What our Staff is Up To!
Keep up to date with our amazing staff and all of their ventures.
The lovely Emmie Danza is near and dear to our heart. She’s based in California but comes back to visit us in New York City often. Check out her website to keep tabs on her so you can come sweat with her when she’s back!
“A lifelong passion for dance and movement led Emmie into a yoga class after moving to New York in 2011. She immediately developed a love for both the physical and mental benefits that a daily yoga practice offered. With a desire to deepen her own practice and explore the world of teaching, Emmie entered in to her first training at Yoga to the People in New York City in 2015. She earned her 200hr RYT and began her apprenticeship at Yoga to the People thereafter. She later earned her second and third certification from Yoga to the People and Pure Yoga after completing a 100hr Traditional 26 Posture Hot Yoga training in 2016 and a Yin Yoga Training in 2017. Most recently, Emmie received her certification in Prenatal yoga from Laughing Lotus. Emmie has taught at over 10 studios in New York City including Sweat Yoga in Tribeca, Alo Yoga in Soho, Tangerine Hot Power Yoga, and Heatwise Yoga in Brooklyn Heights. With over 3 years of teaching experience and over 2000+ hours of leading group classes, private sessions, and trainings under her belt, she has now moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her career on the West Coast. Emmie’s classes are upbeat, explorative, and challenging and encourage students to cultivate an awareness of mind, body, and breath. She invites students to experiment with new shapes and intuitive movement while maintaining an attention to detail and alignment. Emmie believes in creating a learning environment that is accessible for all and strives to empower each and every student along the way. Now Emmie works to bind her love of yoga and art to create graphic work that is a reflection of her colorful, fun, goofy, and passionate personality.”
Our amazing Kirra Michel is always up to tons in the New York City area. Come practice with our resident handstand queen and see what she’s all about.
“I come from a small, picture-perfect beach town in Australia and somehow ended up living in this concrete jungle, crazy city…New York City! I’ve been obsessed with movement since I was young. Dancing from the age of 3, a rhythmic gymnast since the age of 5, & a surfer for as long as I can remember. I began personal training at Equinox in ’14. By this time, High-Intensity Interval Training, strength training & boxing were the movement techniques I was most passionate about. But….Life took its twists and turns and yoga ended up falling right into my lap, when I realized how perfect the cross-training between yoga, HIIT & strength training was, I knew I had found my perfect balance. Not to mention the mental, mindful aspect of yoga and how that benefits every aspect of my life (still, let’s be real, its all a massive learning curve and I’m absolutely learning more and more daily). I’m a certified Personal Training through National Federation of Professional Trainers & also a 500+hr Yoga Alliance teacher. I’m also a certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Though my studies, I continue to realize the importance of combining movement, mindfulness, & nutrition to produce effective & lasting results. My goal is to assist as many people as possible in the direction of their own personal/individual health, wellness, mindfulness and simply taking care of themselves in the most holistic manner possible.”
Lauren
“Lauren, 500hr RYT from New York City, rounds out her resume with certifications in personal training and health coaching. An extensive background in hospitality coupled with a deep love for travel and adventure reflect Lauren’s robust personality while yoga provides her with a catalyst to keep a healthy body and mind; it certainly proved to be the perfect recipe to feed Lauren’s appetite for equanimity. Employing her background as a dancer, Lauren prides herself on using noteworthy music and personalized attention for each and every “body.” Her classes are designed to encourage practitioners to stay present while pushing their boundaries through vigorous, yet graceful, sequencing. She believes “the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life.”
Pineapple Yogi, or as we know her, Sharon Armstrong, is an amazing force who trains all people to reset their bodies and minds.
“Life is all about balance.” Sharon discovered Yoga as a powerful and vital tool to work through life’s happenings which brought her to diving deeper and taking her YTT. Sharon has been teaching Yoga throughout NYC for the past 3 years, working with multiple Yoga Studios and Corporate Companies along with offering what she calls “Reset Yoga Retreats” seasonally as a means of cleansing (or Resetting) the ever busy chaotic inner body along with the outer body. Building community and ah-ha moments for others fuels Sharon and she
The multi-talented Patricia Sabulis is an actress and a yoga instructor. So you’ll see her in class and on the stage and screen!
“After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2012, I decided to stay in New York and live the dream. I’ve served you alcohol, babysat your kids, sold you shoes and, yes, I am your yoga instructor. But, I do get on stage from time to time, and am bringing my face to a screen (big or handheld) near you.”
The amazing leader of our studio, Britton Schey is always striving to learn more and to teach what she knows to whoever she can.
