Teachers and Staff
Who We Are
Alphabetical Order
Angelina Waterman
Instructor | Hatha Yoga
Angelina found yoga in 2011 during her time playing professional volleyball in Tenerife, Spain. Angie practiced yoga with a few teammates once a week before her Volleyball practice. She saw yoga as a good way to stretch sore muscles and maintain flexibility. She felt it was also a way to create mental clarity and body awareness to enhance her volleyball game.
After completing the volleyball season, She returned to her hometown in New York. There she started taking classes at a local studio that offered Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin. She was immediately intrigued by the deeper parts of a yoga practice. When she moved to California in 2013, she started taking hot yoga classes
after work and found that a regular practice allowed her to clear her mind and perform better.
She brings behavior change principles utilized in her work as a behavior analyst to her yoga classes. As a teacher, she facilitates positive change for her students in a meaningful, measurable, and observable way.
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Erin Holmes
Instructor | Dharma Yoga Wheel
Although Erin has loved the art of theatre and dance since childhood, she didn't discover her desire to combine it with her passion for yoga and teaching until her late twenties. Having suffered major injuries from multiple car accidents, she came to realize how important the role of holistic healing was for rehabilitation of the mind, body, and soul.
In 2010, she received her 200-hour teacher training through Core Power Rosecrans in San Diego and from the start, enjoyed her love for linking breath to movement much like a spiritual dance . "Walking into class feels like a hug from your favorite person. Walking out feels like an elevated reset to your external and internal being. I couldn't walk upright without this practice in my life and I'm forever grateful." Sharing her knowledge with her students, to recover and grow through movement, meditation, and healthy living, has been her calling and passion for the last ten years.
When Erin isn't in the yoga classroom you can find her helping a military veteran in the community, cooking yummy vegan dishes, or playing in her band CKB!
Gabby Troconis & Betsy Peila
Instructors | Sound Healing + Reiki
Reiki and Sound sessions offer a combination of a Reiki with intuitive sound healing techniques. Sounds may include crystal sound healing bowls, rattles, voice toning, drumming, tuning forks, and chimes.
Hana Wilcox
Instructor
Director of Operations
Hatha Yoga | Vinyasa
Hana is a 2nd generation YT in her family. Her mom became a yoga instructor in 2003, so Hana became familiar with yoga at a young age. However, it wasn’t until her early 20’s when she became an avid practitioner. When Hana started working at a hot yoga studio- she became addicted to the asana practice, which inspired her to go through yoga teacher training. At the time, her community college was offering a 300HR RYT program through yoga alliance. It had a different format than your standard 3-4 month program. She learned so much- from the foundation of yoga, to different forms of meditation, to pranayama techniques, to the body’s anatomy, to how to run a yoga studio, and much more. Hana received her certificate in 2014 and has been teaching on and off since. She also managed the front desk at Peace, Love, and Yoga in Carlsbad for 6 years where she met Rob the owner of YoS.
Hana’s passion is to help other’s create healthy lifestyles and connect to their inner spirit. Yoga has taught her the importance of self-transformation and creating alignment within. She believes yoga is not about how flexible you are, or what postures you can do- it’s about the journey of self discovery.
Hana teaches primarily Hatha, Restorative, Vinyasa, & Yoga Nidra. She focuses on creating alignment first, then strength, then stretch to avoid any possible injury and help release stored energy.
Outside of yoga- Hana spends most of her time creating artwork, surfing or hanging by the ocean, and educating people about the importance of Kangen water and sustainability.
Justin Blazejewski
Instructor | Dharma | VETOGA
Justin’s introduction to yoga began in 2007 while he was searching for different exercises that would help with a back injury he sustained while serving in the Marine Corps. Soon after his first class he dove into a daily yoga practice, quickly realizing the physical benefits of yoga when his back pain began to disappear after only a couple of weeks.
Justin was in his 4th year of monthly travel to Afghanistan and Iraq as a government contractor when he devoted himself to a daily yoga practice. After 10 years of constant travel, Justin realized the effects of the war zone were taking their toll, but he also noticed how the benefits of yoga were offsetting these effects.
