Instruction

Our Instructors

Cyndi Bulka | Owner & Director

Cyndi is the owner and director of the Moving Mantra Yoga Studio. She has been practicing Yoga and meditation for more than 20 years, teaching as a profession for nearly 17, and has entertained a curiosity for contemplative practices her entire life. Her teaching reflects a combination of years of study and practice which culminate in an eclectic and individualized approach, focusing on organic movement and gentle unfolding from the 'inside-out'. She studied under Esther Meyers in the Scaravelli tradition for many years and earned her advanced teaching certificate with Esther.  She also holds a certificate in AcuYoga with Michael Reed Gach.  Over the years she has studied extensively with several other senior teachers, which has helped her integrate her experiences and knowledge into a loving, intelligent, relational approach to teaching.  She is particularly inspired by Judith Lasater, with whom she continues her studies on a regular basis, and recently completed Judith's Relax and Renew restorative Yoga teacher training course.

As a result of Cyndi's personal commitment to healing and wellness has grown a curiosity for Yoga as a therapeutic modality.  In recent years she has focused her continuing education in that direction.  She currently teaches specialized workshops and courses that address structural issues of the body, anxiety, depression, insomnia and eating disorders.

Yoga, meditation and contemplative writing have provided a foundation for Cyndi's personal journey towards wholeness.  "My practice helps me to remain grounded and open hearted while taking in all life has to offer.  I find my way to spirit through the experience of embodiment.  Yoga reminds me of who I am at essence. Noticing my breath, following sensation in my body, I am reminded again and again the value of presence in the present.  This is the gateway inward for me, and is at the heart of my teaching as well."

Cyndi's love for travel brought her to Thailand where she earned her certificate in Nuad Boran (Thai Yoga Therapy) from the Sunshine School in Chiang Mai.  Thai Yoga bodywork naturally integrates into Cyndi's healing approach to Yoga, and is a wonderful practice for wellness and healing.  Cyndi is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is available for private, semi-private, Thai and therapeutic Yoga in your home, her home studio, or at Moving Mantra.

A passionate conviction that Yoga is not merely a physical practice but rather a way of living, Cyndi is involved in various community activities to raise awareness and funds for the under served and disenfranchised.  "Seva (service) is part of living the Yogic life. It brings me great joy to serve those in need and to work in sangha with other committed people in our community."

photo by Elizabeth Galecke

Sunny Davis

Sunny began practicing yoga to counterbalance the effects of living a very active lifestyle.  She began taking classes over 20 years ago and realized to truly benefit from yoga she needed to develop a daily practice.  Spending time on her mat evolved into teaching.  Sunny was a long time student of Joy Doherty and it was Joy who encouraged her to become a teacher at Joy Yoga Studio.  She studied extensively with Esther Myers who introduced her to the concept of applying bio mechanics to asana.  Sunny was grand fathered into the Yoga Alliance in 2001 and recently achieved her ERYT status.  Over the years she has had the opportunity to take classes with many teachers and is currently continuing her studies with Desikachar in the therapeutic application of yoga.  Sunny truly believes that to be a teacher one must remain a student. 

Diane Stakoe, RYT, LMBT #7499

Diane was introduced to  yoga in 1993, after living many years with chronic back pain.  She felt almost immediate relief from the therapeutics of receiving regular massage and learning to practice a variety of yoga poses, stretches and breathing techniques.  It has been the use of these preventative healthcare practices that has kept her out of pain ever since.  In 2005, Diane embarked on her path to becoming a massage therapist and a yoga instructor, which has enabled her to share with others the healing and revitalizing power of both.  Diane is a graduate of the Palmer Institute of Massage and Bodywork Therapy in Salem, MA, where she also became a certified Reiki Level II practitioner.  She received a 200-hr teaching certificate from the Anahata Integrated Yoga Teacher Training program in Newburyport, MA, and has completed continuing educational courses in neuromuscular therapy, structural integration and Reiki.  In continuing her yoga studies, Diane has apprenticed with Cyndi Bulka.  Working with clients and students, Diane relies on subtle body cues and careful listening to tailor the massage, Reiki, and/or yoga experience to the client’s/student’s unique preferences, goals and needs. Diane is happiest when her clients and students leave feeling deeply relaxed and somehow changed with a new sense of possibility.  Diane can be reached at www.dianestakoe.com or 919-349-2673.

