Sarah is a doula and prenatal yoga instructor who has helped thousands of women prepare for childbirth and transition into motherhood. She has always been fascinated by the inspiring, round bellies of expectant mothers, admiring their beauty and wisdom. For more than six years, Sarah has worked with pregnant women at yoga studios, hospitals, and in their homes. Now, she offers Blooma as a destination where women–and their families–can come together to share the trials and triumphs of pregnancy.
A native Minnesotan, Sarah completed her doula training in Portland, Oregon, in 2001. In 2004, she journeyed to Santa Cruz, California, to train with Robin Sale, the founder of Whole Birth Yoga. Other influences in Sarah\'s approach to prenatal yoga and pregnancy include yogini Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, birth educator Pam England, and the many mamas who have welcomed Sarah to be a part of their birth journeys. Sarah would like to thank Ann Fink (the iyoga queen), and Jennifer Grey (owner of Yoga Center of Minneapolis) for the opportunity they gave her to follow her passion.
When Sarah\'s not at a birth or teaching yoga, you\'ll find her walking around Lake Harriet, eating at one of her favorite Linden Hills spots, or hanging with her awesome nephews Emmett and Oliver.
","Chief Executive Yogini, Doula, and Instructor: Prenatal Yoga and Postnatal Yoga
","sarah01.jpg","1"], ["283","Alisa Blackwood","Alisa Blackwood discovered yoga during her first semester in college and knew instantly that it would always be part of her life. She now works as a YogaBonding (BYOB) teacher, birth doula, and infant massage instructor. Alisa loves working with women from the magical time of pregnancy, through the transition into birthing woman and mother. Beyond that time, Alisa believes that massaging baby and practicing yoga together inspires communication, trust, relaxation, and lots of smiles! She also adores seeing dads, partners, and other caregivers in her infant massage and BYOB classes.
Prior to living in the Twin Cities, Alisa volunteered with HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers in South Africa. She continues to volunteer her time to mothers whenever she can and is a board member of the Childbirth Collective. When Alisa isn’t working with families and babies, she writes about healthy living, food, and travel for magazines like O, The Oprah Magazine, Cooking Light, Body+Soul, and more.
She lives in St. Paul with the two joys of her life: her husband and son, Graham, born in 2008. Learn more about Alisa\'s work at www.BabyLovesMassage.com or www.ABlackwood.com.
Some words from a student about Alisa\'s Infant Massage class:
","
Instructor: BYOB: Bring Your Own Baby Yoga Bonding, Prenatal Yoga, Rub-a-Dub Infant Massage
ALSO: Alisa is our amazing Blooma Blogger!
","staff_AlisaBlackwood2.jpg","2"], ["281","Allison Cunningham","
Allison Cunningham is a mother, a yogi, and a feminist who believes knowledge is empowering, especially for women in their childbearing and child-rearing years. While pregnant with her daughter, Wynter, in 2008, Allison read Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth, and was instantly fascinated. She switched her prenatal care to a midwifery practice, and began learning all she could about childbirth and postpartum care.
A self-professed yoga junkie, Allison discovered the practice at a health club in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, when she was 16 years old. As an art student at New School University and Parsons School of Design and then as a starving artist in New York City, Allison scrimped and saved to take the best yoga classes she could find—those at the well-known Om Yoga Center, founded by Cyndi Lee.
Shortly after life’s twists and turns brought Allison to Minneapolis in 2006, she met and married the love of her life, Lance. More goodness followed: Wynter was born in 2008, and Allison was certified to teach their favorite class, Yoga Bonding, by Lisa Bergly in 2009.
Some words from a student:
I REALLY enjoyed the prenatal yoga class with Allison. I am a yoga novice, having taken classes on and off for the past 5 years, and the class was the perfect mix of challenging (so it felt like I was getting something out of it, fitness-wise) but not so challenging as to be discouraging. I can\'t wait to go to Allison\'s class again!
