Adelle Brownlee Brewer Owner, The Synergy Studio, Nia Instructor & Reiki Sensei Adelle Brownlee Brewer is a nationally certified Black Belt Nia instructor, Reiki Sensei, and Professional Fiber Artist. She has been dancing and teaching in the field of art for over 30 years. Adelle teaches Classic Nia, as well as Nia 5 Stages, an integrative movement class based on the five stages of human development: Embryonic, Creeping, Crawling, Standing and Walking. Practiced with awareness, these stages have the power to facilitate optimal alignment, improved function and comfort in the body. She also offers Nia workshops and presentations throughout the US and Mexico, as well as demonstrations for companies and special groups. Adelle also works with patients in pain management, women dealing with sexual trauma and eating disorders, as well as offering private instruction for those who want a more individualized experience. "Teaching Nia to people in special situations has been rewarding, as well as challenging. Seeing smiles on the faces of people who have been afraid to move, or have felt disconnected from their body, makes every class a true joy for me. We shimmy, kick, sway, punch, laugh and sing our way to health!" Adelle can be reached at adellebrewer@gmail.com.

Diana Jacaman Yoga Instructor Diana Jacaman is a certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. She began her yoga adventure in Mexico City 12 years ago, where she studied with many internationally renowned teachers of the Iyengar Method such as Shirley Daventry French and Margot Kitchen (Canada); Dharmariya (Germany); Jawahar Banghera (India); Joan White and Gloria Goldberg (USA). In 2004 Diana was certified by Dona Holleman in Italy in a 4-year program, and in 2003 she attended a month long yoga intensive in Chennai, India with Dr. Krishna Raman, a physician and student of BKS Iyengar who integrates yoga and western medicine in his medical practice. In 2007 Diana was also certified by the Herta Rogg Foundation in a teacher training program consisting of 800 hours of practice in asana, pranayama, biomechanics, anatomy, yoga philosophy and teaching methodology. That same year she took her first intensive at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India. Newly arrived in San Antonio, Diana is excited about sharing the fascinating world of yoga with our community. Diana can be contacted at djacaman@hotmail.com.

Karen Barbee Adkisson Belly Dance Instructor Karen Barbee Adkisson began studying belly dancing at the age of 10. Over three decades later, Karen has developed a teaching methodology for this ancient dance form based on technical precision, soulful innovation, and cultural respect. Having studied and performed in Egypt and Lebanon, Karen is now in demand to present her style of belly dance instruction to students all over the United States, Canada, and South America. Karen has operated Karavan Belly Dance Productions for over 20 years, directed numerous staged productions of Middle Eastern Dance, and has worked with some of the most highly acclaimed musicians in the business. Known for her clear and precise explanation of this complex form of movement, Karen has produced several instructional DVDs of this dance and has trained some of the country's leading professional dancers. She now teaches group classes at the Synergy Studio and is available for private technical work and performance coaching. Visit her website at www.karavansa.com to see a schedule of her performances and workshops, video clips, and other information on belly dance. Karen can be reached at karavansa@aol.com.

Joanie Brooks is a nationally certified Nia Black-Belt instructor from San Antonio, Texas. Joanie began her Nia path in 1994 and has obtained all her Nia belts (white, blue, brown and black) under the study of Debbie & Carlos Rosas, the co-founders of the Nia Technique. Joanie's Nia classes focus on developing student's self-awareness & body wisdom through movement to promote fitness, strength, power, creativity and personal growth. Her mission is to share the joy of Nia and to help others reclaim their body's natural way of moving. "As a teacher of Nia, joy of movement and truly caring for people are my motivations. I believe we are as young as our spirit allows us to be. It is through an open mind and a true connection to joy that we can free, strengthen and heal our body, mind and spirit. Nia has awakened my inner child, and has made me feel timeless, ageless and weightless. I now stay fit by dancing, laughing, skipping and playing on the floor."

In addition to her Nia classes, Joanie offers Nia workshops, presentations, and has used Nia in therapy groups and with cancer rehab patients. She also offers personalized Nia 1 on 1 conditioning sessions on the principles and practice of Nia for students and Nia teachers at her home studio. Contact Joanie for schedule and session rates.

Joanie can be reached at brooks.joanie@gmail.com.

Yoga is an opportunity to expand and strengthen all of us! We practice yoga to wake up the mind and body in order to find freedom and joy, not necessarily feats of physical accomplishment; that is why we begin yoga practice by including both mind and body as one.

