Guides & facilitators

These amazing guides and facilitators will be sharing their knowledge and skills with us at the 2026 Kentucky Yoga Festival.

2026 Facilitators

As a dancer and dance instructor in her 20s, Adrienne has always found herself deep in movement. After multiple injuries, she found a home in yoga where she could repair her body with peace and ease. Her yoga path was sporadic yet continual, and in 2022 she embarked on a yoga teacher training with Authentic Yoga Teacher Training in Montañita, Ecuador. After receiving her RYT 200, she has been teaching various workshops, guiding students through gentle and vinyasa flows at OM8 Collective and teaching on the beach in Montañita at Casa del Sol - the magical place where she was gifted the knowledge to guide others on this magical path that is yoga. In the spring of 2025, Adrienne started Open Space Yoga with the dream that yoga can be brought to any one, in any space. We are beyond excited to have as an instructor for Kentucky Yoga Festival.

Adrienne Glenn from Open Space Yoga

New Moon Journal & Flow

Butterfly Yoga for Kids

AS nursing 1986 Academy oh health science Ft Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX BA Art 1987,Cleveland state university,Cleveland, Ohio MFA 1990 Rhode Island School of design National Guard 1982-2014 Practical Nurse, Veterans Hospital Long Beach Ca 1997-201

AG Todd

Kundalini Awakening

Aliciafaye is a bridge to receive divine guidance through guided meditation.

Aliciafaye

Guided Meditation: Communication with your Soul

 

Amanda Schaibley is a yoga practitioner and intuitive soul guide devoted to embodying presence, compassion, and sacred remembrance. Her practice weaves together breath, movement, and energetic awareness, inviting others into deeper connection with their bodies and inner truth. Rooted in her work within the Akashic Records and her own path of soul reclamation, Amanda holds space with gentleness, authenticity, and a deep trust in the wisdom that lives within all beings. She is passionate about creating nurturing, empowering spaces where people can soften, heal, and reconnect with the sacred within themselves.

Amanda Schaibley

Kundalini Yoga

Healing Flow Wellness, LLC is co-owned by Dr. Amy Cappiccie, LCSW and Kevin Norris, BS. Healing Flow Wellness is a sanctuary for embodied transformation- rooted in authenticity where nature, science, and soul converge. HFW offers a curated blend of holistic services to deepen your connection with self. Amy brings her years of teaching mixed with practice wisdom from trauma treatment to provide yoga, meditation, ecstatic dance, and life coaching. Kevin uses his healing reiki and sound healing to round out the basic healing practices offered to our clientele.

Amy Cappiccie and Kevin Norris

Fascia Release & Nervous System Balance

Unlocking Balance: The Role of the Vagus Nerve & Fascia on Emotional Wellbeing

After spending much of his youth overstimulated and behind a pair of headphones, Andy Davis learned the basics of DJing at a hometown coffee shop. Immediately, he knew that he had discovered a way to simultaneously engage his rapidly shifting attention, encyclopedic knowledge of music, and activate his soul behind the 1s and 2s. Having spent the better part of a decade honing his collection and technique, HamHawk comes to you with a uniquely eclectic 100% analog DJ experience. From hip hop to pop, drum and bass to classical DJ HamHawk aligns the beat of the moment to the music.

DJ HamHock

Sunrise Vinyl Flow

"Anice is a sacred space holder, a movement chaplain, a social worker, an organizer and a cross-pollinator. Her core passions are social justice, creating and sustaining community and authentic relationship. She's leaning into connection with Spirit to figure out what she's being called to next. "

Anice Chenault

The Brain Science of Trauma

Katie Jo, founder of Appalachian Asana, is a passionate yoga teacher rooted in the rhythms of the mountains. Blending mindful movement with the grounding energy of Appalachia, she guides students through accessible, heart-centered practices that nourish both body and soul. With a focus on alignment, breath, and self-discovery, Katie Jo creates welcoming spaces for all levels—on and off the mat. Whether in a forest clearing or a cozy studio, her classes invite you to slow down, reconnect, and rise strong.

Appalachian Asana

Vin to Yin

Kids Class

Ashley Bonomo is a 500-hour E-RYT yoga teacher with a background in Exercise Science and personal training. With over a decade of experience, she brings a grounded, strength-focused approach to the mat combining breath, biomechanics, and body awareness to help students unlock deeper power, move with intention, and reconnect to the part of themselves that already knows how to rise.

Ashley Sutras

Foundations of Flight: Intro to Arm Balances & Inversion

For over ten years, Becca has woven together myth, breath, strength, and grace into her yoga offerings. Her unique style of storytelling and movement encourages students to feel strong in body and mind.

