Jen Wyman, E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Jen's yoga journey began in 1996 while cross-training for dance to increase flexibility, balance and strength. She was drawn to the many positive benefits of yoga; which not only improved her dance ability, but also imporved her everyday life. In 2000, Jen began teaching Vinyasa, Hatha Yoga and mat pilates in the Twin Cities before moving to San Diego, CA in 2003 to continue learning, training and teaching. Jen completed her 200-hour Yoga Alliance teacher training with Beth Shaw and Yoga Fit in California and her 500-hour advanced teacher training with Tanya Boigenzahn Sowards and Devanadi Yoga in Minneapolis, MN. Additionally, Jen is a certified NETA Pilates instructor and has completed Barre trainings with both Align Pilates in Minneapolis and Tracy Mallet's Booty Barre in Chicago. Jen has also earned Dance and Coaching minors from the University of Minnesota along with Bachelors degrees in both Human Resources and Business Management. Jen has continued to study with other teachers both locally and nationally, including Sean Corne, Shiva Rae and Rodney Yee.
With a teaching style that encourages students to find both compassion and challenge on the mat by using breath, awareness and proper alignment; Jen's classes are accessable for all levels of students to explore the benefits of yoga in a safe, fun and non-judgmental enviornment.
Jen is the owner/director of YogaFresh and opened the studio in 2007 with the intention to offer Woodbury, MN and surrounding communities a place where EVERYONE can have an opportunity to learn and experience the benefits of yoga. YogaFresh has been named the "Best Yoga Studio" by Woodbury Magazine and Jen is honored to have the privilege of guiding you through a safe and fulfilling practice at YogaFresh.
Michel Tigan, RYT 200
Michel continued her yoga journey when she moved to Maine to work on an organic raw milk dairy farm teaching environmental education. It was there among the waves and the salt kissed air that Michel fell in love with the Vinyassa flow. It not only brought about the same relaxation and intention that Kripalu yoga did, but it also offered a physical component much loved by an avid camper, canoer, kayaker, snowshoer and all around outdoor enthusiast.
Michel completed her 200 hour certification from Corepower Yoga in 2005 and Barre training with Align Pilates in 2011. Michel encourages all her students to, “live yoga off the mat, take time to breath, set daily dedications, manifest peacefulness and live with as much intention as you give your practice”. "May there be peace in your hearts, peace in your practice and peace in the world you create around you, blessed be” She hopes to continue to share this joy of yoga and of life with others by teaching.
Aamera Siddiqui , RYT 200
Aamera’s journey with yoga began over ten years ago as an actor. She found that practicing yoga increased her ability to focus, concentrate and be more present in her roles on and off stage. Aamera has practiced various forms of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa, Bikram and an ancient martial art form known as Kalari which has its roots in yoga. But what got Aamera hooked was the sense of joy she experienced after every single yoga practice. In 2010 Aamera decided to delve deeper into her practice by becoming certified yoga instructor to share her passion for yoga with others. Her goal as an instructor is to help you find what yoga means to you and how it can improve your life- on and off the mat.
Tara Russell, RYT 200
Tara first came to Yoga with physical goals in mind. She started her body quest practicing Bikram, Power and Vinyasa yoga, but discovered the deeper benefits of yoga during recovery from an illness. Tara began to understand the mind/body connection that yoga brings to one’s whole life and re-prioritized “living the yoga lifestyle.” With that transformation in mind, she was certified at the 200-hr level at “It’s Yoga” in San Francisco, with a focus on Ashtanga Vinyasa and Barre training with Align Pilates in 2011. It’s through that training and the consistent practice of yoga that Tara’s able to aid her students in remarkable transformations of their own.
Mark Palmquist , RYT 200
Mark “played” yoga as a child in the 1960s when he learned headstand and lotus poses watching the Dick Van Dyke show on TV. He taught this and self-learned meditation to his friends, and continued to invent meditation “games” through the 1970s. In the 1980s a teacher influenced him to broadly experience and teach yoga principles through practice of writing, ethnography, participant observation, and peer-to-peer exchanges. In the 1990s Mark commenced a steady asana practice, and in 2010 he undertook a yearlong karma yoga practice as the head of a microfinance institution in Africa. His patient exploration led to the Hot Yoga Teacher Training Program at Core Power Yoga in 2012.
Mark studies asana technique at the Bikram College of Yoga, and he experiences and teaches yoga from the perspective of a person who subtly integrates yoga over the long term as a life-practice. Perpetually a beginner, he views asana as a gateway to yoga, and as a straightforward tool with which to unify mind and body, sharpen vitality, and to discover and develop one’s true nature.
