Julie Bata
Julie Bata, MFA, RYT, is a Dancer, Yoga practitioner, and Educator. A lifelong mover, she became interested in Yoga in her early twenties. Her first introduction to Ashtanga Yoga occurred in 1993 while living on the magical island of Kauai. She is forever grateful to Chandra, her first teacher. During her residency at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY in 1995 she was able to deepen her practice, live and work in community, and learn from such renowned teachers as Beryl Bender Birch, Kofi Busia, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Han, and Babatunde Olatunji. While in graduate school, she was introduced to Anusara Yoga by Becky Klett and felt deep transformations taking place in her practice, dance, and life. She began teaching in 1999 and completed her teacher training with Leah Gillman, founder of Barefoot Movement.
Her classes help students to connect with their breath while finding a balance between stability and freedom in their Yoga and Life. She holds an M.F.A in Dance specializing in West African and Modern and performs regularly throughout the Bay Area with local dance companies. She teaches Dance, Yoga, and Pilates at Laney College and Yoga at Barefoot Movement and the Downtown Oakland YMCA. 
