Meet Our Teachers
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Founder
Karuna is a healer who specializes in connecting the mind and body. She incorporates myofascial release and breath as part of her holistic approach to health and well-being from a whole-person perspective. She understand the intricate connection between the mind and body and recognizes that physical symptoms often have underlying emotional, mental, and/or energetic components.She has been on the healer path since she was a young girl wanting to help her loved ones with massage, a listening ear or a meditation/yoga session. When she was 21 years old she was in an auto accident that changed the course of her life forever. No longer destined to be an engineer, due to her traumatic brain injury and the lack of healthcare and understanding of the injury, she floated through life. She constantly changed careers, moved to new states and collected multiple job skills, always so challenged to stay still in a moment.
This all changed when she moved to Fairbanks, AK in 2015. Here she found help with her TBI from Holistic Healers and many forms of alternative medicine. Karuna found her home and a toolbelt full of healing tools that helped her finally settle down.
Now more grounded in herself and with a full functioning brain she was able to recognize that she had always massaged, had a listening ear or done meditation/yoga sessions with her friends and coworkers no matter which career she was in! With this realization she began collecting certifications and deep diving into all different types of healing modalities in order to become a Holistic Healer full time.
Karuna offers group classes, private one on one sessions or small group sessions. She also offers a 3 month curriculum to corporations to help support a healthy and productive work environment.
Her goal is to help you tune in to you and each other, she holds space to meet you where you are. If there is a problem or discomfort you have been feeling in your body for a long time, let Karuna know! She loves to help move the boulders so the river can flow freely.
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TeacherMallory received her 200-Hour Vinyasa Teaching Certification from Fairbanks Yoga. Her classes emphasize being present-minded and calling students to extend loving kindness and gentleness with themselves during their yoga practice.
As an instructor, she cultivates a welcoming environment for all students who are looking to enrich their practice by providing clearly guided sequences and modifications. Her goal is to guide students to develop a unique lifelong yoga journey.
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Teacher
In 2022, Nancy made the decision to become a certified massage therapist. This life-changing career shift provided space for her to also deepen her yoga practice and follow the calling to become a yoga instructor.
Nancy’s mission as a yoga instructor is to introduce yoga to others as a lifelong practice that anyone can take part in. She especially enjoys providing assists to her students as a way to share her healing touch.
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TeacherI was introduced to yoga when I was 13, but officially started my yoga journey in 2012 as a sophomore in high school in California. I primarily practiced 26+2 Hot yoga, as I enjoyed the heat that relaxed my tense muscles, and I valued being able to practice the same poses every class to better feel and connect with the changes in my body. I attended Miami University in Ohio, where I studied zoology and environmental science and was introduced to Vinyasa yoga. This is where I got trained to teach Vinyasa, and where I got my RYT 200. Safety is the most important part of my classes, as I want everyone to reap the benefits of yoga without injury. I also believe the meditative, mindful aspect of yoga is key to a strong practice, as yoga is the union of mind and body. Vinyasa helps bridge this union, as it deeply connects you to your breath throughout the entirety of the practice. Other than yoga, I am very passionate about nature, conservation, and sustainability
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TeacherYoga has changed my entire life. I got into yoga after spending a entire year doing physical therapy for multiple injuries, ankle, hip, and back. I started to heal my body more and more as my personal practice grew and grew. I was privileged enough to be able attended yoga teacher school here in Fairbanks. Where I received my 200 hour RYTT in November 2019. My first class i offered to the public was at a local bar on the dance floor. The bar class was followed up by one in a local pot shop. I just closed out the semester teaching Beginner Yoga at CTC. Regardless of where I have taught yoga, I have always encouraged smiles and laughter in every class! Music soothes the savage beast, and I believe that with all my heart, and I offer a variety of music genres in each of my play list.
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Teacher:
Hello! I am Blair! I am an eccentric Pisces who loves exploring in the mountains, swimming in warm water, finding stray animals to love, baking vegan cookies and eating vegan cake, the earthy scent of patchouli and amber, and gazing at the stars in the sky.
I am a 200-hour RYT and a certified Mat Pilates instructor. From a young age, I have found joy in expressing emotions and channeling my energy through creative movement, which I believe reveals the unique magic within each individual. As a dynamic instructor, I wholeheartedly embrace creativity in every facet of practice. Each class I lead is designed to be a comprehensive experience for both body and mind, featuring thoughtfully selected music and innovative variations of yoga asanas and Pilates exercises. Participants can expect an energizing atmosphere with invigorating beats and an enjoyable head-to-toe experience. My mission is to help you uncover your true potential—the hidden aspects of yourself waiting to be revealed. You have so much to share with the world; allow me to inspire you to soar and truly be seen!
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Teacher:
Yvonne was born and raised in Germany. She loves adventure and finds it on our Interior rivers and in travels around the world.
In 2019, she met her husband in Bali, Indonesia. Since he is from Fairbanks, it was only a matter of time before she also fell in love with Alaska. This fall, she will finally become a resident of Alaska.
Yvonne began practicing 26 & 2 Hot Yoga in 2006 and got certified as a Bikram Yoga teacher in the fall of 2008. Her yoga journey continued as owner of Hamburg 40grad, a studio in Germany.
