Sarah Artha Negara |
Don Bard |
Jillian Chesley |
Moira Davis |
Deb DeBruyn |
Dana Depiero |
Angela Galindo |
Julie Graff |
Henry Heikkinen |
Jaelynn Horton |
Holly Johnson |
Emilie Lenoir |
Hannah Malone |
Tess Oakley-Stilson |
Francesca Pavlovici |
Billy Prusinowski |
Padma Rudraraju |
Rae'Von Young
Sarah Artha Negara
Sarah is well-known locally and nationally for her expertise as a Pilates teacher trainer and advanced movement specialist, as well as her diverse teaching abilities in Yoga, Barre, Indoor Cycling, and Strength & Conditioning. She has a particular focus on injury prevention and post-rehabilitation training, helping individuals recover from injuries and regain strength and mobility. In addition to these specializations, Sarah is skilled in performance enhancement, helping athletes and performers improve their physical abilities and achieve their optimal potential. Flexibility training and dance conditioning are also among Sarah’s areas of expertise, drawing on her background in dance. With an MFA in Dance from Mills College and a BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, she has a deep understanding of movement and body mechanics. Sarah’s teaching approach is marked by inclusive and transformative language. She strives to create a supportive and empowering environment for her students, using language that fosters a positive mindset and encourages personal growth. Her comprehensive Pilates training began with Susan McClain, a Martha Graham dancer, and Karen Clippinger, a Dance Kinesiologist, at CSULB. She then continued her education with Nora St.John and Naomi Leiserson at Turning Point Studios. Later, in 2019, she completed Lolita San Miguel’s Pilates Master Program, earning the titles of “Lolita’s Disciple” and “Second Generation Pilates Instructor.” Sarah’s commitment to ongoing learning is evident through her participation in many conferences and the acquisition of additional certificates and continuing education credits. In addition to being a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) and Balanced Body® Pilates Educator, she holds certificates as an ACE® Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist, YogaFit® Instructor, and Reiki 2 Certified practitioner. Sarah brings her wealth of knowledge and expertise to her teaching, supporting her clients in achieving their fitness goals, promoting overall well-being, and creating a positive and transformative experience.
Class(es) taught: Mat Pilates, Pilates-Yoga Fusion
Abbey Asher
Abbey is a formally trained ballet and jazz dancer who performed professionally in Santa Barbara. She began studying Iyengar yoga in 1995 and completed teacher training in 2004. Abbey has been a student of Maya Lev and Kofi Busia for many years and is currently teaching yoga at Yoga Center Santa Cruz in addition to her classes on campus. In January of 2008, Abbey studied for one month at the Iyengar Institute in Pune, India.
Class(es) taught: Iyengar Yoga
Don Bard
Don started practicing yoga in Hawaii learning the Primary-Series in Ashtanga Yoga. This vigorous practice consists of poses connected with the breath in a set sequence. When he moved to Santa Cruz in 1987, he found TriYoga, a style that merged breath awareness with a progression of creative sequence levels. He became certified to teach TriYoga in 1995, and now teaches a variety of yoga classes that include TriYoga, Iyengar, and Anusara alignment principles, with an approach influenced by the teachings of Erich Schiffmann - practice from a relaxed mind-set that focuses on feeling what you're doing as you're doing it. Don's classes emphasize moving consciously, staying within your range of comfort, and being relaxed while building strength and balance. All of Don's classes are multi-level and everyone is welcome.
Class(es) taught: Power Yoga
Kimball Barton
Kimball is a Personal Trainer certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has been a trainer in the Santa Cruz area for over 18 years. She works really well with a wide variety of individuals and really enjoys creating dynamic and fun workouts for her clients. Her specialties include core conditioning, functional training, general strength, and cardiovascular training, and adding FUN to your workout. In her free time, Kimball enjoys playing poker, gardening, hanging with her dogs, hiking, and painting.
