Joanie Andrews

Joanie has been practicing yoga since 2000; she received her 200-hour certification back in 2008 from Cleveland Yoga and had the pleasure of studying with local greats, Marni Task and Tami Schnieder.  She has had the privilege of deepening her knowledge by studying with Rodney Yee, Jonny Kest, Brian Kest, Seane Corn, and Simon Park.

Joanie is currently working toward her 500-hour teacher training through Brahmrishi Yoga in Kent, Ohio.   Joanie incorporates the many styles and techniques she has learned over the years into her own athletic Vinyasa based class.  She also enjoys teaching slow flow, yoga basics, and yin yoga.  Joanie loves the physical practice, but is most inspired by the inner peace and strength yoga has given her.  Her hope as a yoga teacher is to pass peace, wisdom and spiritual growth on to her students.

Fitness has been always been in Joanie’s life.  She ran competitively in college which led to her interest in endurance sports.  She completed many marathons and triathlons over the years.  In the late 90’s Joanie was looking to add balance to her fitness regime, realizing that her hips and hamstrings were getting tighter with every mile she ran and pound she lifted. Searching for more flexibility, Joanie incorporated yoga into her regime and learned the many physical as well as mental and emotional benefits of yoga!  She now LOVES to share the gift through her teaching.

Kim Butash

Kim Butash began her yoga practice in 2009, immediately after her second week of yoga. She was put under Yoga’s spell! As she advanced her practice, Kim began to see the real effects of yoga and felt the need to share what she felt with others. As a result, she trained for six months with Porsche Fischer at Lifesource Yoga and attended workshops on Ashtanga Yoga, backbends, and inversions. Kim, like many others, was inspired by Deirdre Sargeant, an amazing Lifesource Yoga teacher, and was fortunate to share in her wisdom to further her path to advancement.

Kim is currently continuing her education and training in North Canton at the Yoga Place with Mike Curtis, Margot Milcetich, and other teacher trainers. She looks forward to receiving her 200 RYT in 2012.

Linda Ferrato

Linda Ferrato comes to Yoga after a long career as a dancer, dance teacher, and fitness instructor. She has both a B.F.A. and M.F.A in Dance and has been AFAA certified since 1989. After dabbling in several styles of Yoga, she now studies regularly with her Iyengar certified teacher in Cleveland, Karen Allgire (Iyengar Junior Intermediate III,) and attends numerous workshops throughout the year with other master teachers. A dedicated teacher and passionate about Yoga, Linda is very happy to be joining the LifeSource Yoga family.

Melissa Ferrato

Melissa began studying yoga at age 16 and took her first formal yoga class during college. In 1999 she received her teacher’s certification at Sivananda Yoga Vendanta Centre, in Canada. Melissa continues her studies with various senior-level teachers and her peers. She also practices massage and is a certified herbalist. Having studied yoga both through books and with teachers, she is a great believer in the idea that a student can advance much further with a qualified instructor.  Join Melissa at Lifesource Yoga and allow her knowledge and experience to advance your yoga practice. Schedule a massage, too.

Ylonda Greene

Ylonda embarked on her first yoga class in 2009, unaware of the transformation that would result.  Immediately after class, she knew yoga was the perfect all-inclusive path to wellness for her. As a professional cellist/teacher, Ylonda found the profound connection between the breath and music to enhance her yoga practice. When teaching, Ylonda offers a playful and rigorous class geared toward harmonizing strength and flexibility while taking students to their personal edge. Ylonda’s roots lie in Ashtanga Yoga, studying under Robert Moreno and Ginny Walters of Cleveland, Ohio. Ylonda completed her 200-hour teacher certification with Marni Task, in the style of Jivamukti and Anusara.  She is currently working toward her 500-hour certification. Ylonda feels blessed to have had these yogis as her mentors; they taught her the value of finding balance in life, on and off the mat.

Elaine Hullihen

Elaine got her first taste of yoga ten years ago as a teenager whose best friend’s mother taught yoga in her backyard.  Through many great local teachers since then, she has been introduced to the lifelong journey of yoga.  Earning her 200-hour teacher license through Brahmrishi Yoga, inspired by Brahrishi Vishvatma Bawraji and her teachers Margot and Bill Milcetich, Elaine studied Samkhya philosophy by Kapil and the Yoga Sutras by Pantajali.  Currently, Elaine is working toward her 500-hour certification through Brahmrishi Yoga. Asanas and meditation are tools to develop an awareness of the body that through practice blossoms into personal discovery, growth, and strength.  Elaine combines this knowledge with her personal practice to develop a teaching style that encourages her students to grow from within- finding their own breath, light, and life in yoga.

Amy Jeske

Amy lives in Granger Township with her three children, two dogs, and wonderful husband who makes her yoga practice possible (and sometimes necessary).  She enjoys spending time with her family, studying yoga philosophy, reading, and teaching yoga classes.  Her goal is to bring yoga to everybody, including children, teens, adults, and seniors.  She truly believes that if you can breathe, you can do yoga!

Amy is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level.  She studied with YogaFit, finding inspiration from master trainers Candice Taylor, Kristin Mabry, and Beth Marik.  Currently, Amy is working towards her 500-hour certification at Yoga On High in Columbus under the guidance of Linda Oshins, Marcia Miller, and Martha Marcom. In addition, Amy is working towards her certification in yoga therapy.  It is Amy’s goal to help as many people as possible through the gift of yoga.

Amy’s favorite asana is Trikonasana.  She loves the feeling of reaching through the pose, settling in, and feeling the energy as the arms open wide.  She feels connected to her three children in the three (3) triangles that are created, each different and strong, like her children.

