Susie Smith has been a yoga practitioner for over 25 years. After a severe injury during her career as a dancer, she found yoga and a new world of physical embodiment opened up. She obtained her Yoga Certification through Square One Yoga in 2017 and has been teaching studio classes and private sessions ever since. Her flow classes are active, creative and include teachings and techniques from several other forms of yoga. Susie sees yoga as an opportunity to dive deep into your inner knowing, unlock creative potential and attune to high vibrational feelings that supports the connection to the mind, body & spirit.

Carmela discovered yoga after college, when her desk job as a book editor left her craving movement. In her first yoga class, she felt relief as her body unwound and she discovered new permission to listen inward.

So many practices later, Carmela believes the steadiness and self-acceptance found in yoga have helped her through many life transitions. In 2005, she became a licensed massage therapist specializing in deep tissue and structural integration. Shortly after, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training and has gone on to gain her 500-hour credential with Jason Crandell. Bodywork and yoga allow Carmela to offer complimentary paths toward the physical opening and mental balance so many of us seek.

Carmela welcomes all levels and backgrounds to her classes, combining playfulness and challenge, and always returning to deeply rooted intuition. She strives to help students understand the classic aspects of each pose while finding authentic expression for their unique bodies. Along with yoga, Carmela’s loves include discovering new hikes and restaurants with her family, good coffee, observing wild animals, petting tame animals, musical theater, reading, and cooking with her teenage son–-not necessarily in that order.

Dennis began his yoga practice in 1975 at the Integral Yoga Institute, and subsequently studied Hatha and Pranayama through the Ananda institute. He joined Square One Yoga in 2018 and continues to teach today at Bloom. Dennis is an RYT500, with specialized certificates in Gentle Yoga and Yin Yoga and a certificate in Yoga for Healthy Aging from Dr. Baxter Bell (Yoga for Healthy Aging, with Nina Zolotow). His personal yoga practice includes the study of yoga classics that represent yoga philosophy. With his teaching, Dennis seeks to help his students discover the yoga practices that serve them best.

Judi began her own yoga journey in an effort to reconnect with her inner voice. As an instructor, her classes mirror her path toward finding peace and joy on the mat in the meditative stillness of restorative yoga. Her focus is on creating a safe and healing environment where students can honor their individuality, while finding a personal path that nourishes their spirit. Her classes often feature themes based on building a sense of rest, gratitude, wholeness, and the celebration of inter-connectedness with others. Judi is an E-RYT 500, RYT 500 and is a Judith Hanson Lasater Certified Level I & II - Relax and Renew Restorative instructor. She is a Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor, and is also certified in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Wellness Coaching, Somatic Healing, and as a Meditation Instructor. She is a Reiki Master, a trained Akashic Records and past connections reader, and is skilled at healing and retrieving one’s personal energies.

Rachel Lipton is a vinyasa and prenatal yoga instructor and a leadership and holistic wellness coach. She received her 200 RYT in 2010 and prenatal yoga certification in 2023. She believes yoga is for all bodies and all levels, and strives to make classes work for each student. Her classes include a balance of building heat and flow with softer, restorative poses to leave you feeling refreshed at the end of class. Rachel explores themes that come up in coaching in her yoga instruction; often exploring how we hold dualities - strength and ease, challenge and softening, the expected and unexpected, etc. When not coaching clients or teaching yoga, you can find Rachel planning her next travel adventure, exploring new places in the Bay Area, or on the hiking trail with her two dogs. You can learn more about Rachel at soulfullstrategies.com

In addition to her yoga training, Neha pursued her formal education as an occupational therapist because of her desire to help others with physical and learning differences understand how to use their bodies in the most effective ways to live independent and fulfilling lives. She has been dedicated to her own yoga practice for many years and has been teaching since 2008. Combining her love of yoga and therapy, Neha has also completed training in advanced yoga therapeutics. Drawing from her various skill sets, training, and inspiration from the teachings, Neha aims to create intentional practices to promote health and well-being.

Feliz Hill is a Bay Area native, born and raised in Berkeley and currently a longtime San Leandro resident. She recently completed her 200 HR yoga teacher training certification in December 2023 and is excited to begin her teaching journey at Bloom Yoga. In 2015, she challenged herself by investing in a year of yoga at an Oakland studio and has been committed to her practice ever since. When Feliz is not teaching, she busies herself with long-distance road cycling and teaching bike education classes as a Licensed Cycling Instructor with Bike East Bay, a local bicycling advocacy organization. Feliz also enjoys volunteering at a local Food Pantry and has donated a whopping 13 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross!

I am Alicia, your guide to thriving through life's transitions. ✨ As owner of Bloom Yoga studio, a trauma-informed 500 hr RYT, 85 hr Prenatal/Postnatal RYT, Yoga Nidra RYT, full spectrum and certified Doula, Herbalist, Sound Healer, and Ayurveda specialist, I empower individuals, birthing people, and families to awaken their inner strength, create a space for deep healing, mindful birthing and child rearing, and joyful connection.