Becca Smith- Yoga with Becca

Woven Moments: Yoga as Story & Ritual

"Ben Short is a 200hr CYT who has been teaching yoga full time since 2015, with well over 2500 hours of teaching experience! Ben is a versatile teacher, enjoying sharing Vinyasa or Hatha, Restorative or Yin, even Hot Yoga. He’s noted for his warm positivity, detailed instruction particularly excellent for beginners, and compassionate delivery empowering all to feel comfortable and focused. Ben is also an accomplished musician and composer. Bringing those two worlds together, Ben offers live musical accompaniment for yoga classes that is truly special, uniquely able to flow the music with the practice, often described as downright magical! And come festival time, Ben loves to share his passion for astronomy and stargazing, offering fun and interactive nighttime workshops teaching and identifying the night sky! "

Ben Short

Stargazing

Arm Balance & Inversion Workshop

Yang & Yin Yoga Flow

"For yoga: Cheryl Chaffee (ERYT-500, YACEP) has been teaching yoga since 2005 and is one of the country’s top teachers/teacher trainers in Ashaya Yoga. Previously a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, she has studied intensively with Todd Norian, the founder of Ashaya Yoga, and is now a licensed Ashaya Yoga Teacher and Teacher Trainer. Cheryl has studied with Tantric Yoga philosophy scholars, Paul Muller Ortega, Douglas Brooks, and Bill Mahony. Cheryl loves the depth and intensity of Ashaya Yoga. She feels that the purpose of yoga is not to do the most difficult asanas, but is to go deeper into the understanding of the Self through the body, and connect to the Heart. Ashaya Yoga invites students to look at the places where yoga (and life) is challenging, and encourages everyone to connect to their own authenticity. Cheryl teaches authentically from her heart in order to help her students bring about their own transformation. For kirtan: Bhakti Bliss Kirtan has a unique style which transports you to a deep devotional place in your heart, while also inspiring you to get up and dance and express your joy and bliss for life! Kirtan is the joyful expression of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, and it’s one of the easiest ways to open your heart and feel your love connection to all of everything! Cheryl Chaffee is the group's founder- she has been leading kirtan at yoga studios, churches, temples, community centers and sacred spaces around the world since 2009, including festivals such as the Rasa Lila Fest, the Tampa Indian Music Festival, Aqueous Festival, Wonderfruit, Lovelight Festivals, Shakti Rising Goddess Festival, Sangha Fest, and Zen Awakening Festival. Cheryl’s angelic voice and grounded energy is personal, inspiring, and transformative. Each band member brings their unique artistry to the group, creating a multi-dimensional sound experience. The combined vibrations lift you up and help you attune to your own inner resonance, as well as connect with the frequencies of the Divine. Audience participation is encouraged! Sing and dance your heart’s blissful freedom!

Bhakti Bliss

Bhakti Bliss Kirtan

Bruna Looby has been teaching yoga at Hello Sunshine since April. She loves grounding and intentional flows. She also teaches older adults at the Cincinnati Recreation Center. She loves focusing on breath work and connecting breath to movement.

Bruna Looby

Goddess Awakening Yoga Flow

"Cara is a certified yoga instructor and owner of Cara Rosa Wellness in Loveland, Ohio. With over 20 years of experience studying yoga philosophy, she is a tenured practitioner of yoga, meditation, sound bath, reiki, healing touch, aerial arts, dance and flow arts, as well as holistic and spiritual living. Cara Rosa Wellness is passionate about creating Community and hosts free workshops for yoga, meditation, and sound bath. Cara loves nature and spending time with others, sharing her love for all things natural, beautiful, and holistic. Her goal is to live in flow, in harmony with all things while helping others reach their highest potential, passionate about guiding others to find balance, strength, and inner peace through yoga. With a deep belief in the mind-body connection, she creates a space where every breath counts and every movement has purpose. Yoga is a journey, and she will walk alongside you, whether you're looking for flexibility, mindfulness, or healing."

Cara Nolte

Dance Veil Natya Yoga

Charles Mitchell is a qigong teacher, singer-songwriter, and music teacher. His qigong focuses on deep states of relaxation, mental clarity, and creative expansion. He sings with the kirtan band Anahata Bhakti, in the sacred singing ensemble Joy Loom, and his songs have been part of healing ceremonies and workshops for years. Charles is also a r, woodworker, permaculturalist, and devoted father and husband.

Charles Mitchell

Fresh Chai Mantra Making

Qigong Energy Reset

Chris left the corporate world in mid-life and has dedicated herself to spreading joy and light through Bhakti Yoga, Sacred Ritual, Meditation & channeling the flow of Divine Energy. She's a 300Hr Kundalini Spiritual Warrior & Certified Somatic Mindfulness Coach with over a decade of regular practice and years of daily meditation. Chris leads groups in sacred drumming and chanting and leads response for Bhakti Bliss Kirtan with Cheryl Chaffee. Combining movement, pranayama, and chanting has allowed her to connect to her divine energies and find her voice. Sharing these practices is her passion.

