MELIA MARZOLLO, CEO/Founder

Melia Marzollo, M.Ed., is the Founder of the Ascend Center + Collective. Melia has advanced professional degrees and various certifications in Anatomy & Physiology (including cadaver dissection), Yoga Nidra Meditation, Pilates and Integrative Nutrition. Aside from teaching Pilates and Yoga, Melia also teaches StandUp Paddle Boarding seasonally and is currently enrolled in Harvard's Extension School Pre-Med Program.

Melia is known for meeting students “where they are at” and helping to lead them to positive outcomes in their bodies and minds. Melia is eternally grateful to all of her incredible mentors and teachers along the way from New York to California, Hawaii to Indonesia and everywhere in-between. Continued thanks to Rod Stryker, Gil Hedley, Juliet Harvey and Elena Brower. Melia loves teaching and learning and aspires to be a life-long-student and learner.

Melia is proud Mama to three unique and wonderful humans. She is a fierce advocate for Trans Youth and Women’s Work in the World. Melia lives with her children and Beloved husband in Cold Spring, New York.

BRITTA LARSEN, COO

After 20+ years as an HR executive, Britta launched her own consulting practice to help company founders better realize growth, profitability and employee satisfaction. With a BSc degree in business and organizational behavior, her background includes fashion, lifestyle brands, advertising and a keen interest in wellness.

Not only has Britta been practicing yoga for a decade, she was previously The Omega Institute’s Head of People & Culture and a volunteer staff member at Omega’s Wellness Center. Seeking to expand her own yoga practice, Britta received her Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in 2014.

VANESSA ALFANO, Yoga Instructor

Vanessa instructs Vinyasa Flow classes at Ascend, and aims to share the transformative power of yoga with her students. Her upbeat, breath-centered classes focus on mindful movement, and use smart sequencing to help students find their flow. While challenging, Vanessa aims to keep yoga as a healing practice, always encouraging students to find ease at their edge. Students can expect a well rounded class, set to a great soundtrack that will enliven, deepen and motivate their practice forward. Vanessa is RYT certified through Yoga Alliance, and teaches private, semi-private and group classes both in the Hudson Valley and New York City.  She also works as a wellness coach, motivating individuals and corporations to find more clarity, purpose and productivity in their space. She uses yogic wisdom, mindfulness and meditation to help students and clients move towards their highest potential. For more info head to vanessaalfano.com or say hi on instagram @vanessaalfanotv.

LAUREN BUCKLES, Kids Yoga Instructor

Lauren Buckles, E-RYT, RCYT, is a Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher for both youth and adults in the Hudson Valley. After practicing and teaching gymnastics to children for almost a decade, Lauren was initially attracted to the physical element of yoga. Now, the element of yoga that sustains her practice is the compassion and connection it has brought into her life. Lauren teaches kids Yoga & Creative Play at Ascend Festival’s home studio in Cold Spring. She specializes in teaching yoga in schools where shares mindfulness based practices with children and professional development for educators and administrators. Lauren teaches for and has trained extensively with both Little Flower Yoga and Katonah Yoga®.

In her classes, Lauren hopes her students will cultivate a compassionate relationship to themselves by being curious and paying attention to their experience. Lauren teaches activities that support social-emotional learning and a connection with community. Her intention is for her students to increase their capacity to self-regulate, and to enhance their ability to experience joy.

MICHELLE CLIFTON, Sound Healing

Master Sound Healer Michelle Clifton has studied healing for over 30 years. Her teachers include John Beaulieu, Philippe and Lea Garnier, Satya Brat, Mietek Wirkus to name a few. Michelle plays Tibetan Singing Bowls for group workshops placing bowls on every person in the room giving them the opportunity to experience the relaxing and healing vibrations of the sound bowls. She has incorporated the singing bowls into her massage therapy practice (including craniosacral therapy, Jin Shin Jyutsu & energy healing). As an artist her work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian & as a filmmaker she co-founded the Hudson River Film & Video Company.

STEPHANIE DIAMOND, 5Rhythms Dance

Stephanie Diamond began dancing 5Rhythms in the Hudson Valley in 2006 and completed her 5Rhythms teacher training in 2018. She teaches with humility and vulnerability. As an artist, she has exhibited in galleries and museums across the globe. Her Listings Project helps thousands of people find homes in 70 countries and across the US.