She completed another 500+ hours of teacher trainings - Yin Yoga w/ Josh Summers, Hatha Yoga w/ Surrender Singh in Rishikesh, India and Active Consciousness Meditation w/ Punnu Singh Wasu in Bali, Indonesia.
In her classes, Yvonne creates a safe space for students and gently reminds you to slow down and breathe - everything else comes with patience and time.
What she loves most about the 26 & 2 Hot Yoga series is that it's a HEALING YOGA, created for people with chronic pain and chronic illness and it's truly for EVERYBODY because “yoga isn't about touching your toes, it's about what you learn on the way down.” - Jigar Gor.
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Teacher:
Hello, My name is Daniela, I first learned to meditate when I was a child with my mother who is very strong in her spiritual beliefs. When I went through some hardships as an adult, I found meditation to be the best tool to keep me grounded and in touch with my higher, best self. I want to give back to the community by showing what I have learned, in hopes that it brings peace to everyone that practices just as it has brought peace into my own life. By teaching the basics, and in time, a strong foundation, I believe there is nothing in this physical world you can not overcome with the power of your mind.
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FounderJulie teaches Hot Pilates, Partner Massage workshops and Therapeutic private Pilates classes. She has been a part of the Fairbanks Healing community for years.
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TeacherAlecia first got hooked on yoga in college. She took a beginner yoga class her first
semester and hasn’t stopped practicing since. She uses yoga to help her body recover from
playing rugby as well as to settle the mind. Yoga is about how you feel on your mat and creating
a space where you can make peace with yourself. Her goal as an instructor is to help her students
find that space where they are confident in creating a peaceful connection with their minds and
bodies. Alecia got her 200hr RYT certificate through Yoga Union in Ubud, Bali, a place where
yoga is considered a sacred practice. Having trained with students and teachers from all over the
world she hopes to bring a bit of the world to the mat. Alecia is certified in vinyasa-style yoga
with a broad knowledge base in Hatha yoga, Meditation, and Pranayama. She encourages both a
physical and spiritual practice in a non-judgemental setting to create space for you to strengthen
your body’s connection to the self as a whole.
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Teacher:
I have enjoyed physical fitness through out my life, finding it fun, entertaining, and comradory building. I had gotten away from a constant workout routine after I retired. In 2022 I returned to physical fitness on a routine basis with the assistance of a personal trainer. I turned to yoga a few months into this new routine seeking flexibility and new experiences. I had taken some Pilates classes as well. As life would have it what we are seeking is seeking us. In 2023, I accepted an invitation to a yoga class at Yellow Bird Yoga and I received an introduction to Myofascial Release and Breath class. Eventually I took the warm Pilates class and found it to be a good fit in my physical fitness routine. In August of 2024, I accepted an opportunity to do a teacher training in Inferno Hot Pilates. I felt Inferno Hot Pilates resonated with me and could envision my teaching it. I throw out to you the opportunity to tune in and appear for an Inferno Hot Pilates class.
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Teacher:
Naomi is a yoga and dance instructor. She received her yoga certification from Yandara yoga institute in 2012 and has found many other modalities of healing through dance and physical touch throughout the years. Also being a licensed massage therapist and polarity practitioner, she has incorporated her movement into all of these different facets of healing.
In class, she hopes to create a sacred space for the feminine in order to feel uninhibited to go inward and explore our playful nature. Sharing movement and space without any expectations of outcome, just being in the moment and having fun while feeling into our sensuality.
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Teacher:
After a 4 year hiatus, It's A Yoga Thing returns! My classes are a workout based Yoga class that focus on proper body mechanics to best further your physical fitness journey. I started my yoga practice while studying physical education with an emphasis in sports medicine at the University of Idaho. I've been an instructor for 20 years and enjoy helping people increase their muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility as well as heal/prevent injury.
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Teacher:
In the summer of 2023, Amanda was needing a little something new in her life so she decided to sign up for her first barré class. Fast forward to January 2024 she received her Barré one certificate from IBBFA.
Before moving to Alaska in April 2024 Amanda was a swim coach in Colorado for over 10 years for a variety of ages and skill levels. Outside of work, Amanda enjoys reading and going on walks (or runs if she is feeling motivated) with her dog, Yogi.
Amanda hopes that her students leave her class feeling accomplished and energized, ready to take on their day.
Thank you so much for this opportunity! Hopefully people want and will enjoy the class :)
Amanda
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Teacher:
Kaylene began her yoga journey in 2018 with on-line instruction of Vinyasa and Ashtanga at home. In
2019, she acquired her 200 hr Vinyasa Training from Trax Yoga. She then, began to focus solely on
Ashtanga which ultimately became her true passion. She found a local teacher to practice under for
several years and a community of beautiful likeminded yogis. She believes we are all in search of
something when we come to yoga and for her, it was strength and flexibility to equal balance. To be able
to apply this balance on and off the mat is the true challenge. Her philosophy is to teach students how to
safely enter and maintain poses to continue the practice throughout their life by linking the breath to
movement.
The Ashtanga practice is a memorized sequence that is traditionally done together without being led by
a teacher called “Mysore style.” The teacher guides the practice, by adjusting and assisting postures. The
poses are linked together with vinyasa, and practitioners use Ujjayi breath to transition from one pose to the next. Each asana is typically held for five breaths. The ensure sequence can take about 90 minutes to two hours to complete.