Labor Day weekend schedule
~Friday 9/3
12pm w/Barry, 6pm w/Tobie and 730pm w/Becca
~Saturday 9/4
930am w/Tobie and 4pm w/Becca
~Sunday 9/5
930am w/Tobie and 4pm w/Barry
~Monday 9/6
CLOSED
~Friday
1079 Whalley Ave. • New Haven, CT • 917-204-0500
Instructors
Lori Bonazzoli, Owner
“I learned a few yoga poses at the age of 17 and designed my first sequence shortly thereafter. I wanted to learn more, so I studied at a school called Spiritual Human Yoga. I engaged in a deep practice of seated meditation. I also had my chakras (energy centers) opened and learned how to perform hands-on healing. By the time I graduated, I began to feel an internal and external shift in my consciousness and energy. I suspended my personal yoga practice and expanded my knowledge through reading and other experienced practitioners. At 21, I found my second teacher, who guided me through my first asana sequence in a heated room. By the time the session was over, I was determined to become a Bikram Yoga instructor. I became dedicated to ‘perfecting’ my practice and focused on yoga culture and spirituality. Although I engaged in the rigorous 9-week program required to teach Bikram, and have taught at studios throughout Connecticut and elsewhere, I have realized that there is no such thing as a ‘perfect posture.’ Over the past thirteen years, my personal practice has evolved far beyond the 26 asanas of Bikram. I’ve practiced Baptiste Power Yoga, Forrest Yoga and Dharma Mittra Vinyasa, and I am continuously expanding my knowledge. Balanced Hot Yoga offers classes that are a fusion of all these beautiful and effective techniques. Every class is designed for the beginner body and, more importantly, the beginner mind. My goal is to use the discipline of yoga to help students of all levels realize freedom within their bodies.”
Sue Neufeld
Sue Neufeld’s classes offer an inspiring integration of Tantric Hatha Yoga and Para Yoga, an approach that builds strength, flexibility, vitality, clarity, joy and fulfillment. She teaches multi-level as well as private classes. She is a Para Yoga advanced teacher, having completed nine advanced training courses with master teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker of Para Yoga. (“Para” means supreme … ancient … highest.) In April 2005, Rod initiated Sue into the lineage of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Sue received her 200-hour certification from Kripalu Yoga Center in Lenox, Massachusetts in January 2003. And in March 2004, she completed Yoga of the HeartTM with Nischala Joy Devi, enabling her to effectively teach profound stress-reducing restorative yoga. She is also an E-RYT (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher) with Yoga Alliance. Sue is both a passionate student and teacher of yoga. Her mission statement reflects her intention for each and every student with whom she interacts: “To awaken the spark of Agni fire, self-knowledge, healing and Sri unity and beauty in the heart and soul.
Rebecca Casey
Rebecca is a registered Yoga teacher and a graduate student in the nurse practitioner program at Yale School of Nursing. She began her Yoga practice at the age of 18, after many years of competitive sports. She recognized yoga's ability to rejuvenate and heal the body after taking her first hot yoga class. Having had many inspiring teachers in the Boston/Cambridge area, she decided she wanted to become a teacher so she could share her love of yoga with others. PranaVayu Yoga, with master teacher David Magone, was the perfect fit. Loosely translated, PranaVayu means “Breath of Life.” It is a unique style, which integrates flowing power yoga sequences with relaxation and meditative techniques to help you change your body and free your mind.
Kelly Codianna
Kellie Codianna discovered Hatha Yoga in 1995 and knew it was a gift that she wanted to share with others. Her first yoga classes left her feeling focused, energized, motivated and better connected to her mind and body. She continued her personal practice, exploring different teachers and styles of yoga. She continuously challenges her strength and flexibility and loves to deepen her practice by taking workshops and classes. In 2003, Kelly enrolled in teacher training at the Connecticut Yoga Center and was certified in March 2004. Her classes are modified to all levels. She encourages her students to find their “edge,” but also to know their limits. “The key,” she says, “is to breathe deeply and allow the breath to work you into and out of the movement. You need to stay present and move with gentleness and purpose.” She encourages her students to open their hearts and relax their minds and bodies by letting go of old tension. Kelly has begun training to become certified as a Yoga Therapist and works privately with students to help them deepen their connection to their spirit. Kelly serves as a substitute instructor at Balanced Hot Yoga.