Mary Ellen Rose teaches Yoga at two Alamo Community Colleges as well as The Synergy Studio. She holds an MFA in Theatre Design which brought her to Texas to teach Costume Design and Period Movement at Trinity University. To Rose, the mind-body connection has always been important. She has been working in advertising for many years, where stress is constantly generated. She states, this is when anxiety took over and fortunately Yoga intervened! Rose encourages her students to get out of their heads and into their bodies.

In addition to her Yoga Alliance 200 Certification, she specializes in a deep relaxation/ meditation technique called iRest, Yoga Nidra, and is currently the only iRest, Yoga Nidra Instructor in Texas. Rose has also worked with women who have substance abuse problems. Her students learn that an anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.

You can contact Mary Ellen Rose at rose@texas.net

Emilie Rogers began her yoga practice 25 years ago with her first teacher, Esther Vexler. In 1999 she became certified in the Iyengar method, and is currently the only certified Iyengar yoga teacher in San Antonio. Besides teaching at Synergy, she teaches at St. Philips College, University of the Incarnate Word, and University Presbyterian Church's SoL Center.

Emilie can be reached at texyoga@sbcglobal.net.

Esther Vexler has been widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of Yoga. She was one of the first Yoga teachers in San Antonio and has mentored and inspired many people who have pursued Yoga as a practice and a profession. We are lucky to have her at The Synergy Studio!

Esther can be reached at chatarra@aol.com.

Devon Welsch received her M.F.A. from The University of Utah in Ballet Teaching and Choreography. She additionally holds a B.S. in Marketing and a B.F.A. in Ballet Performance. Devon danced with Utah Ballet until knee surgeries encouraged her to become a teacher and share her love of movement with others.

Devon taught Ballet at Saint Marys Hall, a private preparatory school in San Antonio, Texas, from 2004 to 2008. While teaching Middle and Upper School students, she was the Artistic Director and Choreographer for The Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadere.

Following knee surgeries Devon was introduced to Pilates as a part of Physical Therapy. Devoted to the study of Pilates since 2001, she has been a Qualified Fletcher Pilates Teacher since 2008.

Devon can be reached at pilatesroomatsynergy@gmail.com

Jan Jarboe Russell is a Black Belt Nia instructor. Jan uses Nia in her own work as a writer and journalist to encourage free self-expression. Her Nia classes focus on healing the body - and the creative mind - through physical movement. Jan teaches regular classes at Synergy Studio. She has also led "Writing From the Body" Nia workshops at Gemini Ink, San Antonio's literary organization.

Jan can be reached at janjarboerussell@aol.com.

Jennifer Ortega is a Certified Nia Green Belt Instructor who has been teaching since January 2008. She found Nia 3 years ago when she discovered the joy and freedom Nia offers to everybody. From that first class, Jennifer knew she needed to share her joy and passion of Nia to the world. Jenn teaches with athleticism, creativity, an active imagination and a whole lot of enthusiasm. When she is not teaching Nia, Jennifer is a full time model and actress and has found that the principles of Nia have brought her into a deeper understanding of herself and her body which she is able to weave into her profession.

Jenn can be reached at releasethemadness@yahoo.com.

Alycia has always been drawn to movement and the freedom she found in movement as meditation. She grew up dancing as well as riding sport horses, eventually transitioning from a young rider to professional status, teaching classical horsemanship to a myriad of age groups. A disabling car accident in 2004 cut her riding career short; during rehabilitation she discovered the healing powers of yoga. Alycia discovered that yoga did more then just strengthen her body... it helped to mend her broken heart and soul.
In 2007 the Esther Vexlar Yoga School was established, and Alycia became a part of the first class of the first Hatha yoga school in San Antonio. Now as a RYT 200, she is excited to share and have the opportunity to inspire others through the art and practice of yoga.

Alycia can be contacted at pugoet@hotmail.com.

Angela became a Kundalini Yoga Instructor in 2003. She has been teaching Kundalini yoga for the past 7 years for NEISD & Divine Yoga.

Anglea became passionate about yoga when she found that it was a great stress relief for her. "When I discovered yoga I was at my fastest pace in life. I am lucky to have found yoga to help me slow down. I enjoy teaching others in the hopes they leave with at least one technique they can apply to their daily routine." She is an avid outdoors woman who loves animals.

Anglea can be contacted at akellar@satx.rr.com

Debby Andersen began her yoga studies while traveling in India, and since then it has been her purpose to guide people to healing and awareness through many different modalities.

