Lisa Bertke has been a passionate yoga practitioner for over 10 years and believes that “yoga feeds your soul." After 13 years in the corporate world Lisa followed her heart and opened the Prana Yoga Center in September 2003. Lisa’s yoga journey began with the year long teacher training intensive program through Moksha Yoga Center. Lisa continues her in-depth study of yoga with Rod Stryker having completed six Para Yoga master teacher training modules including: The Energetics of Sequencing, The Art of Teaching, Tantra:The Radiant Soul, Prana: Power & Path and the Yoga Sutras: Light On Self Mastery. Lisa lovingly and skillfully teaches and inspires students using the technical aspects of alignment and the tantric princliples of intelligent sequencing so that her classes provide the maximum healing effect for students. Lisa has a human resources degree from DePaul University and lives in St. Charles with her husband Tom and is the mother of 9 year-old twin boys and a 13 year-old son. Check the schedule for Lisa’s classes.
Stacy Davis' journey began in early 2003 when she discovered “Power Yoga.” She was instantly passionate about the feelings of bliss experienced. Naturally she began to research more about this modern style of yoga and found it derived from a more traditional teaching called Ashtanga. In February 2005 she obtained her 200hr level certification with The Lotus Yoga Teachers Association. The prior year of training proved to her she was on the right path, so in the summer of 2007 she attended an Ashtanga Yoga teachers training with Manju Pattabhi Jois and plans to practice with him annually. Learn more about Stacy’s background at her website:
www.LoveOfYoga.com
Sharon Denton
Colorado native, Sharon Denton, holds a Kenisiologydegree from UNC, 500 level Yoga Alliance Teacher,Certified Transformation Meditation Teacher,certification in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras/Yoga Darshan,Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Group Fitness and is working towards her certification in Lifestyleand Weight Management. With over 19 years of teaching experience and a strong spiritual foundation, Sharon has an energizing yet peaceful nature that fosters her natural, innate ability to bring out the true essence that lies within us all. Sharon's intuitive gift to design classes meeting the needs of all levels, so that each individual explores comfort, steadiness andjoy, learning to practice with a sense of balance and awareness of their connection to the inner nature, the source. Sharon integrates the Yoga Sutras, threading this wisdom through each class. She emphasizes cultivating playfulness, allowing the true nature of the authentic self to illuminate, allowing healing and freedom to be realized. Sharon's sincere appreciation of yoga is apparent in the lifestyle she lives. Join Sharon in exploring, experiencing, and enjoying the true expression of yoga. Each session is a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Sharon acknowledges and embraces how fortunate and blessed she is to have the opportunity to teach yoga and sheis grateful for all the teachers that have come in to her life, including her husband, daughter, family, friends and students. For more on Sharon, check out her website, www.sharondenton.com
Desiree Eastham was drawn to learning more about yoga beyond the physical practice after experiencing her first studio classes in 2003. After each class, she relished in the tranquility of the mind and freedom of the body.In 2007, she completed a 200-hour hatha yoga teacher’s certification at the Chicago Yoga Center with Suddha Weixler.Over the past few years, Desiree has been studying Anusara Yoga®, founded by John Friend. (Desiree is C.Y.T, R.Y.T. and is now earning credit hours for “Anusara-Inspired” status.)She is intrigued by the ingenuity of Anusara’s alignment principles, warmed by its fun-loving attitude and philosophy.Her teaching intention is to encourage students to uncover their inner-beauty, access their limitless potential and lift their spirits.She is fortunate to have practiced and studied with certified Anusara teachers Julie Smerdon, Sarah Starnes and Chad Satlow.Over the years, she has also attended workshops with various teachers, including but not limited to: Ross Rayburn, Todd Norian, Desiree Rumbaugh and Betsey Downing. Desiree sends her gratitude and love to all the teachers that have inspired her over the years.
