Carrie Parker Gastelu   Carrie Parker Gastelu is a New York/New Jersey based, E-500 hour registered Yoga Instructor (the highest level of certification) Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. Carrie is Founder and Co-Director of Bright Spirit Teacher Training, offering both 200 hour and 500 hour level certification. Bright Spirit Teacher Training is in its eleventh year and is one of the largest teacher training programs in New Jersey. Carrie is Director of Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Works, one of the largest teacher training programs in the United States. They have twenty-three yoga studios located throughout California and New York City. Carrie has created the programming and training materials for the prenatal section of both their 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings and teaches a 40-hour prenatal yoga teacher training for yoga teachers in NYC and LA. Carrie is a Parent Educator for Valley hospital, in Ridgewood NJ, teaching both Lamaze Childbirth Education and Prenatal Yoga Classes. Valley hospital is known for their maternity service, The Center for Childbirth, which welcomes more than 3,000 babies into the world each year. She is also Director of Prenatal yoga at Devotion Yoga, in Hoboken NJ. At Devotion Yoga, Carrie teaches teacher training programs, group classes and Lamaze Childbirth Education.  Carrie also teaches weekly classes at Shiva Shanthi Yoga School in Rutherford, NJ.

Carrie has taught prenatal yoga teacher trainings as a guest teacher at studios all over the country including the Open Center, NYC, the largest urban holistic teaching center in the United States. She is also a guest teacher at the OMEGA Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, regularly teaching at their New York City conferences. Carrie has been a presenter for Birth Works International Conferences for birth professionals. She has been featured in Fit Magazine, the Yoga Zone Book and in the Yoga Zone Video, “Flexibility and Stress Release.” Carrie was also featured in the Discovery Documentary, “From Conception to Birth.” Yogi Raj Mani Finger initiated Carrie into the ISHTA Yoga lineage after training with Mani’s son, Yogi Raj Alan Finger. In addition she has studied many other yoga traditions as well as anatomy, physiology, movement and awareness practices to create an eclectic style all her own. During teacher training, Carrie specializes in anatomy and draws extensively on courses with neuro-muscular movement specialist Irene Dowd in Anatomy and postural training to further her understanding of movement and the human body. In addition, somatic movement therapist Dr. Ruella Frank as well as yoga anatomy teachers Leslie kaminoff and Paul Grilley have influenced her teaching of anatomy. However, when teaching group classes, she emphasizes flow and philosophy and is greatly influenced by Shiva Rae. Carrie is known for her honest, non-dogmatic approach and encourages her students to find the teacher within.

In addition to being a Certified Lamaze Childbirth Educator, Carrie has also studied with author and midwife, Pam England, taking Level One Training for Birthing From Within Childbirth Education. On her journey as a birth professional, Carrie has studied with many other inspiring and amazing teachers including: Jean Sutton, Midwife; Michel Odent, MD; Ina May Gaskin, Midwife; Henci Goer, Childbirth Educator and researcher. Prior to teaching yoga, Carrie was involved in children’s entertainment marketing, developing high quality toys and books for children. She is the mother of three children, her greatest teachers, after yoga filled pregnancies and beautiful homebirths!