TEAM

Tara Guber, MFCC
Founder

Yoga Ed. fulfills a lifelong desire of Tara’s to share the benefits of yoga with children in schools across the nation. Tara received her degree in Education from Syracuse University and studied yoga for decades with masters around the world. She was the co-founder of Education First! a media based, education advocacy non-profit organization, a Points of Light Foundation board member and is a founding board member of The Accelerated School in South Central Los Angeles. She has authored two books, Yoga Moves with Alan Finger and Contact: The Yoga of Relationship. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Peter, her daughters Jodi and Elizabeth and her sons Jackson and Samuel.

Ellen Vittoria
Office Manager

Ellen comes to Yoga Ed. with a passion for yoga and 8 years previous experience working for the City of Beverly Hills in the Recreation & Parks Dept. Managing the day-to-day business details and keeping track of the “particulars” is what she does best.

Laurie Parlapiano
Administrative Assistant

Laurie is a Certified Yoga Teacher and a Yoga Ed. K-8 Instructor. She is an asset to Yoga Ed. both as an excellent adminstrative assistant and as an engaging teacher of children. Her greatest joy is connecting with young students and empowering them to strengthen, calm and feel good about themselves.

YOGAED TRAINERS

Donna Acox

Donna L. Acox, M.A., M.S., R.D., C.D.N. is a registered dietitian / exercise physiologist and life-long advocate of health and wellness. A dietitian for the State of New York, Donna is also faculty at Syracuse University where she teaches graduate courses in nutrition, yoga/fitness and the graduate education course, The Tara Guber YogaEd™ Tools for Teachers Learning Practicum.

Robin Appel

Robin Appel is registered as an ERYT-500 with Yoga Alliance and has been a Yoga Ed.™ Instructor/Trainer since 2004. She is the founder of Always-At-Aum, an organization dedicated to empowering students to make healthier decisions by becoming yoga educated. She holds teaching certifications for restorative yoga, Pilates, youth fitness training and is a Reiki master/teacher.

Elizabeth Barlow

Elizabeth Barlow, lifelong activist and program developer, founded Southeastern Oklahoma Coalition on Domestic Violence, starting the first Battered Women’s shelter in SE OK. She served as Program Developer/Director of New Life, an alcohol and drug abuse program designed so that women could bring their children with them during treatment. She also founded Advocates for Sexual Assault Awareness on the University of Oklahoma, a pilot program for other area universities. She has been a resident for 30 years in an Intentional Community, and is a Certified Massage Therapist. While teaching movement to children for 15 years she became a certified Yoga Ed. Trainer and director of the non-profit RECESS. During the past 5 years, she has been teaching Yoga Ed. in schools across Oklahoma and leading trainings across the nation.

Brynne Caleda

Brynne Caleda received her Master’s Degree in 2007, from the Department of Education at the University of Hawaii. Inspired to teach yoga to children, Brynne studied intensively with Yoga Ed. becoming both an instructor and trainer. For her thesis, she successfully implemented Yoga Ed. into Jarrett Middle School’s after school program and studied how yoga affects children both physically and emotionally. With her passion for the world and children Brynne has lead the way taking Yoga Ed. to Asia and has taught trainings in Japan, Philippines, and Europe.

Heidi George

Heidi George is a certified Yoga Ed Trainer. A dedicated and inspired yoga practitioner for 10 years she delights in bringing the joy of yoga to all students. Heidi has taught yoga to adults for 4 years and during the past 3 years she has been teaching Yoga Ed to teachers, students, and parents in schools across Michigan. Her goal is to inspire adults and children to incorporate this practice into their lives to find connection and honor in themselves where ever life takes them.

Hala Khouri

Hala Khouri, M.A. Is a yoga teacher and somatic counselor. She integrates Somatic Experiencing (a trauma therapy) with yoga, specifically in working with at-risk youth and adults. She is the author of the Mind Body Resources for At-Risk Youth. She leads workshops and trainings nationally and is one of the co-creators of Off the Mat, Into the World®, a national initiative aimed at getting the yoga community involved in social action.

Adele Kieras

Adele Kieras has been practicing yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2000. She became a Yoga Ed Instructor in 2003 and Yoga Ed Teacher Trainer in 2006. Her teaching is dedicated to uplifting and empowering her students through classes full of knowledge, heart and humor. She is registered as Anusara-Inspired, RYT, RCYT. as well as being a certified public school teacher and Montessori Directress. Adele is a yoga teacher consultant for the Danielle Karmanos Work It Out Program of the Detroit Public Schools. Adele’s introduction to yoga came while completing her MA Degree in Nutrition. Since then she has accumulated over 500 hours of study in yoga.

Katherine Priore

Katherine Priore is the founder and Executive Director of Headstand, a non-profit introducing the power of YogaEd and wellness programming to K-12 schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Katherine directs the yoga program and research study at KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Summit Academy. She leads twenty classes a week dedicated to transforming the culture of the middle school by teaching breathing techniques, yoga poses, creative play, and social justice concepts to middle school students and teachers. Katherine began her studies in yoga nine years ago as a way to relieve stress as an inner-city schoolteacher. Since then she has cultivated a profound appreciation for the meditative, therapeutic, and grounding aspects of yoga. She is immersed in ongoing studies of yin yoga with Sarah Powers and is actively involved with the movement created by Seane Corne, Hala Khouri, and Suzanne Sterling: Off the Mat, Into the World. She completed a 200-hour Anusara training with Sianna Sherman, Mitchel Bleier, Naime Jezzeny, and Sue Elkin. Please visit www.headstand.org for more information.

Jill Rappaport

Jill Rapperport is an E-RYT yoga instructor, meditation teacher, Level III Reiki master, Trauma Specialist and Spiritual Life Coach. As the founder of Soaring Eagle Yoga and Yoga at Schools, Jill’s vision is to nurture and educate the world’s leaders, teachers, parents and children to bring peace, well-being and fitness to people around the world.  She creates yoga programs for businesses, schools, camps, after care, and athletic organizations. She is also the President of the Board of Directors of Miami’s nationally recognized Trauma Resolution Center.  Jill’s work as a Yoga Ed Trainer has been featured in The Miami Herald and on NPR Radio &TV.

Julie Sorichetti

Julie Sorichetti, the first Yoga Ed. Trainer in Canada, has taught at the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association, the Ontario Database for Daily Physical Activity, and the Ministry of Education’s Registry of Bullying Prevention Programs. A certified Kripalu Yoga teacher and Kripalu YogaDance Instructor, she is a child and youth worker.

Joanne Spence

Joanne Spence is a dynamic and experienced yoga teacher and staff developer. She works primarily in schools and hospitals and is known for her ability and passion to teach, encourage and motivate beginners. Self-care and self awareness are the hallmarks of her trainings. Joanne brings 20 years of social work experience to her work. She is the director of Yoga on the Square, a state-of-the art yoga studio in Pittsburgh’s East End and the founder and Executive Director of Yoga in Schools, a non-profit organization that provides innovative children’s yoga programming as part of Physical Education to schools both locally and nationally. She also works part-time at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic as a yoga therapist and staff developer.