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Our Yoga Family
Alisha Johnson
(she/her) I am a Certified Yoga Teacher through Melanie's Root to Rise Program since July of 2018, CrossFit Level 1 Trainer since July of 2019, and most recently USA Weightlifting Level 1 Certified since August of 2019. I was born and raised in Northern California surrounded by redwoods and the beautiful Pacific coast and moved to Fort Collins in 2013 to complete my Bachelors in Sociology and Human Development and Family Studies at CSU. I am currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Social Work Program at the University of Denver with a concentration in Health and Wellness.
The purpose of yoga to me is to leave the ego and transcend into a state of curiosity and exploration through incorporating the breath with movement. My passion is helping guide others towards a healthy and holistic lifestyle through the breath and functional movement.
For all my offerings:
Find Alisha :: Tues 5:30pm, Thurs 9am, Sun 10am
Vajra Yogini
(she/her) I have been studying and practicing yoga asana for nearly 25 years, and as a life-long musician I've dedicated 20 years to the practices of nada yoga, mantra and bhakti yoga (the yoga of sound, chanting, and devotion). In 2005 I became certified to teach yoga by Stephanie Keach at Asheville Yoga Center (Asheville, NC). Starting in 2005 right up to the present, I've completed over 600 hours of training with Tias Little (Prajna Yoga, Santa Fe NM). I served as lead teacher and co-director of a number of 200-hour level YTTs between 2011 and 2014 for a yoga school my husband, Surdas, and I co-founded.
Some of the things that inspire me are the ancient teachings of yoga, Eastern wisdom and philosophy, ancient and modern mysticism, music from all over the globe, the wonders of the plant kingdom and the natural world, cooking, playing ukulele and singing, being *bonus-mom* to a lively 4 year old boy, and quietude whenever I can find it.
I'm looking forward to sharing with you the sustaining and deeply nourishing practices of yoga that I have learned and integrated into my life over the last quarter century!
Find Vajra : Wed 12pm
Kristen Yarmey
(she/her) Kristen Yarmey is a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), reiki master, Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) practitioner, and ordained minister in the Madonna Interfaith Community. Seeking relief from anxiety and depression, she began practicing yoga after realizing how disconnected she was from her own body. As a former academic, both yoga and energy healing have been significant tools in her journey from living from the head to living to the heart. Her classes emphasize body awareness and the connections between movement, breath, emotion, and energy. She teaches kundalini, vinyasa, slow flow, yin, and restorative yoga. For more : www.kristenyarmey.net
Find Kristen :: Mondays, Tues, & Wednesdays 7pm,
Baheya Aysheh
(she/her) Baheya is a compassionate & loving Healer; a Palestinian Medicine Woman; a Reiki Master; a Breathwork facilitator; a Tantra energy healer; a 200hr Yoga teacher; a Life Coach; and Mentor. Her fiery passion is helping people come back home to self care and self love through healing the inner child and releasing the issues in the tissues. Baheya has been practicing as a medicine woman for 15 years now and is humbled by each soul that shows up for guidance and healing. Baheya is also one of our Wellness Practitioners! Find out more about her at www.baheyaaysheh.com
Find Baheya: Sun 6pm, Thurs 10:30am
Michael Palser
(he/his) I am a Master Instructor for Animal Flow, and a certified Master PT. I love the human body, and I have been training for over 25 years. My athletic background led me into the world of fitness. Starting with sports performance and body transformation, I fell in love with helping people!
This led me to seeking new forms of movement, including yoga, pilates, cycling, rowing, Muay Thai kickboxing and all group activities.
I love to cook, and I am a singer who loves to play the guitar, and ALL music! These are both of my love languages and they both help me transcend. After a retreat on an Native American reservation in Arizona, I discovered the necessity for emotional and spiritual work in my life. Without it, I am not complete…
I will forever be learning, growing, and revealing new layers. This is me, and what I am here to give.
Find Michael :: Tues 9am, & Thurs 5:30pm
Celia Avens
Celia (she/her), after a life long yoga journey received her CYT-200 from Om Ananda in 2021. An avid lover of the Moon, games, and ceremony, she built from her passions and now leads Full Moon Circles, Drum Circles, and a number of different yin and flow classes.
Currently in training for Breathwork Facilitation, and Cacao Ceremony Facilitation; she brings a loving, playful, magick-inspired, laugh-filled class each, and every, time. Come for a blend community building - belly laughs - dynamic flows - and all out bliss !
Find Celia: Tues 7pm
Patti Shaffer Sterns
(she/her) From the time you meet Patti she makes you feel like you have known her for years. She has a warm and nurturing presence in an out of the yoga room. Patti’s classes are dynamic. She has a unique gift for reading her students so you can be sure that no class will be the same. She will challenge you, but at the same time nurture your soul and spirit with her knowledge and passion for all things yoga. Patti’s students often refer to her as the “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Effect” Teacher. This means that as you begin a class with Patti you will get lost in your own practice, she will help you let go and be present on your mat. However, somewhere through the middle of class you will start to feel Tapas (internal heat and discipline) from your practice, and at this point you will start to sweat and wonder how someone who is so nurturing can sneak and instill such a wonderful sense of change in your yoga practice on and off the mat. Her students are her passion. She will always put them first. Patti first discovered her love of Yoga back in the early 90’s through dvds and a home practice. She completed her 200 hour certification in 2009. Since that time Patti continues build upon her expansive knowledge of yoga, through workshops, literature, conferences as well as her own personal practice.