Sachiko Eubanks was born and raised in Japan, and has been living in the United States since 1989. Growing up in Buddhist family, she was first introduced to meditation at school when in the 7th grade. Sachiko started her regular yoga practice and study in 2000, and recently finished the teacher training at Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago, and is registered to Yoga Alliance at 200hr level. She had many fortunate opportunities to become familiar with different styles of yoga practice by attending workshops and conferences, and found herself drawn to mindful Hatha style yoga practice with focus in alignment. Her practice and study is most influenced by the Hatha style taught by master teacher Kim Schwartz of New Mexico, who was the director of teacher training program at Temple of Kriya Yoga. She is also inspired by the teaching of master teacher, Aadhil Palkhivala, and his approach to yoga called Purna Yoga (which means complete or whole yoga in Sanskrit language). Purna Yoga includes asana (postures), pranayama (breathing & energy), meditation, nutrition, Ayurvada, and Patanjali’s 8 limbs of yoga in Yoga Sutra. Sachiko enjoys teaching alignment based Hatha style of yoga to promote more unrestricted flow of prana (energy) in the body so that our own bodies can help heal any ailment, and can lead us to total health in body, mind and spirit. Sachiko lives in Geneva with her husband, Robert, and her son, Sam. Check the schedule for Sachiko's classes.
Jenny Glick...While relatively new to yoga instruction, Jenny Glick is no stranger to the beauty of yoga and the art of teaching. Jenny has been practicing yoga since 1999 and teaching multitudes of students about the dynamics of television studio production. Now, she has combined her two greatest talents – yoga and teaching – to provide students a revolutionary form of yoga, meditation and relaxation.
A graduate of the Heaven Meets Earth Yoga Studio in Evanston, Illinois with an emphasis in the Radiant Child Yoga Program, Hatha Yoga and Meditation, Jenny believes that her style of teaching is uplifting, motivational and restorative. Previous to her yoga instructor training, Jenny was the Program Director at BATV (Batavia Access Television) where she also taught television studio production to BataviaHigh School students. A 1996 graduate of BallStateUniversity, Jenny also worked at WTTW Chicago Channel 11 as an associate producer on such well known programs as Handy Ma’am, Trinity Irish Dance Company and ArtSafari.
Jenny resides in Chicago with her husband, Marc and young son, Michael. In addition to yoga, Jenny enjoys photography, gardening and crocheting. Her global adventures have taken her to such places as Spain, France, Greece, Mexico and Canada.
My favorite asana is … Prasarita Padottanasana (wide leg, forward bend). This is a good stretching exercise that reduces the stiffness, tiredness and tension in the muscles.
I wish someone would have told me … about yoga sooner in my life.
The greatest lesson I’ve learned from yoga is … the importance of kindness in all aspects of life – it radiates from a small place and grows so much larger – kindness to strangers, friends, family, your spouse, your child, yourself …
Louise Hague has been a committed student of yoga for 9 years and has taught for over 5 years. She
was drawn to yoga and the rhythm of vinyasa flow to heal her body from
childbirth, post partum depression and years of distance running. She is 200 level certified through MokshaYogaCenter and White Lotus Foundation and continues to be inspired and train with Shiva Rea, Tricia Fiske and Laura Jane Murphy. Louise
is a gentle and warm soul who has an inviting spirit that encourages
students of all ages and abilities to let go and explore the power of
yoga. Louise nurtures students to open their hearts, minds and bodies through asana, breath work and guided meditation practices.
Through
her personal yoga practice, Louise finds the quiet and stillness to
live joyfully while she enjoys gardening, beading and painting her home. She lives in St. Charles with her 3 daughters, Erin 18, Lizzie 16 and Emmeline 9 along with her husband Gregg and dog Oliver.
Check the schedule for Louise’s classes.
