Sofiah Thom

Sofiah Thom the founder of Danyasa™ believes that every person possesses an inner artist -- a unique, individual creative spark that just needs to be allowed or inspired to show itself. Sofiah's mission lies in nurturing this creative spark in others with the aim to inspire them to live to their fullest creative potential.  In Sofiah's presence one feels grace, strength and sensuality as she invites you to get out of your head and into your body. 

As a daughter of healers and with a degree in Dance Therapy from Naropa University, studies at the Tamalpa Institute in Expressive Healing Arts, and myriad trainings in bodywork, yoga and dance, Sofiah's deep understanding of the body and somatics shines through her work.  Sofiah fuses dance, yoga, breath work, expressive healing arts and Tantric Buddhism into her teachings.  Her unique yoga and dance based movement modalities trainings provide vehicles for self discovery and transformation as well as opportunities to exercise and get your sweat on.

As well as traveling internationally to spread her light, Sofiah lives and works on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica where she and her husband founded Bamboo YogaPlay in 2007 as a Sanctuary for Living Artfully.

For a more extensive bio and background visit: Sofiah Thom's Bio page

Heidi Michelle

Heidi Michelle has been in the teaching in the transformational growth arena for nearly 20 years. Birthed in the California sunshine, her journey took her through the professional dance world as a teacher and performer, into personal growth and empowerment facilitation, personal coaching, visual arts and finally finding a deeper home in the sacred teachings of partner and individual Yoga. With an intuitive nature, she invites provocative questioning of the paradigms governing our life choices. How is it that you REALLY want to live? If you dumped your internal rules, what would you do with this one precious life you've been given? Where are the places in which you deny your wildest expression? Can we dare to live in audacious intimacy with ourselves and others?

Heidi teaches, lives, dances, plays well with others, loves madly, and beholds beauty in the Denver/Boulder, Colorado area in the summertime and can be found roaming the jungles and coastlines of Costa Rica most winters.

Nicole Gayatri Smith

Nicole Gayatri Smith recently moved to Dominical from Brooklyn, NY and is overjoyed to be joining Bamboo YogaPlay.

A dancer/ performer since birth, Nicole has studied a wide variety of dance styles in this lifetime. She began competing internationally at the age of seven and was well decorated as a dancer/choreographer by seventeen.  She continued expending her dance repertoire throughout University and as a Professional Performer after graduation.  

Since 2004 Nicole has been spreading love as a teacher and choreographer in New York City for young children, teenagers and adults.  She offers classes, private lessons and choreography in the following styles:American Standard Ballroom; Swing, FoxTrot, Waltz, Rumba, ChaChaCha, Salsa (“Traditional” & “On 2”), Sexy Diva Dance (Burlesque-based movement), Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, HipHop, Free Movement, Goddess Integration, Kinetic Kids, and Wedding Couples’ “First Dance”

Libby Creagh

In 2012 Libby left the States, selling everything to make the big move to Central America. We are excited to have her here at Bamboo Yoga Play.  Libby strives to offer heart-focused, Spirit-centered yoga and meditation classes ranging across a variety of yoga lineages such as Anusara inspired, Viniyoga, Vinyasa, Kundalini, and Meditation.  No matter the lineage, she believes that a true yoga practice will lead you within.  Libby's yoga classes will help you draw your attention away from the chatter of your mind and this world and into the eternal rhythm of your heart and your breath.

Kais Faddah, D.C., C.C.S.P.

Dr. Kais is an experienced Doctor of Chiropractic in the management of injuries, soft tissue rehabilitation and subluxation correction. In 1988, he graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a B.S. in Exercise Physiology, and a B.S. in Human Biology and Doctorate of Chiropractic from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1991.  Adding to his adjustment techniques, in 1997 Dr. Kais obtained a certification as a Chiropractic Sports Physician. In 2006, he earned his certification as a Wellness Practitioner for helping patients toward a healthier life by removing nerve interference to the spinal system, balancing nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances, eliminating emotional stress patterns and helping patients detoxify their bodies.

Dr. Kais also offers counseling and coaching in anti-aging (creating a path towards optimum health and longevity of life), weight loss and peak physical fitness.  He embraces more of a Holistic style of chiropractic focusing on correcting the cause of  dis-ease rather than just treating symptoms.  He offers gentle, low force adjusting techniques as well as traditional adjustments.

