This page lists the teachers of The Yoga Teachers' Group. If you would like to send someone a message, simply click on their full name and bring up the mail form.
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The Yoga Teachers' Group teachers who took advanced training
in Hatha Yoga on the subjects The Breathe and Pranayama
at Oak Park Yoga on
October 2, 2005.
Back row: Karen B., Joan H., Meg, and JoAnne
Front row: Vi, Joan P., Connie, and Annie - David Allen
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David Allen is a graduate of
The Temple of Kriya Yoga's
Teacher Training Program, and has been involved with
The Yoga Teachers' Group
since August 2004. Additionally he is a Reiki practitioner, and has been a student of
Siddha Yoga Meditation
since 1991.
As a Hatha yoga teacher, David respects and honors all his students, encouraging them to have fun and feel more confident in their practice while seeing their own unique beauty and divine goodness.
- Jenni Antonicic
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Jenni Antonicic came to Yoga through asana practice at her fitness center, and got hooked on the transformative powers of this multi-faceted discipline that continues to enrich her life. She completed her teacher training with Vinyasa master Rolf Gates in 2009, and has been looking forward to every teaching opportunity since.
Jenni has learned that Yoga teaches us how to cultivate and then wisely and skillfully apply our energy, whether towards improving our downward dog, or scattering joy to all beings. Her asana practice emphasizes anchoring to the breath (and our sense of humor!), building strength and stability as a foundation for flexibility and expression, and the self-illumination that is attained through brave and honest reflection.
The wise words of Rolf Gates, to do “a little yoga a lot,” instead of a lot of yoga every now and then, catapulted her personal practice, and has become the foundation of her advice for all students.
- Meg Barber
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Meg Barber has been studying yoga since 2000, and is a certified yoga instructor who received her certification from the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in Chicago, Illinois, in June 2004. She is also a registered teacher with
Yoga Alliance®
at the 200-hour level. Meg continues to acquire additional yoga training from other Chicago area experts like
William Hunt and Mary Somano of
Oak Park Yoga.
She also continues to train with
Kim Schwartz.
Meg is a long-time student and now staff member of the Mystical Sciences Institute where she has trained in Universal Laws, Dream Analysis, Meditation, Yogic Philosophy, Usui Reiki, Dowsing and Nomena healing modalities. Meg has been a Reiki Adept since 2003 under the lineage of Billie Topa Tate. And she is the owner of her own business, Yoga from the Beginning, LLC, which provides instruction in the first four limbs of yoga for the city of Evanston, Illinois, and nearby communities.
With her roots in corporate America and her training in energetic healing, Meg believes that yoga is a valuable tool for centering, stress reduction, relaxation, increasing wellness and improving quality of life. She also believes that yoga should be available to all people regardless of ability.
- Karen Barry
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Karen Barry has been practicing yoga since 1998, taking her first class at the local park district.
She fell in love with it and developed a desire to share its gifts, which brought her to enroll in
the Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program at
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in Chicago, Illinois. She received her certification in 2004 and began teaching right away.
Karen teaches traditional Hatha Yoga in a gentle yet challenging manner. Her classes focus on obtaining proper body alignment, and breath awareness.
Karen believes Hatha Yoga is accessible to all people, and caters her classes to her students' abilities. It is her wish to inspire and guide others to find the health and peace that she has found through her own practice.
- Katrina Berry
- Patti Bilbro
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- Emily Canibano
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Emily Canibano has been practicing yoga in various forms since 1996. She has completed Marsha Wenig's YogaKids® four day training, Shakta Kaur Khalsa's Radiant Child Yoga Program Certifications Level I & II, Manju Jois's Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training, Prenatal Yoga Training with Rhonda Kantor, and completed a year long Hatha Yoga Teacher training through The Temple of Kriya Yoga. She is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, an ACE Group Fitness Instructor, a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, a member of IDEA, and has completed ALACE Doula Training. Emily is also an E-RYT 200 registered with Yoga Alliance®. She earned a B.A in English Language and Literature with a minor in education from Benedictine University.
