ABOUT US
"Yoga is the path of purification of character and conduct (the cleansing of one's physical and mental nature) wherein the highest state of reality and truth may shine undiminished in the hearts and minds of all beings...this is the true goal of yoga."
- Sri Dharma Mittra
At Ascension Yoga, we invite you to explore and experiment to establish a practice that meets your needs. Make it yours, because it is! Juliana Machado
Juliana Machado
OWNER | YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Yoga is my first language. Through its teachings I have learned to dive within and create a kind relationship with my own being. What I love the most about offering a safe space for our community to practice yoga, without expectations. Yoga is a sacred science and I am here to support your connection to the intelligence that is already within.
My son, Pedro, and I bring to our space the power of a dream coming through as we join ventures. We are sharing practices that keep supporting our wellbeing and growth in all levels.
The foundation of our school is: respect, discipline, alignment and the invite to “ascend”.
With post-grad studies completed in Brasil, I bring to my offerings insights from Psychology, Communication, Education and Dance.
2015 Dharma Yoga Center New York, NY
800 hours Yogi Teacher Training
2012 Dharma Yoga Center New York, NY
500 hours Yogi Teacher Training
2006 Back Bay Yoga Studio Boston, MA
300 hours Forest Yoga Teacher Training Certificate
2001 Yoga Urban Saratoga Springs, NY
Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training Certificate
Photo Credit: Angelinidesigns. Juliana and Pedro in Costa Rica
Adi Carter
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
A practitioner of yoga since 1995 and a teacher since 2002, Adi enjoys utilizing yoga as a means to rebalance and heal the body. While her yoga practice has included everything from therapeutic study of Anusara and Iyengar lineages to advanced inversions with Ashtanga, Vinyasa and AcroYoga she is currently most interested in the merging of yoga with other modalities of body mind therapy including Pilates, Physical Therapy and myofascial release.
Her all levels BODY WISE series offered at Ascension is a practice intended for Jiu Jitsu practitioners (and individuals of all backgrounds) to work on releasing, realigning and strengthening key areas prone to injury and discomfort. Classes will focus on the low back, neck & shoulders and knees & hips with an underlying focus on core strengthening.
Adi will be in back in the Spring.
Adi will teach Saturdays in June, 2026.
Liz Levine
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Liz has been practicing yoga since she was 20 years old when her mom opened a studio in 1980. In 2010 when she did her first teacher training her intention was to deepen her practice and to learn more about yoga philosophy. What drew her most was this connection to truth: to one’s self and one’s body. Her classes are an exploration of movement, mind, and heart. She is also a hospitalist who is committed to bringing this work to her hospital: to patients, staff and administrators. Liz. teaches most Mondays 5PM - 6PM
Diana Benz
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Diana Benz, M.Ed., is a lifelong student of the body and the breath. She’s certified in Block Therapy™️, breathwork (David Elliott method), Reiki, and yoga, and offers fascia-focused practices that support the body’s natural ability to release tension, restore balance, and move with greater ease.
Her passion for this work grew from personal experience. In her 40s, chronic tension from an old injury began limiting her movement—until discovering breathwork and Block Therapy sparked a powerful shift. These practices helped her unwind deep patterns of restriction, rebuild strength, and return to the activities she loves with more freedom and resilience.
Within the Ascension community, her work complements a training environment that brings together movement, breath, and discipline—supporting recovery, improving mobility, and helping students build awareness and resilience from within. Students often share that she brings a grounded, focused, welcoming presence that supports the release of deep tension and deepens awareness. She’s honored to be part of the Ascension community and looks forward to supporting students in tuning into their bodies.
Diana starts teaching at Ascension 04/13/26 from 6:15 to 7:15PM.
Matthew "Mateo" Maloney
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Mathew’s teachings mirror his practice that started in his teen years. From the very beginning he was taught and shown that this ancient practice of scientific self-inquiry went far beyond mere stretching and muscle toning.
Matt shares: “The three-fold awareness is the basis of the way I structures my classes i.e. touch of earth, act of breathing, and sensation in the body. This method of mindfulness practice is a way to reground oneself in the present moment while opening the gateway to emotional intelligence. With this method the practitioner learns how to interrupt the body’s trauma response system”.
Matthew completed two 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training certifications. One in 2011 at the Kripalu School of Yoga and the other in 2012 at the Atmananda Yoga Sequence in Manhattan.
Mateo as we call him at Ascension will be teaching some Tuesdays and or Thursdays 9:30AM this year.
Bryan Bullett
Yoga Instructor
Bryan is a devoted student of Sri Dharma Mittra, the founder of Dharma Yoga. Bryan received his 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification from Creahoy Centro de Estudios Alternativos, a Dharma Yoga center in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is currently working towards 500-hour certification at Dharma Yoga NYC. He resides in Hudson, NY and in New York City. Bryan is a guest teacher when in the HV and his schedule permits.
Angela Brown
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Experiences:
Collegiate athlete. BA Fine Arts. Student Conservation Association. AmeriCorps. 600 hrs. of L1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainings. Several years working on and for CSA Farms. Homeschooling mom of 2. Self-guided study of the healing arts and sciences. Countless health, yoga and wellness workshops. Women’s Health Advocate. Currently enrolled in Paul Cheks Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Level 1.
Angela practices BJJ at Ascension with her son and is part of our Ascension Family. She offers classes sporadically when her busy schedule permits.
Cassandra Currie
Yoga Instructor
Yoga training with a Kripalu-certified yoga specialist.
She honors and respects her students in their own personal process. With a great deal of care and awareness, her teaching fosters the release of layers of physical and emotional stress and tension and invites finding balance and strength in all realms of life.
Each session will focus upon self-exploration and increasing body awareness and connection to our selves through breathing techniques, postures, and relaxation. Sessions emphasize proper alignment with a flowing breath and a mental focus on sensation in the body. Students of all levels of fitness will be invited to listen to their bodies and challenge themselves according to their own needs in a safe, supportive environment.
Cassandra is away and will join us again in April.
Michelledana Shafran
Yoga Instructor - E-RYT-500
Before becoming a 200 hour certified yoga teacher back in 2013, Michelledana studied many different genres of dance and began performing and teaching at a very young age, going on to teach and perform both nationally and internationally.
Michelledana completed her Prenatal and Yin/Restorative Certifications in 2018, HIIT Certification in 2019, and 300/500 hour yoga teacher certification in 2022.
Teaching nourishes Michelledana’s love of connecting with others particularly in acknowledgment of the power that yoga, dance, music, and art behold and how when practiced and shared with intention, they help to uplift the spirit and build community which is what profoundly motivates Michelledana to pursue all that she does, filling her with the utmost joy and gratitude.
We are thrilled to bring Michelledana to teach at Ascension.
Christa Ray
Voice Movement Therapist
Christa Ray, MFA is a Voice Movement Therapist, trained in England by the founder of the work, Paul Newham. For over 37 years, she has cultivated the capacity to “sing at the edge of silence” as an offering of healing for all our relations.
She is also a teacher of the Realization Process®, a path of embodied spiritual awakening and psychological healing. Christa maintains a private practice in spiritual coaching, trauma resolution, voicework, and mantra training—supporting the clearing of the subtle system and the embodiment of the Core Being.
Through her workshops, she empowers unity consciousness and healing by guiding others to vocalize and sing through deep empathic attunement within the group field.