meet the yoga garden staff

click the icon next to the names below to learn about our teachers:

Aimee Baker            Craig Bundick           Lisa Ciccotelli

Wendy Dilsheimer   Georgette DuBois     Kim Eckler

Katrin Elia                 Christina Fanizzi         Gina Ferragame

Terry Fox                   Terryanne Haggins    Linda Liss

Mark Nelson             Naomi Pressman       Marie Roberts

Efrat Shani Levin      Colleen Schoenhard   Brian Shane

Marla Sussman        Dawn Weisbord          Marc Willner

Aimee Baker

 • teaching since 2001 • Pilates, Gyrotonic® Exercise, Therapeutic Movement

Aimee, the owner of Bodylogic Pilates Personal Training and Wellness Studio in Bryn Mawr, PA earned her BFA in Dance at the University of Colorado and her teaching certificate from the internationally renowned Pilates Center of Boulder. She’s a Master Pilates Teacher and also a certified Gyrotonic® Exercise instructor who’s trained with the likes of Hilary Cartwright, Angela Crowley, and Sebastian Plettenberg. She completed the 200-hour anatomy program, ‘Body Language,’ with Thomas Myers, the author of ‘Anatomy Trains.’ Aimee was selected as the Best Personalized Pilates Teacher by Philadelphia Magazine in 2008.

Aimee is a steady, gentle, and nurturing teacher. She utilizes lightness and a sense of humor to help every client achieve gradual and lasting physical changes. Aimee’s eclectic classes infuse traditional Pilates technique and functional exercise to help students develop body awareness and strength in order to better manage and counterbalance the demands of everyday living. (back to top)

Craig Bundick • teaching since 1983 • Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong

Craig began his study of tai chi in 1981 with instructor Andrew Heckert. He practiced with masters Norman Smith and Tom Hardy from 1984 to 1995. In 1997 he began studying qi gong under master Faxiang Hou. Other teachers include Wei Lin Huang and Sam Maish.

Tai chi chuan rebuilds one's spirit and body and brings about peace of mind. Regular practice improves mental awareness, digestion, blood circulation and strengthens the function of the internal organs. Craig’s classes explore two different 108-posture forms, one 24-posture form and one 9-posture form. (back to top)

Lisa Ciccotelli • teaching since 2003 • Gentle Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga

Lisa began to dance as soon as she could walk, and continued for sixteen years. She began practicing yoga in 2000, something she saw as a natural progression from dance and an alternative way to heal a lower back injury. Initially drawn to the physicality of yoga she was instantly impressed by the incredible effect it had on her body and mind. Inspired to share this practice and its life-changing effects with others, Lisa became a certified level 1, 2 and 3 yoga instructor through the International Sports Medicine Association in 2002. She trained at Kripalu to become a restorative yoga teacher, and Yoga on Main to become a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance.

Lisa believes in yoga as a modality of healing the person as a whole. A class with Lisa is challenging and energizing with flowing movements and a focus on breath, opening the body mindfully, and calming the mind through meditation. (back to top)

Wendy Dilsheimer • teaching since 2008 • Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga

Wendy has been practicing Yoga since 1995. She received her yoga certifications in Vinyasa and Yin yoga with Daniel Shankin of Main Line Yoga. Wendy has a masters in social work from UPenn and uses her background in counseling to meet each student where they are on their yogic path. It's her belief that through yoga practice, we can discover and release the blocked energy that leaves us feeling stuck in certain areas of our lives.

Wendy's teaching style incorporates traditional Vinyasa sequencing with a fun and light hearted perspective. Her goal is to help students take lessons learned on the mat into their daily lives. Wendy is grateful for the gifts yoga practice has given her and is honored to share this inspiration as a teacher. (back to top)

Georgette DuBois • teaching since 1995 • Kripalu Yoga

Georgette began practicing yoga after a visit to the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts in 1990. As she integrated yoga into her life and experienced its profound benefits, she wanted to share this gift with others. After completing the Kripalu yoga teachers training in 1995, she was inspired to open the Yoga Garden, the first yoga studio on the Main Line. In 1996 she left her job as a medical social worker to devote herself full-time to growing the Yoga Garden. During her fourteen years as director, the Yoga Garden was host to thousands of students from infants to seniors, and was named ‘Best of the Main Line’ fourteen times. In 2009, Georgette chose to sell the Yoga Garden and continue on as a teacher. We are grateful for her incredible contribution and her on-going presence at the studio. Georgette is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance.