Find Patti : Thurs 12pm
Brook Shander
(she/her) My yoga journey goes way back to when I was a little girl. In 8th grade, I would go to a woman named Mary's house with my friends after school. She would give us brownies and lemonade and then teach us yoga. That's where it all began. In high school, I joined a gym and they offered yoga too. I found myself going to the gym a lot just to take these yoga classes. When college time came around, I joined a studio and fell in love with the practice. It became a part of my everyday routine and was an essential self-care tool. Once I graduated college, I moved to Fort Collins and completed my 200 hour teacher training at Yogapod University. I am most knowledgeable in vinyasa yoga and I am actively expanding my practice in bikram and yin yoga too. To me, yoga invites our souls to look within by being present and focused, which allows us to heal deeply and bring our bodies, minds, and spirits into perfect harmony. I believe that yoga is alignment and alignment cultivates inner peace. I am looking forward to connecting with you all and deepening our practice as one!
Find Brook: Tues 12pm
Kari Grady Grossman
(she/her) Kari has been teaching Kundalini Yoga since 2016, and has been training in the 1,000 hour Kundalini Yoga Therapy program since 2019. She is a Reiki master, paddleboard yoga instructor, Ancestral Healing trainee and co-owner of Happy Lucky’s Teahouse in Fort Collins with her husband George. Before turning her life to the healing arts, she worked as an international development specialist in rural Cambodia, wrote two books about Cambodia and traveled as a science and adventure writer for The Discovery Channel online. She and George have two children, Grady and Shanti, adopted from Cambodia and India respectively.
Find Kari :: Mondays 5:30pm
Melanie Lighthouser
(she/her) Melanie began her yoga journey in her early twenties and received her 200hr certification from The Asheville Yoga Center in 2004. Her teaching and body knowledge is deeply connected to her 17yrs of doing massage therapy, as well as the Shamanic Breathwork training she received in her late twenties.
Melanie describes her yoga style as "deep breath slow flow". She feels most passionately about creating a space where her students can connect deeply with their breath and, through that connection, realign their bodies from the inside out. Her classes offer a well-rounded re-balance of the physical, mental, and emotional bodies.
Melanie is the co-owner of Be Free, lead instructor for Root to Rise 200hr Yoga Teacher Training, and the co-leader of Breathe, the Be Free Breathwork certification program at BFHC!
Find Melanie :: Mon 9am, Wed 5:30pm
Kat Davis
(she/her) You could call me a former-mermaid, a hug-giver, a lover of the moon & all things sparkly. My path has long been one of curiosity & learning about the body. Dance, Martial Arts, SCUBA Instructor, Massage Therapy & Reiki training plus a lot of self-study all lead me to Yoga. Yoga felt like coming home; like medicine for my body (chronic back pain), mind (depression & anxiety) & Spirit. I felt called to pay it forward, to help others shed the programming & rediscover Self. May 2015, I completed my training with Perennial Yoga in Madison, WI & received the Yoga Alliance RYT 200 certification.
Life moves at a hectic pace, so I teach what I practice - slow & gentle vinyasa, mindful movements that (re)connect body with breath; Yin, Restorative & Yoga Nidra to rest & recharge. My classes are infused with the magic of the elements, nature, sound & Reiki – laughter is also welcome!
It is my intention & deep honor to create & hold a safe space for students to find their own Light, strength & grace – both on & off the mat. Together, we create a container for discovery, release & connections. I truly believe we can change the world, one breath at a time.
Outside of the studio, exploring & photographing nature has become a passion. Creating art & jewelry infused with intention also bring me joy!
Find Kat :: Mon 12pm, Thurs 7pm, & Fridays 9am
Jillian Bieritz
(she/her) Jillian’s love and connection to nature brought her and her family from the Chicagoland area, to Fort Collins in 2015. She has been a truth seeker for as long as she can remember and has expressed herself artistically from an early age, with music and dance being huge influential forms of creative expression, luminating her spiritual path.
When Jillian was introduced to yoga in 2012, she was unaware of how deeply it would transform her life. She stepped to the mat in search of a spiritual connection, and what she found was more powerful than she ever imagined. Within a short amount of time she was called to dive deeper into the sacred practice of yoga. In 2015, Jillian received her 200-hr Hatha Yoga Certification upon completion of a one-on-one yoga teacher training apprenticeship with Meggan Riley Yoga.
Jillian has an intuitive understanding of the ancient wisdom offered through the scientific system of yoga. Her deep love of astrology, organic movement, and the studies of Earth Medicine, inspire her teachings. She is dedicated to teaching yoga from the heart, while bringing a soulful connection to mind, body and spirit. She is passionate about holding a sacred container for students to (re)connect with themselves in an authentic way. Forever a student, Jillian is eternally grateful for the wisdom and guidance that has been offered by her teachers.
When off the mat you can find Jillian, her husband Blake, their son Grey and soulful dog Raven, focusing their energy on experiencing all that Colorado has to offer, and growing spiritually through spontaneous adventure, and a willingness to do the unexpected.