About Us

		Leslie Luft Leslie is the owner and director of Absolute Yoga. Prior to opening the studio and becoming a full-time yoga instructor and practitioner, Leslie spent 20 years working as a corporate/securities attorney in New York City and Long Island. When the stress of her career and the commute, together with her full time job as a mom to her two children, became overwhelming, she turned to yoga, which she had dabbled with on and off in college. Enjoying the many benefits that yoga had to offer her, she was inspired to get her teaching certification and bring the gift of yoga to others. Leslie received her teaching certification in ISHTA Yoga. Developed by Guru Alan Finger, ISHTA yoga is a modern, dynamic distillation of spiritual traditions which allows you to develop a personal yoga practice that meets your individual needs. Leslie has continued her studies in various styles of yoga, including Anusara and Ashtanga and is an Anusara-inspired instructor. . She brings to her classes the benefits of each of these various styles, combining emphasis on the breath, with precise alignment, in a dynamic vinyasa sequence, encouraging her students to open not only their bodies and their mind, but also their hearts. Leslie credits her husband with encouraging her to follow her heart on her yogic journey and share her joy with others in the studio.

		Laurie Ahlemann Laurie has been practicing ISHTA yoga since 1999 and teaching for over five years. She attended the Be Yoga 500 hour certification in New York City under the guidance of Alan Finger, founder of Ishta yoga (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayuveda.) Laurie was also involved in the creation of the AHRC (Association for the Help of Retarded Children) yoga program. She sequences the poses pecifically for the level of individuals participating which allows everyone to be involved. In order to expand this program, she has done presentations at NYSARC and NYSACRA conventions, bringing this idea to others working with the developmentally challenged population. To add to her versatility, Laurie continues her studies in various styles of yoga including Anusara, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow and Yin. She incorporates some of the principles of these other styles when appropriate to better serve her students by keeping in mind their individual needs. Laurie also presents editation/relaxation workshops at the NYFD Wellness Day Events on Long Island and in NYC for 9-11 victims and their families. She studied Raja Yoga editation at the Brahma Kumaris Spiritual Center in Great Neck, LI for two years. In addition, Laurie is a certified Reiki II practitioner and a Magnified Healer master/teacher.

		Sharon Greenstein Sharon has been sharing her love of yoga through her teaching since 2001. She began this quest by taking a Yoga Fit Certification which enabled her to teach a fitness based vinyasa flow class while maintaining the safety of proper alignment. She then expanded her studies with a 200 hour certification in ISHTA yoga from Be Yoga under the guidance of Alan Finger. This training incorporated not only the additional attention to alignment that is very prominent in her style of teaching, but also added a meditative and philosophical flair to her classes. In addition, she has completed trainings in Yoga Kids as well as Power Pilates. Now pursuing her studies in the Anusara style of yoga, she brings further alignment refinement and heart opening qualities to her classes. To add to her versatility, she has attended workshops in Anusara, Ashtanga, and Vinyasa Flow taught by master instructors John Friend, Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, and David Swenson, as well as many others.

		Adam Dobbs In 1997 Adam completed the Spiritual Lifestyle Program at The Kripalu Yoga Center and later that year worked on staff at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. He holds certification in Kripalu, Ashtanga and ISHTA yoga schools and is also a Licensed Massage Therapist with continued studies in Thai and Ayurvedic Massage. Adam has had additional training in the Art of Contact Yoga/Yogassage under Nateshvar Ken Scott and studied under Edward Clark of Tripsichore Yoga Theatre in both the U.S. and London. Adam has maintained a daily meditation practice since 1995 tand has been a yoga teacher since 1997. Adam emphasizes meditation and the spiritual aspects of yoga within his own personal practice as well as within his teaching.

		Leslie Scheinthal Leslie received her teaching certification from Suzanne Cardinal’s 200-hour Into This World Yoga Teacher Training and Certification Program and is registered with the Yoga Alliance. She also has a certificate in Pre-Natal Yoga and has completed a "Deepening Your Practice Teacher Training "with Lorraine Aguilar. Leslie has attended workshops with notes teachers such as John Friend, Judith Lasater, Beryl Bender Birch, Shiva Rea and others. Leslie took her first yoga class in 1994, and although the demands of three children made it challenging to pursue, the practice kept calling her back to it again and again over the years. It is with great joy and an open heart that she shares her passion for yoga with her students. She continues to be amazed at the physical, mental and spiritual journey that is yoga, and is thankful to all of her teachers for their guidance and for all they have shared of themselves.

