Instructors
Lisa Campanelli, Ph.D., HHCP, E-RYT, RCY-2, YBR
In 1996 Lisa began her studies in Qigong, in 1997 she discovered Yoga. She knew then that Yoga was a gift given to her that she wanted to share with others. This led her to complete Yoga Alliance registered training at the Soma Center, Yamuna Body Rolling, Radiant Child Yoga, Thai Body Work and is a Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor. She teaches and counsels' with compassion and enthusiasm, gently guiding students in exploring new possibilities and developing a deeper awareness of how yoga can affect their minds, bodies, and soul. Teaching thru the philosophy that " Yoga is a Metaphor for Life". In 2005 she co-created Padme Yoga, a 200hr Yoga Alliance registered Teacher Training Owner & Director of bluemoonyoga Studio, Lisa also teaches and guest speaks at Monmouth University and Brookdale College and various organizations in Monmouth County. Lisa has been published in various publications such as Monmouth Health & Life and writes periodically for the Hot Moms Club.
Karen Baxter
Karen Baxter graduated in 1997 from Binghamton University with a B.A. in Philosophy. She then traveled extensively – living in western Africa, Ireland and in the western United States - studying the various Spiritual practices of Indigenous peoples. In 1998 she began studying Meditation with Dr. Roger B. Lane at the Center for Religion and Advanced Spiritual Studies and Cosmos Tree, Inc. in New York City. In 1999 Karen began teaching Meditation. She has taught Meditation throughout the United States and in Mexico.
Susan Tudor, RYT
Susan Tudor began practicing yoga at Kripalu in 1987. This then became her spiritual home as she met her husband Barry there. She received her advanced certification from Soma Yoga in 2001, continued her studies in New Mexico, and is a member of the Yoga Alliance. Her classes are sequenced to flow from pose to pose....focusing on the bloom and glory of the present moment, and nurturing an open, buoyant heart space. Susan's recent visit to a Buddhist Monastery in Barcelona, where she taught yoga to the monks and met with the head llama, has infused her life with the philosophy of prating compassion for all beings, finding the strength in silence and stillness and creating a life of meditation in motion. She lives in Fair Haven with her soul mate/husband Barry ever so beloved, deluxe daughter Brenna and 2 spoiled dogs.
Jennifer Johnson
Jen grew up on a small farm in northern NJ, where childhood cultivated in her a deep love and respect for Mother Nature in all her wondrous forms. Yet the culture and diversity of New York City beckoned her, and she moved to NY to attend Columbia University. In I996, she graduated with a bachelor degree in psychology. That same year she took her first yoga class at Jivamukti Yoga Center on 2nd ave, and quickly grew enamored with the practice.
Jennifer received her first Yoga Certification through the Sivananda Teacher Training in 1999, and later completed the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training in May 2003. In June 2006, she completed the 500-hour Advanced Jivamukti Yoga Certification. Jen is also a nationally certified massage therapist. In addition to practicing massage and teaching yoga full-time, Jen is currently studying to be a nurse. Inspired by her recent trip to India, she hopes one day to work for Doctors Without Borders, an international team of health care professionals serving the needs of the global community.
Samantha Costanzo
Samantha started practicing yoga 10 years ago when she was at Smith College. Sam completed her 200 hour teacher training at Blue Moon Yoga in June 2006 and is certified in Padme Yoga along with being registered with Yoga Alliance. Sam loves teaching yoga and looks forward to taking many more trainings in the future.
Joan Weich
Joan is certified in 200hr Padme Yoga and Radiant Child Yoga. Joan also is a registered member of Yoga Alliance. Most of Joan’s professional life has been in the non-profit arena raising public awareness and funds, and coordinating special events for causes ranging from preservation of the earth’s rainforests and endangered species protection to building humane education programs to stop the overpopulation of domestic pets. Her passion, for the last fifteen years, is in working with youth from preschool to junior/senior high through community outreach, church youth groups, and school programs. Presently, Joan is committed to bringing yoga to teens and children to provide an avenue for youth to build self-esteem, develop confidence, inner stillness, healthy stress reducing techniques, respect and self-discipline in today’s hectic culture. She is currently co directing the formation of a non- for profit to bring this program beyond the studio and out into the wider community.