Georgette brings her years of training and experience in working sensitively with individuals and groups to her yoga teaching. She is committed to making yoga available to everybody. She believes that yoga is a journey, not a destination, and that each moment of the journey holds the seed of deep connection with oneself and with others. In her classes Georgette cultivates a warm atmosphere of safety and comfort. The stretches, postures, breathing and meditation techniques of yoga are used to create flexibility, strength and deep relaxation. She encourages students to honor their inner wisdom, nurturing body, mind and spirit by practicing awareness and self-acceptance. (back to top)

Kim Eckler • teaching since 1999 • Pre- and Postnatal Yoga

Kim began practicing yoga in 1989. As a philosophy student and dancer, the mind-body connection of yoga resonated deeply with her. In subsequent years, yoga remained a useful tool as she pursued martial arts and motherhood, keeping her body and spirit in balance. She became certified through the Yogalife Institute in 1999, studying pre- and postnatal yoga with Patricia Cornielus. She feels privileged to share in people’s happiness as they grow their families.

Kim believes that anybody can practice yoga. Practicing with intention of purpose and sensitivity to the body keeps one present in their focus, and helps to avoid self-defeating behaviors such as competition and self-criticism. A class with Kim begins slowly and softly in order to synchronize body and breath, then builds in intensity. There is a focus on stability through the legs and hips, and softness in the neck, chest and arms, thus being grounded yet open. For prenatal classes, there is a reinforcement of the connection between mother and child. (back to top)

Katrin Elia • teaching since 2008 • Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga

As a child, Katrin studied classical ballet and was chosen for the National Academy of Dance and Music to continue her studies in ballet, modern, jazz and tap dance. In addition to dance, Katrin fostered a regular Pilates practice. When she took her first yoga class in 2001, it became a natural extension of her other studies. She was fascinated by the notion that yoga was practiced from the inside out, the opposite of her classical dance training. Katrin began devoting her time exclusively to yoga, and enrolled in vinyasa teacher training at Main Line Yoga under Daniel Shankin. She received her certification in yin yoga in June 2009 through Wake Up Yoga, studying with Corina Benner. She then completed Erich Schiffmann’s yoga teacher training in Los Angeles.

Katrin believes that what happens on your mat happens in life, with focused breathing being the most powerful way to overcome the obstacles that block a person’s yoga journey. She's interested in the exploration of breath and movement and in linking them through a dance-like flow. Katrin loves to integrate yin yoga into her vinyasa teachings, knowing that the combined benefits of the two are more powerful than either individually. (back to top)

Christina  Fanizzi • teaching since 1998 • Pilates

Christina has been teaching Pilates for over ten years. Throughout her journey as a teacher she is continually amazed and inspired by the work that Pilates can accomplish for everyone. She began her training with Fran Lehen in NYC and is certified through The Kane School of Core Integration and the PMA. She continues her exploration through participating in the Masters Program at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, she has had the good fortune of teaching Pilates in London, England and Orvieto, Italy.

She believes in the true intention of Joseph Pilates' vision and the powerful results that follow when practiced weekly. While encouraging overall health and well being through the original philosophy of Joseph Pilates and his exercises, she tailors every Pilates workout to her clients needs depending on their experience and current condition. (back to top)

Gina Ferragame • teaching since 2007 • Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga

Gina began her yoga practice in 1997 as a means to connect body, mind and spirit. She realized the vastness of this practice and felt humbled to witness its effects in her life. Gina is a music therapist who has worked in hospice care and with children with special needs. She became a Registered Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance in 2007. While practicing yoga through her first pregnancy, she became inspired to teach prenatal yoga. Gina felt deeply honored to be with mothers as they experience their pregnancy and prepare for labor. Gina’s been a certified prenatal teacher since 2008.

