Purusha Team
The Purusha team consists of extraordinary individuals who enrich our community with their diverse backgrounds, education, and experiences. Each member contributes their unique strengths to empower others through movement, cultivate meaningful connections, and ignite journeys toward holistic wellness.
Jen Betti, Partner
Growing up studying intensive ballet, Jen found the dance studio a refuge to explore creativity, dedicated practice, and a community with aligned values. Practicing Pilates for the past 20 years has been a natural extension of all the ballet training, and once again, she found a studio community to be a touchstone. Jen has an over 20-year career in corporate communications, in both the non-profit and technology sectors, focused on supporting work cultures where diversity is embraced, and employees have a safe place to do their best work. In addition, Jen is a founding member of a San Francisco education non-profit aimed to empower communities for change in public education. Finding herself as a new leader of Purusha Studio, Jen has had a full-circle journey. She brings her professional and community activism experience to her passion for fostering a supportive community to the role.
Kopal Maheshwari, Partner
Kopal was first introduced to yoga in a way she didn’t fully recognize. Her grandmother would guide her grandchildren to sit in a particular posture after meals to aid digestion—only later did Kopal realize it was a yoga pose. As a young adult, she discovered the profound connection between breath and movement and has been practicing ever since. Kopal’s journey has taken many twists and turns, from a corporate career and becoming a mother of three to discovering a passion for entrepreneurship. Most recently, she has prioritized her spiritual and physical well-being with herbalism and meditation. Yoga and breathwork have been a source of balance and grounding for Kopal through every phase. Kopal relies on this experience to guide Purusha Studio as a new leader into its next chapter and to help the community grow in wellness.
Joy Ravelli, Founder, Master Teacher
Joy founded Purusha Yoga in 1999 in Massachusetts. She then launched the Purusha Seva Project in 2009 and opened Purusha Studio in San Francisco in 2010. A dedicated yogi, Joy has been honored to study personally with many profound yet simple teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, John Featherstone, Anodea Judith, and Anna Halprin. Joy’s practice has been a lifelong journey of realizing and enjoying the common ground of practices and people worldwide, including America, Tibet, Thailand, Hawaii, and Nepal. For over 25 years, Joy has led workshops, retreats, and yoga teacher trainings worldwide. In November 2024, Joy handed over leadership for the next phase of Purusha Studio’s evolution. Joy now focuses on writing and teaching and continues to be a part of the Purusha and broader community here in San Francisco.
Hannah Williams, Studio Manager
Hannah (200HR, she/her) began to practice yoga in 2018 as part of a somatic therapeutic journey. Since then, she has become a dedicated student and teacher of Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga styles, and aims to provide her community with accessible and trauma-informed holistic care. Her current platform – Activate, Home for the Political Yogi– seeks to re-engage the modern yoga movement with an anti-oppressive social justice framework, honoring the call for unity at the heart of the practice. Born and raised in Oakland, Hannah is delighted to be in San Francisco and grateful to join the Purusha community. She looks forward to seeing you on the mat!
Allegra Bautista
Allegra classically trained at the San Francisco Ballet and began practicing yoga in 2016. She received her 200 HR Yoga Teaching Training from Purusha Yoga School. In her teaching, she aspires to bring creativity, light, and a positive, nurturing environment to her classes, encouraging students to feel strong, grounded, clear, and joyful.
Andrea Rodriguez
Andrea Rodriguez is a Balanced Body Comprehensive Instructor and multidisciplinary movement artist with over 20 years of experience in Afro-Latin dance and fitness. She discovered Pilates while performing in Disney’s Viva Navidad Parade, where daily mat and reformer classes helped her stay strong through 600+ shows on concrete. This sparked a passion that led her to complete the Comprehensive Pilates training along with CoreAlign and Foot & Gait courses at EHS Pilates. Andrea teaches a wide range of formats including Barre, TRX, Circuit, Zumba, and Afro-Latin dance, blending high-intensity, low-impact movement with a focus on alignment and anatomy. Beyond the studio, she has worked as a producer and designer for the Zumba Fitness Video games, and is a two-time San Francisco Arts Commission Artist Grant recipient for her multimedia dance production “La Rumba No Para,” a salsa love story about growing up in San Francisco. Join Andrea’s class for a soulful workout set to a sultry playlist that is designed to challenge your body, elevate your spirit, and remind you that movement is medicine.