Chris Burnett

Sacred Soul Connection

Christi Scoccola, with DIVINE DRUMMING, has been offering her medicine at KY YOGA FESTIVAL for 3 years now. She absolutely loves to drum over your chakras and auric field, as well as drum the group space. She creates a safe place for you to receive the vibrations of the drum and any divine messages from Source or Spirit. The drum gives each person what he or she needs at that present moment. Be open to receive, recharge, relax, reflect, and renew thy self. Its pure sound medicine for body and soul.

Christi Scoccola

Divine Drumming Drum Wash

Clarence Cruz is an art educator, artist and kundalini Yoga teacher living in Ohio. He received his Kundalini certification in 2016 and has been practicing and teaching ever since. When he is not teaching, he continues to study art therapy practices, history, meditation, mantra and lucid dreaming.

Clarence Cruz

Mantra Power

"Brandon is a Certified Human Potential Coach, Breathwork Coach, Personal Trainer, and Animal Flow Instructor with a Master of Science in Positive Psychology. He helps middle-aged individuals regulate stress, rebuild resilience, and reclaim vitality through an integrative approach that blends movement, breath, and evidence-based wellbeing practices. After healing himself from multiple injuries without drugs or surgery-despite being told surgery was his only option-Brandon developed a deep, experiential understanding of injury recovery, holistic health, and nervous system regulation. Breathwork is a central pillar of his work, supporting emotional release, self-awareness, and lasting personal transformation. By combining breathwork, Animal Flow, and functional fitness, Brandon supports people in reconnecting with their bodies, releasing physical and emotional tension, and cultivating sustainable health, strength, and wellbeing."

Coach Brandon

Intro to Animal Flow

Courtney Brooke

Courtney Brooke

Finding Your Soul Vow

Craig, founder of Core Element Yoga, is an experiential alchemist and community-driven yoga and movement teacher based in Bowling Green, KY. Queer, sober, and with a deep-fried Dharma; he brings hustle and heart to his offerings in ways that evoke self reflection, playfulness, and connection.

Craig Lonas

Blacklight Buti Glow

Move/ment: The Magic of Fleetwood Mac

"D'Arcy McArdle, RYT 200, MAT, SHRM-CP D’Arcy is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) with specialized training in yin yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra. Her teaching philosophy centers on body positivity and creating inclusive spaces for all practitioners, with a special focus on yoga for bigger bodies. With a compassionate and empowering approach, D’Arcy encourages students to honor their unique anatomy and move with curiosity rather than judgment. Classes are designed to foster deep relaxation, mindful awareness, and a sense of belonging—helping every student feel supported on their yoga journey. "

D'Arcy McArdle

Resilience Within: Yoga Nidra & Journaling

Ground Down: Yoga for the Pelvic Floor

Danika Stech is a CYT 200 who leads yoga classes at the Lexington Senior Center. She began her practice 15 years ago to help manage stress and found it so helpful, that she had to share the magic. Danika earned her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification in 2016 under Amanda McMane. Directly after graduation, she began teaching yoga at a retirement home, a few yoga studios and gyms. After teaching a variety of participants, Danika found her true passion in working with our aging community and has worked with them ever since. She uses Yoga’s teachings to help all participants maintain the strength and flexibility needed to enjoy a full life! In her classes, you can expect Breathwork, modifications and slow, mindful movement to build confidence in your unique body.

Danika

Sunset Restorative Yoga

Functional Strength:Building Strength from Within

David is a licensed yoga instructor (200 hour) with three years of teaching experience dedicated to making yoga accessible, inclusive, and supportive for each person. Rooted in a trauma-informed approach, his classes emphasize safety, grounding, and gentle empowerment, creating space for students of all ages and abilities to explore movement with confidence and compassion. David’s work is shaped by his master’s degree in counseling psychology, which enriches his teaching with an attuned understanding of emotional well-being, mindfulness, and embodiment.

David Robinson

Afrobeat Vinyasa

DeAnna is a certified Yoga Teacher (ERYT-500, YACEP), Reiki Master, Certified Spiritual Life Coach and writer. She has studied in diverse places like India, Thailand, and Germany and has worked as a counselor, advisor, and parent educator, building a foundation in behavioral health and social understanding. In essence, DeAnna‘s path is marked by continuous learning, diverse experiences, and a passion for guiding and empowering others on their personal journeys.

