Yoga practice at Carol Bowen Studios follows the same philosophy and principles as our Pilates practice – it is taught by teachers with a thorough knowledge of anatomy, alignment, biomechanics and movement principles, who are dedicated to providing a safe, successful movement experience for each student.  Our classes are small, which allows our teachers to provide individual attention and modifications.   Carol Bowen and Iris Vasquez each completed nontraditional yoga certification programs incorporating many yoga methods.  This enables them to create classes covering a wide variety of yogic styles, philosophies and approaches to help students connect with their body, mind and spirit.

Carol Bowen began practicing yoga while obtaining her Pilates certification, and believes the two disciplines work well together to promote strength, flexibility, ease of movement and a deeper awareness of the connection between the mind and body.  In her experience as a Pilates instructor, she has seen that a client’s increased awareness of his or her body has tremendous power to help the client make positive changes.  To deepen her own awareness of the body-mind connection, she obtained her 200-hour yoga certification with the school of Embodied Flow™ yoga.  Embodied Flow™ was developed by Tara Judelle and Scott Lyons, and integrates their combined experiences in a wide variety of philosophical teachings, methods of yoga, somatic movement and psychology, dance, Body-Mind Centering® and many other disciplines.   

Iris Vazquez, raised in Astoria Queens, began her yogic journey with a thirst for greater understanding of the Mind-Body connection. She is a graduate of Queens College and completed a double Bachelor degree in the fields of Dance and Exercise Science and Nutrition. Having completed her 200-hour Chakra Yoga™ training with The Giving Tree Yoga Studio, she now strives to connect her passion for dance, movement and the study of the body in her yoga teaching.  She believes in the importance of strengthening our understanding of ourselves and how our bodies move, while honoring movement efficiency, alignment, and anything that provides nourishment for what we need. Being with our bodies through movement and awareness is a beautiful gift that has the power to fulfill us.