About Live Free Yoga Studio

Owner and head studio instructor Mark Van Buren tread a long and winding road to becoming a yoga instructor, and every stop he made along the way informed his practice. Music used to be his man's main endeavor—he's performed at rock clubs such as The Bitter End and Webster Hall in New York City—but he added fitness to his list of passions when he became a personal trainer. From there, he took an interest in massage, and that road led him to a life of yoga, meditation, and qi gong. Somewhere between going on silent meditation retreats, he found time to go back to school and earn a degree in religious studies. Eventually, he founded Live Free Yoga Studio to share his lifestyle with others.

Along with fellow instructors Lori, Leanna, Diane, Krishna, and Johanna, Mark inspires yoga practitioners of all levels to advance their practices. On the sunlit hardwood floor of the Live Free studio, students strike poses seven days a week, no matter their limitations. "Anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability, is welcome to come work with their body and mind in our intimate, non-competitive space," he says.