Our Instructors
About Beth
Beth Sforza Yazell is the founder of Bloom Yoga & Wellness. She is a dual-certified yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga continuously since 1979. She is a Registered Nurse, holds a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration, and is certified in yoga therapy, Thai Yoga Massage, and Dr. Andrew Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet.
Beth strives to make yoga accessible to people of all ages, sizes, and levels of ability or experience. She offers all-levels, chair-assisted, and private classes online via Zoom, as well as teaching in person at the Bloom studio.
It is common to see images of advanced hatha yoga (the poses) in magazines and on TV and become intimidated, because people think, “I could never do that.” Fortunately, it’s not necessary to. Probably only about 10% of the human populace could ever hope to attain what these images represent. Besides, cool-looking poses isn’t what yoga is about. Yoga is an experience of non-judgmental self-exploration, which can assist people in attaining their highest potential.
As such, Beth’s classes move slowly, with emphasis on breath and inward focus. Beth begins by guiding students to re-learn how it feels to relax. With our hectic lives, many of us have forgotten what relaxation feels like. The only time we’re truly relaxed is when we’re asleep, and we pay a steep price—our health and well-being!
Chronic stress is a factor in many of the illnesses plaguing us, diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and autoimmune diseases, as well as mood disorders like depression and anxiety. When we break the stress cycle through relaxation techniques, the level of hormones our bodies produce in response to stress decreases. We remove one factor from the equation that can result in disease.
In 2010, Beth co-authored a study at Syracuse Universty, which was published in the August, 2012 edition of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which examined the effect of yoga practice on people with asthma. Since coming into the public domain, this study has been cited in numerous scientific articles, and its methods and findings have been included in teacher training programs specializing in yoga therapeutics.
Beth believes yoga is a powerful catalyst for a healthy lifestyle and utilizes an integrative approach to educate and empower people in taking responsibility for their own health and wellness.
There is something transformative that happens to people when they practice yoga regularly. Many students become vitally interested in feeling as good as they do after a yoga class, and they adopt lifestyle habits that culminate in living healthier, more satisfying lives.
Sara tried yoga a few times over the years and wasn’t sure it was for her but something about the practice kept encouraging her to try again. She took a beginner intensive class when she was living in NYC in 2001 and has been practicing regularly since. She completed her yoga teacher training with Laughing Lotus yoga and has taught intermittently for about 12 years. Sara has explored many styles of yoga and most often practices and teaches a vigorous vinyasa style class linking movement and breath. Sara loves attempting to apply what she learns on the mat off the mat and is grateful that she continues to learn new something new each time she practices.
Sara is taking a little break to spend the rest of the Summer enjoying her family. She’ll be returning with a 45-minute sunrise class Wednesday, 9/20/23 at 6:15 AM ~ a perfect way to energize your workday!
About Sara
Dyann practiced under Beth for 12 years before receiving her 200-hour training through the Amrit Institute under Gurudev Amrit Desai. She believes strongly in yoga as a place where science, psychology, spirituality and overall health reside and can flourish by being gentle with oneself.
Dyann is also a published writer and a member of Adi Shakti World Fusion Bellydance. You can catch Dyann in person at Bloom every other Saturday and ad lib!
About Dyann
About Nicole
Nicole DeCastro took her first yoga class in Uganda, East Africa while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2008. She fell in love with how yoga made her feel and wanted to share the experience with everyone she knew. In 2012, Nicole completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training from Infinite Light Yoga Center in Syracuse, NY. Her style combines breath work with movement to experience grounding, strength, and peace. She is also certified in Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra as well as Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga.
Nicole shares her gentle spirit with us Tuesdays at 5:30 PM.
About Sean
Sean first starting taking yoga at Bloom almost a decade ago. He has recently completed his 200-hour yoga teacher training as well as certification in yoga nidra from the Amrit Yoga Institute and has worked for 30 years as a counselor in a variety of settings including school, community, college, and private practice. Sean's mixed-level class is a unique blend of hatha yoga, yoga nidra, and counseling-related themes. Sean’s goal over time is to help everyone better understand how our ego/worry mind can negatively impact our lives while using Asana (yoga poses) as well as Pratyahara (withdrawal of attention to external disturbances and internal distractions) and Pranayama (breath work) as tools to help build resiliency. Each class is modified to best meet student ability levels and needs.
Sean teaches at Bloom Wednesdays at 5:30 and ad lib ~ an antidote to the mid-week slump!
About Shailene
Shailene's teaching focuses on yin yoga, a style which is ideal for people of most fitness levels who want to develop a relaxed practice or balance an intense exercise routine. Yin is slow-paced style, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine with long-held asanas. The asana sequences are designed to stimulate the channels of the subtle body, known as meridians in Chinese medicine, and as nadis in hatha yoga.
Yin Yoga poses apply moderate stress to the body's connective tissue—the tendons, fasciae, and ligaments —.with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. A meditative approach to yoga, its goals are awareness of inner silence and bringing to light a universal, interconnected awareness. Yin practice allows the practitioner to slow down, relax, and turn inward, which helps alleviate stress and restores energy levels.
About Rashmi
Rashmi Bismark, MD, MPH is a resident of Sherrill and a VVS grad (class of ‘95). Her relationship with yoga began at home with her parents, Rema & Sid, who moved to Sherrill in the 1970’s from Kerala, India. Yoga philosophy was embedded into their ways of living. Rashmi and her sister were encouraged to sit in meditation every morning and evening, even if just for one minute. These small moments of connection blossomed into a lifelong, loving exploration of life and awareness.
Rashmi is a certified yoga teacher and teaches meditation practice, theory, and scientific evidence for Yoga MeditationⓇ yoga teacher trainings across the world. She is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher who has completed a two-year professional training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, along with multiple mediation trainings and retreats from a variety of contemplative traditions like Vipassana, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Yoga Nidra, Vedanta, Sri Vidya Tantra and more.
Rashmi has been formally facilitating mindfulness in clinical and community settings for over a decade. Her teaching style is rooted in the wisdom traditions of her ancestors, informed by her medical background in Preventive Medicine, and inspired by her experiences as a daughter, sister, wife, and mom. Rashmi loves sitting on her porch and writing. She is the author of a kids book, Finding Om, and continues to pursue writing for kids and their families.
Rashmi’s Sunday meditation sessions are paused and will resume in early Autumn.
Website: www.rsbismarkmd.com
Instagram: @rashmi.bismark
