A long time practicing yogi, Jamie received her certification from the Integrative Yoga Therapy program at Haleybird Yoga and Natural Wellness Studios. She has worked extensively alongside yoga therapist Tina Romenesko, assisting in weekly Yoga Therapy group classes as well as sharing her passion for gentle yoga with the members at the Washington Park Senior Center.

Q&A with Jamie Mullen

Q. How long have you been a yoga instructor?
A. I completed my 200-RYT training through Integrative Yoga Therapy at Haleybird Studios in October, 2013.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. My approach to yoga is to integrate all aspects of our being, not just the physical body, but to include our emotional, energetic and spiritual bodies as well. This gentle approach to the practice incorporates movement, meditation, mudras and breathwork.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. Wanting to take care of my complete self really brought me to where I am today. Taking time to breathe, move and relax each day has been vital to the well being of my complete, true self.

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. Whether the client is an experienced yogi or someone who has never practiced, everyone can expect to feel well taken care of. In my classes, we move mindfully and with care so that we allow ourselves to bring balance and nourishment to our body, mind, and spirit.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I’m not really a trend follower, but one item of note that I am excited about, is that the use of complimentary and alternative medicine/therapies are being recognized by schools such as Harvard, Stanford and Duke. To have reputable, conventional schools become involved in alternative therapies, such as yoga, is a real advancement for our profession.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. Since training and becoming a yoga instructor, I have found that I have not been regularly attending the classes from the teachers that helped me to come to love the practice. So I am taking time to allow myself to attend these classes at least once a week. Though personally I practice each day, I love the feeling of community in a group class.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. That would probably have to be the lakefront. In the summer, I will ride my bike there in the early mornings and practice. It is so peaceful and there is plenty of space. I love being near the water.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. I can’t say I really have a favorite as my husband is an amazing cook and I enjoy so many different cuisines, but I guess I would say when I need my island fix, I head over to Ono Kine Grindz in Tosa.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. In order, creating jewelry is my greatest passion next to yoga. Traveling to warm, tropical locales. And I enjoy baking with cookies, scones and biscotti being my specialty.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. I like to sit in meditation and breathe. Often my dog will join me on my mat which also aids in releasing stress.

Angela is a Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT) and Holistic Nutrition Consultant (NC) specializing in Yin Yoga and Stress-Reduction. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and received her 230-hr teaching certification in 2009 through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. She went on to an intensive study of Viniyoga with Gary Krafstow in California over 2009-10. Upon finding her passion in Yin Yoga, she completed her Level II Yin Yoga teaching certification over 2013-14 with her yin mentor in Minneapolis, Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner. Angela worked for many years in the specialty tea industry in Minneapolis and learned the art of Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony, which she incorporates into her Yoga + Tea workshops and events. Angela also completed the 8-wk Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR), a pivotal experience that continues to influence her teaching style today. Angela recently completed her 700-hr Nutrition Consultant certification via a distance-learning program with Bauman College, a holistic nutrition and culinary arts school of California.

Angela brings a lot of passion and depth to every class she teaches always focusing on helping each student find the correct tools to experience balance physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. Her personal experience with Crohn’s disease has led her on her own journey through health and disease and understanding the complex interplay of factors that contribute to true wellness. She continues to help individuals and groups achieve their goals of experiencing deep relaxation, learning stress-reducing techniques to incorporate into their daily lives, and finding more joyful and stress-free approaches to health, nutrition, and healing.

Q&A with Angela Kittock

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. I became certified in 2009, and have been teaching since then. I took a break from teaching in the middle of that time while I was dealing with illness, and dabbling in different styles of yoga. When I found yin yoga and it really became my personal practice, I decided to get back into teaching so I could share this style of yoga and its many benefits.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in yin yoga. It’s wonderful for beginners and advanced students alike, and it’s something we all need more of in our lives! I love it when people are new to yin yoga because I enjoy explaining it’s many benefits, and offering modifications to meet each student’s needs. I also specialize in a class I created called Yoga + Tea, which combines the meditative quality of Chinese gongfu tea ceremony with a yoga practice. It’s fun and unique and a great way to de-stress!

