Presenters
GUEST SPEAKERS
Mayor Cory A. Booker
The Honorable Cory Booker continues to support Global Mala NJ! Check him out at last year's event and his inspirational speech! Mayor Booker has this to say about Global Mala NJ 2012: " This will be my fifth Global Mala event and it is awe inspiring to me o have a melting pot of people gather in Newark to celebrate and feel peace. I have watched this event grow exponentially year after year. The endless smiles, kindness and peacefulness is what makes this event so special. I am honored that our city was chosen to have hundreds of people connecting to celebrate peace."--July 2012. www.corybooker.com
Shiva Rea
Shiva Rea, M.A. is a yogini firekeeper, sacred activist, global adventurer and leading innovator in the evolution of prana flow yoga, transformational vinyasa flow integrating the tantric bhakti roots of yoga, Krishnamacharya's teachings and a universal, quantum approach to the body. Shiva is known for bringing the roots of yoga alive for modern practitioners in creative, dynamic and life-transforming ways and for offering the synthesis form of prana flow out in the world. Shiva is the creator of Prana Flow Yoga, Yogadventure Retreats, Yoga Trance Dance for Life, Moving Activism for 1,008,000 Trees, the worldwide Global Mala Project, Yogini Conferences and E2: The Evolutionary Edge Tour. She writes for Yoga Journal, Yoga Plus Joyful Living, is the author of award-winning CD's and DVD's, and contributor to many publications and features. www.shivarea.com
Street Doctor (Speaker for Kid's Mala)
Returning for his third Global Mala NJ event by popular demand.The bank-robbing career of Earl Best ended when an exploding dye pack left a fingerprint that the prosecuting attorney's witness said "could only belong to Earl Best." If God created a fingerprint that is exclusively his, unmistakable for no one else's, then how could he continue being part of the problem? He would ultimately become "The Street Doctor": The Moses prophesied by his mother. www.TheStreetDoctor.com
KIRTAN & LIVE MUSIC:
Dalien a.k.a 13 Hands and Friends
Photo by: Bill Bernstein
DALIEN aka 13 HANDS is an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor, shamanic, world and contemporary musician and sound healer providing various integrative mind, body, yoga, music and health programs. He returns for his 4th Global Mala!
His yoga and music background spans over 20 years, has studied with many wonderful teachers and healers and taught at conferences alongside
Seane Corn, Amy Ippoliti and Desiree Rumbaugh to name a few. Musically and kirtanally speaking, he’s a Grammy nominee that has shared contemporary and
world stages with Ani Di Franco, Paula Cole, Run DMC, Krishna Das, Shyamdas, Dave Stringer, WAH! and Laurie Anderson.
He plays over 20 instruments from various cultures, shares with a passion, love and “Robin Williams”-like spontaneity and has also developed clinically proven, integrative
mind/body/spirit and sound healing techniques for the treatment of depression, anxiety and related PTSD symptoms. www.13HANDS.com
SOME OF OUR GUEST TEACHERS
Elena Brower
Jonah’s Mama, founder and co-owner of VIRAYOGA, Elena has taught yoga for 14+ years. After graduating from Cornell University in 1992 with a design degree, she worked in textile and apparel design for 6 years, then studied with several master teachers, including Cyndi Lee, Erich Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Douglas Brooks, John Friend, Hugo Cory and others. Through her study and collaboration with the Handel Group, Elena offers the practices of yoga as a way to approach our world with realistic reverence and gratitude. Her classes are a masterful, candid blend of artful alignment and attention cues; pure empowerment for your body, mind and heart.
From the Museum of Modern Art to the Great Lawn at Central Park in New York; from the playa at Burning Man to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, she is honoured to offer larger-scale experiences of yoga, but Elena’s true privilege and service is in shifting awareness within the smallest interactions; one family, one household at a time. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, Yoga International, Natural Living, the Element Yoga for Beginners DVD series, ABC News, and NBC News. As the Executive Producer of ON MEDITATION, she’s co-curating a series of short films regarding the healing reality of meditation. Recent classes are available online at Yogaglo.
