Certified Instructors

Who will teach? You will find that at Lifeline Power Yoga you will be guided by certified instructors who are prepared to work with Yogis of all levels. Our instructors are men, women, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, companions and friends. Their personalities shine through their teaching as they are fun-loving, peaceful, powerful, and confident. Many NFL players have been taught this practice, from teams such as the 49ers, Bears, Chiefs, Cowboys, Giants, Jet, Ravens, Titans and Vikings. There is over 50 years of experience, having taught in 6 countries, having worked with doctors, lawyers, dancers, singers, actors, you name it… we are here to help you grow.

Why we teach? We have found, through our personal practice, a way to live in universal truth, and compassion for all beings, by continuing to let go of our egos, and finding freedom as we walk. We enjoy the rewarding experience of allowing students to grow through our love of the flow. We look forward to continuing to hold space for serenity and peace in a warm and loving atmosphere where all will be challenged to reach for their best. Through this practice we have found healing and desire to introduce happiness to the world.

Who does this Yoga? Everyone! This Yoga is inclusive to all who walk through the door. All races, genders, ages, shapes and sizes are on the mat. Our instructors are trained to create a challenging flow for all Yogis. The beginner, intermediate, and advanced Yogis are in the same space as we are all one. Each individual will find their own benefits from the flow and develop their own practice.

Jason Dembeck

Jason grew up in Baltimore, and has lived in Chicago and Arizona. As an avid runner, he began practicing Yoga in 2004 with the intention of increasing my stamina and flexibility to decrease the chance of injury as well as promoting a quicker recovery from running long distances. In 2006 he completed my teacher training from Lifeline Power Yoga. He practices and teaches a power vinyasa flow based on the training received from Sid McNairy.

"Jason's has an extraordinary practice. When people come to his class they find the same freedom he has found to go beyond. It has been awesome to watch Jason become the teacher and person he is today. Jason is a walking example of how to reach another level!" - Sid McNairy

Jason's dedication to his Yoga practice has helped him achieve not only his primary goals, but also improved his patience, confidence, and focus. He still runs, although not as frequently, but he always notices the benefits of his daily Yoga practice in his running as well as in everything else that he does. It is these qualities that he hopes to pass onto students that attend his classes, and it is truly rewarding to stand amongst a class of Yogis' and help them to expand their practice and achieve their goals based on what he has learned from his own instructors. [Back to Top]

Maria Fratus

Maria's journey to Yoga began at the age of 10 when she started
studying dance, a once-a-week treat that quickly became a passion, a necessary part of her life. By high school, she was spending all spare time in her studio training and teaching. After high school, she attended the University of South Carolina, where she not only pursued a BA but also was a member of the Carolina Coquettes, the USC marching band's dance team. Shortly before graduating, she began her fitness career, teaching cardio classes at a local gym. After college she moved to Germany where she opened a small dance studio and continued her fitness career, instructing classes on a military base.

She later returned to the U.S. and earned an MA from the University of Baltimore. Although she worked for many years in the corporate world as a writer, she never let go of her passion to move. She continued teaching fitness classes part time, and eventually, after the birth of her twin daughters, she left the corporate world to explore new disciplines of fitness and exercise including Yoga and Tae Kwon Do. Now she spends all of her time in studios teaching a variety of fitness classes and she also teaches English part-time at a local community college.

Maria is a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer and has a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Mary Fox

Mary is Graduate of Towson University, where she majored in Sociology/HR Mgt. Mary enjoys working with the college students that come to class as she remembers what it was like to be in their shoes. Learning to live free of stress, letting go of negativity is a continual practice and helping others is the space that Mary holds when teaching her classes.

Mary is a local product of Baltimore and enjoys helping the community reach for a new place of peace.

"I give to my students what I feel through my Yoga practice- the power to break through and go farther; whether that is on the mat or in life. It is wonderful to be a witness to someone experiencing what Yoga can bring to their life."

When Mary is away from the studio she is devoted to herself and to my family- a husband, 2 children, a dog and a horse.

Mary finds inspiration in my family, friends, and students. They enrich her day to day life and give her purpose.

Mary has enjoyed bringing fitness to many in large clubs and small studios for about 8 years. She has been teaching Yoga for 5 years. She has had the privilege of training with John DiMinico, Baron Baptiste, and Sid McNairy. [Back to Top]

Lindsay Lusignea

After practicing at Lifeline for several months, Lindsay began to discover her practice was opening to becoming a teacher. Her natural leadership, love of health and exercise, and passion to work with others brought her to this awakening.

Lindsay grew up outside of Philadelphia, in Upper Dublin, PA. She received her B.S. from Towson University in Clinical Psychology and French. Lindsay played for the Towson University Women's Lacrosse team, serving as the team Captain her senior year, and earning several athletic and academic awards. She began practicing Yoga initially to relieve stress from daily life, and open her body and center her focus to further in her athletics. Now, she has been inspired to go beyond. As a teacher, she credits her inspiration to her loving family and friends who believe in her desire to follow her heart, especially her Mother for the nautral, passionate, and unique way she teaches her Elementary students. She also credits Sid, for allowing her the freedom to explore, and for the light he continues to shine as a walking example of power and peace.

