
CREATORS OF H.E.A.L. BFLO
Jocelyn Kowalczyk & Cheryl Scheff
For the people. By the people.
This grassroots event was inspired by the city in which we live and the love we have for Yoga.
Jocelyn Kowalczyk
Co-Creator
WOW! It's time to dream big! The love & support that we have received from this community is incredible. We had the best time creating our first HEAL BFLO Event, that we couldn't wait to start developing this next one. We learned a lot. We were able to work with so many interesting, motivating & inspiring people who helped our vision come alive. Sometimes life puts you in the right place at the right time to do exactly what you're meant to do.
The universe will put the people in your path that will help you reach your goals.
The secret....
believing in yourself!
Cheryl Scheff
Co-Creator
The journey that life has taken us on in this last year has taught me about love, friendship and the belief in possibility. Watching our community embrace HEAL BFLO showed me that we are ONE and together with the right intentions.....
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Jen Gress Instructor Jen has been practicing yoga for ten years and teaching for the past five. She was lit up by her first Baptiste teacher in Charlotte North Carolina and hasn't looked back since! She is a Certified Baptiste teacher, has trained with Baron Baptiste, assisted Baptiste programs, taught at Power Yoga Canada and is now so proud to call Power Yoga Buffalo home. She has also been a student of the Mysore practice of Ashtanga yoga with David Robson in Toronto. Jen is honored to be a part of the HEAL Buffalo event! As a newer resident of Buffalo- she has seen such amazing growth, positivity and Buffa-love in the past year- she is grateful to be a part of this growing and vital community. |

Maura Lester
kids yoga instructor/assistant
Maura Lester is a graduate of Cortland State as a certified Physical Education teacher with a Masters degree in Health from Canisius College. She is also a certified Children’s Yoga teacher. Maura is a mother of three and regularly practices yoga. She is a firm believer in maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle and enjoys providing others with the knowledge and opportunity to do so as well.
Steve Procknal
Instructor I grew up playing every team sport and thought the way to a strong body was either by playing on the field or lifting weights in a gym. When I was in Brazil, I was fascinated by a bunch of locals practicing capoeira (the Brazilian dance and martial arts mixture) on the beach. I didn’t understand how simply moving your body weight and using your balance resulted in elite fitness. I was confused. After finishing a collegiate sports career in soccer and track, I wanted something more. I took on triathlons and distance running. After a few years of hard training, I started to develop chronic injuries. I tried everything for rehab, including physical therapy and surgery. Finally, a friend recommended I try power yoga. Suddenly, everything made sense. My body loosened up, muscles I didn’t know existed were awakened, and a new balance in my life was created. I felt alive. I thought back to the time in Brazil and now realized how just by moving your own body, you can develop elite fitness, strength, and flexibility. After months of practicing, I came to the conclusion that power yoga is the center hub of physical fitness. I knew with regular practice I would be able to take on any physical challenge and thrive. What I also found was that yoga gave me the ability to bring my mind back to that center hub as well. I believe fully in both the mental and physical benefits of power yoga and wish that I had been offered this earlier in both my sports career and my life. Power Yoga has taken me around the country and the world. My sports background includes Division 1 All Conference soccer player, 70.3 Ironman World Championships qualifier, Boston Marathon qualifier and competed in the Spartan world championships. I've lived in Australia, Brazil, South Africa and California. I have completed Level 1, 2 and Art of Assisting Baptiste trainings. I have completed Yoga for athletes trainings and trained under Tiffany Cruikshank and Bryan Kest. I currently teach at Power Yoga Buffalo, The University of Buffalo, The Buffalo Club, CrossFit Buffalo and Child and Family Services. |

Jody Curtin Quinn
kids yoga instructor/assistant
I stepped into a Power Yoga Buffalo class in September of 2011 and kept going for the physical changes I began to see but fell in love because of how it fed my soul. There is something magical about pressing the reset button during a challenging 75 minute class. Soon after I began practicing I couldn’t stop thinking how great it would be to share yoga with kids. Raising four children I could see their struggles with social media, bullying and peer pressure. Giving them coping mechanisms like moving, breathing and meditating is key to helping them navigate the stresses of school, friends and family life.
I currently teach yoga in after school programs and enrichment days at St Marks School. Later this summer I am launching a small business to yoga into other local schools as well as after school programs in areas where children may have limited access to a yoga studio . In September I am attending Baron Baptiste Children's Yoga certification program. Although I am currently certified I feel this additional certification will add to my yoga teacher toolbox.
I have lived in Buffalo my entire life and inspired by it’s renaissance. I can happily say friends I have known for 30 years or more feel the same way. I love meeting people that are new to Buffalo and seem to immerse themselves into our zero degree of separation culture.
Vyana Marie Instructor Vyana Marie is a holistic therapist originally from Buffalo, New York, currently based in San Francisco, California. Her private practice blends movement, energy work, bodywork, sound healing, and meditation to empower and heal all aspects of the self. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher, Hatha, Yin, and Vinyasa Yoga Instructor, and Licensed Massage Therapist (California). Focused mainly on the womb, Vyana typically works with prenatal/postpartum women, those healing sexual trauma, and general women's empowerment. Her personal experience with trauma recovery infuses her work with gentle compassion that guides clients deep into their wounds for transformational healing. You can find more information on her practice at www.muditawellness.com |

