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A Gentle Way Instructors

Lanita Varshell, E.R.Y.T.500

Lanita Varshell, owner of A Gentle Way is a GENTLE Hatha Yoga teacher, stress management expert, former missionary, and inspiring motivational speaker. She is known fondly as the "queen of relaxation," and for her Yoga Therapy work with the very stressed and chronic pain patients, for teaching beginners, seniors, the plus and super-sized students Gentle Yoga and Chair Yoga.

Lanita began teaching yoga in 1995, after being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. She has evolved from a very sick "couch potato," who could not work, to a very active teacher and Studio Owner. She is a registered YOGA ALLIANCE TEACHER with over 12,000 hours of teaching experience and over 1000 hours of Teacher Training.

Lanita has served on the board of Y.E.S. (Yoga Teachers Education Society) for five years, and was the Founder and Director of the Yoga Hotline. Lanita produces Audio and DVD's, trains teachers, teaches Special Workshops on Yoga for the Plus Size and Health Challenged; was a Presenter at the International Yoga Conference 2002 in San Diego, presented by IDEA and Yoga Journal. She has been featured in Yoga Journal (December, 2000), The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Daily Californian, CBS News, and KUSI Channel 51, and many other articles. Lanita is living proof that the many benefits of yoga can be experienced by anyone, any size!

Bri. Damara Shanmugan

Damara is an American born Hindu Nun. She has taught Hatha Yoga for 14 years, and has been a student of spirituality for over 25 years. Damara guides our Center in the Spiritual Principles of Yoga, and is our Master South-Indian Style teacher. All of the money given to Damara for teaching goes to the Shiva Braille Foundation a non-profit organization she founded and operates on her small retirement income for many years. Damara transcribes books into Braille for the Blind, and has opened and fully funds a school for the blind in India. Her foundation also pays for operations for the blind in India who can regain their sight through surgery.

Marguerite Tyrell, R.Y.T.; R.D.

Over the past 30 years, Marguerite has taught private and group sessions at exclusive health clubs in Boston, San Diego and at the posh Golden Door in Escondido, CA. Marguerite teaches several different types of yoga, having studied with Donna Farhi, John Friend and Judith Lasater. She favors the Iyengar method using props, with attention to alignment and detail. In addition, she emphasizes conscious use of breath to facilitate the natural opening of the body. Marguerite believes the Pilates method is a valuable complement to Yoga because it strengthens the core of the body. Marguerite is also a Registered Dietitian and offers private nutritional consultations, in addition to private sessions. She is also part of the Teacher Training Program.

Rita Mooney, R.Y.T.

Rita is a loving guide on your yoga journey. Using Gentle Yoga and South Indian Hatha Asanas and principles, she gently teaches you how to surrender into poses, releasing tightness and inviting relaxation. Her soothing voice and genuine affection for students comes through in her Gentle and Adaptive Classical Hatha classes. Rita has practiced these styles of yoga since 1997 and is a graduate of the "A Gentle Way Yoga" Teacher Training Program. Her classes are great for beginners, health challenged and those who seek respite from the stress of the American lifestyle. Certified in Reiki Tummo (healing energy work - incorporating Divine and Kundalini light energy), Rita is available for private yoga and/or Reiki Tummo sessions.

Anna Noah began a home yoga practice in the early 1980s using yoga instruction books by well-known American yogi, Richard Hittleman.  Over many years, Anna has practiced several styles of yoga and meditation, receiving certification in the Indra Devi classical yoga style.  Crediting yoga for her recovery from several chronic health problems, Anna’s teaching emphasizes the health and emotional benefits of yoga.  She describes her classes as ideal for those whose vision is to age gracefully and healthfully in a manner that is gentle and respectful of the body.  Anna’s classes include a variety of seated, standing, and supine poses that develop muscle flexibility and strength, bone density, balance, and flow and are accessible to most students of average health.  Pose modifications are taught so that students with some physical constraints can receive full benefit.  Prior to coming to a Gentle Way, Anna was a yoga and meditation instructor for the UCLA recreation program.  Anna’s teaching is done as seva (service) with all her earnings going to charities dedicated to reducing human suffering. 

  Sünje O’Clancy

  Sunje O’Clancy,  R.Y.T.,  M.A., has been teaching yoga to students of all ages after being certified in the Indra Devi style of classical Hatha Yoga in 1998.  Drawing from her experience with many different styles and teachers, she instructs her students to slowly flow through carefully selected asana sequences balancing strength and flexibility. Breathing, inner awareness, and a sense of peace and stillness play an important part in her challenging, yet non-demanding active classes. Her students describe Sünje as “enthusiastic, caring, and nurturing” and appreciate “the combination and variety of postures”, the “perfect blend of a good workout and relaxation”, as well as her “soothing manner”.

During her pregnancies, Sünje was fortunate to experience the benefits of prenatal yoga first hand, and therefore added it to her schedule in 2000, tailoring her classes to the specific needs of expectant moms. “My prenatal yoga classes are definitely a highlight in my week. It is a very special experience to practice yoga with a room full of pregnant ladies. I enjoy watching their bellies grow and it is an extraordinary joy to meet the babies after they have been born.” A Mommy and Me class has recently been added to the schedule as well.

Sünje holds a Masters of Arts degree in German Literature with a double minor in Dramatic Arts and Education from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. She is the happy mother of two boys.

Andrea Fenwick

Andrea joins A Gentle Way well trained by Kathy Lee’s yoga teacher training program at Yoga Well’s Institute for Progressive Therapies. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Health and Aging and has worked with diverse populations from children and families, to the elderly and terminally ill. Although no longer working as a social worker, she carries a deep compassion and spirit of social caring and giving in new endeavors of health, fitness, and wellness. Andrea is completing a Fitness Specialist Certificate Program which she feels will complement her yoga practice with others. Andrea was first attracted to yoga for stress reduction only to find there were many more benefits. She is continuing to enjoy the journey of life through yoga, sharing this joy with others.