The Karuna Team
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DIRECTORYoga Instructor & Shiatsu Practitioner E-RYT 500, YACEP, AOBTA-CP, CIYT
Paul Menard began studying yoga in 2002 & has maintained a passionate practice ever since. His background in classical dance gives him profound appreciation for the intricacy of the form that yoga affords. His elegance & grace shines through his postures & the execution of his teaching. Paul’s pursuit of a more spiritual practice led him to Karuna, where he feels blessed to have found such an open & welcoming community. In addition to yoga, Paul has a fervor for education. He completed his master’s degree in Adult Education & Training in early 2011 to complement his career as a workplace learning & development professional. He has completed the 300-hour advanced yoga teacher certification program at Karuna & is seeking other professional credentials as an educator. Paul is excited to connect his love of education & passion for yoga at Karuna.
Our Team
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Our Team 〰️
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CERTIFIED IYENGAR YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Suzie Goldstein is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and has been teaching in the Northampton community for 15 years including at Smith College and as the owner of River Valley Yoga Center for 10 years. She is dedicated to working with students of all ages to improve and restore their health and vitality. Through the intelligence of the Iyengar method, she has extensive experience observing students closely and teaching students how to stabilize and integrate the function of the muscles, bones, and joints with the nervous system while relieving pain, addressing specific injuries, disorders, dysfunctions, and common postural habits. Suzie is a rigorous teacher, but also light-hearted, fun-loving, and compassionate. She infuses her teaching with joy and enthusiasm weaving in yoga philosophy to each class. She is dedicated to cultivating a warm and loving environment where students of yoga can thrive, better understand themselves, and increase health and vitality. She adheres to “NO PAIN - NO PAIN” messaging, and through creative, adaptive, unique, and radically personalized instruction meets each student where they are each day. She hopes to make the Iyengar yoga classroom an inclusive, welcoming, interactive, collaborative, creative, healing, and equitable space that values and honors the full scope of human experience and affirms all markers of identity.
Suzie is thrilled to be offering classes at Karuna. She also works privately with students and hosts retreats. Suzie is a lifelong student first and continues to advance in the Iyengar system studying closely with her primary teacher and mentor, Senior Certified Teacher Jessica Becker, as well as Senior Certified Teachers Doerthe Braun, Marla Apt and many others. She has also studied directly with members of the Iyengar Family to whom she is eternally grateful. She honors their profound teachings that live on through Suzie and her students. Visit suziegoldstein.com for more information about Suzie.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Susan Yard Harris has been practicing yoga for most of her life and begins each day with meditation and pranayama. She has been a student of Eileen Muir’s for twenty-five years and is a graduate of Karuna’s 200- and 300- hour teacher training programs.
Susan is an artist, mother, writer, copy editor, gardener, baker, and lover of the natural world.