Caitlin McMahon, RYT 200
Caitlin McMahon began teaching yoga in 2011 after completing her certification at the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. She teaches throughout the metro area daily and can be found laughing along with her students in classes from chair yoga for the elderly to yoga for children and everyone at every skill level in between. She has enriched her teaching skills with training from David Frenk & Megan Doll of Your Yoga and studied with Rod Stryker and Doug Swenson and has studied meditation and Shambhala Buddhism at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado under the Sakyong, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche.
Before following her path as a yoga teacher, Caitlin studied to be a sommelier with the International Sommelier Guild, and still enjoys the luxury of a glass of wine after a full day of teaching. She also likes to spend her free time enriching her mind with literature and deepening her daily yoga practice. Learn more about her and follow her blog at McMahonStudioWellness.com
Katie McLaughlin, E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Katie's love for movement began at a young age of 5 years old when she began dancing modern, ballet, and hip-hop. Then, during the summer of 2006, Katie was a part of the Zenon scholarship program and began practicing yoga and pilates where she felt more centered than ever before in her life, Katie completed CorePower Yoga’s Power Teacher Training in November of 2006 and Hot Yoga teacher Training in 2008 with Jo Mary Fahey. Since then, katie has worked under, Shiva Rae, Seane Corn, Rusty Wells, Annie Carpenter, and Rod Styker to name a few. Katie is now gaining knowledge in a 500 hour Teacher Training in the Para Yoga tradition led by Tanya Sowards.
Maren Marks, E-RYT 200
Maren believes all students bring a unique journey to yoga practice. She presents yoga as a practice that can empower the mind-body-spirit and stir the heart’s desire. Students will become more conscious, empowered and more ambitious to seek their deepest wishes for a full life. Yoga teaches consciousness, so we become aware of how life has impacted our current state of health. Maren’s classes go deep to release old patterns that have blocked optimal health, and teaches students how to create new patterns both on and off the mat that serve the body, mind and spirit. She weaves alignment tips, health tips and stories from the heart to mirror the reality that yoga helps life stories unfold. Feel rejuvenated and uplifted after each class. Maren. Maren Marks is a certified and registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and thrives being in a community with other yogis and teaches to help people remember and celebrate the amazing gift of embodiment.
Elle Lemler , RYT 200
Elle began a daily Yoga practice in 2005 while growing up immersed in nature on the shores of Lake Superior, and has found inspiration and strength on her mat each day since. After moving to Minneapolis to pursue a degree in Interior Design, she completed her 200 hr Teacher Training at Corepower Yoga in fall 2010, and continues on a path into the heart, being open to life’s many teachers.
Elle communicates her love of yoga through guiding each student with insight and compassion, weaving ancient wisdom with simplicity and an emphasis on the student’s experience. In addition to her teaching practice, Elle is a certified holistic health coach specializing in integrative lifestyle design. She offers personalized programs which serve as a platform explore the body, mind & spirit to nurture your core of being. Elle is honored for the opportunity to serve as a guide on your journey within.
Tanya Kula , RYT 200
Tanya began teaching group fitness in 2010 and never imagined she would ever teach or practice yoga. She enjoyed high intensity workouts and thought the only benefit of yoga was greater flexibility. She decided to enroll in a beginner yoga workshop to offer yoga stretches in her classes and was surprised by how open and relaxed she felt after each class. Tanya soon found that yoga made her feel physically and mentally balanced. The physical postures were challenging, but learning to quiet her mind and focus on her breath was even more difficult. As she continued to practice it became less about the physical and more about the inner peace she felt each time she stepped on to her mat. She enjoyed the sense of community and non-judgment that yoga provided in her life. Excited to introduce others to the many benefits of yoga, Tanya decided to enroll in teacher training.
Tanya completed her Yoga Sculpt and 200 Hour Power Yoga training from CorePower Yoga in 2011 and is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She’s grateful for the opportunity to guide students through their yoga practice as they discover what yoga means to them.
Torin Kelly , RYT 200
Torin stumbled upon yoga by mistake and had always resisted the persuasions of her friends to join in practice thinking that it would not match the intensity level she sought from physical activity compared to her background as a hockey goalie, lacrosse player, snowboarder and runner. She was pleasantly surprised not only by the physical challenges she found in the asanas, but the challenge introduced to the mind and spirit through practice. “I had always used the body to escape the mind, the here and the now; never to connect with it. Yoga changed my relationship with my body, perception of my community and awareness of all the teachers that surround me including myself” Torin completed CorePower Yoga’s Power Teacher Training in the spring of 2008. She continues to seek the teacher in everyone, thrive to stay aware of connection and let this practice of mindful intuition guide her intentions on and off the mat.
