who we are

At East Meets West Yoga, we take great pride in our commitment to transmitting powerful Yoga techniques influenced by the most highly esteemed Eastern and Western teachers and lineages. We offer a variety of traditions and styles, from the most gentle to the most challenging, and a variety of class levels from Intro through advanced that enable you to develop your practice safely and effectively while remaining in an energetic flow. It is our hope that our precise yet compassionate teaching will motivate and inspire, and our extraordinary yoga community will support and nurture you. 

	Anita Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.
	Carrie My yoga practice began as an outlet for physical activity. In college, swim practice was my meditation. After graduating, I found that I missed those hours spent immersed in water, connecting movement and breath, completely in my body. I started yoga to move in a new way, but realized it filled the hole that swimming had left.  The process of turning inward, focusing on the alignment of my body and moving with the breath, allows me the opportunity to rest my mind.  It is from that perspective that I structure my classes.  I am working toward my 200-hour teacher through the Himalayan Institute.
	Donna, RN, BSN, RYT I come to the practice of yoga after many years of exploring other types of fitness. My interest in the anatomy of movement in yoga continues to inform my own practice and classes. In 2005, I completed the 200 hour Essential Teacher Training at Open Sky Yoga, Rochester, NY and I am registered with Yoga Alliance. I am certified to teach Restorative Yoga as well as Adaptive Yoga. My teaching philosophy emphasizes breath awareness, props and adaptation to individual needs. I hope to empower students with knowledge of their bodies, compassion towards its limitations, and appreciation for its infinite grace.
	Elyssa I originally started practicing yoga as an addition to my training as a dancer, but soon discovered the many benefits that practice brought beyond just physical changes. It helped me to connect to both inward and outward aspects of my life. I had been working as a certified personal trainer and modern dancer in New York when I received my first training in Viniyoga in 2003. Later I completed my 200 level teacher training in Vinyasa yoga at OM in 2005 under the guidance of Jennifer Brilliant, Frank Mauro and Cyndi Lee. After seeing the intense benefits offered by yoga and body work, I was inspired to further my education, leading me to enter Chiropractic program at D’Youville College in 2005. After completing my doctor of chiropractic degree in 2009, Anita generously offered me space to develop my chiropractic practice within the East Meets West community. As a teacher I offer my students a compassionate and playful approach to their practice, drawing from the grounded base of anatomy and the creative aspects of movement.
	Jeremy Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.
	Julie I have been practicing yoga for over 10 years. I was first drawn to it for the physical benefits, but have realized other benefits as well. I find the practice of linking breath with movement allows one to focus on the now, letting the past and future fall away. The ability to do this is so important especially given the fast paced, information driven world that we live in. I have recently completed the 200 hr yoga training and am recognized as a registered yoga teacher by Yoga Alliance. Being new to teaching, I especially enjoy working with beginners and those that are just beginning their yoga “journey.” It has been extremely rewarding to share my love of yoga with others and witness their growth.
	Kathleen I was drawn to yoga with minimal background in movement or athletics. After my first class, I knew yoga was the perfect all inclusive wellness path for me. I was blessed to find teachers within the Ashtanga Yoga tradition who taught me the importance of balance in ones' practice and life. As an instructor, I offer a playful and laid back class, geared towards harmonizing strength and flexibility. I believe that a challenging yoga practice is available to all and I hope to bring each student to his or her personal edge, while providing the space for laughter, happiness and peace. I studied under Ron Reid and Diane Bruni during my 200-hr teacher training at Toronto’s Downward Dog Centre where I continue to practice.
	Linda I feel so fortunate that my personal journey, which began with fitness and wellness, has led me to the path of yoga and well being, and to East Meets West Yoga. I have practiced yoga for more then 20 years, initially in the Iyengar tradition, more recently evolving to a Vinyasa practice, which includes Restorative and Yin Yoga and Buddhist meditation. Yoga has truly transformed my life, physically, mentally and spiritually. In 2000, I participated in a year-long teacher training through the Himalayan Institute and have been fortunate to work with many leading yoga teachers in the US , Mexico and Costa Rica . I enjoy leading the Gentle/Restorative Yoga class because it illuminates the therapeutic nature of yoga practice through the power of breath awareness and the gift of conscious relaxation.