Dan Abbott
Daniel Abbott is a certified personal trainer and Yoga instructor who is guaranteed to provide in his class a balanced mixture of strong fitness and calming rejuvenation. After immersing himself into eastern philosophy, western philosophy, and Integral Theory, Daniel left the corporate world behind to pursue his vision of directly facilitating healthy transformative growth in himself and others. Teaching yoga has been a wonderful and effective way for him to begin this process.
Liz Lawrence
Liz received her training and certification at our very own Blue Moon Yoga. Liz’s path also led her to extend her studies into a year of Quest (for personal growth) and additional training and credits from Sunlit Studio in New Mexico. Liz earned her degree in Art Education and spent much of her professional life as founder and owner of Atlantic Coast Promotions which focuses on advertisement specialties and promotional giveaways. Liz is the proud mother or two grown children and has been married to the love of her life for 30 years. She teaches Gentle Yoga with intensity for Blue Moon and embraces the traditional teachings of yoga with true pureness, relaxation and spirituality. Liz also teaches at Brookdale Community College for course credit.
Eva Garrity
Certified Prana Yoga, Certified Padme Yoga, Certified Soma Yoga, White Light Reiki Practitioner, Thai Yoga Bodywork. Eva is the former co-owner/director if The Yoga Studio in Fairhaven, NJ & co-creator of Padme Yoga. With over 15 years experience, Eva integrates Reiki and Thai bodywork with continued study of traditional yoga philosophy. She is trained in two Hatha Yoga methods whose schools both incorporate Chakras and the energetic system into their curriculum. She has a bachelor degree in art from Monmouth University, which enables her to being a creative flair to her classes and visualization/meditation techniques.
Barbara Paulsen
Barbara has been practicing yoga since 1992. Certified by the Center for Yoga and the Samata Yoga Center in Los Angeles, California she has an eclectic background in Hatha Yoga. Her training with Larry Payne, PhD., is inspired by the teachings of T.K.V. Desikarachar. She teaches classes and workshops to all levels of students from beginners to advanced practitioners. Barbara is also a Massage Therapist and Reiki Master with training in Pranic Healing and Young Living Essential Oils.
Barbara is registered with Yoga Alliance, is a member of the International Massage Association and is an Ordained Minister through the Living Spirit Foundation
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Denise Tranchina
Denise came to yoga later in life and was certified here at her home, Blue Moon Yoga. Maybe from her experiences as a Registered Nurse in a tough NYC community hospital, maybe from personal circumstance, she began to see how yoga can help you through the expected and unexpected changes life and time bring to your body and your spirit. With this thought in mind, Denise teaches prenatal classes, is certified in Radiant Child yoga, instructs young adults at Brookdale Community College, and has a true love of sharing a strong practice with students over 40. Favoring a vigorous flow, she is still awed by the efforts of students at every level. Denise approaches her practice as she does her life, with grace, strength and a smile. Offering much thanks to my "physical" teacher and cheerleader, Vanessa, and to my spiritual mentor and friend Liz.