Along with her own Art of Attention writings, Elena contributes to the Huffington Post, Kris Carr’s CrazySexyLife, Positively Positive, The Chalkboard Mag, TheDailyLove, and Elephant Journal, and is an original board member of YogaEarth. Elena’s recently developed an essential oil blend called GIVE that proudly benefits Women For Women International, with another blend in the works that to benefit Every Mother Counts.
Her first book, Art of Attention: Book One, will be released in late 2012. Elena is excited to be part of Newark Yoga Movement where she and her son Jonah will teach yoga to children.
Elisabeth Halfpapp & Fred DeVito
Elisabeth Halfpapp Elisabeth a member of exhale's founding team and Executive Vice President of Movement Programming, Elisabeth Halfpapp cofounded the company’s highly publicized Core Fusion® program, including Core Fusion® Cardio, Core Fusion® Sport , Core Fusion® Yoga, and Core Fusion Boot Camp classes. In addition to teaching all forms of Core Fusion® classes and Music Yoga Flow, Elisabeth leads retreats and workshops nationally and assists in Core Fusion and yoga teacher training at all exhale units. She also directs the company’s mind body programs, overseeing class workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats.
A regularly featured fitness celebrity, she has written for numerous national and international publications and has appeared on major national television shows and news programs.
Prior to joining exhale, Elisabeth’s professional career consisted of 25 years of class teaching and development, teacher training, and studio management as a senior executive at the Lotte Berk Method exercise studios. With her degree in dance education from the Hartford Ballet, she has professionally performed and choreographed ballet and modern ballet with the Princeton Ballet, Dances Patrelle, Mercer Ballet, and Hartford Ballet. She also has a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification through Nixa DeBellis’ i/o Yoga School. www.exhalespa.com
Fred Devito
A member of exhale’s founding team and executive vice president of mind body training, he co founded the company’s highly publicized Core Fusion program and developed exhale’s proprietary Core Fusion Sport and Core Fusion Cardio classes. In addition to leading retreats and workshops nationally, he teaches Core Fusion, Core Fusion Yoga, Core Fusion Sport and Core Fusion Cardio classes and directs all of the teacher training for these classes at the exhale locations across the country.
A regular featured fitness celebrity and expert on T.V., he also has written for numerous journals, magazines and other publications. Prior to joining exhale, Fred’s professional career consisted of a combined 32 years of teaching fitness from public school physical education teacher and coach to personal trainer and group class teacher. 22 years as lead teacher and trainer at the Lotte Berk Method in NYC. Fred hold’s a B.S. in Physical Education and Health as well as an ACE Personal Trainer Certification. Fred’s personal interests have enabled him to help create and oversee the Thai Stretch program at most exhale properties. Along with his wife and partner, Elisabeth they have created a series of 10 Core Fusion DVD's and a 275 hour teacher training certification program for exhale world-wide. www.exhalespa.com
Sensei John Mirrione
Sensei John was hurt badly as a young child by a bully in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY. After that incident, as a means for survival, he studied karate. By the age of 19, he had earned his black belt and was teaching karate at a nearby community college, and then later at a Naval Base. While enlisted in United States Air Force, he developed and performed martial arts dance by setting karate to music, performing also at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and on Club MTV.
Sensei John opened his first school in Ridgefield, NJ in 1988 and in 1995 landed space at Reebok Sports Club/NY as the founding director of the Harmony By Karate program.
In 1997, Sensei John produced the first event knows as “Universal Harmony Day” in celebration of humanity. In 2006, with support of ABC television, World Blackbelt, Tiger Claw magazine, Parent Guide magazine and Battle of Atlanta newspaper, September 11 was declared Universal Harmony Day.
In 2010, Sensei John launched his Stop Bullying Campaign as a way to motivate Americans to take control of the bullying crisis. Through this campaign, Sensei John has already traveled to 16 cities across the country teaching school children about building inner strength. He uses his book, Philosophy of the Week, to teach self empowerment to children.
