Jen Wyman, E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Jen is the director/owner of YogaFresh and began her yoga journey over 15+ years ago in conjunction with dance classes to increase flexibility, balance and strength. It was through cross-training with yoga where she first realized the many positive benefits that yoga provided by not only improving her dance ability, but also improving her everyday life. In 2000 Jen began teaching both Vinyasa and Hatha yoga locally in MN along with mat pilates. By 2003, Jen moved to San Diego, CA to continue training and teaching with yoga, pilates, and dance in addition to working on a sales career. Jen has completed her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification with Yoga Fit and her 500-hour Yoga Alliance certification with Devanadi Yoga. Additionally, Jen is a certified NETA Pilates instructor and has completed barre training with both Align Pilates and Booty Barre. She has earned both Dance and Coaching minors from the University of Minnesota along with Bachelors degrees in both Human Resources and Business Management.
Jen opened YogaFresh 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 in a safe and non-judgmental environment. She is truly grateful for the many lessons that her family, friends and yoga students bring to her life. Jen is dedicated to her students personal growth and overall wellness and is honored to have the privilege of being their guide through a safe and fulfilling practice at YogaFresh.
Angie Viehman, E-RYT 200 & Thai Yoga Bodyworker
Angie is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She received her training through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. Yoga has been a part of Angie’s life for over 10 years and throughout that time she has had the opportunity to study with several amazing teachers, both in the US and in India. Angie is influenced by the styles of Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara and Restorative yoga. She incorporates principals from each into her classes as well as her experience as a Thai Bodywork Practioner and professional modern dancer. She devotes her life to sharing the gifts of yoga and wellness while working to connect with the needs of each of her students.
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 immediately began teaching. 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.
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. 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.
Kevin Ross, RYT 200
After practicing yoga for four years, I received my 200-hour teacher training at Core Power yoga in Minneapolis. My body had really begun to deteriorate when I started practicing. I had back, knee, and shoulder problems, and nothing seemed to help. My wife had told me many times to try yoga, but I always found a way to put it off till later. Finally I heeded my wife’s advice (something I really should do more often), and I tried a class. After which I felt amazing. My back and hips were open, and I had a good work out but was relaxed at the same time. I love to share yoga with others and assist them in their own journeys.
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.
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 Vilna 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 has been practicing yoga since 2001. She thrives being in a community with other yogis and teaches to help people remember and celebrate the amazing gift of embodiment. Her classes include alignment focused fun and heart-themed play. Maren's inspiration to teach has been lit many times and in many ways over the last ten years with the help of many amazing teachers. Maren's mentors include Debra Hennesy, Ali Certain and Ronna Rochell. She is a student of Anusara yoga and teaches from the perspective of the Universal Principals of Alignment as codified by John Friend. Maren continues to study and holds the certified and registered designations with Feel Your Best Yoga and Yoga Alliance.
Kate McMillian, RYT 500
As a former competitive swimmer and runner, I initially tried yoga in 1997 for the physical exertion and flexibility promised, but kept going to classes because of how good I felt after, not just in my body, but also in my mind and my heart! Yoga taught me how to pause and learn how to reflect on all the beauty, the magic and grace in each moment. I started studying yoga more thoughtfully, and did teacher training in 2004 at the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. My practice and teaching is vinyasa-based while focusing on facilitating a fun and safe environment. I specifically study Anusara Yoga as developed by John Friend, and working on getting certified.
I live with my husband Pete, my dog Lucinda and cat Alejandro in Hudson while going to graduate school for clinical mental health counseling.
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" 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.
Laura Janson, RYT 200
Drawn to movement as meditation, Laura completed a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification from the Yoga Center of Minneapolis in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2006. She loves that both Yoga and Dance provide pathways to cultivate her creativity and open her heart to find connections with others. She believes that yoga is a total system of wellness that cleanses the systems of the body, calms the mind, and nourishes the spirit. As a teacher, Laura's classes include the practice of asana, pranayama, meditation, and loving kindness to create a divine place for our true selves to surface. Laura dances with the St. Paul City Chamber Ballet and independently choreographs.
