Silver Lake Yoga Faculty

Founders: Juliette Kurth and Jonathan Emerson. Instructors: Amy Gambell, Anne-Marie Pauley, Betsy Schamet, Caroline Cardino, Constance Kim, Huba Kelemen, Jenn Nelson, Jocelyn Kelvin, Laurie Parlapiano, Leah Miller, Leslie Melvin, LeTania Kirkland, Liz Vacco, Lynn Carter, Marti Jo Pennisi, Mary Frances, Mattie Hawkinson, Mila Wong, Nina Snow, Orameh Bagheri, Roger Nolan, Sam Graham, Sara De La Cruz, Sarah Hemphil, Susan Priver, Terry Wolverton, Tori Amoscato, and Walter Rodriguez

Juliette Kurth

Silver Lake Yoga Co-Founder and Instructor

My particular appreciation and curiosity for Yoga stems from my love for movement and also how the body works. I started out as a professional (and paid) ballet dancer at School of American Ballet, Joffery II, and American Dance Machine. I was also always interested in Anatomy and kinesiology; I took a number of courses and read manuals on the study of how the body and its parts work together.

I was first introduced to Yoga at The B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institute in New York City. It was there that I developed my particular interest in the mechanics of getting in and out of poses efficiently and with proper alignment. After studying in this style for seven years, I branched out into other forms: Ashtanga Yoga, or what we call today "Power Yoga,'' and Vini Yoga, which has a more therapeutic aspect. I was certified through both the White Lotus Foundation under Ganga White and Tracy Rich and The Center For Yoga. I have had many teachers: B.K.S. Iyengar, Tim Miller, Max Thomas, Pam Schutz, Eric Shiffman, Diana Beardsley, Desikachar, Judith Lasiter, Mary Dunn, and John Friend, to name a few.

In 1991 I met my husband Jonathan Emerson. I started to teach classes at a local dance studio in the neighborhood, at private homes, and at “work place” gyms. I also developed a Seniors' Yoga class at Glendale Hospital. Eventually my husband and I joined forces and decided to pool our efforts; we opened Silver Lake Yoga in 1994. A year later I had a baby and naturally became interested in Prenatal Yoga;"I began studying with all of the 'Greats" in the Prenatal/Exercise field; Elizabeth Noble, Geeta S. Iyengar, Rocki Graham and the Himalayan Institute. I had my second child, Charlotte in 1999, and it was that birth that motivated me to become a Doula. I was certified as a D.O.N.A. cerified Doula in 2003 and have been active in the labor and post labor process ever since then (see more.) As my children grew, I became interested in Kids' Yoga as well as Teens and became certified with Yoga Ed. in May of 2008. I am a witness to the "Circle Of Life" at Silver Lake Yoga and feel ever so grateful to witness this cycle.

Jonathan Emerson

Silver Lake Yoga Co-Founder and Instructor

I've been practicing yoga for over fifteen years and teaching since 1994. I did my teacher training with Erich Schiffmann at Yoga Works and I have continued studying with him over the years. Another important influence has been the White Lotus style of Ganga White.

Since co-founding Silverlake Yoga in 1995, I have specialized in teaching beginners. I try to give clear, concise instructions for getting in and out of the poses and continually stress the importance of focusing on the breath to stay relaxed. I work slowly and deeply -- holding a pose long enough for students to experience its full benefits.

My classes can be challenging, but students are always encouraged to work at their own pace and rest whenever they need to. I also focus on posture and proper alignment, and can easily adapt poses for students with injuries or special needs.

Just as students come to yoga for a spectrum of purposes, yoga offers a spectrum of benefits.-- physical, psychological, and spiritual. Rather than impose a particular point of view upon my students, I try to create a relaxed, meditative environment in which students explore their own experience and arrive at their own unique understanding of this ancient tradition. 

Sara De La Cruz

Sara is a Los Angeles native and a vocal L.A. enthusiast. After a brief and somewhat ambivalent encounter with yoga during her sleepless college years, Sara moved to a different corner of the globe, and it was on one of her extended visits home that she decided to give yoga one more try. This time it stuck.  It was the process – and newness, and fear – of being present and aware in her own body that drew her in, and that has kept her interested and curious ever since. Once resettled in Los Angeles, she completed her first teacher training with Cloud Nine Yoga, and was motivated to immediately follow it up with an advanced training as well. As her own practice developed, Sara began to experience the relationship between flexibility and strength in a new way, learning to move from a place of inner stability and steadiness in order to safely access more fluidity and flexibility, both on and off the mat. She continues to be amazed by the healing, both inner and outer, that such integration makes possible. In her classes, she leads students through deep stretching, core work, and standing and slow flow sequences intended to strengthen and open the mind-body and allow students to feel more embodied and at ease in their own skin. She works to create a space that will give her students the freedom to explore their breath, bodies, and hearts through each pose in a safe and grounded manner. In addition to her life as a yoga teacher, Sara is also a dedicated meditator, a ravenous food lover, a never-tiring secret staircase explorer (you local Los Angelenos know what I’m talking about!), and an art teacher for kids.