Erin Jorich , RYT 200
Erin came to yoga as a dancer. She saw that yoga made her stronger and more flexible, all things that benefited her dancing. With time, as with most students, the external benefits of yoga were no longer as important as the inner peace she gained from the time spent on her yoga mat. After studying Dance at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Erin was compelled to deepen her yoga practice by going through CorePower Yoga’s Power Yoga Teacher Training in the summer of 2009. Since then she has studied with Bryan Kest, Doug Swenson, and Simon Park.
Erin is forever grateful for the opportunity to guide students through their yoga practice, but encourages her to students to embrace their inner teacher. It’s amazing what you can learn when you quiet your mind and listen to your true self.
Jennifer Hauge , E-RYT 200, RYT 500 
A lifelong student of fitness and health, Jennifer has over twenty years of experience as a group fitness manager, fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and mentor to many. She has led teacher trainings and workshops, specializing in yoga, yoga sculpt, indoor spinning, barre and step aerobics. However, it is on her yoga mat where Jennifer finds a rebirth of energy, both mentally and physically through teaching and sharing the gift of yoga. She considers becoming a yoga teacher the best thing she has ever done in her professional career.
A Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500), Certified Theraputic Yoga Teacher and an ACE-certified group fitness instructor, she passionately believes yoga is a gift to all people, for all people. She believes in its ability to heal the body and quiet the mind. Over and over again she sees the difference yoga makes in the quality of people's lives and in the world around us all. Every day she looks forward to sharing the gift of yoga with hopes to inspire individuals to become their own best care-givers and to live healthier, happier lives.
Anne Hartzell, Core Fusion 250
Anne Hartzell is a certified Core Fusion teacher through exhale's 250 hour training program as of 2010. She has been teaching all levels and styles of Core Fusion for the past 2 years at exhale's Dallas location. A Woodbury High School graduate, Anne's first love is dance and musical theater, she moved to New York City to persue her stage dreams as a student at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since then, Anne has toured the US with a production of The Wizard of Oz, toured Asia in 42nd Street, & appeared in several theaters on the east coast in a wide number of shows. She brings her musicality and appreciation for dance to her classes in an explosive way, challenging students to push their limits and surpass their own expectations with a strong focus on alignment and posture.
Ann is also the membereship coordinator at YogaFresh and is happy to help you with any membership related needs and questions by emailing: membership@yoga-fresh.com.
Andrea Grabanski, RYT 200
Andrea came to yoga 15 years ago as a compliment to her active lifestyle. The flexibility, strength and balance gained became even more apparent while training for triathlons 5 years later. Teaching group fitness since 2005, yoga was a separate part of her life. In time, focus on the breath led to deeper connection to mind, body and spirit as well as with her fellow yogis. Yoga is an integral part of Andrea's life and meditation in movement. She received her 200 Hour RYT Certificate (Vinyasa) in the spring of 2009 and her 100 additional hours focused on Yoga Sculpt in the fall of 2011. She is grateful for the opportunity to help guide students to their own discoveries on their personal yoga journey. Off the mat, Andrea enjoys time with family and friends, traveling, cooking, racing in triathlons, indie music, and painting.
Shira Charis , E-RYT 200
Shira has been studying yoga with passion since 2000 and teaching since 2003. Her curiosity has taken her to Bikram and Ashtanga yoga, Tantra, Bhakti and Laughter Yoga. Shira’s yoga practice shows reverence for the classical yoga of Patanjali and inspiration from the expressions of modern western yoga. Whether the class is meditative, gentle or vigorous, Shira teaches from a place of heart and the focus of the practice is on breath awareness, encouraging others to explore their unique path to self-realization. With her mesmerizing voice and intuitive adjustments, Shira creates an overall experience of letting go of the stresses of everyday life and creating an environment in which to grow.
In addition to teaching here at Yoga Fresh, Shira and her husband, Pablo, together lead workshops on the yoga of relationship under the name Date Night Yoga – A Romantic Yoga Experience. The two can also be heard making music with their modern kirtan band, SoulFlower.
Jill Carey, E-RYT 200
Although Jill began sporadically practicing yoga in 2000, it wasn’t until 2006 that the glorious shift occurred and her yoga began practicing on her. Teaching since 2007 Jill weaves real life, real bodies, range of motion, breath awareness and a sense of personal exploration into her classes. She creates safe environments that allow her students to continually find a healthy challenge for their needs, regardless of the style she teaches or the experience of the student. Since 2010, she has led Yin Yoga Teacher Training programs and looks forward to many more. Jill has studied with TeriLeigh Schmidt, Baron Baptiste, Paul Grilley, Paulie Zink, Seane Corn and has attended intensives with Bryan Kest and Amy Ippoliti.
