Dear Yogis

All of us seek " beauty and truth" in our lives and in our relationships. Come join a radical "detox" movement that will celebrate a weekend of sweet yoga, live music and led dance flows. Where in each yoga workshop and intensive the nakedness of your breath and the bareness of your bodily sensation become real doorways to self transformation. Come get high on your breath, cleanse and purify your mind and body in a powerful community of human beings who believe that your life becomes full when you are empty.

Each day at the midwest yoga conference promises that you will leave feeling lighter, healthier and happier in mind, body and spirit!

In kindness,
Jonny

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Conference presenters

Yoga Classes South Florida | Temple Arts

DR. INDU ARORA

Dr. Indu Arora is a true Yogini by Karma. She is highly accomplished international speaker, Master Yoga Teacher & Yoga Therapist, very successful Ayurveda Consular, Healer and Author, with more than 30,000 hours/ 13 years of teaching experience. She is an Academic Board member of the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of Northern America (AAPNA), Board member of the World Movement of Yoga and International Advisor to World Yoga Council. She has a Doctorate in Alternate Medicine (MD) and a Medicinal Herbalism degree. Awarded with Yoga Shiromani and Yoga Bhaskar, she has a Grand Parenting E-500 T-500 from Yoga Alliance and is registered Yoga Therapist. Dr. Arora is pursuing her PhD. in Metaphysical Sciences from University of Metaphysical Sciences, CA. She writes regularly for YOGA Chicago and Tathaastu magazine. She is awarded with the titles "Sage Award for Excellence in Teaching Meditation", "Gem of India" and "Ray of Hope" for Yoga, Meditation, Wellness and Holistic Healing. She travels globally for International Yoga Therapy Teacher Training programs, Yoga and Ayurveda Retreats, Conferences etc. Her philosophy is "Nothing has the greatest Power to heal, But SELF".

JIM BENNITT

Jim's studies of Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda have taken him around the world including Ukraine, Russia, Egypt and India.  He is part of an authentic lineage, which dates back thousands of years to the Himalayas. Jim's classes are a complete practice including asana, pranayama, mudra and bandha resulting in samyama (deep meditation).

CORNELL COLBERT

Dr. Colbert has been in Dental Practice for over 30 years. Overcoming pain related to Dentistry led him to Yoga 20 yrs. ago. After Yoga teacher training with Jonny Kest, Cornell began studies in Yoga Therapy with Ginger Garners’ Professional Yoga Therapy Studies (PYTS). Dr. Colbert believes the future of 21st century healing depends on a seamless merger of our Western Medical System with the ancient Eastern Ayurvedic Healing Practices. Cornell  currently teaches at the Center for Yoga Studios in West Bloomfield and Birmingham, Michigan and practices Yoga Therapy in Ferndale, Michigan. Dr. Colbert also teaches Yoga at the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry in Detroit, Michigan.  He also presents his course: Stress, Yoga and the Practice of Dentistry at national professional meetings throughout the year.

John Douillard

Dr. John Douillard is the former Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Nets and has written and produced 18 health and fitness books, CD's and DVD's. Dr. Douillard publishes a nationally known video-newsletter on health issues and cutting edge research available at www.LifeSpa.com. He is the author of The Yoga Body Diet, The 3-Season Diet; Body, Mind, and Sport; Perfect Health for Kids and The Encyclopedia of Ayurvedic Massage. He is the creator of the LifeSpa Ayurvedic Skincare and Herbal Line and currently directs LifeSpa, an Ayurvedic Retreat Center, where he offers consultations and personalized Panchakarma Detox Retreats. He lives with his wife and six children in Boulder, CO.

DAREN FRIESEN

Daren Friesen is the owner and director of Moksha Yoga Center in Chicago, one of the largest studios in the midwest. Daren has been teaching and practicing yoga for over 20 years. Having been influenced by Astanga and Vinyasa Flow, his style incorporates tantric techniques such as bandhas, mudras, and kriyas. Daren believes that yoga is needed more than ever in our hectic modern day lifestyle.

