Program Teachers

The residential Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training at Omega is led by cofounders, Sharon Gannon and David Life, and Ruth Lauer-Manenti. They are joined by Sanskrit expert Manorama, anatomy expert Lori Zucker, production coordinator Sandhi Gayatri Ferreira, and Jivamukti Mentors Petros Haffenrichter, Emma Henry, Tomo Okabe, and Tina James, as well as the kirtan masters of Spring Ecstatic Chant.

To ensure that every student receives the personal attention they need, students will be mentored in small groups by a dynamic team of advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teachers and mentors from around the world.

Teacher Bios

Sharon Gannon and David Life, founders of Jivamukti Yoga, have been teaching yoga around the world for more than 25 years. They have been featured on the Today Show and PBS, and have been recognized as “innovators in yoga” by Yoga Journal. Vanity Fair credits Gannon and Life as “making yoga cool and hip” and Time magazine names Jivamukti Yoga as one of the important forms of hatha yoga taught in the world today. Pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism and activation, Sharon Gannon and David Life are accomplished yogis, scholars, activists, authors, poets, and musicians, who teach the ancient methods of yoga in a modern context, making the ultimate spiritual goal of enlightenment accessible to all. They travel extensively, teaching and presenting at American, European, Canadian, Asian, and South and Central American conferences. They have produced numerous yoga-related DVDs, music CDs, and books, including Jivamukti Yoga, The Art of Yoga, The Jivamukti Chant Book, Yoga and Vegetarianism, and Sharanam, Sharon Gannon’s debut solo album of Sanskrit mantras. jivamuktiyoga.com

Ruth Lauer-Manenti imparts the teachings of yoga to many students around the world, most often to overflowing classes in New York City at the Jivamukti Yoga School. An Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher and Yoga Sutra expert, she has been teaching Jivamukti Yoga for more than 25 years. Her personal interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita, Master Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika are insightful, understandable, and poignant. She is author of An Offering of Leaves.

Manorama tours internationally to train students in the Path of Luminous Shabda, which brings meditation, Sanskrit, and yoga philosophy together to bridge sacred teachings into everyday life. Her style is one of earthy charm supported by deep scholarship and humor. She has released numerous CDs, including the acclaimed Learn to Pronounce Yoga Poses and Namo Namah Invoke Reverence. sanskritstudies.org

Physical therapist Lori Zucker has been a clinician for the past 25 years and an adjunct professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey for more than 15 years. A yoga practitioner since 2001, she integrates yoga into her physical therapy practice and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has been teaching anatomy to yoga instructors for more than six years, including instruction at Jivamukti Yoga® Teacher Trainings.

Please note that this course will be taught in English. All students who attend must arrive with a good understanding of English, even though it may not be their first language. More details about this teacher training are available in the Information Packet.