Instructors
Instructors
Donna Mezzina : Owner/Director E- RYT 500, YACEP
Donna Mezzina is the Founder of the Yoga Solace Club and a Legacy Ambassador for Lululemon Freehold. Built on a vision of bringing affordable yoga to everyone, she brings many highly trained teachers to Yoga Solace Club. She is also the founder of Brightface Wellness Foundation, a non-profit organization bringing various forms of wellness to people in need.
www.brightfacewellnessfoundation.org
Donna is a registered yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance (200- Hour and 500-Hour certified.) She received her 200 Hour Training at Inner Light Yoga and her 500 Hour Training at Dig Yoga in Therapeutic Yoga. She has expanded her knowlege with attending Jillian Pransky's Restorative Yoga Training and her Minimal Props Teacher Training , Reiki Level 1, ReBoot:AromaReiki & Restorative Teacher Training, Prenatal Yoga with Sue ELkind at Dig Yoga. She has attended extensive master teacher trainings with senior teacher such as Seane Corn in Vinyasa Flow, as well as workshops with Kino Macgregor (Ashtanga), Sharon Gannon and David Life (Jivamukti), Dharma Mittra, and Doug Swenson (Ashtanga). Donna has also attended the Yoga Journal Conference's teacher training track, studying with senior teachers Sadie Nardini, Natasha Rizopoulos, Scott Blossom, Jason Crandell, Cyndi Lee and Desiree Rumbaugh (Anusara). Donna has been practicing yoga for over 18 years and has been teaching since 2006. She imbues her classes with her down- to-earth and easy-going style, creating a balanced and peaceful experience. She feels that helping to find inner peace and serenity is the greatest gift one can share with others. Currently she is working with the Heartfullness Meditation Center in Monroe to grow her meditation practice.
Carmela Danna : E- RYT 500
Carmela began practicing yoga to relieve stress back in 2004. She completed her 200 hour certification in March 2006 at Yoga Works in NYC and has been teaching since then. She left her full time job in Princeton, NJ to pursue her passion of teaching yoga. Yoga has had a big influence in her life and she loves to share her knowledge in class. Aside from practicing asana, Carmela enjoys a daily mediation practice. She has increased her knowledge by taking workshops with re-nowned yoga instructors such as Sean Corn, and Alan Finger, Dharma Mittra and others. Carmela is a Certified White Light Reiki Master since 2012 with many years of experience as an energy healer and practitioner. She offers private energy healing sessions and group Reiki trainings at Yoga Solace Club. In her spare time she practices yoga, Reiki and Meditation and continues her education increasing her knowledge of energy healing. This path has been a blessing and she loves to share the gift of Reiki, Yoga and Meditation to help others heal and lead a more peaceful life. She lives in Old Bridge with her husband, Michael, and enjoy spending time with her nieces and nephews.
Sherry Hsieh : E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Sherry first discovered yoga at her local gym where she casually practiced for a number of years. Over the ensuing years, she was exposed to various yoga lineages, styles and teachers. Sherry has been deeply influenced by several of those teachers: they include a physical therapist, a kinesiologist, and a functional movement specialist.
Sherry received her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher certification through Lara Heimann (Yogastream, Princeton, NJ) and her 500 Hour Yoga Teacher certification through Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny (DIG Yoga, Lambertville, NJ). She firmly believes in empowering the students with the foundation and knowledge to ultimately become their own best teacher.
Sheri Glick : E- RYT 500
Sheri has 25 years of experience in the health and healing field. She has always been curious about the body/ mind connection & ways to restore, nourish & heal from the inside out. She is a 500- ERYT with Yoga Alliance & has taken thousands of hours of training throughout the country in yoga, therapy and hands on healing. She is a level 4 Reiki Master and has certifications in Neuromuscular Therapy and Cranial-Sacral Therapy. Sheri is a licensed New Jersey Massage Therapist, providing her clients with hands on treatments & one on one yoga therapy. She believes yoga is medicine & if done mindfully, can restore & heal the body. Sheri got her first 200 hour training with The Freehold Yoga Center and was so inspired, she continued on her yoga journey with a 300 training at The Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy School, and an additional 500 hours of training in integrated yoga therapy through The Urban Zen Foundation in New York City. Her most recent yoga training was 300 hours with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee at their Yoga Shanti studio in Sag Harbor New York. She is also certified to teach mediation through Integral Yoga taught to her by Reverend Jaganath Carrera. Sheri uses aromatherapy with most of her sessions, as she views essential oils as "magic in a bottle." Sheri uses aromatherapy with most of her private sessions.