TYMI HOWARD

TYMI HOWARD is the Owner and Director of Guruv Yoga <http://www.guruvyoga.com/> in Central Florida. Tymi is a Certified Yoga Instructor at the 500 E-RYT level with Yoga Alliance, and is known in the yoga community as a skillful practitioner, and a dynamic, non-dogmatic, playful teacher! Leading ROCKIN Classes,workshops, retreats and Yoga Teacher Trainings is how she dedicates herself to spreading the transformational gift of yoga!

Her introduction to yoga began in NYC in 1993 after years of ballet and several nagging injuries. After much soul searching, she found her way into an Ashtanga class... what a humbling, yet magical experience! It wasn't until she moved to California years later that she began to seek out this "yogic lifestyle" and embrace it mind, body and SOUL. Having been influenced by so many gifted teachers, she gives thanks for each of them and hopes that she can be a vessel through which God's Grace and gifts may flow..forever a student!

Rina Jakubowicz

Rina Jakubowicz has been active in the field of yoga for more than ten years. Known in Miami as a teacher of teachers, her studios, Rina Yoga, continue to serve the community. She is an inspiring young author whose first book, Choose Peace, empowers others to feel the potential that they have within and instill motivation for deeper healing.

She is a frequent guest personality on Univision's Tu Desayuno Alegre and was chosen for Discovery Channel's first yoga segments to be aired in Latin America. Rina continues to conduct her unique teacher trainings and travels extensively hosting workshops and international retreats. For more information about Rina, please visit www.rinajaku.com

SHAKTA KAUR

Shakta Kaur Kezios, E-RYT, is an international teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as taught by Yogi Bhajan.  She owns Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL) located in downtown Chicago, Illinois.  KYL offers its 200-hour “Aquarian Teacher” Training Program (certified by the Kundalini Research Institute) each year beginning in the fall.  For yogis/holistic business owners interested in improving their business skills Shakta teaches and co-hosts a “Teach more, Earn More, Serve More” twice each year.  She is certified to train Breathwalk® (walking meditation) instructors.  From 2004 to 2008 Shakta served as Secretary, Chair of the Board and Interim President/CEO of Yoga Alliance (YA).  In 1987 Shakta (aka Susan P. Kezios) founded Women in Franchising, Inc. (WIF) and in 1993 she founded the American Franchisee Association (AFA).

QUINN KEARNEY

Quinn Kearney discovered yoga in 1990. He teaches and practices a blend of ashtanga and Iyengar yoga with an appreciation of shamanism. Quinn feels that the practice is an extraordinary means of integrating and understanding body, mind and spirit. His teaching is inspirational, supportive, non-dogmatic and constantly evolving. Quinn has and continues to study with many senior teachers all over the world, but his principle teachers at this point, are the students and instructors he works with at his studio, yogaview in Chicago.  He also teaches retreats abroad and helps direct and create yogaview’s teacher training courses.

Chris Kilham

Chris Kilham is a long-time practitioner and presenter of yoga and meditation. Since 1971 Chris has taught yoga to thousands of people in classes at colleges, universities, dance centers, conferences, hospitals and jails. Chris integrates fundamentals of yoga, meditation and the martial arts, to enhance mind/body integration and to promote healthy aging. His best-selling yoga book, The Five Tibetans, is published in twenty languages. The New York Times describes Chris as "part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones." A medicine hunter by profession, Chris travels the world in search of natural remedies, and appears on TV and radio programs globally. He has studied and learned from numerous yogis, mystics, shamans, and healers. As the FOX News Medicine Hunter his TV segments appear in over one hundred countries. (facebook.com/medicine-hunter)

 
the five tibetans

The Five Tibetans are a group of five simple, dynamic exercises originating from the Himalayas. Practiced in just a few minutes daily, The Five Tibetans impart energy, endurance, stamina, strength and balance, and help to slow the aging process. Chris Kilham has practiced The Five Tibetans daily for over thirty-three years, and has taught these methods to thousands of people worldwide. His book The FIve Tibetans is published in twenty languages. Deepak Chopra calls Chris Kilham's The Five Tibetans "A time-honored classic that belongs in every yoga library." Learn these yoga treasures, and carry them with you for life. (facebook.com/five-tibetans)

Wiki Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kilham

Anne Marie Kramer

Committed to empowering others, Anne Marie inspires love and compassion with her vibrant, intuitive teaching. Always passionate, she shows up to serve and guide others on this inner journey of yoga with her unwavering faith that self-transformation and full self expression is possible. Grounded in tradition she offers an authentic, playfully edgy approach to the practice of yoga. With a degree in Exercise Physiology and 15 years of yoga teaching, Anne Marie Kramer brings an exciting dynamic to the yoga community.