Diana McPeak RYT, Reiki Master

Through sharing the basics of yoga, Diana explores increasing flexibility, strength, and relaxation for students at all levels of fitness. Diana’s goal is to offer a solid foundation for developing a lifelong yoga practice.

Because of various body issues and sports injuries, Diana began a stretching routine in her mid 20s which evolved into a yoga-like “listening to your body.” Over time she has discovered (and continues to learn) ways of coping with and alleviating these issues. She hopes to share this knowledge in order to foster healing, with emphasis on both physical benefits and spiritual & emotional opening.

Diana started taking yoga classes in 1998 and first came to Cyndi Bulka as a student in 2000. She taught her first classes in 2003, apprenticing with Cyndi. Diana is certified through the Esther Myers Yoga Studio in Toronto and as a Phoenix Rising Yoga Teacher. Other influential teachers have been Monica Voss, Elissa Cobb, Judith Lasater, Joy Doherty, and Julie Rosier. Diana is a Reiki Master, trained in the Usui Reiki System of Natural Healing with Vickie Penninger of Raleigh. She also has an interest in shamanic practices, has attended workshops with Michael Harner and Hank Wesselman, and has been a member of Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. since 1998.  Diana is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level, and continues to attend workshops and teacher training.       

Julee Snyder | LMBT, E-RYT500

Julee encountered the body arts as a musician when she was eighteen years old. Her teacher taught her meditation for focus and would put her into strange poses - like “child’s pose” - asking her to feel her breath. If only someone had told her that this was the beginning of a lifelong quest. Julee received a degree in anthropology only to find herself with a deep passion for dance and movement. She went on to study dance at The Amsterdam School of the Arts. It was as a dancer that Julee discovered yoga. Julee began studying dance and yoga with David Beadle and Lisa Clark in 1995. She completed their yoga teacher training in 2004 and continues to co-teach with them in their teacher trainings. However, it was in recovery from two auto accidents that Julee developed her specialty in gentle and restorative yoga. Julee is also a bodywork therapist integrating yoga, massage, craniosacral therapy, Pilates, and Body-Mind Centering® movement therapy. Julee brings to her work an embodied exploration of anatomy, a clear articulation of alignment and movement principles, a playful curiosity, and a deep love and compassion for the journey.

Todd Fields                                                                                  

After graduating with a degree in philosophy and religion from UNC CH, Todd spent the next 30 years raising a family, building a business and living in community. His free time was often spent gazing at the heavens both literally and figuratively, but his perspective was always grounded by pragmatism and a dose of skepticism. When he discovered the ancient practices of Yoga and meditation, it was as if a shiny new space ship had landed in the front yard with a “TRY ME” sign on it. Through these modes of exploration he has touched numerous traditions in Yoga and Buddhism. He currently practices Yoga at Moving Mantra and leads meditations at The Community for Mindful Living, a Buddhist sangha in the tradition of the Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh. He enjoys sharing from the peace and happiness that these practices have brought to his daily life and listening to the journeys of others.

Lizanne McDonough

Lizanne began practicing yoga in 2005 to help her deal with loss in her life.  Yoga also offered a gentle balance to her many years of vigorous exercise.  Wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the mystical practice and underlying philosophy, Lizanne completed a 230-hour in-depth study and yoga teacher training certification from Yoga Body Mind and Spirit with Lisa Clark in 2008.  Desiring to share the gift of this ancient healing art and science with others, Lizanne began substitute teaching and apprenticing with Cyndi Bulka at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio in early 2009.  Lizanne has been deeply influenced by the teachings of Donna Farhi and Judith Lasater among others.  The work of neuroanatomist and author Candace Pert has also strongly influenced her appreciation of the science that supports the body mind spirit connection.  Lizanne’s gentle and welcoming teaching style invites students to embody the practice of going inward to find stillness in the movement and the joy and peace that reside there.
Prior to her journey into yoga, Lizanne worked for more than 20 years in a variety of fields earning her masters in business administration from Georgia State University in Atlanta along the way. 