DeAnna Clark King

Yin & Reiki: A Journey of Deep Healing for Yoga Teachers

Meditation for World Peace

Aaliyah, founder of Whole Essence Wellness, is a community guide, somatic movement DJ, and event organizer who creates spaces for mind, body, and soul healing through deepening connections – connections to self, others, nature, and the transcendent. She hosts a wide range of experiences that help people feel safe to open up, release what no longer serves them, and return to their whole essence. She emphasizes embodiment, play, authentic expression, presence, and conscious connection in every space she holds. In addition, as an ecologist and nomad, she sees Mother Gaia as a wise mentor and healer, and weaves the Earth’s teachings in her work.

Dj Lionaura

Awakening the Wild Within: Ecstatic Dance Experience

Hailing from Nashville, IN - dedicated to a lifelong commitment to health and wellness, Erica Weddle brings over ten years of experience as a personal trainer. She is also a certified 200-hour yoga teacher, paddleboard instructor, owner of Mix Mingle & Manifest a Women’s business collective, wellness retreat creator and provider of assisted stretch services.

Erica Weddle

5 Pose Flow

Rachel Fitzpatrick is the founder of FitZen Yoga, a mindful movement and personal growth community rooted in the belief that you are your most important project. As a yoga teacher, retreat leader, and podcast host, Rachel blends her background in healthcare project management with her passion for holistic living to create classes that are both grounding and transformational. Her signature style weaves together movement, breath, and intention—guiding students to reconnect with their bodies, calm their minds, and awaken their spirit. Whether leading sunrise sessions or soulful retreats, Rachel embodies the balance between ambition and alignment, helping others return home to themselves through yoga.

FitZen Yoga

Fitzen Flow: The Business of Yourself

Grace has been teaching yoga for 8 years and practicing for almost 20. After receiving her 200-hour certification from Eternal Health Yoga in Louisville, she started teaching a free community yoga class at her hometown library and it is proudly in its 7th year. As a mom, marathon runner, artist, and teacher, balance is important to her and she likes to bring a mix of flow and stability to her teaching. She is enthusiastic about learning new things and looking forward to more mobility-based training in 2026.

Grace Rogers

Length and Strength: The Upper Body

Gwen is a Certified Holistic Nurse Coach with over 32 years of experience in the healing arts. She blends compassionate presence, intuitive guidance, and integrative wellness approaches to help clients recognize their own possibilities for growth and transformation. Rooted in mindful connection and grounded compassion, Gwen creates nurturing space for restoration, balance, and wholeness.

Gwen Fitzpatrick

Discovering Your Highest Possibilities

"Let’s bring some fun and creativity into the healing! In her works with energetic bodies, Hannah is able to find methods as unique as the individuals themselves! Using yoga-therapeutic methods from traditional wisdom with neo-yogic consideration, we can explore what harmonic balance looks like for us now, and beyond! "

Hannah Russell

A Queer Dharma: Yoga & Meditations for Liberation

"Bio: Kundalini Yoga came to Jaap with grandmother energy, offering love and lessons.It woke up her senses cresting room for her to carry the message of regulation and self-love. This understanding has allowd her to create a platform for others to receive profound experience and learning about themselves. Weaving magical presence and channeled messages, Jaap uses grandmother energy to saturate the space. Allowing fear to dissipate leaving love to move more freely in and out of the body. A divine Priestess and ""True Speaker"" she uses the sacred tools and technologies of Kundalini yoga and other ethereal practices to enhance and promote deep healing,retribution and forgiveness. Making way for deep integration and peace ♥️

Jaap AnandJot Kaur

Kundalini Yoga: Self Discovery, through Ceremonial Science

Jacob Gilbert is a Licensed Massage Therapist offering therapeutic bodywork and holistic wellness support through Collective Wellness & Spa (CWS) and AHHA – Awareness of Healing for Humans & Animals. Jacob’s work blends deep tissue techniques, intuitive touch, and nervous-system-aware care, supporting pain relief, mobility, and overall balance. He works collaboratively with clients, adapting each session to their unique needs—whether they are managing chronic tension, recovering from physical strain, or seeking deeper body awareness. In addition to massage, Jacob offers wellness consults focused on natural and holistic lifestyle support, drawing from extensive knowledge of plant-based traditions, nature-centered practices, and integrative wellness approaches. These consults are educational and supportive in nature, helping clients explore options for self-care, resilience, and alignment with their bodies and environment. Known for his calm, grounded presence, Jacob creates a space where clients feel safe, heard, and supported. Through his work at CWS and AHHA, he collaborates closely with a diverse team of practitioners, offering massage and holistic guidance as part of a whole-person approach to wellness.

Jacob Gilbert

Goat Yoga

Goat Wind Down & Snuggles

Jacqueline found yoga when she was 19 and fell in love with it immediately. She went to a yoga class to get a good workout and left captivated with the peace it showered her in. A way in is a way in. The safety a yoga practice created around her is what hooked her and is what she cultivates now as a teacher. She loves to teach gentle slow flows that guide her students gently into their bodies, with full autonomy. She is a mother to a 4 year old wild child and loves being outside and active with her.