She has created her own innovative vinyasa style called ZUDA Vinyasa Yoga which incorporates an energetic physical practice anchored in finding your true self and sharing it with the world.

Krista Cahill

Brock Cahill

Kia Miller

Kia has spent 2 decades studying, practicing and teaching yoga throughout the world. Kia teaches at YogaWorks in Los Angeles and leads several of their 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training programs each year. Trained in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga, Kia offers an inspiring and powerful combination of asana, breath, meditation and chanting that leaves students uplifted and empowered.

Sam Salwei

Sam Salwei is a YogaSlacker and Eco-adventurer. He grew up in-between South Miami Florida and Crystal North Dakota. Drawing from this diverse world view he has a unique understanding of the issues facing the youth in the Midwest. He has always had a talent for instilling passion in others with his ideas. He has created an incredible network that encompasses talent from coast to coast. He has studied Recreation and Leisure Services at the University of North Dakota as well as Adventure Tourism on the South Island of New Zealand. He just completed a degree in Social Entrepreneurship.

This combined with his passion for the environment and the outdoors has lead him to this hybrid form of grass roots activism. Sam has snowkited over 500miles in the past 3 years. He inspires by example - living an extreme life with awareness. He is one of the founding members of Team Yoga Slackers. Team YogaSlackers is a small group of elite ultra-endurance adventurers, master yoga teachers, and environmental activists.

Through adventure racing, yoga instruction, slacklining (tight-rope walking), remote climbing, packrafting, and snowkiting expeditions, team members strive to live by the principles of environmental sustainability. Team YogaSlackers is committed to eco-conscious education, renewable energy promotion, and partnering only with companies who truly share the ideals of positive global change.

The YogaSlackers inspires by example - living an extreme life with awareness. Team YogaSlackers is a small group of elite ultra-endurance adventurers, master yoga teachers, and environmental activists. Through adventure racing, yoga instruction, AcroYoga, slacklining (tight-rope walking), remote climbing, packrafting, and snowkiting expeditions, team members strive to live by the principles of environmental sustainability. Team YogaSlackers is committed to eco-conscious education, renewable energy promotion, and partnering only with companies who truly share the ideals of positive global change.

Ariel Mihic

Ariel Mihic is a yogini with a passion for adventure and an insatiable curiosity to live a life less ordinary. She is an Ashtangi at heart, though her practice has evolved into all shapes and sizes, and lots more upside down time.

Ariel currently teaches as part of the YogaSlackers, sharing the modalities of AcroYoga, slackline yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage. She redefines balance in every aspect of her life, finding passion in the endless search for wisdom, compassion, and the elusive art of slowing down.

Ariel has been blessed to cross paths with many talented and inspiring teachers. She offers much gratitude to those who have helped pave the path, remove the limitations, and set the bar just slightly out of reach (nothing like a good challenge!): Jason Magness, Chelsey Gribbon, Jeremy Simon, Jason&Jenny, Larry Schultz, Don&Amba Stapleton.

The YogaSlackers inspires by example - living an extreme life with awareness. Team YogaSlackers is a small group of elite ultra-endurance adventurers, master yoga teachers, and environmental activists. Through adventure racing, yoga instruction, AcroYoga, slacklining (tight-rope walking), remote climbing, packrafting, and snowkiting expeditions, team members strive to live by the principles of environmental sustainability. Team YogaSlackers is committed to eco-conscious education, renewable energy promotion, and partnering only with companies who truly share the ideals of positive global change.

Kendra Charts

Kendra Charts, YogaSlacker and Vinyasa yoga teacher, began slacklining while living in Aspen, CO with her climbing friends. Her greatest teachers are nature and human potential. She draws inspiration from her childhood growing up on Native American Indian Reservations in the southwest where she learned at a young age the sacredness of nature and the mystical. Other inspirations are travel; nature's wonders; anything outdoors; people living the dream and her teachers Jason Magness, Chelsey Gribbon, Tias Little and Shiva Rea. As a teacher she strives to guide students in a safe environment to a deeper understanding of their wild spirit while challenging their human potential on and off the mat.

