Meet the Teachers

Lynne Begier

Lynne was first introduced to yoga in 1991 on the advice of her psychiatrist to help her recovery from an eating disorder and major depression. She started to heal her own physical and emotional wounds through yoga. At Kripalu, she learned the quiet and softer yoga practices which continue to inspire her Restorative yoga classes. These classes are about letting go at a very deep level and allowing the body to come to a place of rest, ease and healing - both emotional and physical. After completing her initial training at Kripalu, Lynne began to thirst for knowledge about other styles of yoga and found her home with Ana Forrest and Forrest Yoga. Her Forrest Yoga classes are known for their depth, strength and great attention to detail. Lynne is the founder and director of Back Bay Yoga Studio.

Caroline Harvey

Caroline Harvey brings an intuitive touch and clear, compassionate direction to her teaching of Forrest Yoga. Also a writer, dancer and credentialed bodyworker, Caroline is committed to a life's work of turning people on to their own creativity, vibrancy, and capacity for healing. She holds a Masters Degree from UCLA in Dance and Cultural Studies, has completed both the Foundation and the Advanced Teacher Training Courses with Ana Forrest and Jonathan Bowra, and she graduated from a Movement Leadership Training taught by Vinn Marti, originator of Soul Motion. Influenced by her own continuing journey toward freedom and delight, Caroline creates sacred yoga experiences that are exhilarating, playful, safe and inspiring to practitioners of all levels. Caroline is the Director of the Forrest Yoga Program at Back Bay Yoga Studio.

Scot Hendricks

Scot Hendricks brings an extensive background in body awareness through movement and meditation to the practice of Ashtanga Yoga. He began the practice in 1991 with Chuck Miller in Los Angeles CA.

While having studied many types of Yoga over the years he remains devoted and indebted to the practice of Ashtanga for the opportunity it gives the practitioner to experience their true Self through the empowering format of the "mysore" style self-practice.

In Fall 2006 he came to Boston and teamed up with Kate O'Donnell to co-direct the Ashtanga program at Back Bay Yoga. He is grateful and inspired by the opportunity to work closely with the dedicated students at BBY who come to practice daily in the mysore class, and for the chance to share the joy of this practice with all of the new students who are just beginning their journey of Self discovery through the practice of Yoga.

Kate O'Donnell

Yoga is a practical path to a peaceful way of being, a deeper understanding of Self and world, and a daily reminder of the sacred nature of existence.

I find yoga to be the most inspiring part of the day. More inspiring even than breakfast. I bring a sincere love of the practice and a desire to serve individuals through appropriate and effective asana.

I began my yoga studies in South India by accident at the age of 20. From this first experience, yoga became my priority, bringing me all over the globe to work with teachers Pattabhi Jois, Tim Miller, Nancy Gilgoff, Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane.

In addition to Ashtanga Vinyasa, I am keen on therapeutic and restorative techniques, continuously studying and practicing these softer forms.

Josh Summers

Josh began studying yoga in the early nineties with the Iyengar teacher, James Murphy. Since then, Josh has lived and studied in Taiwan, India and Burma. With a professional background in Oriental Medicine and a personal passion for the Dharma, Josh fell in love with Yin Yoga as a beautiful synthesis of the two disciplines. In class, Josh interweaves the wisdom of yoga with the insights of the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness and meditation, offering an integral approach to balancing the body, mind and Heart. He is deeply indebted to the guidance and inspiration of Sayadaw U Pandita and Ajahn Amaro. Here at Back Bay Yoga, Josh is the resident acupuncturist and Director of Contemplative Practices. www.joshsummers.net

Jennifer Riggs

Jennifer began her yoga practice as a tool for coping with stress, toning the body and releasing the mind; she continues her practice as a vehicle for gaining equanimity and self-understanding. Jennifer has been teaching at Back Bay Yoga since the studio first opened its doors, and she is grateful for the opportunity to share her love and experience of yoga with her students. She believes strongly in accepting and honoring the individual body and self. Jennifer completed her first teacher training at the Kripalu Center and continues her training with Barbara Benagh. Her classes provide a challenging but supportive space for students to learn the deeper aspects of the postures, align the body, and release the mind. Jenn is currently on maternity leave.