Sensei John has taught karate at New York’s prestigious Nippon Club, has been heard on Z-100 giving his Philosophy of the Week, has been featured in Blackbelt Magazine, featured on the Discovery Health Channel, been published in many other magazines and newspapers, appeared on television and radio programs, and has made two trips to Japan for in-depth study of its culture and martial arts. In 2008, he earned a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Development from the State University of New York. He aims to continue to help improve society through his philosophy and martial arts teaching.
Tao Porchon-Lynch
Tao, a truly inspirational teacher, recently won the Guinness Book of Records Award for being the ‘World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher.” She is living proof that a regular yoga practice, combined with a positive outlook on life may well be the key to aging well.
Tao believes that the body can recycle itself and following hip replacement surgery a number of years ago, her doctors warned her that she might not be able to move like she used to. Thanking them for their advice, she didn’t let that stop her yoga practice, and at the grand young age of 84, she also became a competitive ballroom dancer!
Tao says “Yoga is the dance of life within us. If I can teach yoga and do a good job, I can help others as much as I can help myself. I learn more from my students than they learn from me. I consider them to be my jewels. Inside of me is the creation of life, and if I can awaken that inside of me, there is nothing I cannot do! I’m going to dance and do yoga for as long as I live.”
Tao believes that following the principles of yoga can heal individuals – and by extension, help heal our planet.
She is the embodiment of many profound Yoga Principals and exemplifies the positive “can-do” spirit than can accomplish anything that we can put our mind to.
Dave Romanelli
Since 2004, David Romanelli has been traveling the world sharing his Yoga for Foodies, Yoga + Chocolate,Yoga + Wine, Yoga + Jazz and Grateful Dead Yoga Hour experiences. David's work has been featured in Food + Wine, The New York Times, Newsweek, and Oprah Magazine and his book Yeah Dave's Guide to Livin' the Moment reached #1 on the Amazon.com Self-Help Bestseller List.David is getting ready to launch a revolution inspiring movement to restore the sacred and live in the moment. His new book Yeah Dave's Guide to Victory will be released in 2013. David spends time giving back too through his weekly work with Newark Yoga Movement in Newark and Search and Care in NYC. Check out his website: www.yeahdave.com
Jillian Pransky
Jillian Pransky had been teaching yoga since 1995 and leads programs across the country as well as at Kripalu, Omega and Mohonk. Her Relaxmore CD has garnered excellent reviews from many including Dr. Memhet Oz. She is National Director of Restorative Yoga Training for Yoga Works and co-director of the Bright Spirit Yoga Teacher Training, and has has been featured in many magazines including Yoga Journal, Self Magazine, Family Circle and appeared on CNN. As a student of Pema Chodron’s since 1998, Jillian’s yoga is infused with Mindfulness practices, steadfastness, and ease. Her practice and teaching are based on attuning with nature, the seasons, and environment; harmonizing the inner and outer worlds. Find out more at www.jillianpransky.com
Lorrie Shepard and Brian Yuen
Brian Yuen and Lorrie Shepard are co-founders of Interactive-Yoga with the intention of bringing yogis together to experience sangha: supported, fun + inspiring. Offering public and private classes, workshops, and events for AcroYoga, gentle restorative, guided meditation, partner yoga, and vinyasa breath centered flow. www.interactive-yoga.com
Brian Yuen is a Certified AcroYoga® Teacher, certified for kids yoga, yoga for kids with special needs, prenatal yoga, Thai Yoga and has been practicing yoga since 2001, teaching since 2006. Brian conducts a wide range of classes & workshops including yoga for children with autism, veterans, seniors, seniors with Alzheimer's, partner yoga, and thai yoga.
Lorrie Shepard's yoga journey began in the B.K.S. Iyengar tradition in 2000, teaching since 2008. Her heart has been opened wide by sharing yoga with U.S. Veterans, yoga for children with autism, leading restorative workshops/classes, and sharing the magic and support of partner yoga.
