Teachers
At Orange County Yoga Studio (OCYS) our teachers are passionate about yoga and love what they do. More importantly, they enroll themselves in regular study and training to deepen their knowledge and hone their teaching skills. Friendly, engaging and compassionate, our teachers strive to guide you in a well-rounded practice that is safe, dynamic and intentional. Each teacher brings their own unique personality to the teachings. We feel blessed to offer classes with these amazing and talented yogis.
Megan Bello
Megan Bello is the studio owner and a full-time yoga teacher. She holds a B.S. in Divinity from the Nizhoni School for Global Consciousness. Before she became a full-time yoga teacher, she was a personal counselor and traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe giving workshops on spirituality and personal growth.
Megan took a keen interest in the human condition at an early age. At 14 she began practicing yoga asanas and pranayama and found that a regular practice led her to experience greater health, well-being, self-confidence and self-awareness. In 1996, she began teaching regularly at her college and discovered her life's work of sharing yoga's benefits with others.
Megan is deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Pune, India three times where she studied with B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta S. Iyengar. She has also studied in depth with Anna Delury, Carolyn Belko, Faeq Biria, Abhijata Iyengar, Sri H.S. Arun, Karin O'Bannon, Gabriella Giubilaro, Paul Cabanis and many other gifted Iyengar yoga instructors.
Megan is YACEP and E-RYT 500 certified through Yoga Alliance and has over 40,000 hrs of teaching experience. Megan's classes emphasize dynamic precision in bodily alignment. In her teaching, she strives to be clear and to inspire students to move beyond self-imposed limitations and discover greater awareness and joy in their lives.
Megan currently teaches yoga at Orange County Yoga Studio and Better Living Yoga. She is part of the Teacher Training at OCYS and the Advanced Teacher Training through Better Living Yoga.
John Manacmul
John Manacmul is the co-owner and yoga teacher at OCYS. He has been practicing yoga for over eight years. Following his initial teacher training at CorePower Yoga, he ventured out from the vinyasa style and explored a more alignment-based approach with Megan Bello at Orange County Yoga Studio. He completed a 300 Hour Advanced Training with Bello in 2013 to further his studies of the asana practice.
The rigor and physicality of vinyasa yoga along with the authenticity, integrity and alignment of Iyengar yoga has strongly influenced John's personal yoga practice and teaching style. Committed to always staying curious and being a student, he has studied with a wide range of yoga teachers including Jason Crandell, Dice Ida-Klein and Kathryn Budig. In 2015, he completed his 500 Hour SmartFLOW teacher training certification under the guidance of his teacher Tiffany Russo and teacher’s teacher Annie Carpenter.
John’s classes are described as energizing, challenging and playful, with a focus on alignment and breath. He is a firm believer that a steady practice leads to transformation and growth - cultivating physical, mental and emotional well-being both on and off the mat.
Elizabeth DeRAAD/Howell
Bio coming soon!
Suzy Gill
Suzy Gill has been practicing yoga since 1987 with extensive study on the primary and advanced series of the Ashtanga yoga practice, through her guru, Tim Miller, of the Ashtanga Yoga Center, Encinitas, California.
She has been teaching yoga since 1994. She has primarily taught for Yoga Works for the past 17 years, as well as a few local, grass roots studios. She has extensive experience of teaching a variety of classes, such as; Ashtanga Yoga -guided and Mysore style (adjustment only) practice, Vinyasa flow, Hatha and Yin yoga.
Today she has combined her knowledge of the study of Ashtanga yoga into her own original choreography in the practice of Vinyasa Flow. In this style of practice her emphasis is on the continuous flow of movement in order to build heat, stamina and focused awareness. It is at that point which she brings attention to a technique-based, research part of the practice, where you will learn through step by step instruction toward some of the more challenging poses.
Her Hatha yoga instruction is focused on alignment, foundation and balance. And, as for her teaching of Yin yoga, she will offer longer held poses in order to bypass the larger muscles of the body so that you can directly penetrate and stimulate the connective tissues. This applied emphasis is in order to remove tension and toxins that build up and store in the major joints and tissues of the body. In Yin yoga, her instruction is on detailed information and explanation of what you might be benefiting from both physically and emotionally.
All ending with a finishing sequence to cool and relax the body and prepare it for rest to restore the body, mind and central nervous system.
In essence, she strives to offer balance, awareness and serenity to a complex understanding of the process of yoga.
Nancy Hand
Nancy took her first yoga class in 1973. Over the years she has tried several styles. About 2003 she stumbled into an Iyengar class and decided to stay. She has done teacher training through YogaWorks. Nancy has also taken classes and workshops with a variety of teachers including Kofi Busia, Denise Thibault, Elise Miller, Bob Metzler, Isabela Fortes, and Manuso Manos.
