Bios

YOGA

Sarah and Tomas Marsh

Founders of Flor Yoga Fitness, Sarah and Tomas Marsh have been practicing and teaching Yoga for twenty years. They have studied under some of the greatest Yoga Masters in the world including Bikram Choudhury, Baron Baptiste, Richard Freeman, Jhon T, John Friend, Deb Flashenberg, and Sandra Sommerfield-Kozak. In 1997, Sarah opened the first Bikram (hot Yoga) studio in Manhattan where she stayed for seven years. During that time, Sarah and Tomas were hired by The New York Football Giants to train the entire team pre-season. They worked closely with Amani Toomer, Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber among others. Their other high profile clients include: Scott Wolfe, Martha Stewart, Molly Simms, Gina Gershon, Drew Barrymore, Anastasia, and Robin Strasser. For the last ten years they have run Corporate Yoga programs for Sony Music Corporation, First Brokers' and True Entertainment. Currently, Sarah and Tomas bring Vinyasa, Prenatal, and Restorative Yoga to eight Condominium facilities in Jersey City. For the past six years, they have been parents to Cody Marsh, and loved every minute of it. Cody has given them a brand new appreciation for the benefits of all styles of yoga!

Shayla Cabrera

Shayla has used her extensive knowledge in social media to network into a well-known childcare specialist in Hudson County. She first came into FlorYoga interested in the prenatal yoga course. Soon after graduating from the course she also graduated from the 200-hour Vinyasa program. She then joined the FlorYoga staff, bringing her experience in social media marketing and public relations to the staff. She is currently training to become a pre/post partum doula through DONA international and plans on becoming 500-hour certified.
Besides Yoga, Shayla loves running, snowboarding, surfing, kayaking, and riding her bike. She is very grateful to have recently found yoga and takes no greater joy than to share this gift with others. 

David Steinberg

David has been practicing yoga since 1993, and teaching since 1999. He started out teaching Bikram yoga, but then discovered Vinyasa, meditation and Thai yoga therapy. In addition to yoga therapy, David has been a psychotherapist since 1994, and has a private therapy and healing practice both in NYC and Philadelphia.



Marilyn Barnett

Marilyn Barnett has been studying yoga since 1993, is a certified Bikram Yoga instructor and author of Hot Yoga. Her background in the medical profession inspired her to open several yoga studios, as she wanted an opportunity to lead others on the path to wellness. Marilyn also studied intensively with Sandra Summersfield-Kosak, founder of Yoga International Studies. Through this program, she was exposed to various styles and philosophies of great yoga masters whose influence are now present in her meticulous and nurturing method of teaching. Her detailed approach to asana practice gently guides students beyond their restrictive habits, challenging them toward their fullest expression of the poses . She currently practices nursing in Arizona, teaches yoga, and is a full time student working toward a degree as a nurse practitioner.

Sita Jagai

Well-being, meditation, deep breathing, and healthy eating have always been the core of Sita's lifestyle. She was certified to teach Hatha Yoga in 2005, and since then has continued to learn and integrate many styles of yoga and meditation into her life and teaching. Sita is an extremely caring instructor who will guide you according to your needs. She can bring you static Hatha poses, Vinyasa flow movements, and Core building. She encourages students to connect with their breathing & stretching, fueling and energizing their mind & body while deepening inner focus.

Erin Whitcraft

After more than a decade of competitive swimming, Erin needed a new way to be fit and calm her mind. Yoga became her outlet. Years later, she met Sarah and Tomas and joined their 200-hour Vinyasa program. Not only did the training deepen her knowledge and practice, but she realized what a beautiful gift it is to bring yoga to others; the relaxed smiles after “Namaste” are a rich reward. She supplemented her training with FlorYoga’s prenatal course and loves connecting with moms and their partners during such a special, life-altering time. Erin believes that yoga is not only done on the mat but that every moment of the day is an opportunity to connect the mind, body, and soul. She brings her positive, grounded nature to every class. In addition to teaching yoga, Erin spends her days teaching children English and history at The Hudson School in Hoboken. Her students can often be found doing relaxing breathing exercises or invigorating asanas.

Meghan Ayers

A certified Pilates instructor since 2009, Megan is also a graduate of the Flor Yoga 200 hours Vinyasa yoga teacher training, and received her prenatal yoga certification in 2011. A practitioner of both Pilates and Yoga for the last 10 years, Megan brings to her classes the same elements she enjoys in her own practice sessions: the combination of exercise, discipline, and fun. Sweating and smiling are not mutually exclusive.

Kathy Kelly

After years of dedicated personal yoga practice, Kathy decided to deepen her experience with FlorYoga's 200-hour Vinyasa training. Kathy was turned on to yoga at a young age when she began working at her first yoga studio. She instantly fell in love with the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that the practice awards. Kathy believes in the holistic power of the body-mind-spirit connection and loves to spread the joy she's found through yoga with others.