Jennifer Russo
kids yoga instructor/assistant
Sarah Panzeca Assistant Sarah Panzica developed a love for the arts when attending The Waldorf School as a child. Directly following high school she moved to Miami to work as a professional ballroom and latin dancer for Fred Astaire Dance Studio. She competed all around the world and won the title of world champion as a rhythm dancer. Teaching dance and working with movement for children with disabilities is a true passion of hers. Sarah is currently finishing her senior year at Buffalo State College as a Dance/Philosophy major. During her time at Buffalo State, she participated in multiple Service Learning Projects with refugee youth at Lafayette High School, CAC, and Autism Services Inc. Sarah attended a 200 hour teacher training in Africa, in the journey to become certified in Baptiste Yoga. While she was there she participated in multiple outreach programs in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya- to provide yoga and nourishment to the youth. This changed her entire perspective on life in a positive light! Sarah plans on traveling to Africa in January to teach yoga in Uganda. Sarah plans on teaching multiple classes and living her yoga in her own community. Also, she hopes to attend multiple yoga trainings and workshops. Yoga has brought her possibility, self advocacy, self-worth, mental clarity, health, friends, community and she hopes to share this passion with the world! Shine Buffalo! |

Sheri M. Curry
kids yoga instructor/assistant
Sheri has worked with children at Camp Good Days and Special Times, volunteered for SABAH (Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped), was a devoted ski instructor, worked with Phoenix Adaptive Ski Program, and has taught over twenty-five years in Williamsville Central School District as a K-2 classroom teacher.
Sheri has competed in running and rollerblading marathons, numerous half-marathons, triathlons and the Tough Mudder.
Her husband and college-age sons are constantly keeping her active and challenged!
She now enjoys bringing her love of yoga to the young people of our Buffalo Community. Currently, Sheri is very involved with Yogis in Service (YIS) which brings yoga to those who would not otherwise have access. She is certified as a children's yoga instructor and continues to learn from little ones every day.
Sheri can't thank Power Yoga Buffalo enough for giving her the tools to learn, grow, and shine! And of course, meeting beautiful and strong yogis!
She is thrilled to be a part of H.E.A.L BFLO!
"You are who you are because of what you love" Catherine Cook-Cottone
Rihann Ali Kids Yoga Instructor/ Assistant Buffalo is my birthplace, my home, and the origin to so many joys in my life! I couldn't resist an opportunity to be a part of H.E.A.L.; an amazing event to give back to a city that has given me infinite happiness. I feel guilty to admit that it has taken me time to appreciate this city, but everything I love is right here. My family and friends, my fiancée, the schools where I had studied, my career as a middle school Spanish teacher, the amazing yoga studios, and the incredibly loving yoga community! I'm thankful every day that my best friend introduced me to yoga! I began to practice Pilates nearly seven years, and it wasn't long after that I discovered yoga. I've been practicing yoga for nearly four years. Yoga has had such a positive impact on my life that I wanted to spread its healing and love to those that need it the most! As a middle school Spanish teacher, I understand how important yoga and mindfulness is for adolescents and young children. I became certified as a Rainbow Kids yoga instructor in Toronto in February 2014. I have been teaching kids yoga at Power Yoga Buffalo since October 2014. Eagerly, I began to offer yoga club for students at my school so they can interact with their peers while moving, stretching, relaxing, and having fun! I love being able to utilize my creativity to develop exciting yoga journeys. I'm very excited to give back to the community and I look forward to our yoga journey! |

David
Instructor
Owner of Evolation Yoga
Catherine Cook-Cottone Instructor Catherine Cook-Cottone, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist, Registered Yoga Teacher, and Associate Professor at SUNY at Buffalo. She is the founder of Yogis in Service (YIS) a non-profit group of yogis offering yoga to those who would not otherwise have access and teaches yoga at Power Yoga Buffalo. As a researcher specializing in embodied self- regulation (i.e., yoga, mindfulness, and self-care) and psychosocial disorders (i.e., eating disorders, trauma), she has written four books and over 50 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. Presenting nationally and internationally, Catherine uses her model of embodied self-regulation to structure discussions on empirical work and practical applications. She teaches university courses on mindful therapy, yoga for health and healing, self-care and service, history of psychology, and counseling with children and adolescents. She also maintains a private practice specializing in the treatment of: anxiety-based disorders, eating disorders (including other disorders of self-care), and development of emotional regulation skills. http://theyogabag.blogspot.com/ |