SABRINA EYSTER, Yoga Instructor

Sabrina believes in the power of Yoga and meditation to allow us to be present and begin our journey of self love and exploration. To deepen the connection we have with ourselves, and in doing so learning unconditional compassion and gratitude. Yoga has been a powerful tool in helping to transform her life and has allowed her to shine the light of awareness on the areas that needed healing. 200hr RYT, completed through the Living Seed Yoga Center in New Paltz, NY.

ANGELINA FIORDELLISI, 5Rhythms Dance

Angelina Fiordellisi discovered 5Rhythms on her 60th birthday. Gabrielle Roth teaches her to move, to breathe, to live, to accept, to birth my authentic self within this continually evolving practice. She is a Tony and Obie award-winning theater artist and runs the historic Cherry Lane Theatre. She is a 5Rhythms Spaceholder, mentored by Peter Fodera.

ADRIENNE LYTTON, Pilates Instructor

Following a successful 20 year career as a fashion hair and makeup artist, traveling the world and working with top designers, supermodels, and celebrities, Adrienne Lytton wanted to make a career change. As a mother of 2 and reflective of her focus on health and fitness she wanted a career path that aligned with her passion for wellness.

She was introduced to Pilates in 2004 in order to strengthen her hyper mobile joints. Practicing through two pregnancies and 2 C-sections, Adrienne was able to regain her abdominal strength, and stabilize her hips. Pilates was also integral in her recovery from a broken ankle and foot and other genetic back issues. Experiencing the power and effectiveness of Pilates first hand, she was hooked.

She became a certified health and wellness coach in 2019 and completed her comprehensive Pilates teacher training under Juliet Harvey of Beacon Pilates in 2021. She has found that Pilates strongly compliments her avid love of strength training and other exercise regimens she practices. Empowering others to find strength and health is her passion.

JAMIE HARIG, Ashtanga Instructor

Jamie Harig began practicing yoga over 20 years ago in NYC. She began teaching yoga in the Ashtanga Open Practice room in 2014. Much of what she shares comes from her husband, Scott Harig and their teacher, Manju Jois. She has also learned ashtanga with David Swenson, Kathy McNames and Nancy Gilgoff. She did her Yoga Nidra training with Shakti Assouline Benedict and has been sharing that practice since 2015. She graduated from Fordham University with honors in Communications and religious studies. Jamie previously worked as an actress, singer and dancer.

SCOTT HARIG, Ashtanga Instructor

Scott Harig has been a dedicated Ashtanga Yoga teacher since 2000. He studied with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, Michael Rawlison, David Swenson and Manju Jois. For the last eight years he’s led the Ashtanga Open Practice program. Ashtanga Open Practice is now both online and hosting in person classes in NYC & with the Ascend Center in Cold Spring, NY. Before yoga, Scott rode Mountain bikes professionally.

DANIELLE LOCASTRO, Yoga Instructor

Danielle Locastro, usually known as Dani, is a professional artist and a certified yoga instructor. She has been exploring her connection to something greater than herself her entire life through her art. She initially came to the mat 17 years ago as a way back to health after a near death experience during childbirth. When she started practicing with Charles Matkin and Lisa Bennet, she knew that this practice was transformative. The first time she moved her body and breath in a yoga class for her was like drawing, praying and painting. It too would be part of her life’s practice to maintain a healthy, mind, body, and spirit connection.

In 2013 Dani starting teaching after achieving her teacher certification, in the Raja Hatha Style of Yoga under Amy Pearce-Hayden. Her focus is on alignment with a dash of creative expression so that yoga on and off the mat is accessible for everybody. She works weekly in a variety of Hudson Valley Studios such as Elevate Yoga & Barre, Encourage, All Sport Fitness and Ascend Studio in her hometown of Cold Spring. In addition she works with numerous private clients to maintain wellness, promote balance, improve quality of life and explore creative expression.

LISA MAZOCHI, Pilates

Lisa began practicing Pilates in 2008 after suffering from a running injury. She quickly experienced increased strength, flexibility and noticeably improved posture. After experiencing the benefits of regularly practicing The Method, she knew it was good for everyone and wanted to share it. In 2010, Lisa received her Mat Certification through Power Pilates. She continued her education and received her Pilates Apparatus Certification in 2016 through Beacon Pilates, both with Juliet Harvey. She believes a body in motion is a healthy body and loves working with all ages and abilities.

