Laurie J. Comeau
Teacher / LHI Director
Alicia Smith
Assistant Teacher
Linda Y. Yung
Assistant teacher
Juan Pablo Rasore "JP"
Assistant Teacher - Media
Corazon "Cora"
Scroll down or click teacher above to view bio.
Kadri Kurgun
E-RYT500 YACEP
Love in a big way, be vulnerable, and be powerful.
An internationally renowned and equally loved guide of Yoga, AcroYoga, Meditation & self-love.
As a meditation practitioner for over 30 years, he brings presence, compassion, and tender lightheartedness to everything he does. He has helped people release the self-doubt, fear, unworthiness, and shame intrinsic to the human condition and re-connects them to their childlike, playful nature and sense of belonging. Through retreats, workshops, festivals, transitional mentorship, and private healing sessions, he has touched the lives and hearts of thousands of people worldwide.
His students call his positive energy "awe-inspiring" and that "his courageous heart" encourages them to "love in a big way, to be vulnerable, and to be powerful."
He is a featured presenter at conferences around the world, such as the Wanderlust Festivals, Korea Yoga Festival, South Africa SpiritFestival, and the Divine Play AcroYoga Festival.
His work as a preeminent yoga photographer has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Yoga Journal, Origin Magazine, Mandala Magazine, Common Ground Magazine, Mantra Magazine, YA El Mercurio & LA Times Magazine.
Kadri is an E-RYT500, YACEP, Senior AcroYoga Teacher, Yoga/Meditation Teacher Training facilitator & the founder of Luminous Heart Institute and The 3R Experience - Elite Private Retreats. As a bodyworker, he is influenced and draws upon his exposure to Structural Integration, Polarity, Cranio-sacral, energy work, and Thai massage.
His Classical Yoga Practice began 35 years ago with Gurumayi Chitvilasananda of Siddha Yoga and has studied with many gifted masters since. His current meditation practice is in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition under revered teachers such as Daniel Brown Ph.D. Late Tulku Rohob Rinpoche, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Kadri travels the world leading teacher trainings, Elite Private Retreats, workshops, and working one-on-one with notable athletes such as American football player Tom Brady and legendary surfer Kelly Slater.
When he isn't teaching, you can find him behind the lens of a camera, hugging somebody, or on his surfboard.
Anabel Miranda
E-RYT500 YACEP
Feminine Elegance
Anabel is the embodiment of Feminine Energy, expressing herself with elegance. She has been teaching for twenty years and leading Yoga Teacher Trainings and Retreats here in Costa Rica and worldwide for the last ten. She is known for showing up for her students with loving dedication, support, and heartfelt connection.
Panamanian-born with a unique blend of Chinese and Ngobe indigenous heritage, Anabel found her true home, unexpectedly, in yoga, when she left her country to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering in Florida. Vinyasa Yoga was Anabel's first real exposure to the practice of yoga asana. She took a class from Sri Dharma Mittra at his studio in Manhattan. As she lay there in savasana, she knew her life would be changed forever.
Sri Dharma instilled a spark in Anabel's heart, which grew with each passing day, and two years after her first savasana in his studio, she flew to Barcelona to train as a yoga instructor by new her beloved teacher. At that moment in Manhattan, in savasana with Sri Dharma Mittra, Anabel felt home and knew she wanted to share this experience with others.
Since the start of her career as a yoga teacher in 2005, Anabel's style has evolved from a very physical Ashtanga practice to a profoundly intuitive and spiritual one. She maintains a dynamic and playful approach to asana, mantra, pranayama, and meditation, emphasizing intention, divine connection, and yoga as an offering to the Supreme Being within each of us.
Anabel's yoga journey includes Jivani Yoga in Thailand, where soul-level spiritual work allowed her to confront her fears, transforming trauma into trust through self-love and healing. In her teaching and practice, the lesson she carries with her is that it's okay to be ourselves; it's okay to be different. Once we learn to love ourselves, our differences are our greatest strengths. By embracing the power of her vulnerability, Anabel's true self shines through in her classes as an eclectic offering unlike any other. She makes her yoga experience truly one-of-a-kind.
Aligning with her Chinese heritage, Anabel is certified in Bio-Energy, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine.
Today, she resides in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, where her love of the sea has led her into the sport and lifestyle of body-boarding as a beautiful complement to yoga and healthy living. Anabel also teaches daily yoga classes, privates, and as an enthusiastic vegan, loves to share recipes of vibrant food in her blog.
She teaches a spontaneous, unique blend of styles from across the yoga spectrum mixed with Tai Chi. Anabel's unabashed connection to her authentic self guides students to their powerful expression of who they truly are, as she holds sacred space to open hearts, dive into our soul's integrity, and live true to our fullest potential.
Yoga is her gift to us all.
Supporting
Teachers
Laurie J. Comeau
From a very young age, adventurous French Canadian Laurie was exposed to the wonders of the world and nature. After receiving her bachelor degree in Communication, Writing and Multimedia, she decided it was time to have some fun and spent 2 years on the road. On a solo mission she travelled throughout Central America immersing herself in cultural diversity, while learning spanish and falling in love with surfing… She then caravanned around Europe and spent a winter on the snowy hills of British Columbia only to come to the conclusion that winter was just not her thing.
After a short time in a 9-5 office job as a modern North American business women - Laurie had only one thing in mind: move to a place that offered freedom, creativity, sun, ocean, good food and a healthy lifestyle. She took the leap of trust in 2008 and landed on the beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica as her new home. Her passion for the ocean grew even stronger as surfing, free diving, scuba diving and sailing ultimately became a major part of her life. She now combines dance, yoga, acroyoga, tai chi and meditation for a healthy tropical mermaid lifestyle.