Erika Dixon
“Yoga was planted deep within my heart as a college freshman in 1998, from this sprouted illumination of my body, heart, mind and spirit. Having a fascination for the human body and its complex nature, I attended the CT Center for Massage Therapy in 2005, where I studied the many layers of the human body on a holistic level, learning an eclectic blend of healing modalities including anatomy, kinesiology, acupressure, Chinese meridian theory, Reiki, and meditation. My practice and passion of yoga grew wings and flew me to Costa Rica in January of 2007, where I completed my 200-hour yoga certification in Interdisciplinary Yoga with Don and Amba Stapleton. In 2008, I completed my first Yin Yoga teacher training with Sarah Powers. I will continue to study with her each year in order to receive my 720-hour yoga certificate through the Insight Yoga Institute. Driven by my innate desire to help others and belief that life truly is learning, I have begun a life-long commitment to facilitate healing within the world, changing it one deep breath at a time.”
Barry Raccio
In 1997, Barry took his first yoga class in Los Angeles and was hooked. While living on the west coast, he regularly studied with such acclaimed teachers and visionaries as Yogi Bhajan, Gurmukh Khalsa, Shiva Rea and Bryan Kest. He has completed a 200-hour Vinyasa certification with Rolf Gates. Barry believes the process of yoga helps students uncover a deeper relationship between body, mind and nature. “It also helps them overcome physical and mental limitations,” he says. “Most importantly, students leave feeling better than they did when they first arrived.” Barry’s fusion of uplifting music, Kundalini Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga creates a balanced and effective practice of alignment and principles to recharge the spirit, while at the same time conditioning the mind and body. The unique experiences and training Barry brings to his classes are flavored with individualism and abundant gratitude for this great human journey.
Tobie Schuerfeld
“I took my first yoga class when I was around 20 years old. But it wasn’t until I visited Kripalu Center, in Lenox MA, that I really fell in love with yoga. I started exploring different styles and taking classes more regularly. I started taking some weekend workshops with Rodney Yee at Kripalu and started practicing at home with his videos. It wasn’t until Lori opened Balanced Hot Yoga that I started practicing Vinyasa yoga regularly. I was hooked! Three years later, I’ve studied with Sean Corne, Rolf Gates, Stephen Cope, Baron Baptiste and Rodney Yee. I am in the beginning of yoga teacher training with an instructor whose foundation is Iyengar Yoga. The form of the poses is fascinating to me. I find that proper form in the poses allows for freedom in the breath, the mind and the body. Yoga is not just an exercise of the body. It is a practice of awakening the soul, so we can find ease in our lives. I’ve been a massage therapist for six years and recently finished graduate school with a master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition. These paths of study have allowed me to investigate the body. Yoga is another fascinating tool for my investigations. As I begin to teach, I hope to bring awareness and ease to my students, so that they can also enjoy the practice of yoga and allow it to enrich their lives as I have.
Jessica Libero Edwards
"A passion of mine is to guide my students through the sacred process and exploration of harnessing their own potential for healing—using the breath to experience the body in its most accurate state: the here and now, which often leads them to feel something real for the first time. We feel with our breath, our body, and our spirit." Jessica, a yoga practitioner for ten years, teaches Forrest, Yin, and Vinyasa Yoga as well as an intuitive mix that merges yin and yang styles. She is a licensed massage therapist, Reiki Master, and owner of the bodywork studio, Intuitive Lotus Body Therapies. Merging her deep love for and knowledge of therapeutic massage and bodywork into her yoga classes, Jessica provides attentive hands on assists and compassionate, purposeful touch. Students recovering from trauma, addictions, abuse, and anxiety benefit greatly from Jessica’s dynamic and spiritual classes as well as anyone looking to experience a loving and fun class. Jessica weaves the intelligence of anatomy, the flow of breath, the vivacity of massage and acupressure, and the awareness of meditation together in order to help one begin to discover a new and beautiful path to freedom.
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