","
Instructor: BYOB-Bring Your Own Baby Crawlers, BYOB, Prenatal Yoga
","large[1].jpg","3"], ["243","Amber Kay","
Amber Kay is a Shiatsu massage therapist and a birth doula, and she has advanced certification in prenatal massage. She completed the Bodywork for the Childbearing Year training, and then assisted in teaching the class a year later. She has also studied Qi Gong with Master Lin in the Twin Cities. Amber has more than 800 hours of training in Asian Bodywork Therapies. She is certified through the American Organization of Bodywork Therapies of Asia. Amber has been in practice since 2005, but has been giving excellent backrubs since she was quite young. Her massage practice focuses on healing at an energetic level, with an emphasis on helping the body heal itself.
In her free time, Amber loves to travel. She spent a year living in Russia with a host family (and speaks a little Russian). She also spent six months studying and traveling in Kenya and Tanzania (and speaks a little Swahili).
Amber lives in south Minneapolis, where she enjoys riding her bike, baking cupcakes, and working on one home improvement project after another.
Learn more about Amber’s massage work at her website lueblue.com or email her directly at amber@blooma.com
","Wellness Manager, Massage: prenatal and postnatal, shiatsu
","amber.jpg","5"], ["84","Amy Johnson-Grass","Amy Johnson-Grass is a naturopath, nutritionist, midwife and mother. She was awarded her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, her Master of Science in Nutrition, and her Certificate of Midwifery from
Amy specializes in pediatrics and women’s health, with a specific interest in preconception health care to support couples with fertility problems and also for couples who simply want their child to have the healthiest start to life.
As a naturopath, her philosophy is to treat the whole person, finding the root cause of symptoms. She sees her role as an educator, someone who empowers patients to promote their innate healing abilities in conjunction with natural therapies. She identifies her patients’ personal health goals and focuses on individualized treatments such as dietary and lifestyle modifications, botanical medicine (herbs), homeopathy, nutritional supplementation, and craniosacral therapy.
As a midwife, Amy believes that birth is a natural process, and she trusts in the natural ability of women\'s bodies to birth their babies. Amy has training and experience in providing individualized, hands-on support throughout the childbearing year (pregnancy, birth, postpartum). She has expertise in nutrition, natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and early parenting. Amy is honored to be there to welcome new babies into the world, to serve birthing women and their families, and to participate in this miraculous part of the life cycle.
Amy opens a beautiful Birth Center on Grand in St. Paul in February 2010--home of Blooma\'s St. Paul classes! For more info visit www.health-foundations.com
Facilitator: Eco-Conscious Baby Care, Optimal Preconception Health
","AJGrass.jpg","7"], ["190","Ann Fink","Annie Fink is a Minneapolis-based artist with a colorful history in the worlds of theatre, film, design, and yoga. Returning home after many, many, many, years to be near her family, Annie pursued film editing while opening iYoga in south
Creativity forms the foundation of Annie’s yoga classes, providing balance between safety and inspiration. She incorporates dance choreography with vinyasa flow sequences to create a physically demanding and vigorous class. The spirited mix can ignite new possibilities in your practice. Annie has been exploring yoga, dance, and fitness for more than 20 years, and she aspires to both live her life and teach her classes with compassion and encouragement, while having tons of fun!
Annie’s fitness background includes certifications from the American Council of Exercise,
Annie has been described as being irrepressibly creative from birth, and reinvention and laughter have guided her through her life. She lives, joyfully, in
Instructor: Yoga for You!
","staff_AFink_small.jpg","11"], ["235","Anne Gustin","
Anne Gustin began a regular yoga practice in 2004, to stay flexible as she trained for the Twin Cities Marathon. A former competitive gymnast, Anne began to fall in love with yoga as she realized that asana practice challenged her body like gymnastics had, but without the harsh stress she’d experienced in the gym. Yoga became even more personal and meaningful when Anne practiced prenatal yoga with Sarah Longacre at iYoga in preparation for the birth of her daughter, Livia. Since then, Anne has been committed to her practice, and to letting her practice guide her parenting.
Anne has a Master’s degree in business; she worked for Target Corporation as a business statistics consultant before choosing to stay home to raise Livia. Motherhood is now her passion, and she cherishes every moment with her daughter and husband.