Nicoline Valkenberg

Inspired by Western and Eastern psychology/philosophy, Nicoline approaches the practice of yoga as an exploration of the personal/global condition. She finds joy in the process of embodiment found on the mat and seeks to assist others in their journey towards a more enlived and embodied state. Influenced both by Vinyasa Yoga and alignment-based approaches, her classes emphasize dynamic movement to find freedom and fluidity in the body, as well as more in-depth alignment based work of Asana to focus awareness and opening of specific areas. She emphasizes compassion in creating a safe space for personal exploration and growth within the group dynamic. Her foundations of teaching began in the Kripalu methodology, and has sinced expanded to include certification with Shiva Rea, and BBY's very own David Vendetti. She has also studied with and is influenced by Patricia Walden, Barbara Benagh, and Bo Forbes. Nicoline is also available for private/semi-private sessions.

Roberto Lim

Roberto teaches yoga focusing on breath and alignment within the flow of class. He believes in the power of yoga as a process to develop mindfulness, to find balance by studying opposites, and to transcend boundaries. He is inspired by his current teacher, Shiva Rea, and by other teachers such as Barbara Benagh, Ana Forrest, and Tias Little. Roberto strives to share the many gifts of yoga that he has received through his teachers and practice.

Lori O'Doherty

Lori O'Doherty walks a healing path that is supported by the practice and teaching of yoga. Her yoga education includes multiple trainings with Ana Forrest, Yin Yoga studies with Paulie Zink, Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, and a teacher training with Tias Little. In addition to her weekly classes at BBY, Lori can often be found assisting Ana Forrest during her East Coast events. Passionate about catalyzing positive change, Lori is excited to serve as a mentor for the women of YogaHOPE, a non-profit that supports women by providing them with access to yoga. When not on her yoga mat, she enjoys Tai Chi, Tao and Vipassana mediation. Lori's classes encourage self-awareness, curiosity and balance. Her teaching is rooted in love, trust and faith. Students connect with Lori's honesty, her sense of humor and her strong, thoughtful spirit. In March of 2007, Lori was honored with a feature in the NY Times where she was highlighted as a Boston area yoga teacher.

Dorian Rose

Dorian Rose fell in love with the energizing and therapeutic aspects of yoga when she began studying Ashtanga at Back Bay Yoga with David Vendetti in 2000. Having been injured training in dance and suffering from anxiety/depression, she found relief and compassion in yoga. She found she wished to share this experience and teacher-trained with Manju Jois, son of Pattabhi Jois, to deepen her practice. She has since explored the therapeutic and spiritual aspects of yoga, taking workshops with many teachers including Ana Forrest, Kelly Morris and Sundara. She has recently completed a 200 hr. training with Bo Forbes, whose uniques style of Elemental Yoga integrates mind and body healing in yoga flows. Dorian teaches a class that focuses on challenging the practitioner to go further and open possibilites for creating space and ease in ones body and life.

Johanna Hynes

Having lived in San Francisco and NYC, Johanna is a Jivamukti trained teacher and has been fortunate enough to study with many great teachers including David Life, Sharon Gannon, Cyndi Lee, Patricia Walden and Barbara Benagh. She is a breath of fresh air to her students who seek to bring balance to their lives in refreshing and inspiring yoga classes.

Anna Neuman

Anna is drawn to the tradition and discipline of Ashtanga yoga. She is inspired by the power of the practice which builds confidence and strength on and off the mat, and transforms minds and bodies. Her teaching focuses on integrating led practice into self-practice. Influenced by many teachers including Cathy Louise Broda, Michael Hamilton, and current Mysore teachers Scot Hendricks and Kate O'Donnell, Anna feels lucky to have experienced supportive teacher-student relationships and hopes to spread this gift.

