OUR TRAINING INSTRUCTORS

HEATHER PRETE

Heather Prete is a UCLA certified Mindfulness facilitator, Self-Compassion teacher, and Mindfulness in Recovery coach. She began her formal training with Tibetan Compassion practices in 1998 and has received instruction in the U.S. and Asia. Heather spent time training PhDs at the Tarzana Treatment center and working as a guiding teacher for Mindful School’s online adult courses (which were featured in Time magazine’s cover story, “The Mindful Revolution”). She also worked with those in recovery at Alternatives Treatment Center, Westside Treatment, and BLVD Centers. Heather also spent 20 years in the theater. She is published in the book Remembering Arthur Miller and has been featured in The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, Time magazine, and Times of India. Since mindfulness transformed her own creative process, she’s worked with actors through the Khan Institute to teach her program, “Mindfulness for the Actor.” Since 2000, Heather has remained committed to yearly retreats ranging from seven to 30 days in length and has completed three teacher trainings. She also sells her paintings to the lovely residents of Los Angeles.

JEANNE HEILEMAN

Jeanne Heileman, MA, 500-ERYT, ParaYoga Level II Certified, was introduced to yoga as a dancer and actress. Facing ongoing pain from scoliosis, yoga provided tools for physical realignment and acceptance of difficulties.  She has studied extensively in the styles of Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara, ParaYoga, Vini and Tantra Yoga; each adding a new perspective and insight to the practice.  In her quest for a deeper and meaningful connection to all that yoga has to offer, she began studying meditation, initially in the Buddhist tradition and eventually on the Tantric path. Her main teachers are Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual leader for the Himalayan Institute under Swami Rama and the living lineage of Sri Vidya; Yogarupa Rod Stryker, the founder of ParaYoga; and Sally Kempton, a teacher from the Kashmir Shaivism lineage.  Jeanne has been a dedicated meditator since 2001 and has spent months in India on pilgrimages dedicated to her practice.

Jeanne teaches with sensitivity, generosity of spirit and a good dose of humor. A safe haven is created for students to dive deep, find their edge, and transform. She specializes in discovering the needs of an individual and gently guiding each student to their own grace and balance. Founder of Tantra Flow Yoga™, Jeanne brings together over 35 years of practice and over 24 years of teaching experience into a style of yoga inclusive of asana, Ayurveda, mindfulness, with the added focus of one’s radiant energy.

Jeanne tours internationally, teaching her teacher trainings, workshops and retreats, and is also a guest teacher for many other yoga schools. Based in Los Angeles, she is a featured teacher for International Yoga, teaches regular online yoga and meditation classes with YogaWorks and Vistara Flow.

SHARON BROCK

Sharon Brock is an LA-based, certified Mindfulness Facilitator, trained at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. She is also a trained teacher of UCSD’s research-based course: Mindful Self Compassion. Sharon studied Biopsychology as an undergrad at UCSB, and has two master’s degrees in Education (UCSB) and Journalism (Columbia University). She is also the author of the book The LOVEE Method: 5 Mindful Steps to Emotional Resilience, launching Spring 2021, where she shares how her mindfulness practice helped her to overcome a life-threatening health crisis. Combining Eastern yoga and meditation philosophies with Western neuroscience and biopsychology research, Sharon teaches mindfulness from the intersection of science and spirituality. Sharon teaches mindfulness courses online, at corporations and meditation studios, and with private clients as a mindfulness coach.

TAL RABINOWITZ

Tal Rabinowitz is founder & CEO of DEN Meditation and host of DENtalks Podcast. She knows a thing or two about the importance of maintaining perspective, finding clarity, and staying true to one’s heart when handling a chaotic life. After leaving her job as Executive VP of Comedy Development at NBC, the nearly 20 year entertainment industry executive created the DEN Meditation in Los Angeles, in hopes of giving people a comfortable, no-pressure environment where they can meditate. Tal has been featured on the cover of MINDFUL Magazine, and the DEN has been featured in both the LA and NY Times, Cosmopolitan, MindBodyGreen, Well + Good, Harper’s Bazaar, Bustle, Pop Sugar and many more. Continually trying to help people grow and evolve, Tal teaches Kundalini Yoga & Meditation and is certified KRI Level 1 where she was unbelievably fortunate to be trained under the following masters: Tej Khalsa and Guru Jas of White Sun.

NICOLE TAYLOR

Nicole Taylor is dedicated to supporting individuals in their personal transformation and spiritual growth. Using a blend of meditation, yoga, mind/body awareness, and Ayurvedic principles, Nicole facilitates transformative offerings on self-care. She helps people fill their lives with more connection, and bring more of their whole self forward every day. Nicole is a 500-hour certified yoga teacher, a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher, and a graduate of the Hendricks Institute’s Big Leap Coach program and Leadership and Transformation program. She is a NAMA-certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor. She is on the faculty of Foundation for Conscious Living’s Restoring Resourcefulness Program and the Billions Institute Fellowship. She has facilitated wellness instruction for Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Barnes Foundation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Penn Center for Community Health Workers, and Mural Arts Foundation.

SCOTT TUSA

Scott Tusa is a Buddhist teacher and musician. He teaches Buddhism and meditation classes, workshops, and retreats nationally and supports Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s Pundarika Sangha as a practice advisor. He trained as a Buddhist monastic in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for nine years, and has developed his Buddhist studies and practice under an array of well-respected Tibetan Buddhist masters and in a variety of solitary meditation retreats since his early twenties. Through his down to earth approach, Scott makes meditation more approachable and acts as a bridge for modern spiritual seekers.