Biographical Info
Kate Holcombe is a Yoga Teacher, and Founder and Executive Director of Healing Yoga Foundation (HYF) in San Francisco, California. Kate began her Yoga education in 1991 with TKV Desikachar and the staff of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in Chennai, India. Since then, she has returned to India many times for extended periods of intesive one on one study with her teacher, Sri TKV Desikachar, and to teach students and international groups at the KYM. In conjunction with her studies in India, Kate studied Sanskrit at UC Berkeley and in 1997, spent 10 months teaching yoga for healing to individual patients at the Healing Arts Medical Practice in Cambria, California.
Since her return to San Francisco in 2000, Kate has taught yoga, with an emphasis on individual health and healing, for many organizations including Institute for the Study of Health and Illness, the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and Inner Circle HIV Support Group, among others. Prior to founding HYF, Kate had a private practice where she taught individual students with a broad range of health needs and skill levels and conducted workshops and small group classes in Vedic chanting, asana course design and practice planning, Yoga Sutra, and other philosophical yoga texts for teachers. Kate is a KHYF certified Yoga Teacher Trainer and continues to study regularly with her teacher.
Chase Bossart is a Yoga Teacher and the Program Director for the Healing Yoga Foundation - San Francisco. He is a long time, private student of Mr. TKV Desikachar and a KHYF certified Yoga Teacher Trainer. Chase has an M.A. in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where he wrote his thesis on Patanjali's Yogasutra, and he is also a faculty on the Loyola Marymount University's Yoga Therapy Rx Program.
Since 1991 he has made frequent trips to Chennai to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram with Mr. Desikachar and his son Kausthub, and altogether has spent more than three years in Chennai. He continues to study with his teachers regularly. Prior to joining the HYF, Chase lived in Santa Barbara where he taught students with a wide range of health needs in both private and small group settings. He teaches frequent workshops in the US and abroad on a wide range of yoga subjects, both practical and theoretical.
Todd Stellfox is a Yoga Teacher and the Teacher Training Program Director of the Healing Yoga Foundation (HYF) in San Francisco, California. Todd has studied extensively in the United States and in South India at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, an institution regarded globally for Yoga education and therapy. His personal teacher / mentor is Kausthub Desikachar, grandson of the legendary Yogi, T. Krishnamacharya.
Todd teaches students with a wide range of health needs in both private and group settings, trains Yoga Teachers, and conducts workshops throughout the US. He is a Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation certified Yoga Teacher Trainer and a Yoga Alliance E-RYT(r) 500 registered Yoga Teacher. He is also a faculty member of The Providence Institute in Tucson, AZ. Todd currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA.
Lizzie Nichols is Co-Director of the Healing Yoga Foundation. A founding team member, she's worked at HYF since the fall of 2006. Prior to the HYF, she owned and operated Open Door Yoga studio in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.
For more than ten years, Lizzie has been deeply involved in yoga, both as a dedicated practitioner and as the owner of a studio. In the mid 1990's, she became a dedicated practitioner of the Astanga Vinyasa system taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois and travelled to India on two separate occasions to study with him. In 2003, a few years after founding the Open Door Yoga studio (and years of daily practice) she was inspired to study the Yogasutras more deeply and found Kate Holcombe. The power of the teachings as taught by Kate in the tradition of TKV Desikachar had an enormous impact on her daily life and business.
When Kate Holcombe described her vision for the Healing Yoga Foundation, Lizzie wanted to contribute. Having been part of the Yoga business community, she was especially excited by the unique vision of a non-profit supporting the healing power of yoga in the tradition of TKV Desikachar. As she continues her studies, she manages the day to day operations of the HYF.
Open Door Yoga served San Francisco's Noe Valley district for five years. It was a well respected local studio that conducted daily classes and hosted local and international teachers for workshops and intensives, including Menaka Desikachar. Thereby fulfilling Lizzie's goal in founding the studio of providing a comfortable, safe and inviting space for people to explore Yoga. Lizzie not only created the brand and handled all marketing and communications, but she also developed the successful business plan and managed the day to day operations of the studio.
Before Open Door Yoga, Lizzie was the Director of Marketing for Sparks.com, an e-tailer selling paper greeting cards and gifts on-line. She managed all marketing initiatives, including marketing communications, customer loyalty and public relations; and also played a role in product and business development.
