi Counselor, and Parenting Educator, Kristen gracefully integrates the newest discoveries in neuroscience with the wisdom of ancient contemplative traditions to bring more ease, joy and satisfaction into life.

For thousands of years, contemplatives have demonstrated what science now validates: that each of us is capable of shaping our inner and outer life in a positive direction with the power of our attention and intention.

On the forefront of self-directed neuroplasticity, Kristen provides empowering experiential exercises to rewire old memories, automatic reactions and outdated conditioning into positive new pathways to shift you from distress to well-being. See: kristenstroud.com

Chantia Smith
Embodied Anatomy

Chanti Smith is a Certified Embodied Anatomy Yoga Teacher through the School for Body Mind Centering. She discovered Body Mind Centering (BMC) in 1997 and fell in love with how delightful it felt in her own body.
A deep re-patterning occurred which led her to study with the founder, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen for several years. Chanti currently assists Bonnie in the Embodied Anatomy and Yoga Training in the San Fransisco Bay Area. See Body Mind Centering Yoga programs for more info.  Chanti is also a bodyworker, a nationally certified midwife (CPM) and pre and peri-natal birth therapist. She teaches Prenatal yoga, Acu-yoga, and Embodied Anatomy and Yoga and lives in Brooklyn, N.Y..See her website:www.embodiedbeginnings.com

Chanti is a gifted, clear and engaging teacher. Her depth of knowledge and embodied practice of Body-Mind Centering gives her the ability to communicate and activate deep experiences of our body’s many systems and layers, awakening our physical structure into it’s fullness. Applying this knowledge of embodiment makes the experience of practicing yoga truly multi-dimensional & deeply satisfying!” -Nicole, Yoga Teacher

In its application to yoga, Embodied Anatomy opens a door to the transformative aspects of yoga and takes asanas beyond a formulaic, external approach and into the subtleties of yoga practice.”    -Body Mind Centering

Scott Durbin
Anatomy

Dr. Scott Durbin graduated valedictorian of his class at Cleveland Chiropractic College in l987.  He was in private practice for 25 years and is now retired. The California Chiropractic Association hired Dr Durbin to teach continuing educational seminars for chiropractors concerning work related injuries. Scott and his wife Dr. Neva Barnett (who is also a retired Chiropractor), are dedicated yoga practitioners and regularly swim, bike and hike in their home in Mount Shasta.

“We have always tried to teach our patients the importance of a health conscious life style through example.” says Scott

Jade Webb
Energy Anatomy & Thai YogaMassage

Jade has been providing yoga-based healing and transformational work since 1997, which has included being on faculty at Denver Integrative Massage School, being a principal teacher in a Denver-based Yoga Teacher Training, workshop and retreat leading, assisting programs at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and having a private bodywork practice. Her life has taken her many places around the globe, including yoga study in India, and she is delighted to be participating with seasoned instructor, Amy Cooper to offer this unique training in magical Mount Shasta.

Additional talented guest instructors will surprise us…

The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” -Albert Einstein