Class(es) taught: Core Conditioning, Total Body HIIT, TRX® ( Total-body Resistance X-Training)
Kia Blaustein
Having grown up in Lemoore, California, Kia graduated from Cal-Poly with a B.S. in Animal Science. While in Santa Cruz, Kia has spent seventeen years studying Iyengar Yoga, in addition to being a certified massage therapist, and a mother of four. Through her yoga practice, Kia’s study of the expression of movement within the body led to a newly discovered fascination with dance. After having studied intensively with Worldanz, Kia became a certified Worldanz instructor in August of 2014. Kia remains grateful to teach Worldanz at UC-Santa Cruz, sharing her passion for dance within the UCSC community.
Class(es) taught: Core-Yoga Fusion, Fit Barre,
Fantine Capron
Fantine is a soulful surfer and yogi. Formerly a gymnast, she developed a passion for health and wellness at a young age in order to find a resilience towards mental strain and injuries. After 10 years of personal practice, she received her RYT-200 in Laguna Beach, California in 2019. Soon after, Fantine began teaching at OM Studio in Laguna Beach as well as a donation-based community classes at Heisler park. As a result of her cross-cultural upbringing between France and California along with extensive travels in South East Asia, Fantine teaches yoga with an open mind and an open heart all while honoring the long held traditions of Yoga. She is passionate about sharing the tools she has learnt along the way for her students to find a sense of serenity, contentment and above all, peace within. She always assures a safe and informative space that is accessible to all. She teaches foundational Asanas, Pranayama techniques and energetic principles through a vinyasa style class to explore all facets of body-mind connection.
Class(es) taught: Sunset Yoga, Twilight Yoga
Diana Chen
Diana discovered Pilates while searching for ways to reduce stress. She found that Pilates not only encouraged strength from the inside out but also helped center the mind and body. As an instructor, she is thrilled to share her love for Pilates, and its unlimited possibilities, with the community at UCSC. Diana has a longstanding interest in exploring the mind-body connection. She has a BA in psychology from Cal and a masters in HCI from Carnegie Mellon. Diana completed her training as a comprehensive Pilates instructor at Innerstellar Pilates & Yoga and is also currently completing the Balanced Body Bridge at Agile Monkey.
Class(es) taught: Mat Pilates
Jillian Chesley
With her background as an educator in software instruction and mental health, Jillian Chesley MA, is an expert at understanding the importance of the balance between physical fitness and mental health. A natural leader, she has repeatedly proven her ability to engage her students in the moment, learning and enjoying simultaneously. Having lived in multiple countries, Jillian’s ability to connect with all cultures on a non-verbal level is expressed in her classes. Jillian’s enthusiasm for Zumba and her belief that the mixture of fitness and dance is the best cardio exercise makes every class an experience, leaving students wanting more.
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
Madison Daniels
Madison is currently an undergraduate student at UCSC and she thrives on teaching yoga. She initially started practicing yoga in 2014 to help rehabilitate her knees, but fell in love with the lifestyle and has been practicing ever since. Madison became certified to teach Vinyasa Yoga in 2015 through "Core Power Yoga", and she is able to sequence her classes to suit all levels of skill. Madison is a strong advocate for health, balancing the mind and the body, and living in the moment, which she believes are all achieved by practicing yoga.
Class(es) taught: Vinyasa Yoga
Moira Davis
Moira received her 200RYT certification in Hatha Raja Yoga from Purusha Yoga School in San Francisco. She became a yoga instructor in 2018, after tearing her hamstring practicing aerial silks at the Circus Center. She leads classes that focus on injury recovery, rehabilitation, pain management, and mental health. Moira is also PhD student at UCSC in Social Psychology. In her yoga classes, she connects modern physiological and psychological principles with the historic philosopies and original cultural doctrines of Hatha Raja yoga. Her classes are welcoming, intentional, and rejuvinating - practicing yoga is, quite literally, an act of self-care. Her classes are for all levels, and beginners are encouraged!
Class(es) taught: Hatha Yoga
Deb DeBruyn
Deb has loved movement as far back as she can remember, with scabby knees and chlorine drenched hair. Not much later she progressed to swim team with S.C.A.T. during the school year, and Capitola Jr. Guards in the summers. In junior high and then high school came flag football, basketball, volleyball, track and her favorite: cross country. After working in high tech she returned to her love, teaching spinning, yoga and weight lifting classes. She loves connecting with people, and teaching fuses her love of people and movement. Her desire to connect has also gotten her involved leading monthly women's mountain bike rides with the non-profit Girls Rock. Her love of holistic health led her to get board certified as a health coach.
