Yoga

Cindy Sims

Yoga, Ayurveda, Massage

Cindy has been practicing and studying yoga for the past 30 years. She has been a devoted student of the Ashtanga yoga lineage originated by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. In 1995 she began her yoga journey with Richard Freeman, Ashtanga master teacher, in her home town of Boulder Co. She has also studied with Ashtanga masters, Tim Miller, David Swenson, Eddie Stern, Dena Kingsbury, Johnny Smith and many more. She has since taught at many studios all around Sonoma county. She spent five years teaching teenagers at Sonoma Academy High school, a private college prep school, in Santa Rosa. Cindy has also studied Ayurveda and Ayurvedic bodywork at Mount Madonna Institute. Cindy teaches in a playful, lighthearted way, full of compassion and dedication to the practice. Her deep affinity for the Ashtanga lineage, and this sacred healing modality, inspires and empowers her students. Her classes are Ashtanga based, focusing on the Breath, moving through a Vinyasa style class. Each class has a theme where attention is focused on different aspects of the practice: Balancing poses, hip openers, core strengthening, backbends, upper back & shoulders, heart & chest opening and twist and binds. Sunday class is Half Led Primary series.

Larissa Shanti

Yoga

Larissa came to her yoga practice with the intention of improving her mobility, but soon realized it was helping her mentally, and emotionally. Yoga helped Larissa heal her anxiety and negative thought patterns, leading to a shift back to who she was in essence. She started to feel more open emotionally, self-aware, and connected through her yoga practice. Larissa’s personal transformation and connection to yoga became her driving factor in becoming a yoga teacher. Larissa has expanded her teaching practice across various styles, including Yin, Aerial, and most recently completed a postgraduate program in yogic science and Ayurveda. Larissa has taught internationally in Thailand, the UAE and is currently teaching in her hometown of Mendocino. She believes yoga can help establish a deep human connection with oneself and the world in all its forms; human, plant, and animal. Yoga, to Larissa, is a way of being in the world, a philosophy to guide, and a practice to stay focused and motivated. Larissa helps people reconnect with their bodies and breath, emphasizing that it is the first step to reconnecting with the world, and discovering the deeper parts of our being. Larissa teaches various styles, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Aerial, and Acroyoga.

Ashley Nieminen

Yoga

Ashley is a local yoga practitioner who grew up on the Mendocino coast taking classes locally for 5 years before she completed her first Yoga Teacher Training in Bali, Indonesia in 2016 and is certified in Vinyasa and Restorative Yoga.

Ashley’s style connects to an intentional mindset as a dynamic tool to tap into a deeper part of the self for a motivational and uplifting experience. Her classes can be explained as a moving, breathing meditation.

Connecting with others through creative movement, energetic expression and enhancing one’s overall wellbeing, relationship and awareness with the Self is her passion.

Style

• Guided meditation allows us to arrive to the mat and be in the present moment as we awaken the breath, set intention within the practice. Through Vinyasa/Hatha flow we maintain connection to steady breathing- pranayama, that sustains our energy and guides movement.
• Alignment in the postures create stability in our anatomy. Internal heat we create opens the soft tissues allowing our electrical current of the fascial system to flow freely.
• We pause to listen to the body.
• Shift into a state of being rather than doing.
• Channeling a positive new energy and reset in the nervous system all in preparation for stillness.

Annapoorna Arama

Yoga, Ayurveda & Reiki

I am an Ayurvedic practitioner, Reiki master, and yoga guide, specializing in prana management. My journey began in music and dance, focusing on classical Indian styles, before I transitioned to yoga. I integrate awareness, meaning, and intent from classical Indian traditions into my teaching and practice. My classes reflect my training in Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, allowing me to create a balanced practice for my students. With years of experience in Reiki, I now study and practice at the master level.

Amy George

Yoga

Amy, a Pittsburgh native, is blessed to call this magical little village of Mendocino home. She is excited to be part of the community and to teach at Santosha. Amy’s yoga journey started when she discovered asana at age 16, which eventually led her into yogic philosophy and spiritual life at large. She earned her 200 RYT in 2023 and is currently studying for her 500 RYT. She is excited to see you on the mat!

Mindful Flow

In Mindful Flow, expect to be guided through an intentional, slower-paced, creative vinyasa flow. All bodies and ability levels are welcome.

Healing touch (assists) is offered for a deepened experience.

Deborah Phillips

Yoga

Deborah Phillips was born and raised in northern California where she studied modern dance and performed in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sonoma and Mendocino counties. She is a certified Ananda Yoga Instructor following the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. This practice integrates the use of positive affirmations along with asana practice. Her yoga teaching style has been heavily influenced by her modern dance training as well as her study of various healing arts modalities. She lived in the Caribbean for 22 years teaching yoga and theater arts to adults and children before returning to California in 2016. She has taught yoga classes in Mendocino County to adults and children at Yoga Mendocino, The Ukiah Valley Athletic Club, Manzanita Wellness Center, Juvenile Hall, SPACE Performing Art Center and Boys and Girls Club Ukiah. Deborah just recently moved to Fort Bragg and looks forward to sharing her teaching throughout the community.

Debbie Garduno

Pilates

I have 20 years of experience in Pilates, I bring a deep understanding of movement, alignment, and the connection between strength, mobility, and overall wellness.

I am passionate about helping people feel stronger, move better, and build sustainable fitness and wellness practices. My Pilates education includes training with both STOTT PILATES® and Balanced Body®, along with advanced study in movement principles, including the low back.

My approach combines thoughtful movement, functional strength, and a strong emphasis on body awareness—creating Pilates experiences that are both challenging and purposeful.

Kari Holman

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a subtle, anatomically informed therapy that orients to the inherent health underlying injury, illness, and psycho-emotional patterns at play in the body. Whether it be the compounding effects of stress, chronic and acute ailments, or post accident or procedure challenges, BCST facilitates rebalance of the nervous system, release of held patterns, and reorganization within the tissues. This is a deeply relaxing, holistic approach to wellness.

Franz Arner

Tai Chi & Qi Gong

Franz Arner began his training in the Chinese Internal Martial and Healing Arts in 1978 at Kuo Lin Ying’s studio in San Francisco. He continued his studies with his main teachers, Master Henry Huang for Daoist Chi Gung, and Sam Tam for Tai Chi Chuan and I Chuan Standing Meditation. He studied one on one for over ten years with both teachers. He has also practiced sitting meditation, including Daoist, Zen Meditation and Vipashana. He has been teaching and practicing these arts for over 35 years, as well as leading Chi Gung & Yoga workshops with his wife, Cherie Christiansen in the Yucatan, Mexico. He now focuses his energy on daoist and healing Chi Gung and meditation. Currently he is teaching a form of healing Chi Gung called Dao Shu Ziran, or Wisdom of the Trees Chi Gung.