Kirk Angelo Blaker

Kirk lives in San Isidro de El General, operating an Integrated Therapy and Injury Rehabilitation practice out of his home, which is evolving into a Wholistic Health and Urban Agriculture Center. He has been teaching yoga in Costa Rica since 2004. His style is very grounded and alignment-based, drawing from his deep knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. While admiring many styles of yoga, especially Anusara and Iyengar, his classes blend aspects of many disciplines, both in and outside of traditional yoga, while remaining true to the principles of Athletic Training and Physical Education.

Keeping Costa Rica as home base, for the past 11 years Kirk has been traveling periodically in search of new modalities to deepen his healing practice. Never missing an opportunity to learn a new discipline or technique, he has studied many forms of health-promoting arts and sciences from around the world.

Xuba Evaristo

Combining the best of over a dozen modalities studied over the past two decades, each treatment is a unique and deeply therapeutic experience.

With a bachelors degree in Pre-Med studies, a Wholistic Bodywork Diploma from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and 2 year apprenticeship with a wholistic chiropractor, my work is based on a firm foundation in the western allopathic sciences.  Combined with experience in yoga and meditation, raw foods and fasting, and esoteric spiritual studies, my work is also well able to go beyond the ordinary realms of consciousness and experience.

Drawing especially from the Cranial Sacral, Myofascial, Medical and Oriental Bodywork schools, I have the skills and experience to provide you with whatever sort of experience you desire.  Injuries, surgeries, illnesses, stress, meltdowns, ruts, whatever!  My work is my passion, my spiritual discipline, and the culmination of lifetimes of study and preparation.  It is my pleasure and honor to provide my service to you :-)

Leah McKellop

Born to the rocky hills and trees of Connecticut, Leah spent the first years of her life nurtured by forest of a sleepy town. Family lore says she has been dancing and stretching since the womb. Though, her yoga practice truly took off as she came crashing down during a pole vault competition, resulting in a few years worth of injuries to be healed by a dedicated yoga practice. By the time her ankle and shoulder were strong again, Leah had transplanted to New York City. With so many new people and that electric city air to drink in, a Yoga practice became central to keeping her toes firmly rooted to the ground. She carved out a sanctuary in the city, completing a 200-hr RYT and later 500-hr RYT training with Atmananda Yoga Sequence (www.atmananda.com). She also mentored under, Sabina Stahl of The Yoga Sequence (www.theyogasequence.com) and is completing a second 500-hr RYT training .  After teaching group and private classes full time, she became the Studio Manager at Atmananda Yoga Sequence and begin assisting the Atmananda Certification Program Right off of Union Square in Manhattan, the studio provided a beautiful growing experience as a hub for teachers and students from around the world. Her mentors there still infuse their way into her teaching today, which includes modalities of Pranayama (breathwork), Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, Thai Yoga Massage, Yoga Therapy, Restorative Yoga and Shamanism. While in New York she studied Applied Psychology at New York University, concentrating in Creative Arts Therapies, which has also weaved its way into her approach.

Here in Costa Rica, charged by that same forest air of her roots, Leah invites her students to reconnect to nature around them. Her nurturing classes have an enfaces on alignment, both in the body and spirit, providing students the confidence they need to keep flying forward, transforming and dancing through life's waves.

Erini Koulouris

Erini started dabbling with yoga six years ago,  sporadically taking classes for the physical benefits at first then quickly realized the positive, calming effect it had on her mind and soul. Her former life as a wildlife biologist brought her from Connecticut to the wildernesses of California and Erini eventually made her way to the beautiful jungle of San Francisco where she found a job in the more corporate field of environmental consulting work. Here she turned to yoga and dance to help her destress from a rigorous physical schedule and help calm, center and honor her body, mind and spirit. 

Erini decided to take a giant leap and listen to what had been calling her so strongly; the healing path of yoga. She completed her 200-hour cerification with Sofiah's Danyasa Inspired Yoga Teacher Training in March 2012 here at Bamboo YogaPlay and she has been part of the BYP team ever since.

Erini started teaching locals on the beach in Dominical and she enjoyed teaching the children at the school across the street from the BYP studio. She began teaching at BYP and currently offers classes to help her students come to a place of strength, stability and stillness and to explore a deeper sense of self all while having fun! She teaches with an open heart and space for each student, and always with a sweet loving smile.

Erini continues to hone her skills under Sofiah's graceful guidance and she enjoys the surf in this tranquil beach town that she now calls home.