Class(es) taught: Indoor Cycling
Maris Degener
Maris is a yoga student and teacher, as well as a UCSC psychology student. She came to the practice of yoga in high school after facing mental health challenges and has fallen in love with sharing the practice and passing on what has been taught to her. She teaches the Vinyasa Flow style of yoga, and her classes have been described as loving, passionate, and heartfelt. Her classes are intended to guide students back home to their inner power and to provide them with a mindful balance of movement and stillness. You can learn more about Maris at yogamaris.com.
Class(es) taught: Empowering Yoga, Sunrise Yoga
Kathy DeLaCruz
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
Dana Depiero
Class(es) taught: Indoor Cycling
Angela Galindo
Class(es) taught: Cardio Kickboxing
Gina Garcia
Born and raised in Guatemala, Gina traveled to the United States at the age of sixteen to pursue her interest in art and dance. She studied at Boston University, ultimately transferring to and receiving her degree in Fine Arts at the University of California—Santa Cruz. Gina developed Worldanz in 2008 as a way in which to combine her love of dance, her unyielding interest in global cultures, and her restless desire to exercise both aggressively and unapologetically. Having spent twenty-five years studying every dance form that came her way, Gina wanted to find a way to share the unique and intricate gifts that each form provides. Similarly, as a fitness enthusiast, Gina has remained extremely interested in helping people tap into the joy of high-intensity training. Aside from the obvious physical benefits of feeling strong, healthy, and embodied, Gina wants people to experience the mental and spiritual rewards that come with maximum athletic exertion within the ecstatic study of dance.
Class(es) taught: Worldanz
Julie Graff
Exercise has always been a very important part of Julie's life. When she was young she participated in a variety of sports. While she still plays soccer, she has found a love for a multitude of fitness classes such as kickboxing and HIIT. She loves teaching and enjoys sharing her passion for exercising by encouraging, motivating, and helping people reach their own fitness goals while they participate in her classes. In her spare time, she enjoys coaching her daughter's soccer team and her son's baseball team. She mountain bikes and volunteers at her kids' school.
Class(es) taught: Cardio Kickboxing & Indoor Cycling
Henry Heikkinen
Henry has been practicing Iyengar style yoga since 1992 and teaching it since 2003. He's a graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco 500 hour Advanced Studies/Teacher Training Program and also completed a one year yoga teaching apprenticeship with Intermediate Junior Certified Iyengar Teacher Janet MacLeod. He's always striving to grow and renew his education as a regular participant in Iyengar Yoga conventions and training events including "The Journey: from Annamaykosa to Anandamayakosa" IYNAUS Convention with Geeta Iyengar, the Yogacharya Festival - an International Iyengar Yoga Convention, senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Kofi Busia's 110 hour Yoga teacher training program, and the Iyengar Yoga Intensive with B.K.S. Iyengar in Estes Park, Colorado. Henry has been leading Iyengar Yoga classes for our FitLife program since 2019 and also teaches Beginning Yoga for the UC Santa Cruz Physical Education program.
Class(es) taught: Restorative Yoga
Jaelynn Horton
Jaelynn, a Colorado native, has always loved dancing. She started with clogging but discovered the joy of dance fitness in college. When she found U-JAM, it was love at first sight. Her motto when teaching is "dance is just practice!" She wants everyone in her classes to feel that dance is approachable, regardless of their experience. Besides dancing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, playing the piano, and reading.
Class(es) taught: Hip-Hop
Sneha Jariwala
Sneha is an undergraduate student affiliated with College Ten at UCSC studying MCD Biology. She is from the East Bay area and has lived in California all her life. She was a captain for her high school's Bollywood dance team for two years and has experience in Bollywood and Bhangra. She enjoys going to the beach and hiking at the various trails upper campus. She earned her Zumba certification in December of 2018 after participating in the group exercise classes for a year. She looks forward to encouraging her fellow college students to exercise and have fun.