During the first year of his yoga practice he observed how yoga helped heal the physical, mental and emotional burdens he carried traveling in and out of war zones. In 2008 he attended his first yoga/kirtan retreat in Bali, Indonesia, which proved to be the turning point in his spiritual practice. Soon after, Justin began to find clarity, calmness and intuition in his life. This led him to find his Guru, Sri Dharma Mittra at a small humble yoga studio in the heart of NYC. He immediately enrolled in the "DMY Life of a Yogi" teacher training to solely deepen his practice of yoga and self-healing. After graduating from the 200 hour teacher training program, Justin immediately realized he was given a gift. A gift he could share with those around him, especially those who were carrying similar burdens of war. Since 2008 he has completed his 200, 500, and 800 hour Dharma Mittra Yoga, Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra, and Acro Yoga teacher training.
His mission is to help others and share the powerful healing benefits of yoga and meditation. Through VETOGA, he strives to share yoga to those who need it most in life, especially his brothers and sisters of the armed services and veterans who still carry the encumbrance of war with them every day.
Kaitlyn Nelson
Instructor | Hatha | Gentle Vinyasa
Kaitlyn was introduced to yoga at a young age and immediately fell in love with the practice of asana and pranayama as a relief for her own mental health. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 2012 with a degree in Psychology and then received a Masters in Social Work from San Diego State University in 2014. She has been working as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since and has been incorporating meditation and mindfulness practices with the populations she serves. She currently works with families who care for children in the foster care system. In fall 2020, Kaitlyn attend a 200-hour YTT program at Pilgrimage of the Heart to continue learning how to inspire not only herself, but others in their healing journeys.
Kaitlyn is passionate about empowering others to find their inner peace and self-worth through the practice of yoga. Her classes incorporate a balance of energizing and restorative sequences to inspire confidence, compassion, joy, and self-reflection. She aims to broaden the accessibility of yoga. She enjoys teaching students of all-levels and a variety of styles including Hatha, restorative, and vinyasa classes. Kaitlyn is a native San Diegan who enjoys exploring nature, hiking, watching sunsets, going to live concerts, reading, advocating for social justice, and being with her beloved husband and pets.
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Kyra Villarino
Instructor | Vinyassa
Yoga has been a part of Kyra’s life for 9 years now. She completed her fist 200 hour training through Core Power Yoga in 2016 and a second 200 hour training in 2018 through Annie Carpenter’s SmartFLOW® Yoga. As she deepend her practice she deepend her awareness of the subtle energy body. This connection led her to getting certified in different healing modalities such as Reiki and TRE®(Trauma Releasing Exercises). She combines her knowledge of these different modalities to guide others to tap into their own mind-body connection, feel true full body presence, and empower them to heal from within. In her classes she puts an emphasis on breath, alignment, & moving mindfully with intention. She is a forever student always looking to learn more through teaching different bodies and expanding her knowledge through different trainings.
Lauren Dabbs
Instructor | Yin
Lauren's first introduction to yoga was in Costa Rica during her early teens, after her first class she immediately felt a deep pull to explore more of what this practice had to offer. Soon after her first class, yoga was part of her everyday life. Eventually leading her to study to be a yoga and aerial instructor in Costa Rica in 2017, and has been teaching both modalities ever since. With her love and fascination for the body, she went on to study massage therapy at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. In her massage session she blends both eastern and western modalities to create a massage experience that not only works with the physical body but the energetic system, chakras and meridians to create overall balance and healing. In Laurens class you can expect a fun and creative flow that both strengthens and connects you to your body. Lauren is trained in Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Nidra, Aerial Yoga, Silks and Lyra.
Madelyn Olavarria
Instructor
Madelyn’s style of teaching is anchored in tradition, creativity, fun, and fitness, challenging her students to grow from the inside out. She taught barre, hip hop and yoga in Seattle before moving to Carlsbad in 2020, where she joined Yoga on State first as a student, now as an instructor. Off the mat Madelyn is passionate about her full time job in high tech and enjoys traveling the world, seeking inspiration from other cultures.
Rob Mendez
Instructor | Owner
Director of Operations
Dharma Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama
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Rob is a Student of Sri Dharma Mittra and The Dharma Yoga Lineage. He is a devoted practitioner of Hatha-Raja Yoga and incorporates it into all areas of his life. He started his Yoga journey with meditation at a young age through his attraction to Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Rob spent his youth exploring different approaches to health and wellness and always felt a great connection to exploring the deeper states of mind & Self.