	Lisa I came to yoga almost by accident when a friend asked me to try this "Ashtanga thing" with her. Having been sedentary most of my life, the physical effects of the practice were what appealed to me initially as I quickly gained strength and flexibility I hadn't known before. But as continued with my practice, I noticed even more profound changes in my attitudes toward myself and the world around me. Practicing yoga has brought peace and kindness to my life that I could not have imagined before. While East Meets West is my "home base," I also studied Ashtanga with KPJAYI Authorized Ashtanga teacher David Robson before branching out into a Vinyasa practice. I have since completed my 200-hour training with Ron Reid and Diani Bruni at Downward Dog Yoga Centre, where I continue to practice. In my classes I strive to balance challenge with accessibility.
	Malissa A Buffalo native, I began my teaching career in NYC. Early on I met my teacher and friend Elise Espat. She introduced me to Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga and I began a disciplined practice in the tradition of Sri. K Pattabhi Jois. With her encouragement, I traveled to Mysore, India to study with Sharath Rangaswamy, Sri. K Pattabhi Jois’s grandson, as well as philosophy, sanskrit and vedic chanting with Lakshmish. Upon returning home to Buffalo, luck would have it, East Meets West Yoga welcomed me onto their amazing teaching staff and for that I’m eternally grateful. Other primary studies include pre-natal and restorative yoga. Drawing from my teachers, I strive to create an environment in classes that’ll encourage students to find the teacher within themselves. “Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated for a long time, uninterruptedly, with earnest devotion.”-Yoga Sutras Part I Chap 14
	Mylene I started practicing 28 years ago with a very traditional Indian Hatha teacher in Amsterdam.  After moving to the US and years of self-practice I started learning Ashtanga at Downward Dog in Toronto, until introduced to Vinyasa yoga which caught my attention because of the freedom in the sequences. Now, as a full time Pilates teacher, and understanding the importance of pain free movement and alignment, I focus a lot on core strength in my classes.
	Patrick I came to yoga by way of pilates and acting. While earning my MFA in Acting at Wayne State University, our movement classes were Pilates-based and our teacher suggested we find group classes to add to our classroom core work each week. I took a class at the fitness center on-campus "Yogalates". Turns out, I was a lot more interested in the 'Yoga' than the 'lates'. Within the next few years, I developed a regular at home DVD practice and went on to earn my 200 level certification in the Ashtanga/Vinyasa tradition at the Red Lotus Yoga School under the direction of Brian Granader. I have since earned my 500 level certification in Yoga Therapy which was completed at the Ananda Seva Mission. I've trained as an actor at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, in Ireland, Greece and at the Moscow Art Theatre. I believe the most significant benefits of regular yoga practice relate to yoga's approach to removing obstacles in both the physical body (by improving alignment, strength and flexibility) and in the mind (by focusing on the breath) in an effort to find the balance you require to reach your potential.
	Renee Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text. Placeholder text. This will be replaced with real text.
	Sara, MS, RYT Like many people, I was drawn to yoga for its physical and meditative benefits. As a dancer, I had more strength than flexibility, so my dance teacher suggested that I take one of her hatha yoga classes. Some years later, I discovered Ashtanga Yoga which brings levity and balance to my life. My primary training comes from the very skilled and knowledgeable teachers at East Meets West Yoga, namely Anita Greber and Beth Lombardo. In addition, I’ve worked extensively with David Robson and Matthew Darling, both Authorized Ashtanga teachers (through the KPJ AYI in Mysore, India). Beyond my personal practice, the birth of my children brought new meaning to my yoga, helping me to be present always. As a certified Itsy Bitsy Yoga Instructor, I teach parents a new way to bond and connect with their babies and toddlers. As a practitioner, I am amazed at how much emotional balance is brought to my life through daily practice. I find the same to be true with my students. With a background in Psychology, and a Master’s degree in Counseling, I can see how yoga helps to keep a person mentally level and emotionally healthy. To me, this outgrowth of clarity and calm is the most important benefit of yoga, a benefit that could quite literally change the world.