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
Holly Johnson
Fitness has been a lifelong commitment for Holly. She's been a group fitness trainer for over 20 years, consistently teaching weekly classes as well as taking continuing education classes. In addition to being an instructor, Holly is also a student in the world of fitness, health, and wellness. She's obtained fitness certifications in cardio strength, water aerobics, kickboxing, step, and cycle. Creating fun classes with a variety of challenging movements is Holly‘s goal. Modifications and safety are of utmost importance, as well as music that motivates movement. In her free time, Holly also enjoys hiking, cooking, embroidering, art, and watching her daughters play competitive volleyball and basketball.
Class(es) taught: Core Conditioning, Indoor Cycling, & Total-Body HIIT
Kylie Lange
Growing up in Los Angeles, Kylie spent the first 15 years of her life deeply immersed in various styles of dance. Her background in expression-through-movement and her interest in meditation led her to explore Vinyasa yoga. After beginning college at UCSC, she began a regular yoga practice to build mental, emotional, and physical strength and to join a community of supportive friends. Kylie obtained her RYT 200 certification in the fall of 2018 with the hopes of sharing her love for yoga and its profound impact on her life with other college students. Kylie’s classes invite students to explore their inner worlds and care for their bodies through linking movement and breath and empowering students to meet their edges.
Class(es) taught: Sunset Yoga,
Emilie Lenoir
Emilie is a current student at UC Santa Cruz studying Environmental Science. She grew up as an avid dancer and while living in Montana took her first Oula class. From there she fell in love with the dance fitness format that incorporated a mind-body connection through physical movement. The classes gave Emilie an outlet and a community, which is why she eventually decided to start teaching it herself. She loves creating a space for others to let go and have fun dancing alongside her. Outside of Oula she’s busy admiring all that Santa Cruz has to offer, knowing sunny beaches and rainy days will never let her down.
Class(es) taught: Indoor Cycling & Total-Body HIIT
James Lewis
James is a retired Navy service member and former Command Fitness Leader for Navy sailors. After retirement, he became a Certified Personal Trainer through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) while completing his bachelor's in Kinesiology from CSU Monterey Bay. He recently completed his Master's in Exercise Physiology at San Jose State University. James specializes in exercise routines designed to improve overall fitness and health, including strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory conditioning. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, playing sports, spending time with family and friends, and freelance writing. His latest book is entitled Exercises for Older Veterans with PTSD.
Class(es) taught: Total Body HIIT
Hannah Malone
Class(es) taught: Mat Pilates Pilates-Yoga Fusion
Rosa Meigs
Rosa has been practicing yoga since 2014 and completed their teaching certification in 2018 with Yoga to the People, a dedicated donation-based studio in San Francisco. They are additionally informed by their studies in meditation and mindfulness with communities such as the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland. Their evolving intention as an instructor is to make yoga as accessible as possible to people of all bodies and life experiences. They offer classes that seek a consistent balance between effort and ease. They want students to be able to show up in whatever mental, emotional, or physical state they are in and take the hour for themselves in whatever way they need. Whether you need a place to work out, stretch, breath, rest, meditate, worship, have fun, learn, and/or heal––there is something in yoga for just about everyone. Take what works for you, leave what doesn’t. Just remember to say thank you.
Class(es) taught: Power Yoga
Tess Oakley-Stilson
Tess is a NSCA certified personal trainer who also provide private training for Slug Recreation members through FitLife's personal training services program. She discovered her love for fitness through her participation in intercollegiate athletics as a basketball player, and played two seasons on the UCSC women’s basketball team. She has a particular interest in strength training, but is passionate about helping her clients find whatever kind of exercise they enjoy most in order to best assist them in reaching their goals. She aims to make everyone feel comfortable and confident in the gym, cultivating a warm, welcoming environment so that everyone knows that they belong. When she is not in the gym, Tess loves to paint, read, and spend time with her dog.
