Meet The Team

Annie has been passionately practicing, studying, and teaching yoga and fitness for over a decade. She holds an Inner Fire Hatha Yoga RYT Certificate from Yoga on Main in Philadelphia and a Yin Yoga Certification from Yoga Home in Conshohocken, PA. Additionally, Annie completed a comprehensive 500-hour Ayurvedic Studies program and is a Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant through the American Institute of Vedic Studies, where she studied under Ed Zadlo DAy.

Annie Is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and believes deeply in the healing powers of food and plants. She also brings a wealth of knowledge from various fitness certifications, including Personal Training (AAI/ISMA), Cycling, Core Power, and several Cardio Kickboxing and HIIT formats. Annie also spent several years studying and then teaching Chakra and Fusion Bellydance, which you may see her incorporate into a practice at times. 

A poet and wellness enthusiast, Annie integrates her love for language and movement into her teachings. She customizes her classes and consulting sessions to meet the unique needs of each individual, believing in the transformative power of aligning movement with breath. Through this practice, she helps students connect with their true nature and spirit, fostering a profound sense of calm and well-being.

Outside of her wellness pursuits, Annie is a part-time elementary school teacher and reading specialist. She enjoys spending quality time with her husband and children, along with their dog. Annie loves exploring new places, finding peace in the mountains, reading books, and cooking nourishing meals.

Dorita is a passionate yoga teacher and holistic mentor from Cali, Colombia, with over a decade of experience guiding personal transformation through Yoga, Ayurveda, and Bhakti Yoga. After working in banking for more than 10 years, Dorita made a life-changing decision to leave her corporate career and dedicate herself fully to these ancient practices.

Certified in yoga and deeply influenced by six transformative years living in an ashram, Dorita integrates the wisdom of Yoga, Ayurveda, and the devotional path of Bhakti Yoga to create practices that promote balance, healing, and connection. She teaches a variety of yoga styles, including Yin, Restorative, Vinyasa, and Pre/Postnatal Yoga, while also encouraging her students to explore the deeper, spiritual dimensions of the practice.

As a holistic mentor, Dorita supports individuals on their journey toward self-discovery and harmony. Her approach combines yoga, breathwork, meditation, Ayurvedic principles, and the heart-centered philosophy of Bhakti Yoga to empower her clients to live authentically and in alignment with nature’s rhythms.

Since moving to New York City in 2024, Dorita has continued to share her passion with a diverse community, offering a space for wellness, transformation, and connection through the timeless practices of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Bhakti Yoga.

Dana Humphrey is an author, professor, entrepreneur, artist, event producer, marketing professional and yogi. She has been practicing regularly at Hot Yoga Rockaway Beach since 2017. Humphrey completed her 200 Hour Hot Yoga Teaching Training - Level 1 with Jimmy Barkan in March of 2022. Dana recently became a Kripalu Certified Yin Yoga Teacher as well. Since April 2024, Humphrey has been teaching Yoga and Meditation Monday through Friday at Spring Hill Wellness, a long-term, substance-abuse facility. Dana currently serves as the Chair of the "Rockaway Creates" local non-profit and resides in Rockaway Park with her two adopted cats, Chance and Sassy. When she is not working or sleeping she is dancing! 

Jamie Ehrenthal is a 23+ year yoga teacher, a certified life coach and financial planner.   Her mission is to lovingly empower women to take control of their financial and physical well-being.  After a decades-long career in finance and banking, she built her first entrepreneurial business Centered Heart Fitness, a comprehensive health and wellness program where she educated adults to improve their health and well-being through yoga classes, meditation workshops, and speaking engagements.  She loves learning and teaching, and has studied yoga philosophy and multiple yoga styles including vinyasa, power yoga, and restorative yoga, and has taught classes to children and seniors.  The power of meditation and breathwork is important to her and she loves to integrate it into all of her classes.

Meet Kayti. She enjoys playing with creative sequencing incorporated through flows and an emphasis on the importance of a strong foundation. Some styles she gravitates towards and draws from are Yin, Vinyasa, and Restorative Katonah. 

Building on almost a decade of practicing yoga on and off the mat as often as possible, she recently completed her 200hr yoga teacher training certification.

Over the years, Asana and yogic philosophies have helped her to find focus. Kayti hopes through sharing her experience and fostering a welcoming environment others may find an accessible way to explore the transformative power of yoga together.