Emily is also an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church and helps individuals with their own spiritual growth. She continues learning through workshops, reading, and classes.
- Sara Farmer
- Jackie Dzimitowicz
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Jackie Dzimitowicz began practicing Yoga in 2003 as a means to reduce stress and improve her overall health, and has been dedicated to the practice ever since. She began her training to obtain her RYT 200 in June of 2008 with YogaFit and is currently Level 2 certified.
In completing her Level 1 certification with Yogafit, Jackie had a wonderfully rewarding experience donating Yoga classes to a domestic violence shelter. The lessons learned from this special group of students went far beyond the opportunity to begin teaching and continue learning.
Jackie focuses her classes on improving strength, encouraging students to relax and allow themselves to be challenged gently so that everyone feels successful regardless of fitness level or abilities.
Jackie has been teaching with The Yoga Teachers' Group since 2008. She enjoys sharing her love of Yoga with others and believes that Yoga is the known secret to physical and emotional health. As she continues her own educational journey to further her knowledge in the many areas of Yoga, Jackie encourages her students to carry Yogic philosophies with them in their everyday lives.
- Joan Hogan
- Dianne Hunter
- JoAnne Jaski-Scariano
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JoAnne Jaski-Scariano began practicing Hatha Yoga in 1974 as a pathway to her own health and well-being.
She began teaching in 1990, and continues to progress to higher levels of the Yoga practice,
accumulating certified hours by way of numerous Yoga Teacher's Conferences, specialized classes,
workshops and seminars. She has had class training from many well respected teachers, and from
Shoshoni Retreat in Colorado.
She has taught for various community organizations, wellness facilities, and park
districts, as well as in-home personal training.
JoAnne emphasizes that "listening to the body" is vital to being successful and enjoying the Yoga experience. She is sensitive to new students who need special attention, and encourages all her students to practice with an open mind and a non-competitive spirit. She strives to keep her class format well-balanced with segments of warm-up, pranayama, asanas, and meditation.
- Francine Kelley
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Francine Kelley, RYT, loves yoga. At an early age her father got her interested in it,
and she solidified that interest by receiving
her Hatha Yoga Training Certification from
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in June 2004. In addition to the wonderful teachers at the Temple
(William Hunt, Mary Samano, Ed Weber, and Bonnie Pobgee),
she has also studied with the late
Roger Eischens,
and continues to study therapeutic yoga with
Kari Tomashik.
And in 2005 she began the study of
Integrative Yoga Therapy.
In addition to her teaching work with The Yoga Teachers' Group, Francine has done substitute teaching at The Temple of Kriya Yoga, and has taught yoga at the Mystical Sciences Institute.
Francine's mission: To make yoga accessible and safe for anyone interested in trying it; and to share the joy and peace of mind and body that yoga can bring.
- Karol Kuehn
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Karol Kuehn started practicing yoga in 1994 at the Himalayan Institute in Glenview, Illinois. She was an avid runner at the time and sought a form of exercise to help her become grounded, centered, and connected to her body and spirit. Through the years, she tried different styles of yoga including, Iyengar, Bikram, Hatha, Vinyasa, Astanga, Partner Yoga, and Yoga for Kids with her daughter. While she has grown and learned something from all the styles she has taken, she connected the most with Vinyasa Flow.
After leaving the corporate world, Karol looked into a career in fitness and fell into teaching yoga at a women's workout club. She completed her Level I teacher training at Feel Your Best Yoga in Mequon, Wisconsin, in 2004, as well as her 200 hour Teacher Training through Moksha Yoga, Chicago, Illinois, in 2005. And she is currently completing her thesis on physical, mental, and spiritual cueing in asana practice.
Karol's goal is to bring more peace to the lives of others and herself by continuing to learn and expand her practice.
- Karin McCauley
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Karin McCauley started practicing yoga with Kay Clay in 1998 before
the birth of her son, and continued practicing through her two pregnancies. She
swears that yoga eased the childbirth process for both of them. She began her
teaching practice with Kay, and has since gleefully jumped into The
Yoga Teachers' Group. She is also a triathlete, racquetball player, and
lifts weights to keep in shape. She believes that yoga grounds her and rounds her
athletic lifestyle just perfectly, and feels that yoga is the missing link that
all athletes would benefit from.