TKV Desikachar, son and student of the legendary Yoga master, T Krishnamacharya, is one of the most respected Yoga teachers and healers of our time. Over the course of his thirty years of study with his teacher, Mr. Desikachar learned the complete practice and application of the tools of Yoga, as well as the classical Yoga texts, including Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali, Yoga Rahasya of Nathamuni, Yoga Yajnavalkya Samhita, HathaYoga Pradipika, Siva Samhita, Gheranda Samhita and many others. He also studied Vedanta Philosophy, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, Mimamsa, and many other teachings with his father, who, in addition to being a master of Yoga, was also a renowned expert in the six Indian philosophical schools and other Indian healing and teaching traditions.
Mr. Desikachar is the author of several chanting CDs, as well as books on Yoga and allied subjects, including The Heart of Yoga, Health Healing and Beyond, and Reflections on the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali. He lives in Chennai, India with his family.
Kausthub Desikachar, son and student of TKV Desikachar, is an internationally renowned Yoga teacher. He began studying Yoga when he was nine years old. After completing his dual masters degree, he committed himself to becoming a full time student and teacher of Yoga. Currently, he is working on his PhD in Psychology at Madras University, where he is researching the role of Yoga in enhancing quality of life.
Kausthub is Chief Executive of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), where he is also a Senior Teacher and Yoga Therapy Consultant. He founded KYM-Mitra, a philanthropic wing of the KYM, which brings Yoga to children with special needs, as well as many in the community with limited economic means. Kausthub is also a patron of the British Wheel of Yoga and an advisor to the International Association of Yoga Therapists. He is co-founder with his father of the Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation.
In addition to co-authoring two books with his father, Vedic Chant Companion and The Viniyoga of Yoga, Kausthub has also authored a book on teaching Yoga to children that was published in French. His most recent book, released in 2005, is The Yoga of the Yogi: The Legacy of T Krishnamacharya.
Kausthub lives in Chennai, India with his wife and daughter, and he continues to study with his teacher on a daily basis.
Amy Wheeler, PhD has been studying Yoga since 1992. She is a student of Kausthub Desikachar of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram and Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation. Amy works at California State University San Bernardino and conducts research on Yoga and healing. She is interested in studying the link between Yoga, stress levels, and chronic disease. Amy has also worked as a Sport Psychology Consultant and Yoga Teacher to many elite-level athletes, including the Los Angeles Lakers and U.S. Olympic/ National Teams. Currently, Amy resides in Lake Arrowhead, CA with her husband and their two dogs.
Kate Holcombe is a Yoga Teacher, and Founder and Executive Director of Healing Yoga Foundation (HYF) in San Francisco, California. Kate began her Yoga education in 1991 with TKV Desikachar and the staff of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in Chennai, India. Since then, she has returned to India many times for extended periods of intesive one on one study with her teacher, Sri TKV Desikachar, and to teach students and international groups at the KYM. In conjunction with her studies in India, Kate studied Sanskrit at UC Berkeley and in 1997, spent 10 months teaching yoga for healing to individual patients at the Healing Arts Medical Practice in Cambria, California.
Since her return to San Francisco in 2000, Kate has taught yoga, with an emphasis on individual health and healing, for many organizations including Institute for the Study of Health and Illness, the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and Inner Circle HIV Support Group, among others. Prior to founding HYF, Kate had a private practice where she taught individual students with a broad range of health needs and skill levels and conducted workshops and small group classes in Vedic chanting, asana course design and practice planning, Yoga Sutra, and other philosophical yoga texts for teachers. Kate is a KHYF certified Yoga Teacher Trainer and continues to study regularly with her teacher.
Chase Bossart is a Yoga Teacher and the Program Director for the Healing Yoga Foundation - San Francisco. He is a long time, private student of Mr. TKV Desikachar and a KHYF certified Yoga Teacher Trainer. Chase has an M.A. in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where he wrote his thesis on Patanjali's Yogasutra, and he is also a faculty on the Loyola Marymount University's Yoga Therapy Rx Program.
Since 1991 he has made frequent trips to Chennai to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram with Mr. Desikachar and his son Kausthub, and altogether has spent more than three years in Chennai. He continues to study with his teachers regularly. Prior to joining the HYF, Chase lived in Santa Barbara where he taught students with a wide range of health needs in both private and small group settings. He teaches frequent workshops in the US and abroad on a wide range of yoga subjects, both practical and theoretical.
Todd Stellfox is a Yoga Teacher and the Teacher Training Program Director of the Healing Yoga Foundation (HYF) in San Francisco, California. Todd has studied extensively in the United States and in South India at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, an institution regarded globally for Yoga education and therapy. His personal teacher / mentor is Kausthub Desikachar, grandson of the legendary Yogi, T. Krishnamacharya.