An Ecstatic Dance Leader and certified KRI Kundalini Yoga Teacher as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Both disciplines have supported her thru many challenging life experiences. In their own unique way they have inspired her to embody her divine creative energy and bring more joy into her life. Her deepest desire is to guide others to experience their True Power.
Laurie is the Luminous Heart Institute Director. Anyone who has the pleasure to cross path will be moved by her timeless wisdom, delighted by her lighthearted joy and comforted by her powerful grounding presence. Her smile will be sure to wash all of your worries away and warm your heart. Immediately after meeting her, you will know you are in good hands while she masterfully holds and creates safe space for your journey.
Alicia Smith
Alicia is passionate about yoga, teaching, traveling and living a holistic lifestyle. Innately sensitive and intuitive, Alicia’s found dedication to living a conscious life and serving others as her life’s work.
Originally from New Hampshire, Alicia now resides and teaches in Lake Tahoe, CA. Her yoga journey began long before she even realized and came to fruition during her time living in New York City. When her driven, passionate 23-year-old self graduated college from Fairfield University and moved to NYC is when the shift of her life’s purpose really occurred. It was the first time she didn’t have her safety net of family, friends, and nature nearby. She was bombarded with the sensation of feeling alone in a very big city and was anxiously working to build a career in the fast-paced, high-powered production industry. Eventually she started seeking something that would ease her anxiety and feel support within herself, similar to the feeling she experienced from being in nature.
Alicia found sanctuary in a tiny Brooklyn studio which became the escape from city life and the place where she found what she was searching for. This is where she completed her first 200hr yoga teacher training and became a Yoga Alliance certified teacher. Soon after, she quit the job that was toxic for her soul and moved to California.
Since then she has been teaching regularly in North Lake Tahoe and recently completed the 200hr Luminous Heart Institute yoga teacher training with Kadri Kurgun and Nancy Goodfellow in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in September 2018.
All in all, she is the happiest when she shares yoga and her life experiences to help others find balance, cultivate authenticity, and be their best emotionally and physically.
We are delighted to have Alicia on our team as lead support and staff liaison for the September LH Training.
Linda Y. Yung
Linda is a lifelong learner of meditation, Tai chi, and Eastern philosophy. As a dietitian-nutritionist and Yoga teacher, Linda guides children, families, and motivated individuals towards cultivating healthy relationships with themselves, others, and their surroundings. Linda is fascinated by longevity and plays with practices that support a sustainable lifestyle.
Born and raised in New York City, her moving meditation journey began when she chose to learn Tai chi at 13, which she continues with advanced forms to this day. Linda was first introduced to meditation and Buddhism in college while volunteering at a Dharma summer camp, and her life has never been the same since. She started recognizing the magic in the mundane, it became clear that she had a heart for service, and she aspires to live with metta towards all beings.
She has been blessed with humble and generous teachers throughout her journey, and she gratefully shares their wisdom. Linda’s participation in the Luminous Heart training was the beginning of her budding yoga teaching journey. Her experiences there helped shape her spiritually and influence her teaching style. Her yoga classes and wellness consultations draw inspiration from nature and narratives, encouraging clear communication and self-compassion. Linda loves to explore sacred geometry, pranayama, and life cycles.
Juan Pablo Rasore "JP"
I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I studied cinematography at fil school while at the same time traveling to the US every winter to ski and work as a ski instructor. I discovered my passion for capturing life on film and traveling the world.
I currently live in Madrid, where I work as a freelance cinematographer and videographer. Each story you tell involves a different universe, its characters, its locations, its theme. My work has always allowed me to travel geographically and through these different universes whose story I had to live and tell. In this way, I’m able to combine two things I’m passionate about.
Telling a story in a proper, authentic way requires one to get involved with your subject. Being a student at the Luminous Heart YTT 2019 was, for me, a completely new experience in this sense. The LHI team knew that the only way to tell this story, the only way the group was going to feel comfortable having a camera present in such powerful and emotional moments, was being there as one of them. And so, I was invited as a student to be a part of one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
Yoga was already in my life before, but my practice was almost purely physical, a way of exercising. What happened in my YTT changed my life, allowing me to discover what yoga & meditation can be, becoming deeply humbled by the wisdom of my teachers and the idea of a lifelong practice.
This year I’m excited to see how things unfold, this time not as a student but as an integral part of this very seasoned team. I look forward to this new perspective as a visual storyteller, space holder, and supporting teacher.
Corazon "Cora"
Corazon "Cora" for short is named after the Heart on her right side, and this is very appropriate because she is all Heart.
She is our resident Bodhisattva - according to Buddhism, a Boddhisatva is a being who, instead of being fully enlightened, chooses to help other beings become free of suffering. They say these potential buddhas often reincarnate as dogs to help ease human confusion. We believe this is especially true in her case. Corazon is extraordinary in how she holds emotional space for anyone who may be struggling is very palpable during our 3-week teacher training. How she holds emotional space so intuitively is only something to witness.
She has been on Luminous Heart Institute Teacher Training for the last five years - she truly touches all Hearts.
Join Us in 2022
We invite you to push the bounds of your foundations, summon the compassion, courage and confidence of your inner warrior, and step wildly into the light-hearted expression of your own personal Superpower – your most valuable gift to share with the world.