Alicia Perez : RYT 200
Alicia began her love of Eastern philosophy at the Ohashi Institute in New York City where she completed training in Ohashitastu. Alicia has completed 200 hour training in Hatha Yoga as well as Y4C (Yoga for Cancer). She has also trained in Yoga for Chinese Medicine and Alchemy of the Chakras. Her goal is to empower the yogi to find their inner teacher and follow their own unique path. Her classes will offer a chance for each individual to experience it on their own level while still being gently guided. Alicia considers herself to be a teacher and a lifelong student, and strives to incorporate mindfulness and conscious living into her everyday life. She is honored to be in the chain of teacher/student and opens her heart and mind to nurturing a community of love and light through her classes and encourages everyone to breathe, smile and enjoy!
Patrick Bedrose : RYT 200
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Patrick is a NJ native who is passionate about the mind body connectivity and exploring creative ways to challenge that connection through movement. He has been moving for 28 years and has been practicing Yoga now for 4. He found Yoga a few years after transitioning from Military life in Norfolk VA back to a human life where ever he chooses. Having graduated from the Yoga Peace Kula’s 200RYT training in January of 2019 his intent is to share the knowledge and experience of Yoga with you each time you join him in or out of the studio, on or off the mat for some fun. Yoga has served him rather well and he looks forward to serving you through Yoga. He believes in living an authentic life and feels strongly the practice of Yoga is unifying, liberating and a beautiful expression of an authentic self. When he’s not in the studio practicing asana catch him skateboarding or at any of the local health food stores learning nutrition..
Danielle Severson : E-RYT 500
Danielle’s yoga journey began in 2007 after the birth of her second child. Ailed with back pain for most of her life, she was amazed by the relief that yoga provided. Like so many others, her focus shifted and her journey became one of self discovery. After exploring different types of yoga, Danielle found that Ashtanga satiated the need and desire for the deeper practices she was seeking. Danielle received her Yoga Alliance 500 hour certification from Trishula Yoga under the guidance of her teacher, Zoe Mai. With the deepest gratitude to her supportive family, she has had many opportunities to study with the great master teachers of the Ashtanga lineage as well as complete many teacher trainings with Manju Jois. Danielle’s studies of Sanskrit, meditation, and the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga continue and nothing brings more joy than sharing what she has learned along the way with others.
Ariana Speranza : E-RYT 200
Ariana began her yoga journey in 2014 when she was a senior in high school. She first started her craft by studying dance since the age of two. Since she had the background of dance since an early age it helped her connect with the asanas in a physical way. She did not know that after taking one class, she would soon be hooked. She completed her RYT 200 hr and level 2 Reiki certification. She aspires to grow her teaching abilities more and more everyday. She has learned over time that it is not about how perfect you can make a pose, it is about the journey of getting to the pose and finding patience within your body. She makes sure that in everyones yoga practice they face their fears and surprise themselves every time they go onto their mats. She wants to acknowledge the present moment and be living in the now. She is honored to share her practice with everyone and wants everyone to feel and believe that they are beautiful and graceful.
Destinee Walker : RYT 300
Destinee was fairly athletic growing up she played volleyball and basketball in high school. She had heard about yoga but never tried it, until the unexpected happened her grandpa had passed away in 2012 and that changed her life drastically. Then after he passed 27 days later she lost her dad. This was when she had entered a dark time, she was currently in college at the time, and found herself breaking down in the middle of lectures. It wasn’t a great time for her. That is until she found yoga in 2013 ( Self taught yogi ) which helped amazingly ! Fast forward to now 2018 she is on the road to becoming a yoga teacher under the watchful eye of Maria Preuster (Jivamukti Teacher) Who is truly amazing. She thanks Yoga for what it has done for her, and feels she owes her life to it in a way. Thinking of her dad and grandpa are literally the reasons she return to her mat every, single time. Thank you Yoga........
Maria Preuster : Jivamukti 1000 Hour Senior Teacher
Maria graduated Jivamukti Teacher Training in 2001 amongst the last group to complete the year training at the NYC center. She had the privilege of apprenticing with Master Teacher and Jivamukti co-founder Sharon Gannon and received her advanced certification in 2005. Having taught for over 12 years at Jivamukti NYC she is known for her clear instruction and expertise in sequencing, alignment, and hands on assists. Her loving and disciplined style help create a mood in which one can work to surpass both physical and mental limitations safely. Maria has served as mentor to many Jivamukti teachers as well as at the 2009 teacher training at Omega Institute. She had the honor of being Director of Continuing Education for Jivamukti from 2009 to 2011. In addition to her yoga studies Maria graduated from The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2002 as a Holistic Health Counselor. Her health counseling and desire to heal her own disease through yoga and diet have led her to a high raw food lifestyle, which she specializes in teaching others. Recently re-locating to NJ with her husband and daughter Maria looks forward to making Jivamukti more available in Monmouth County and surrounding areas.
