Meet the Yoga Haven Fam

Troy has been practicing Yoga for 13 years. As a traditionalist in most things he prefers to practice and teach traditional Hatha. He likes the fundamental poses and core strength building. Troy is a certified Massage Therapist with multiple modalities and Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP). When not teaching, you can find him riding his motorcycle, which is his favorite form of moving meditation. His main focus in life is being in the here & now. The past is gone and the future can wait… 

Karen began practicing yoga in 1998 to complement her active lifestyle as a runner, mountain biker, and spin instructor, but quickly discovered yoga’s profound impact on her mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
 
Ten years later, inspired to share her love of yoga, Karen became a certified instructor. She now holds over 1,000 hours of Yoga Alliance-certified training in Vinyasa, Yin, Hatha, Yoga for Cancer Therapy, Yoga for a Happy Back, and The Great Yoga Wall.
 
Karen’s classes are influenced by her many renowned teachers, including Gerhard Gessner, Paul Grilley, and Rachel Krentzman.  Her teaching places a strong emphasis on promoting spinal health and relieving back, neck, and shoulder pain through yoga.
A lifelong learner, Karen is currently pursuing an 800-hour Yoga Therapy certification.
 
She is dedicated to helping students of all ages experience the healing and joyful power of yoga — making every practice accessible, transformative, and fun.

Max first discovered yoga through an interest in meditation 6 years ago. Continually practicing ever since, he has found tremendous benefit in creating a connection between the body, mind, and the moment through yoga. 

He’s now shifted focus toward sharing the yoga practice after being certified as an RYT 200-hour teacher at Prana Yoga Center in La Jolla in the summer of 2024. He believes that everyone has a unique connection to yoga, and in community we can learn from each other to deepen our own practice. 

He encourages others to find what poses speak to them and personally loves poses that require balancing and deep stretching to help bring one’s attention to the body and moment. 

Maryann has been practicing various styles of martial arts since the age of 11. Her passion ignited after seeing the karate kid movie. As a child, Maryann was shy and had difficulty making friends. Since practicing martial arts her confidence and skills grew. She eventually earned her black belts in the styles Kung fu and Tai Chi, has won first place in several tournaments and made life long friendships along the way. Maryann is excited to be sharing her passion for Tai Chi at Yoga Haven, hoping to grow a community bonded by the shared interest of martial arts. Outside of practicing martial arts Maryann enjoys taking yoga classes, going on hikes and traveling. 

Ballet Mistress and School Principal, is a native of Philadelphia, PA where she began her professional dance training under John White and Margarita De Saa at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. She furthered her training in Philadelphia with Kip Martin, Alexander Boitsov, The Rock School for Dance Education, and the Koresh Dance Company. Natalie has also had the opportunity to dance professionally with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Colorado Ballet’s second company. She spent summers attending programs at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Washington Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. 
 
Natalie joined City Ballet in 2007 first as an apprentice and then as a company member in 2009 where she performed in numerous productions until 2020. After serving as Rehearsal Assistant for a number ofyears. Natalie was named Ballet Mistress in 2020.

Kayleigh has been practicing yoga for 15 years and is especially drawn to advanced vinyasa sequences and power flows. She believes yoga is a transformative experience for both the body and mind, offering benefits that everyone can access, regardless of their ability or experience level. Her classes are designed to be inclusive, empowering, and rooted in the calming mental health benefits of a consistent yoga practice.
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Kayleigh earned her 200-hour yoga certification in July 2024 under Gerhard Gessner at Prana Yoga Center. As a lifelong learner, she hopes to pursue a yin yoga certification to expand her ability to share the restorative power of this grounding practice.
 
When she’s not teaching or practicing yoga, Kayleigh enjoys training for 10k races, teaching gymnastics to kids, spending quality time with her husband and cat, and watching sunsets on the beach.

Certified yoga teacher with 250 hours accredited by Yoga Alliance (200-hr YTT in Bali, Indonesia + 50-hr Superflow specialization, San Mateo, CA). 
I've taught Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin in Bali, Mexico, and now here in the US. My classes combine the science of movement with the spirituality of the practice, for an experience that nourishes body and soul.✨

I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training at Prana Yoga Center and continued my education with Level 1 and Level 2 Yoga Wall teacher trainings. For over a decade, I have explored many styles of yoga and I quickly developed a deep passion for Yoga Wall and the unique way it combines support, movement, traction, alignment, and exploration.

My teaching is guided by the philosophy of movement as medicine. Through mindful movement and body awareness, I invite students to slow down, listen inward, and explore what their bodies need rather than moving through poses.

