Yoga Teachers
Sona Desai Buchanan
Week 1 + 3: Yoga History & Bhagavad Gita
Week 8: Ayurveda
Sona Desai Buchanan (she/her), E-RYT 500
Sona is a devoted yoga educator and facilitator with roots in Gujarat, India. Born on Wurundjeri land (colonized as Melbourne, Australia) and raised on Lumbee land (Raleigh, NC) Sona’s yoga journey began during her formative years, with bedtime stories that were sacred scriptures (shastra), morning worship (puja) accompanied by chanting of mantra, daily ayurvedic rituals and years of studying Indian folk and classical dance. In 2004, she began a hatha yoga practice to balance the intensity of being a college student and dancer. About a decade later, she shifted focus to mantra, restorative yoga and yoga nidra practices in order to heal and prepare her body for motherhood.
Sona received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Anthropology from New York University. She completed her 200 hr teacher training at Kripalu Yoga and her 300 hour advanced training at 8 Limbs Yoga Center. She has offered yoga education for 14 years and led yoga teacher training nationally for the last 6. Her ancestral teachings combined with the lived experiences of growing up in a brown body in the South, learning to thrive after complex childhood trauma and serving as a military spouse have all shaped her deep interest in intersectionality, trauma and social justice. Sona feels compelled and inspired to share these practices and philosophies in a way that is accessible to everyone while advocating for equity and inclusivity in yoga spaces and the greater community. In addition, decolonizing Western yoga means holding tension and space to uphold the integrity, reverence and depth of yoga and Ayurveda while meeting students as they are, both in their humanness and beingness.
Sona resides on the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Manso people and the Piro-Manso-Tiwa tribe as well as the shared traditional lands of the Suma, Jumano, Jocome, Mescalero Apache, Warm Springs Apache, Chiricahua Apache, Jano, Conchas, Manso, Piro, Tapaxkolmeh, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Tortugas and other indigenous people through time with her husband, baby girl and pup. You can find out more about Sona here.
Kilty Inafuku
Hands-on Adjustments
Bio coming…
Shannon Kaneshige
Week 2: Making Yoga Accessible to All Bodies
Shannon Kaneshige (they/them) is a yoga practitioner, educator, fat activist, and sociologist. As a 500 RYT, they have become known for their expertise in teaching diverse body types and creating options for folks of all mobility levels. They are passionate about helping folks of all sizes, genders, and abilities take up space on and off the mat.
Shannon currently lives on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples in what is now known as Toronto with their partner and child. They hold a master's degree in sociology from Roosevelt University and are a registered yoga teacher, teaching public classes and other instructors. You can find them at fringeish.com.
Stephanie Keiko Kong
Week 4 + 7: Sanskrit
Bio Coming…
Jonelle Lewis
Week 9: Yoga and Entreprenuership
Jonelle is a yoga teacher, practitioner, mentor & teacher trainer. She is trained in Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin/Restorative Qi Gong & Meditation/Mindfulness.
She’s obsessed with movement and spiritual studies which makes her an eternal student. Jonelle practices yoga as part of her path to awakening, healing & liberation; she invites her students to do the same. She teaches yoga as an anti-oppression, pro-unity & social justice practice.
You can practice with her online through Apple’s global platform Fitness+ or in person at Empowered Yoga Studio in Los Angeles. She is also one of the co-founders of a 300 hour advanced teacher training, Radical Darshan.
Jonelle is part of the movement to make yoga and wellness equitable, diverse, & anti-racist. She believes 'Yoga is for EVERYBODY'
IG: jonelleyoga
Oneika Mays
Week 10 + 12: Teaching and Disrupting with Love
Oneika Mays, she/her, LMT, E-RYT, is a multi-hyphenate facilitator who leads with joy, passion, and wisdom. She is a grounded leader with lived experience that centers on mindfulness and transformation. As a Black, queer feminist she brings a poignant lens to building a world that is more compassionate and understanding. With deep roots and knowledge in Buddhist and yogic teachings, Oneika delivers practical application and authentic connection through her facilitation skills. With openness and vulnerability, she facilitates the space to talk about change and embrace every part of ourselves.
Oneika has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years, and guiding yoga and meditation for more than a decade. Since then, she has used her knowledge to support social justice nonprofits and historically excluded communities. She served as the Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for 4 years and is currently a teacher for Yoga International, an inclusive and accessible online studio with classes designed for every level of practice.
Oneika’s ability to take big ideas and distill them down into understandable and relatable learnings allows her to show up as a conduit for transformation. She is your teacher, your auntie, your friend, and an intuitive soul here for the work of personal and collective liberation. From mindfulness and movement classes to keynote addresses and board meetings, Oneika consistently delivers a practical application of transformative practices at the intersection of joy and disruption. Book Oneika as your next wellness speaker, yoga teacher trainer, or retreat guide at: www.OneikaMays.com. Join her movement to tap into joy and change the world by connecting with her on Instagram at @OneikaMays.
