Instructor Biographies

Ayla Asa Teitelbaum | Becky Hurwitz | Christy Chase | Jim Almo
Kaeli Abrahams Sutton | Laurel Rayburn | Munc | Naama Gidron
Rebecca Foster | Sarah Leibel

Ayla Asa Teitelbaum is a graduate of The Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin, TX with a degree of Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She received specialized training in acupuncture and the related therapies of moxabustion, cupping, guasha, Asian bodywork, internal martial arts and Chinese Herbal Medicine. She is a licensed Doctor of Acupuncture in Rhode Island and a nationally certified Diplomate in Oriental Medicine. Ayla has a deep love of Chinese Herbology and uses it as an integral part of her practice -- treating a wide variety of health concerns including women’s health disorders, digestive problems and stress related pain. Ayla received her BA in Religious Studies from McGill University, practices Shambhala Buddhist meditation and is the daughter of a dancer. She has always been curious about and inspired by the health and movement of the body and mind. Originally from Massachusetts, Ayla is happy to be back in New England and is looking forward to being a part of the wellness community in Providence. In addition to practicing at Motion Center, she has joined the Providence Community Acupuncture Clinic.
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Becky Hurwitz began practicing yoga 5 years ago and received her teaching certification through Eyes of the World in Providence, Rhode Island. Becky teaches Vinyasa yoga, and encourages her students to find a moving meditation in their own practices. She helps students find proper alignment in postures, explore their breath, expand their awareness, and build physical strength. Both practicing and teaching yoga are very joyful experiences for Becky. In her own life, Becky uses the balance and awareness she practices on her yoga mat to serve her off the mat as well. Becky hopes to help her students find their own ways to be inspired by yoga.
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Christy Chase, MAT, is the mother of two young sons, and feels the presence of yoga as a welcome oasis in a busy life. As a schoolteacher, she works hard to meet the individual needs of her students, and carries that practice in her yoga teaching. Christy has been studying Iyengar yoga since 1993. In 2007, Christy completed an intensive two-year Teacher Training program in the Iyengar method. Christy is grateful for her teachers: Suzanne Newton, whom she credits with starting her yogic journey, Linda DiCarlo, her teacher in Cranston, and Patricia Walden, who lead her Teacher Training in Boston.
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Jim Almo, NCLMT, began his study of anatomy and biology nearly ten years ago while working as a standardized patient teaching assistant at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. A fascination with human functionality, and a desire to have a positive impact on the world around him led Jim to the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, Ma. He graduated from the two-year professional program in June of 2006, and has been a nationally certified, and Rhode Island licensed massage therapist since.

Jim’s practice concentrates on specific pain issues and integrates a combination of pressures and techniques, including deep tissue, myofascial work, and trigger point therapy. Clients are also offered simple take-home stretching and awareness tips to empower their own healing journey.
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Kaeli Abrahams Sutton, NCLMT, RYT, is the founder and Co-Director of Motion Center. Deeply intrigued by the way the physical form embodies and informs our “self”, she has spent the last 19 years investigating the interweaving of body, heart and mind. Her study of modern, classical and ethnic dance has included specialized training at the Hypaxis Conservatory in N.H.; the Alvin Ailey School, Dancespace, and Djoniba Dance and Drum in New York; and Senemeew and Ballet Foret Sacre in Senegal West Africa. She holds a Bachelors degree in Culture and Dance from Long Island University and continues to study with American and African teachers in Boston and New York.

Seeking a deeper connection to the structure and movement of her own body, Kaeli began to practice yoga over15 years ago. Having studied with many instructors, her primary teachers have been Leslie Journet and Alan Finger. She has been a registered yoga teacher for the past five years, and holds certifications in Ishta Yoga and Gyrokinesis. Additionally, Kaeli has pursed the study of pre- and postnatal yoga.

