Sarmistha is a Transpersonal Psychologist and regression therapist. She helps people live mindfully through the mind-body-spirit communion. All her knowledge and modalities merge together to help people bring out the best in themselves through self-integration. She is an expert in, Trauma Release Therapy, Dream Interpretation, NLP, CBT, Hypnotherapy and Past life regression therapy and a certified teacher of Meditation & Inner life. She has been giving workshops, seminars and talks on all varied subjects for many years. Thousands of people around the world have benefited from her approach.

Jonathan Angelilli is a native New Yorker, personal wellness expert, pioneer of holistic fitness, and 2x American Ninja Warrior (NBC). He’s been empowering students through healthy movement for 20 years, has a Bachelor of Science from NYU and a minor in Gender Studies, as well as thirteen fitness certifications. Jonathan completed a three-year program in medical qigong through the Institute of Traditional Medicine (Toronto) in 2016 and has been featured as a fitness and tai chi expert on network television (ABC, FOX).

Adriana is an urban design researcher, writer, and educator. She has worked at agencies, startups, and non-profit organizations to craft insights and stories that support human-centered products, experiences, brands, and cities. She teaches design research at Parsons School of Design in NYC.

This is an alignment-based, but playful physical and spiritual practice, with the clarity, depth, and discipline one would expect from a top-tier adult yoga class in NYC. A variety of meditation styles and breathwork will deepen each student's capacity to reflect and harness their intuition.

Eric Stoneberg has been leading yoga and meditation locally and internationally since 2002. His students come back for his empowering, inspiring, and reflective approach. A scriptwriter for various meditation apps, he also teaches public yoga classes, private sessions, and lessons in corporate settings, hospitals, and schools. His classes draw on his longtime study and practice of the South Indian householder yoga lineages of the Goddess, as well as from his shamanic teachers via Peru and the Southwestern United States.

Maya Sassoon graduated from the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans with a masters degree in architecture. She has worked as an art director primarily in scenic and experiential design and has taught early childhood classes. She has a passion for art education and teaching.

Brian Oakes is an interdisciplinary sculptor based in New York. His spatial investigations manifest through means of technocraft such as open source agendas, DIY materiality, satellites, nuclear culture, and global-political transparencies in outer space.
He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture with a concentration in Computation from the Rhode Island School of Design (2018). His artwork has been shown in exhibitions in the U.S., Tokyo, China and Germany including “Bohemian Centipede” at Scooters for Peace in Shibuya, Tokyo, and his most recent solo exhibition “Pieces”, at Wallplay, New York, NY. In addition he has shown at Space 369, MN, and FriEnds Gallery, RI.

Annie Perales is an actor, producer, and educator based in New York City. She received her BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she majored in Drama with a concentration in education. She frequently creates, produces, and performs work in the downtown theater scene, all while spending her days sharing her passion for theater with students everywhere.

Mitali Parekh is a dog trainer and canine behaviorist based in Mumbai. She is one half of a team (the other member being Eli) that conducts animal-assisted therapy programs for senior citizens and children with developmental and physical challenges. She also facilitates children-animal interactions. Eli is a 5-year-old boy dog who loves swimming, adopting cats, and eating bananas.

Oswaldo Escobar has been teaching meditation, yoga, and ancient civilizations for the Center of Meditation and Culture since 1996. He has been visiting Pono since 2015 to teach about ancient civilizations and mythology.

Jefra Rees is a full-time educator at Pono. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, as well as a Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education, both from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as an early intervention specialist and as a child life assistant, supporting the psychosocial needs of hospitalized children and their families. She is a strong advocate for respectful caregiving, child-led free play, spending time outside and in nature, and supporting the social-emotional development of children.

Hillary Jackson is an Early Childhood teacher with more than 10 years experience working with young children. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont and spent eight years teaching at an independent Nursery school in New York City before returning to her home state of Rhode Island to raise her young son. She currently teaches a class of four-year-olds in Providence.

Alison Wadsworth is a professional makeup artist, who has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. Her credits include Broadway (The Lion King, Wicked, The Little Mermaid) and film and TV (SNL, The Get Down, Carrie Diaries).

Louis N. Sorkin has recently retired from his position as a senior museum specialist at the American Museum of Natural History and is now a visiting scientist at the museum. He has been fascinated with “multi-legged animals” since childhood and did graduate work in arachnid studies at the University of Connecticut. He has sorted through a large number of spider collections at the AMNH, where he specializes in insects and other arthropods. Sorkin works extensively with the public to educate them about insects and related animals, and his investigations have appeared on television, radio, and online media.

I am Carmen Paulino, I am a Fiber Artist and I live In El Barrio/ East Harlem, in New York City. I was raised in Harlem, the inspiration for most of my Artwork. I take real life experiences and visuals from my interactions, and life experiences of living in such a diverse melting pot of cultures. I have a great passion and devotion with bringing community into my art. I am working with the community for about seven years where I creative murals fiber art murals all around the city.

Please check out my Instagram @CarmencommunityArtist

Adeet is a print and UX designer based in New York City. He’s currently working with a team of UX designers to build a voter registration and information app. Adeet is also a photographer and has shown his photography at shows in Chicago and New York, and his work has appeared in various print publications. Most recently, his photography was featured in a group show at the CUSP Gallery in Provincetown.

Meglena Zapreva is an artist and a museum educator, who presently teaches science and technology at The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine, and trains teachers to integrate curriculum. Following her passion for art history, she teaches history to young people in the most colorful and engaging way possible.

Marisa Aubin believes in the power of education and creating spaces for students to learn and grow. Professionally, she works towards this goal on behalf of TED’s education initiative and has created global curriculums for students to develop public speaking skills. Education and creating positive learning spaces is something she has focused on for over 15 years.

Dr. Robert Frawley is a Biomedical Engineer and Molecular Biologist who teaches science in NYC with BioBus Inc, a non-profit science education company. Dr. Frawley's research experience has covered human skeletal and immune development, urban ecosystems, and solid mechanics. An amateur astronomer, Rob's background in biophysics helps him conceptualize astrophysics.

Jereme Sanders is a parkour practitioner from San Antonio, Texas. In his own training, he loves to combine unique and difficult movements in fast and fluid lines. As a coach, Jereme is interested in each person realizing their own potential and passion for movement, so they can learn to appreciate themselves and their environment in a unique and powerful way.

Vamika Sardana is an Indian Graphic Designer & Design Strategist based in New York. She is a creative problem solver who is thinking about how design can make an impact, her main aim in life is to create stories that evoke emotion that is followed with positive action. She loves to create digital concept Illustration, watch horror movies, and eat desserts.

Deema Kahwash is a senior at George Washington University studying pure mathematics and STEM education. She's known she wanted to be a math teacher since she was in the fifth grade. One of her favorite summers was spent interning at Pono in 2018, teaching ballet and math. Her favorite animal is the okapi and she loves the smell of patchouli. You can find her completing the NYTimes Daily Mini Crossword every morning.