Anne completed Blooma\'s Prenatal Teacher Training Dec-Jan. 2010
","VBAC Support Group Facilitator
Blooma Newsletter Editor
Prenatal Yoga Instructor
","staff_AnneGustin-2.jpg","13"], ["307","Betsy Sundell","All it took was the invitation from a good friend, a quick bike ride, and one crazy, intense Ashtanga yoga class at the Piedmont Yoga Studio to hook this lifetime lover of movement into a new method to explore the complexities of body, mind and spirit. Betsy has been practicing yoga ever since that memorable meeting twelve years ago. Growing up in a home saturated with music, art, dance and two active, older brothers, Betsy was attracted to the creative asana sequences, physicality and flow of a Vinyasa yoga class. Life has changed over the years, along with her practice. As a classroom teacher in the public schools, yoga provided the opportunity to recharge, realign and restore. As an expecting mother, Betsy learned to surrender to the wisdom of the body during prenatal yoga. And, as a new parent, Betsy relished the quiet connection of mother and baby postnatal yoga with Yoga Bonding. Now with two children, Betsy\'s practice has expanded to include these dynamic yogis. Betsy’s yoga classes for kids reflect her family’s yoga practice that integrates yoga with stories, songs, games and a whole lot of imagination.
Betsy completed her yoga teacher training through the Yoga Center of Minneapolis 230 hour Yoga Study Program in 2009. She has fulfilled the requirements of Lisa Bergly’s Yoga Bonding program and is a registered Yoga Bonding Postnatal Yoga teacher. Other credentials include a Masters degree in Education, Bachelor of Arts in Dance and English and a Certification in Participatory Arts and Research.
Kids & Tots
","bsundell_01b.jpg","14"], ["314","Carol Mathie","Tweens Yoga, Kids Yoga
","","19"], ["288","Carrie Voda","","","carrie.jpg","20"], ["66","Channing Marie McKinley","Channing McKinley, DC, FICPA, CD(DONA), is a mother, chiropractor, craniosacral therapist, and doula. She views pregnancy and birth as a transformative time in women\'s lives, and it is her great joy to assist women during this time of immense physical, emotional, and life change. Channing is dedicated to helping women have pain-free and positive pregnancies, and to gently helping infants return to balance after the stresses of birth. Channing is also a certified HypnoBirthing® Instructor at Blooma.
Channing has advanced training in the care of pregnant women and children. She earned her doctorate of chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University. She is certified by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and DONA International. And she brings to Blooma a love for helping people enter the world in the most balanced and peaceful way possible. For more info, visit www.ChanningMcKinley.com
","Chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy
HypnoBirthing® Instructor
","staff_cmckinley.jpg","21"], ["60","Cheryl Hauser","Cheryl Hauser, mother of three, has 34 years\' experience as a parent and 28 years\' experience as a teacher. Recently retired from teaching, Cheryl has been a Waldorf teacher, director of an infant and toddler Montessori program, a preschool director in New York City for 5 years, and an admissions professional at Breck for 6 years. Most recently, Cheryl worked as a reading specialist with learning disabled children.
Young children, their well being, and their need for security fuels Cheryl\'s passion for teaching and child care. In addition to a welcoming presence at Blooma, she brings a true joy for and a deep understanding of children and what their hearts need.
","Childcare. Sarah\'s mom.
","staff_chauser.jpg","23"], ["299","Cynthia Levine","Cynthia is a doula and a prenatal yoga teacher. Her training for both began before she knew all of her letters. Some of her earliest memories are of watching her mother practice yoga. She also remembers being fascinated by the birth paraphernalia that was around the house since her mother was a childbirth educator. Before her prenatal yoga teacher training at Kripalu in the fall of 2009, Cynthia practiced with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois on his last visit to the U.S., and has received instruction and guidance from some of Ashtanga’s senior teachers including Manju Jois, Michael Gannon, Govinda Kai, David Swenson, Kino MacGregor, Tim Feldmann, and the great teachers of Yoga House.
