Broga® Yoga Teachers

Robert Sidoti
Co-Founder, Creator & Head Instructor – Martha’s Vineyard & Somerville, MA

Robert Sidoti is a certified yoga instructor, a certified personal trainer, and an accomplished athlete.  He has created Broga® with a simple goal:  To bring the benefits of yoga to more men.

Broga represents the culmination of Robert’s vast expertise as a health and fitness professional and the attainment of his goal to create an optimal, and balanced, fitness program.

With his signature charisma, commitment to promoting men’s health and his deep love of yoga, Robert’s Broga class is energetic, fun, challenging, and mildly addictive.  He is a passionate, innovative and skilled teacher.

Robert resides on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with his wife and renowned yoga instructor, Sherry Sidoti, and their son.

Certifications:
-Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
-’Yoga for Athletic Peak Performance’ with Swami Sitaramananda at the Sivananda Vendanta Centre
-Karma Kids NYC
-200 RYT certification with Kira Ryder, founder of Lulubandhas and the Ojai Yoga Crib

Karen DeTemple
Instructor – Boston, MA

Whether it was running, swinging kettlebells, spinning or show jumping, all my life I pushed my body hard. But, something was missing. Then, one day eight years ago, I stumbled upon a Anusara yoga workshop and my yoga journey began.
 
Before long, I realized that I could still push my body physically but balance it with my mind. Some call it the Ah Ha Moment. Whatever it was, I was transformed and my path was changed forever. When I teach, I seek to give my students the confidence to get deep into poses and the opportunity to find their breath while finding some peace on their mat. My challenging slow flow classes, taught to contemporary music, are alignment-based, playful and woven with humor and Buddhist mindfulness.

I am honored to be part of the Broga® Yoga Team and look forward to sharing the benefits of Broga with both men and women in the Boston area.   
 
In addition to practicing yoga, I work as a non-profit fundraising and event planning consultant and am on the same path as my students: balancing work, family and play while being present and seeking the calm between the tranquility and the storm of connecting with my body and mind.

Ryan Farrell
Instructor – Riverhead, NY

Ryan leads a practice that incorporates breath and muscle strength in an effort to revitalize the body and bring awareness back to one’s movement. He draws upon his experience in martial arts as well as yoga to create a physical and active class in an effort to help students reach a remembered sense of well-being.

Certified Yoga Instructor-200 Hour (Joschi NYC)
3rd Degree Black Belt Certified by the Kukkiwon World Tae Kwon Do Federation
Broga Yoga-50hr Teacher Training I & II

Tim Griffin
Instructor – Somerville, MA

Tim found yoga at mid-life.   After trying a number of different yoga styles, he walked into a steamy power yoga class and hasn’t been the same since.  It was a reincarnation of sorts.   After that class he was “… physically exhausted, emotionally elated, calm, and content at the same time.  [He] felt alive.”  For Tim, now everything is done through the lens and practice of yoga.  “I come to practice to get grounded; to be challenged; to clear away the cruft and toxins we all come in contact with day to day.  I’m rarely disappointed.  I always leave class refreshed, smiling and a more loving human being than I was before class; just ask my kids.”

Tim went on to become a 200 hour registered yoga teacher through O2 Yoga in Somerville, MA where he taught for a couple of years before competing commitments and a debilitating back injury curtailed his practice and teaching.  He has continued his study with well over 300 hours of training from many internationally known yoga teachers.

Tim is very excited to be part of the Broga® Team and it’s mission to bring the lifelong benefits of yoga to more men.  He is also a certified health coach.  You can check him out at Tim Griffin :: Health Coach.

Ian Gumpel
Instructor – Martha’s Vineyard, MA & Sweden

Ian Gumpel grew up riding everything with wheels: skateboards, BMX bikes, trials motorcycles, and mountain bikes. In the winters he would go snowboarding. Ian and his friends were always pushing to go higher and farther. While Ian was living in a LA he was introduced to surfing, an activity that has become an essential part of his life.

After meeting Robert Sidoti in 2008, Ian began practicing Broga® and was immediately drawn to it. He felt a sense of healing balance, both physically and mentally, after each class; a sensation that he had never experienced before. He became interested in the philosophy of Broga® and the positive effects it had on his life and other men in the classes. This quickly led him to take a Broga Teacher Training and to get his 200hr RYT with Sherry Sidoti at the Fly Yoga School.