Gina's true focus is to express compassion through yoga and to bring that into our daily lives. Yoga is a way of being, a way to freedom, a way of love and non-judgment. She believes in nurturing every student and giving them room to discover and move through challenges with softness. While teaching her mommies in prenatal, she offers opportunities to be present in the body, to connect with baby, and to find the breath. Students are guided through a similar series of both challenging and restorative type postures each week. They are able to observe their progress and have the opportunity to take their practice to a deeper level — moving out of the mind and into the body. Gina’s intention is to support each student as they prepare for a peaceful and transformative birth. (back to top)

Terry Fox • teaching since 2006 • Meditation, Mindfulness-Based Stress Management

Terry’s meditation practice is rooted in the contemplative prayer and silent retreats of her youth. As a young adult, she expanded her meditative inquiries to include the spiritual centers of the major world traditions. In the 90’s, she gravitated to the teachings of Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, the mindfulness model of Jon Kabat-Zinn, and the supporting research of the scientific community. Terry holds a Master’s degree in counselor education and counseling psychology and has worked as a teacher and counselor in a variety of settings, including schools, sheltered workshops, and social service agencies.

Terry teaches meditation as a journey of self-discovery that’s undertaken by settling into silence and listening with one’s whole being. The journey cultivates a sense of calm, ease, and well-being, deepens insight into self and others, and leads to a realization of one’s wholeness. Terry’s classes consist of instruction, practice, and discussion. She encourages her students to embrace their meditation experience with curiosity and kindness and to respect the unique unfolding of their individual journey. (back to top)

Terryanne Haggins-DeAngeles • teaching since 1983 • Ving Tsun Kung Fu, Shadow Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga, Iyengar-Based Yoga, Restorative Yoga

Having begun her study of dance at age five, Terryanne eventually became a professional dancer and dance teacher. She was involved in competitive sports and, in 1985, started studying ving tsun kung fu, becoming the first-ever female American ving tsun sifu (teacher). Her practice then expanded to include Iyengar yoga for its understanding of alignment. She moved on to study power yoga with Bryan Kest and Baron Baptiste. Her other world-renowned teachers include Rodney Yee, Anna Forrest, Duncan Wong, Dharma Mittra and Erich Shiffmann. She studied with Zhander Remete, creator of shadow yoga, for over a decade, and is one of only ten approved shadow yoga teachers in the country. She’s a devoted student of ving tsun grandmaster Leo Imamura of Brazil. Terryanne specializes in teaching yoga and martial arts to children, developing sports-specific yoga practices for athletes, and working with those suffering from digestive issues.

Terryanne serves her students in whatever form they may require to continue a personal journey of self-evolution. As a result of the extensive and varied training, her classes can range from slow and methodical to rigorous and intense. In all cases, Terryanne draws from her combined studies to serve each student, teaching them to connect their practice to their everyday lives. Underlying each class is her devotion to her, and her students’, spiritual journey. (back to top)

Efrat Shani Levin • teaching since 2003 • Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, Prenatal Yoga

Efrat first began practicing yoga at the age of twenty at the Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Finding it a helpful and joyous way to deal with the stress of daily life in the big city, yoga became an integral part of her life. Eight years of practicing with different teachers brought her to a deeper understanding of yoga’s benefits. Efrat received her teacher certification through the Sivananda Yoga-Vedanta Center in Val Morin, Canada. She taught group and private classes in Israel, then moved to NYC and taught there for four years. Efrat has taught at the Yoga Garden since moving to the Main Line in 2008.

The origin of the word yoga is ‘unity.’ Yoga helps people find their own way to inner peace and maintain a healthier body and happier being. By cultivating the body-mind connection, yoga is a blissful way to become more connected to your true self. (back to top)

Linda Liss • teaching since 1978 • Kripalu Yoga, Yin Yoga

Linda began practicing yoga in 1974 as an extension of her fascination with Indian and Chinese philosophy. Linda sees yoga as a means of meditation by focusing on body sensation and breath, and by aspiring to greater mindfulness and less reaction to life’s events. Her commitment to her own practice has enabled her to teach others to attain a safe and effective practice. Linda was certified through Kripalu in 1978 and completed her 500-hour teacher certification in 2007. She’s taken additional yoga teacher training over the years, studying alignment, range of motion and yin yoga.