Through mindful movement, empowering guidance, and holistic practices, I help clients release stress and anxiety, embrace self-compassion, move with ease through pregnancy and parenthood, nurture inner peace, and build a supportive community. Let's co-create a journey of transformation where you feel empowered to be your authentic self!

Yoga has significantly helped Deborah navigate the various ups and downs of life’s journey, and she feels a strong desire to share this wonderful and transformative practice with others in the community. Join her engaging classes to experience the numerous benefits of yoga — calm the mind, energize the body, and connect with like-minded individuals in a supportive environment. Together, we can foster a sense of peace and well-being.

Dottie discovered the transformative power of yoga amidst life's chaos, finding strength, balance, and a renewed sense of self. Now a passionate RYT 200 instructor specializing in Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga, she guides students on their own journeys of self-discovery and empowerment. Join Dottie on the mat and experience the grounding and transformative effects of yoga.

Sheena Miraftabi is a 200 hr yoga certified teacher and mindfulness instructor. Yoga is her way of exploring the different energies in the body by playing with the elements of nature through various yoga poses and breathing exercises. For two years she taught mindfulness and Yoga to K-5 students at Oakland public schools before going to get her Yoga certification.  A lover of Ayurveda (the ancient Indian system of healing), Sheena enjoys living in tune with nature, observing the seasons and finding the balance between "doing" and "being". Her classes focus on building strength, stability and mobility while also inviting gentleness and compassionate self awareness as a way to connect with the body. . 

For 20 years, yoga has been a reliable life preserver for me, through teaching, managing my mental health, navigating motherhood, and caring for my ever-changing body.  I’ve practiced regularly since 2005 and became a certified RYT 200 in 2011 through the Yoga Loft in San Francisco. My practice spans Vinyasa, Hatha, and Iyengar traditions, with a focus on safe alignment and breath-centered flow.

Yoga, for me, is more than a precious ceremony on your mat. It’s stretching your hips while reading a book, practicing breathwork while stuck in traffic, or coaxing yourself back to sleep at 3 am. My goal is to help both seasoned and emerging yogis incorporate breath, asana and mindfulness into their everyday lives as well as deepen their practice in the studio. 

I believe students are the best teachers; for me that relationship is always at play. I’m a former literature and writing teacher and current student of library science. I love weaving poetry, quotations, music, humor and the occasional Om into my classes. 

Samara is a passionate Chicana yoga teacher (RYT 200) who began her teaching journey after graduating from her yoga teacher training in May 2025. Rooted deeply in her identity and community, she brings a grounded, heart-forward approach to the mat.

Her classes are more than movement — they are a practice of presence. Samara weaves breath and intentionality into each posture, guiding students to explore yoga as a pathway toward concentration, meditation, and deeper self-connection. With a focus on inclusivity and authenticity, she creates a welcoming space where everyone is encouraged to arrive fully as they are.

In Samara’s classes, yoga becomes a sacred return to the body, mind, and spirit — a celebration of unity, healing, and liberation.

Tatseena is a lifelong artist, healing practitioner, and visionary movement educator with over four decades of experience. A celebrated master of Middle Eastern dance, she is known for her captivating performances that often blend swordplay, snake dancing, theatrical ensemble work, and poetic storytelling. As the founder and choreographer of the Serpent Sirens, Tatseena leads her troupe in both classical and experimental fusion shows across Northern California — from the Dance Art Festival at the majestic UUCB in Kensington to immersive performances at the Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park and the Northern California Pirate Festival.

Tatseena’s artistry spans continents and disciplines. In 1984, she embarked on a 9-month global journey, teaching and performing in Egypt, Greece, France, Taiwan, and Portugal. She was awarded in Taiwan as an ambassador for peace through the arts by Artists Embassy International, a nonprofit she remains actively involved with today.

Beyond the stage, Tatseena has taught belly dance, yoga, bodywork, and healing movement in gyms, senior centers, and retreats across California — including Harbin Hot Springs and Club Sport in Pleasanton. She continues to offer massage, meditation, and intuitive bodywork through her practice, Transformational Touch, drawing from over 40 years of certification and hands-on experience in physical therapy clinics and holistic wellness spaces. She is also a certified animal Reiki practitioner and passionate pet advocate.

Tatseena’s dedication to arts education and community building is evident in her many long-running productions, including the beloved Belly Dance Fantasy Festival (10 years in San Leandro), Cave Camp (a rustic dance retreat spanning 15+ years), and her latest poetic dance showcase: the Dancing Poetry Festival, returning September 20, 2025.

An Oakland-born Renaissance woman, Tatseena lives in devotion to art, nature, healing, and deep connection — channeling her love for life into every performance, class, and offering.