Karin teaches yoga for adults level 1-3, but her favorite form of yoga is Yoga with Kids! She has taught yoga for babies, toddlers, and now teaches yoga for preschoolers. Her daughter, Gillian, has been practicing yoga with her since she was a baby. Her son, Aidan, also loves to do yoga with her.
Karin is pursuing her yoga certification with an emphasis on yoga for kids. She encourages everyone to come join the fun of yoga with her and her kids, or to join her in the adult class!
- Letty Madrigal
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Letty Madrigal has been practicing yoga since 1997. She received her certification at the 200 hour level from The Temple of Kriya Yoga. She is a RYT with Yoga Alliance®.
Along with The Yoga Teachers' Group, Letty also teaches at The Loyola Health and Fitness Center in Maywood, Illinois, and is a substitute teacher for Oak Park Yoga in Oak Park, Illinois.
Her studies with teachers William Hunt and Mary Samano of Oak Park Yoga, and Lourdes Parades keep her yoga mind and practice refreshed. She is spiritually inspired by the peaceful teachings of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the kindly meditations of Sri Goswami Kriyananda, and by the joyful and affirming sermons of Father Jim Clavey of her Catholic parish.
Letty likes to guide students into asana with a focus on alignment, breath, and ahimsa (non-violence). She encourages students to let go of the mind-clutter first, then enjoy the practice of yoga asana with clarity, presence and intention. "Flexibility and strength without strain" is one of her favorite reminders to students.
- Loreta Medoniene
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Loreta Medoniene has been practicing yoga since 2002. She completed Prairie Yoga’s 200 hour TT certification program in 2010, and was also a mentor at Prairie Yoga RYT training program. She went to India in 2009 to deepen her knowledge of meditation, selfless service (seva), and sanskrit chanting in an ashram setting.
Loreta says, “Yoga has changed my life in so many ways, and I witness this transformation every day. I want to help students of all ages and abilities to discover that their inner teacher has a ‘blueprint’ to their happiness.”
- Judi Mendola
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Judi Mendola discovered Yoga in 2002 during her quest for weight-loss and stress
relief. In the process she became certified through YogaFit,
and began teaching classes. She has since earned many certifications with YogaFit,
including Senior and Pre-/Post-Natal Yoga. She completed her YogaFit Level 4
in August 2006, and received her Yoga Alliance® 200 hour RYT in December 2006.
Judi also maintains ISSA Personal Trainer and American Heart Association CPR certifications.
Judi especially enjoys helping new and beginning students discover the balance that Yoga can bring to their lives.
- David Miller
- Karin Newsome
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Karin Newsome has practiced yoga since 1997 when she took
her first yoga workshop at Triton College and realized
that yoga was her calling. She received her 200 and 500
hour yoga training from the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga.
And she teaches for several organizations in addition to
The Yoga Teachers' Group.
Karin's students have described her as friendly and approachable. She strives to provide instruction that is accessible and yet challenging in a nurturing environment.
- Joan Palumbo
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Joan C. Palumbo is a Registered Yoga Teacher (R.Y.T). She earned her 500-hour Teacher’s
Certification from
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in Chicago, Illinois. She received Certification in Cardiac and Cancer Training from the
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
in Lenox, Massachusetts.
In addition to teaching for The Yoga Teachers' Group, she has taught various classes in community programs, health clubs, and health spas.
The effects of Joan's personal yoga practice have proven to be profound and life changing. She wishes to share her knowledge and skills with others to empower them to manage their own stress, and develop a healthy lifestyle by using the many techniques of yoga, including breath work, asanas, and meditation.
- Soraya Pourtabib
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Soraya Pourtabib is a Certified Yoga Alliance® instructor with a background in Anusara and Iyengar yoga. She graduated from the University of Illinois - Champaign Urbana with a BA in Community Health and a BA in Spanish. Soraya received the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2002 to foster peaceful relations between the US and Mexico. Her quest in spirituality and healing has taken her to Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Recently, she dedicated ten months to intensive study and participation of various yoga and meditation techniques in India, and is a certified ayurvedic yoga masseuse.