“Britton grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and spent much of her childhood in Los Angeles. She took her first yoga class with Jonny Kest who 20+ years later, she still credits for her love of the practice. Britton looks to Steve Ross, Vinnie Marino, and Dana Trixie Flynn as major influences in her teaching style. While each is very different in background and methods, these teachers carry a light-hearted devotion to the practice that Britton connected to. Britton is a former entertainment executive who started her career at WME before moving into non-scripted television at Sony Pictures. She and her husband Wade currently are the founders of VERAYOGA in Tribeca, were partners of the former Sweat Yoga NYC, and live in the Lower East Side with their fur child Harley.”
With a contagious smile and open heart, we have the wonderful Matty Espino!
“First, welcome and hello to everyone who is reading this! My name is Matty Espino and I am a 550-hour certified yoga instructor with specialties in vinyasa, Lotus Flow™, Chakras-based Yoga, Ayurveda, and Restorative Yoga. I also hold additional certifications in Kids & Teens Yoga and Trauma-Informed Yoga. Originally from California, I moved to New York City in 2013 to pursue my MA in TESOL at Columbia University. During a rather difficult time in my life, I was brought to my first NYC yoga class. Initially skeptical about the practice, I began to discover the wonderfully therapeutic benefits of consistently coming back onto my mat and, from then on, have begun my journey towards healing. I am a firm believer that yoga has changed my life for the better. It has made me stronger, healthier, and happier and has consistently allowed me to challenge myself in new ways. I received my 200-hour vinyasa training shortly after completing my MA program at Columbia. Frankly, I never planned to teach. Lo and behold though, my impulsive nature got me to auditions. After landing my first studio gig, I became enamored with the art of teaching and developed a strong passion for helping people to learn their bodies and cultivate a deeper sense of peace within themselves. I want to be able to give people the gift of finding their breath, their body, and help them embark on a path towards a consciously happier, healthier, and more mindful life. As a teacher, I offer carefully sequenced classes and private sessions that are challenging and playful, while still supportive of all levels and accommodating to all injuries. With compassion, a bright smile, and an intuitive and intelligent approach to the body, I strive for each of my students to feel comfortable, confident, and to feel no judgment to move like them. I am a firm believer that it is not about the poses you achieve in the moment, but the ability to see the lessons we can gain through the process and journey. I am incredibly excited and grateful to be teaching yoga all across NYC and give thanks to all of my teachers who have shaped my yogic path. Off the mat, I am a lover of language and culture, cupcakes, and traveling all over the world.”
Our powerful Jen Diaz will definitely make you sweat. She’s a beautiful force of nature and you’ll leave sweaty but ready for more!
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Chelsea Quint is a truly inspiring woman who will soothe your soul and work your body. (Psst.. she also does a lot more coaching than just yoga, check her out!)
“It’s been a long road full of traumas, heartbreak, debt and financial struggle, family drama, and more. Because I came here to heal – first myself, and now you. I believe that you’re here because you’re ready. Because you know the same way of living, thinking and being isn’t working, and you’re ready to make a change. You’re ready to take your power back, heal your deepest wounds and truly thrive in every area of your life.”
A very new and exciting addition to our team, Justin Ifill! Check out his Rhythm and Flow work.
“Justin Ifill, RYT 200 fell in love with yoga as soon as he started and now has had a yoga practice since 2011. Following some of his inspirational teachers and mentors, he completed his teacher training at Laughing Lotus (Lotus Flow University) in April 2017. Justin strives to help others help themselves, stay balanced, and love their breath to promote both physical and mental well-being. His “Rhythm & Flow” classes take you on an uplifting, innovative, and soulful journey—a practice steeped in the timeless traditions of yoga, infused with music and spiced with divine inspiration.”
Our wonderful Tess Koenig is focused on keeping you focused.
As a yogi and teacher, Tess is passionate about guiding students in discovering their inner compass and sense of purpose. She strives to reconnect students with their deepest and best selves through a feel-good flow designed to build awareness, heightened focus, balance, openness, and peace in spirit. Her classes offer guided meditation, postural assists for optimal alignment, and in-depth instruction of breathing techniques and practices. Above all, Tess wants yogis to walk away from the mat simply feeling better in mind, body, and soul, and leaving with what they hoped to find throughout practice. Her musically-charged flow class style is moderately paced, athletic, and totally human. All levels are beyond welcome.
Loving what you’re reading? We’ve got classes with all these people and even more. Check out the schedule and come in and sweat with us at VERA Yoga in Tribeca. We love to meet new people and practice together. Because people who sweat together, stay together, right?