Jacqueline Thomas

Sunrise Gentle Slow Flow

I am a Pound, Pound Unplugged and 250 Hour Registered Yoga Instructor with additional certifications in Trauma Informed Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Chair Yoga, Meditation, Qigong, Reiki, and Ayurveda. I strive to make yoga and fitness classes accessible to all people, regardless of their age, race and physical ability. I lead weekly yoga classes at a women's state prison near my home and also lead several public yoga classes in Princeton and Eddyville, Kentucky. I know from personal experience how mindful movement can heal the body, mind and spirit. I love teaching POUND to people of all abilities and proving that working out is fun, empowering and life-changing. Music is a driving force in my life and the classes I teach. Learn the power of teaming up movement with music and the connection it forms between the body and mind. I'm on a mission to make some noise and be heard. Come release your inner rock star with me!

Jannette Parent

POUND. Rockout. Workout

Yoga Behind the Walls: A Workshop on Healing & Service

Jen Elaine is an adult education professional and Instructional Designer whose life path has been shaped by 15 years of dedicated shadow-work and inner healing. She created the ShadowWork Workshop Series as a nurturing space where community, courage, and self-inquiry meet. Jen's teachings weave together evidence-based learning practices with intuitive, heart-centered guidance, inviting participants to explore the deeper layers of themselves in a safe and supported way.

Jen Elaine

Shadow Work Foundations

Shadow Work Integration

2026 - Jennifer Louks

Jennifer James Louks

Emotional Freedom Technique & Ho’oponopono

Somatic Dance Flow

"Jessica Adkins is the owner of Radiant Soul Yoga, co-owner of St. Albans Yoga & Fitness Studio, and founder of Radiant Soul School of Yoga. She is the visionary behind the Radiant Soul Guide method of healing addiction and trauma, and the accomplished author of ""Embracing the Shadows."" As a certified NLP practitioner, she brings the power of Neuro-Linguistic Programming to help you reshape thought patterns and behaviors. Her training in CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) equips her with evidence-based strategies to assist in overcoming limiting beliefs and achieving your goals. In addition, Jessica is also a certified Reiki practitioner, Sound Healing, and Shadow Work coach, providing holistic support to nurture your spiritual and emotional growth, bringing balance and energy realignment to your life. Jessica is a graduate of Yoga Farm Ithaca and has also been trained in the Stillpoint Method of Somatic Mindfulness. She studied and trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) and sound healing & therapy under Dr. Krishna N. Sharma, and completed training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Lorena Popa to become a certified facilitator. Jessica specializes in Kundalini Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Sound Baths, Deep Stretch, Somatic Hip Mobility, and Reiki-Infused Restorative. "

Jessica Adkins

Your Authentic Blueprint: A Journey Back to the Truth of Who You Are

Trauma Informed Kundalini Yoga

" Jo is proud to have been born and raised in Miami, Fl. She found her way into a yoga studio in 2011 with two goals in mind; she wanted to learn how to breathe to help reduce her anxiety and to improve her flexibility to allow her to touch her toes. To Jo, the most compelling part of yoga is the unification of the mind and body. She is also passionate about breaking the stigma that yoga is only for certain body shapes and that it requires pretzel shaped poses. She teaches her students that yoga is for everyone, from those looking for a physical practice to those looking to heal the mind and body. Jo's goal will always be to help people the same way yoga helped her. "

Jo Rodriguez

Yoga en Espanol

Last Night was Fun & Now Everything Hunts

"Jona Ellis (they/them) 'Your body isn’t broken—it’s just alive, and sometimes that feels like a lot.' Jona Ellis is a therapeutic yoga educator, breath-work facilitator, and anatomy enthusiast specializing in aging bodies and people navigating illness or injury. Their teaching blends evidence-based movement, nervous system support, and accessible practice design with a deep respect for the realities of aging, illness, and recovery. With more than 20,000 teaching hours, 1,000 hours of anatomy training, and advanced study in aging at Duke University, Jona has partnered with organizations including NIKE, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Tivity Health. Their primary teacher is Jason Crandell, whose mentorship continues to inform Jona’s approach to clarity, sequencing, and sustainable practice. Before teaching full-time, Jona spent two decades at NIKE developing mindfulness and wellness programs for employees—long before “wellness” became a corporate trend. Their work invites students to move with curiosity, self-respect, and humor, recognizing that practice isn’t about perfection—it’s about returning, again and again, to what’s still possible."