The YogaSlackers inspires by example - living an extreme life with awareness. Team YogaSlackers is a small group of elite ultra-endurance adventurers, master yoga teachers, and environmental activists. Through adventure racing, yoga instruction, AcroYoga, slacklining (tight-rope walking), remote climbing, packrafting, and snowkiting expeditions, team members strive to live by the principles of environmental sustainability. Team YogaSlackers is committed to eco-conscious education, renewable energy promotion, and partnering only with companies who truly share the ideals of positive global change.

MOSES

Moses is a down to earth spiritual warrior whose main inspiration is drawn from the infinite well of human divine love. Moses is known to be straightforward while creating a safe, fun and loving space to evolve.
He is also the founder of iloveyoga.com

JANET STONE

In 1996, Janet Stone traveled to India, the birthplace of her  grandfather, where she met a powerful yogi and became dedicated to a  conscious evolution through yoga.

As one of San Francisco's premiere yoga instructors, Janet blends a  wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous-yet-sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga. Her classes are often  strong, sweaty and deeply nurturing, full of great music, humor and  lots of heart. Based in San Francisco, she also teaches workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats all over the world.

Diana Vitantonio

Diana has been teaching and practicing yoga for 11 years. She sees the infinite potential of each student and teaches intuitively to each class, inspiring expression of that potential, invoking everything from the playful to the divine. All of her classes are an inimitable creation. She uses body, breath and heartfelt words and stories as tools to remove emotional and mental blocks, as a prayer that each person may remember they are free.

Les Leventhal

Yoga with Les (www.YogaWithLes.com) is a vinyasa/flow yoga practice. Les is one of San Francisco’s most popular and sought after teachers around the world. Les’ classes and videos are filled with all the basic technique and alignment cues you will need to get your yoga practice started. They are also filled with lots of variations and occasional longer sequences to challenge the more seasoned practitioner. The prana (life force) comes from within. So be prepared to sweat and let the rasa (the sap and the juice) flow freely. Les’ studies and ceremonies are steeped in Forrest tradition, having completed Ana Forrest’s teacher training. Les has also assisted Ana’s teacher training and studied many additional hours with her. Also, Les has completed several trainings with Tias Little and has learned much of his alignment and technique cues from Tias, as well as a firm foundation in the 8 Fold path of Buddhism which compliments the asana practice with a sense of grace and elegance that allow you to take classes whatever your yoga experience and whatever traditions you have in your own life. Les pays careful attention to weave in the 8 limbs of yoga and keep the traditional styles and intentions of yoga a part of his classes while making great strides into opening a window into our global cultural shift. Les’ yoga will give you an opportunity to heal your heart and laugh, cry, dance and just let go. Some classes flow freely, while others will explore holding postures a bit longer. Many classes have music. Most of all, is that in Les’ classes, you have an opportunity to modify and do what you need to do in order to take care of your practice and that in learning to take better care of yourself, you can then take better care of those around you and they might then take better care of those around them.

Steve Ross

Steve Ross has practiced various styles of yoga for his entire adult life and has been an instructor for over twenty years. He has explored the physical aspects of yoga as well as the philosophical and spiritual roots of yoga. He spent four years as a monk in the Vedic tradition, and since that time, he has ceaselessly sought out and reveled in the presence of some of the most notable masters of our time - in India and elsewhere. He is honored to have the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience with other spiritual seekers.

Author of Happy Yoga, Steve combines upbeat, inspirational music with a relaxed, easy spirituality that make his classes at Maha Yoga some of the most popular in Los Angeles. His kirtan events are ecstatic. His sold out yoga retreats are well known to produce a blissful state of being.

Todd Tesen

Todd Tesen, a certified Anusara Yoga instructor, began his intensive Yoga practice 17 years ago with Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and then in 2001, found Anusara Yoga. Since this discovery, he has been blessed to study extensively with Anusara founder John Friend, Naime Jezzeny, Noah Maze and Dr Douglas Brooks, who is one of the world's foremost scholars of the Shrividya traditions of the Hindu Tantra. Through their guidance, he has become an excellent example that anything is possible. Having taught nationally in the USA and in Mexico, he has also traversed Europe, teaching in the UK, Germany, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. His teaching is playful and uplifting, creating a sound support where the student can ask of themselves what is truly possible and how deeply they wish to discover themselves anew.