Soraya has dedicated her life to health, healing, and peace. From her own past struggles with overeating, she specializes in restorative yoga with meditations that encourage healthy eating patterns. Soraya loves teaching because it allows her the opportunity to give back what yoga has given to her. She describes her classes as a mix of all the paths she has studied and enjoys bringing spirituality into the practice. Soraya wants her students to walk away from her classes feeling energized, refreshed, and excited for life. Come and play!
Soraya says, "Life is too blessed to be stressed. Live, Love, Laugh!"
- Marta Quist
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Marta Quist started practicing yoga around 1998, and became a YogaFit Certified Beginning Yoga Instructor in 2008. As a collegiate athlete she found that her dedicated practice of Yoga and Pilates resulted in improved mobility in her joints, flexibility, and a sense of awareness of posture and overall body positioning, which is very important to all athletes. Yoga also helped improve her concentration, and channeled her frustration on the tennis court! She continues to practice Yoga for its relaxation and strengthening qualities.
Marta is also Power Pilates certified, which adds a complementary understanding of the body and movement. And she is a Marriage and Family Therapist with a Creative Movement Certification (CMC). She utilizes CMC professionally at her workplace, which has deepened her appreciation of the connectedness of movement with our sense of self, spirituality, and everyday mindful awareness.
Marta wants others to take a look at their professional selves and evaluate where Yoga can fit in—not just as an exercise, but as a daily practice. She encourages her students to breath deeply, practice mindfulness, and enjoy every day.
- Terry Riban
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Terry Riban is a yoga teacher and graduate of the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga.
She teaches Hatha Yoga with a focus
on slow movement, and holding and repeating the poses
using correct body alignment.
Terry has taught at several park district facilities as well as at some of the local health clubs, and The Heartland Spa in Gilman, Illinois. She currently works as a substitute instructor for The Yoga Teachers' Group.
- Chris Seaver
- Jennifer Seversen
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Jennifer Seversen began practicing yoga asanas (postures) in 1995, and has taught yoga since 2004. She is a graduate from Lotus Yoga Centre with a 200-hour certification in the Himalayan tradition, and is also nationally registered with Yoga Alliance®. Jennifer was trained by Sarla (yogiraj) Walter under the direct lineage of Swami Rama, founder of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy. She is also a member of the Lotus Yoga Teachers’ Association, and is a forever student to her practice.
Jennifer teaches with a balanced approach of challenge, compassion, and occasional humor that honors the body and individual needs, for no two bodies or minds are alike. Full awareness of the breath and meditation is encouraged in every posture, allowing for a well-rounded, fully beneficial practice. She teaches in the Himalayan tradition with a strong influence of alignment, grace, and flow.
- Vimi Shukla
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Vimi Shukla started practicing yoga in 2000, and was certified to teach Yoga by the Himalayan Yoga and Meditation center in Illinois in 2009. She also has a Yoga Alliance® 200 hour RYT, as well as Bachelor's degree in Science and Education.
An educator by vocation with a background in science, Vimi strives to gain a deep-rooted understanding of the philosophy and science of yoga. With her keen interest in its application and benefits, she has developed a holistic approach to life that sees that the practice of yoga "off the mat" is as important as while you are in a class or practicing the exercises by yourself. And she loves to share her experience and knowledge with her students, clients, and friends. Her passion to bring peace and joy to people’s life through Yoga is her driving force
- Laura Sirvyte
- Vi Smith
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Vi Smith is a Registered Yoga Instructor (RYT) with Yoga Alliance® since 2004, a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and the President and Owner of The Yoga Teachers' Group, Inc.™. She has 8+ years of experience as a Yoga practitioner, and an academic background in Occupational Therapy.
