balanced | YOGA ... About Us

Donna Winters’ compassion for individuals living with serious illnesses has always been a primary influence in her career. After graduating from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology (minor in psychology), and completing graduate-level courses in human anatomy/physiology and cardiac function, she worked as a radiation oncology administrator. Donna went on to work, for fifteen years, facilitating major changes in the lives of individuals by helping them develop the skills to quit smoking, manage stress, and communicate effectively. This work focused on the philosophical integration of the physical, psychological and spiritual realms. As Donna began to incorporate this integrated philosophy into her own life, she was led down her own personal yoga path.

Donna has studied yoga with Tracy Rich and Ganga White of the White Lotus Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA, where she completed her yoga teacher certification. Tracy and Ganga are known for their eclectic and non-dogmatic approach to yoga, with a philosophy and style that empowers the individual on their own path of inquiry. Many others have had an encouraging influence, including studies with Rodney Yee and Donna Farhi, and Donna’s desire is to share their wisdom with others.

Donna has been teaching yoga in the Columbus area since 1999, and currently shares her experience at her own studio, balancedYOGA.

She often travels to San Diego to visit her son, Jeff.

Om Shanti

Tom Griffith is a licensed massage therapist, certified yoga teacher, photographer, performance artist, and singer. In the early 90's he worked in local theater and went on to become a vocalist in the bands Rymocerous, Lester Smock and the Froglover's Convention, and Secret Soul. In 1998, Tom received his BS in Art History from The Ohio State University. His studies at Ohio State were focused on Buddhist art and iconography which led him to explore the healing arts and movement forms such as yoga and Tai Chi. In 2005, Tom completed the Massage Therapy Certification program at Columbus State and became a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Ohio. Also in 2005, he became a certified yoga instructor through the Yoga on High teacher training program and registered with Yoga Alliance. Currently Tom performs and helps manage the Columbus based dance theater company, Anatomical Scenario Movement Theater. By combining his several years of practice, performance, training and study; Tom offers an approachable, knowledgeable experience to those seeking massage or yoga; for healing and recovery, as preventative healthcare or as an enhancement to their physical and mental performance.

Jordan Robinson discovered the delights of practicing yoga five years ago while teaching Economics in Singapore. She realized immediately after taking her first class that she had found something exceptional, and she has been practicing and exploring yoga ever since. After returning to the States, Jordan moved to Washington, DC, and worked in finance for a year and a half. During that time she began teaching yoga to her co-workers and soon realized that she wanted to teach full-time. In 2004 Jordan participated in a 9-month 1100-hour teacher training program through Yoga Arts in Byron Bay, Australia. The course focused on Ashtanga yoga, but also included instruction in Iyengar, Hatha, and Vinyasa yoga. Jordan graduated from the training program in December 2004 and has been teaching full-time ever since. She is grateful to her first teacher, Celeste Lau, for sharing her love of yoga and her dedication to the Ashtanga practice.

Beaker Prince M.A., RYT has been exploring the body-mind connection since 1996 through the disciplines of Hatha Yoga, Contact Improvisation, and the Alexander Technique. From 1999-2002 she studied with teachers from the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California and their knowledge of form and alignment awakened her enjoyment of the practice and her desire to teach. Her interests in the body-mind connection led her to Columbus to pursue a Master’s degree the Somatic (bodymind) Studies program at OSU, where she began teaching yoga in 2002. She was certified in 2005 from the Integrative Yoga Teacher Training Program under the guidance of Janice George in Columbus, and completed an advanced (500hr) training with Janice George in 2007. She continues to study the therapeutic and somatic aspects of yoga, and is grateful to be able to connect through her teaching with diverse populations of adults, children, and seniors.

Beaker offers herself as a teacher with the intention of giving people tools for authentic well-being in their yoga practice and in daily life. Her classes are designed to guide students away from their habitual tension patterns and towards mindfulness, self-knowledge, deeper understanding of anatomy, and heightened enjoyment of the moving body. Beaker believes in the power of yoga to connect us both to ourselves and to community. With attentiveness, kindness, and gentle humor, she invites students to co- create a warm, inclusive, accessible space for practice and learning.

