Instructors at Balanced HOT Yoga Studio New Haven CT

WAKE UP WITH BALANCED
6:30-7:30AM
now on the permanent schedule

GITA & GAMES w/PIYUSH
A six-week workshop
starting 2/25 - Noon-1:30PM
1st workshop FREE

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.”

Barry Raccio

Barry is not your regular yoga instructor. As a teenager, Barry left his home to embark on a journey of self discovery. During his search, Barry found himself on the west coast where he discovered yoga for the first time. Just one practice was all it took for the young yogi to become completely hooked. Shortly after his first class he began studying with acclaimed teachers and visionaries such as, Yogi Bhajan, Gurmukh Khalsa, Shiva Rea, and Bryan Kest. While studying with these remarkable instructors, Barry realized he too wanted to share the gift of yoga with others. Barry finished a 200 hour Vinyasa certification with master yoga instructor/author Rolf Gates.

Not only does Barry have a passion for practicing yoga, he is also creative. During his journey he held on to his creativity by involving himself in various creative settings. Barry has performed in commercials, has written and published chart topping hits, and has even performed in music videos including Michael Jackson’s, “Bad.” In addition, his love for creativity has made its way into his yoga classes, by infusing uplifting music and creating video clips that share positive messages that he has learned from the great gurus before him. His passion for music with the kundalini and vinyasa yoga style help to create a balanced and effective practice of alignment and principal that recharges the spirit while conditioning the mind and body.

Barry is a firm believer that yoga helps to gain a deeper relationship between body, mind, and nature. Holding tight to his practice during life’s heartaches, he believes that yoga has the power to help overcome physical and mental limitations. Barry’s enthusiasm for his beliefs has become his mission for others. His objective for his students is for them to leave class feeling better than when they arrived. His hope is that his classes will encourage his students to unite with their mind, body, and nature just as he did when he practiced for the first time. His unique approach to instructing has wowed students of all different ages and backgrounds. Barry’s fresh style is both cool, and informative. His eye for creativity and his love for the practice of yoga have opened the doors for him as a stand out leader and friend. Barry is not just any yogi; he has coined the nickname Urban Yogi. With all of his heart and soul, Barry Raccio aka “Urban Yogi” will continue to serve as a great leader and visionary by creatively uniting the mind and body through the art of yoga.

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 L. 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 is a yoga practitioner of fifteen years and is trained in Yin, Vinyasa, and Forrest Yoga. She is a licensed massage therapist and Asian bodyworker in CT and NY and an Usui Reiki Master Lineage Holder.

Merging her deep love for and knowledge of therapeutic massage and bodywork into her yoga classes, Jessica provides attentive, compassionate hands-on assists and intuition in order to help each student heal and bliss out.

Students recovering from trauma, addictions, abuse, injuries, 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 and stillness, enabling one to begin to discover a new and beautiful path to freedom.