Marc Nevas - Tami Randall - Linda Miller - Mary Straub - Connie Piasecki - Nisca Warthen - Crystal Lost–Bear - Ananda - Chhi'mèd

Marc Nevas is the founder and the Executive Director of the Ananda Seva Yoga Center. He is also a founding member of Ananda Seva Mission Inc. and has served continuously on the board of that international organization since 1996. Marc began his meditation practice in 1971 and has traveled to India 12 times for advanced instruction. He has completed 1,000 hours of meditation teacher training and is certified as a Yogic Minister or Acharya by the Ananda Seva Mission. Marc is also certified by the yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level.

Tami Randall, office manager and teacher, is new to teaching yoga but has been practicing yoga for over 5 years. Her teacher training for Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow is through Trinity Yoga (trinityyoga.net) in Canada. Yoga is her passion, totally believing that it can benefit everyone at any age or ability, and would love to see everyone make it part of their life. When she started practicing yoga it was because of a back injury, she had other health concerns as well, which have all disappeared since making yoga part of her daily life. Besides loving yoga, she also enjoys gardening, hiking, photography, art, loves and appreciates nature and all that lives, and most importantly loves spending time with her husband, 3 grown boys, friends and family.

Linda Miller first began practicing Hatha yoga at the age of 23, and has taken a variety of yoga classes since then. She completed the introductory level of Hatha yoga teacher's training in 2002 from Acharya Kalyanii (Dr. Kevon Arthurs) at the Ananda Seva Center in Kalispell. Linda has worked as an occupational therapist for 15 years, primarily in rehabilitation for children, adults and the elderly. Besides yoga, Linda enjoys bike riding, gardening, quilting, skiing, hiking, and knitting and lives with her significant other in Columbia Falls.

Mary Straub teaches Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini yoga is a foundational healing practice in her life and her passion is to give the gift of self-healing and education to others. She facilitates in her client's healing of specific ailments by using acupressure, energy and emotional balancing, Reiki, essential oils, and massage. Mary organizes and leads women's retreats using yoga, meditation, sweat lodges, organic vegetarian food, and peaceful wilderness settings.

Connie Piasecki “I was born in Ohio where I raised 2 children, 5 horses, several sheep, chickens, rabbits, one pig along with cats & dogs of all colors. As a country girl, I also enjoyed gardening, bucking hay and mucking stalls. As you can see I really enjoy the earth and all of its creatures. Being that, yoga was only natural for me. I began practicing when I was a girl, often mimicking the stretches and postures of the animals. These are the joys on earth that really enhance my spirituality. I moved around and eventually ended up in Montana where I have been teaching for over 10 years. My heart lies in the tradition of kriya yoga with Paramahansa Yogananda as my teacher.

Besides teaching yoga I am busy living in Bigfork. I still have cats & dogs, a horse and a bird and enjoy gardening when time permits.”

Nisca Warthen was introduced to Yoga in 1974. She practiced off and on for a number of years until a desire to deepen her practice in 1995 led her to attend workshops and trainings. Since then she has completed trainings through Integrative Yoga Therapy Teacher Training, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and Thai Yoga Massage. Nisca began teaching yoga classes and Yoga for Riders workshops in 1999 in Maryland. She moved to Montana in 2002 and now teaches from her home studio in Hot Springs and here at Ananda Seva as well as traveling to teach privately. Nisca is particularly interested in the therapeutic benefits of yoga.

When not teaching yoga, you will most likely find Nisca riding her horses or teaching riding to others as she is also a Level II, Centered Riding Instructor. She is currently training her mare Miss Bonnie Rey in dressage and starting a young prospect under saddle. Other interests include singing with the Hot Springs chorus and gardening.

Crystal Lost–Bear is one of the founding members of the Ananda Seva Yoga Center. She received her certification level training from the Ananda Seva Yoga Teacher Training Center in Santa Rosa, CA and is a Yoga Alliance certified teacher. Previous to that she received training from Acharya Kalyanii (Dr. Kevon Arthurs, ND) who has trained several of our local teachers. Crystal initiated the Teen Yoga Club at the Center to give teens a fun place to practice yoga and to expose Flathead Valley Youth to the arts and give them a unique opportunity for creative expression. She has also started, "Kids in Motion," a class for young yogis ages 5-10 and teaches yoga for the Montessori schools’ PE program. Call the Center for more information on these programs and classes; at this point they are not year round.

Ananda Lakshmi is the spiritual name given by Yogini, kali Ray, meaning "Blissful Happiness". Ananda began practicing Hatha Yoga as a teen and studied many methods before discoving TriYoga. The TriYoga method of synchronizing the trinity aspects of Mudra (focus of the mind), Pranayama (breath control), and Asana (postures) captivated ananda, taking her deeper into the yoga path. Ananda recently spent 3 years with Kali Ray immersing fully into a yoga lifestyle. Creating and running the Bala Yoga Ashrama in Malibu, CA., to serve the international TriYoga community, Ananda taught vegan and raw food preparation and served as Kali Ray's personal chef. Practicing daily with Kaliji, Ananda gained her certification as a TriYoga instructor and is passionate about sharing the Flows systematically from Basics to Level 3. Ananda has a biology degree in nutrition and is a nationally certified Shiatsu Practitioner. She owns her own Architectural Finishing business, loves nature, cooking, and West African drumming.

Chhi'mèd Künzang is an ordained naljorpa who has studied and practiced within the Aro gTér tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism since 1998. In addition to practising sKu-mNyé - the psychophysical exercises of Dzogchen Long-dé - he enjoys training in Aikido and riding his horses.