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I became ill with Crohn’s disease in 2010 and found that my usual more vigorous style of practice was physically inaccessible. I still wanted to experience the benefits of yoga so I started experimenting with more gentle styles and eventually fell in love with yin yoga. I could arrive at class feeling awful, but I always left feeling a little bit better. It was so restorative and healing for me, it was all I practiced for nearly two years. I’ve just recently begun to expand my own personal practice into more diverse styles again, but yin yoga is at the center of my heart and the only style that I teach!

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. I always start my classes by guiding students to check in with the body and the mind, doing some deep breathing and beginning to let go of the day’s tensions, and allowing the mind to begin to settle onto the breath. The class will consist of a combination of longer held yin poses as well as gentle movements as we transition between poses. While a yin class is definitely more gentle, it’s not necessarily “easy.” There’s a quiet intensity to some of the poses that can be challenging for the body, and oftentimes for the mind. But even challenging poses are always done in the context of creating more openness, ease and space in the body – and in the mind. I like to create lots of quiet space within each pose for each student to go within and be with their breath; at the same time I like to offer information about the benefits of the practice and the various modifications for each pose. I try to offer a balance of engaging information and quiet reflection.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I’m happy to see that yin yoga is becoming more popular! In the west we are so drawn to practices that give us a good workout and get into our muscular tissues – while this is a very important part of the practice, it’s only half of the practice. It’s so important to balance that yang, heating, muscular, striving energy with the cooling, fascial, yielding energy of yin yoga. We tend to be a high-achieving, yang-driven society, but we also tend to see a lot of burn-out, illness and stress-related disorders. We could all benefit from a little more yin energy in our lives to keep our bodies, mind and spirits in balance, and prevent much of the burn-out and disease we see today.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. This is my tender spot as well as my place of courage – I put every ounce of myself into trying to avoid going on medications or having surgery for Crohn’s disease, but after five years of ups and downs I lost that particular battle when my intestine perforated from the Crohn’s disease. Learning that I had to have multiple surgeries, a temporary ostomy, and start medication was a dark moment – but you know what? It became one of the best things that happened to me. It forced me to examine everything I was holding onto so tightly about what I believed, and propelled me into a place of growth. Three surgeries later, intestines patched back together, and body responding beautifully to the meds, my body is in a much-needed state of temporary peace. From this place I can now more fully examine the root causes of this disease and continue to work on them – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. But now it’s not from a place of sheer desperation, but a place of joyful learning and growing and continuing to evolve and to learn the lessons that life wants to teach us.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. I love hanging out with my husband and our dog, whether it’s snuggling up on the couch and watching our favorite shows or going for a sunny walk. In addition to yoga, my other hobbies are cooking and creating things in the kitchen, and reading. I also love doing anything outside during the fall season, my absolute favorite.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Lion’s Den Gorge just outside Milwaukee, that’s my happy spot.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. There are too many to list and since I’m not from here, I love continuing to explore new places. One place that I do enjoy is actually going to the Public Market (at slightly more obscure times when it’s less busy)! That lobster roll at the seafood place is to die for. For someone who had intense food restrictions for six years, now being able to go there feels like an amusement park.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. I like to make a cup of tea or do some yoga, even just taking a few deep breaths can be so helpful. I also like to watch a funny movie or talk to a friend that makes me laugh. I find reading something inspirational can be very helpful, too. Sometimes I will pick up the Tao te Ching, or lately I’ve just been reciting this Byron Katie quote in my head: “Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it…it’s just easier if you do.”

Yoga is life! More than 15 years ago I began this journey and it was love at first down dog. I became a 200-hr certified yoga instructor under the guidance and wisdom of Meg Galarza at YogaOne Studio, and am currently seeking my 500-hr certification.