Anita Parsa
Anita fell in love with Pilates during her first class. She sensed that she could deepen her experience with her own practice and bring the magic of the this system of movement to others by becoming an instructor, so she completed a 500++ hour comprehensive Pilates teacher training program which included reformer, mat, Cadillac, springboard, ladder barrel and spine corrector. Anita’s goal in her classes is to give clients a full body flow filled with joy for the ability to move and challenging exercises to improve balance, strength and flexibility.
Annie Dee
Annie began her yoga journey in 2019, quickly discovering the power of presence and the grace it can bring on (and off) the mat. Finding solace in yoga, she was drawn to deepen her practice at Purusha Yoga School, graduating from their 200-Hour YTT. Playful in spirit, she approaches her classes with joy and lightheartedness, offering a safe space to be playful and curious.
Brad Xu
Brad started practicing yoga in 2011 and recently graduated from Purusha’s 200 hour yoga training program. He learns from Taoism, Buddhism and Stoicism to practice balances in Yoga and Life. He invites you to join his quest to explore power and calmness and eventually blend them together in harmony.
Chelsea Spicer
Chelsea “Spice” Spicer is a San Francisco- and Seattle-based Yoga Teacher, Soundbath Practitioner, Wellness Event Producer, and Ceremonialist who specializes in cyclical living practices. Like many, Spice began her yoga practice as a healing modality. After a pedestrian vs. pickup truck accident, yoga not only helped her get back into her body, but was also the catalyst for a much deeper mind-body connection that initiated her lifelong Yoga journey. Chelsea continued her personal yoga practice in Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin Yoga for 7 years before making the decision to further her commitment to the 8 limbed path of Yoga through teacher training.
Spice completed her initial 200hr training in 2017, and has since completed over 500 hours of additional yoga and sound healing training. About a year after she started teaching yoga, Chelsea made the leap from her career in Education to teach yoga full time, and developed a style of yoga she has coined Lunar Yoga, which syncs with the lunar cycle, and is deeply rooted in the cyclical nature of the seasons, the wheel of the year, and the phases of our own bodies and lives.
Spice uses the Organic Sequencing Method that she designed to structure her Vinyasa and Hatha classes, meaning that each class organically evolves from the previous one. No two classes are exactly the same, but you can expect creative, intuitive sequencing that incorporates some components that are familiar from the previous class and some that are new. Chelsea’s classes are fluid, with a mellow, vibey soundtrack. Her teaching emphasizes breath to movement connection and individuated functional, intuitive alignment. Spice’s greatest intention as a teacher is to hold space for her students to remember that they are active co-creators of their Practice, meeting themselves where they are and moving with intention in the direction they want to go; and to leave with a deeper felt sense of connection to all that resides within them, and all that surrounds them.
David Rios
David came to Yoga rather late in his life, but credits that with making all the difference in how he teaches and approaches his practice. After years of dealing with chronic pain and work-related injuries, he finally took a class at the behest of his eldest daughter, who worked at a yoga studio and was also in training to become an instructor. There was no turning back for him after that first practice. Yoga felt like home, inclusive, and life-altering. He wanted to deepen his knowledge during the COVID lockdown and took his 200-hour training, which in turn led to him becoming an instructor at the studio where he practiced. David believes Yoga allows you to “come as you are” and that Yoga is for everybody, meaning EVERY BODY. He primarily teaches Hatha, but leads meditations with breathwork, and teaches Vinyasa, Restorative, Gentle, and foundational classes. He loves witnessing and encouraging the community aspect in the studio to grow and flourish. He credits Yoga with saving his life and breaking the cycle of substance abuse that was prevalent in his family history.
