JOANNA SESNY
Joanna discovered yoga in the mid 90’s while she trained for triathlons and marathons. She used her practice to keep her injury-free but soon discovered the hidden benefits: peace of mind and ease of breath. Marriage and three beautiful daughters later, Joanna left the corporate world to take her first 200HR teacher training under the guidance of Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee. She then continued to take 3 more 200HR’s with Yoga Shanti and completed the Urban Zen Integrative Therapist program which entailed 300 hours of training and clinical rotations at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital Oncology unit. In 2017, Joanna completed a year long Iyengar Teacher Training program with Nikki Costello and Lara Warren. This was a turning point in her practicing and teaching. Immediately following this training she completed another 300HR Advance Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Shanti.
She teaches beginner classes and open level classes both with strong alignment (her personal favorite is the Iyengar standing pose sequence) and spiritual connection.
She is forever grateful for all her teachers along the way.
Follow her on instagram @Joanna.sesny
MISSY COTTONE
Missy began practicing yoga in college around 9 years ago. Her practice began as a physical practice where she loved exploring different shapes and developing full body strength. After college, she began practicing more regularly and she discovered the mental and spiritual benefits of yoga as well. She was amazed at how yoga helped still her overactive mind and helped her see things more clearly from many other perspectives than just her own.
She knew fairly quickly that she wanted to teach yoga eventually, and in 2017 she had the opportunity to learn from her teacher’s teachers, Rodney and Colleen, at Yoga Shanti. Everything about practicing yoga and teaching yoga feels like it fits for Missy. Yoga feels like home. In June 2020, she completed her advanced 300 hour teacher training at Yoga Shanti.
Her classes focus on sparking curiosity and she encourages everyone to explore every pose in a fun and novice way. She emphasizes alignment and building each pose from the ground up. Her classes vary from dynamic and creative flows, to precise and minute movements.
Missy has a background in environmental education and is currently a graduate student studying Public Health and Nutrition and is often working in her vegetable garden, cycling and hiking. Just like with yoga, she values the whole dynamic system of the environment, food production, nutrition/health knowledge, food/environmental justice and plans on integrating these ideas to contribute to a more just society.