Maria Bacon , RYT 200
Maria began practicing yoga in 2009. She immediately fell in love with the yoga not only because of the intense postures and breathing exercises but because yoga brought together a community of bright-souls who desire and actively seek conscious evolution- personally as well as globally. It was not long before yoga became so much more to her than a physical practice. Eager to learn more about yoga, Maria signed up for the Hot-Intensive Teacher Training program as well as Power-Teacher Training in 2011 at CorePower Yoga. Not only did Maria want to understand her own practice on a deeper level, but she also wanted to share and teach yoga to others. Maria then went on to study yin yoga in the spring of 2012. She loves the challenge of teaching someone something new and believes that everyone has the ability to learn yoga. Currently, she is pursuing a degree in Asian religions and Spanish at Hamline University. Beyond yoga and school Maria enjoys cooking, reading, sailing and enjoying a nice cup of tea with friends.
Sub, Workshop & Bodywork Bios:
Stephanie Dalager , RYT 200
Steph came to yoga as a college student. Instantly, she was hooked, loving the blissed out feeling of walking out of a really great class and the support of the yoga community. Slowly, the true gift of yoga began to reveal itself: a connectedness, which led to living a more mindful and joyful life off the mat. In 2011, she felt called to share this gift with others, completing her 200 hour ashtanga and vinyasa teacher training in Goa, India with Tribe Yoga. In her classes, Steph wants to encourage students from beginners to experienced yogis to find joy, connection, and peace in their practice. Above all, she hopes to share the joy that yoga brings her with students, so that they may in turn find joy and share it with others.
Lisa Monson, RYT 200
Lisa started out on the ski hills at age 4 and has been physically active ever since. After discovering yoga and appreciating the mind/body connection to remain present in breath thru the beauty of movements, Lisa believes yoga helps to expand the mind, strengthen the body, and ignite all that lies within. Lisa enjoys teaching Vinyasa flow and deepening ones practice and Yoga Sculpt in contrast, loving the high energy, intensity, and challenge!
Lisa completed her RYT200 Yoga Alliance teacher training program in 2009 with Core Power Yoga, noting it’s never too late to start something new, and to broaden your horizons. Lisa is forever grateful for the opportunity to share yoga with her students, as well as deepening her own practice, believing yoga is a continuous journey that enriches our lives on and off the mat…physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Angela Wethor, RYT 200, Family, Kids & Teen Yoga
Angela has been teaching and guiding children and teens in the discipline of yoga for over six years. She began her training after her daughter was misdiagnosed with diabetes and given the default diagnosis of ADHD. Angela began her study of yoga with the 200 and the 500 hour yoga training at the Minneapolis Yoga Center. She has also attended the Next Generation Yoga training in NYC, Radiant Child Yoga Training, YogaFit training. She has also studied Yoga Calm and Global Family Yoga courses. Her experience begins with many hours of volunteer classes with Montessori schools and guiding Yoga warm ups for the annual Lung Cancer Walks. She teaches regularly and offers exciting, fun filled, Yoga Birthday parties and private sessions with children and teens.
Angela is a lawyer and the Mother of Grace. She also has certifications in Reiki and Nutrition and volunteer lobbies for various children health issues
Kathy Beattie , RYT 200
Kathy came to yoga as an alternative to running. At first, she found a physically demanding practice that provided the intensity she had experienced with running. However, yoga was much easier, as far as, the wear and tear on her joints. She fell in love in an instant! At first, the practice was purely about the physical practice, but soon it became about the breath and the connection of mind, body and spirit. Yoga has become her way of life; on and off her mat. She truly believes the way to “do yoga” is to “live yoga”.
Kathy believes that yoga brings awareness to people in all unique ways, at different levels and connections. She believes yoga is a uniquely personal experience and enjoys practicing in a community of like-minded people that share the experience of “Ah-hah moments”.
Kathy cherishes the community of Yoga and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share yoga through teaching. Kathy received her 200 Hour RYT certificate in the spring of 2009. She has been teaching vinyasa yoga at studios around the Twin Cites and has brought yoga (a great stress reliever) to healthcare providers by teaching in the hospital setting. When she is not in the studio teaching or practicing, Kathy enjoys being with her family and friends, acting, traveling and living life to the fullest, moment by moment.
