Jennifer Perry, E-RYT, Pranic Healer, Reiki Master Owner/Instructor Jennifer has spent the last 24 years immersed in the world of yoga and all things related. Her classes are upbeat playful and rooted in science and have become a celebration of all the inner work she does on and off the mat. She believes our breath is our highest teacher in class and guides them with a synchronized breathing rhythm that takes you into a deeper space within your body where the noise of our thoughts begin to dissolve. Expect to feel personally empowered, nurtured and revitalized throughout her classes!
Katie Scarsella, Instructor, Certified Mindfulness Education Teacher, Reiki Practitioner, Human Design Practitioner Katie was drawn to yoga as a means to quiet her very active and often easily distracted mind. Her practice quickly evolved from being a way to "fix" her mind to rather being a way to understand it. She teaches from this perspective as well. The practice will always meet each individual where they are, and through careful attention to the foundations of the practice we become more in touch with our inner workings. She is a teacher who would describe herself as being a student first. Everything she teaches, comes from the years she has spent working on her own mat. She believes yoga is suitable for any age group, as long as there is a willingness to let it, hence she began teaching childrens classes as well. You can never be to young to learn the foundations of the practice. To connect with her students individually is something she aspires to do during each class. Through helpful modifications/assists, her classes are very alignment focused and breath-centric. She offers a warm, safe and encouraging environment for students to be challenged and grow. She teaches from an Ashtanga based background, and has been teaching short form Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Slow Flow and yin classes for nearly a decade
Jill Diaz, RYT Instructor, Applied Kinesiologist, Reiki Practioner Jill was inspired to take her RYT 200hr training to become a yoga instructor because of her love for alternative medicine. She lives and breathes yoga (no pun intended). Her warmth, passion, and compassion is felt in every class she leads. She’s very body intuitive with her students, noticing what the body needs and suggesting modifications or progressions. She believes yoga is for everyone; if you can breathe, you can do yoga. Her style is based on alignment and strong connection with the breathe. Jills beginner or slow flow classes are lead with a no worries, no pressure attitude, which allows the students to feel at ease and completely comfortable. Jill’s power flows are challenging, creative, playful, and fun. Yoga has changed her life due to the connection she has learned of the body, mind, and spirit, leading you to your true highest self. She will match your efforts by committing to every student, meeting them exactly where they are, and walk along side of you if that's what calls your heart. HER LIFE'S PURPOSE IS TO CONNECT, INSPIRE, AND HELP OTHERS REACH THEIR LIFE'S PURPOSE.
Cassie Padula, RYT Instructor, MS Cassie has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and completed a one-year teacher training through Shanti Yoga and her RYT 200 hour certification through The Inner Door Center in 2015. Cassie earned her Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from Wayne State University in 2009 and is currently a professional photographer. When she is not behind the lens of her camera, you will find Cassie playing and exploring life on her yoga mat. "Yoga for me has been a release of the physical and emotional, and has allowed for strength in my body, mind, and a deeper understanding of who I am and what I want out of life."
Heidi McCarty, RYT Instructor Heidi had been teaching some form of exercise for over 25 years. When the popularity of yoga started in the fitness world, Heidi was certified by Yogafit level I, II and III. Loving the way yoga made her feel, she then went on to get her 200 hour RYT through Jonny Kest in 2012. Heidi loves teaching her classes in a heated classroom, where the practice of mind, body and breath become one for her students. Heidi's classes are energizing fun and creative!
Natalie Cummings, RYT Instructor Natalie's energy is contagious and her yoga teaching style is simple yet profoundly educational. She has refined her teachings to meet students where they are while effortlessly guiding them into a yoga practice that suits their specific needs. She is involved with many global non-profits and is a yoga diversity activist and proud member of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition Leadership Team. Natalie is also the Founder of The Yoga Business Connection which offers web designs to further the healing reach of yoga online through her many community building skills.
Travis Reiff, RYT Instructor Travis has been practicing yoga since the 20th century. He finished his 200 hr with Johnny Kest at Center for Yoga in Birmingham. An avid believer and practitioner of daily meditation, Travis’s classes are deeply focused on breath as a means of finding your body and spirit within the postures. Whether Vinyasa or Slow Flow, his classes are always inspired, physically challenging, and usually supported by a kick-ass playlist. He received his BFA in Theatre from University of Detroit, and is a certified Language Arts and S.S. teacher. He has performed on stages across the country as an actor, musician, and has directed award-winning productions of Streetcar Named Desire and Buried Child and Evil Dead: The Musical to name a few. You can find him in and out of the studio and currently fronts the popular Detroit power trio Mighty Dead Woods.
Chris Abolio, RYT Instructor & Certified Personal Fitness Coach Chris Abolio is an athlete of many hats, besides yoga she moonlights as a professional dancer and clown with a joy for weightlifting. For her, the special thing about yoga is how it connects the mind to the body and soul, creating a sense of balance for this tight-rope called life. She received her Power Yoga certification from a certified Baptiste studio. She is passionate about helping her community grow as a whole, and individually. Chris encourages everyone to ask questions, to get uncomfortable, and to be ok with falling—because who knows, you might just fly.
Daniel Niedzwiecki- RYT Instructor Dan has been practicing yoga for more then 10 years and completed his RYT 200 hour certification with 359 Yoga in 2018. When he's not practicing his jump through, Dan tries his luck as a mad scientist. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and is currently a chemist for BASF in Wyandotte. "Yoga is personal. Having been diagnosed with Chronic Crohn's Colitis in 2008, yoga has been my real source of physical healing. More than that, my time on the mat has offered me a means to find inner strength and have pride in who I am."
