Instructors

Linda Pushkin- Suffin is the founder and owner of Inner Power Yoga Studio, established in Calabasas and part of the San Fernando Valley for almost  25 years. With over thirty five years of yoga experience, her desire to help others create a healthier lifestyle began with earning her undergrad degree in Philosophy followed by a bachelors and  Masters’ Degree in  Food Science and Nutrition. Her deep passion for yoga, combined with her desire to create and be a part of a mindful and spiritual community, lead to the birth of Inner Power Yoga, and her passion for teaching others for the past 30 years.

Linda believes that bridging awareness of how we practice on the mat physically, with how we support our mental and spiritual health, is  key to finding true balance and contentment off the mat in our daily lives. She hopes to inspire students of all ages to be more mindful and conscious, be less competitive and critical,  and to pay closer attention to how our actions, thoughts and intentions affect  ourselves and those around us. Each day is a gift... and should never be without  taking  a moment to find some gratitude.

I first discovered the power of Yoga while taking a feminine dance class over a decade ago. It incorporated elements of Ashtanga yoga mixed with large circular movements. Thinking I was there for a work out, I was gifted an unexpected emotional release I never knew was possible. 

All it took was a simple hip opening stretch to propel me on my journey. I immersed myself in many different movement trainings with an emphasis on sensual stretching and hip opening movements. I'm also a proud graduate of IPY's 200 hour teacher training program.

I absolutely love all types of music and take great pride in creating playlists to inspire and motivate. You can expect a playful mix of luxurious stretches, challenging core work and plenty of permission to take up space!

I look forward to meeting you on the mat.

As a child I loved sitting in the full lotus, practicing bandhas (who knew) and doing western yoga, gymnastics. In my early 20’s I began practicing yoga from books, TV and soon thereafter, at several ashrams in India. When I returned home from India I was inspired to design a program to teach yoga and meditation at S.F. County Jail. 

Twenty years later I began the earnest study of yoga with the top teachers in Los Angeles and the world. In 1999, after substituting one class,3 different studios offered me time slots and a full-time gig as yoga teacher. After eight years I was inspired, by Annie Carpenter, to discover what I didn’t know (which proved to be significant) and become legitimate by taking the YW Teacher Training. 

What I love most about teaching is the opportunity that I am afforded to create an immersive transformative environment where others get to awaken in the here and now and discover the transcendental power of yoga in their lives.

 Yoga is not only how we practice, but it’s who we are and how we live our lives - all life is Yoga.

My yoga journey made me a better person and gave me a deeper mind/body connection that I barely touched before. I seek to enlighten my students with their own energy and give them the same deep connection with their inner power and their body that is so magical to me. I trained in the art of yoga as well as yoga for youths with trauma, for this very reason.

I always say in my classes to look into yourself and your practice only with love, with gratitude and never with judgment. I believe there is a special moment you get to find on your mat - with your alignment and with your breath - where you can finally reach that deeper level and really start loving yourself. Only then can you start letting go of any judgement and be grateful. It’s a moment of pure energy, and I can’t believe I get to be so lucky as to be part of yours.

Just breathe… namaste🙏

Kristen Eykel Cht. began her training in 1990 in Shamanism, Hypnotherapy & Reiki, and developed her practice to become a Karuna Reiki/ Holy Fire II Master Teacher, Kundalini & Master Yoga Teacher, Author, Public Speaker, and Pregnancy/ Birth / Labor Expert. 

Kristen has been interviewed by & featured on the cover of numerous publications including Yoga Journal, Fit Pregnancy, LA Weekly, Health Magazine, & The Chicago Tribune. Creator of 6 yoga DVDs including the bestseller, “Yoga for your Pregnancy”, she continues to create trainings and courses for personal evolution both in person and online.

Dave holds a 200 hour Yoga Alliance teacher training certificate from IPY and is currently enrolled in a 300 hour Yoga teacher training. Recently he became a world paddle board instructor and a SUP yoga instructor.