Birgit Patty

Birgit Patty has studied the eight limbs of yoga at Moving Mantra since 2000. Her meditation practice draws from several yogic and Buddhist traditions. A certified Integral Yoga teacher, Birgit is committed to yogic living and to teaching techniques for an integrated yoga practice, primarily concentrating on Hatha yoga.  Her studio, Apex Yogic Living, is situated in historic downtown Apex, NC. Birgit reviews books about yoga postures, breathing techniques, meditation, schools/traditions of yoga, yogic philosophy, yoga therapy and yoga research for the New York Journal of Books. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance, the Integral Yoga Teachers Association, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Barbara Vosk

Barbara began her yoga practice in 2001, after many years of commitment to exercise as a way of maintaining physical and emotional health. While primarily seeking to increase flexibility and spinal health, over time she discovered the deeper benefits of yoga in cultivating mental flexibility and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.  Barbara completed her 200-hour training at Blue Lotus Yoga and Movement Arts in Raleigh, and credits her teachers, Yvonne Cropp and Jill Sockman with inspiring her love of yoga as a physical and spiritual practice. As a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience, Barbara is particularly drawn to exploring the ways yoga enhances emotional health and healing. Her classes weave mindfulness practices with movement, and seek to leave students feeling a greater sense of self-acceptance and connection to body, mind and spirit.

Howie Shareff

Howie began his yoga journey 15 years ago as a way to manage his stress and strains from arthritis, dental practice and sports. He found that easy, low impact yoga reduced the tension in his mind and as well as his body. Yoga has been crucial to Howie’s management of disabling arthritis. His condition resulted in multiple surgeries and complications that prematurely ended his dental career. His gentle yoga practice prepared him for surgery and rehabilitation from these events.

In 2008, Howie received certification to teach Chair Yoga at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health under the supervision of Lakshmi Voelker. In 2009, he became an apprentice of Cyndi Bulka.

In 2011, Howie founded You Call This Yoga, a education nonprofit organization to bring gentle, accessible, restorative yoga to the American public. In 2011, he published the book and DVD, Sit Stretch Smile for beginner and novice Chair Yoga practitioners. In addition, Howie produces a weekly yoga program on Raleigh Cable Channel 10.

Howie’s background allows him to create classes that are gentle, informative, and fun. He understands limitations, has knowledge of the body and brings 25 years of experience in calming and humoring his patients to yoga. His desire to help others heal is boundless.

Sherry Essig

Sherry has been practicing yoga for over twelve years but had never considered teaching part of her path. Until 2008 that is, when her interest in deepening her own practice led her to a nine-month immersion program. As she learned more about the underlying principles of yoga, she began to see the parallels to her work as an executive and life coach and the powerful impact of using physical movement to create change.

Sherry has been helping individuals get unstuck and back in flow since founding her business in 1994. She brings a unique combination of personal development, movement, and breath to her classes. With a belief that sustainable change happens at the physical, emotional, and intellectual level, Sherry has made it her life’s work to help people joyfully live their potential.

Jessica Kasinoff

Jessica was drawn to her first Yoga class in 1984 while living in Ohio where she felt an immediate sense of grounding and connection to her own heart. Since then, Jessica has been committed to her Yoga practice so she can meet the challenges of life with strength and courage.  Jessica is passionate about Yoga and meditation as the basics for integrating body, mind, and spirit. She completed 200 hr Yoga teaching training with Lisa Clark in 2004 and iRest Yoga Nidra Level I with Richard Miller in 2011. Jessica is particularly excited about the iRest protocol because it empowers people to focus on their own intuitive intelligence. Jessica is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience helping people achieve their personal growth goals and transform their physical and emotional health.