Nandi, known in Hindu mythology as Shiva’s gatekeeper and transport, is a white bull who guards many Hindu temples. It is believed that you can only ride him if you have overcome your desires through the mastery of yoga, and his favorite food is green grass. For these reasons, we have chosen Nandi as our studio’s namesake.
Our Community is vital to us at Nandi. Practicing together yields many opportunities for inspiration and support, as we each journey on our own path. We encourage our students and staff to work together to make our community even better.
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Blog Contributors
Wendy Klein, Founder of Nandi Yoga
Wendy has been practicing since 1994 under numerous disciplines and has been teaching since 2006. She was certified by It’s Yoga in Ashtanga and Sarah Wells. Wendy lives by the philosophy of “practice what you teach and teach what you practice.” She is on her mat every day breathing and playing.
Giselle Mari, Jivamukti Yoga Instructor
Giselle Mari is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti yoga teacher and E-RYT-500 whose introduction to yoga in the early 90’s was a natural progression from her gymnastics/dance background, her passion for music and being raised by a bohemian flamenco dancer. Being a bit of a wild child, she was later drawn to the Jivamukti Yoga method. Soon thereafter she began her extensive study with her gurus Sharon Gannon and David Life who she joyfully assisted throughout the western U.S. for almost 5 years and has had the honor to serve as a mentor on the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training faculty in 2012 & 2014. Studied in Yin yoga as well with Sarah Powers & Paul Grilley she appreciates the potency of this practice and enjoys coalescing these two powerful methods to create a visceral balance positively influencing how we see ourselves, and the world.
Described as “spunky” by her teacher Sharon Gannon, Giselle is known for her sustainable & insightful classes that infuse funky eclectic music, chanting, skillful hands on assists, a down to earth approach to yoga and an all around good time for your soul.
Jeremy Moran, Jivamukti Yoga Instructor
Jeremy Moran has been studying yoga under his teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life since 1999. In 2003 he completed the 300-hour Jivamukti teacher training at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York and has been happily teaching Jivamukti yoga in San Francisco ever since. He lives with his wife Amanda and 2 kids Jackson and Gloria in San Francisco. In addition to teaching yoga, Jeremy is a successful professional chef.
Jeremy was drawn to yoga in large part because of the philosophy and he infuses its tenets within his classes and throughout his daily life.
Nicole Bryne, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga Instructor
Nicole started practicing yoga in 1998 and then decided a few years ago to make it a daily part of her life. As a Kindergarten teacher and appreciating the positive influence yoga brought to her life, she decided to teach and completed the It’s Yoga Kids teacher training and Family Yoga workshop with Kate Roades and Rosey Becker. She recently completed the Yoga Tree San Francisco 200-hour teacher training program and was fortunate to closely work with Janet Stone, Elise Lorimer and Jamie Lindsay. The practice of yoga has brought Nicole many wonderful emotional and physical benefits; she hopes all she teaches will experience the same.
Clive Beavis, Vinyasa Yoga Instructor
Clive began practicing yoga in 2002 and became immediately hooked. He studied extensively with both Iyengar and Vinyasa teachers in the area and was certified by Avalon Yoga in Palo Alto.
His teaching style mixes these two disciplines with a strong focus on alignment and a good dose of humor.
Tony Irwin, Ashtanga Yoga Instructor
Tony is a full time personal trainer with a degree in kinesiology. Tony began his yoga journey in 2012 and was certified by Nandi Yoga in 2014. His focus is Ashtanga Yoga and he believes that by moving mindfully, students of all levels can gain strength, body awareness, and peace of mind.
Bonnie’s lifetime passions for dance, sports and meditation have converged in yoga. First drawn to Ashtanga Vinyasa for its ballet-like precision, it remains part of her practice along with Vinyasa Flow that tickles her creative side. In her classes, she seeks to share her path to transformation of body, mind and spirit, and have some fun. Practicing yoga since 2009, she completed her 200-Hour Yoga Alliance training and intern program at Nandi Yoga in 2013. Her motto: Laugh and exhale—all else will follow.
