Our Instructors
Mary Bue & Tara Cindy Sherman have been co-hosting workshops, series, and retreats since 2019. Tara has been teaching since 1994 Mary since 2009 (and was a student of Tara’s)! Their friendship blossomed into a beautiful business partnership and the spark to open a yoga teacher training school together has lit them both up with excitement!
Our guest instructors include Asavari Manvikar, founder and lead faculty at the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda, and Sam Lezon, owner of Sportworks Active Chiropractic to deep dive into anatomy.
Tara Cindy Sherman e-RYT 500 YACEP
My first introduction to the yogic path was in 1970 when at the age of 13 I read Siddartha by Hermann Hesse. The wisdom in that book made such an impression on me that I taught myself to meditate by gazing into the flame of a candle, many years later I learned that this technique is called trataka and is a valid tantric technique for meditation. Though I didn’t continue to practice for very long, being exposed to Eastern teachings at such a young age made a lasting impression on me. The inner knowing that there is more to life than the “seen” world is what drew me to, and keeps me on a yogic path, and is what I strive to bring to all of my classes.
In 1987 I returned to a regular practice of meditation and soon discovered the joy of hatha yoga. In 1993 I received my first 200 Yoga Teacher Certification at Expanding Light in Grass Valley, CA and have been teaching yoga ever since. That same year I was initiated into the tantric form of meditation known as Kriya Yoga as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Since that time here are some of the certifications and trainings that I have taken: DansKinetics from Kirpalu Center in 1999, Atma Yoga from Christopher Baxter in 2001, Ashtanga with Doug Swenson in 2002, Yoga of the Heart Cardiac & Cancer with Nischala Devi in 2004, JAI Prenatal with Jennifer Gray in 2006, Yin yoga with Paulie Zink in 2007, Yogic Mystery School and trip to India with Russill Paul studying Nada yoga in 2008, Vini Yoga with Gary Kraftsow in 2012, and goddess philosophy and meditation with Sally Kempton at Mt. Madonna in 2014.
Over the years I’ve brought together all of my favorite teachings and experiences into what I’ve named Radiant Shakti Flow which incorporates the Hindu Goddesses, ritual, chanting, drumming yogic warms, creative movement and yoga nidra for a full experience of the sacred.
I had the great pleasure to drum for Shakti Chant Band who preformed kirtans around town for 8 years, and now play in Shakti Bhava with my dear friend Coco.
Teaching yoga has brought great blessings to my life. I taught workshops, immersions, and drop-in classes at Yoga Center of Minneapolis (YCM) from 2000-2024. I was also involved with YCM's 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program and taught in the Advanced 500-hour training there. I feel it both an honor and blessing to help train teachers in this ancient art and science so that the full wisdom of yoga is passed on.
Mary Bue e-RYT 500 YACEP
A registered yoga teacher (e-RYT 500) in the Viniyoga tradition, Mary received her certification at Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, WA from Tracy Weber, (student of Gary Kraftsow, student of T.K.V. Desikachar) and her 300 hour from Yoga Center Retreat (formerly Yoga Center of Minneapolis). In 2020, Mary received an additional 200-hour Nada Yoga (the Yoga of Sound) certificate from Nada Yoga School in Rishikesh India.
Mary has pursued continuing education in prenatal yoga, yoga for anxiety & depression, pranayama, and a 30-hour certification in Trauma-informed Yoga with Firefly Yoga International. Mary was a teaching assistant for Whole Life Yoga’s ten-month-long, 200-hour teacher training in 2010 and assisted in WLY’s “Yoga for Healthy Backs” Series. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on Transpersonal Psychology from the University of Minnesota–Duluth. Mary has also received volunteer training in sexual assault victim advocacy from PAVSA and domestic violence victim support from DAIP. She founded and ran Imbue Yoga Studio in S. Mpls for nearly 3 years (closing Jan. 2019).