​At the age of 21, he joined the United States Navy where he spent five years in the OR as a Surgical Technologist Hospital Corpsman. His time in the military working on surgical teams gave him an insight into the human body that would later shape his understanding of movement and mechanics.
​Shortly after separating from the Navy, he began to develop some Health Anxieties which brought him back to a Yogic path and its philosophies. He adopted a more physical asana practice (yoga postures) to help him calm and restore his nerves while bringing his body back to a better state of health.
​Since then, he's dedicated his life and purpose to learning and spreading the awareness of the powers of a consistent Yoga practice. He believes that total transformation is possible when you open your heart and dedicate your life to the higher state that's within all of us.
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​Rob loves Dharma, Bhakti, Skateboarding, and exploring with his Pup Rusty.
Rob Teaches Dharma Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Breathwork & Meditation, & Inversions.
Siobhan Barton
Instructor | Hatha | Kirtan
Siobhan is a devoted Bhakti yogini, instructor and sound healer. The path of yoga changed her life and she is devoted to helping others find the tools to change theirs. Siobhan sees asana as an opportunity for our spirit to study life from within its classroom, the body. She enjoys facilitating sound baths and offering sweet chants and songs after each class.
She offers Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, Sculpt and Gentle styles of asana.
Trevor Arthur
Instructor
Director of Kirtan
Ashtanga Vinyasa | Pranayama | Kirtan
A devoted practitioner of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, Trevor was introduced to kirtan by his teacher, Tim Miller of Encinitas, a great Hanuman bhakta, who led small, post-pranayama chanting circles and would religiously offer the Hanuman chalisa together with his students, each Tuesday morning. Immediately intrigued and enchanted by the potency of mantra, Trevor’s path subsequently led him to Kali Mandir, in Laguna Beach, where he discovered devotion to Ma Kali, and received the blessing of acquaintance with the principles and practices of a traditional Tantric lineage of bhakti yoga. Trevor remains ever thirsty for new experiences of illumination, devotion, and spiritual growth. He relishes any opportunity to chant divine names and prayers in communion with fellow spiritual seekers.
Instructor
Director of Ayurveda
Dharma Yoga | Kirtan | Ayurveda
Zarah Kravitz
Zarah is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner from The Ayurveda Institute in New Mexico, under the divine guidance of Dr. Vasant Lad.
​Prior to her Ayurvedic studies, she became a Certified Holistic Health Counselor from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, where she has spent the past 14 years globally working with clients individually and in group settings, leading cleanse programs, cooking classes, retreats, and private consultations with the aim to help guide others on how to cultivate a healthier and more holistic life.
She is also a Certified Hatha Dharma Yoga Teacher trained by Sri Dharma Mittra in New York City. She has spent the past fourteen years teaching private and group yoga classes, leading special workshops and retreats in the United States, Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador.
She currently offers group and private yoga classes, which include a powerful series of postures, breathing techniques, mantra chanting, and guided relaxation and meditation. She also offers group workshops, seminars, and private Ayurvedic consultations, with an emphasis on finding a personalized, balanced and sustainable approach to diet and lifestyle, seeking an integrated wellness of body, mind, and spirit.
Zoë Sandoval
Event Manager
Instructor | Dharma Yoga
Zoe discovered yoga at a young age, 16 when her mom brought her to her first Bikram class. It wasn’t love at first sight, but the practice grew on her throughout the years. At a shallow point during international travels years down the road, she returned to her mat and truly to herSelf. Her practice quickly became the most important thing in her life, her gateway to deep healing and expansion, and it was only a matter of time before diving deeper with a teacher training program was the next step.
She started with a 200-hour training in the Bikram lineage, which she then taught in Oceanside and San Clemente. Inspired by her love and appreciation for rest and soft practices, she moved on to do restorative training through Trilogy. Most recently has studied under Sri Dharma Mittra in his 500 hour Life of a Yogi training, where she has truly found a home in the Dharma lineage. Yoga is one of the, if not the, greatest loves of Zoe’s life, and it is her joy and duty to share these sacred sciences.
Zoe’s approach to teaching is rooted in ancient traditions of pranayama (breathing practices), asana, meditation, mantra, and singing and focused on integrating mind, body, and spirit.
Some of Zoe’s other great loves and passions are nutrition and wellness, all things nature, cooking, music, embodied movement, swimming, group prayer, sustainability and zero waste living, and women’s wellness.