Jona Ellis

The Long Game: Yoga for Aging Bodies That Still Have Plans

"As a Functional Movement Coach, Katie has been an alignment representative and enthusiast within the wellness community since 2008. Her passion for healthy posture has inspired her to pursue various alignment-based modalities and certifications to collect a wealth of comprehensive knowledge. Katie introduces accessible techniques and resources that support healthy posture for all levels of practice. Katie’s mission is to enlighten more individuals about the art and science of balanced movement and restorative posture. She aims to redefine how we move, stand, and live, bringing forth a new era of health and vitality through her knowledgeable guidance. "

Katie Ward

Shadow Work Yoga: Intro to Bowspring

Peacock Mask Making Party

"Kaysee has been practicing yoga for 15 years, teaching for 7, and sharing the power of heat and movement as the owner of Alchemy Flow for the past 5. She has led 200-hour teacher trainings for 3 years and is a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner, blending mindful touch and movement to support deep release and nervous system ease. Outside the studio, Kaysee, her partner, and her 9-year-old son train and perform with Knoxville’s Dragon Fly Circus, where play and connection fuel their creativity. This passion for movement and joy shapes her classes, inviting students to feel supported, connected, and empowered in every practice."

Kaysee

Connected Calm: A Restorative Partner Yoga Class

Support & Surrender: Thai Yoga for Emotional Lightness

Beginner Acro Yoga 

"Kristen is a Kentucky native and dedicated yoga teacher whose practice is rooted in mindfulness, embodiment, and community connection. A former competitive gymnast with over a decade of coaching experience, she completed her Yoga Teacher Training in 2019 at Elemental Om and is currently working on her Advanced Training at World Peace Yoga in Cincinnati. Kristen teaches in Maysville, KY at BURN Personal Training and also offers classes, workshops, and sound healing sessions from her home studio in Mayslick, where she is in the process of creating a future yoga retreat center. She has facilitated numerous retreats and healing experiences, guiding students into deeper states of rest, renewal, and self-awareness. Yoga has played a profound role in her own healing journey, and she is honored to share these practices with others at the Kentucky Yoga Festival."

Kristen Horner

Surrender to Stillness: Yin Yoga & Sound Healing

"Meet Kristin, LCSW- Therapist by Day, Laughter Leader by Heart! Kristin is an LCSW who specializes in mental health emergency services and helps clients work through life’s tough stuff with empathy, and insight. As a therapist, she sees the toll that stress and emotional heaviness can make. Laughter yoga is her way of offering a powerful, playful antidote. It’s a space where joy is contagious, and connection happens through shared silliness and breath—not just words. Kristin believes that healing doesn’t always have to be heavy. Sometimes it sounds like a room full of belly laughs, deep breaths, and playful silliness. Her mission? To bring a little more lightness into the lives of others—no punchlines necessary."

Kristin

Laughter Yoga

Kentucky Yoga Festival logo designed by Cricket Press features a beautiful tree scene.

Laila Aladimi

Therapeutic Yin for Emotional Release

Master The Mind, Master Your Life 

"Laura Mickler is a yoga teacher and owner of Sacred Steps Yoga Studio. She is a registered yoga teacher with a focus on Restorative Yoga & Yin Yoga. In 2023, Laura opened Sacred Steps Yoga Studio in Indiana to create a boutique yoga experience for slower-paced yoga. Yoga has also deepened her connection to the earth and all it can offer and teach us. She ends every class honoring the sky above, the Earth below and the peace within. Laura lives in Yorktown, Indiana with her husband Alex, their two boys Rowan and Milo and 2 pups, Teddy & Poppy."

Laura Mickler

Restorative Bliss

"Lauren began her journey with yoga in 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her practice, which initially started as a retreat from the outside world, has transcended into an on-and-off-the-mat way of living. She completed her 200HR training at the Kripalu School of Yoga under the guidance of Michelle Dalbec and Steven Leonard. She is a certified 12-step recovery yoga space holder and was trained by Nikki Myers, the founder of Y12SR. Lauren also completed a 100HR Ayurveda training with Dhyana Masla and Vira Tansey through YogaVeda. Lauren aims to lead classes with the following quote from Swami Kripalu in mind, “the highest form of spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment."""

Lauren Cutuli

Yoga & Recovery: Freedom From Addiction

Breathe & Flow: Kripalu Yoga

Leah Staley is a wellness entrepreneur and seasoned movement specialist whose practice is deeply rooted in the active outdoor lifestyle. With over two decades of consistent yoga practice, 10 years as a massage therapist specializing in helping outdoor athletes, and 600 hours of formal yoga teacher training, Leah combines extensive anatomy and physiotherapy knowledge with traditional breathwork and bodywork techniques. She creates experiences that feel deeply tailored to the individual, guiding yogis and adventurers to truly "come home to their body."