Dave has several black belts and is currently studying IAIDO (Traditional Japanese Samurai Sword) and SHIN SHIN MUGENDO (Traditional Japanese Mixed Martial Arts). In his day job Dave is a MASTER Weapons and Tactics Instructor for a SWAT Team.

Guided by values of growth, authenticity, and curiosity Sydney Rose Burger embodies the role of the teacher with her compassionate and vivacious spirit.  

After being immersed in the culture and philosophy of Yoga while completing her Yoga Teacher 

Training, with a specialty in Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga), she feels called to share her knowledge with open-minded self-healers wanting to gain a sense of peace by practicing yoga on and off of the mat! 

You can follow her on

 Instagram & TikTok

 @dharanaworld. 

I have been practicing yoga for over 20 years. In 2007, after completing their kids yoga teacher training I started teaching kids yoga at IPY and after school enrichment programs at local elementary schools . In 2010, I completed my 200 hour adult certification through Inner Power.

My goal for students of all ages is to create a safe and nurturing environment where the healing seeds of yoga can take root and flourish so that each one of us can connect to our own magnificent nature. As I approach each class with playful enthusiasm, imagination and love I am forever in awe of the creative and joyful spirits I encounter seeing that the one true teacher lies within us all.

Namaste, Karen

 My name is Faye Sokolsky. I am a Southern California native. I completed my 200 hour teacher training at inner power yoga in 2020. I teach 5 classes a week at inner power. 

I believe anyone can do yoga. I primarily teach gentle and restorative classes. My goal is to remind my students to be patient with themselves on and off the mat accepting where they are at on any give day.

Thank you and Namaste 🙏 

My name is Betty and I’m pleased to welcome you to Inner Power Yoga. After completing my Yoga certification here, I immediately fell in love with the profession. I have been practicing Yoga for over thirty years and am so grateful to share my teachings with you. 

My classes are indented for advanced students, however, we provide a safe environment and everyone is welcome to join. If you’re interested in a fun and lively yoga class with a phenomenal atmosphere, my classes are for you. Looking for some daily motivation and yoga inspiration? 

Follow my insta! 

@bettylovesyoga 

I've been teaching yoga for over five years now. Yoga has transformed my life in many ways - I started a successful yoga t-shirt business, I'm blessed with three amazing kids, and I now call California home.

 The practice of yoga has been an incredible journey for my body, mind, and soul. I have had the privilege of learning from some of the best teachers in the field, including Linda and Wayne from Inner Power Yoga. But what I love most about yoga is the community of people who share the practice with me.

Stephanie Blau is a dedicated yoga teacher with 7 years of experience. She completed her teacher training at Inner Power Yoga and specializes in teaching power yoga classes. 

Known for her upbeat and energizing playlists, Stephanie's classes are a fusion of physical and mental wellness. Her background as a psychotherapist also enables her to emphasize the connection between the mind and body in her yoga practice.

I initially found my way to the physical practice of yoga following a sports related injury that resulted in surgery. The practice began as a humbling struggle but eventually I got hooked.

I have a Masters and Doctorate in clinical psychology and have been a psychotherapist since 1992. Through this practice of yoga, asana and meditation, I discovered that the exploration of the physical body leads to a deeper connection to one’s inner world and eventually to those spiritual threads, whatever we may call them, which connect all of us.

 I am privileged to have deepened my understanding of yoga through my training at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center and am a registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level, certified by the Yoga Alliance. As I continue to progress and learn, my hope is to share with others the magnificent bliss that comes with discovery and the excitement of realizing that discovery is never ending. 

I have been cycling my yoga relationship for 30+ years as I’ve moved through this thing called life.  A last minute yoga retreat to Ischia with a couple of friends had me falling in love with the practice again in a deeper way which led me to Inner Power Yoga and spontaneously enrolling into the fall teacher training in 2022.  My goal was to study, gain knowledge, be open and grow personally in my own yoga wanderings on and off the mat. Unexpectedly, teaching tugged at my heart and made my insides smile along with my outsides so, I began guiding classes in early 2023. 