Briana Martino

Briana began to build her yoga practice in 1996 as a student of clinical psychology. In 2006, she completed the Forrest Yoga Foundation Training with Ana Forrest and Jonathan Bowra, anatomy training with Ellen Head, and the Teacher Development Program with Lynne Begier. She is seduced by the intensity, intelligence, and integrity of Forrest Yoga and its power to compassionately open up to experience hidden or numbed places in the physical and emotional body. Briana's classes encourage practitioners to carry the gifts of their yoga off the mat and into the rest of their lives.

Gabriel Feld

Gabriel attended his first Yoga class at Back Bay Yoga with Lynne Begier and was inspired by this profound and transformative experience. Diving deep into the practice and study of Yoga and Meditation Gabriel found himself researching Mysticism, Transpersonal Psychology, Energetic & Western Anatomy, Eastern Philosophy and other subjects that resonate with movement towards wholeness.

After completing a 200-hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training program, Gabriel continued studying with David Vendetti in his 200-hour Vinyasa Teacher Development Program The Body Awakening. Gabriel's classes are inspired by several beautiful styles of Yoga, namely; Forrest, Yin/Taoist, Vinyasa and Restorative. He has practiced and studied with many teachers including David Vendetti, Caroline Harvey, Joshua Summers, Lynne Begier, Ana Forrest, and Pamela Wilson. Ultimately, regardless of the name it is called or by whom it is taught, Yoga teaches us to step outside of our daily routine and mental conditioning to re-discover our underlying, ever-present centered state of intense serenity.

Off the yoga mat, Gabriel offers Deep Tissue and Structural Bodywork. He also works for The International Research Institute of Paper History and Technology as a Technical & Administrative Assistant.

Jen Phillips

The things I love most about the Ashtanga system are the sequencing of the postures and daily practice. The logical progression of postures allows us to move beyond our perceived limits. There are many postures I believed I could never do and that outside of the practice are inaccessible to me. But within the series, as the breath carries you from one posture to next, what seems impossible becomes an extension of what you can do. Because it is a daily practice, Ashtanga asks us to begin again. What was challenging yesterday may yet come with ease, or visa versa. Revisiting the same sequence of postures every day serves as a continual reminder that yoga is always in the present moment – what is now is the essence of who we are.

Alana Brennan

Bio coming soon. Alana is currently in Africa.

Jenny Sherman

Jenny Sherman was first introduced to yoga in 2000 in attempt to heal three disc herniations she endured as a nationally competitive rower – and she hasn't left the mat since. Her journey with yoga helps her discover new ways to heal from disc herniations, epilepsy and a viral cardiomyopathy. Jenny received a Masters in Special Education from the University of Virginia and completed the Forrest Teacher Training Program with Ana Forrest and Jonathan Bowra. She leads a creative and multi-leveled class with playfulness and humor. Jenny believes that anyone – regardless of trauma, illness, body type, level of flexibility or fitness, can find peace, strength and healing through Forrest Yoga. Jenny finds daily inspiration in the adults and children she teaches.

Vanessa Morris

Vanessa began studying yoga to support her practice as a runner and to create flexibility in her body and mind. Also a vocalist and a pianist, Vanessa practices and teaches Forrest Yoga because it inspires freedom in the neck, shoulders and hips. Vanessa emphasizes strength, endurance and the power of yoga to create personal transformation. Her vigorous classes encourage intensity and power, but Vanessa is also passionate about savoring the deep releases and openings in the body that Forrest Yoga can bring.

Roni Dagan

Roni took her first yoga class in 2003 with Sharon Cardamone, and immediately felt a strong connection, beyond physical – to the practice and the discipline. Asthmatic since childhood, Ashtanga yoga taught Roni how to breathe and re-establish a connection to the breath. Roni aspires to share her passion for the Ashtanga practice and build a solid foundation for her students’ practices – safely and joyfully. In her classes, you can expect a challenging practice with an emphasis on breath and self exploration. Roni was inspired by teachers Tim Miller, Maty Ezraty, Chuck Miller, Nancy Gilgoff, and Richard Freeman. She completed her teacher training in 2006 with Michael Hamilton, and spent a month studying with Sri Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. She is blessed by the support and inspiration she is receiving from her teachers at Back Bay Yoga – Kate O’Donnell and Scot Hendricks.