Vanessa Nassif specializes in personalized practice and devotes most of her time to private clients and educating teachers. In addition to serving as Bhakti Barn’s Co-Director of Education, where she shapes Bhakti’s esteemed teacher training, Vanessa mentors aspiring yoga professionals and serves as Adjunct Anatomy Trainer in advanced certification programs at studios throughout the northeast. Vanessa’s approach is rooted in embodied anatomy, adaptability, breath-centered movement, and functional alignment. 

She has taught thousands of classes in group, private and corporate settings in NY, NJ and CA, and is grateful to her teachers: Amy Matthews and Leslie Kaminoff, authors of Yoga Anatomy; Gil Hedley; Sat Jivan Kaur and Sat Jivan Singh; Dana Flynn and Jasmine Tarkeshi; and Judith Hanson Lasater. 

She holds a BFA in Theatre from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Certifications include Yoga Alliance E-RYT® 500 YACEP®, Kundalini Research Institute, and Relax & Renew®.

Vanessa’s own yoga journey began in 2003 when, on the eve of her NYU directorial debut, she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Yoga empowered her to play a role in her own healing process. Since returning to health, she’s dedicated herself to educating others and supporting her students’ empowerment through the practice of yoga and meditation.