Leah Staley

Be Your Own Healer

Lindsay Bentley, RYT 200, is a yoga guide, mother, and seeker devoted to helping others return to the wisdom of their own bodies. Through Rooted Moon Yoga, she creates a grounded, soulful space to move with intention, breathe deeply, and rise from both shadow and light. Her classes invite empowerment, self-trust, and the gentle remembering that you are already whole.

Lindsay Bentley

Vinyasa Flow

Marcy Owens is a 500 hour yoga instructor with emphasis on trauma informed practices and somatic therapies, a Reiki Master and passionate about learning and teaching various healing modalities, each based around releasing held emotions.

Marcy Owens

Sparking Joy Through Grief

Margaret (E-RYT 500) specializes in subtle, somatic-focused movement, creating classes that invite students into the present moment to assuage chronic pain and stress while building sustainable strength. Teaching since 2018, her work is deeply informed by the realization that brought her to the mat: yoga’s profound ability to heal both body and mind, overcoming debilitating back pain, anxiety, and panic attacks following surgery in 2013. Margaret, who holds a 500-hour certification, brings her experience to diverse communities, including studios, schools, and senior living. When she isn’t studying yoga and its meditative power, she teaches English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Margaret

Self-Sourcing: Your Safe Haven

Marisa Freeman has been teaching yoga since 2016 and was originally trained under renowned teacher Cyndi Lee. With a fun, vinyasa style rooted in mindful sequencing and mobility, she brings energy and intention to every class. Marisa has taught at festivals like Floyd Yoga Jam, community events such as the World’s Largest Tree Hug in Lynchburg, VA, and for organizations ranging from the YMCA to the Lynchburg Hillcats baseball team. She holds a 500-HR YTT with Juliana Larochelle (2025), a 200-HR YTT with Cyndi Lee (2016), and additional certifications in oncology yoga, group fitness, youth exercise, and more.

Marisa

Hip Happy Hour: A Feel Good Flow for Open Hips

Hipnosis: Unlock the Magic of Your Hips

Mervyn Alphonse has taught and practiced both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga extensively. He is a certified Reiki Master and utilizes a 34” gong in his Sound Healing practice. He has also sat Zazen for several years and has presented Yoga workshops and healing sessions at many festivals across the country. He currently teaches Hatha, Vinyasa, and Kundalini Yoga, as well as Tai Chi and Chi Qong classes in Bloomington, Indiana.

Mervyn Alphonse

Deep Cogs of Yoga

Deep Tissue Tantra Gong

Atlanta is a passionate and creative Children’s Librarian with a gift for bringing stories to life through hands-on, engaging programs for children and families. Welcoming to all and an eager student of life, her sessions are designed to inspire imagination, foster connection, and create joyful experiences for all ages.

Miss Atlanta

Tied Together: Friendship Bracelets

Natasha, in recent years, gave up a life long career in the service industry to delve deeper into her connection with herself and her spirituality through yoga. She is a certified , breath based, Hatha yoga instructor with a specialty in prenatal yoga. She is eager to share this passion of Hatha Yoga with everyone at the Kentucky Yoga Festival!

Natasha

Sunrise Salutation

Ned Butler Royse is a chef, farm-to-table advocate, communications specialist, and graduate of the Escoffier Culinary program with a degree in Applied Engineering and a certificate in Project Management. Currently, they are the Executive Director for Moveable Feast Lexington and provide consultation to nonprofit director as well as facilitate peer-to-peer counseling for the LGBTQ+ community

Ned Butler Royse

Exemplifying Your Best Self: A Guided Journey through Introspection 

"Nicole started breathing for transformation in 2017 while taking full ownership of the business she helped build in 2015, the Louisville Salt Cave. She is a Reiki Master, certified breathwork facilitator, peace advocate, wife, and mother of three children. Nicole's daily meditation practice keeps her grounded in times of change, and she brings a deep, sacred offering to facilitating. She calls her practice Breath of the Wild, illustrating reverence and divine play."

Nicole Davis Bartlett

Breath of the Wild

"Nina Holm-Hudson is too old to not have experienced a whole lot of shit. She comes with years of experience in group dream work, institutional religious recovery, shadow discovery, and reclamation of play. “Karen” pays the bills by working in the school system, while Nina paints, draws, dances, writes, and laughs with Mother Earth and the universe. "

Nina Holm-Hudson

Tapping the Creative Power of Dreams

Eleven years ago, Olivia Immitt found an unexpected solution to digestive and nervous system issues through using sound.This experience led her to become formally trained as a sound healer at the world-renowned globe institute, located in Sausalito California. Her formal training helped her develop her own unique technique with working with sound to help facilitate natural healing in the physical, emotional, and energetic bodies. By using primarily her singing voice accompanied by singing bowls, she guides people through sound meditation experiences that entrain the listeners brain into a theta brainwave state, promoting a deeply relaxing and healing experience into the subconscious. To find out more about Olivia and what she offers visit her website soulsongsolutions.com