Kari Djuve recently moved to Columbus from Portland, Oregon where she was certified to teach in 2004 through the Diane Wilson Yoga School. While she has studied various forms of yoga with different teachers, over the past several years, Kari is most grateful to her amazing long-time teacher Diane Wilson who inspired her current creative yoga practice and teaching style which incorporates hatha, kundalini, and kriya yoga.

Kari has a background in dance, psychology, and art. She has an active studio painting practice which informs her yoga practice, particularly in the sense of using meditation to work through change. Kari loves to explore new ways of seeing things, whether it be in her paintings or asanas, and bring a sense of adventure, invention, and humor to her teaching.

She believes that most of us crave more creativity in our lives, and that yoga provides wonderful tools for expanding our self-expressive capacity.

Anne Comarda is a graduate of Todd Norian's Anusara Teacher Training Program. Over the last 7 years, Anne's yogic path has lead her to explore several styles of yoga such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa-Flow, and Anusara. Anne is a licensed independent social worker with experience counseling children and adults using a holistic, strengths-based approach. Her intuitive and compassionate approach to her clinical work is also an asset as she guides her students along their own yogic paths. As a yoga teacher, Anne feels it is important to empower students to open to the wisdom and beauty of their own hearts.

Alex spent seven years studying the martial art Tang Soo Do before receiving a black belt from the World Tang So Do association in 1995. In the martial arts she discovered strength, discipline, and focus in mind and body. She continued her practice until her enrollment in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she found her inspiration and belief that each of us houses a divine force of creativity that seeks unique expression.

After graduation, she found yoga in a beach house on the New Jersey shore. She and her childhood friends spent a year in New Jersey, painting, writing, and teaching themselves yoga out of an old book. They did shoulder stands and head stands on the rooftop with their toes stretching to the sky.

After a bit of beach-house-hopping Alex found herself in Cincinnati where she discovered an Ashtanga studio down the street. She quickly became a dedicated student discovering that there were yet more regions of consciousness to explore. In 2005 she received her 200 hour teacher training certification from "It's Yoga" Cincinnati. She took to teaching quickly and naturally. Drawing on her roots in the martial and creative arts Alex seeks to create a lighthearted and playful atmosphere in the classroom where her students can play the edges of strength and surrender in a safe and supportive environment. Alex encourages her students to find their own expression through the practice of yoga, constructing new habits of thought and movement that will extend beyond the yoga mat.

Elizabeth Miller, RYT500 is a certified yoga teacher through the American Viniyoga Institute and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has been practicing yoga for nine years, and has studied extensively with many renowned teachers including Gary Kraftsow, and others. Like many, Elizabeth's path to yoga came from a desire to become healthier in body, mind, and spirit after a challenging life experience. In addition to her yogic studies, Elizabeth also holds certification in Thai Yoga Massage from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

Elizabeth worked for many years with the Omega Institute and The Crossings. Through these progressive centers of education, she has been able to learn and incorporate seeds of wisdom from many traditions in her classes and private sessions.

Elizabeth's gentle, yet powerful, teaching style helps students accept themselves as they are and uncover their sacred perfection. Following an ancient tradition honoring the five dimensions of humanity, Elizabeth weaves a class that touches the physical, mental, energetic, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of our being.

Zoe Rabinowitz, a professional dancer and certified yoga instructor, has dedicated her entire life to the movement arts, receiving a BFA in Dance from the Fordham/Ailey Program in New York City in addition to studying and performing ballet, modern and West African techniques on three different continents for over 15 years. Recently moved to Columbus from NYC, Zoe has been teaching yoga for over two years, bringing to her classes the sense of movement, innovative sequencing, and attention to alignment which she has cultivated in her own practice. Influenced by her study of Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, choreography and improvisation, Zoe aims to design a fun and creative class, encouraging laughter and falling down on the path to self-discovery.