She has been teaching Wise Yoga since 2005, and is happy to share the health, strength, peace, and joy that yoga can bring us as we age.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Kimberley Joy Bressem is an experienced Yoga Practitioner and Teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching weekly Restorative Yoga classes, Foundations classes, and Introductory Level Asana classes. Having earned her M.A. & C.A.G.S. from American International College, she attended the University of Massachusetts where she earned her BA in Psychology. Past studies with certified Iyengar Yoga teachers such as James Gleason CIYT, Susan Elena Escudero CIYT, Jean Stawarz CIYT, Suzy Goldstein, CIYT, and most recently Jessica Becker CIYT.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Maria began studying yoga in Maine in 2001. Her first experiences with yoga were in the Iyengar tradition. She found herself teaching group fitness at her gym in 2012. This led to multiple certifications in group exercise and a personal trainer certificate. In 2022, she enrolled in a 200 hour yoga teacher training at Karuna. She fell in love with yoga philosophy and reconnected with all that had drawn her to yoga originally. She is thrilled to continue to develop her teaching at Karuna, under Paul’s mentorship. Maria's goal as a teacher is to make everyone feel welcome and appropriately challenged, and she has a passion for helping people improve their quality of life through movement. She combines a focus on alignment and form with joyful inquisitiveness. She is a lifelong learner, and plans to pursue further education and training in yoga.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Heather has been practicing yoga for 17 years. She became enamored with yoga’s profound and beautiful effects on the mind and body while living in Taipei in her early twenties. Heather has always practiced a variety of styles of yoga and most enjoys yin yoga, vinyasa, Iyengar, hot vinyasa, restorative yoga, hot yin, and guided pranayama practice. Heather is passionate about yoga and has a deep appreciation for the calm openness of mind, body, and soul that the yoga practice invites. She credits yoga for guiding her towards her path of continued healing and personal development. Heather Kovaci first earned her Yin and Restorative Teacher Training at Sacred Sounds Yoga in 2018 in New York City. Heather earned her 200-Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher certification at The Yoga Room in Queens, New York City in January of 2020. During the pandemic, Heather relocated with her partner from NYC to Western Mass! Heather taught at Sacred Roots Healing in Easthampton, MA from 2021 to 2022. After dedicating time to focusing on her own practice and getting to know the yoga community in Western Massachusetts better, Heather has found a home at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts. Heather is 34 years old and lives in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is also a local elementary school teacher of 16 years who currently teaches in Amherst. Heather is a passionate traveler who has visited 30+ countries and is always planning her next tri. She enjoys quality time spent with her partner, her dog, and her family and friends. Heather also created and leads community women's empowerment events or “goddess gatherings” since 2021. You can also connect with Heather on Instagram at @heather_kovaci_yoga.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” -Jon Kabot-Zinn
Rebeca Allessi was a public school teacher for over 35 years and understands the importance of courage, balance, and compassion. She is currently the Social and Emotional Specialist for the Northampton Public Schools, bringing high schoolers together with elementary students to practice mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. She is a graduate of the 200 hour and 300 hour Karuna Teacher Trainings with additional certifications from Yoga Ed and Breathe for Change. Rebeca has been teaching yoga for over a dozen years and is inspired by the transformative power that yoga brings to people of all ages to regulate emotions and to find peace.
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ACUPUNCTURIST
Kristin Althea O’Connor, M.Ac., L.Ac., is a Five Element Acupuncturist who aspires to help people connect with their best self. She established a her practice in NC in 2011 and also practiced in OR before bringing the needle love back home to Western MA. Kristin focuses on emotional wellness, trauma, chronic illness, addiction, and postpartum nurturing. She utilizes Medical Qigong, Cupping, Gua Sha, Essential Oils, Chinese Stone Medicine and Feng Shui to complement her practice in Amherst, MA. She loves to see people thrive and can’t wait to work with you. *Cancellation within 24 hours of the event is non - refundable without qualifying reason.
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MEDITATION LEADER
Scott came to Yoga in 2010 after an auto accident left him unable to walk without the aid of a cane. After practicing Yoga for a year, he was able to walk normally again and recognized the value of regular practice. Scott discovered Iyengar Yoga while on a business trip which led him to study at Karuna. He is grateful to study with Paul in the Iyengar tradition and enjoys leading meditation classes.
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MEDITATION LEADER
Yasmin has always been interested in personal growth, health, and well being. She pursued many avenues in this quest. Among them were years of running, strength and conditioning training, ballroom dance, Pilates, yoga, and a study of nutrition and organic gardening. Her first experience with yoga was a gentle, meditative style she practiced with teacher Dean Hudson, but he left teaching. And a career in engineering and other interests took her away from yoga. Years later, after a recovery from shoulder surgery, looking for a way to become active again, she came upon Paul Menard and Karuna. In this style of yoga she first was drawn to the attention to detail, and then found what had alluded her in previous physical pursuits. It was here that the quest for wellness took on a deeper meaning of transformation, growth, and a spiritual path to healing and fulfillment. In October 2018 she graduated from 200 hour teacher training and is excited to bring her love of yoga as a practice of body, breath, mind, and spirit to others. She is grateful for the the Karuna community where she continues on the path of healing, growth, and transformation
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Chavi Bansal is a wellness practitioner, certified yoga instructor, and choreographer with over 15 years of experience blending yoga, martial arts, dance, breathwork, and meditation to help clients achieve optimal wellness. Born and raised in India, Chavi began practicing yoga in temples as a child, training under esteemed teachers in the traditions of Adi Shankaracharya and Sivananda Saraswati.