As a wanderer-luster and experience junkie, she has worked in many types of jobs: as a clinical research assistant in a prison & hospital, an AIDS prevention outreach worker on the streets, and harm reduction work in needle exchanges, as well as many hundreds of hours as a server, bartender, and barista.
All of these experiences culminate in the guiding of Creativity and Yoga Retreats. Mary has led and co-led retreats in Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Bali, Malta, Ireland, and Italy.
Mary is an avid runner (10 half marathons and two full marathons), a nature lover, and a vegan. In her spare time, she enjoys playing music, cooking, writing blogs, poetry, and in journals, painting cow portraits, reading non-fiction, and traveling.
Asavari Manvikar, Ayurvedic Doctor
Asavari Manvikar is a classically trained Ayurvedic Doctor, founder, and lead faculty at the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda. Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda offers professional education. certificate programs in Ayurveda, in person and globally in a distant format.
She is a graduate faculty at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, University of Minnesota. She is one of the leading Ayurveda experts in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. She has been. helping her clients achieve health and wellness through her private practice at Ayuwellness for. many years.
She is a very passionate educator and has been organizing regular workshops on various topics. of Ayurveda and yoga to increase awareness regarding the holistic approach to health and wellness in the community.
She earned her Bachelor's of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree in 1997 and an MD in Kayachikitsa (Ayurveda Medicine) in 2000 from the University of Pune, India. In 2001, she was awarded a Gold Medal for her scholarly thesis work by the Institute of Indian Medicine.
She served as a Doctor of Ayurveda Medicine, and Faculty Member, at the BSDT's Ayurveda College, Wagholi, Pune, from 2001-to 2003. She collaborated with her colleagues to research the integrative approach to diabetes, obesity, and cancer. She has authored several papers and articles in health journals.
In 2011, she developed and started teaching the graduate-level course CSPH 5343 'Ayurveda, The Science of Self-healing' at the 'Center for Spirituality and Healing, University of Minnesota. Through this course, she addresses the ethics, principles, and spirituality underlying the most ancient healing system of Ayurveda and how to integrate it with yoga for overall wellbeing.
She is a certified yoga teacher and has taught advanced 200 hr. and Yoga Teacher's training program for more than 12yrs at the Yoga Center Retreat and Green Lotus in Minneapolis.
Besides teaching at the university, she also offers educational certificate programs at Normandale, a local community center. She is an Editorial Board Member for the PDEAS International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Allied Sciences. She is a professional member of NAMA, 'The National Ayurvedic Medical Association,' and serves as a committee member for a Beta Ayurvedic Doctor Program. She serves as a State Director, AAPNA, 'Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America.' She serves as a President of the 'Minnesota Ayurveda Association.' She is chair of the Global Webinar Research Series project by CAR (Council of Ayurveda Research). She serves on the advisory board of the Hindu Community Center.
Her passion is to educate students on how to create balance to achieve health and wellbeing.
Sam Lezon, DC, CCSPⓇ
Dr. Sam Lezon grew up in Plymouth, MN. He graduated from Hopkins High School where he was a competitive track and field athlete. With his interest in the human body and love of sports, he continued his education at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, where he graduated with a degree in Exercise Sports Science- Fitness, concentration in strength & conditioning, and minor in chemistry. Upon graduation, he received his Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) which he held until 2023.
Before moving back to Minnesota, Dr. Lezon lived in Washington, DC for two years where he worked as the Personal Training Coordinator at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Health and Fitness Center.
Dr. Lezon attended Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, MN where he was valedictorian of his class and focused his studies on sport-specific injuries and treatment. In 2019, he furthered his education, becoming a certified chiropractic sports physician (CCSP).
Dr. Lezon coordinates and assists with the elite athlete care for Grandma's Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon.
In his spare time, Dr. Lezon enjoys trail running, biking, snowboarding, and a good craft beer. He and his wife, Kathryn, have two daughters named Ella & Greta, and two dogs named Duke & Moose.