Veronica Crites, LMT, NCTM, Massage Therapist & Thai Yoga Massage Therapist, Reiki Master Kundalini Instructor At just 14 years old, after receiving her very first massage, Veronica Crites was unknowingly set on a course towards spiritual and physical enlightenment for herself and others through the power of the healing arts. Remembering the bliss she experienced from that first massage, in 2007 Veronica enrolled at Irene’s Myomassology Institute (IMI)in Southfield, Michigan. She then began her career in the world of healing arts, building a foundation on basics in massage and exploring other practices such as Reiki, foot reflexology, and prenatal massage. After graduating from IMI, Veronica began her career as a massage therapist and has continued devoting herself to the art and science of healing. Veronica is licensed by the state of Michigan (LMT), and Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage (NCTM) and has been seeing personal clients in a massage setting for nearly a decade. Veronica has been studying Thai Yoga massage, and has been trained by Dr. Keith Barbour (DO) in advanced courses of Wholistic Manual Medicine Therapy (WMMT). Veronica works with Dr. Barbour (DO) part time at the Center of Progressive Health and Wellness in Monroe, MI where she assists in treating pain management patients. Most recently, you can catch Veronica leading Kundalini Yoga classes as she completes her Kundalini certification in January 2018! Veronica’s excitement and dedication to the healing arts continues to grow and she continues to expand her knowledge to continue to help herself and others through this amazing process.
Anne St. Onge, RYT Yoga Instructor Mindful movement has been an integral parts of Anne's life since she started dance at a young girl. Anne is a graduate of Western Michigan University where she earned her degree in Secondary Education. While in college, she began her Yoga practice at Sangha Yoga under the direction of Karina Ayn Mirsky. Anne brought her love and understanding of yoga back to downriver in 2005 where she has been studying, practicing, and living yoga ever since. She believes that yoga is a practical way for every body to stay healthy and well in body, mind and spirit. She enjoys working with new yoga practioners to help ensure their Yoga practice is welcomed with comfort and understanding. Her style is gentle and genuine and is a result of over fifteen years of yoga practice and study and over a decade of teaching experience. Anne currently teaches dance and yoga in Trenton and Wyandotte.
Margaret Bostic, RYT Yoga Instructor Margaret began her journey into yoga after the birth of her daughter. "She inspired me to begin taking care of myself. I didn't realize at that time that yoga does so much more on a deeper level. The word yoga literally means "union" and that's exactly what it does. It unites the body with the mind through breath and movement." After having her son, she decided it was time to deepen her practice and get certified to share this practice with others, her teaching infuses Chinese Merdian and chakra theory application. Come dive into your practice and enjoy the inner exploration of self Love.
Medina Perry, RYT Instructor, Studio Support Medina began practicing yoga as a means to alleviate her back pain after undergoing 2 back surgeries. In addition to being able to manage her chronic back pain through her yoga practice she also quickly began to notice her menopausal symptoms disappearing. She attributes these physical healings to her yoga practice. After retiring from her 27 year corporate career she began a disciplined practice with 359° Yoga and completed her 200 hour Teacher Training Program through 359° Yoga in June of 2018. You can also find Medina's joyful face in the studio greeting students and is vital in maintaining our in-studio support. Medina is a passionate animal lover and a conscious vegan, she is currently in development with Jennifer Perry, you can find Medina teaching our community classes and volunteering at local schools as she spreads her passion and knowledge for yoga with children and adults!
Megan Slattery, E-RYT Co-Director Teacher Training Megan Slattery began her yoga practice in her 20s while living on the West Coast. After a number of years of consistent practice she dabbled in other forms of movement and philosophical and artistic studies. In the mid- 2000s Megan found herself back in Michigan after almost two decades away from a four season state- the call of yoga was back! For the past decade Megan has studied many aspects of yoga including Sanskrit, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, pranayama, meditation and karma yoga. Her teaching and practice roots are built from from thousands of hours of seeking. Beyond her initial 200 hour certification with Jonny Kest, Megan received certification to lead the Ashtanga Primary Series with Tim Miller and later training in teaching teachers through Life Power Yoga. Over the years the light that had been lit previously was transformed into a passionate desire to help students and new teachers dive into the exploration of their lives through the yoga practices (asana, pranayama, meditation, mudras, giving and self study). And this continues....Hours spent on her own mat and with teachers senior to her have allowed for great space to trust the process and practice patience. The greatest teacher has been the practice itself. Megan pours her heart into her grassroots cause, Mats for Mutts (up-cycling used yoga mats for use in animal sanctuaries, rescues, shelters). Her love for the animal world is her purest love and she hopes to help others remember that our true blessing is in giving. She has led and will continue to offer yoga classes, workshops/fundraisers for the Alzheimer’s Association, Freedom House, many animal care causes and individuals. Her mantra, my life is my art. I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for. Georgia O’Keefe
Seema Singh, MPH, E-RYT,C-IAYT,RPYT Specialty Yoga Instructor – Private Session, Yoga Therapist Coming from a family of Yogi’s, Seema has always seen the great potential yoga has to heal ones’ mind and body. . After actively working in healthcare for over 10 years, she now combines her passion for science and Yoga as the Director of Training and Education for Yogamedics in Bloomfield Hills. She studies the neuroscience of yoga and applies her knowledge and compassion with her clients at the Veterans Hospital in Detroit. As a certified Yoga Therapist through the IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), she engages her students in an alignment-based therapeutic practice which has offered growth and healing to many of her clients, including those with PTSD, chronic back pain, spinal cord injuries, anxiety, depression, scoliosis and cancer.