Class(es) taught: Total-Body HIIT
Francesca Pavlovici
Francesca recently moved to California from New York. She is currently a graduate student pursuing her PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics. Her passion for dancing bloomed from her childhood experiences as a modern dancer. As an undergraduate student, Francesca joined Hofstra’s competitive ballroom team. After two amazing years of competing, she had to take a break due to sustained injuries. But her dancing career didn’t end then; once she recovered, she re-entered the world of dancing through Zumba and immediately fell in love as it combines the gracious moves of Latin dancing, the wonderful sounds of Latin music, and intense cardiovascular exercises. Francesca’s goal as a Zumba instructor is to have fun while still breaking a sweat. In her free time, Francesca loves to travel and to discover all the unique cultures of the world.
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
John Perez
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
Allison Pfefferkorn
Allison has been coaching high-intensity Boot Camp classes for 8+ years and believes group fitness develops vibrant relationships that strengthen the heart, mind, and body. She is an ISSA-certified Personal Trainer ready to ignite your inner athlete! Her personal fitness philosophy is to keep moving, find movements/programming you enjoy, and a group of people who you enjoy doing it with. She loves playing outdoors. Mountain biking, hiking, running, and playing in the ocean are just some of the things she enjoys. She lives in Mount Hermon, California with her husband and 2 teenaged daughters.
Class(es) taught: Total-Body Bootcamp
Billy Prusinowski
Billy is a Cardio Kickboxing instructor out of New York. His UC Santa Cruz FitLife classes are a high-intensity kickboxing workout, utilizing gloves and bags and set to fast-paced music. His kicking, punching, jumping, and squatting combinations are designed to increase your metabolic rate while toning and strengthening your muscles. Influenced by his extensive experience with Kenpo Karate and Ukrainian Dance, participants will find elements of both throughout their workouts. He instructs both of these, along with cardio kickboxing, in studios across the Bay Area. Billy makes a concerted effort to create a SAFE SPACE for all bodies, backgrounds, shapes, and sizes to come to try a workout where any and all moves can be modified for people of all abilities.
Class(es) taught: Cardio Kickboxing & Core Conditioning
Audrey Rees
Audrey is a yoga instructor certified through Reach Yoga of her hometown of San Diego. She is a third year majoring in Environmental Studies with a focus in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. She has been practicing yoga since she was sixteen and decided to become RYT 200 Yoga Alliance certified in 2019 because she was inspired by the fitlife yoga instructors at UCSC. She is honored to teach classes and offer a place for students to feel at home in college, as she felt when she first came to UCSC. Besides yoga, Audrey is a dedicated animal rights activist who enjoys the beach, her friends, travel and time away from her phone.
Class(es) taught: Sunset Yoga
Padma Rudraraju
I have been living in Scotts Valley for 30 years, but I grew up in the small city of Ganapavaram in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. I began my yoga journey at age 7, watching my father do yoga at home. I got my first teacher training from Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai, Mandaveli in 1980 when I was 17. After getting married, I moved to the USA and life was busy. I put my yoga sadhana (practice) aside. I ignored taking care of myself, until eventually having a health crisis. I returned to my yoga sadhana, and with it saw both my physical and mental health improve. Thanks to this practice I am proud to say I feel stronger than ever. My yoga mat is a magic carpet. When I am on it, I discover a place within me I never knew existed I’ve realized I want to help other people benefit from yoga the way I have; to discover its power to increase awareness and aliveness. I started my journey teaching yoga for seniors 17 years ago. What I truly enjoy about teaching yoga is helping people find their strength, confidence and happiness from within. I loved hearing my students say, “that was just what I needed.” On my trips to India I began focusing on studying yoga with various teachers and practicing different styles of Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. I am still a student and I continue to improve my yoga skills and knowledge. Most recently, I attended Ashtanga training camp in Mysore, India.
Class(es) taught: Hatha Yoga, Sunrise Yoga
Shane Sanchez
Shane Sanchez attended UCLA and the University of Montana, where he received his undergraduate degree in Literature. It was at the University of Montana where Shane first began his study of dance, training in Modern and Jazz Dance while teaching Freshman Seminar. Shane continued his dance training in Jazz and Ballet while a graduate student at UC-Santa Cruz, where he received his master’s degree in Literature. Shane has taught aerobics and core conditioning since 2003 and has been training with Worldanz since February of 2008. Shane remains actively grateful to Worldanz for the community of elegant dancers it reliably crafts here in Santa Cruz.