To further her understanding of the structure and function of the body, Kaeli attended the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA. She has been a Rhode Island Licensed and nationally certified Massage Therapist for the past eight years. With advanced training from Kam Thye Chow in Thai Yoga Massage and Carol Osbourne-Sheets in Prenatal, Labor and Postnatal massage, she specializes in Therapeutic and Relaxation Massage, Thai Yoga Massage and Pre- and Perinatal Massage.

With her extensive background in yoga, dance, bodywork, and anatomy and kinesiology, Kaeli brings to her work a deep understanding of the body's capacity for movement, and its primary importance in finding an authentic connection to self and a compassionate connection with others.
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Laurel Rayburn, RYT, received her teaching certification through Yoga Tree, San Francisco's largest yoga studio. She has studied with teachers of many different backgrounds, but her primary teachers have all been in the Iyengar tradition. In San Francisco, she worked with Ramanand Patel and his students; since she's moved back to Providence, she has studied with Patricia Walden in Boston. Her goal is to create a gentle, safe space in which her students can experience the energy and exhilaration of yoga asana. She is a graduate student in the English Department at Brown, and yoga has been especially important for her as a way to calm the mind and find a place of compassionate acceptance.
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Munc has been spinning poi for over seven years. He has trained, practiced and performed with some of the best spinners in the US. At first simply a hobby, Munc's interest in martial arts, yoga and other forms of movement practice kindled his interest even further until after many years of private performance and lessons, he transitioned into work as a full-time performer. He now performs with fire poi as well as with fire staff, and seeks to spread and share this art with all who wish to learn. Though long-used as a traditional martial art, poi is relatively newly in the world of performance art, and Munc enjoys experimenting with different applications and ways of thinking about it. Through the medium of teaching and performance, he hopes to explore with students and audiences the many dimensions of this wonderful form.
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Naama Gidron, RYT, is the Co-director of Motion Center and is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher with over 15 years of yoga practice and 10 years of teaching experience. Naama first discovered Iyengar yoga in 1987 while at Columbia University. She has studied extensively with senior teachers, most recently with the Iyengars in Pune, India. Naama’s teaching style emphasizes alignment and awareness. It is clear and concise, energetic, and engaging. She enjoys working with a wide range of students, including athletes and seniors. Naama teaches classes, private instruction, specialty workshops, as well as retreats.
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Rebecca Foster received her teaching certification through Eyes of the World in Providence, RI. She has studied extensively with Tom Gillette at Eyes of the World as well as Divya Epstein-Lubow. As both student and teacher, she appreciates exploring the meditative flow of a vinyasa practice as well as the introspective depth of yin yoga. Rebecca has been practicing Vipassana (insight/mindfulness) meditation for 10 years and has a strong commitment to contemplative practice. Yoga offers her the opportunity to combine her interest in awakening the heart and mind with her love of body expression and movement.

Rebecca’s classes are appropriate for all levels, and hold an emphasis on each student exploring with compassion and curiosity his or her own deeply held tensions, assumptions and habits of body and mind, and opening to a healthier, more present and joyful self—both on and off the mat.
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Sarah Leibel received her yoga teacher certification through Eyes of the World Yoga Center in Providence, RI. She has been fortunate to study with several inspirational teachers including Tom Gillette and Shannah Green. Sarah brings to her yoga teaching a blend of spirit, vigor, nurturing, contemplation, mediation, and breathing awareness. Also a high school English teacher in Pawtucket, Sarah enjoys continually exploring the metaphors of strength, balance and flexibility that lie in each yoga posture. Sarah is committed to offering her teaching of yoga as a way for each practitioner to work towards awakening his or her best self.

Sarah’s Vinyasa class is geared toward beginning and intermediate students looking for a practice that is strengthening and relaxing, vigorous and meditative, contemplative and playful. Instruction focuses on basic alignment and working with breath. Postures flow together, in rhythm with the breath, to facilitate a moving, dance-like meditation.
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