Megan Callahan
Instructor
Megan Callahan is a holistic healthcare practitioner and performing
artist. She loves to work with people to help them become more connected
to and aware of their bodies’ innate wisdom and potential and to
empower personal healing and discovery. She found her way to yoga at
fourteen years old to help with a physical condition, and continues to
be amazed and humbled by what is discovered on the mat. She has been
teaching for over a decade and has studied many forms of yoga as well as
Pilates, the Andrei Droznin method, and the Michael Chekhov Technique.
She is also a Reiki Master-Teacher, musician, and energy worker. Her
classes and workshops are a lovely way to explore building strength and
confidence: opening bodies and hearts with compassion and gratitude,
working at letting go of goals and expectations, and discovering peace.
Megan combines her philosophy of energy work into her classes, working
with compassion and love as the universal life force is strengthened and
balanced. She has been a member of Lila Mandala, a buffalo based Kirtan
ensemble for over six years, and is excited for all the ways the
conscious community is growing and evolving in Western New York!
Candice Fogarty
Instructor How I found this practice: I spent most of my life before this practice burning my candle at both ends. I was sure that this was the best way to live fully. “Go, go, go or you’ll miss out.” My mind was constantly looking for the next the next thing. When I came home to finish college, I started to focus more on my yoga practice. I began to see that I was actually doing the opposite of living fully. In my effort to get it all in, I was actually missing a lot of opportunities for growth. Yoga became a place and practice where I could connect my body,mind and spirit. This practice reminds me every day to slow down and pay attention. It recommits me to the importance of the journey rather than the destination. I teach to learn more and to share the connection between what you experience on your mat, to what is possible in your life off the mat. This practice will elevate you and there is nothing more fulfilling than helping someone else recognize this, recognize that they have the power to create whatever they want on the mat and off. THIS is what LIGHTS ME UP! My greatest lesson so far: Change and growth are happening now. Open your eyes to what’s possible from that space. http://poweryogabuffalo.com/our-journey/candice-cinquino |

Carrie Jacobson
Instructor
My yoga practice began as an outlet for physical activity. I was a swimmer for much of my young life and in college, swim practice was my meditation. After graduating, I found that I missed those hours I spent immersed in water, connecting movement and breath, completely engaged in my own in my body. I started yoga in order to move in a new way, but realized it filled the hole that had previously been occupied by swimming. 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.
My classes, like my own practice, begins slowly, with the intention of opening areas that need attention. I create a sequence that combines challenging poses with easier counter poses, using the breath to transition between them with grace and ease. I enjoy the opportunity to settle in to a pose to see what may arise and allow for the body to adjust. I like to give students time toward the end of class to explore their own practice and I frequently end class with a yin pose - holding a seated or reclined shape for an extended period of time. http://www.eastmeetswestyoga.com/about-us/teachers/profile:carrie/
Kate Rogers
Instructor A gypsy at heart, I’ve been traveling, teaching and practicing yoga across the globe since 2006. Trained under Ron Reid and Diane Bruni of Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, my yoga roots are in Ashtanga. But after stumbling across NYC's Kula Yoga Project in 2010, my practice completely transformed, and under the tutelage of Nikki Villela and Magi Pierce I learned the creative Vinyasa flow style that is now the backbone of both my practice and my teaching. To me, yoga is the permission to explore, to try new things without the pressure of failure. It is a way to open up a space completely free of judgment, one that does not harbor distraction or anxiety. Admittedly, I am a total movement junkie but I’ve learned through my practice, through connecting my body and breath, that there is a sense of peace in the still spaces, a sense of strength that can only be achieved through letting go. As an instructor, my goal is to weave intelligent asana with intention, focusing on that balance between movement and stillness. I encourage students to explore their own boundaries with compassion and not take themselves too seriously. After all, I truly believe we are all here to make life a little brighter for each other, and what better way to achieve that than through sweat, laughter and good, old-fashioned fun http://www.eastmeetswestyoga.com/about-us/teachers/profile:kate/ |

Austin White
assistant
Right from the first yoga practice there as an immediate sense of home, of calling. With an athletic background, yoga was a natural progression. Yet the experience seemed so valuable, so deep and tantalizing. Yoga may have started out as a form of fitness however today yoga is in essence life itself. Through this practice we awaken a truth inside of us and every human being should have the opportunity to experience this! Becoming certified to teach yoga is simply an opportunity for me to help people realize the beauty they behold, to show we can be the embodiment of peace in this world full of chaos. It is a dream come true to help deepen the practice of yoga for so many. Ultimately the hope is that people will come to view class as a refuge, a place where they feel the stress melt away. Yoga is as an essential part of my life, I wish is to encourage everyone to practice and open themselves to the possibility of change. There is always joy, support and non-judgmental attitudes within the yoga community. Ask any yogi and they will verify this is a valuable life changing experience.
Peace