Michelle started practicing yoga in 2000 mainly to complement her rock climbing and martial arts training. It was not until 2007, after experiencing a loss in her family, did Michelle’s yoga practice deepen and turn inward. During this time, Michelle’s yoga practice became much more than a free class at the climbing gym. Through meditation and a consistent practice, yoga became a way to experience life in the moment, to calm the mind and heal the spirit.
Michelle recently completed the journey of receiving her 200-hour vinyasa flow teacher certification through Mark Stephens in Santa Cruz. Michelle continues to be inspired and humbled by her teachers, past and present, whom she has had the blessing to practice and/or apprentice with – Elise Miller, Mark Stephens, Ben Thomas and Jennifer Wolfe. She hopes that through yoga, her students in class will experience “stirha sukkam,” a sense of steadiness and ease, not only on the mat but out in the world as well. Michelle is eternally grateful to her husband and daughter for their ongoing support and their ability to make her laugh every day.
Kay Tsuyama, Restortive Yoga Instructor
Kay has been practicing yoga since her college days at Cal Berkeley & was Yoga Alliance Certified 200 hrs. by Sri Yoga Teacher Training in 2011. She also completed Kids & Family Yoga certification in 2012; Maty Ezraty’s Intensive in 2014 and most recently Vinyasa Krama with Srivatsa Ramaswami, among other training in various styles. She is designated Advance Trainer by Judith H. Lasater in Restorative Yoga and will be part of her team assisting her upcoming Teacher Training. Currently, she is enrolled in 500 hrs. teacher training, continuing her journey for deeper and relevant yoga to ultimately share with others.
She believes yoga is a gift that empowers us to access our own inner strength for natural healing and shares her eclectic style influenced by Zen Buddhist approach to help her students attain and maintain their optimal health. To her, yoga is about connecting to the natural inner bounty within a safe and supportive space where yoga’s practice of compassion, gratitude, acceptance and love for Self and others… all come together, and she is honored to share with you such a practice.
Practicing since 1995, Louis’ love of yoga blossomed while living in a Krishna ashram in Hawaii where a fellow monk showed him a copy of B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga. After pledging to learn all 202 poses… (by himself!)…he got injured and then sought tutelage at Julie Lawrence’s Iyengar Studio in Portland Oregon where he learned to cool his fire and practice with impeccable alignment.
In the Bay Area, he began studying with master Iyengar Instructor Mr. Ben Thomas who mentored him during his teacher training at Avalon Art and Yoga and taught him how to breeeeeeeeethe.
Louis’ classes are rigorous, deliberate, well rounded, and provide a strong foundation for deep exploration in personal practice. “It is only when the correct practice (abhyasa) is followed for a long time, without interruptions and with a quality of positive attitude and eagerness, that it can succeed.” (T.K.V. Desikachar, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Book 1, Sutra 14).
Birgit teaches Yogasana Sadhana. Since 2008 she is guided by her teacher Sri Prashant Iyengar. Under the mentorship of Benjamin A. Thomas she accomplished more than 2,000 hours of Yogasana training. In 2013 she has completed the Teacher Training for Scoliosis with Elise B. Miller, also a Senior certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. Every other year she travels to Pune, India, to immerse deeper in the teachings of the Iyengar family.
Since 2004, Birgit teaches many public classes, including a monthly pranayama class at Nandi Yoga, a therapeutic class at the AARS (Asian American Recovery Service) for former drug addicts, at the VA in Menlo Park and in high tech companies. She teaches local and national workshops and offers private yoga sessions. Her background includes deep roots in Shotokan Karate, Zen meditation for more than 30 years, and Qi Gong .The classes are a well-balanced and harmonious fusion of yogasana, pranayama, chanting, meditation and students have the rare opportunity to learn the yoga sutras by Sri Patanjali which are the heart of yoga. She encourages the sadhaka (serene student of yoga) to practice with an open and humble mind and heart; and to maintain a sense of equanimity on and off the mat.
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