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.
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.
Samantha Benjamin, KYI, E-RYT 200
Samantha Benjamin (Nam Hari Kaur) has been practicing yoga since 1999 and teaching yoga professionally since 2004. Samantha is an internationally certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor (KYI), as taught in the tradition of Yogi Bhajan. She is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 200) through Yoga Alliance. Samantha holds a Master of Science degree in Community Psychology and worked in the mental health field for fourteen years. Samantha has over a decade of experience utilizing yoga and meditation techniques as Complementary Alternative Medicine, for mental health concerns ranging from mood disorders to stress. Her teaching style invites students to approach their practice from any and all levels they find elevating, from the gross physical body to the subtle energetic body. She teaches with the intention of elevating each individual to manifest their authentic Self and honor the Light of Wisdom within. Samantha lives the life of a yogi with her wonderful husband, Joe, and their three cats.
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 has always been passionate about teaching. She has been a Spanish tutor as well as a swim instructor,and is currently pursuing a degree in ESL and Spanish Education at Hamline University. She loves the challenge of teaching someone something new and believes that everyone has the ability to learn yoga.
Sub & Workshop Teacher Bios:
Joel Homme, RYT 200
I’ve remained a comfortable seeker. Martial arts, meditation, Tai Chi and yoga. My mother practiced yoga and as a teen I always fell asleep in savasana. My return to yoga as an adult was intentional. I liked hatha yoga and eventually became hooked on heated yoga. Yoga has worked me. I’m so grateful to the many teachers I've had to be my guides and became a certified yoga instructor through Core Power Yoga. I remain a joyful student & am grateful for the opportunity to offer up that joy as a teacher at YogaFresh.
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.
Kathryn Nulf , RYT 200
Yoga first became a part of Kathryn's life as a form of physical therapy for a back injury and chronic pain. A dancer at heart, she was immediately drawn to the expressive aspects of the poses and learned that there was much more than just physical benefits to be offered in this practice. In her classes, students are encouraged to kindly challenge their bodies while keeping a calm breath and finding grace in transition. She enjoys holding a space where others can open to their creative capacity and inner strength. Focus is placed on deepening body awareness through mindful alignment and acceptance of where the body is at any given moment.
Kathryn's teaching style is inspired by Classical, Yin, Power, Vinyasa, and Anusara yoga traditions. A Philadelphia native, Kathryn has received 200-hour certifications in both Classical Yoga and Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga on the East Coast. She has completed Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Jill Carey, and is certified in Thai Yoga Bodywork through the Vedic Conservatory
Lisa Marie Vanderwyst, RYT 200 & Thai Yoga Bodyworker
Lisa Marie’s yoga journey began in 2005. She found a teacher she connected with, as well as peace of mind, greater confidence, and muscle tonation andso much more!. Seeing the positive changes yoga brought into her life, she was thirsty to share this wealth of wellness with others and began teachingvoluntarily. In 2008 Lisa Marie pursued a 230 hour Yoga Certification Program through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis. In 2009 she received her Thai Bodywork certifications. In 2010 Lisa Marie was able to apply her Yoga
teachings to aid and assist her through the healing process of an on-going illness. Lisa Marie now empowers, encourages and supports others on their paths to create greater health, wellness & wholeness through Yoga, Thai Bodywork & Reiki.
Mären Dahlke, Kids Yoga Teacher
Mären Dahlke is a Certified YogaKids® Teacher/Trainer. She has been practicing yoga since 1997 and teaching since 2002. Having completed the Foundations of Svaroopa® Yoga training, she began to teach adult yoga. She realized that she wanted to combine her love of yoga with her background in teaching preschool. She discovered the YogaKids® program and the rest, as they say, is history. With a degree in Occupational Therapy, she uses her knowledge of human anatomy and physical challenges to adapt yoga for any level of skill or ability. Her playful teaching style supports her students’ growth in body, mind and spirit. Mären offers classes for children and families. Yoga poses, games, stories and music create a fun and relaxing experience for all.
