Our Team
Director of Children's Services, Founder
Vanessa Kahlon, MA. has been working for over a decade with families who have children with developmental
and learning challenges in San Francisco and Los Angeles area.
In her various capacities, she has directed and supervised in-home Applied Behavioral Analysis programs for
children on the autism spectrum, as well as facilitated social skills groups using YOGA in both school and
community settings. She has extensive training in DIR-Floortime, sensory integration and collaborates closely
with speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists. Along with working with children who have
special needs she has experience in early childhood mental health and trauma. She has her certification from
the Child Trauma Institute from UCSF. She also teaches yoga at domestic violence shelters with women and
children.
Vanessa also serves on the board of Special Place Foundation, which seeks to establish a nurturing, semi-rural,
residential-vocational community for adults with disabilities, designed to foster self-sufficiency. She holds a
master's degree in Clinical Psychology and is a Registered Yoga Instructor.
Staff
Yoga Instructor
Hillary Hoffman, B.A. originally from Arizona, graduated from Goucher College with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in dance and a minor in biology. She currently teaches Jewish education to middle school and high school
students, dances professionally throughout the San Francisco bay area, and teaches yoga to people of all ages.
Hillary loves to share her passion and joy with her students!
Consultants
Linda M. Perez, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Epiphany Family Treatment
Program, a children's mental health program funded through the Department of Public Health. She is a Professor
of Child Development at Mills College where she directs three programs that focus on infants and young children
including a MA Degree in Infant Mental Health and an Early Childhood Special Education Credential Program. She
has published articles in professional journals, and is often the keynote speaker at national and international
workshops on at-risk infants. A special area of interest for her is self-regulation for infants with special
needs and using adult self- regulation to modify behaviors in young children.
Susan McCormick, Ph.D. is a linguist specializing in the effects of the design of standardized tests on
learning-challenged students. She has worked in both applied and computational linguistics to develop models of
verbal analysis that distinguish between standard and non-standard learners, especially children with ADD and
dyslexia, and students whose parents speak a second language at home. Recent work includes a comprehensive
self-help SAT manual for students with learning challenges and test anxiety. In addition to strategic reading
and math training, the manual includes a typology of SAT writing style question types that applies linguistic
grammatical analysis specifically targeted to the non-standard learner or speaker. Ms. McCormick holds an MA
and PhD in Linguistics from Cornell University and works professionally as a standardized test educator in the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Shana Meyerson founded mini yogis™ yoga for kids in March 2002. A pioneer in the children's yoga
community, Shana has taught teachers all over the world how to teach children in a fun, safe, and mindful way.
Her intuitive and integrative approach to teaching allows her to positively change the lives of both typically
developing and special needs children. Trained in classical yoga by one of the world's most renowned yogis,
Sri Dharma Mittra, Shana considers her teaching an offering to the sweet innocence of children and the lives
that lay ahead of them. You can find out more about Shana and her mini yogis program by visiting
www.miniyogis.com.
Tracy Hicks, R.Y.T, 500, C.M.T, is dedicated, devoted, and ever-evolving student of yoga and healing
arts since she began her practice in 1998. She is a registered master yoga instructor in accordance to Yoga
Alliance standards, a Therapeutic Thai Masseuse, Foot Reflexologist, and Trauma Release Facilitator. Under
the guidance of mentors she studied the bio-mechanics of experimental exercises used to facilitate the
surrender of stress/trauma patterns in the body. Tracy uniquely blends anatomy, and rhythm into a contemplative,
intuitive, and dynamic approach to practice for preteens, teens and adults. She studied yoga and meditation
under a variety of mentors around the world. Tracy has a deep appreciation for nature and her connection to
it. Her classes and workshops will awaken your mind, body and soul and leave your spirit soaring.