Cynthia is pleased to share her love of yoga with expectant moms as they discover the beautiful union between breath, body, and baby. Through her own daily practice, Cynthia has experienced how yoga can cultivate a heightened sense of self-awareness that is available to support each woman through the transformations of pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood, and beyond.
When Cynthia is not working with pregnant women, she is getting her hands dirty in her garden or in her ceramics studio. You can see images of her work at www.cynthiaraelevine.com
Prenatal Yoga
","CLevine002b.jpg","26"], ["67","Deborah Savran","Deborah Savran is a Maya Abdominal Massage practitioner, naturopath, herbalist, and mother. She specializes in natural fertility enhancement and women\'s pelvic, hormonal, and spiritual health. Her intense personal experiences with fertility challenges, pregnancy, and parenting have led her naturally and passionately to this work. She delights in communing with herbs and making medicines with them; living an organic, whole-foods lifestyle; open-hearted communication; music; and Middle Eastern dance. Deborah is a professional member of the Maya Abdominal Massage Association and American Herbalist\'s Guild. She is dedicated to being a resourceful guide for her clients and to empowering them with the self-care skills needed to return to balance, harmony, and resilience. Deborah\'s services include Maya abdominal massage, herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, environmental medicine, energy work, fertility awareness charting, and Middle Eastern movement.
","Naturopath and Maya Abdominal Massage practitioner
","staff_dsavran.jpg","27"], ["320","Darcy Karl","","","","27"], ["312","Greta Fay","Greta is a doula and yoga instructor, passionate about the birth experience and amazed by the transformation of mamas and their partners. She has a bachelor’s degree in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies from the University of Minnesota. Greta believes that birth is a natural function of a woman’s body and that every woman already has the skills she needs to give birth in her own way.
She is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher specializing in prenatal yoga. She has been practicing yoga for over 10 years, starting as a kid with her mom. Greta loves teaching pregnant mamas because she believes that yoga is an important way to stay healthy throughout pregnancy and prepare for childbirth. Come join Greta for a class that will calm your mind and make your body feel loved!
","Prenatal Yoga~St. Paul
","","30"], ["302","Helena Raghubir"," Helena Raghubir has been practicing yoga and studying holistic healing since 1993. She is a certified Kundalini Yoga Professional Teacher Trainer, Level III Sat Nam Rasayan Practitioner, Neurolinguistic Psychology Practitioner, Reiki Master Usui and Karuna, CMT, and Reflexologist. Trained at Golden Bridge in Los Angeles, Helena has taught yoga, meditation, and spiritual practice throughout the Twin Cities, in California, and internationally, and brings a compassionate strength and clarity to her classes. A great innovator in teaching and healing, she is the author of The Prayer Solution: Be Who You Came Here to Be and a prenatal yoga manual with Gurmukh. She holds an Art History BA, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Carleton College. Helena joins Blooma from the Center for Happiness.
Jaime Pellegrene learned to turn her attention inward and to find peace within herself while living in San Diego, where she tapped into the connection between health and well-being. She\'d been practicing yoga for several years, and it naturally fit right in with this newfound awareness of the profound link between mind, body, and spirit. Soon after, she trained to become a yoga teacher so she could share the insights she\'d experienced.
Jaime, a graduate of Arizona State University, is a certified personal trainer, a mat and reformer Pilates teacher, and a holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach. She and her husband welcomed their first baby in September 2007. Practicing yoga while pregnant gave Jaime a deep sense of connection to her little one.
Instructor: Yoga for You!
","staff_jpellegrene.jpg","31"], ["68","Jalashree Pradhan","Jalashree Pradhan, a graduate of the prestigious American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, received her Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1998. She is a licensed and nationally certified acupuncturist/herbalist with advanced training in gynecological/reproductive issues and Chinese massage. She is also now training in the Advanced and Masters Levels of Reiki.
After having practiced for a number of years in a busy San Francisco holistic health center, Jalashree moved with her husband and twin daughters to Minneapolis in 2001. Since her arrival in this area, she has practiced out of a patient-centered Holistic Health and Wellness Center.