Todd teaches students with a wide range of health needs in both private and group settings, trains Yoga Teachers, and conducts workshops throughout the US. He is a Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation certified Yoga Teacher Trainer and a Yoga Alliance E-RYT(r) 500 registered Yoga Teacher. He is also a faculty member of The Providence Institute in Tucson, AZ. Todd currently resides in Santa Barbara, CA.
Lizzie Nichols is Co-Director of the Healing Yoga Foundation. A founding team member, she's worked at HYF since the fall of 2006. Prior to the HYF, she owned and operated Open Door Yoga studio in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.
For more than ten years, Lizzie has been deeply involved in yoga, both as a dedicated practitioner and as the owner of a studio. In the mid 1990's, she became a dedicated practitioner of the Astanga Vinyasa system taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois and travelled to India on two separate occasions to study with him. In 2003, a few years after founding the Open Door Yoga studio (and years of daily practice) she was inspired to study the Yogasutras more deeply and found Kate Holcombe. The power of the teachings as taught by Kate in the tradition of TKV Desikachar had an enormous impact on her daily life and business.
When Kate Holcombe described her vision for the Healing Yoga Foundation, Lizzie wanted to contribute. Having been part of the Yoga business community, she was especially excited by the unique vision of a non-profit supporting the healing power of yoga in the tradition of TKV Desikachar. As she continues her studies, she manages the day to day operations of the HYF.
Open Door Yoga served San Francisco's Noe Valley district for five years. It was a well respected local studio that conducted daily classes and hosted local and international teachers for workshops and intensives, including Menaka Desikachar. Thereby fulfilling Lizzie's goal in founding the studio of providing a comfortable, safe and inviting space for people to explore Yoga. Lizzie not only created the brand and handled all marketing and communications, but she also developed the successful business plan and managed the day to day operations of the studio.
Before Open Door Yoga, Lizzie was the Director of Marketing for Sparks.com, an e-tailer selling paper greeting cards and gifts on-line. She managed all marketing initiatives, including marketing communications, customer loyalty and public relations; and also played a role in product and business development.
TKV Desikachar, son and student of the legendary Yoga master, T Krishnamacharya, is one of the most respected Yoga teachers and healers of our time. Over the course of his thirty years of study with his teacher, Mr. Desikachar learned the complete practice and application of the tools of Yoga, as well as the classical Yoga texts, including Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali, Yoga Rahasya of Nathamuni, Yoga Yajnavalkya Samhita, HathaYoga Pradipika, Siva Samhita, Gheranda Samhita and many others. He also studied Vedanta Philosophy, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, Mimamsa, and many other teachings with his father, who, in addition to being a master of Yoga, was also a renowned expert in the six Indian philosophical schools and other Indian healing and teaching traditions.
Mr. Desikachar is the author of several chanting CDs, as well as books on Yoga and allied subjects, including The Heart of Yoga, Health Healing and Beyond, and Reflections on the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali. He lives in Chennai, India with his family.
Kausthub Desikachar, son and student of TKV Desikachar, is an internationally renowned Yoga teacher. He began studying Yoga when he was nine years old. After completing his dual masters degree, he committed himself to becoming a full time student and teacher of Yoga. Currently, he is working on his PhD in Psychology at Madras University, where he is researching the role of Yoga in enhancing quality of life.
Kausthub is Chief Executive of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), where he is also a Senior Teacher and Yoga Therapy Consultant. He founded KYM-Mitra, a philanthropic wing of the KYM, which brings Yoga to children with special needs, as well as many in the community with limited economic means. Kausthub is also a patron of the British Wheel of Yoga and an advisor to the International Association of Yoga Therapists. He is co-founder with his father of the Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation.
In addition to co-authoring two books with his father, Vedic Chant Companion and The Viniyoga of Yoga, Kausthub has also authored a book on teaching Yoga to children that was published in French. His most recent book, released in 2005, is The Yoga of the Yogi: The Legacy of T Krishnamacharya.
Kausthub lives in Chennai, India with his wife and daughter, and he continues to study with his teacher on a daily basis.
Amy Wheeler, PhD has been studying Yoga since 1992. She is a student of Kausthub Desikachar of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram and Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation. Amy works at California State University San Bernardino and conducts research on Yoga and healing. She is interested in studying the link between Yoga, stress levels, and chronic disease. Amy has also worked as a Sport Psychology Consultant and Yoga Teacher to many elite-level athletes, including the Los Angeles Lakers and U.S. Olympic/ National Teams. Currently, Amy resides in Lake Arrowhead, CA with her husband and their two dogs.