Broga plays a huge role in sustaining his active lifestyle and he hopes to share this practice that promotes health, clarity, and strength. Ian knows that Broga benefits all kinds of people at all levels of physical shape. One of Ian’s goals is to bring Broga to volunteer and professional first responders because they have a lifestyle that requires great mental and physical strength.

Ian is moving to Sweden in March to pursue a degree in furniture building and design while introducing Broga to Scandinavia.

Arlen Kasdorf
Instructor – Winnipeg, MB

After years of participating in demanding sports such as motocross, jui jitsu, jeet kune do, kickboxing, snowboarding and rugby, Arlen was in need of some physical healing. Years of therapy with both traditional and alternative medicine made him feel good for the short term, but he still had aching joints and chronic low back pain.

A believer that the body can heal itself under the right circumstances, Arlen started yoga to find the pain free body that he once knew. Starting his practice at home with a few videos he was eventually dragged to a studio by his wife and he fell in love with the practice.

Arlen took his 200-hour certification in Vinyasa yoga with Ryan Leier, and has received further training in Restorative, Yin, Hatha and Yoga for Kids. With so many people suffering from physical pain due to imbalances in the body, Arlen takes an alignment-based approach to his classes. He encourages his students to listen to their bodies, building the foundation of their practice from there, while at the same time challenging their comfort zones.

As a TRX instructor as well, Arlen is now very excited to bring his background and experience in yoga and fitness to more men as Canada’s first certified Broga® Instructor.

Loving the family life Arlen spends any spare moment having fun in crazy adventures with his beautiful wife Tammy and two kids, Xander and Zara. Part of his future plans are to take the family back to Monterosso, Italy, where he and Tammy were married.

Danni Pomplun
Instructor – San Diego, CA

Danni is a Certified Personal Trainer, TRX Instructor, 200hr Registered Yoga Instructor through Core Power Yoga, and is now currently working toward his 500hr RYT. Experienced and sought-after as a pilates, power, vinyasa, yin/restorative, sculpt, and hot yoga instructor, he is very excited to add Broga® to his repertoire and bring it to the dudes in the San Diego area.

A skilled and charismatic teacher, Danni finds it easy to relate to people with many different backgrounds and life experiences – his life hasn’t always been easy. Coming from a tough childhood and late teenage years blurred by frustration, drugs, alcohol, and a near-death brush with cancer, Danni credits yoga with making him healthy and opening up his life to a world of positive opportunities that he’s now truly grateful to be able to share with others.

When he’s not working with individual clients or teaching group classes, he is usually rock climbing, snowboarding, cycling, surfing, skateboarding, swimming, attending a local music festival, DJ-ing at a local club, or volunteering with at-risk high school kids.

Max Sherman
Instructor – Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Max Sherman is new to yoga but not new to healthy living and athletics.  He has been playing hockey since he was three years old and loves looking for any new challenge.
 
Max recently got into Broga through Rob.  Once Rob explained the concept, Max was in.
 
Max is a personal trainer, nutrition specialist, yoga teacher, anatomy enthusiast, and a hockey coach.  His love for fitness and helping others is rivaled by few.  His intensity and determination is counterbalanced with a fun loving attitude and a huge smile.
 
Max knows that we are all at different places in our fitness level and he meets you where you are!
 
Certifications:
AFAA Personal Training
AASDN Nutrition Specialist
Broga Instructor
Yoga Instructor

Accomplishments:
2012 Boston Marathon Finisher
2012 Tough Mudder Finisher
2011 Vineyard Warrior Triathlon Finisher
Pro Hockey Player

Mary Sullivan
Instructor – Watertown & Somerville, MA

Mary has been a certified yoga instructor for six years. She has participated in a variety of workshops including Baptiste Level 1, Jimmy Barkan Level 2/3, and most recently, Broga® Yoga Certification.

The readings and teachings of Pema Chodron have been an inspiration.