KAT SUDA, Yoga Instructor 

Kat Suda, ERYT800 and counting, began practicing in 2005 and quickly became a passionate and dedicated practitioner. In 2015, while living in Hawaii, she received her 200HR yoga certification with a concentration in the Ashtanga and Iyengar practices from Tasha Kauihou at Yoga4Ewa in Ewa Beach, HI. In 2017, she traveled to Thailand to study under Dice Iida-Klein and received her advanced 300HR with a concentration in the Vinyasa practice and Functional Range Conditioning. In 2019, she traveled to Austria to train under Dylan Werner and completed another 300HR with a concentration in Myofascial Meridian Sequencing, Pranayama, and Meditation. Since then, Kat has enrolled in Tiffany Cruikshank's Yoga Therapeutics program with Yoga Medicine and is working towards her 1000HR certification. Kat loves to apply all these influencers and more into her classes to keep them creative, challenging, and unique. Simply said, she is in love with the practice. In her spare time, Kat trains handstands and flexibility, any activity that involves being outdoors, and, of course, yoga. Prior to teaching yoga, Kat worked at a local independent radio station and as a lead bartender at a live music venue.

JULIAN PAIK, Yoga Instructor

Julian has been teaching in NYC and the Hudson Valley since 2003. His yoga alliance certified trainings include Yogaworks in Los Angeles, the Bay area, and New York. As well, he has had a 2-year stint living in India, where he was mentored by several internationally renowned teachers including Bharath Shetty, Sharath Jois, Ajay Kumar and Venkatesh. His classes are not of a specific style, but rather they incorporate a combination of all of his influences: Hatha, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Powerflow, Yin and Gentle Yoga. In recent years, he has emphasized the importance of meditation (both guided and self), and one of the things he is most grateful for is teaching the yoga practice to beginners.

He teaches a playful, uplifting and heat-building class with much attention to alignment and dharana (concentration).

KRISTEN SHERMAN, Barre Instructor

Kristen spent 8+ years teaching barre in San Francisco, CA before relocating with her family to Cold Spring.  She discovered barre after years of running rendered her with serious tendonitis and knee pain.  Barre classes not only helped to rehabilitate but improved her posture and muscle tone simultaneously.  Kristen loves teaching barre for those same reasons and considers it one of the more sustainable forms of exercise accessible to all different body types and ages.  When not teaching Kristen spends time with her two little girls, spouse and Labrador Retriever exploring the beautiful Hudson Valley, and still gets out for a nice trail run as much as possible!

KATHY TORIS, Yoga Instructor

Kathy finds inspiration from her own life’s experiences which she shares generously from her heart to guide others to reconnect with their own uniqueness. She has studied with many gifted teachers, who have influenced her teachings from energetic vinyasa, to healing therapeutics of yin yoga to nourishing restorative yoga. She invites her students honor their body and to move mindfully, while riding the waves of their breath. Kathy’s inspirational classes will challenge your body and mind to invoke a deeper purpose for stepping onto the mat. She feels honored to be able to share her passion for yoga with her community since 2003.

BETTINA UTZ, Pilates Instructor

Bettina Utz became a certified Pilates instructor in 2006 through Brooke Siler’s teacher training program, a 700 hour certification in classical Pilates, and has been changing bodies ever since. In addition to her work as a senior instructor at re:AB Pilates in NYC, she trained numerous private clients in Manhattan and the Hudson Valley, and she had the honor to be the Pilates instructor for the staff at Rodale Publishing for three years.

Outside the world of Pilates, Bettina uses her powerhouse as a graphic designer, organic gardener, and avid beekeeper.

LAURA VOLPACCHIO, Pilates Instructor

Laura is a lifelong dancer turned Pilates instructor, teaching artist, and photographer. After graduating from NYU Gallatin, she worked as a professional dancer appearing in numerous musicals, commercials, film & TV projects. She dove into Pilates while recuperating from dance-related injuries which inspired her to earn her Comprehensive Classical Pilates Certification at Core Pilates NYC. She hopes to help her clients reap the benefits of the Pilates method, living more full and balanced lives through movement.

Laura has had the great joy of working as a Teaching Artist, teaching dance and creative movement to kids for multiple wonderful non-profit organizations in the NYC area. She has undergone numerous trainings in dance and art therapies as well as best practices for working with neurodiverse children. Her classes provide a safe space for kids to express themselves through creative expression to develop a greater sense of self confidence, awareness, and connection – and of course, joy! When she’s not teaching, she’s running her photography business, hanging out with her husband and adorable pup, hiking or playing her ukulele.