Lauren Maples, Director
Lauren is the founder of Bija Kids and teaches many of the weekly classes. In addition, she runs Bija's teacher trainings,
workshops and retreats. Lauren stumbled into teaching yoga for kids almost by accident (or so it seemed at the time). In 2005,
she had worked her way through college as a full time nanny, completed an adult yoga certification through Integral Yoga
Institute, and already retired from a successful career as a professional ballet dancer. She was intrigued by the profound
change that children experienced from even the most brief yoga practice, so she started incorporating more and more yoga into
the creative movement classes she was teaching at the time. Thus began her journey to create a program for children that
incorporated not just asana and yoga games, but tools that students can take out into the world. Today Bija Kids is a part of
over 500 children's lives on a weekly basis, serves as the yoga program for 12 NYC schools and continues to grow through
classes, trainings, workshops and retreats. Lauren has been fortunate to work with many wonderful teachers along her path
(too many to count!) but ultimately she considers the children she works with the greatest teachers of all. In 2008 Lauren
received her ISO Certified Ayurvedic License while studying in Coonoor, India. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts and
has created and successfully sold two other Brooklyn businesses.
Lindsay Sullivan, Instructor
Lindsay is a graduate of the Conquering Lion Teacher Training program and a student of Kelly Morris. She has also studied
alignment with Angela, Stephanie and Christina at Mala Yoga as well as Yoga, Buddhism and Meditation with Kimberley
Theresa at Yoga Studies Institute. Lindsay loves teaching kids yoga because it's fun! Children offer a sense of ease and
lightness to the practice that is sometimes forgotten in adult classes. It's also exciting to offer tools that help them with THEIR
worlds - for instance how to move their bodies and develop kinesthetic skills, how to use breath, rest and movement to feel
better or how to resolve conflicts with a good heart. In addition to her work as a yoga teacher and practitioner Lindsay is a singer
and songwriter and plays music with her band Clair. Lindsay was certified to teach children through Bija Kids in 2010.
Kate Johnson, Instructor
Kate became a certified yoga instructor through Laughing Lotus in May of 2008. Naturally playful and full of laughter, she loves
helping young students find connections between the body, the breathe and how they feel. Kate recently earned a MA in
Performance Studies at NYU and she brings her extensive dance background into her teaching. She completed Bija Kids
teacher training in the spring of 2010 and in addition to teaching through Bija she also teaches yoga to high school students.
Katie Lavelle, Instructor
Katie first became interested in yoga when she was pregnant with her second child. Yoga classes helped her get through
many difficult kinks during the pregnancy. She continued taking classes after her baby was born and realized she loved it.
Katie's kids (all four!) have been doing yoga since they were just babies. The positive influence of yoga in her family's life
prompted her to get certified to teach little ones through Bija Kids in 2009. She has ten years of experience teaching
kindergarten and combined with her yoga training Katie is able to bring a unique mix to her classes.
Paige Hinton, Instructor
Paige is a certified yoga instructor trained at Laughing Lotus School of Yoga in NYC. She loves witnessing the ultimate joy
children embody while in creating different shapes with their bodies and embracing all the creative fun yoga has to offer. She
says, "When your with children you can't stop from smiling and laughing." Paige has been practicing yoga for the past 13 years,
has had en extensive career as a professional dancer on Broadway and is a trained holistic health counselor. She was certified
to teach children's yoga at Bija Kids in 2010.
Britt Carlson, Instructor
Britt has studied yoga for children with Bija Kids and Little Flower, and has been teaching kids since the beginning of 2009.
She's certified to teach adult yoga in 2008 with Tias Little of Prajna Yoga. She continues to practice and study with Stephanie
Creaturo, Angela Clark and Christina Hatgis of Mala Yoga and at the Iyengar Yoga Center. She loves the joy children find in the
movement of asana and their creativity and silliness in 'playing' yoga. She is especially interested in making connections
between kids' lives and the tools yoga offers and is deeply moved by their intuitive understanding of how to use yoga 'off the
mat'. Outside of her practice and teaching of yoga, Britt also enjoys reading literary fiction and mysteries, playing the
Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira and dancing, especially samba.
Stephanie Larriere, Instructor
Stephanie's yoga practice has taken her to Jivamukti, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center and Yogasana Center.
She has worked as a professional dancer, a teaching artist and has worked with children from nursery to middle school.
Stephanie had become an expert at integrating her art, movement, into educational settings. After experiencing the benefits of
yoga practice herself, Stephanie was compelled to begin adding yoga to her children's classes and became certified to teach
through Bija Kids in 2009. After this rewarding year of teaching yoga to youngsters, she is thrilled to pursue her work with Bija
and thankful for the concepts and ideas she is now able to incorporate into all her children's classes. Stephanie has recently
begun work on her new business, Brooklyn Beanstalks, a language program for children.