Swaroopa Gadgil
I was introduced to Yoga when I was about 10 years. During a routine Eye Check-up, the Ophthalmologist suggested to my father that young children benefit tremendously from Yoga in their Pubescent, growing years. The Doctor continued by saying that he saw the benefits of Yoga in his sons who went on to graduate from Medical Schools. That was all the push my father needed, as he himself practiced Yoga and Omkaar Incantations religiously everyday at the crack of dawn. In those years, I developed a liking towards Yoga and my passion for it grew. I was very fortunate to have many people in the community who practiced it. I participated in group practice with friends regularly and was drawn more and more to it. The Yoga institute in India, that I got my Teacher’s Diploma in Yoga Education, was very close to home and was a part of the cultural fabric of my community. Growing up in India and being culturally close to the Hindu mythological foundation of Yoga also added to the intrigue. I also chose Sanskrit as my elective language for 3 years in High School studying the beauty and intricacy of this ancient language extensively. That helped me tremendously while learning the Yoga History and understanding the shlokas in the texts when doing the Teacher’s Diploma. After completing my Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy, the time was right for me to get my Yoga Teacher’s Diploma in Traditional practice in year 2000, which was my dream for many years. There are two subjects close to my heart, Study of Spine and Yoga. As a Physical Therapist and having a background in Yoga Therapy, I tend to naturally integrate the traditional Yoga philosophy and the modern day Physical Therapy techniques while treating my patients. I was also fortunate to be a part of the Height Enhancement Yoga Workshops while in India, for children between 10 and 16 years, using specific stretching Yoga poses for muscle lengthening and pranayaam and focusing techniques to improve Academic and Sports Performance. I also volunteered to teach Yoga to the sixth graders in my son’s school for a year and amazed their teacher when she saw them actually sitting quietly and meditating! I used Asanas and Principles used in the Height Enhancement Work-Shops for these children. And it was very rewarding experience with the hope that a small spark of interest for this ancient Eastern Art may have taken seed in these young minds. I’m keenly looking forward to sharing what I learnt over all these years and accepting new ideas and perceiving this great Art of Healthy Living through the eyes and minds of everyone I interact along the way.
Amy Richardson
Amy rediscovered yoga in her thirties, and has watched it transform her life. She received her teacher certification at Brahma in Sea Bright, NJ, and has continued her studies at Blue Moon and the Sivananda ashram in the Bahamas She currently teaches at Blue Moon, and the Edge gym. She is also a certified massage therapist and offers massage at Blue Moon and Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, where she also teaches yoga to corporate groups and on the beach in the summers. She is versed in swedish massage, Reiki, hot stone, and Thai massage, and aromatherapy. Amy loves teaching all people and helping them to find their peaceful spiritual center and their connection to themselves, their bodies and god through yoga and massage. She grew up on the Jersey shore and still calls it home, has two kids that bring much laughter and love to her life, and two dogs and two cats to watch over her. Amy calls Blue Moon her yoga home and loves to be able to share my love of yoga with my students, and continue to learn from and with them.
Franklin Stone
Franklin offers Traditional Thai Style Bodywork (Nuad Borarn) sessions at Blue Moon Yoga. He graduated from the Garden State Center for Holistic Health in March of 2000. He is NJ State and Nationally Certified in Massage Therapy. During massage school, Franklin was introduced to Thai Massage and was immediately impressed with this Southeast Asian modality. He has continued training in Thai bodywork since graduation, amassing hundreds of hours of continuing education and many more hours of client sessions. He is currently studying with Rose Griscom, director of the Institute of Thai Massage in the United States. Franklin is excited to offer sessions of this wonderful bodywork at Blue Moon Yoga.
Franklin resides in Ocean Grove with his partner, Michael. When not at work, Franklin enjoys playing poker, pool, studying and practicing Zen, and working out.
Ksenia Poulber
Ksenia was born in the former USSR. Living half of her life in a country of courageous, compassionate, but submissive women, and the other half in a country where women are brought up to be independent and assertive, she has dedicated her life to finding the balance between the two distinct cultures. While searching for balance, she has found her passion. Majoring in psychology and learning Eastern philosophies and healing arts, she has discovered that she wanted to help others to find a way to a life of peaceful balance and passionate creation. . Her first experience with yoga was at the age of six when her mother bought a yoga book to prevent Ksenia from flat feet (even though there was no sign of it happening). For amusement, she had bent herself into different poses without even a slight suspicion that years later she would be teaching those poses to others. Now Ksenia offers her knowledge of yoga, dance, psychology, music, and Eastern philosophy with a touch of personal experiences through classes that empower, enrich, inspire and assist people on all walks of life. Her vibrant and charismatic personality, curious mind, and a warm smile will keep you coming back for more. Her knowledge and patience will guide you on the journey through the complex poses and into the deepest corners of your soul just to come out on the other side overflowing with light, energy, creativity and laughter.
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