Susan Fain & Jamie Pearsen
Instructors
The style of yoga we teach at Power Yoga Buffalo is based on the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga system. All of our teachers have trained, and continue to train with Baron Baptiste. It is an energetic, powerful, challenging style that builds in flow with laughter and playfulness. The emphasis is on breath and flow and heat, while weaving in the purpose and transformational qualities that yoga’s history has given us. This creates an environment for all students, regardless of experience, to grow. Each class challenges and clears your mind while strengthening and toning your body. It awakens your spirit!
The blend of sweat and spirit in each class will empower you to find your edge, and grow beyond what you thought possible. Prepare to sweat each time you practice. Heat up your body, wring out your stress, and light up your path. Be prepared to SHINE!
http://poweryogabuffalo.com/
Carla Giambrone assistant A seasoned business woman turned yogi and PhD researcher, Carla believes in putting theory into practice and practice into action. Her research lines are about physiological integration and how we 'feel good.' She teaches graduate students about positive psychology and coaching, and loves to turn herself upside down as often as possible. She researches yoga in all kinds of environments - from the slums of Nairobi to the schools of Encinitas. A sought after speaker and leader, she loves to write, travel and share her passion for yoga and learning through the body. |

Alyissa Landri
Photographer
When I first found photography my daughter had just been born and I could not wait to capture every little moment. I dragged my husband out to buy our first DLSR, a graduation from my point and shoot and Little did I know It would turn out to be something so much more than that.
Two years, two more babies, and hundreds of pictures later I found myself sitting in front of some photos I had just taken of my three children. Smiles, tears, love, and milestones, I was so fortunate to have captured all of them and all the moments in-between that one might forget.
With each shoot I try and tell a story that is unique to each client through my lens, capturing beautiful images that will last a lifetime. I want you to laugh, cry, and smile when you look at your photographs. Whether its your wedding day, or your babies growing up, time goes by so fast. So its my job to document your story… beautifully
http://www.alyissalandriphotography.com
John & Molly Hastings Musicians Siblings John and Molly Hastings have been surrounded and playing music since before they can remember. They were born and raised in the rollinghills of western NY and are now bringing their music to dusty bars, yoga practices, and camp fires. Yogi's themselves, they are working on spreading the powerful vibe one song at a time. |

Joe Erbacher
Our Superstar
We want to thank Joe & The Entire Northtown Automotive Family for being such a huge supporter in our HEAL BFLO Dreams! We couldn't do it without you! xo
Naryan Padmanabha
Musician Born into a family with roots extending from India to Ireland, Naryan's interests in music started at the early age of 8. He started playing basic Western instruments like drum set and guitar. On these instruments, Naryan created music ranging from punk rock to folk and many places in between. During his teen years, Naryan began exploring his roots by traveling to India and soon learned the styles of Classical Indian music. Through his travels, he learned to borrow concepts and styles from many world traditions. His main instruments are hammered dulcimer (santoor), sitar, and hand percussion. Naryan has performed with and/or shared bills with Max Creek, Rob Wasserman, Toubab Krewe, The Heavy Pets, Consider the Source, Michael Kang (String Cheese Incident), Steve Molitz (Particle), Melvin Seals and JGB, and Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams. He has also recorded with the world renowned North Indian Classical vocalists V.J. Kichlu and South Indian percussionist T.S. Nandakumar. Naryan has performed on over 15 independently released recordings and has toured the United States and Canada as a performer. Today, Naryan performs mainly on sitar with electronic worldly loops. The arrangement allows for much improvisation and ranges in sound from light atmospheric sounds to straight up dance grooves! He refined this sound arrangement through his weekly music residency in Western New York since 1998. Naryan is also the founder of epoch music located in Western New York. The label is dedicated to refined sounds and celebrates diversity through world traditions, electronics and all things unique. Naryan is also head engineer of epoch music's own recording studio, Ananda Kharakhane. Press Quotes "A new psychedelic musical experience. As rock and funk combine with the extended improvisation found in Indian classical music, you'll find yourself a step closer to nirvana." -ARTVOICE "...blend traditional Indian music with serious funk freak-outs..." -Buffalo News "Indian music with jazz fusion, funk and jam, is one of the most innovative sounds that I have heard..." -Music Marauders "A group that needs to be in everyone’s rotation." -Relix "Brilliant!" -Village Voice www.naryanp.com |

Mbayerama Diagne
Drummer
Drum heal smile heal that s love we heal together love always we are the people blessings to everyone Let s heal together Buffalo Respect justice peace love