Vi said this about herself and her experience with Yoga:
During my 22+ career in corporate executive management positions, I found Yoga to be adaptable from Yoga at my desk, in hotel rooms on business trips and at home. From those experiences I have adapted my classes and workshops to address the needs of my students of that class, on that day, in that location. I work with my students through various Yogic techniques, to quiet their minds, improve their breathing, to become centered, developing strength, flexibility and bringing to them an internal calm. Through Yoga, anywhere their work takes them, my students breathe deeper, stand straighter, experience less tension, and relax while experiencing all the healthful benefits of Hatha Yoga-based postures.
Ms. Smith brings with her a unique sense of community service through Yoga and teaches a therapeutic and gentle, yet powerful, form of Hatha Yoga. She unites real-world experience and awareness of the corporate environment with extensive experience as a Yoga practitioner, Yoga Instructor and Facilitator.
Vi's classes include Yoga for Adults and Children, Gentle Yoga, Senior and Office Chair Yoga. She accepts guest-speaking engagements, presenting the healthful benefits of Yoga at Corporate Health Workshops and Local Health Fairs.
Through The Yoga Teachers' Group, Inc.™, Vi Smith promotes her belief that through the practice of Yoga, the workplace and home can truly be less stressful and, therefore, the Yoga student more productive and leading a more fulfilling life.
- Marcia Stanek
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Marcia Stanek, ERYT (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher), began practicing yoga in 1995 as a means of caring for a back injury.
It worked: She hasn't had to seek medical help for her back since then. She subsequently left the
corporate world to focus on teaching yoga.
In addition to teaching for The Yoga Teachers' Group, Marcia teaches at several studios in suburban Chicago.
Marcia enjoys investigating the wealth of available yoga resources in an attempt to always bring something new to her students. And she believes in bringing a light touch to her multi-level classes because laughter, as well as yoga, loosens us up!
- Candy Stevens
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Candy Stevens started to consistently practice yoga once her children reached their teen years, and has found a new joy in her life as a yoga instructor. Having completed her training with YogaFit, Candy is a Registered Yoga Teacher (R.Y.T.) and is nationally registered with Yoga Alliance®. She enjoys working with the wonderful students in her Yoga Teachers' Group classes.
Candy strives to make her classes stimulating yet gentle, nurturing an atmosphere free of competition and judgment. She provides numerous asana modifications for her students because she says, “Not only does everybody have their own range of mobility and flexibility, but each day is different for every one of us, both in body and in mind. We must always honor these truths in our practice, and appreciate our diversity.”
- Diana Urso
- Annie Walter
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(Nai) Annie Walter has been practicing yoga since the early 1990s. She received her training with
YogaFit
for Level I in 2004, and at the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in 2005. She has been teaching at a fitness center
since 2003, and substitutes for the teachers in the
The Yoga Teachers' Group.
Annie believes that the practice of yoga means immersion in the ancient art of healing and a way of living the essence of life that is central in her Asian heritage. Yoga, with its gentle and non judgmental ways, offers answers to the much fragmented and stressful modern society. It calls for the return to the fundamentals of our inner beings. Here in the practice of asanas (poses) the body is brought back to its proper alignment and the prana (life energy) moves freely to heal. The goal of practicing yoga is to know the self and to seek the balance. This is the philosophy she would like to convey to her students.
- Claudia White
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Claudia White has been practicing yoga since 1976, and teaching since 2001. She received 200-hour
certification from the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
in Chicago in June 2004. She is also registered with
Yoga Alliance®.
Additionally she is a registered nurse, and a member of the
Holistic Nurses Association.
Claudia feels that yoga has improved her life, and hopes to help others find health and well-being through yoga.
- Connie Zdenek
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Connie Zdenek has practiced yoga since her college grad years in Arizona. A teacher since 2003, she graduated from the
The Temple of Kriya Yoga
teacher training program in 2005. "Every week I learn something new about yoga," Connie says, "so I plan on being a student for the
rest of my life."
Connie likes to bring different poses and modifications of poses to class each week. Her aim is to teach a well-rounded practice that allows students to experience yoga’s benefits, including improved body alignment, calmness, and the flow of prana (life energy).
- Sarah Zender
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