Jalashree\'s upbringing and family traditions gave her a lifelong interest in medicine and the healing arts, and she explored several traditions before finding inspiration in the practice of holistic care. She brings to her practice a mix of clinical skills, techniques, and knowledge which she blends with a creative and gentle approach which promotes the body\'s own ability to find health and harmony of mind, body, and spirit.
Jen Toddie has been passionate about yoga for 20 years! A mother of two sons, she is grateful to her yoga mentors, community and practice for inspiring her to teach and parent with authenticity. A devoted YogaEd. certified kids yoga teacher and Blooma certified prenatal yoga instructor, she has taught children from preschool age though teenagers, as well as young adults. She currently teaches at Crocus Hill Nursery School, Expo Elementary School, and Agape High School. At Agape, she created a yoga and wellness program for pregnant and parenting teens. She delights in watching transformation take place as children and teens find tranquility, strength, and confidence within themselves, allowing them to weather the ups and downs of life.
Jen believes in the power of yoga to calm the nervous system, energize the spirit, open the heart, and balance the emotions. Her approach is creative, playful and grounded in the gentle style of Kripalu yoga.
Kids Yoga
","","42"], ["233","Jesse Bennett","Jesse Bennett began practicing yoga and Pilates in 1998, and both disciplines transformed how she felt in her skin, in her body, and in her mind. Falling in love with the two and seeing how they truly complement each other inspired her to study, teach, and share yoga and Pilates.
After graduating from The University of Southern California in 2001, Jesse completed her first Pilates mat certification with Power Pilates. She went on to recertify with Integrated Balance Pilates in mat, reformer, spine corrector, and Cadillac. Jesse’s yoga training is through Shiva Rea’s
Jesse’s goal for her students is to have their practice be their sanctuary—to let the mat be a place to go for comfort, growth, fun, laughter, and strength. Jesse lives in
Instructor: Fusion for You!, Yoga for You, Prenatal Yoga
","Staff_JBennett.jpg","43"], ["300","Jessie Seehof","Jessie began her journey with yoga in 1999 and began teaching in 2001. As a teacher she strives for a practice of "Metta" (loving kindness) and humor with just a dash of sweat! When teaching she uses the Ashtanga Primary Series as her launching pad as she dives into many different vinyasa or flow yoga styles.
As a prenatal teacher she calls on her own experience as a new mama and her journey through pregnancy and labor with the help of blooma and all of its magical offerings. Her goal in class is to allow quiet and reflection while also finding an inner birthing warrior!
Jessie\'s background is based in Ashtanga yoga with a deep connection for the alignment of the Iyengar practice. She completed teacher training in the Primary Series of the Ashtanga with David Swenson, and she also completed teacher training with Monique Maxwell. Jessie has trained with Seane Corn, Rod Stryker, Max Stromm, Larry Schultz and David Williams.
Prenatal Yoga Instructor, Yoga for You!
","JSeehof2.jpg","46"], ["85","Julie Kesti","Julie Kesti keeps Blooma on an even keel as the office manager. In addition to being a workshop-scheduling whiz, she is a Shiatsu and Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner and a former birth doula, which gives her a deep appreciation for the needs of the women and families who visit Blooma.
Julie started down the wellness path at Centerpoint’s Shiatsu program. Her journey continued with Qi Gong studies with Master Lin in the Twin Cities, Thai Yoga Massage training through the Lotus Palm school of Montreal, and the study of Sivananda Yoga and Tibetan massage in India. She has completed more than 800 hours of training in Asian Bodywork Therapies, and has been in practice since 2005. She is a certified practitioner through the American Organization of Bodywork Therapies of Asia.
Before Julie studied mind-body expressions of wellness, she explored art—and how it helps people connect to their lives spiritually and physically—at the University of Minnesota. Her interest in how people relate to their bodies eventually branched out to learning about how women can be empowered by bringing new life into the world, the thing their bodies are uniquely intended to do.