Join Kayti on the mat for a fun and balanced yoga experience! 

Find her on IG @Yure_Yoga

Akiko Nishijma has been teaching yoga since 2008. Her initial yoga teacher training was at YogaWorks and ISHTA Yoga. She is certified in Kids yoga, Restorative yoga, Prenatal yoga, Yin yoga, and yoga for backcare and scoliosis. She is also a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Through her experience with hip discrepancies and injuries, Akiko is keen to study anatomy and kinesiology. Her teaching is focused on anatomy in movements. She’s been studying Iyengar Yoga since 2013 and currently preparing for Iyengar Yoga certification. Akiko teaches yoga to young children in a preschool in Brooklyn and loves it from her heart. 

Maria brings over 40 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. With a background in corrective exercise and injury prevention, Maria is dedicated to helping people thrive at every stage of life. She specializes in creating safe, effective workouts tailored to individual needs. After struggling with pain from scoliosis, Maria discovered Pilates, which transformed her body and allowed her to live pain-free again. As a Certified Pilates Instructor and Medical Fitness Specialist, Maria is passionate about guiding intentional movement through all phases of life, empowering others to stay strong, injury-free, and healthy as they age. She is thrilled to share her knowledge and experience with our QCY community!

Alisa has been teaching yoga since 2011 since she graduated from YTT at Ananda Ashram, with David Michael Hollander as her main teacher. Alisa deeply believes that yoga is for every body. She has been trained in Prenatal and postpartum yoga by her teacher Mia Borgatta, in Children’s yoga at “Yogi Beans” and “Chair Yoga” through Silver Sneakers Program. With over a decade of teaching experience she welcomes students of all levels and different stages of life to her class and is able to give appropriate modifications if needed.

Jessica Hanson first discovered her passion for yoga as she searched for a technique that would compliment her dance training. She was compelled to participate in yoga classes not to become more flexible - but to become stronger and prevent injuries. Falling in love with alignment-based techniques, Jessica completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification in 2008 in Colorado where she studied both Iyengar and Anusara Yoga. 

Jessica strives to create a nurturing, yet fun and challenging environment where students of all levels can feel welcome. By focusing on alignment, body awareness, the use of props, and a dash of silliness, Jessica hopes to help students both feel good and learn something new. Her specialties include inversions, core engagement, lower back health, and restorative yoga.

Outside of the studio, Jessica enjoys spending time with her calico cats (Lyla and Olive) and seeing theatre. 

Lauren is a Queens native, a music enthusiast, and a passionate yogi. She completed her 200hr training in 2021, and has since been teaching Vinyasa, practicing Ashtanga, and leading community classes for adults and kids! She believes in approaching life with a light heart and a flexible mind, and her teaching is imbued with this ethos. Everyone can find a little joy in their practice! When she isn't teaching yoga or music, she's chasing around her children and geeking out over typography

Tara started going to yoga in her 20s, when one day she passed by a Hot yoga studio in Union Square. She had never done any kind of yoga before let alone hot yoga, and had no idea what to expect. It was difficult, but rewarding. She felt light, calm, and accomplished, even for just staying in the room. She would return again and again,trying to acclimate to the heat, the duration, the poses. What Tara learned over time was, for her, practicing yoga was much more of a mental and emotional support than a physical one. It also changed the landscape of her habits. It taught her serious discipline, focus, gave her stamina, and self acceptance.  It taught her to soften her attitude toward herself, give herself grace. She began to cultivate a healthier relationship with herself and the world and would continue to spend time on the mat trying different modalities of yoga, and eventually going through teacher training to deepen her practice.Tara received her 200 hr. Certification from YOBK in Brooklyn. She believes that Yoga can be more than physical. It can be a mental and emotional support system. A path inward. This is what Tara loves sharing with her students. 

Hello, My name is Jeff Manrique, I’m 32 born & raised in NYC. I was introduced to yoga 12 years ago and fell in love with the amount of healing I received from the movements.I developed a profound interest in deepening my understanding of the mind, body, and the role of breathing in overall well-being.

I am certified in Yoga, Pilates inner engineering ( Deep Breathing Meditation), Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra (Guided Rest Meditation).  After a major surgery a few years ago on my knee I dedicated myself to strengthening my legs and learning to modify practices to help myself and help support others through their Movement/Fitness journey. I am passionate about teaching a style that blends strength with softness, fostering both stability and fluidity in practice.