SARA DAVIDSON FLANDERS
(she, her), Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, ERYT-500, YACEP A yoga teacher since 1997, I am also the founder and owner of Full Radiance Yoga. As a passionate student of yoga and meditation for 30 years, I am still delightfully astonished at how effective yoga is at not only bringing more strength and flexibility to our body, but how it brings us to a place of connection to our own well-being and our own center. I love teaching those new to yoga how simple actions can create powerfully wonderful effects, for our body, mind, emotions, and spirit. And I’m passionate about helping yoga practitioners and yoga teachers of all levels of experience, know more about their capacity to find awakenings in their movements and in their state of being.
As an authorized teacher of Neelakantha Meditation, the yoga philosophy called Śakta Śaiva non-dual Tantra informs my life and my teaching. My classes, teacher trainings and workshops all weave this heart-nourishing yoga philosophy with the artful science of biomechanics applied to the poses and their flow. We have the capacity to enliven patterns that awaken and shift patterns that constrict. This affects our healing: body, mind and spirit. It delights me to bring the ancient teachings alive and reveal their astonishing and compelling relevancy for our modern lives.
LIZ BUTLER
Liz (she/her) has been a dedicated yoga practitioner since 2003 and has taught over 3000 classes in and around Rhode Island over the past 14 years.
"I am committed to teaching in an open and supportive way that creates space for everyone to show up wholly. I believe strongly in liberatory practices that promote curiosity, kindness, and connection, and strive to minimize performance-driven and goal-oriented practices that can foster perfectionism and comparison."
RANI MACNEAL
I've been drawn to movement and breath as long as I can remember. I used to do backbends or play my clarinet or dance a bit of Bharatanatyam when I felt lost, down, or out of sorts. In my first few weeks of college in Maine, a dear friend who was from Rhode Island asked me to do a power yoga tape with him and my journey to move trauma out of my body, explore my roots, and move to RI inadvertently began. Yoga and meditation have given me a deeper understanding of myself and helped me find healing, strength and joy in my body through chronic illnesses, loss, and turmoil. My practices have felt like coming home after the disconnections of being born in a place foreign to my parents and moving through spaces where no one looked like me. I am constantly peeling back the layers of colonialism and oppression and looking for deeper connection with my ancestral line of activists, healers, and community nurturers. Yoga, meditation, and ritual have shown me how to belong in my own body and to in turn find belonging in community. I am a curious queerish gender ocean artist healer and a lover of all things poetry, mehandi, radical intentional rest, salt water, social justice, health equity, knitting, and backyard fire pitting. I'm excited to share what I have learned through my journey in hopes that it will bring more rest and ease into your day. I am currently healing from chronic pain so my sessions will show modifications and be gentle.
MELANITE GONZALEZ
Hi, I'm Melanite and I use they/them pronouns. I have been practicing yoga for 18 years, Sara Davidson Flanders was actually my first yoga teacher so getting to be one of the first few teachers to share my practice in this space feels so special! Over the years I have worked with yoga to explore my body dysphoria & queerness at a time when I didn’t have the language for what I was feeling, my mat became my safe place to explore my gender identity and energy. I hold space for humans to listen to what their bodies are saying and move past what they are holding. I work with different modalities such as mindfulness, moon cycles, astrology, and trauma-informed approach to create flows and spaces that feel nourishing and safe enough to quiet the mind so that you can listen and connect to all that you are.
I look forward to creating a community here for queer people who have not been able to find a safe place to connect or move their bodies!
BESENIA RODRIGUEZ
(she/her) Originally from Bronx, New York of Afro-Caribbean heritage (Dominican), I am a community cultivator who values authenticity and humor and who strives to create spaces where everyone feels seen and empowered.
I came to yoga and meditation in 2012 seeking respite and reenergizing and found ways to calm a restless mind and spirit. Soon after leaving a leadership role in a high-stress work environment, I pursued yoga teacher training to deepen my practice and my connection with my intuition. As my inner educator found expression, I discovered a love for sharing with others the peace, play, and self-compassion that I find on the mat. Drawn to gentler practices and inspired by the healing potential of yoga, my recent focus has been on deepening my understanding of trauma-informed approaches and of mindfulness and meditation. I have completed foundational teacher certifications in both areas.
Beyond the mat, I love the sun, the sea, traveling, my two kiddos + dog, and singing along loudly to the music while driving with the windows down.
SATHYADEV
(he/they) Namaste! I'm Sathyadev! 33, and a Taurus Sun, Aries Moon, Virgo Rising! My name was given to me by my beloved Guru and it means Divine Truth in Sanskrit. I've always been a seeker on the spiritual path. Both studying and practicing yoga, meditation, energy healing, massage therapy and tarot over the last 11 years. In 2012, I met my Guru, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, affectionately known around the world as Amma, the hugging saint. This meeting profoundly changed the course of my life, and began my practice in Hinduism and Hatha Yoga.
My work in the yoga world has always been rooted in the work of decolonization. I've studied yoga in India over several years and recently spent 6 months in an ashram in Kerala, India living a monastic lifestyle. Because of my deep connection to and reverence for the authentic culture and roots of Yoga, my classes are infused with equal amounts of Asana (yogic postures), Pranayama (breathing techniques), Mantra (sacred Sanskrit phrases), and Dhyana (meditation).