As a teacher, Lindsay challenges and pushes each Yogi to defy their own limits, encouraging students to find freedom within their practice by knocking down barriers in order to embrace their inner power. Lindsay creates a unifying space for students to find a sense of community, to honor themselves through strengthening and healing their body, and to bring laughter to their everyday life.

Lindsay continues to pass along the love and passion for this flow that brings constant benefits on and off the mat. To Lindsay, teaching is a humble and rewarding experience as she notices tremendous growth among all who enter the studio. Lindsay has taught this flow since June 2008, and has learned from and taught with Sid. Since being at Lifeline, she has completed a 40 Day Revolution, and has been assisting in the Elk Mountain Retreats.

"Lindsay has been a blessing in our lives. To have a friend and companion to walk in this way is awesome. We are all one and Lindsay's presence in the studio helps all feel they are never alone. Lindsay has been a great example to many people for a new way open their practice to a new height. Through her chanting she has also helped open the hearts of many!" - Sid McNairy

Outside of teaching, Lindsay loves to deepen her own Yoga practice- physically on her mat, and spiritually through chanting and meditation. An athlete at heart, she plays lacrosse year-round, and finds freedom in long runs outdoors. She currently works in an
Emergency Room as a Psychiatric Assessment Coordinator, working with individuals and families to provide care and treatment. Additionally, she has developed a passion of working as an Early Intervention Therapist for children with Autism. [Back to Top]

Jo Ann Marie Rose

Jo Ann has a young heart, she is a spiritual mother, and friend to those around her. Jo Ann Has found a new place for herself as she has reach back and taken care of her parents son and others in her family. She has learned that as we heal we are able to help those around us heal.

Born and raised in Baltimore Jo Ann is a fixture in our community, Jo Ann is the owner of Shear Madness Hair Design for 34 years and a licensed cosmetologist for 46 years. She takes the same joy from helping others into the Yoga room as she does is finding the hairstyle that her clients find in the salon. Jo Ann is a Yoga teacher to many on and off the mat, she is also a licensed Pilates, and Power Flex teacher.

Jo Ann finds inspiration in all of creation. She carries a great deal of faith as she has received wisdom from her life experiences. Yoga is a part of her daily life. While on her mat she find a connection to all beings and find that her spirit is opened through her Yoga practice.

"Yoga gives me the advantages of knowing I have nothing to prove and that I can accomplish all things through this practice." - Jo Ann

Jo Ann practice has given her the power to carry on. She often quotes Sid as she know the her power comes when we "Live in your own truth." Yoga has been her biggest teacher in learning to maintain her boundaries and to honor the boundaries of others.

"I have been blessed with a loving passion of energy, which I am willing, whole heartedly, to share! So please join me on the mat! OM" [Back to Top]

Susannah Gust-Holmberg

After each and every asana practice Susannah is awed by the depth and breadth of what Yoga gives her. Sometimes she expects that she will have tapped all it has to offer, that she will have already unearthed her share of love, awareness, purity, strength, or grace. "But Yoga never stops giving," says Susannah. "There is always more love, more awareness, strength, purity, balance, more grace. Yogas offerings are infinite and I teach to help others tap into its bottomless gifts."

Susannah started teaching six years ago. She has studied within a wide variety of styles including Hatha , Sivananda, Dynamic Flow, Vinysasa, and Ashtanga, and with a variety of teachers including, Godfrey Devereaux, Shiva Rhea, Tara Brach, Patabhi Jois, Rolf Naujokat, and now Sid McNairy. Her teaching and own practice is indebted to the inspirational knowledge of each of these schools and each of these teachers.

Recently a student paid her a compliment. She said, "You remind me why I love Yoga." Susannah was truly moved by this. This is exactly what she wants to do for her students. And this is what she has always craved in a teacher. "In Lifeline and Sid I have finally found this for myself. After traveling all of the world to study Yoga, I finally feel like I've found a teacher, mentor, and friend, in Sid, who reminds me why I love Yoga. Because although Yoga never stops giving, Sometimes we can forget to receive. Working with Sid and the Lifeline sequence jolts me out of this forgetting, so that I can be open to the Yoga that just keeps on giving."

After receiving her BFA from Barnard College in Literature, she moved back to Baltimore where she got her MFA in Multi-Media from MICA. When Susannah is not practicing or teaching Yoga, she is trying to cram all of her other loves into whatever time is left over. She is either drawing, painting, writing, filming, or taking pictures, or you might find her rock climbing or trail running with her husband Todd, She loves the woods. Susannah also loves cooking and working on tasty Ayurvedic dishes. [Back to Top]