“We cannot be present and run our storyline at the same time.”~Pema Chodron

The simplicity of yoga – be present, let go, and listen intently to your body’s messages. Yoga has opened doors that I had never dreamed imaginable. As a student, I arrive at my mat without expectation ready to experience and savor my practice. Please don’t misunderstand me, I arrive that way. The feelings that arise during each asana can flip my world upside–down. Pure joy of yoga- releasing control, trusting myself, and truly living in the moment. As a teacher, I have the honor of being an invited guest to each class encouraging movement and healing breath, growth and transformation. We all practice as a community. We learn from each other. “We laugh, smile, go in, fall out and accept our paths as they slowly unfold. It’s all good.”

Mary is currently working towards her Master’s degree in special education. She works as a literature teacher at Learning Prep School in Newton. Mary resides in Watertown with her wonderful family and brindled pal, Charley Brown.

Marlon Taylor
Instructor – Marshfield & Somerville, MA

Marlon Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Babson College. He is also an ACE certified personal strength trainer with over 10 years of experience. His interests include sailing, skiing, fitness training, bike riding and for the past 10 years, yoga. Both yoga and strength training were a natural extension of his prior career in surgical device sales. For over 12 years, Marlon had worked closely with both orthopedic spinal surgeons and neurosurgeons focusing on neurosurgical and spinal implants along with computer based imaging and microscopy systems. That experience left Marlon with a deep appreciation for anatomical pathologies arising out of poor body mechanics, inattention to proper diet and inadequate exercise. Attending to surgeons in the operating room was a unique instructional experience to see first hand the results of neglect on patient’s bodies over time.

“I would like all of my yoga and personal training clients to find the same holistic health benefits that I have  realized after regularly practicing yoga. There are unexpected benefits to both mind and body which can only be found from practicing yoga. These benefits exceed our understanding of traditional fitness and are not only deeply satisfying but real, lasting and meaningful. This is something many women have found to be true and now through Broga, it’s time for more men to step up! ”

Specialties: Training for competitive individual sports along with increased strength, balance, functional movement, endurance and weight loss.

Marlon is currently working on his 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Michelle Fleming at Sanctuary Yoga Studio in Plymouth.

Bill Williams
Instructor – Mexico, MO

Bill was employed by Crown Linen Service, Inc., in Mexico, Missouri, for 39 years, serving as a fourth generation President for 24 years. He continues as a consultant to the family business.
 
He currently serves as a part-time employee on the Fitness Staff at the Mexico Area YMCA. He is an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor, teaching X-Biking, Yoga, and substitutes various other classes. Bill, is also an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Group and Personal TRX Instructor teaching body weight resistance training, a 200 RYT Yoga Instructor, and a certified Broga® Yoga Instructor.
 
Bill enjoys hiking and mountain climbing, and has reached the summit of the Grand Teton in Wyoming, and Mount Whitney, via the mountaineers route, in California.
 
Bill has been active in his community serving as a former Mayor of the city, Chairman of the hospital board, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, and various other boards and committees. Bill is also an Eagle Scout, and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Great Rivers Council, BSA.
 
Bill started his Fitness career at age 58, first with resistance training and indoor cycling. Soon it was apparent Bill needed something to release the muscle tightness and encouraged by a Fitness Professional, embarked on Yoga. Right away, Bill experienced the benefits and decided he wanted to learn more, and studied to become an instructor himself.

April Yakaboski
Instructor – Riverhead, NY

April is the founder and owner of Aerial Fitness and Hot Yoga Studio. Fitness has been April’s passion for her whole life. She pursued her passion for health and alternative wellness at Trinity College where she obtained her certification as a Traditional Naturopath. She attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City for Holistic Health Counselor. She is TRX Levels I & II Certified, as well as an RYT from Joschi Yoga. April studied Aerial Arts with Ivo Guervieve (a former Cirque du Soleil performer) at MMAC in New York City. And most recently in 2013 trained in Boston and is Certified in  Broga® I & II.  April looks forward to spreading the Broga experience on Long Island!

Bringing her wellness, nutrition and fitness interests together, she founded Aerial Fitness and Hot Yoga. April wanted to create a special place that was innovative and fun, wholistic and cutting edge – something that did not exist before Aerial Fitness and Hot Yoga came to town. April teaches a variety of classes and is constantly cultivating new fitness and wellness programs. She brings her Naturopathic knowledge into her teaching for a well balanced curriculum that always keeps the whole body and mind in consideration.