Whether you are a long time student of yoga, or a complete beginner (lucky you!), I invite you to join me for one of my class offerings. Let's slow down and return to the breath together. Let's explore the body, and surrender the seemingly ceaseless thoughts of the mind. Let's open the heart and witness what arises. My classes are open to ALL bodies, ALL identities, and ALL levels of experience!
TOSCA BRAUN
Tosca Braun, C-IAYT, its a certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, yoga therapist, and teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training and Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction (MBSR). A licensed clinical psychologist in RI and CT, Tosca delights in supporting others on their meditation and yoga journeys and in the service of healing, equity, and liberation for all. All offerings are identity- and trauma-informed.
“I offer a deep bow of homage to my teachers and the lineage holders of India and South Asia for the gifts of yoga and meditation, which over the past twenty years have proven deeply healing and freeing. I am humbled to share forward a fraction of their transformative potential.”
TRISH CASSADY
(she/her) As a dedicated Yoga practitioner, I am on a lifelong journey of self-discovery, growth, and holistic well-being. I was introduced to the Anusara style of Yoga very early in my Yoga exploration. I was immediately drawn to its celebration of the qualities of the heart and the recognition of the sacred in all beings. My goal as an Anusara Elements Yoga teacher is to use my deep understanding of consciousness and the potential of the human spirit to create empowering practices that allow students to intentionally move their bodies through poses, inspiring mindfulness, reflection, and personal transformation. I also draw upon my background of growing up in Jamaica with a first-generation Chinese father to spark and influence my classes. It not only enhances my empathy of the varied human experience but brings warmth, friendliness and fun to my classes.
LARRY O’BRIEN
(he/him) Autobiography of a Laughter Yogi
First of all, I am an old and happily married man with three children and eight grandchildren. I am nobody’s yogi; I cannot tell a chakra from a shark. I do have two practices which have helped me immensely in life. The first is the Knowledge taught by Prem Rawat, which I have been doing since 1974. The practice of Knowledge requires sitting daily, helping offer this to others, and listening to talks, mostly by Prem, about the Knowledge. In my life, I have to deal with bipolar disorder (diagnosed in 1970) and multiple sclerosis (since 1978) and cannot imagine life without my practice. When I sit, everything is okay.
Laughter Yoga came later. I first attended a session around the new Millennium and became a certified leader in the practice as taught by Dr. Madan and Maduri Kataria in May of 2014. This has been a perfect complement to my practice of Knowledge: Knowledge gives me insight into the absurd and illusory nature of what passes for reality, and Laughter Yoga has given me new tools to throw back my head and laugh and help others do the same. As my grandfather used to say, “You might as well be happy—it doesn’t cost any more.”
DENISE DELUCA
I’ll be a student of yoga & life for as long as I’m alive!
It’s with great humility that I offer you experiential wisdom coming from 3 decades of being curious & nourished by the practices of yoga, mantra & meditation and the non-dual Śakti-Śaiva Tantric philosophy.
I received my first Yoga certification in 1998 and have completed exceed 4,500 hours (yes 4 thousand 500) of further training because of a perpetual enthusiasm for learning.
What's more important to me than these accumulated hours are the incredible practices of devotional movement, mantra & meditation and the uplifting non-dual Śakti - Śaiva Tantric philosophy that inspire me to stay open-hearted, connected, curious and in wonder & awe of this gift of life, in all of it’s various forms. Being dedicated to a path of ever deepening spiritual discovery is what fuels my capacity to be of loving service as a teacher, parent and partner.
My teaching is imbued with heart oriented themes, philosophy and ways to explore the pure intelligence of our physical embodiment with a focus on the Alchemy Alignment Principles. I welcome participants who are new to yoga, as well as seasoned practitioners and teachers.
What comes forth from sharing these practices for me, is an abundance of gratitude and an ever-deepening awareness of this exquisite miracle of being alive.
SARA CASTAÑEDA
Sara, a Boston native with Latine roots, is deeply dedicated to sharing the transformative essence of yoga, particularly in Spanish, or "en español." With over 15 years of experience, she strives to create inclusive and accessible classes for all.
As a Bhakti practitioner and enthusiast, Sara finds profound joy in partaking in kirtan and exploring the depths of Bhakti yoga and Vedic philosophy. This spiritual journey enriches every aspect of her teaching and practice.
Certified in both yoga and Ayurveda, Sara seamlessly blends Ayurvedic principles into her teachings, focusing on alignment, meditation, and individual freedom. Drawing inspiration from various styles, including Iyengar and Vinyasa, her classes provide a safe and empowering space for students to explore and grow.
HEATHER BEAUVAIS
(she/her) I fell in love with yoga in my teens when I discovered Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Energy DVD. This practice is where I learned to connect my breath with movement and flow. I will always be grateful for this sweet introduction into a practice that has helped shape my life.
In 2010, I found my way to Sara and the teachings of Anusara. I am deeply committed to sharing and teaching this heart centered practice. I believe the mind, body, breath connection is so powerful and grounding.
My classes aim to explore activating steadiness and strength to access opening and expanding through breath and intention. We will flow, we will laugh and we will serve our highest selves with intention. I look forward to meeting you on the mat!
Beyond the mat, I love hiking, the ocean, hanging with my two boys, adventuring to places near and far with my boyfriend and cats!