Joanna Haszek
Inspired by “Light on Yoga,” Joanna took her first yoga class in 2002. Over the years she became a keen student of the Iyengar method and has been fortunate to attend classes and workshops with many gifted senior Iyengar teachers around the world, including her native country, Poland. Since 2015 she is studying under the guidance of Carolyn Belko and shares her experience with the students in a precise and compassionate way. Currently, CIYT Level 1.
“Yoga is a transformative journey for me. It has a different meaning every day - wholeness, discipline, humbleness, discovery, art, empathy, love. It gives courage, clarity and joy. I believe that absolutely everyone is able to explore the gifts yoga has to offer, and see the changes it manifests. Asanas, in their specific shapes and movements are the wonderful field to self exploration. The practice teaches us how to go past our limitations and how to face life challenges.”
Barbara Laird has been a student of yoga for 25 years. She began her studies inSanta Fe, New Mexico and continued when she moved to Los Angeles in 1998. Completing the Yogaworks Teacher Training program in 2000, Barbara was drawn to the Iyengar method.
Barbara has studied with senior Iyengar teachers from around the world and has studied once with the Iyengar family in India. She completed the three year Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training program and was certified in 2011. She earned a Junior teaching certificate in 2016 and taught at the Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles for many years.
Barbara is a long time student of Manouso Manos, continuing to study regularly with him.
She challenges her students to go beyond their perceived limitations with her clear instructions, sense of humor and her profound belief in the transformational nature of yoga.
Susan T Lee
Susan is a former professional ballet dancer, ACE personal trainer, E-RYT500, YACEP yoga instructor, ballet barre, tap dance, Pilates certified, Senior strength training specialist, ACE orthopedic and Parkinson’s specialist and myofascial release certified. Susan competed nationally in gymnastics. She obtained a BS in physical education & kinesiology, a MA in dance and theater arts, and an MBA. She works with adults, special needs clients, athletes, and children.
Megan Mccarver
Megan co-founded Santa Monica Yoga Studio in 1993. She received her Master of Arts Degree – M.F.C.C in 1990 and completed (3) 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs, as well as (2) 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs, one from Yoga Works in Costa Mesa and recently from the Gitananda Tradition, Dr. Ananda Baliyoga Bhavanani as well as becoming a member of the Indian Yoga Association. Megan received her Yoga Therapy Rx Clinical Certificate from Loyola Marymount University. She created and worked as a Yoga Therapist at Orange County Pain and Wellness Center from 2011-2014. She was the assistant to Dr. Lori Fazzio at the Venice Family Clinic for LMU’s Yoga Therapy Rx program in 2012. Today, she is a Program Director, Practicum Supervisor and faculty member at AlcheMe Yoga School, in Irvine California. She also has a small private practice teaching 0ne-0n-0ne and offers several Yoga Vacations per year.
Cindy Shapiro
"Yoga being the philosophy that guides the depth of the soul is the key to awareness beyond the mat."
Cindy Shapiro
Cindy's Yoga journey began over 28 years ago to relieve low back pain during pregnancy. Originally yoga was a physical practice, but learning the many gifts of yoga and meditation on a personal level, she knew she had found a new door opening. A calling to go deeper in the study of yoga, and share the many gifts of yoga with others. After raising her three children she was looking for a fulfilling way of working with others to help them feel good not only on a physical level but on a much deeper level. Yoga provided the balance of what she was wanting to share.
Cindy is E-RYT 500 yoga alliance certified, and has been teaching yoga since 2014. In June of 2018 Cindy completed her Advanced RYT training with Soma Yoga Institute at Better Living Yoga under the guidance of Megan Bello, Alison Scola, Courtney Parkin and Liz Heffernan.
Cindy teaches with an emphasis of breath awareness and safe alignment to guide students into mindful sequencing in her Hatha, Vinyasa, Gentle and Restorative classes. Her classes guide students through connection of body mind and soul of energetic and emotional awareness through love and compassion.
Cindy also teaches mindful meditation, Yoga Nidra and is Reiki 1 & 2 certified.
Cindy loves to teach yoga in group classes, private sessions, workshops, corporate yoga and is looking forward to having you join her classes and workshops.
Simin Vakilzadeh
Simin has been practicing yoga since 1991. She is an Iyengar certified intermediate instructor who studied with Geeta and Prashant Iyengar in Pune, India. In addition to teaching yoga in Iran for 15 years, Simin taught at California Yoga Center in Mountain View, CA for six years, and at the Yoga Circle for two years in Chicago, IL. Her desire to help others fuels her passion for teaching the art and philosophy of Iyengar Yoga.
Joan Chavez
Joan Chavez has been a dedicated student of yoga for 20 years. She is 500 hour certified and has been teaching yoga for 15 years. In her classes, she promotes a positive atmosphere while focusing on alignment, building strength and improving flexibility.
Joan truly loves teaching, especially introducing newcomers to the physical and mental benefits of a yoga practice. As a yoga teacher, Joan does what she does best: connect with people and create positive energy.