		Julie Jampolis Julie was introduced to yoga in the early ‘90s after graduating from George Washington University. After moving from Washington, D.C. to New York City she practiced for several years at the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Center in lower Manhattan. After moving to Long Island, she continued her practice at Yoga Zone in Glen Head. She had the opportunity to work with premier ISHTA, Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga teachers. Longing to continue her education in yoga history and asana, Julie decided to become certified in ISHTA yoga. Julie completed her training with guru Alan Finger, a South African yoga master and developer of ISHTA yoga. ISHTA , which stands for the Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Aryuveda is a physical and spiritual form of yoga that addresses the individual needs of each student who practices it. After completing her training, Julie became certified with the National Yoga Alliance. Julie’s classes integrate vigorous vinyasa flow asana with the application of precise alignment and meditation. Her style is joyful and energetic while challenging her students to try the unexpected. Julie teaches in a free-flowing, energetic manner which encourages respect for the body and inspires a deeper connection between the mind, body and spirit.

		Karen Passalacqua Karen is a 500-hour certified Dharma Mittra Yoga teacher. In November 2006 she completed the “Life of a Yogi” Advanced Teacher Training Program at the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City. She practices and teaches Shiva Namaskar Vinyasa Levels I-III. Dharma Mittra Yoga is classical yoga. Karen completed Suzanne Cardinal’s 200-hour Into This World Yoga Teacher Training and Certification Program in May 2005 with continued studies in Prenatal Yoga. She also teaches Into This World Yoga. Karen believes the essence of yoga is to purify the mind, body, and soul, which allows God’s light to shine more brightly through us. It is this light that guides us, teaches us to love and serve others, and helps us to live our true life’s purpose.

		Adriene Valderama Adriene has been a dedicated student to her yoga practice for over 13 years. After experiencing many styles of yoga, she happened upon a class given by Alan Finger at yoga Zone, and that encounter changed her idea of what yoga was all about. “I loved that ISHTA Yoga was about finding your own personal path, and that the asana and meditation techniques were accessible to all. It seemed like a very natural practice to me.” Encouraged by her teachers to become a teacher as well, Adriene completed her certification through Yoga Zone. In addition to her training, she has continued her studies with teachers Angela Farmer, Ana Forrest and Bryan Kest, bringing an eclectic mix to her classes. She truly believes that yoga is for everybody and that the benefits are profound. She seeks to find a way to modify the asana where each student’s practice becomes an expression of the self. She combines the emphasis of the breath, with a flowing, vinyasa sequence that guides her students to find their edge while honoring themselves and the transformation that yoga can bring. Adriene has been featured in Fit magazine and yoga related catalogues. She would like to thank all of her teachers, past and present, for helping her along her path.

		Cindy Valentine Cindy taught sixth grade for five years in both Florida and in Nassau County. She is a New York State certified teacher, and has received training from some of the foremost and highly recognized Children's Yoga Programs such as YogaKids (All Three Phases), Sonya Sumar's, "Yoga for the Special Child", and Radiant Child Yoga Program. She stays active in her own community, as well as volunteers in many classrooms throughout Nassau/Suffolk County. Cindy is described by teachers and her students as, "compassionate, creative, fun, energetic, and motivating." She founded and taught a comprehensive pilot children's yoga program in several Syosset Elementary Schools throughout the 2003-2004 school year. Cindy is also an independent consultant, and a consultant for SCOPE. In addition she is sought out by many schools for various character education and yoga programs.

		Greg Fleck

		Jenny Van Dyke Jenny is a certified, registered yoga instructor who has been practicing yoga for 13 years and teaching for six. She has dedicated herself to the study of Iyengar yoga, which emphasizes safety and healing through proper alignment in the poses, and meeting individual needs through the use of props. Jenny is also a speech therapist and special education teacher and has been working with children with special needs since 1995.

		Karen Altschuler Karen has been practicing yoga since 1987 and was certified in 1997. She is a registered yoga teacher with over 600 hours of advanced study. Karen has also completed the Professional Yoga Therapist Foundation Program. She has studied Upledger Cranial-Sacral therapy levels I, II and III and the thai yoga body work through the Lotus Palm school in Montreal. Some of her teachers have been Joan White, Mary Dunn, Dr. Jeffrey Migdow, Robyn Ross, John Friend, Alan Finger and many others. The focus of her practice has been therapeutic yoga. She has a Master of Arts degree. Prior to teaching yoga she was a speech pathologist working with young infants.