About Oneika
Who I Am: Oneika is a multi-hyphenate facilitator who leads with joy, passion, and wisdom in all her endeavors. She is a grounded leader with lived experience that centers on mindfulness and transformation. As a Black, queer feminist she brings a poignant lens to building a world that is more compassionate and understanding.
What I Do: With deep roots and knowledge in Buddhist and yogic teachings, Oneika delivers practical application and authentic connection through her facilitation skills. With openness and vulnerability, she facilitates the space to talk about change and embrace every part of ourselves.
What Makes Me Unique: Oneika’s ability to take big ideas and distill them down into understandable and relatable learnings allows her to show up as a conduit for transformation. She is your teacher, your auntie, your friend, and an intuitive soul here for the work of personal and collective liberation.
What Folks Receive: From mindfulness and movement classes to keynote addresses and board meetings, Oneika consistently delivers a practical application of transformative practices at the intersection of joy and disruption.
Mission Statement:
Joy is a revolution, and our collective liberation is meant to be experienced with a full, open heart. It is Oneika’s mission to be her whole self, and with that authenticity, invite others into their own journey of mindfulness and transformation. When we get closer to ourselves, we can begin to see other people. Then with confidence, humility, and practical application, we can transcend our limitations to foster meaningful connection and change the world around us.
Bio Statement:
Teacher Writer Speaker Activist Human
Cultivating community thru joyful transformation
Suma Metla
Week 2, 3, 5: Anatomy and Āsana
Originally from Lakeland Florida, Suma has been practicing yoga and Bharatnatyam (Indian classical dance) since she was a young child. She grew up in a Hindu household which emphasized the importance of pranayama and the teachings of yoga. Over the years, she’s been able to share her culture and her love of dance through performances with Disney World, Cirque du Soleil, and many other events.
Currently, Suma is a yoga teacher, pediatric physical therapist, and infant massage coach. She is deeply dedicated to supporting infants and children with special needs in the Hawaii community. You can also find her treating children and educating families through her practice, Three Little Ducks. Suma believes that yoga can be for anyone, anybody, and any age!
Personal IG: @suma_metla
Tejal Patel
Week 7: The Perfection of Yoga and White Supremacy Culture
Tejal (she/her/hers) is a first-generation Indian American yoga teacher, writer, podcaster, and community organizer.
Tejal aims to educate and empower individuals and communities around the world by teaching yoga through a social justice lens. She founded Tejal Yoga, a revolutionary virtual South Asian teacher-led yoga community focused on social justice actions and authentic, culturally-rooted yoga-based practices. She is co-lead of the Yoga is Dead Team which offers a podcast questioning who and what killed yoga, workshops and training about cultural appropriation, and live events about the issues with modern yoga. She created the abcdyogi village, an interactive, global community where South Asian yoga & mindfulness teachers offer education to all students.
Tejal Yoga Online: Revolutionize your home practice | Reserve space
Yoga Is Dead podcast: Exposing the yoga industry | Listen now
abcdyogi community: A hub for healing and learning | Learn more
Tiger Rahman
Week 10: Cycles of Socialization and Liberation
Tiger Rahman (they/he) is a Black, queer, transmasculine yoga and astrology practitioner, and a full-time organizational strategist, researcher and analyst with a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning from George Washington University. Tiger started graduate school to learn more about addressing the breakdown of knowledge and learning that happens within groups and organizations, and came out with a realization of the pivotal role of mindful leadership in shifting our status quo into a world where humanity can survive and thrive. They completed their 500 hours of yoga teaching training in 2020 with Susanna Barkataki (300 hour) and Stacy Berry (200 hour).
To Tiger, organizations and groups are the cornerstone of human social life, and self-leadership is what guides our action. Their project “Live Your Own Life” is a call for all individuals to set aside the ways of thinking we’ve adopted without critical analysis and go deeper to rediscover our power, purpose, and infinite potential for contribution. Tiger facilitates this through heartful reflection, contemplation of yogic philosophy, and continuous self study. Follow Tiger @liveyourown.life on Instagram or check out their writing and class offerings at www.liveyourown.life.
Sunaina Rangnekar
Week 8: Bhakti
Sunaina Madhav Dasi (they/them) is a multidimensional human that holds many identities. They immigrated from Bangalore, India in 1996 and are currently settled on the ancestral lands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Nations. Sunaina is a mixed race person (Indo-Aryan and Dravidian) and speaks Tamil as their mother-tongue. Their yoga practice is deeply rooted in Hinduism, Bhakti and social justice. They follow the lineage and teachings of their ancestors and Sri Paramahamsa Vishwananda as they took initiation into Hari Bhakta Sampradaya. Sunaina uses their neurodivergent superpowers to create a more community-centered world that focuses on individual healing by embracing one's unique purpose. They believe that the answer is already within us when we choose self-love, accountability and awareness. With their unique lens of the yogic path, Sunaina creates spaces to reclaim traditional practices, decolonize minds and abolish oppressive systems that affect us at an energetic and societal level. Outside of their practice they enjoy modeling, photography, dancing and directing photo shoots!