Little Buddha Family Yoga Center

Co-Directors

Jennifer Hill (right) earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville College and has been in the field of early childhood education for fifteen years. Jennifer spent ten years at World Cup Nursery School and Kindergarten where she taught children in mainstream classrooms and those with a full range of special needs. She taught music and movement for two years and supervised the teaching staff. Jennifer has combined her love of teaching children with her passion for yoga. Her children's yoga certifications include: Next Generation Yoga for Kids teacher training, Baby Om Pre and Post-Natal teacher training, Yoga for the Special Child teacher training, and Yoga Ed., a nationally recognized yoga curriculum currently being implemented in public schools across the U.S.

Ophira Herman (left) has been teaching children for the past ten years and is in the process of completing her Masters Degree in early childhood development at Bank Street College of Education. Ophira worked with infants and mothers at Rockefeller University Childcare Center and taught an art program to preschoolers. She also taught twos and threes at Toddler Time Nursery School in New York City. Ophira has been practicing yoga for several years and is excited to be teaching children the magic of yoga. Her children's yoga certifications include: Next Generation Yoga for Kids teacher training, Baby Om Pre and Post-Natal teacher training, and Yoga for the Special Child teacher training.

Laurie Luongo has been a student of yoga for over twenty-five years. She is a Kripalu certified yoga instructor and draws from many styles in her teaching, including Anusara, and Kundilini yoga. Breath work and relaxation techniques are an integral part of her classes. Her most inspirational teacher was Sherri Baptiste, in San Anselmo, CA, who emphasized aligment and flow. Laurie enjoys teaching all ages, and her passion is working with pre-teens, teens and adults. She has taught yoga for two years at John Jay Middle School as an adjunct to their Physical Educational program. She has done graduate work in Zoology, and is a certified massage therapist, both of which contribute in her methodology.

Jennifer has been an avid practitioner of yoga for over 15 years, as well as a professional mixed media artist, printmaker and designer. For Jennifer, yoga has always been like the art she creates: a boundless expression of passion, grace, imagination and strength. Her teaching style emphasizes the physical, intellectual and emotional benefits of yoga and meditation both in personal practice and integrated into our daily lives. Jennifer is a graduate of the OM Yoga Center 200-hour teacher training program under the direction of Gina Norman, Cyndi Lee and David Nichtern at Om Yoga Center in Manhattan and Greenwich yoga. She also trains with Nevine Michaan of Katonah Yoga: a beautiful synthesis of classical Taoist Chinese theory and traditional hatha yoga postures and meditation. Her interests and studies blossom daily, from art and yoga to music and meditation. She is forever grateful to voyage on this beautiful earth.