Dinorah Meyer
Dinorah (RYT 500, IAYT-Certified Yoga Therapist, MS in Counseling) brings a dancer’s intelligence, a strong, inspiring practice, creativity and humor to her mindful, intuitively designed, well-rounded classes that will leave you feeling invigorated, stretched, and grounded. She came to yoga with a love of all kinds of movement developed through many years of studying dance, from ballet to modern to West African. Dinorah completed the 200- and 300-hour yoga teacher and yoga therapy training programs at Purusha. As an IAYT-certified yoga therapist and holistically oriented career counselor, she loves finding ways to integrate yoga concepts and practices into 1:1 sessions and workshops.
Elena Stuart
Elena’s approach to teaching yoga integrates evidence-based health science with a practice that nourishes your body and mind. After graduating from Purusha Yoga Teacher Training in 2012, she worked with martial artists in group and individual settings, using yoga to help them prevent injuries. Elena also holds a master’s degree in Global Health Sciences from UCSF and is an experienced mental health counselor. When she’s not teaching yoga, you might find her kicking invisible opponents on trails in Golden Gate Park, reading mental health research articles, or practicing Zen meditation to cultivate insight into the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Dedicated to guiding her students toward better health and well-being, Elena brings a conversational and engaging style to her yoga classes for students of all abilities to come together and enjoy the benefits of yoga. She believes that regular yoga practice is preventive healthcare, and she is excited to share her knowledge and experience with the Purusha Yoga community.
Jess Kay
Jess (RYT 500, she/her) began her yoga journey in 2016, with a special focus on Hatha yoga, emphasizing alignment and mobility. She obtained her 200-hour Hatha training in St. Louis and her 300-hour Hatha and Ashtanga training in Rishikesh, India in 2019. Jess incorporates her love for Hatha, Ashtanga, and Yin yoga into her teaching style, infusing each lineage with her passion. Her classes are enjoyable and may include some quality dad jokes. Above all, she aims to demystify yoga and make it accessible for all practitioners, regardless of experience.
Julia Sunderland
Julianne Aiello
Justin Chickles
Kathleen Lefstad
Kathleen started her yoga journey at Purusha Yoga studio in San Francisco, CA over a decade ago, but moved with her family to Bozeman, Montana in 2020 and has been teaching there ever since.
Kathleen is a RYT-500 yoga teacher and certified Thai Yoga Bodywork provider. She has been moving in one way or another since she was little and draws from her experience in gymnastics, dance, sports, aerial arts and being a human jungle-gym for her kids, to inform her classes. In the yoga community she has served as a teacher, studio manager, and Director of a Yoga Therapy school; teaching over 1,500 classes, workshops and retreats.
Kathleen loves embracing the element of play within the physical practice, and strives to find different approaches to release, knowing not everyone’s “way in” is the same. With a slight obsession with the meditative aspects of movement, inversions, arm balances, and supported postures with props, she has spent a lot of time on her own mat as well as assisting others to find theirs. She is so excited to return to the Purusha Yoga Studio floor, with Joy Ravelli and her sense of yoga “home”.
Kristen Holland
Kristen is a 200 hour RYT who is very passionate about helping pregnant women connect with their bodies, connect with other moms, and to help moms prepare for childbirth in a safe and supportive environment.
Lauren Rehbein
Lauren is a lifelong learner at heart with over a decade of dedicated yoga practice and a depth of education and experience which includes a 200-hour and currently enrolled in the 300-hour, and yoga therapy program. Lauren creates a nurturing space where you can embark on your own journey of self-discovery and growth. Lauren offers guidance and support as well as inspiration for you to experience your own metamorphosis through the transformative power of yoga.
Lori Pim
Lori Pim has been a dedicated Master Yoga and Mat Pilates instructor for over 10 years and has her RYT 500. She emphasizes functional movement and breath work in both disciplines. Lori brings passion, a unique approach, and a mindful teaching style that embodies physical, spiritual, and mental strength.