Raina Nemeth

Raina Nemeth began practicing yoga at 8 years old. She studied under Jonny Kest and completed his teacher training program in 2005. Since then, she has been teaching Hot Vinyasa classes, leading workshops, and assisting with teacher training at Jonny Kest's Center for Yoga in Birmingham, Michigan. She has been featured several times in "Strut Magazine", "Marie Claire" and the article, "Barrier Breaking Yoga Sessions". Additionally, Raina is recognized for weaving together intense and challenging Vinyasa flows, encouraging students to peel away the layers through their practice and discover their strength, wisdom, and authentic self. Her classes offer experienced yogis and yoginis an opportunity to uncover a new edge to their practice, while beginners will light upon the fire and passion that comes through Vinyasa flow.

Joe Barnett

Joe Barnett, ERYT-500, has been teaching for over a decade and has certifications in Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and Acro Yoga. His primary focus of study is Functional Anatomy for Yoga and all forms of movement. Joe is a senior student of Paul Grilley, a true Yogi Scientist who is largely responsible for the current rise in the popularity of Yin Yoga and Functional Anatomy. Joe now travels nationally and internationally year round, assisting his teacher as well as offering his own presentations.

Kelli Harrington

Kelli has been teaching yoga for 13 years, influenced by every class she has ever taken she adds an element of challenge and creativity into her classes. Kelli currently leads teacher training & holds workshops where she now teaches at Jonny Kest Center for Yoga.

Rob Glick

With a background of 20+ years teaching movement and fitness Rob has presented in more than 35 countries at hundreds of major conferences. He began practicing yoga for over 14 years ago with Bryan Kest and Baron Baptiste as well as many other amazing and beautiful teachers. Rob holds a B.S. in exercise science and is passionate about creating yoga programming for teachers and students alike that will help build a bridge between yoga, mainstream fitness and life.

JONNY KEST

By way of breath, Jonny brings a beautiful balance of intensity and grace to each therapeutic class where he encourages the student to ‘get out of their own way’ and allow one’s own healing powers to inspire each practice.

Kimberly Spreen

Kimberly is the National Director of Group Fitness Programming and Education for Life Time Fitness, a premier 'healthy way of life' company that operates over 90 centers across North America. She is a member of the IDEA Program Director Committee, one of Exercise TV's Star Trainers as well as star of several exercise videos, co-creator of 5 Star Development Training and co-producer of EMPOWER! Fitness Events. Known for her passion, enthusiasm and humor, Kimberly travels the world as a Presenter, Motivational Speaker and Continuing Education Provider. Kimberly's philosophy: Do what you love – LOVE what you do!

Trevor Tice

Trevor opened the first CorePower Yoga in Denver in 2002, and filled a niche in an emerging yoga market. His goal? To create an empowering and health-focused environment where individuals are not bound by conventional ideas about the limits of body and mind. An avid believer in giving back, Trevor formed CorePower Cares, a nonprofit organization that leverages the generosity of the CPY community to support a myriad of philanthropic causes, most recently supporting the Japan relief effort. Trevor approaches challenges with "yes, we can – go do it", encouraging all employees to explore new ideas. An avid yoga practitioner and teacher, he visits at least one CPY studio every day, providing positive feedback to instructors and managers.

David Kyle

David is the founder of the Progressive Ashtanga Yoga movement that honors the traditional teachings of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and embraces the revolutionary views of his teacher Larry Schultz and his It's Yoga System. This Ashtanga Yoga style holds no dogmas or bias towards the asana practice that is designed to fit the individual practitioner. We are all inclusive! Our philosophies and understanding of this ancient practice is becoming more popular as the Ashtanga Yoga community grows and more students are learning to maintain a healthy and constant practice that honors their bodies present moment. David leads trainings in both traditional Ashtanga Yoga as well as the It's Yoga training system in 200 hour intensives, 50 hour Rocket trainings and 500 hour apprentiship programs. As owner of It's Yoga Puerto Rico, he leads daily classes and yearly trainings on one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. David's international influence is found throughout the United States, South America, Mexico, and occasionally in European countries.

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