Mary Frances

MF began practicing Yoga in the early 1990's when she was experiencing high stress working as a designer in the Textile/Fashion industries. She continued with her yoga practice during the pregnancies and after the birth of 2 children, and was certified to teach Hatha Yoga in 2001 by Naader Shagagi at Yoga Kingdom in Pasadena. Since then she has been teaching Mommy'n Me, all-levels adult, and children's yoga classes at various yoga studios and schools in the LA area.

She also teaches breath awareness, vibrational & sound therapy, and expressive movement and works with private clients as a licensed massage therapist. She encourages her students to work at their own level to build strength, increase flexibility, release blockages, and find peace and transformation.

Anne-Marie Pauley

Join Anne-Marie Pauley for invigorating yoga and meditation and feel impassioned by your life and your creative spirit! Anne-Marie Pauley is an eclectic artist and yogi. She is a music composer performing LIVE music for the heart and soul within her yoga classes. She is also a professional dancer, writer and photographer. She writes a spiritual column entitled, “Regarding Everything” where she focuses on the art of love, healing and freedom. She specializes in body movement and fullness of expression, so she has combined her yoga classes with Kundalini Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, meditation and Freedom Dancing, to liberate the body and mind. She has studied multiple spiritual traditions with numerous teachers and mentors for over the past fifteen years, and whether you are a beginner to yoga or an experienced practitioner, Anne-Marie Pauley warmly welcomes you and encourages you to find your happiness, a fresh perspective, creative joy and inner peace. Feel the rhythm that flows inside of you. Sat Nam.

Jeff Van Ness

I came to find Yoga 5 years ago in NYC. I was, to say the least, skeptical about Yoga; my workouts at the time confined me to weight rooms in GYM‘s. However after my first Yoga class, which I’m surprised I survived, I was hooked. I began to practice, almost daily, and in time, I realized that Yoga is not about touching your toes, or standing on one hand ~ its about your relationship with your body, your mind and the world! My journey has been pretty awesome and I look forward to sharing things that i've learned with you.

Tori Amoscato

A Los Angeles native and life-long dancer, Tori started practicing Pilates at a young age.  After graduating from Wesleyan University in 2008, Tori worked in New York's Off-Off-Broadway theater community for several years before moving back to Los Angeles, where she was certified in Pilates and began to teach. Tori has used Pilates to rehab her own injuries and continues her practice to maintain her strength and alignment. She loves sharing her interest in the body and watching her clients' bodies change, and is excited to parlay these interests into a practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, for which she just began pursuing a Master's degree. 

Mattie Hawkinson

Mattie Hawkinson trained as a Vinyasa instructor at the Joschi Yoga Institute in Chelsea, New York and worked both there and throughout Chicago as a yoga teacher, specializing in strong flow classes. She has also taught Vinyasa and warm up techniques to actors through various theatrecompanies including Los Angeles' own Cornerstone Theatre Company. She's also taught yoga physical education to children at Brooklyn's St. Ann's School. She's happy to begin teaching at her favorite local studio, Silver Lake Yoga!

Amy Gambell

After growing up in Echo Park, on a diet of enchiladas and ice skating, Amy graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Dance.  She started practicing yoga and studying experiential anatomy while living in Cambridge, MA. In 2002 she completed her first yoga teacher training at Center for Yoga (Yogaworks) with Diana Beardsley, and started teaching full time throughout Los Angeles.  Soon after that she completed Erich Schiffmann's teacher training, and was very inspired by Erich's sense of exploration and play. Love and marriage led her to move to London, England, where she continued to teach yoga, and, in 2008, gave birth to a wonderful baby boy. While pregnant she fell in love with prenatal yoga and studied the Sivananda and Birthlight styles.  Since moving back to LA, Amy has been studying with Juliette and Leah, and completed their prenatal teacher training.  Her goal as a yoga teacher is to create a safe, fun, and sacred class environment, a space where students can deeply connect with their bodies, breath, mind, and spirit. Her classes emphasize attention to breath and alignment, encourage people to empower themselves and to go at their own pace, and to bring a sense of mindfulness to their practice and lives.