She is a certified Yoga teacher (Yoga Vidya Gurukal in Nasik, India), a Qualified Fletcher Pilates teacher, and an Ayurvedic Educator. The common thread in all of these practices is the emphasis on the breath: the body's primary source of energy. Debby specializes in breathwork, a type of energy healing which utilizes an ancient yogic pranayama (breathing) technique. Debby has been trained by David Elliott (author of The Reluctant Healer and Healing) to guide group breath circles and private breath sessions. For more information, visit her website: www.debbyandersen.com.

Debbie can be reached at debby.andersen@gmail.com

Fred Chavez has been a tai chi (taiji) and qigong practitioner since 1992. During that time he has studied the Chen, Yang and Sun styles of tai chi and numerous forms of qigong.

He has been a Certified Tai Chi for Arthritis (TCA) Instructor with the Arthritis Foundation since January 2007. In December 2008, he became a Certified Instructor of Evidence-Based Taiji and Qigong (EBT) with the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies. (www.centerfortaiji.com)

Currently, Fred is commuting monthly to study medical qigong at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA. Studies will conclude in the Fall of 2010 and will result in a certificate as a Medical Qigong Practitioner. Additionally, he writes a free twice monthly e-newsletter (Between Two Moons) on following the Dao and other Daoist qi cultivation practices.

Fred may be contacted at either taichihealthdynamics.com or integralqigong.com.

Robin Getter

Robin Getter has taught African and Afro-Jazz Dance for 20 years, most recently through her school Robin Getter School of Rhythms and Dance in operation since 1993.Her studies include three trips to West Africa, two summers at the Katherine Dunham Technique Seminar, Alvin Ailey American School of Dance, Perry Mansfield in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, plus numerous workshops, classes and camps all over the US including 6 years at Bantu Camp in Santa Fe New Mexico. She specializes in traditional dance and choreography from Guinea, West Africa studying most closely with Abdoulaye Camara since 1999 and Fara Tolno since 2001.

Robin is also a certified Feldenkrais practitioner, a somatic modality including classes called Awareness Through Movement and individual lessons which strive to improve flexibility, posture and movement efficiency. Additionally, she is a certified Professional Ski Instructor of America, has taught skiing at the Steamboat Ski Resort since 1981 and was nominated for Ski Instructor of the Year by Ski Magazine in 2001.

Robin can be contacted at gogetter@springsips.com.

Sarita Rodriguez discovered the inspirational power of Nia in 1999 but has known the joy of dance as long as she can remember. "I see photographs of myself as a three year-old child swaying the lacy skirts of La Pollera (the national dress of Panama) and cant help but move to the drum beats of my heart." In 2006, after seven years of dancing and experiencing Nia in Austin,Texas, Sarita trained and studied with nationally renowned Nia Black Belt Trainer, Holly Curtis in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she completed her White Belt training. In February 2009, she studied with Nia co-founder Carlos Rosas to become a Certified Green Belt Instructor.
Sarita draws from her Caribbean roots (both Panamanian and Puerto Rican) to guide the rhythm, energy and grace of her expressive dance that thrives in the joy of Nia. "I love Nia because it provides a dynamic and disciplined framework for exploring natural movement and self-discovery. The Nia elements of form and freedom enrich my soul. Nia continues to increase my body-knowledge and encourages me to lovingly build my mind, body and spirit. I aspire to share that knowledge and experience with students in class."

Sarita can be reached at saritula@gmail.comcom.

Cheryl Alexander

Cheryl Alexander began practicing yoga in 1973 in San Antonio with young swamis initiated by Sri Swami Satchidananda (d.) in the Integral Hatha Yoga tradition. She continued study from 1982-1986 in Ft. Worth TX, Monroe NY, and San Francisco CA with Vyas Houston, MA, founder of The American Sanskrit Institute. She received her first teaching certification from V. Houstons teacher, and the teacher she considers her "Root Guru": Ramamurthi Mishra, M.D. (neurologist; d.) who became Sri Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Uddasina. Her interests are in the archetypal significant healing potential of yoga, especially through Ayurveda and art.

Cheryl Alexander has created, studied and taught Art since 1971 and Yoga since l980 to people of all ages and abilities. She and her staff trained 30 RYTs in AZ 2001-2004. Her passion in teaching is to guide students to their personal edges, where they can access the space to go farther physically, mentally and spiritually, and to have a lot of fun on the way!

