Our Teachers
Leslie Dillingham Freyberg
Leslie began studying yoga in the Iyengar tradition in 1990. She received her certification as an Iyengar Yoga Instructor in 1998. In October 2000 Leslie traveled to India to study with the Iyengar family in Pune. Her primary teacher was Mary Dunn and she continues regular studies with Patricia Walden in Cambridge, MA and at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York.
Previous to her discovery of yoga, Leslie was a professional modern dancer and choreographer for twenty years. She then completed an intensive course of study with the Laban Institute of Movement Studies, earning her the title of Certified Movement Analyst, which she applied to her teaching of movement in the field of dance therapy. Her professional liaisons with choreographer Jean Erdman and Joseph Campbell, the renowned mythologist, sparked her interest in Sankrit, the sacred language of India.
As her study of yoga progressed, Leslie went on to incorporate the study of Sanskrit into her practice. She began her studies with Vyaas Houston, the director of the American Sanskrit Institute where Leslie is now a Certified Sanskrit Teacher. Leslie has also studied with John Campbell, Manorama, Dr. Edwin Bryant, and most recently with Dr. Ram Karan Sharma. She now teaches Sanskrit for Patricia Walden’s Teacher Training Program.
Leslie is on the faculty of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in NYC and is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the US (IYNAUS). Leslie teaches ongoing classes in Ridgefield and she lives in Redding, CT with her husband Tony and their Cocker Spaniel, Henley.
What Leslie enjoys most about teaching Yoga and Sanskrit is the continuous discovery of the richness of both, and how the process of study provides an opportunity for people to find true joy in nurturing the body, mind and spirit.
Iyengar Certified: Jr. Intermediate Level 1
Carolyn Christie
Carolyn Christie started studying Iyengar Yoga in San Francisco in 1989 upon her return from the Peace Corps in Thailand. It is during her service in the Peace Corps that Carolyn developed a keen interest in Buddhism and Yoga. She continues today to integrate the two practices in her personal life. Her teaching style is influenced by both schools, the common ground of the two being the development of attention and awareness.
Carolyn began studying directly with the Iyengar family in Pune, India in 1996 and has returned regularly. She is a core faculty at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in New York City. Her main teachers have been Geeta Iyengar, Mary Dunn, Patricia Walden, and Gabriella.
Greg Anton
Greg Anton, a Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, graduated from Harvard Law School and worked for many years as a public-interest lawyer before devoting himself to the study of yoga. His keen memory, precise instruction, and intelligent adjustments coalesce into an extremely methodical and clear way to present asana. Greg has studied extensively with Ramanand Patel and has studied with the Iyengars in India and in the U.S. He continues to study with Patricia Walden, his primary teacher, and to assist her at workshops throughout New England. Greg lives and teaches year-round in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Kristine Bell
Kristine Bell found yoga in 2005 in New York City, where she has resided since 2001. She was certified through the 200-hour YogaWorks teacher training program in the fall of 2006. Her interest in Iyengar yoga grew and led to graduation in 2009 from the two-year teacher training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York led by Mary Dunn and James Murphy. Travels to study abroad followed, including two and a half months in Florence, Italy with senior Iyengar yoga teacher Gabriella Giubilaro, and two months with the Iyengar family in Pune, India.
Kristine studies and assists at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York. Her teacher is Carrie Owerko. She studies as often as she can with Patricia Walden and Edwin Bryant, Ph.D. She has attended many workshops with other senior Iyengar teachers including Manouso Manos, John Schumacher, Stephanie Quirk, Faeq Biria, and Rajiv and Swati Chanchani. Before being led to yoga, Kristine was a certified aerobic dance instructor and franchisee who taught Jackie Sorensen Aerobic Dancing for 15 years in her home state of Wisconsin. She is working towards her first assessment in the Iyengar teacher training certification process.
Michele Fazio-Weis
Michele has been practicing Yoga for over 30 years. She graduated in the class of 2011 from the Iyengar Yoga Institute in NYC, achieving over 900 hours of study upon graduation. Her journey into Iyengar Yoga was inspired by her first teacher, Mary Dunn. That inspiration has guided her to share what she has learned from the many wonderful Iyengar teachers that she has studied with. Michele has attended many workshops to advance her studies, and was blessed to partake in the Yoga Convention in Estes Park, CO in 2005 which Mr. Iyengar himself attended. Michele now assists in classes at the Institute in NYC and is on her path to certification next year. Michele brings to teaching her love of yoga, and the belief that sharing her passion will energize her students on their yoga journey.