It is taught that yoga can be defined as ‘giving back’ and it is my pleasure and honor to be a part of my students’ developing practice. My hope is that each class leaves an imprint of peace, calm, strength and renewed clarity. And, as I practice in life – all is offered with laughter and acceptance. Peace to all.

Q&A with Kim Christenson

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. I became a 200-hr certified yoga instructor in May 2014.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. Vinyasa – all levels, restorative & gentle. I plan to add a pre- and post-natal specialty in my 500-hr training.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I have had a personal practice for more than 15 years, under the guidance of Catherine Murray, Meg Galarza and Ali Modell.

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. My approach incorporates breath and body-work, delivered in the Vinyasa-style of practice. I want my students to recognize how the breath affects the body’s ability to move and be still. We will work to build strength – the foundation that allows the journey toward more advanced asanas to be safe and satisfying. And, without a doubt, we will laugh!

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. An awareness and building acceptance that each of our bodies conform differently to asanas. And, in knowing and accepting this we teachers can offer our students the opportunity to seek safer, more individualized modalities. The result of this new attitude is greater satisfaction with one’s practice.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. I work hard to maintain strength and health. I seek out help when needed by informed caregivers and I am always open to new opportunities to learn.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Read, hang with my kids and watch movies.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Anywhere on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Café Corazon

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Yoga, gardening and time with friends and family. I also love to walk my crazy dog Kylie.

From gymnastics to dance, Shari has been a student of movement all her life. Her passion for mind-body harmony has led her to yoga. In January of 2005 she was certified and registered through the Yoga Alliance teacher training program at the Nosara Institute in Costa Rica. She is excited to continue her growth of the mind-body connection by teaching and exploring yoga.

Q&A with Shari Comstock

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. 6 years

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. Restorative/Healing yoga and Vinyasa Flow.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I enjoy a wide variety of yoga styles dependent upon the needs of my mind and body at the time. I began my practice focused on Vinyasa Flow and other yang (active) focused styles because I was young and energetic craving challenge and movement. In the past several years, I have moved to a more restorative and yin (passive) style of yoga practice to balance the activities and need for stillness and surrender within my life. I believe that yoga is way of being and living. The appropriate style of yoga we practice will change depending on the needs of our body and mind at that time. We must listen to our intuitions and change our practice to maintain a sense of equilibrium and wholeness.

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. Restorative/Healing – focuses on breath, relaxation and gentle movement. Class begins with pranayama (breath work) to focus and calm the mind, followed by a thorough release of muscles and joints through passive poses and gentle movement. Each class will end with an extended savasana, in order to fully restore and rejuvenate the body and mind. 
Vinyasa Flow – focuses on linking breath with movement. Class begins by slowly warming up the body in preparation for Sun Salutations, inversions and arm balances. Each class will end with a healthy savassana to fully actualize the practice.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I am most interested in the use of Yoga to address medical needs, both physical and mental.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. Balancing both Yin and Yang within my life by staying in tune with what my mind and body needs. Currently, I’m following a more gentle and restorative practice to balance out intense involvement in roller derby.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Other than the Yoga Studio at Invivo…I would have to say, the small stretch of road that connects Lake Shore Drive with the entrance to Lake Park Bistro. It’s beautiful at all times of the year due to the dramatic curves in the road surrounded by thick foliage and an old concrete bridge.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Riverwest Co-op


Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Play/cuddle with my dog “numchuk”, Roller Derby, Any type of Bodywork/Movement class (Yoga, Pilates, Dance, Trapeze, Martial Arts, etc.)

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Breath…to balance out the intensity of roller derby.

Rae is an eclectic yoga teacher that is truly grateful she gets to share her ever evolving practice with students everyday. She has been growing in her personal yoga practice since 2003 when she was 16. Rae became a certified teacher at Yandara Yoga Institute in Bali, Indonesia and has been a teaching nearly daily since 2015. She follows the 8-limb path on and off the mat, and is thrilled to be a member of the Invivo team leading pranayama, asana and meditation. Rae is also a performer in dance, music, and acting as well as a visual artist of unlimited mediums.