She holds advanced certifications, including 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training from Yoga Alliance, a 500-hour Chitshakti Meditation certification, Prenatal Yoga Instructor certification, and NASM Personal Trainer certification. A Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Modern Dance from Fontys Hogescholen Voor De Kunsten in the Netherlands, Chavi’s approach is informed by both academic rigor and deep, practical experience.
Chavi has worked with diverse clients, from athletes to pre-post natal individuals, and her work with the Roxbury Tenants of Harvard and the Moving Stories Foundation has brought yoga and meditation to underserved communities. As the founder of Uncubical Wellness and Vimoksha Dance Company, she continues to offer inclusive, holistic wellness programs that promote long-term well-being.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Christian is currently a PhD student studying epidemiology at UMass Amherst and a recent graduate of the Ghosh Yoga 200 hour teacher training program. He came to yoga as a way to manage stress and incorporate mindful movement into his set of meditation practices. He aspires to continue to connect his practice with other areas of his life in order to increase his and others' well being.
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Cyla is a life-long dancer originally from Brazil with a background in tango, ballet, jazz, modern, samba, and West African dances, as well as yoga and the flowing arts. For over fourteen years, she has devoted herself deeply to Argentine Tango, and her love for community building and the dance led her to teach and organize events.
Always seeking creative ways to stay fit and challenge herself, she decided to train online and completed two certifications to teach hula hoop dance and hula hoop yoga. She now hula hoops regularly as her main form of exercise, and teaches and performs this mesmerizing dance style. She is excited to share this unique meditative and playful way of staying fit.
Cyla holds a Masters Degree in Education and has taught high school for twelve years. She brings her additional experience and skills as a professional educator to her approach to teaching Hula Hoop Dance and Tango.
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COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Camryn is currently a college student at Holyoke Community College with plans to transfer to a 4-year institution for film studies. While he is no expert at yoga, he knows a few things about graphic design. He began to create graphic design pieces as a hobby, which eventually led to him working for Karuna and managing the artistic creations of advertisements, emails, social media posts, posters, & more. He enjoys nature, mindfulness, art, & movies. Camryn is extremely thankful to have the opportunity to work for Karuna while he is still a student.
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CONSULTING DIRECTOR, E-RYT 500, YACEP, IAYT
Eileen Muir began her yoga training in 1969 at the age of 13. Her study of yoga led her to India, China, and Japan. She has been devoted to studying and teaching yoga since 1983 and practiced Vipassana Meditation for over 25 years. In 2004 she began doing Global Awareness Meditation with Adyashanti. Nisargardatta Maharaj and Adyashanti are her teachers. Nisargardatta Maharaj (1897-1981) taught Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) in Mumbai Bombay, India. She believes Adyashanti is the living embodiment of his teachings.
In addition to being a Yoga Alliance certified teacher, Eileen is also an AOBTA-certified instructor of Shiatsu therapy and she teaches a year-long 200-hour teacher training program and a 300-hour advanced teacher training. Eileen’s teaching is infused with the passion and understanding that comes from her commitment to yoga as a spiritual path to relieve suffering. Each class is an exploration into stillness, moving from gross to subtle while gently penetrating the layers of our being. She brings compassion and vitality to her classes along with close attention to every student. A native of Scotland, Eileen also brings a lively Celtic spirit and humor to her teaching.