Our Bios

Charles Secallus

Charles was introduced to Yoga over a decade ago while he was working toward his certification in Massage Therapy. He has been a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga since 1999. Over the years, Charles has been influenced by many well known teachers and in particular the late Pattabhi Jois.  He continues to follow the direction of the Shri K. Pattahbi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and Sharath Rangaswamy. He has completed the Intermediate Series under their guided direction at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute during his second trip to Mysore, India.  Charles teaches with full respect for Ashtanga and this system.   Charles is interested in continuing his study of Yoga, deepening his understanding and furthering his personal growth in the practice. He has been teaching Mysore style classes and led Ashtanga since 2001. Charles has an intuitive nature which is genuine and serves him well with his students.  Charles has worked to stay true to the traditions of Ashtanga and believes that the system can change you from the inside out. It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that he teaches and passes down this system to aspirant students today.  He enjoys music, travel, hiking and yoga.

 

Deborah Williams
Yoga Instructor Certified June 2007

Deb enjoys practicing and teaching yoga.   Ashtanga Yoga became part of her daily life shortly after she discovered the practice and is thankful for the many classes, teachers and fellow practitioners along the way.    She reflects back on seeing a spray bottle marked “Mysore” and wondered what the mystery was all about.  Once she discovered Ashtanga she became dedicated to the practice and in due time some of the mysteries have been revealed to her or at a minimum the mystery of the spray bottle.  She recalls back on her first Mysore style classes and how much she has gained from this practice since 2001 with respect to the physical, emotional and overall well-being.  She is indebted to Chuck Secallus for imparting his wealth of knowledge to her, for carrying her through the challenging poses in the primary series and for his encouragement to keep coming back to the practice. She is continually learning and discovering through her personal practice and is enthusiastic in sharing her experiences through her teaching.  Deb received her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2007 with a desire to deepen and broaden her knowledge of yoga and the philosophy behind the yogic texts.  She thanks Raji Thron for the Yoga Synthesis training where many of the pieces came together for her.   The primary series of Ashtanga Yoga never ceases to amaze her as it continues to unfold every day she steps on the mat.  Deb continues to attend workshops and classes to broaden her spectrum of knowledge of yoga and seeks out teachers to practice with wherever her travels take her.  She aspires to stay in the moment, trust in the universe, to work the yoga in her life on and off the mat and to breathe.

Bio Photos featured on this page were taken at Studio Location by Kfir Ziv Photography, NYC kznystudios.com , Kfir's Blog