Q&A with Rae Buth, CYT

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. I have been practicing yoga since 2003 and teaching since 2014. I am currently a CYT-200 from Yandara Yoga Institute in Bali, Indonesia and will soon become an E-RYT 200. I have over 1000 teaching hours, and significantly greater number of hours of practice and study.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. A “Namastrae” class is an eclectic blend of yoga philosophy, based particularly around the 8-limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga), the chakra energy centers, and mindfulness meditation practices from various disciplines combined with pranayama, mudra, asana, and mantra and delivered in fun and creative vinyasa & yin classes. My positive experiences in travel, dance, music, and art and my less savory experiences with depression and anxiety and physical injury all inform my yoga teaching.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I’ve been growing in my yoga practice since I was a teen in 2003 and have seen vast and immense benefits in my quality of being as a whole, from mindfulness meditation and continuous evolution and absorption of the asanas.

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. A new student can expect a calming atmosphere, thorough instruction and a space to feel safe – to laugh, to cry and to discover a deeper sense of their inherent being in an accessible but challenging way.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I appreciate the growing trend of being in the practice of yoga off the mat; through breathing, thoughts, words, and actions. This allows a greater population to not just view yoga as asana postures but as a way of life to carry along with them.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. My personal wellness goals are to continue to live a balanced and creative life. I do this through observing my thought patterns and breathing through daily meditation and writing, study and application of yogic practices and lifestyle, dance, art and travel. Regarding the asanas, I am specifically working to advance my arm balancing, handstanding and backbending transitions in my physical practice.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. I am a Visual Artist and a Performer. I have a BFA in Visual Art with a minor in Dance so I write songs, choreograph dances, and act in shows as the inspiration occurs. I also have a personal sustainable fashion brand called “Redish,” where I upcycle/re-purpose vintage fabrics into more modern wearables as well as make crystal necklaces and paintings. These are both hobbies and my alternative source of sustaining myself. Last but not least, I adore traveling and learning languages. I’ve been to almost all 50 states, and about 17 countries…and counting!

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. My favorite beautiful place to be in Milwaukee is in my backyard with my partner Aytan, and my kitties Azealia & Phinny soaking in the sun, or singing around the campfire on any given day. Away from home, I love the water. Anytime I am at the beach or by the river, among the trees, I feel blissful. Atwater Beach is queen!

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. I simply adore the decor, small kitchen and deliciously clean cuisine of Riverwest’s original Cafe Corazon. Try it!

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. To destress I practice pranayama & asana, ride my bicycle with my partner, sing & play piano or guitar, draw/paint and sew. My kitties also are great teachers and sources of comfort.

Biz has been teaching yoga since 2006 and practicing since she was a freshman in college. She enjoys dedicating her time and energy to sharing yoga with her students. Biz is a Professional Yoga Therapist (PYT-800 hour) and a Registered Yoga Teacher (e-RYT) through Integrative Yoga Therapy and the Yoga Alliance. She is also a certified Pre and Post Natal Yoga Instructor through Global Yoga Center in Chicago and a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the America Council on Exercise (ACE). She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Advertising and a minor in Spanish from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN. Prior to teaching yoga full time, Biz worked in the fast-paced advertising world. Loved it, but she let it go to focus her energy on helping people get closer to their true self through the practice of yoga. In addition to practicing and teaching yoga, Biz enjoys walking and running, spending time with her husband and two dogs, traveling, cooking, gardening and partaking in just about any activity outside when the weather is warm!

Biz specializes in Yoga Therapy for stress management, back care, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s Disease, female fertility and pre/post-natal care. If you are interested in working with Biz for private yoga therapy, please visit the front desk to schedule a consultation or email her directly at biz@invivowellness.com

Q&A with Biz Casmer

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. I have been teaching yoga since 2006 and practicing since I was a freshman in college.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in Yoga Therapy for stress management, back care, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s Disease, female fertility and pre/post-natal care.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I began my yoga journey in a health club and practiced “competitive yoga”! Because of my overly flexible body, I ended up injuring myself and learned to love the therapeutic aspects of yoga instead. This changed my personal practice as well as the practice that I share with my students. I understand the importance of energizing and heating our body, but like to balance that with fluid movements to keep our mind and body mobile and hopefully free from injuries.