Linda believes yoga can be transformational and healing. If you’re responsible for your own body, then you hold the key to your own health. Body, mind and awareness are intricately linked, so when you practice yoga, you’re becoming more mindful of the entire universe, both inside and outside yourself. (back to top)

Mark Nelson • teaching since 2008 • Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Yin Yoga

Mark first began practicing yoga in 1991 to heal a recent martial arts injury. Through the years, his practice served as a balance for the daily demands of his career as a creative director. Mark began his formal practice in 2005, focusing on vinyasa, ashtanga and yin yoga. In 2007, he enrolled in the Wake Up Yoga teacher training program and has taught at the Yoga Garden ever since. Some of the influential teachers Mark has had the honor of studying with include Corina Benner, Jill Manning, and authorized ashtanga teachers David Swenson and Annie Pace. Mark is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance and is the owner of the Yoga Garden.

For Mark, yoga is a personalized healing science and a profound life-changing philosophy. As a teacher he realizes that the principles of yoga are best applied to each student individually, according to that student’s needs. Mark’s classes unite the flow of breath with the flow of the body, guiding students to a creative blend of physical exploration, inward focus and real-life philosophy. (back to top)

Naomi Pressman • teaching since 2004 • Pilates

Naomi has a diverse background in movement, as a modern dancer and choreographer, and practitioner of Pilates and yoga. Naomi earned her certification as a Pilates instructor in 2004 at Boulder, Colorado’s renowned Pilates Center. She’s lived in Philadelphia since 2006. Naomi is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in nutrition.

Naomi hopes students of all levels approach her Pilates class with the expectation of not only experiencing a workout, but also of learning more about their bodies and about movement. She believes that by maintaining a thoughtful approach to movement throughout life, one can remain vital and active. Naomi’s Pilates classes provide a vigorous flow of movement that not only builds core strength, but also bends the spine in all ranges of motion, so that, upon leaving, one feels stretched and awakened. (back to top)

Marie Roberts • teaching since 1992 • Viniyoga, Meditation

Trained in viniyoga, which emphasizes the connection of breath and movement, Marie now teaches in a style that combines viniyoga with flow and chakra yoga as a meditative whole.

Marie considers herself a ‘recovering intellectual’ who came to yoga as a way to live healthily in her body instead of just in her head. She holds an M. A. in World Religions, an M. S. in Counseling Psychology and has been an ordained Presbyterian Minister since 1982. Marie is also published poet and author of two books: ‘Out of Your Mind and Into Your Heart: Using Love Energy to Heal your Life’ and ‘Life Lessons and Soul Skills: Learning from Your Mistakes the First Time Around.’

She strives to help her students experience the beauty of this moment through breathing and stretching, knowing that we can only be more than our bodies by living in our bodies. She emphasizes an integration of body, mind and spirit as she guides students to work from the inside out. Marie’s classes have a meditative atmosphere punctuated with humor and laughter. She breaks down the individual components of postures so people can work at their own level of ability that day. There are moments of challenge interspersed with moments of integration and meditative awareness. (back to top)

Colleen Schoenhard • teaching since 1985 • Classical Yoga, Amrit Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, Kundalini Yoga

Colleen began practicing yoga in 1983 and experienced profound shifts in her work, relationships, and life in general. She soon began studying more seriously with yogi Amrit Desai, founder of the Kripalu Center, Kripalu yoga and Amrit yoga. She’s attended many yoga and meditation workshops and trainings at Kripalu, the Omega Institute and the Amrit Institute. Other yoga masters Colleen has studied with include Shiva Rea, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Hari Kal Kalsa, Hari Kirin Kal Kalsa, Paulie Zink, and Beryl Bender Birch. She’s practiced Kripalu, Bikram, Amrit, and kundalini styles of yoga. Colleen is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the advanced level RYT 500 with the Yoga Alliance. Many of her students have been inspired to become registered yoga teachers. Colleen began teaching at The Yoga Garden in 1996.