Cheryl can be reached at calexander88@msn.com.

Diedre LaCour

Deidre LaCour is assistant director for The Urban 15 Group, an organization that devotes its energies to creating unique artworks combining Music, Movement and Media for communities throughout Texas, Mexico and the U.S. She is a soloist and performer with Utopian Dance Ensemble and Anike dance ensemble.
Deidre is also an instructor with the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation department, where she teaches African, Afro-Brazilian, and Belly dance.

Dierdre can be contacted at lacour69@hotmail.com.

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Elizabeth began dancing ballet at age 15, and at age 19 she studied and performed in several ballets with the Ballet Austin dance company. She discovered Flamenco and after graduating from The University of Texas in Austin, she moved to Seville, Spain where she perfected Flamenco for seven years. There she also discovered Integral Yoga and Belly dancing and performed in several Moroccan establishments. Elizabeth noticed the important influences of Belly dance as well as Spanish dance and began incorporating the two dance forms in her own choreography.She toured Canada in 2003, as the guest Flamenco soloist in "Spain Meets Canada II" under the direction of Kari Alba. She taught several intensive Flamenco workshops and realized that teaching beginner students was not only rewarding, but it also influenced her to create another way of teaching Flamenco without wearing shoes and aggravating the joints.

Elizabeth holds her Pilates mat certification with Polestar Education and has now created the Andalusi Dance Class, which combines Pilates, Belly dance and Flamenco to promote health through movement.

Elizabeth can be contacted at risaexplosiva@hotmail.com.

Jane Clanton Bick, M.Ed. is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique with over twenty years of teaching experience in the Technique. She received her training from the renowed master Alexander teacher, Marjorie Barstow, taught for over fifty years. Ms. Bick has taught workshops around the U.S. and in France and currently runs a practice in Austin, where she has taught since 1993.

Jane Bick can be reached at janebick@att.net.

Kitty has been a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance since 2005 after completing the yoga teacher training program at Stillpoint Studios in Tampa, FL. She has been instructing yoga classes since 1997. Her yoga classes are high energy and fun and emphasize body awareness, alignment, and breath. She uses her background in dance, acrobatics, and performance arts to combine yoga elements in a way that is pertinent and challenging to each participant regardless of their abilities.

A long time student of Iyengar Yoga, she has studied under Karin Stephan in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 2005. Working with Karin has given her insight into analyzing and working with individual structural patterns to help her students find balance within their asymmetric bodies.

Kitty believes that a regular yoga practice helps bring the body and the mind into balanced alignment and helps participants develop a strong sense of their inner self. She teaches yoga at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church as part of their religious education program in addition to private and semi-private classes.

Kitty can be contacted at KBevis@satx.rr.com.

Charlotte Jorgensen is a Black Belt Nia instructor and has been teaching Nia for 9 years. She has been a fitness instructor since 1986 and is certified as a Group Exercise Leader through the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Charlotte has found that the Nia mind-body-spirit approach to fitness holds a wonderful element of healing. With NIA, she has increased her flexibility, strength, creative expression and body awareness. She brings this awareness to her classes.

Charlotte can be reached at ckerrj@grandecom.net

Competition was a way of life for Meg, dating back to childhood when being one of nine children left few other options. "I didn't know that peace was one of them!" Athletics was a way for Meg to exhibit her strength and to be noticed among the crowd. Many years of competitive sports, however, will take its toll. A spinal injury and severe back pain ended what had been a life-long hobby and career, but opened the door for a whole new way of living. Meg chose yoga to rehabilitate her body after her injury, and found that yoga not only heals the body, but also the mind and spirit. "Yoga becomes our way of being in the world...a way of peace and strength, combined."

Meg can be reached at mstecher@mindspring.com.

Dr. Sreedhara Akkihebbalu is a physician and yoga therapist. He has practiced yoga for 16 years with senior Iyengar yoga teacher Sri H.S. Arun in Bangalore, India. Sreedhara attended the SVYASA, a university of yogic sciences in India, and later taught the yoga therapy instructor's course at the center. His medical background has aided him in combining the modern scientific understanding of anatomy and physiology with the ancient practice and philosophy of yoga. Sreedhara is a student of Vedanta, has studied Sanskrit, and he is also a highly acclaimed Indian classical dancer.

The Synergy Studio is honored to have Sreedhara as part of our Yoga School Faculty.

Sreedhara can be contacted at Dr. Sreedhara Akkihebbalu

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