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. A new student to my group classes can expect a balanced class including body scans/awareness, breath, energy-body work (mudras/chakras), core work, a theme of some sort and definitely meditation. A private yoga or yoga therapy client can expect the same – just catered specifically to their special needs/injury/illness.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. Not recent, but as of late I have been very connected to the nutritional side of healing.Through the guidance of nutritionists, body-workers and friends I have been changing my personal eating habits and working really hard to cleanse my system. I have been sharing this with my group classes and private clients by leading yoga practices that cleanse different systems and organs in our body. I am finding that complimenting yoga with nutritional cleansing has been incredibly helpful for me and I love sharing what I have learned with my students.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. My personal wellness goals are to continue to find balance between work, family/friends, my personal time and my yoga/meditation practice. This will be a lifelong journey/wellness goal!

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Anywhere along the lakefront. I love being near the water and we are so blessed to have such a beautiful lake in our city!

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Juniper 61. It is a walk from my house and somewhere that my husband and I like to go to get a good meal and unwind.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Spend time with my husband and 2 pups, move – either yoga, walking or running and travel to new places.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Run, walk, meditate or enjoy an at-home yoga practice. Or – watch HGTV…for as long as humanly possible.

Note: The yoga therapy components of our teaching are based on our Professional Yoga Therapy Certification through Integrative Yoga Therapy [non-YAR credential or other qualification], not derived from our status as an [RYT/E-RYT] with Yoga Alliance Registry.

Q&A with Rebecca Schuster

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. About a year and a half.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. Vinyasa.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I fell in love with the different varieties of Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations that I was introduced to in college.

Q. What can a new patient/client expect?
A. A challenging but accessible class where breath and movement becomes linked. I make sure to give modifications in every pose but also the option to take the pose deeper for the more experienced yogi(ni).

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. Yin yoga which is a version of restorative yoga that is becoming rapidly popular. It is a nice contrast to the active and fast-moving vinyasa styles of yoga to include in everyone’s weekly practice or for winding down at the end of the day.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. I love the beach at Atwater Park, I love spending summer afternoons there.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. That’s a hard question but I’ll have to admit my love for EE Sane pops to mind first.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Attending yoga classes, long walks with my dog and cooking/baking.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. An at-home restorative or yin practice!

Angela is a Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT) and Holistic Nutrition Consultant (NC) specializing in Yin Yoga and Stress-Reduction. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and received her 230-hr teaching certification in 2009 through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. She went on to an intensive study of Viniyoga with Gary Krafstow in California over 2009-10. Upon finding her passion in Yin Yoga, she completed her Level II Yin Yoga teaching certification over 2013-14 with her yin mentor in Minneapolis, Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner. Angela worked for many years in the specialty tea industry in Minneapolis and learned the art of Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony, which she incorporates into her Yoga + Tea workshops and events. Angela also completed the 8-wk Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR), a pivotal experience that continues to influence her teaching style today. Angela recently completed her 700-hr Nutrition Consultant certification via a distance-learning program with Bauman College, a holistic nutrition and culinary arts school of California.

Angela brings a lot of passion and depth to every class she teaches always focusing on helping each student find the correct tools to experience balance physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. Her personal experience with Crohn’s disease has led her on her own journey through health and disease and understanding the complex interplay of factors that contribute to true wellness. She continues to help individuals and groups achieve their goals of experiencing deep relaxation, learning stress-reducing techniques to incorporate into their daily lives, and finding more joyful and stress-free approaches to health, nutrition, and healing.