Lucia Grace
Lucia Grace Young is a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, RYT 500, Graduate of Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychology, intuitive astrologer and dancer. She is grateful to share time between SF and the Big Island, where she offers in person classes, sessions, and retreats. Lucia also holds 1:1 and group healing work online. In all her offerings, Lucia weaves together elemental wisdom with somatic practices to ground the current energetics into the felt experience of the body, empowering you to flow in harmony with what is.
Paige St. Clair
Paige fell in love with Pilates in 2021 after moving back to San Francisco from Berlin. The intentional movement resonated with her, and the presence and strength she began to feel in her body were something she’d never experienced before. She decided this was something she wanted to share with the community and completed her 300+ hour comprehensive training for Mat, Reformer, Tower and Chair through Mighty Pilates. Paige emphasizes mind-body connection in her classes — focusing on breath and form. Expect curated playlists, challenges for all levels and movement that makes you feel good!
Rachael Wilson
Rachael is passionate about sharing the transformative power of one’ s own breath. With a trauma-informed approach, she has supported individuals from all walks of life to bring breathwork and mindfulness into their physical and mental wellness routines. Rooted in the principle of safety and integrity, Rachael facilitates breathwork meditations to help reduce stress, enhance mental clarity, and improve emotional balance, making these practices an integral part of any wellness journey.
Rafael Amar
Rafael received his 500 hour yoga training in India in Kriya Yoga and Meditation. After serving as a combat soldier in the Middle East, he turned to meditation to help him process the death and grief he experienced on his deployments. He became an Emergency Room Nurse in 2019 and continued to lean on his practice to navigate the high stress environment he was working in. The powerful techniques of yoga and meditation have helped him find more mindfulness and balance in his own life by teaching him how to release anxiety and trauma. Rafael takes a practical approach to teaching yoga and is very passionate about supporting his students on their own journey within.
Sarah Pascual
Sarah is a Bay Area native, ocean lover and a new mama living down by the beach in the Sunset District. With 16 years teaching both locally and internationally. She draws from a wide tapestry of mind-body healing modalities that she’s studied: Hatha, Restorative, Yin and Satya yoga, Holistic Massage Therapy, Subtle Body Energy Work, Self-Inquiry and Soul-Based Coaching. She gracefully and methodically weaves these teachings together with deliberate attention to what her students may need, guiding them towards a more conscious connection to body, heart and spirit. Sarah’s warm and welcoming energy is felt and allows you to show up exactly how you are, she believes through practice one can create flow, authenticity, grace and ease on and off the mat, inevitably pouring out into all aspects of life.
Silvia Sanchez
Born and raised in Mexico, Silvia moved to San Francisco in 2007. She has always enjoyed an active lifestyle. Her classes are about building strength – physically and mentally – and listening to the body. She hopes to inspire her students to trust themselves and to find what serves them the best.
Vanessa Bell
Vanessa began her yoga practice in 2014, finding comfort and expansion amid stress and anxiety. Her journey led her to Purusha’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, which she initially embarked upon as a pathway through grief, but along the way unexpectedly discovered her calling as a teacher. As a flamenco dancer performing regularly on San Francisco stages, Vanessa brings a vibrant expressiveness to her yoga classes. She is driven by a desire to share the healing benefits of yoga and mindfulness, aiming to help others achieve bliss through the communal experience of yoga.
Victoria Bautista
Victoria Bautista, a native San Franciscan, spent some of her youth in New York City, as a dancer, fitness trainer, and shoe model for Bergdorf. A bicycle accident led her the Ohashi Institute, from which she then graduated a Shiatsu practitioner. After she returned home, she earned a BA in Dance Education and MA in learning and Instruction. She came to Purusha where she shares her joy in yoga and in the many beauties life offers. Her teaching is thoughtful, attentive and inclusive, making full use of her knowledge of body mechanics and restorative movement.