Presenters

  • Carlos has been steeped in all aspects of the yoga tradition during more than 40 years of practice and study. He spent 18 of those years as a monk of the Saraswati order, under the name Swami Gītānanda, including 9 years of traditional training and practice in India. During this time he learned the various systems of Indian Philosophy and immersed himself in the practice of yoga, becoming one of the senior monks of the tradition and teaching meditation and philosophy to tens of thousands of students around the world. He combines this experience and traditional training with his academic background, which includes two Masters Degrees: one in Sanskrit, from U.C. Berkeley (where he has taught) and another one, in Religious Studies, from U.C. Santa Barbara. Carlos is renowned for the breadth of his knowledge and the clarity with which he conveys it.

  • Noah Mazé has devoted his life to the subject of yoga. Best known for his clear, precise, and methodical teaching style, his tangible knowledge, and his ability to transmit with openness, curiosity, and wit are palpable. Noah has collected, gathered, experienced, and embodied this vast subject—seeking out the best teachers, learning from different lineages and absorbing much of what is on offer. Noah’s fierce and compassionate dedication to yoga inspires and holds space for students to journey deeper into body, heart, mind, and spirit than they ever could have imagined. Ever-advancing the conversation and curriculum in yoga education, Noah cofounded The Mazé Method with his wife Tracy. Together, they have pioneered training content to enhance and sharpen the skills of yoga teachers. Noah believes that always remaining a student is essential to teaching. He has thus devoted himself to creating pathways for teachers to continue their learning and cultivation of skill and voice.

  • Christina Sell has been practicing asana since 1991 and teaching since 1998. Known for her passion, clarity and creativity, Christina’s teaching style is a dynamic and challenging blend of inspiration, humor and hard work. Masterful at synthesis, her ability to harvest and transmit the unique contributions of various yoga methods is unparalleled. Christina believes that yoga practice can help anyone access their inner wisdom, authentic spirituality and clarify their highest personal expression.

    Christina draws inspiration from many master teachers in Iyengar Yoga, Anusara Yoga and Bikram Yoga. She is a certified Anusara Yoga teacher, has authored three books, hosts a podcast, and maintains an active teaching schedule presenting seminars, intensives, trainings, and workshops worldwide.

    Christina has a BA in Counseling and Education and an MA in Integrative Education and Curriculum Design. She resides in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, two very affectionate cats, and the world’s best dog, Locket. She enjoys practicing yoga, writing, reading, cooking, hiking, mountain biking, and lifting weights. 

  • Heather Wertheimer is a kirtan artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist who combines her special love of both music and yoga to lead devotional chanting internationally. With a rare ability to sing directly from the heart, she infuses sacred chanting with a powerful sense of peace and depth. Heather has toured in the U.S. and abroad with her husband Benjy, Steve Gorn, Manose, and Deva Premal & Miten. Heather’s debut CD with Shantala, Church of Sky, was named by New Age Retailer as one of the top ten albums of the year. It has been aired on radio stations internationally. Heather brings the richness of her healing background as a therapist and teacher of meditation and yoga into the practice of kirtan.

  • Master musician Benjy Wertheimer is an award-winning songwriter, vocalist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist (playing tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar and keyboards). His extraordinary and unique musical gifts from East and West create a sense of wonder and awe in the listener. In addition to touring with Shantala, Benjy is a founding member of the sacred music ensemble The Hanumen (including Gaura Vani, John De Kadt, and Visvambhar Sheth of the Mayapuris) and has toured and produced two CDs with them since 2009. Benjy joined David Michael and Grammy winner Nancy Rumbel to form the Confluence Trio in 2019. They released their first CD, Confluence, in May 2019. Benjy has toured and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker (Steely Dan), and virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell. He has opened for such artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. A founding member of the internationally acclaimed Ancient Future world fusion music ensemble, Benjy also toured the U.S., Canada, and Japan with renowned bamboo flute master G.S. Sachdev. He has studied Indian classical music for over 40 years with some of the greatest masters of that tradition (including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan, and Z. M. Dagar). Benjy has produced 18 CDs since 2000, which receive extensive airplay around the world, and his CD Circle of Fire went to #1 on the New Age radio charts.

  • Saraswati Clere, ERYT500, is an Award-winning film-maker and the owner of Yoga Kula. Saraswati is a certified Anusara Yoga teacher, and has been a dedicated student of Iyengar Yoga for more than 20 years.

    Saraswati is well known for her ability to convey the essence of the wisdom teachings of yoga with exceptional clarity, insight, and relevance to students of all levels and from all walks of life. Saraswati teaches with a combination of rigor and challenge balanced with sensitivity, humor, and compassion.

    Her classes weave together the technical precision of refined alignment-based practice with an ever-present awareness of the great wisdom of yoga philosophy distilled from decades of intensive study and practice.

    Teaching for more than two decades, Saraswati shares the depth of her experience and knowledge to reveal a uniquely accessible, authentic and integrated approach to yoga. She empowers students with tools to deepen their understanding and inspires them to embrace asana as a path for expansive self-discovery and inner growth.

    A seasoned trainer and mentor of new teachers, she offers yearly Yoga Teacher Training programs, online and in-person that fuel the inner journey of yoga teachers and students from around the globe.

    Saraswati is the founder of Yoga Kula, Berkeley’s seminal place for the practice of Alignment-based, Heart-centered Hatha Yoga.

  • MC Yogi is an internationally known recording artist, award winning author and seasoned yoga teacher. He teaches yoga and performs at large scale yoga and music festivals across the globe, headlining in over 30 U.S. cities as well as Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Germany and more. He’s taught and performed In India, China, and even at the White House. His unique style of music and teaching is joy filled, poetic and spiritually uplifting!

    Read his full bio here.

  • Doug Keller holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University and is one of the earliest teachers certified in Anusara Yoga. His yoga journey includes fourteen years of practice in Siddha Yoga ashrams, intensive training in the Iyengar method, and decades of teaching throughout the U.S. and internationally. Known for his clarity and depth, Doug continues to explore the therapeutic dimensions of yoga while honoring the broader philosophical and spiritual traditions from which yoga arises.

    Website: https://www.doyoga.com