About the Instructors
Marita Shaw, Ed., C-IAYT
Director, Yoga Educator/Senior Teacher
Founder, teacher and New York transplant Marita Shaw, is perhaps her best advertisement for the wonders of this ancient art. The youthful-looking yogini credits her daily yoga practice with her vibrant health and unflagging energy as she approaches her seventh decade. “Yoga has given me balance. With consistent practice, you live in the moment
and when you live in the present moment you are timeless".
A veteran yoga guru since 1978, she established “Yoga 4 Kids” in 1995 to bring this ancient art to children. Her “Yoga 4 Kids”
program was featured in TIME magazine in 2001 and she was cited as a pioneer of
yoga for young people.
She designed and instituted the Yoga curriculum at Lone Star College and manages the accredited Yoga teacher training certification program at the 200/500-hour level. In addition, she created “Yoga in School” for classroom management, for Continuing Education.
Through her teaching she developed "Yoga 4 Kids in the Rainforest." A fun, healthy, interactive board game for the entire family. Click here learn about the game.
She also produced the first yoga DVD for tweens, “Yoga 4 Kids”.
Please visit “In The News” on the HOME page to view the KPRC-2 News Segment that aired in Houston on NBC.
Patricia Bafalls, CYT, CPYT,CCYT
Yoga Teacher
Patricia was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moved to the United States in 2002.
In 2012, she was diagnosed with narcolepsy and hypothyroidism and
decided she was going to heal her body the holistic way. She changed her
lifestyle completely, beginning with yoga and changing her diet to plant
based nutrition. Within a short period of time she began to feel better
and was on the path to healing her ailments.
With a background in classical ballet and Samba, she fell in love with
the gracefulness and poise of Yoga and the discipline it teaches.
Patricia began taking classes in Iyengar Yoga while living in the San
Francisco Bay area. When she moved to Texas last year she found Kingwood
Yoga and Wellness Center where she could continue her training. She lost
14 lbs. the first month and now, a total of 24 lbs.
Patricia found in Marita more than just a yoga teacher, she found a
guru. “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you,
than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.”
Devon
Brunner, CYT, CCYTYoga Teacher
Devon Brunner, an avid lover of nature
and dedicated artist, grew up all over the world in places including
Thailand and the U.S. Devon discovered yoga in Colorado as a teen. Yoga
taught Devon how to naturally focus and harness the body’s energy as
well as calm the central nervous system. Experiencing and witnessing the
powerful healing effects of yoga, Devon decided to pursue yoga teacher
certification at Kingwood Yoga & Wellness Center.
Devon is passionate about helping others find peace of mind and body. She has vast years of experience working globally with children of all ages through youth outreach and other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club, and teaching Yoga 4 Kids at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Devon plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology; her previous research focused on utilizing a Yoga program to enhance cognitive functions, particularly through maintenance and manipulation working memory and attentive mindfulness.
Masako Lucas, M.A.,CYT, CPYT
Yoga Teacher
Masako first
discovered yoga in the
90’s when she picked up a video. She felt better, lighter, more aware, and
happier after each yoga practice. Born and raised in Japan she moved to
Seattle in 1997 to attend the University of Washington. After relocating to
Texas with her husband, she met Marita and learned how to practice each yoga
pose in a correct, safe, and beneficial way.
Masako holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Masters Degree in
Special Education.
A teacher at heart is what drew her to Kingwood Yoga’s Teacher Training, which she completed in 2012.
Jordan Kim, R.N., CYT, CCYT
Prenatal Yoga Teacher
Jordan’s yoga journey
began in 2003. She was born and raised in Korea. An international
traveler, she has lived in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,
England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungry, Italy, New Zealand,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the U.S.
She moved from California to the Houston area in 2013.
A labor and delivery nurse, Jordan discovered the Kingwood Yoga and Wellness Center yoga teacher training program and pursued it to enhance her profession. She embraced it with open arms, received her 200-Hour Level Certification and Prenatal Teacher Certification. She currently teaches the Prenatal class.
Sarah Sims, M.S., LMT
Licensed Massage Therapist
Sarah has been practicing massage therapy since 1998. She is licensed in California and Texas. With many advanced classes in traditional deep tissue, Swedish, myofascial spreading, trigger point, positional release, cranio-sacral, hot rock, prenatal, reflexology, reiki, sports massage, detox body wraps, lymphatic drainage, ear candling and basic facials. A passionate healer, Sarah has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Medicine
.
Venkata K. Ponnanganti, Ph.D., E-CYT
Meditation Teacher
Venkata was a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute for Yoga & Consciousness at Andhra University in South India, until he immigrated to the US in May 2006, to join his children.
By virtue of his training, his approach to yoga has been secular and psychological. He believes that yoga is a self-regulation strategy, which deals with body, mind and behavior in a synergistic way. The way of life/values and the set of practices prescribed by yoga for the regulation of the body-mind complex are universal in scope and nature, whether or not one subscribes to its world views. He acknowledges that yoga opened a new vista in his life by providing a means to approach, and to come to terms with the complexities of the mind-body processes on the one hand, and living in the world of the other, through the cultivation of awareness, control and acceptance. He believes that meditation enabled him to progressively develop an attitude of witness to life.
Dr. Ponnaganti is a faculty member at Kingwood Yoga in Texas.