Yoga, for Colleen, is a holistic science of the Self, and with consistent practice anyone can experience and realize their inherent unlimited potential. Yoga is a key to opening one’s life, to making the connection with one’s higher Self. It transforms from the inside out. What you experience on the mat, you experience off the mat. Colleen’s classes practice a uniquely designed sequence of yoga postures creating a full-body yoga workout. They simultaneously use conscious breath, inward focus, and non-judgmental awareness to move into increasingly deeper states of yoga naturally and effectively. This brings about a sense of supreme well-being on and off the mat. Colleen’s background as a musician comes through in her choice of music for each class. (back to top)

Brian Shane • teaching since 2009 • Hardstyle Russian Kettlebell

Brian has been a physical education teacher and high school college basketball coach for 20 years. He teaches strength through movement, training you to move properly. His goal is for you to develop your own functional strength, working in a smart, efficient and safe manner.  His teaching style approaches the body as an inter-connected unit and he works with you accordingly. Kettlebell training enhances joint mobility, flexibility and symmetry. Brian's classes train the body without breaking you down.

Brian's teaching style unites tension, relaxation and breath control, which are part of the hardstyle school of thought. His classes help you develop an internal focus becasue what you think about is what you will create. (back to top)

Marla Sussman • teaching since 2001 • Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga, Pre- and Postnatal Yoga, Yoga for Children

Marla was first introduced to yoga in 1990 and was immediately inspired by its spiritual and physical teachings. She began practicing more regularly in 1999 and trained at Yoga on Main where she received her certification in 2001. Since then she’s received certification in prenatal, children’s, and yin yoga. She feels very blessed to have found yoga and is honored to be able to share what she’s learned.

For Marla, yoga is an expression and a part of an individual’s journey. It can fit into any lifestyle. She encourages body awareness and compassion using grace through movement. Her classes blend soft and strenuous movement in a safe, light-hearted and nurturing environment. Breathing, exploration, and joy are at the core of each class. (back to top)

Dawn Weisbord • teaching since 2001 • Qi Gong, Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong

Dawn began practicing and studying yoga in her early twenties. This practice piqued her interest in transformation through mindful breath and movement. She began formal study of acupuncture and qi gong in 1997 at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute. There, Chan Zhang was Dawn’s first qi gong teacher. She now studies extensively with Master Li Jun Feng. Master Li has certified Dawn to teach sheng zhen qi gong. She’s studied with various other wonderful teachers including Kimberly Rigsbee, Ken Cohen, Francesco Garripoli, Master Wu Zhongxian, and Li Jing. She’s a lifetime member of the National Qi Gong Association and of Peaceable Dragon. Dawn teaches acupuncture and qi gong at the WON Institute of Graduate Studies in Glenside, PA. She holds the credentials of M.Ac., Dilp.Ac., and is a certified qi gong instructor.

Finding the practice of qi gong to be transformational and evolutionary in her own life, Dawn loves to share her joy of practice through teaching. Anyone can learn and practice the simple and profound movements of qi gong. Dawn’s classes are relaxing and energizing. With mindful movement and breath students learn to cultivate and move qi energy and can create healing, health, well-being and transformation. Students practice standing, sitting and non-moving meditative forms as well as qi self-massage. Classes are designed to benefit students of all levels. (back to top)

Marc Willner • teaching since 2006 • Kripalu Yoga

Marc, with his wife’s unwavering encouragement, gradually discovered the myriad benefits of yoga practice and the appeal of yoga philosophy. After leaving his law practice, and delving deeper into the practice of yoga, Marc received his teacher certification from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts in 2006.

Swami Kripalu taught that love is the highest practice. Marc believes that through yoga, we can cultivate the self-love and poise that facilitate all our relations and endeavors. Marc teaches in a calm, accessible manner with an emphasis on proper alignment and breathing technique. Marc encourages students to feel each posture with the fullness of breath and to use the physical practice as a gateway to introspection and liberation from the churning of the mind. (back to top)