Tolly Stark

Tolly considers herself a recovered yoga skeptic. After many years of trying random yoga classes throughout the Pioneer Valley, Tolly stumbled into an Iyengar yoga class and immediately recognized the many benefits it had to offer. She continued regular yoga classes and went on to study at Karuna. During her 200-hour training, she lost any possible skepticism, discovered an affinity for yoga philosophy, and was inspired to share the gift of yoga with others. Following the Iyengar tradition, Tolly’s classes are approachable and lighthearted while they at the same time explore how to move beyond individual barriers. Her compassionate and intuitive style creates a deeply fulfilling and safe way for her students to practice yoga while also cultivating their body’s natural intelligence and connecting it with mind and spirit.

Tolly is adding to her training with the slow but steady process of studying Sanskrit, Vedic chanting, and yoga philosophy. She is also completing Prenatal PYT 90-hour yoga certification training. She has been a Level 3 Reiki master practitioner since 2006 and has uncovered the natural healing power of food as medicine. When she isn’t busy with these disciplines, Tolly can be found sipping tea, hiking, kayaking, or playing with her two lively children. She is also the co-chair and co-founder of Deerfield for Responsible Development, a member of the Outreach and Justice Committee of the Common Share Food Co-op, and an eternal questioner and rebel.

Suzie Goldstein,
Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher

Suzie Goldstein is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and has been teaching in the Northampton community for 15 years including at Smith College and as the owner of River Valley Yoga Center for 10 years. She is dedicated to working with students of all ages to improve and restore their health and vitality. Through the intelligence of the Iyengar method, she has extensive experience observing students closely and teaching students how to stabilize and integrate the function of the muscles, bones, and joints with the nervous system while relieving pain, addressing specific injuries, disorders, dysfunctions, and common postural habits. Suzie is a rigorous teacher, but also light-hearted, fun-loving, and compassionate. She infuses her teaching with joy and enthusiasm weaving in yoga philosophy to each class. She is dedicated to cultivating a warm and loving environment where students of yoga can thrive, better understand themselves, and increase health and vitality. She adheres to “NO PAIN - NO PAIN” messaging, and through creative, adaptive, unique, and radically personalized instruction meets each student where they are each day. She hopes to make the Iyengar yoga classroom an inclusive, welcoming, interactive, collaborative, creative, healing, and equitable space that values and honors the full scope of human experience and affirms all markers of identity.

Suzie is thrilled to be offering classes at Karuna. She also works privately with students and hosts retreats. Suzie is a lifelong student first and continues to advance in the Iyengar system studying closely with her primary teacher and mentor, Senior Certified Teacher Jessica Becker, as well as Senior Certified Teachers Doerthe Braun, Marla Apt and many others. She has also studied directly with members of the Iyengar Family to whom she is eternally grateful. She honors their profound teachings that live on through Suzie and her students. Visit suziegoldstein.com for more information about Suzie.

Susan Yard Harris

Susan Yard Harris has been practicing yoga for most of her life and begins each day with meditation and pranayama. She has been a student of Eileen Muir’s for twenty-five years and is a graduate of Karuna’s 200- and 300- hour teacher training programs.

Susan is an artist, mother, writer, copy editor, gardener, baker, and lover of the natural world.

She has been teaching Wise Yoga since 2005, and is happy to share the health, strength, peace, and joy that yoga can bring us as we age.

Lisa Thompson

Lisa has been teaching yoga in the Northampton community for over 20 years.   She is a certified yoga instructor receiving her teacher training primarily from Eileen Muir and Peentz Dubble.  Lisa has taught both students and faculty/staff at Smith College since 1998 and currently teaches faculty/staff classes, with Paul Menard. She has previously taught at Karuna and is a member of the Iyengar Institute of Western Massachusetts community.

Kimberly Joy Bressem

Kimberley Joy Bressem is an experienced Yoga Practitioner and Teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching weekly Restorative Yoga classes, Foundations classes, and Introductory Level Asana classes. Having earned her M.A. & C.A.G.S. from American International College, she attended the University of Massachusetts where she earned her BA in Psychology. Past studies with certified Iyengar Yoga teachers such as James Gleason CIYT, Susan Elena Escudero CIYT, Jean Stawarz CIYT, Suzy Goldstein, CIYT, and most recently Jessica Becker CIYT.

Yasmin Adham

Yasmin has always been interested in personal growth, health, and well being.  She pursued many avenues in this quest.  Among them were years of running, strength and conditioning training, ballroom dance, Pilates, yoga, and a study of nutrition and organic gardening.   Her first experience with yoga was a gentle, meditative style she practiced with teacher Dean Hudson, but he left teaching.  And a career in engineering and other interests took her away from yoga.  Years later, after a recovery from shoulder surgery, looking for a way to become active again, she came upon Paul Menard and Karuna.  In this style of yoga she first was drawn to the attention to detail, and then found what had alluded her in previous physical pursuits.  It was here that the quest for wellness took on a deeper meaning of transformation, growth, and a spiritual path to healing and fulfillment.  In October 2018 she graduated from 200 hour teacher training and is excited to bring her love of yoga as a practice of body, breath, mind, and spirit to others.  She is grateful for the the Karuna community where she continues on the path of healing, growth, and transformation

Scott Mara

Scott came to Yoga in 2010 after an auto accident left him unable to walk without the aid of a cane. After practicing Yoga for a year, he was able to walk normally again and recognized the value of regular practice. Scott discovered Iyengar Yoga while on a business trip which led him to study at Karuna. He is grateful to study with Paul in the Iyengar tradition and enjoys leading meditation classes.

Our Staff is Growing

Students that successfully complete the Karuna Teacher Training Program are added to our Team regularly. Stay tuned for updates as they happen!