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 15, 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 approach, focusing on organic movement and gentle unfolding from the 'inside-out'. She studied under master teacher Esther Meyers in the Scaravelli tradition for many years and earned her advanced teaching certificate with Esther, whose teachings have had a major influence on her development as a teacher. She also holds a certificate in AcuYoga with Michael Reed Gach.  Over the years she has studied extensively with several other master teachers, which has helped her integrate her experiences and knowledge into a loving, intelligent, relational approach to teaching.  She is particularly inspired by master teachers Judith Lasater, Monica Voss, and Angela Farmer .

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

Julee Snyder, RYT  | LMBT #5044

It was as a dancer that Julee discovered yoga.  Julee began studying dance and yoga with David Beadle and Lisa Clark in 1995 and hasn’t stopped since.  She completed their EmbodiYoga 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.  Face-to-face with her own need for healing she took the tools given to her from yoga to turn deeply inwards and begin her self-healing.  Now, Julee is reconnecting to the elements of flow in the practice through gentle, organic vinyasa.  Julee is also a bodywork therapist integrating yoga, massage, Craniosacral therapy, and Body-Mind Centering® movement therapy.  Her 2000 plus hours of therapeutic study and 15 years of dance experience deeply inform her teaching.   www.juleesnyder.com.

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 biomechanics to asana.  Sunny was grandfathered 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 Lassiter, 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.       

Subhash Mittal            

Subhash has been practicing Yoga regularly for over 40 years. He has been teaching formal yoga classes since 1996, after he completed the Teacher Training program in the Integral Hatha Yoga style at the Swami Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, VA. Since then he has constantly endeavored to increase his yoga knowledge and teaching skills and has completed several other programs including teacher training programs in Cardiac yoga, Prenatal yoga, and Stress Management.

In addition to the classical concepts of Hatha Yoga, Subhash is also keenly interested in developing a deeper understanding of the underlying philosophy of yoga. He has been studying two of the most influential texts in yoga - the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for about ten years. In 2006 he underwent an 8-week residential course in Yoga Vedanta philosophy at Rishikesh, India conducted by the Divine Life Society at the Shivananda Ashram. In early 2008 he completed an 8-day course on yoga philosophy at an institute in Gujarat, India. In order to understand the yoga philosophy better, and help others in the same endeavor, he coordinates a bi-weekly Yoga Sutra Study Group which discusses the sutras in great depth. He also attends a weekly study group on Bhagavad Gita.  He has been studying the ancient Indian language Sanskrit for the last seven years which helps him understand the yoga scriptures in their original context.

For a more detailed bio of Subhash please visit his website at http://www.integralyogastudio.com/the_instructor.php

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.

Honey Music                                                                                  
Honey hails from Florida where she owned schools of classical Chinese practice since the 1970's, many of which are still operational. Part of a national family style of traditional Chinese martial arts, Honey has decades of training and practice under the tutelage of both world-renowned and more obscure Masters. Honey has also trained Tai Chi instructors for many years and has traveled the world teaching and demonstrating her art.  Honey's love of teaching and passion for helping others to discover the beauty and power of Tai chi is most evident in her classes.  She has been teaching to a wide range of students of all ages and abilities for more than 25 years.

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.  Lizanne continues her study of yoga and anatomy and plans to earn her 500-hour certification in 2010-11. 

Sherry Essig                                                                                                       

Sherry Essig has been practicing yoga for over ten years but had you asked for her thoughts on teaching, she’d have fallen over laughing. 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 she founded Priority Ventures Group 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 create lives that are fulfilling, balanced, and centered.

Anne Robie                                                                                                      

Anne Robie began her yoga journey by mistake – as usual, moving too fast she mis-read the schedule at her gym and showed up for what she thought was a step class.  90 minutes and a whole lot more focused later, she was hooked.  For a while, she took the usual path, by taking a few classes a week and combining it with other forms of exercise, but in 2008 something clicked and Anne began to work more deeply in yoga and to look for connections in our modern day life. 

Anne has worked in leadership development and organizational change for 15 years and loves the interplay between leadership and mindfulness.  She brings a modern flavor to her classes by interweaving personal development, asana and breath.  Believing that every pose is an opportunity for growth both physically and personally Anne is committed to helping her students achieve their goals.