Q&A with Angela Kittock

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher?
A. I became certified in 2009, and have been teaching since then. I took a break from teaching in the middle of that time while I was dealing with illness, and dabbling in different styles of yoga. When I found yin yoga and it really became my personal practice, I decided to get back into teaching so I could share this style of yoga and its many benefits.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in yin yoga. It’s wonderful for beginners and advanced students alike, and it’s something we all need more of in our lives! I love it when people are new to yin yoga because I enjoy explaining it’s many benefits, and offering modifications to meet each student’s needs. I also specialize in a class I created called Yoga + Tea, which combines the meditative quality of Chinese gongfu tea ceremony with a yoga practice. It’s fun and unique and a great way to de-stress!

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I became ill with Crohn’s disease in 2010 and found that my usual more vigorous style of practice was physically inaccessible. I still wanted to experience the benefits of yoga so I started experimenting with more gentle styles and eventually fell in love with yin yoga. I could arrive at class feeling awful, but I always left feeling a little bit better. It was so restorative and healing for me, it was all I practiced for nearly two years. I’ve just recently begun to expand my own personal practice into more diverse styles again, but yin yoga is at the center of my heart and the only style that I teach!

Q. What can a new student expect?
A. I always start my classes by guiding students to check in with the body and the mind, doing some deep breathing and beginning to let go of the day’s tensions, and allowing the mind to begin to settle onto the breath. The class will consist of a combination of longer held yin poses as well as gentle movements as we transition between poses. While a yin class is definitely more gentle, it’s not necessarily “easy.” There’s a quiet intensity to some of the poses that can be challenging for the body, and oftentimes for the mind. But even challenging poses are always done in the context of creating more openness, ease and space in the body – and in the mind. I like to create lots of quiet space within each pose for each student to go within and be with their breath; at the same time I like to offer information about the benefits of the practice and the various modifications for each pose. I try to offer a balance of engaging information and quiet reflection.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I’m happy to see that yin yoga is becoming more popular! In the west we are so drawn to practices that give us a good workout and get into our muscular tissues – while this is a very important part of the practice, it’s only half of the practice. It’s so important to balance that yang, heating, muscular, striving energy with the cooling, fascial, yielding energy of yin yoga. We tend to be a high-achieving, yang-driven society, but we also tend to see a lot of burn-out, illness and stress-related disorders. We could all benefit from a little more yin energy in our lives to keep our bodies, mind and spirits in balance, and prevent much of the burn-out and disease we see today.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. This is my tender spot as well as my place of courage – I put every ounce of myself into trying to avoid going on medications or having surgery for Crohn’s disease, but after five years of ups and downs I lost that particular battle when my intestine perforated from the Crohn’s disease. Learning that I had to have multiple surgeries, a temporary ostomy, and start medication was a dark moment – but you know what? It became one of the best things that happened to me. It forced me to examine everything I was holding onto so tightly about what I believed, and propelled me into a place of growth. Three surgeries later, intestines patched back together, and body responding beautifully to the meds, my body is in a much-needed state of temporary peace. From this place I can now more fully examine the root causes of this disease and continue to work on them – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. But now it’s not from a place of sheer desperation, but a place of joyful learning and growing and continuing to evolve and to learn the lessons that life wants to teach us.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. I love hanging out with my husband and our dog, whether it’s snuggling up on the couch and watching our favorite shows or going for a sunny walk. In addition to yoga, my other hobbies are cooking and creating things in the kitchen, and reading. I also love doing anything outside during the fall season, my absolute favorite.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Lion’s Den Gorge just outside Milwaukee, that’s my happy spot.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. There are too many to list and since I’m not from here, I love continuing to explore new places. One place that I do enjoy is actually going to the Public Market (at slightly more obscure times when it’s less busy)! That lobster roll at the seafood place is to die for. For someone who had intense food restrictions for six years, now being able to go there feels like an amusement park.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. I like to make a cup of tea or do some yoga, even just taking a few deep breaths can be so helpful. I also like to watch a funny movie or talk to a friend that makes me laugh. I find reading something inspirational can be very helpful, too. Sometimes I will pick up the Tao te Ching, or lately I’ve just been reciting this Byron Katie quote in my head: “Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it…it’s just easier if you do.”