Lauren is the founder of Bija Kids and teaches many of the weekly classes. In addition, she runs Bija's teacher trainings,
workshops and retreats. Lauren stumbled into teaching yoga for kids almost by accident (or so it seemed at the time). In 2005,
she had worked her way through college as a full time nanny, completed an adult yoga certification through Integral Yoga
Institute, and already retired from a successful career as a professional ballet dancer. She was intrigued by the profound
change that children experienced from even the most brief yoga practice, so she started incorporating more and more yoga into
the creative movement classes she was teaching at the time. Thus began her journey to create a program for children that
incorporated not just asana and yoga games, but tools that students can take out into the world. Today Bija Kids is a part of
over 500 children's lives on a weekly basis, serves as the yoga program for 12 NYC schools and continues to grow through
classes, trainings, workshops and retreats. Lauren has been fortunate to work with many wonderful teachers along her path
(too many to count!) but ultimately she considers the children she works with the greatest teachers of all. In 2008 Lauren
received her ISO Certified Ayurvedic License while studying in Coonoor, India. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts and
has created and successfully sold two other Brooklyn businesses.
Lindsay Sullivan, Instructor
Lindsay is a graduate of the Conquering Lion Teacher Training program and a student of Kelly Morris. She has also studied
alignment with Angela, Stephanie and Christina at Mala Yoga as well as Yoga, Buddhism and Meditation with Kimberley
Theresa at Yoga Studies Institute. Lindsay loves teaching kids yoga because it's fun! Children offer a sense of ease and
lightness to the practice that is sometimes forgotten in adult classes. It's also exciting to offer tools that help them with THEIR
worlds - for instance how to move their bodies and develop kinesthetic skills, how to use breath, rest and movement to feel
better or how to resolve conflicts with a good heart. In addition to her work as a yoga teacher and practitioner Lindsay is a singer
and songwriter and plays music with her band Clair. Lindsay was certified to teach children through Bija Kids in 2010.
Kate Johnson, Instructor
Kate became a certified yoga instructor through Laughing Lotus in May of 2008. Naturally playful and full of laughter, she loves
helping young students find connections between the body, the breathe and how they feel. Kate recently earned a MA in
Performance Studies at NYU and she brings her extensive dance background into her teaching. She completed Bija Kids
teacher training in the spring of 2010 and in addition to teaching through Bija she also teaches yoga to high school students.
Katie Lavelle, Instructor
Katie first became interested in yoga when she was pregnant with her second child. Yoga classes helped her get through
many difficult kinks during the pregnancy. She continued taking classes after her baby was born and realized she loved it.
Katie's kids (all four!) have been doing yoga since they were just babies. The positive influence of yoga in her family's life
prompted her to get certified to teach little ones through Bija Kids in 2009. She has ten years of experience teaching
kindergarten and combined with her yoga training Katie is able to bring a unique mix to her classes.
Paige Hinton, Instructor
Paige is a certified yoga instructor trained at Laughing Lotus School of Yoga in NYC. She loves witnessing the ultimate joy
children embody while in creating different shapes with their bodies and embracing all the creative fun yoga has to offer. She
says, "When your with children you can't stop from smiling and laughing." Paige has been practicing yoga for the past 13 years,
has had en extensive career as a professional dancer on Broadway and is a trained holistic health counselor. She was certified
to teach children's yoga at Bija Kids in 2010.
Britt Carlson, Instructor
Britt has studied yoga for children with Bija Kids and Little Flower, and has been teaching kids since the beginning of 2009.
She's certified to teach adult yoga in 2008 with Tias Little of Prajna Yoga. She continues to practice and study with Stephanie
Creaturo, Angela Clark and Christina Hatgis of Mala Yoga and at the Iyengar Yoga Center. She loves the joy children find in the
movement of asana and their creativity and silliness in 'playing' yoga. She is especially interested in making connections
between kids' lives and the tools yoga offers and is deeply moved by their intuitive understanding of how to use yoga 'off the
mat'. Outside of her practice and teaching of yoga, Britt also enjoys reading literary fiction and mysteries, playing the
Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira and dancing, especially samba.
Stephanie Larriere, Instructor
Stephanie's yoga practice has taken her to Jivamukti, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center and Yogasana Center.
She has worked as a professional dancer, a teaching artist and has worked with children from nursery to middle school.
Stephanie had become an expert at integrating her art, movement, into educational settings. After experiencing the benefits of
yoga practice herself, Stephanie was compelled to begin adding yoga to her children's classes and became certified to teach
through Bija Kids in 2009. After this rewarding year of teaching yoga to youngsters, she is thrilled to pursue her work with Bija
and thankful for the concepts and ideas she is now able to incorporate into all her children's classes. Stephanie has recently
begun work on her new business, Brooklyn Beanstalks, a language program for children.
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