Michelle Holtroff
Michelle Holtorff took her first yoga class in 1998 in Avignon, France, and instantly loved it. She has been practicing ever since. She began practicing Forrest yoga classes and completed the 23 day intensive Forrest yoga teacher training with Ana Forrest. Michelle’s yoga philosophy is using asanas to create more space and feeling in the body. This leads to greater peace and stability in life. Yoga is not about struggling to force oneself deeper into the pose, it is about feeling what’s going on in the body. Forrest yoga, in particular, focuses on healing the individual on a physical as well as spiritual level. Michelle lives in Batavia with her life-partner Maureen and their three cats and two rabbits. She also works full-time as a pharmacist. Check the schedule for Michelle’s classes.
Terry Hoffmanhas been studying and practicing yoga since 1997. After
a vertebral fusion, due to an auto accident in 2003, yoga helped her
recover beyond what the therapists had predicted and she grew even more
devoted to her practice. Throughout the years,
Terry has studied with a variety of master teachers such as Cindy Lee,
Tias Little, Seane Corn, Saul David Raye, Paul Grilley and others. In
2004, she began Moksha Yoga Teacher Training Program so that she could
study Yoga more intentionally, delve deeper spiritually, and share
yoga’s benefits with others. She now serves as a mentor for students going through the current Moksha Yoga teacher training program.
Terry’s personal practice is organic in nature and includes varying levels of intensity. Subsequently, her teaching style has mellowed into a comfortable fusion of a variety of teaching styles and philosophies. Terry
enjoys mixing hard work, devotion, and humor in her practice and she
believes that the study of both the physical and spiritual aspects of
yoga are necessary for one to fully appreciate either.She
teaches a variety of classes including hatha, vinyassa flow, basics,
yin, and meditation. She strives to make her classes a blend of
spiritedness and spirituality, making concepts relevant and tangible to
facilitate students’ interest without intimidation.“I
believe that the most important parts of one’s practice are to open up
your heart and mind, release your inner Spirit and energy, and
celebrate the yogi that you are today”.
Terry has worked full-time at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL for over 20 years. She lives in nearby Warrenville with her husband Bob and their dog, Nitro, and their cat, Sabrina. Check the schedule for Terrys classes.
Sarah Pomaro found yoga just in time to save herself from her too-busy schedule: Working full-time, going to school for her MBA, and trying to keep up a home, she barely found time to take care of herself. Yoga helped her quiet the nonstop chatter that ran through her head and ultimately led her to a new life path.
Sarah is a teacher who knows that each person comes to yoga for a different reason. When she took her first yoga class 3 years ago (after much encouragement from her sister, who also teaches yoga), Sarah had no idea where it would lead her. The destination turned out to be a place on the mat that gave her time just for herself, time to nourish her adventurous spirit, and time to explore her strong body through pranayama and a hot, sweaty practice. Sarah is grateful for the lessons she's learned from Forrest Yoga: Strength and openness can live in harmony.
Sarah was inspired by her first yoga teacher to question why she was professionally stuck, running short on time, and energetically zapped. The answers Sarah found in her practice led her to embark on a new chapter of her life: She recently quit her job to focus on her master’s degree, and she attended a 200-hour teacher-training course with master yogini Ana Forrest, who inspired her to go deeper still into her practice. Sarah now hopes to help inspire others to make time for themselves, to take care of themselves and to go deeper in their own practice.??
Sarah grew up in the Chicagoland area, then ventured out to explore the Northwest in the early '90s. Love brought her back to her roots: She now lives in the far western suburbs with her dear husband and their well-trained "kids" (2 cats and a dog). Check the schedule for Sarah’s classes.
Karen Wisokihas been unveiling the path of self-realization through yoga for years. Using a synchronized union between breath and movement, she helps students delve deep into the physical body which reflects resistance and afflictions of the overactive-mind.A gift that a regular yoga practitioner gets, awareness of the self, allows the student to gain the stillness and internal peace that was always there but became hidden when the ego and mind took control.By practicing as the witness instead of the doer, she encourages you to find balance between strength and surrender, grounding and buoyancy, shadow and light, thus the body, breath, mind and spirit can once again unify and have the ability to transcend. See the schedule.