I strive to create a warm and supportive environment where students of different experience levels can feel safe to explore, challenge themselves, and reconnect with their bodies. My hope is that students leave class feeling more grounded, open, empowered, and connected to themselves.

Markandeya Rsi: Born in Argentina, he’s been practicing Yoga since he was very young, thanks to the influence of his grandmother (his first yoga teacher).  He trained as a monk in India and other countries for more than 4 years, certifying himself in different styles of yoga, meditation, philosophy and leadership.  Now, based in San Diego, CA. Teaching in the most renowned gyms and studios in San Diego and traveling to many cities and countries, giving classes and seminars at universities, TV shows, radio and schools.

Yoga Instructor / Life Coach 
Kim Segal is a yoga teacher, certified life coach, and founder of CorporateYogi, bringing together more than 15 years of experience in the corporate technology world with her passion for yoga, wellness, and personal growth.
After experiencing firsthand the demands and pressures of corporate life, Kim discovered yoga as a powerful way to reconnect with the body, quiet the mind, and create more balance both on and off the mat. Her teaching blends mindful movement, breathwork, and intention with a warm, approachable style that encourages students to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and create space for what truly matters.
Kim is certified in Vinyasa Yoga and Ayurvedic eating and incorporates elements of mindfulness, self-reflection, and holistic wellness into her teaching. She is especially passionate about helping people navigate stress, transitions, relationships, career, and the constant demands of modern life.
Through CorporateYogi, Kim also leads wellness experiences, retreats, sound healing, and life coaching designed to help people move from simply getting through life to creating a life that feels meaningful, balanced, and aligned.

Sydney is a Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LPCC), intuitive healer, psychic medium, dancer, and more!
 
Sydney has been dancing since they were very little and is trained in many different styles of dance and currently works part-time as a country line-dancer!
 
Sydney was drawn to yoga many years ago and found its medicine to be healing and magical, especially through the darkest period of Sydney’s life. 
 
Sydney knew that becoming a yoga teacher was something they eventually wanted to do to deepen their own practice and finds immense fulfillment sharing their love of yoga with others! 
 
Sydney’s classes are centered around deepening the connection we have to our bodies and fully feeling any emotions that arise before, during, and after practice and transmuting, alchemizing, and moving them through the physical practice.

I have been teaching yoga for more than 20 years. These days Buddha-the-Service-dog sits next to me.  started with the 26&2 with Bikram. I studied the Journey into Power with Baron Baptiste. I love to teach Hatha, Vinyasa. I also teach a unique Bo-staff yoga practice and a self-massage/restorative practice. I teach with a strong focus on how you FEEL in the pose, how you BREATHE in the pose. When I am not teaching yoga I hike a lot and hang out on my little sailboat in the bay. I am studying Tarot and the relationship to Jungian symbolism. 

After practicing yoga on and off for 15+ years, in 2021 Allison’s love of world travel brought her to a retreat in Mexico where she discovered a lineage of yoga that profoundly changed her life for the better. This led her to complete her 200 RYT so she can share this magic with you! Allison brings a balance of fun, casual vibes + deep, purposeful energy to her classes. She believes music and movement are true medicine, and you can expect to hear a wide playlist - gentle indie, pop, r&b, and heavy house beats - in her power vinyasa flow. Come ready to challenge yourself and to sweat! She’s passionate about holding space for you to come as you are - no frills, no expectations, so you can tune inward and connect with your authentic self in order to better connect with the world around us.

Trained in and residing in Ocean Beach, Allie teaches traditional vinyasa and hatha yoga with a spiritual, heart-led approach. Her classes blend philosophy and intentional movement to safely support alignment—both physically and mentally.

As an athlete herself, Allie understands what it’s like to move with tight muscles and emphasizes that yoga isn’t about how a pose looks, but how it feels. She encourages students to tune into their bodies and deepen their connection within.

Born and raised on Kumeyaay land, Vivian started their yogic journey to recover from an injury, then ended up falling in love with embodying asana postures, breath, and yoga philosophy.

Four years of practice later, Vivian is 200-hour YTT certified! They continue to play while emphasizing safety in the body and mind, all to deepen connections with the now. 

With 30 years of teaching and a lifelong love of yoga, I feel incredibly blessed to be back on the mat and sharing this practice with others. I’ve had the privilege of studying with some of the most inspiring teachers in the world, and I’m always learning and growing.

After 30 years, yoga still inspires and surprises me! My recent love affair with Wall Yoga has brought a whole new sense of play, creativity, and possibility to my practice.

I love yoga, I love the yoga community, and I’m grateful for every opportunity to practice, teach, and share the joy of yoga.