Beth is certified through ACE (Personal Trainer), AAAI (Group Fitness Instructor), Powerhouse Pilates (Mat and Reformer Pilates Instructor), Physical Mind Institute (Mat Pilates Instructor), Turbo Kick (Cardio kickboxing Instructor), and Heart Saver CPR. She recently opened a Pilates studio in her home where she trains clients on a personal level. Her goal is to help everyone improve their fitness, strength, flexibility and overall feeling of well being. With her positive encouragement and motivation, she hopes that everyone who participates in her classes feels a great sense of satisfaction and achievement every time they work out.

I fell in love with yoga at the tender age of 34 following a health crisis that had essentially rendered me physically weak and hopelessly depressed. I had spent years as a dancer and as a competitive racquetball player and when my body would no longer cooperate, I sank into despair. I knew I needed to challenge myself, my body and my mind in order to be happy again and full of the positive love of life I had always had. The beautiful marriage between breath and movement transformed my depleted body and gave energy and interest back to my mind. Each new class I took encouraged me to move forward not only with my practice but with my life. I decided to become a teacher because I wanted to share that life changing experience with others. I completed my yoga teacher training program under the direction of Master Yogi Stefanie Pappas at Devalila Yoga. The training had a profound effect because I learned the deeper aspects of yoga beyond physical practice and into the metaphysical, psychological and philosophical beliefs that have become for me the foundation and sustenance of my practice. My practice as well as my teaching style, continue to morph with every new student I meet and with every new experience I have. I have created my own blend of hatha, vinyasa and pranayama to provide my students with a balanced class designed to meet their own specific needs and desires and to teach them the benefits of the continued learning process that is Yoga.

Priyananda, (Susan Martinez) is a certified Yoga Instructor at the 500 hour level. She is also a  Reiki Master/ Teacher. She has taught yoga in New Jersey since 2001. Susan has found great satisfaction and meaning in her own life’s journey through the practice and teaching of yoga and is honored to share what she has learned with others.

Susan was initially drawn to yoga as an extension of her interest in the martial arts, but soon came to see the transformative effects that yoga had on her life. She has studied Hatha & Taoist yoga, and in 2009 began training in the Tantric tradition of the Himalayas with Parvathi Nanda Nath Saraswati and David Pittenger. In August 2009 she completed a rigorous 100 hour Kaula Teacher Training Intensive with Parvathi in the Sri Vidya tradition. Susan believes learning is a life long process, she continues her studies and practice in the Kaula tradition.

Susan’s teaching has also been inspired by Mukunda Stiles, Erich Schiffman and Yoga Master Sassoon Seo. She is also a practitioner of mindfulness meditation. Susan trained at the Santisukha Meditation Center with the Venerable Sung O Sunim. Her teachings reflect a blend of what she has learned from her teachers over the years combined with direct life experience.      

Description of Susan's classes:

Susan’s yoga classes are an opportunity for individual growth and transformation, where students learn to tap in to their own sense of peace and inner joy. Combining her experience as a yogi, an educator and a healer, Susan guides her students on their own inward journey where they are able to reduce stress of the mind and body, build concentration and find the courage to trust their own Inner Wisdom. 

Susan’s classes are suitable for the novice, as well as the experienced yoga practitioner. She gears her classes to meet her student’s needs. Each individual is encouraged to listen to their own body and develop a practice that is comfortable for them, “just as they are”. Her classes combine traditional asana (postures) with pranayama, yogic philosophy, relaxation, and tips for reducing stress in every day life.

Check out Susan's Reiki website