I take pride in a curated playlist, creating heat in a grounding environment and sprinkling in some challenging moments within a creative sequence.  Come as you are, take up space, expand your heart, breathe, make some cool shapes, get taller (I’ve actually gained 1” - for real!) and enjoy the after yoga bliss. 

In this ever-evolving practice, I strive to meet each student where they are, and make sure that we have fun as they learn and grow. With each practice my intention is to create a welcoming environment that inspires and empowers my students to find balance within their personal practice as well as their own lives.

Each class is expressed in a simple and tangible way. Supporting each student in finding a sense of "effortlessness" where mind, body and breath are one. 

Care, kindness and connection is where I begin my class, along with the belief that yoga is for everyone. 

Looking forward to practicing with you! 

Tori Robinson has been a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance since 2018. She completed her yoga teacher training at Inner Power Yoga, a Registered Yoga School (RYS). Her philosophy is that yoga asana is for EVERY person, and she teaches yoga asana as an engaged observer offering individualized suggestions to each practitioner. All levels will benefit from her classes. Safe alignment and finding joy in the practice are emphasized.

Tori was introduced to yoga asana by her teacher and friend, Wayne Lehrer in 2009. Since that time, she has explored other styles of yoga, most recently Iyengar Yoga. She very much enjoys sharing her love, curiosity and discoveries of yoga in a like-minded community.

Over a decade ago, Kathrin found yoga on her journey to heal physically, mentally and spiritually. The intense physical challenges became the catalyst to her deep and consistent yoga practice. She transformed her weaknesses into her strengths.  

Her architectural background and engineering mindset helped her to gain a deep understanding of human anatomy and alignment. 

Kathrin has been teaching the healing benefits of yoga and serving a wide and diverse community. Her students come from all backgrounds and walks of life - doctors, chiropractors and athletes.

 She focuses on observing the mechanism, alignment and structural integrity of the physical human body in order to give anyone access to use yoga to better their health and wellness.

Kathrin is also a trained energy healer as a Reiki Level 3 Practitioner and uses her intuitive gifts to give individualized attention and support to each of her students at the level they are. 

Teaching how to open the vital life force of the body is her goal for everyone. Kathrin’s foundation is a balanced yoga practice of Yin and Yang. 

Yang energy - a Strengthening practice is to reduce physical pain and gain strength in the muscles and Yin energy - a relaxing and rejuvenating practice to calm the nervous system and relieve anxiety and depression, to work into the deep muscle tissue and fascia around the organs.

Kathrin will help you to connect within, drop into your body, allow yourself to just be, to help you to accept where you are at and to surrender in the moment and breathe. 

“Breath - Movement will come.

Move - Stillness will arrive.

Melt - Form will evolve.

Be - The Door will open.”

- Unknown -

YOGIC education:

- 200TT with Inner Power Yoga

- Reiki Level #3 Energy Healer

- Prenatal Yoga Teacher

- Aerial Yoga Teacher in training

Little did I know when I walked in the doors of a yoga studio how powerfully my life was about to alter.  As my body found balance, strength and flexibility my life began to walk hand in hand with these shifts and changes. The transformation I experienced inspired me in 2019 to complete my 200 hour certification at Inner Power Yoga to share the journey and freedom that yoga offers.

My hunger for a deeper understanding of the workings of the mind brought me to train with Higher Brain Living founder Dr. Michael Cotton completing both basic and advanced training in 2018.  And in 2022 I completed my 100 certification to teach “Grief Yoga.”

As a professional actress/story teller for over 25 years I love combining all my skills and I am deeply grateful to yoga for opening a path to a deeper, more whole and integrated expression of myself. 

I am inspired to share my skills and life experience in offering a flow class with an emphasis on “soft and strong” integrating strength and flexibility with inspired self -love. 

www.beyouromuse.com

www.abbycraden.com

#abby_craden

“Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” Rumi