Amy feels fortunate to have studied and practiced with some amazing teachers including Doug Keller, Roger Cole, Johnny Kest, David Swenson and Wade Imre Morissette. She recognizes that the joy is in the journey.  Amy states that she will be a yoga student for life!

Kallie Karman

Kallie began practicing yoga in 2008 when she was recovering from a series of bone cysts. After three surgeries and twelve breaks in her left shoulder, working out became nearly impossible. However, she discovered that yoga was the exception to the rule, and successfully strengthened her arm and shoulder without causing pain. Early in her practice, Kallie realized that yoga is more than a physical practice but also a way of life. While studying Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, she developed the desire to become a yoga instructor as a means of inspiring others in finding peace and contentment in their own lives. Kallie is currently studying with Marni Task and will be earning her 200-hour certification in the fall of 2011.

Jessica Rawson

In high school Jessica found Buddhism and became entranced with yoga philosophy. Studying and learning how to handle life’s challenges, she has found yoga to be her companion. Jessica firmly believes that all situations can be positive and we have the opportunity to mold even negative situations into positive life lessons. Jessica found her yoga asana practice her Freshmen Year in college in 2006. Her body was ravaged from years of track, cross country, and swimming. She was slowly introduced to the world of yoga, as the most unlikely yogi. Going and attending classes became easy as she learned about meditation techniques, yoga philosophy, and the asanas. The benefits were not just subtle but astounding and life changing. Her lung capacity increased as she became more centered, she could lie in savasana without fidgeting, she started viewing situations positively, and lastly, she could finally touch her toes. She was hooked.

In 2009 she came to Lifesource Yoga as a yoga practitioner and pole fitness instructor, noticing the similarities between yoga postures and pole dance flow. It was during training with Porsche Fischer, Lifesource Yoga’s then owner, that she was introduced to yin yoga and began a self-study.  Jessica has been teaching yoga since August of 2010 and in in training to obtain her 200-hour RYT license. She is also currently studying for her American Council on Exercise (A.C.E) group instructor certification.

Jessica has this to say about yoga, “Yoga has always found its way into my life in the hardest times, the times I needed it most. Though I do not have the prettiest practice or the strongest daily practice, I firmly believe that an hour a day is not a yoga practice. Yoga has become so much more to me than postures. It has become an outlook, a religion, a way of life. Yoga has been a catalyst for my growth and development and now I want to help my students find themselves as yogis.”

Karen Scott

Karen began practicing about 10 years ago, while looking for an exercise regimen that would not totally ware her out.

Over the years she has had many friends and acquaintances say to her, “Gosh, you do yoga?! I can’t do that, I’m not flexible.” Or “I would do yoga if I didn’t have to go to a group class. Can you teach me?” Then, when a change in jobs prompted some self-exploration, Karen began to think, why not me? “Why not learn to teach all those people that think they can’t do it. If I can do it, they can do it.”

Karen will obtain her 200-hour certification from Bhumi’s Yoga and Wellness Center in Columbia Station in the fall of 2011. Her focus and philosophy is yoga is for everybody no matter what age, shape or size you happen to be. Everyone should be able to experience the relaxing and calming effects yoga has to offer as well as the health benefits. No one should be left out. We don’t come to yoga because we are flexible, we come to be more flexible.  Karen lives in Akron with her husband, Brian and kitties, Mouse and Fafhrd.

Debbie Watkins

Debbie started practicing yoga in the 70′s with the formerly prominent Light of Yoga Society in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  Putting her practice aside for many years, her passion for yoga was rekindled six years ago.  Yoga has been central to her life since then as witnessed by practicing with numerous teachers, completing a 15-month 200-hour RYT training, increasing her knowledge of yoga philosophy and meditation, working toward her 500-hour certification, and teaching free and studio classes in the Akron area.

If asked the emphasis of Debbie’s practice, she would say it is in helping students achieve proper alignment and balance while learning the mechanics of traditional and modified asanas.  She focuses on the breath as an essential compliment to practice, using the breath to initiate and sustain movements to oxygenate and cleanse the tissues and organs, while allowing muscles to release and extend in a healthy manner.

According to Debbie, “Yoga is not an exercise program that one performs for weight loss or strength training, even though these results may occur for some students.  It is a way of achieving harmony in life, maybe initially away from home in a structured environment with a teacher, and ultimately, transferring what is learned on the mat into everyday life situations.”

Kedric Wolfe

During a class at the Los Angeles Center for Yoga, Kedric was kicking-up into arm balances when all of the sudden, “OUCH!” His ankle bone came in contact with an “eye bolt” for a conventional Rope Wall system; it was in that painful moment that The Great Yoga Wall concept was born.   But long before that:

One day early on in Kedric’s thespian career in Los Angeles he was driving down Santa Monica Blvd. and saw a large sign announcing “Yoga Classes.” He began yoga shortly thereafter and did my first teacher training there with Cheryl Harmond. That was more than 30 years ago, and, “My how time flies when you are having fun.” Kedric has been practicing, studying,  and teaching yoga since then. Principal teachers have been Aadil Palkhivala who is Iyengar-based, and Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty, founders of the original Yoga Works, who were principal Ashtanga teachers in LA. When he returned to Ohio from LA, Kedric brought the Ashtanga series back and began teaching that style of class at The Yoga Place in North Canton. Kedric feels his style of practice and teaching reflects an aggregate of numerous influences and exposures presented in a light, and sometimes humorous, manner. As Ramanand Patel has often said, “If you do the posture incorrectly one day you will die, if you do the posture correctly, one day you will also die.”  So lighten up, breathe, notice when your ego is driving the chariot, and hand the reins back to your heart.