Yoga Instructors

Laura Bowes

Laura has been practicing yoga for eight years and teaching for six. Her teaching style is Eclectic Traditional Vinyasa and her favorite yoga style is Jivamukti. She holds her 200-hour certification from Sivananda Yoga Center in Freehold. She also has certification in Yoga Fit 1 and 3, Yoga Core, Yoga Butt, Yoga Seniors from Yoga Fit and certified in all-levels of Children’s Yoga from Radiant Child Yoga 1. Laura studied with Jennifer Johnson, Amy Ippoliti, Rusty Wells, Beth Shaw, Max Strom, Sianna Sherman, Shakta Kaur Khalsa and Dalien.

Laura loves to bring her students the very subtle message that their yoga practice is linked to their life off of the mat. The moment this becomes apparent, the expression on the student’s face is priceless, bringing so much joy to the hearts of both of them. They glow from this newfound connection.

She hopes to also convey a continuous growth and expansion of love to each individuals practice with challenges and playfulness. You’ll never walk away disappointed that you haven’t learned something new about yourself. Be prepared to have fun, breathe, sweat and relax.

 

Ilene Evans

Ilene Evans has been practicing yoga since 2002. She is a 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, trained through the Brahma style, which is part of the Bihar School / Satyananda lineage. Ilene has had the privilege of teaching yoga to a diverse population of students, including adults, seniors, persons with special needs, and children. She has also designed and presented yoga based assemblies to local schools to assist them in conveying messages relevant to the issues that young people face, such as peer pressure and bullying. Ilene gives thanks to her yoga instructors for sharing their wisdom and for challenging her to move past her own limitations with discipline and compassion, both on and off the mat. Ilene’s mission is to pass on this knowledge to her own students and to encourage them to find joy in their yoga practice as well as their daily lives.

 

Ellena Ann Pol

Intrepid traveler and life enthusiast, Ellena has been practicing yoga since she first picked up a yoga book in a thrift store thirteen years ago. Pleased with the immediate body response of peace, Ellena continued her practice and by her sophomore year of College she had developed a daily practice and an insatiable appetite for as much knowledge in the field as she could get. Practicing under Nancy Smith, Kripalu Instructor, she became fluent in Kripalu yoga, and developed a Reiki Mastership. Ellena has traveled across five continents practicing and unofficially teaching a variety of styles of yoga including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Hatha, Jivamukti, yoga dance, Tantra, Bikram, group, Brahma and Kundalini; and taking workshops with some of the most respected and well-known international yoga instructors like Shannon Garon, David Life, and Shiva Rae. Ellena became certified in Hatha Yoga at Temple University with AAAI, and is registered for her 200RYT certification at Ramapo College in the Fall 2012. Ellena’s ultimate goal is to bring peace into the hearts of those who meet her, and give those who train with her an opportunity to learn a practice that can help rejuvenate and revitalize their bodies, minds and souls for a lifetime.

 

Dance + Fitness Instructors

Kristina Mykytiuk

Zumba, Boot Camp, Jazz, Hip Hop, Advanced Ballet, Pilates Instructor

Kristina is an alumnus of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. She graduated in 2005 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance education. She trained at various locations prior to college, including The Royal Academy of Dance, The Rock School, The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Studio Maestro, The Harid Conservatory, and The Boston Ballet. The majority of her training took place at The Academy of Dance Arts, where she gained her classical ballet, pointe, and jazz backgrounds. Throughout her career she has progressed from a dancer to a choreographer. She has choreographed and perfected students’ technical abilities for several studios including Shore Performance Center, Dance with Melody, and The Dance Factory USA. She is also very interested in the fitness side of dance and has been employed with Bayshore Fitness and Wellness Center and IMX Pilates. She has several Pilates certifications, fitness dance certification, and is a personal trainer as well. She is highly gratified by her students’ successes and wants to spread her love of dance, Zumba and Pilates!

 

Rozalia Aravantinos Xidias

Licensed Zumba Instructor, Greek Dance Instructor

Rozalia has been dancing since she was 4 years old in Athens, Greece. She was a performer of the Greek Folk Dance Youth Group of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Piscataway for over 10 years. She was taught by Vasilios Brembos of Asbury Park and Jim Exarchakis of Piscataway and even taught the youth group with them in her late teen years. Rozalia joined the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey when she was 17. The mission of the Hellenic Dancers is to continue to research, perpetuate and perform the regional folk dances of Greece within the Greek community, and to share these rich, cultural traditions with the American public, especially within their culturally diverse home state of New Jersey. The Hellenic Dancers’ desire to share their cultural identity and the pride that they feel for their Greek heritage is evident in the precision and enthusiasm that they bring to each performance. Rozalia has performed throughout the country for politicians, celebrities and Greek royalty. She moved on from performing to teaching over 12 years ago. As the owner of Asana Yoga + Dance, Rozalia hopes to share her love of dance, Zumba and yoga with all her students.