Our Instructors

Emma Rubino

Emma's first experience with yoga was Ashtanga with Alex Shipman. She was hooked right away. She received her 200 hours at New York Yoga in 2004 under the direction of Michael Gilbert, David Hollander and Govinda Kai. Their style of Vinyasa yoga had strong roots in Ashtanga and Iyengar. Emma received a pre-natal certification at Om Yoga in 2005 when she was pregnant with her daughter. This allowed her to better accommodate expectant mothers in her classes.

Emma’s classes are challenging, informative and fun with great music. She believes strongly in using breath to ease the body and mind.

 

Jess Thomases

Jess found yoga while living in NYC in her early 20’s and never looked back. Her practice has been an integral part of her life ever since. She first became certified in kids yoga in 2008 at Karma Kids in NYC. Jess spent the past 10 years deepening her yoga practice and found how important it was for yoga to be part of her daily life. She received her 200-hour certification at Three Birds Yoga Studio in Florham Park, NJ in 2018. Jess always strive to strike the perfect balance of the mind/body connection, while providing a thoughtful and steady flow that is soulful and inspiring.

 
 

Hallie Levy

Hallie spent many years as a very active woman, ranging from running Marathons to playing tennis. As her body started to wear down, the injuries came, starting with her back. However, she could not simply stop her athletic activities so she turned Yoga. That is where Yoga journey began and where her passion for Yoga took an immediate hold on her.
Hallie’s mission encourage and empower athletic men and women to practice Yoga. This includes people that have had to scale down or eliminate their athletic activities due to injuries or overall difficulty to continue. It also includes people who are still very active and can realize the benefits of adding a yoga practice to their regimen. Hallie believes that body alignment is paramount to a success yoga practice, and it is her main focal point while teaching.

 

Julie Gurevich

Julie has been teaching yoga since 2001! Her style is athletic, but an alignment-based vinyasa flow that will make you sweat!

Julie was a NCAA College Cross Country Runner, she began running at the age of 13 and is yet to stop! She has run 8 marathons and many half marathons and road races over the years. Her favorite race is the acclaimed Boston Marathon. Julie's Yoga Practice has kept her fit & grounded.
She loves teaching classes to her students and will always incorporate some awesome music into the flow.
Julie has led sixteen 200 Hr Teacher Training Programs and loves inspiring her students to learn, evolve and grow.
She loves to travel, enjoy the outdoors & skiing with her 3 kids and husband.

 

Rebecca Ackerman

Rebecca is a creative, nature enthusiast and yoga/HIIT instructor who believes movement is medicine. Rebecca embarked on her first Yoga training in 2018, studying Bikrim. She fell in love with the focus and self discipline she was able to access on the mat. She watched in amazement as the continued commitment to a regular practice transformed her life from the inside out. From 2020-2021 she immersed herself in two 300hr trainings focused on vinyasa and yin yoga modalities. 

Rebecca likes to teach grounding and playful yoga sequences that keep the students on their toes. She guides her students to connect to a deep sense of inner strength, lightheartedness and self compassion in her class.

 

Day Booth

Day Booth originally stems from Thailand and is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Day found yoga after her second child was born and has loved the practice ever since. Day moved to the US in 2016 and started yoga once again. She received her 200 Hrs from The American Yoga Academy in 2017. And in 2021, she received her 300 Hrs under the direction of Matt Giordano. Day also received Restorative Yoga Certificate under training direction from Courtney Bauer and Victoria Yoffie. 

Her classes are vinyasa flow, with a balance of power and relaxation. Her teaching sequence provides a highly intentional and well-structured experience for cultivating awareness of your body and mind and preparing your body for peak pose. 

Day’s mission is to elevate her students’ practice so they feel refreshed, nourished, and balanced on and off the mat. 

 

Rachel Rodrick

Rachel has always been a fitness and health advocate but was drawn to yoga while on a challenging holistic health journey. She has found that yoga can transform and heal both the mind and body. After realizing not only the physical benefits but also the positive mental effects of this practice, she decided to obtain a 200-hour yoga teacher training certification. Rachel is also one of our toughest Hot HIIT instructions too! Rachel hopes that teaching yoga can be her way to truly impact the lives of others

Shelley Western

I’m a certified integrative nutrition health & fitness coach with a passion for helping women connect to their body in an emotionally and physically healthy way.

After having my second son I put my body through torture to “bounce back” to my pre-baby weight. I learned that we don’t need to believe the “no pain no gain” mentality to get the results you desire. True health is connecting with your mind, body, and soul with movement & nutrition that helps you feel empowered & strong, inside and out.

Becoming a certified Hot Phiit instructor was a no-brainer for me. Once I took Hot Phiit for the first time I was hooked! I am so excited to bring that energy to you in class with playlists & moves that will bring the party every time. My classes focus on controlled movements that have a nice twist of high intensity blended with low impact movement. I believe movement should be fun and enjoyable but also challenge you. These mindful exercises will help you sculpt beautiful muscle tones throughout your body and help you connect deeper to your practice.

Can’t wait to see you at the next Hot Phiit class!

 

J Acevedo

His initial career path was serving young people as a high school mathematics educator and later a school principal. After nearly fifteen years of service in the education system, J now combines his talent for teaching with his passion for spiritual enlightenment as a yoga instructor. 

J is formally trained in Classical Hatha Yoga, holding his RYT-200 certification from Akasha Yoga Academy in Bali, Indonesia. He has spent hundreds of additional hours of practice in Vinyasa and has a natural affinity for Ashtanga. J enjoys leading a powerful Vinyasa class creating a firm flow that combines pranayama and asana, connecting movement with conscious breathing, and focusing on enhancing the strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance of all fellow yogi practitioners.

Along with being a yoga instructor, J is currently a Yoga Professor at Kean University and an RYT-500 student seeking to elevate his practice and continue to share his knowledge. Aside from being a Yogi of Peace, he is a music maniac, an enthusiastic entrepreneur, a cooking [wannabe] connoisseur and a fortunate husband and father of five.

 
 

Meghan Hunter / Retreat Teacher

Informed by twenty years of studies in various styles and over a decade of teaching, Meghan has developed a keen sense for a clear, mindful, deep and equal parts, practical and inspired yoga practice. Her vinyasa classes are known for their intelligent sequencing and steady, breath-centered anchoring. Meghan’s teaching is rooted in her understanding that the practice of yoga offers invaluable tools to regulate the mind-body complex, and in class, Meghan encourages students to utilize these tools as a direct portal to reconnect with their greater sense of equanimity, ease and the infinite nature of their deepest selves. Vinyasa classes are often challenging, always thoughtful and are designed to send students on a path to feeling clear, steady, multi-dimensional and balanced.