Class(es) taught: Worldanz
Chelsea Thompson
Chelsea has been teaching group fitness classes since 2018. After obtaining her certification in massage therapy, she wanted to explore teaching people about movement and so ventured into the world of fitness instruction. She enjoys teaching Pilates HIIT because it takes the strong movements of Pilates and sets them to a faster pace, making the workout both efficient and quick. Chelsea always encourages class participants to modify any exercises, if needed, and focus on producing the highest quality movements rather than the largest quantity of movements. As an advocate for maintaining mobility and flexibility, she will never miss an opportunity to stretch. In her free time she enjoys cooking and exploring the many different hiking trails of Santa Cruz.
Class(es) taught: Pilates HIIT
Rachel Van Dessel
Class(es) taught: Flow Yoga
Gillian Vickers
Gillian has been a mover for life, but her consistent yoga practice began at UCSC over a decade ago, training Warrior Yoga under Sensei Kevin Snorf. Gillian is thrilled to complete the circle and return to UCSC to share a movement practice that continues to bring her joy, challenge & strength. Join Gillian to learn the classic sun salutes and how to drop beneath the physical and discover deeper layers of the self. Gillian also loves to share her other great passion, dance. Join her in Zumba to get great cardio workout shaking it to the rhythms of Columbia, Cuba and more!
Class(es) taught: Cardio Dance, Vinyasa Yoga
Abigail Walsh
Abby is currently a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Developmental Psychology at UCSC studying gender in children’s media. Abby completed her 200-RYT training in Ashtanga Yoga and her 500-RYT in Anusara yoga. As an academic, Abby always found it all too easy to get caught exiting in an ongoing pattern of stress. Yoga offered Abby an opportunity to just breathe (simple, right). Through her practice, she was able to quiet the mind, relieve tension and stress, and challenge herself mentally and physically. Abby is interested in therapeutic yoga, beginner and intermediate yoga, and overall body alignment that offers a holistic mind-body connection. In addition to teaching adult classes, an eternal kid, Abby teaches children’s yoga, and teen yoga, as well. Abby has found a great balance between her scientific academic side and her introspective spiritual side. She hopes to help others find a similar balance in their own lives.
Class(es) taught: Yoga
Breana Watkins
Breana received her 200-hour teacher training in 2015, specializing in Vinyasa Yoga and Hatha Yoga. Looking for new ways to self-heal and find healthy outlets of emotion, she naturally gravitated to asana, pranayama, and meditation. These tools help incorporate a flow that is holistic in mind, body, and spirit. After receiving her 25- hour Restorative TT, she focuses on breath, equanimity, and comfortable yet vigorous postures for all body types. Her passion for self-care drives her sequencing, as she modifies each flow to her students' needs.
Class(es) taught: Power Yoga
LaTecia Yarbrough
LaTecia is from Southern California and recently graduated from Mississippi State University with a Master of Higher Education Leadership Student Affairs. She moved to Santa Cruz for her current full-time at UC Santa Cruz as a Coordinator of Residential Education at Rachel Carson College. She is somewhat new to the Zumba fitness family, having begun teaching classes in January of 2019. She enjoys meeting new people and building new relationships, and hopes to one day train and teach up-and-coming new professionals. She loves the beach ("it's my happy place"), hiking, movies ("large popcorn with extra butter"), food ("especially when something is really good it makes me want to do a happy dance"), dancing, music, and spending time with friends and family.
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
Rae'Von Young
Rae’ Von has been dancing ever since she could walk. Her love for dance and the arts have led her to attend and graduate from a musical theater college in Los Angeles called A.M.D.A. While in Los Angeles she was able to perform at different local theaters, and even landed the opportunity to be a dancer for the grand opening of one of The Fast and Furious movies at Universal Hollywood! Later on in life she found Zumba and fell in love with the idea of dance fitness. Once she began teaching, she enjoyed finding different ways to connect with people through dance and encouragement. When Rae’ Von is not working her favorite thing to do is spend time with family and give her pup Cooper belly rubs!
Class(es) taught: Zumba®
