Namaste friends. My name is Sandy but am often called Saraja, the name given to me by my teacher Brahamand Stapleton after 20 years of 4 path yoga study under his wing. Yoga / meditation has never not been a part of my memory. At the age of 11, I sat upon a rooftop in downtown Rochester with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and discovered Transcendental Meditation. My adult yogic path is Jnana Yoga, and it has served me to create Yoga Teacher Trainings with great depth, wisdom, and transformation. So very blessed to have had parents that allowed me to eat and drink whatever I wanted ever since I can remember. One of my earliest memories was sitting with the cows that butted up to my parents’ land, and knowing they were my friends, not food or drink. At about 7, I realized we were all connected. And that is Yoga, that knowingness of this, is the greatest path to peace I think one can have.

On September 15th, I offer a class of soulfulness, kindness, friendliness and compassion to honor our friends that need our support, voice and love. Yoga is for healing. All are welcome to this class. There are ‘no limitations’. If you can breathe, you belong here. My greatest gratitude for the organizers of the Rochester VegFest. I wanted to do one long ago, but thought I’d be the only one that would show up! THANK you…..its a privilege to be a part of this event.

Peace and light to ALL, Saraja.

Grounded by Yoga Studios & Yoga Teacher Training Center, LLC, Founder/Director Finger Lakes Natural Living Fair September 29, 2018, Founder / Organizer

I am: Yogi. Vegan. Activist. Mother. Nurse. Recovering worrier. Thrift-store shopper. Art-admirer. Truth-seeker. Blue Moon drinker. Film watcher. Coffee-lover. Tree-hugger. Cold-hater. Lady-bug saver. Traveler. Listener. Reader. Wonderer. Wanderer. Procrastinator. Communicator. Collaborator. Stubborn.

Yoga is moving meditation. For me, practicing is a way to bring mind and body into alignment with each other, the breath and movement synchronizing with the moment as the practice progresses. As a teacher, I feel it is my goal to create the space for yoga practitioners to experience and explore their own personal possibilities, tapping into their true potential and transformation.

Imani heads Yoga 4 a Good Hood, which seeks to restore peace of mind, peace of heart and peace within the community on and off the mat.

I believe that yoga is an amazing and transformative practice. My teaching style is body-positive, energetic, meditative, and centered around compassion and kindness. Yoga has taught me how to honor my body and push past any limiting beliefs while creating space for new possibilities in my life. Yoga has also allowed me to experience the feeling of connectedness to the world around me, especially to animals and nature. This connectedness inspired me to become vegan myself. I’m honored to be a part of the Rochester Veg Fest and to be able to share the gifts that this practice has given me with this community!