Communication, intuition, and creativity are essential to all of Julie\'s practices, and she looks forward to sharing them with you when you visit Blooma! You can learn more about Julie at juliekesti.com
","Studio Manager
","JKesti.jpg","47"], ["308","Kaye Standke","","Kids Yoga, Yoga for You!
","","47"], ["304","Laura Leventhal","A self-described type-A personality, Laura accidentally discovered restorative yoga and fell in love with the deeply relaxed state of blissful balance it brought to her busy life.
Laura credits restorative yoga for allowing her to find a place of peace and acceptance while struggling with infertility and believes that a regular restorative practice is essential to living well.
Wife and mother of two sweet boys -- Noah and Sky -- Laura acknowledges the challenges of motherhood and encourages women to be gentle with themselves, not only in yoga but through their thoughts and actions as well.
After practicing yoga for nearly a decade, Laura is completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training at the Yoga Center of Minneapolis, with a focus on gentle and restorative yoga.
Take It Easy Yoga
","LLeventhal001.jpg","53"], ["289","Lauren Becker","Lauren Becker, a native of northeastern Wisconsin, moved to the Twin Cities in 2006 to attend the University of Saint Thomas. Here she had many opportunities to discover the beauty of women and prgenancy. Nannying for a fabulous midwife’s children throughout college, she observed the rewarding lifestyle of working with pregnant mothers and babies. Lauren is currently in the certification process to become a doula (DONA).
Graduating in May 2010 in Business Management and Communications, Lauren also has an interest in small business. She has been inspired by Sarah Longacre’s doula work for years, and more recently by her success running as a small business. As Childcare Manager, Lauren is excited to combine her passion for birth with her business skills and become a part of Blooma.
As the time comes to discern the road her life is going to take, Lauren feels Blooma and the birthing community is her next journey.
","Childcare Manager
","lauren.jpg","54"], ["319","Lindsay McCoy","Lindsay has always been fascinated by how the body works and moves, which let her to receive her B.S. in Exercise Science. She worked as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor for numerous years before discovering yoga.
Originally, she came to yoga because she heard it was a good workout, but what hooked her was that not only was she getting a great workout, but she also found herself profoundly surprised by the great mental and spiritual benefit she received through her practice. During her 2nd pregnancy, she used yoga to find her inner peace and strength, trust her body, and surrender to the natural process of birth.
In addition to being a self-professed yoga junkie, Lindsay is also birth junkie and loves being around pregnant women and blending her passions of pregnancy/birth and yoga. Children’s yoga is another passion of Lindsay’s as she has seen her children flourish because of it. She brings a whole lot of fun to her kids yoga classes which include stories, songs, dancing, games, and lots of imagination. She is grateful to her children’s yoga mentor, Terriann Matejcek. Lindsay strives to carry her yoga off the mat and find the light and the teacher in all. She lives in north Minneapolis with her husband, Matt, and two little yogis- Roxie and Jasper and is most definitely one of those people who sing at the top of their lungs while driving.
","Kids & Family Workshops
","","56"], ["313","Lisa Venticinque","","Tots Yoga, Yoga for You!
","large[2].jpg","58"], ["81","Liz Abbene","Liz is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and birth doula certified through DONA, and the creator of Enlightened Mama. Her passion for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting began at a young age. She made countless visits to the labor and delivery unit where her mother worked as a nurse and visited many of the childbirth classes that her mother taught. Liz has spent years working with children, and with her own experiences as a mother, and now as a doula and childbirth educator, she just can’t get enough of mamas and their new babies! Liz absolutely loves sharing in the experiences with those embarking on this incredible journey into parenthood, and she believes that knowledge is the key to a positive experience during pregnancy, birth, and parenting. For more on Liz’s work and her philosophy, visit www.EnlightenedMama.com.
She and her husband, Chris, are the proud parents of three vivacious children.