From a young age Kathy has excelled in athletics, and today she uses her yoga practice to promote balance in an active lifestyle. In addition to being a certified yoga instructor, Kathy works in the public health setting as a substance abuse prevention specialist for youth in her community. She enjoys working with kids and is currently working towards a Master of Arts in School Counseling at Seton Hall University.

 

FITNESS

Jason Machowsky

Jason is a trainer, nutritionist, writer and educator.  As a Registered Dietitian (RD) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) Jason aims to promote wellness and enhance quality of life by empowering people to integrate healthy movement and nutrition habits into their daily routines. He has worked with many different populations from the Columbia University Baseball Team to about 80 employees at the Southern California Gas Company.  He has written articles on nutrition and fitness for a number of sites including LiveStrong.com and RD411.com and maintains his own wellness blog at Thymelines.com.  Jason has also had the opportunity to give back to his profession by teaching the Intro to Nutrition course at Lehman College, provides a comprehensive nutrition and physiology seminar to the yoga teacher trainers at FlorYoga and is in the process of becoming certified to prepare trainers for the ACSM personal trainer certification exam.

Christine Forster

Christine Forster has over 25 years of experience in the health and fitness field as an Instructor, Personal Trainer, Fitness Manager & Group Class Director. Her resume includes The Fitness Company, AT&T Health Fitness Center and Paris Health Club. Currently she is Group Exercise & Program Director at Printing House Fitness in New York City, where she has been working for the past 15 years. Christine recently applied her broad knowledge and experience in health and fitness to launch FitNet NYC, her cutting edge fitness company that combines the latest advancements in fitness with the busy schedule of today’s New Yorkers. She has also been a guest presenter at Danskin Fitness Workshops, a judge for the Miss Fitness America Pageant in 1996, and has taught master classes for Workout For Hope from 1994-1999 as well as a Shredd Master Class from 2001 - 2002. She teaches Cardio-sculpt, and Bootcamp classes for FlorYoga and is a Personal Trainer who will whip you into shape with wisdom, humor and extreme motivation!


Dudley Alcidas

Dudley's has over 20 years experience in the fitness industry, beginning in 1990 at Jack Lalane (now Bally's Total Fitness) in Nanuet New York. Offered a fitness feature reporter position with his local nightly news on TKR Cable Company of Rockland, his fitness segments addressed issues such as weight management, total fitness, stress reduction, shopping for a local gym, injury prevention etc.  Capitalizing on the success of his fitness segments, he later wrote, produced and hosted a fitness program called “Mind Your Body”. From February 2003-October 2005 he held the position of Exercise Specialist at Fox News under the umbrella of Plus One Fitness.   By June of 2006 he was promoted to General Fitness Manager, managing the Goldman Sachs Fitness Center in Jersey City. He currently holds the following certifications: NASM-CPT, Performance Enhancement Specialist as well as Corrective Exercise Specialist.  Also, AFAA-Group Fitness Instructor, and AFAA-CPT, he   is CPR-AED Certified by AHA. My specialties include hypertrophy (muscle growth and development), functional training and core conditioning.

Bethany Little

Bethany Little has been in the personal training industry for over 10 years. Starting out as a track and field coached, she honed her skills working with competitive athletes.  Broadening her horizons, she began her quest to train the masses, feeling that physical fitness is the panacea for all illnesses.  Bethany has a positive vibe and is a firm believer in "movement therapy", as she has realized the effects of being in shape has for the mind, body and spirit.  She is currently certified through the National Academy of Sports and Medicine, Corrective Exercise Training, Group Fitness through AFAA, and Kettlebells through Kettlebell Concepts.  Let's improve your current fitness level and protect you from injury and boredom in the future!

Jaspre Guest

With nearly a decade of personal training experience, Jaspre Guest, has had lasting success with her clients. She incorporates the mind and body in every fitness program. She believes you have to get to the root of the problem mentally before you can accomplish your physical goals. Jaspre creates workouts based on her clients needs to perform in the world outside of the gym. She has the ability to help keep her clients focused on their fitness, health, and personal goals by being reachable at all times via text, email, or social media. She is with her clients every step of the way not just during their session. Jaspre knows the limits of how far she can push her clients to get them the results they are searching for. She specializes in weight loss, circuit training, TRX training, youth programs, boot camps, stretching, elderly, disabled and alternative holistic methods. She is ACE certified. Fitness Philosophy: You have to strengthen your mind before you can strengthen your body. Conversely, when you strengthen your body you strengthen your mind. There is no such thing as age. 

Carianne Ragozzino

Carianne Ragozzino has been a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine since 2009.  She is also a Master of Public Health student, with a focus on Health Education and Behavioral Science.  Carianne's specializations are weight loss/weight management and custom training programs, as well as public health issues that affect our communities such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.  Carianne carefully tailors each fitness program to meet the needs of her clients, and takes into account the diversity in individual learning styles.  Whether you are incorporating exercise into your life for the first time, looking to make a long-term change, or seeking a challenge, Carianne can help you achieve your fitness goals.  Carianne's other areas of interest/knowledge are nutrition, particularly vegetarian and vegan diets, yoga, photography and sustainability.