Instructor: Enlightened Mama Lamaze, Enlightened Mama Baby Care Workshop, Enlightened Mama Breastfeeding
","LAbbene.jpg","150"], ["287","Liz Wacker","Dr. Liz Wacker is a licensed Naturopathic doctor and proud momma-to-be. She loves her work and uses the principles of Naturopathic medicine as her guides: prevent disease, identify and remove the cause of disease, treat the whole person, trust in the healing powers of nature, and educate patients about wellness. She follows an integrated approach to medicine, combining natural medicines with western diagnostics and laboratory interpretation.
","
Naturopathic Doctor
","lizw.jpg","154"], ["303","Meredyth Johnson","Meredyth Johnson is a nationally certified massage therapist (NCTMB),
certified birth doula CD(DONA), dance and yoga instructor. She has
advanced certification in pre- and postnatal therapeutic massage after
studying with Carole Osbourne-Sheets which includes working with high risk pregnancies. Meredyth was a graduate of CenterPoint School of Massage and Shiatsu. Ever since Meredyth can remember she has been fascinated with the human body. She continues to explore this beautiful medium and enjoys helping others discover how to move, connect, and heal themselves through dance, yoga, and the healing arts.
Meredyth lives in St. Paul and in her free time she loves to cook, paint, spend time with family and friends, and to be outdoors: camping, kayaking, biking, and hiking. She loves to explore the world, especially through its food.
To learn more about Meredyth\'s work, visit her website at www.meredythjohnson.com
Massage: Prenatal and Postnatal, Therapeutic and Resortative
Front Desk, Childcare
","MJohnson001.jpg","154"], ["310","Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner","Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner is an E-RYT, a certified and experienced, registered Yoga Instructor with Yoga Alliance with over 1500 hours of teaching experience in the classroom. She is a fully certified Yoga Therapist in the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy tradition working with clients one on one to help create emotional, mental and physical release through yoga.
Yoga for You!
","","155"], ["279","Nan Gane","
Nan Gane, born smack dab in the middle of summer, comes by her love of sun and heat naturally. So 10 years ago, when she stumbled into a yoga class smack dab in the middle of a cold Minnesota winter, she was delighted to realize she could find the heat of the sun by saluting it. Though initially feeling quite inflexible and not sure what foot/arm/hip/head went where, she was charmed enough by the mini-nap at the end of every practice to stick with it. And then sure enough, breath by breath, pose by pose, sutra by sutra, the technology of yoga worked its magic on her. What began as a small crush turned into a full-blown love affair as Nan opened herself to learning about and sharing her enthusiasm for yoga.
Having studied with master instructors Jeffrey Bores, Manju Patthabi Jois, and Jessica Rosenberg, and completed teacher training with Annie Carpenter of YogaWorks in Sydney, Australia, Nan teaches yoga in corporate settings, studios, and private sessions around town. Her vinyasa classes combine a deep awareness of anatomy, sequencing, alignment, and yogic philosophy while inspiring a playful spirit. One of her students calls her “the Warrior of the Open Heart.”
When Nan isn’t sporting yoga clothes, you can find her elbow deep in dirt designing someone’s garden, clad in an apron catering someone’s party, walking one of the lakes, or at the airport off to satiate her endless hunger for travel and experiencing the world.
","Instructor: Yoga for You!, Yoga 101 Workshop for Beginners
","staff_NanSeebartArundel.jpg","156"], ["77","Sarina LaMarche","Sarina LaMarche is a Life and Wellness Coach with a master\'s degree in psychology. She brings more than 10 years\' experience as a mental health professional to Blooma. Sarina is dedicated to helping mothers find energy, balance, and peace in their lives. As a mother, she knows the importance of nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. She finds balance in her own life by spending time outdoors and in creative pursuits. She is a Personal Renewal Group (PRG) Facilitator.
","Group Facilitator: Personal Renewal Groups for Moms
","staff_slamarche.jpg","165"], ["272","Stacy Seebart","Stacy Seebart approaches bodywork holistically, drawing from many modalities, always with the intention of helping to connect the body, mind, and spirit. She is a graduate of New England Academy of Therapeutic Sciences in Dublin, New Hampshire, and has worked as a massage therapist since 2001. She is nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork (NCTMB) and certified in Reiki I by the Usui System of Natural Healing. She has focused her continuing massage therapy study in Craniosacral Therapy and Somatic Emotional Release through the Upledger Institute in Florida.
Stacy is also a Pranassage Practitioner and Interdisciplinary Yoga Teacher. She is a graduate of the Nosara Yoga Institute in Nosara, Costa Rica. She is on faculty at NYI as a teaching assistant for the annual 100-hour Pranassage Practitioner Training. As Stacy has continued her yoga studies, she has focused on Yoga Therapy. She earned her 500-RYT designation from the Yoga Alliance in 2009. Stacy looks to Amba and Don Stapleton, Ann Hunt, and Jessie Seehof as her mentors and is very honored and grateful for their guidance.
Stacy’s clients have included spinal injury patients, prenatal and postnatal mamas, and all ages from 7 to 87! Stacy lives in Minneapolis, and she aspires to travel the world while teaching and learning the yogic path of life.
Check out Stacy\'s website: pranassagemn.com
","Massage, pranassage®, Yoga for You!
","stacy.jpg","180"], ["282","Summer Michael","
Summer Michael first practiced yoga while in college, but it wasn\'t until she read Gurmukh\'s book Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful during her pregnancy that she found her calling. A little research revealed that a pregnancy teacher training was scheduled to start soon, so Summer quickly searched out a good deal on a flight and accommodations. At 8 months pregnant, she made her way to LA to study with Gurmukh and the teachers at Golden Bridge. That week changed her life.
A certified childbirth educator, Summer is a strong supporter of midwifery, homebirth, doulas, babywearing, and birth education. She is certified in Yoga Bonding by Lisa Bergly, and she has studied Anna Getty, Darren Main, and Jason Crandell. When Summer’s not teaching yoga, she works as a print model in the Minneapolis area through Wehmann Agency.
Both of Summer\'s pregnancies reflected her passion for all things connected to birth: Her first daughter, Melania, was immersed in the loveliness of prenatal yoga training, and her second daughter, Kiera, was born at home, in the water before the midwives arrived.
Summer lives with her girls and her husband, Bobby, in the Longfellow neighborhood.
","
Outreach Coordinator
Instructor: Prenatal Yoga, BYOB, Yoga for You!
","staff_SummerMichael.jpg","185"], ["80","Susan Colvin","Susan Colvin started practicing yoga in Colorado in 2001 with her husband (then fiancé) so they\'d have a shared hobby. They fell in love with yoga, and their relationship with each other deepened, too. The couple returned to Minnesota in 2004 and soon realized Susan was pregnant. Yoga, of course, was a natural part of pregnancy for Susan, and she began taking prenatal classes. It wasn\'t long before she realized she\'d crossed paths with her teacher–Sarah Longacre–before. Sarah became Susan\'s doula and her inspiration to continue learning about birth, babies, and yoga. Susan is a certified Yoga Bonding teacher and an infant massage practitioner.
","Instructor, Rub-A-Dub Baby Infant Massage and BYOB*Crawlers, BYOB, Prenatal Yoga
","staff_scolvin.jpg","190"], ["277","Susan Prince","
Susan Prince is a nationally certified massage therapist and a 2001 graduate of Sr. Rosalind\'s School of Professional Massage in St. Paul. She specializes in Myofascial Release Therapy. Susan completed her clinical training at the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Treatment Center in Paoli, Pennsylvania, and has worked with clients in a patient-centered holistic health and wellness clinic since 2001. Through myofascial release Susan helps her clients reconnect with their bodies by restoring their freedom of movement and assisting their return to a pain-free lifestyle. Susan is also a certified FirstLine Therapy Lifestyle Educator, helping people improve their lives and heal chronic health issues through diet, stress relief, and exercise.
Susan has been interested in health and wellness for more than 20 years. She strongly believes in the connection between the mind and the body, and she has personally experienced the positive effects of that connection. Her goal is to help her clients feel that same connection through bodywork, stress reduction, diet, and exercise.
","
Massage: therapeutic and restorative
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