Olivia Immitt

Science of Sound Healing: Where the Mystical Meets the Practical

"Paige Isaac is a Lexington, KY native who completed her RYT 200hr training February 2025. Since then, not only has she been teaching donation slow flows consistently around the city, mostly at Grounded All Day Cafe and Lexington's newest yoga, dance, and community studio Lost and Found, but she also is an aerialist, contortionist in training, and dancer. All of that to say that exploratory movement has been a monumental aspect of her entire life, and the goal of her classes is to offer those on their own journey the opportunity to begin to access their own flow state that will not only carry them throughout each and every class, but throughout their lives, throughout themselves, and to begin the journey within as their paths begin to unfold. "

Paige Isaac

Community Bass Flow by BBU 

"With over three decades of experience in holistic wellness, nonprofit leadership, and hospitality consulting, Phillip is dedicated to fostering well-being through mindful movement and sustainable living. As the founder and director of Rising Lotus, Inc., in Owensboro, KY, Phillip built a nonprofit yoga teacher-training school, studio, and community garden, incorporating his ""seed to health"" curriculum. Phillip’s work includes authoring The Rising Lotus Yoga Teacher Training Manual, securing a $70,000 grant for the H.L. Neblett Center’s Deep Roots Garden, and organizing transformative events like yoga festivals and Vetoga (veteran-focused yoga). Phillip has been an independent yoga instructor, fasting detox counselor, personal trainer, massage therapist, and addiction counselor in CA, HI, KY, and IN since 1998. Phillip’s training includes a six-month live-in Iyengar teacher training at the Heartwood Institute, a 200-hour yoga teacher training program at Frog Lotus in Western Massachusetts, 1,200 hours of therapeutic massage training, and a WATSU certification. Phillip is an ACE-certified personal and group trainer. Phillip spent two months in Goa, India, studying WATSU and Ashtanga Yoga independently. My studio yoga teaching style is methodical, based on the integration of the principles and values of Patanjali’s eight-limb path. I emphasize the importance of moving in stillness, with focus and breath. Join Phillip in cultivating wellness—on the mat, in the garden, and across the globe. Phillip U Bibb

Phillip

The Practical Application of Hatha Yoga

Regan Wann creates spaces and experiences that allow people to bring and develop their authentic selves. She is a reader, energy healer, growth coach, storyteller, and intentional explorer of the liminal spaces. Her goal is to bring more connection, joy, and genuine energy into all our lives.

Regan Wann

Subtle Body Journaling

Engaging Your Energetic Core

"Rona Dixon is a seasoned health and wellness leader, certified Spiritual Wellness Coach, trained Public Health Educator, and 200-hour Yoga Instructor with over 25 years of experience supporting individuals and communities in living well. She is the founder of Ro & Co., a wellness company dedicated to empowering women, families, and communities through accessible, culturally relevant, and multidimensional self-care practices. Rona is also the creator and host of Road Trip to Wellness, a podcast and storytelling platform that inspires women and people of color to explore practical, holistic wellness solutions through honest conversations and lived experiences. With a deep passion for mental health, equity, and healing-centered work, Rona leads trauma-informed, mindfulness-based, and community-focused initiatives throughout Indianapolis—where she built her foundational community impact for many years—and now in Louisville, her new home base. Her approach blends yogic principles, spiritual wellness, environmental well-being, and nervous system regulation, reflecting her expanding work as a WELL AP candidate, Worksite Wellness Specialist (NWI), and WELLness Consultant for People + Place. She continues to offer workshops, retreats, classes, and consulting services that help individuals and organizations cultivate balance, resilience, and intentional spaces for healing, connection, and whole-person well-being."

Rona Dixon

Beyond the Mat: Elevate Your Wellness with Multidimensional Self Care

Road Trip to Wellness Live Podcast Recording 

Sam Sharkey (she/they) is a green-thumbed community tender, mother, and spiritual explorer. Fusing eastern philosophy, western kinesiology, and myth and metaphor from both cultures make her classes challenging and nurturing. You'll find her health coaching, hosting square dances and singing circles, or planting flowers with her little one when not teaching yoga.

Sam Sharkey

Yoga as Physical Therapy

Samantha Bayless is the founder of Rustic Forrest Farm & Sanctuary and AHHA – Awareness of Healing for Humans & Animals, and the steward behind Collective Wellness & Spa (CWS) in Louisville, KY. Her work centers on nervous-system-informed healing that reconnects people to their bodies, nature, and the wisdom of animals. At Kentucky Yoga Festival, Samantha brings her signature Goat Yoga and Animal-Assisted Yoga Experiences, blending mindful movement, breath, play, and connection with her resident goats. These offerings invite balance, flexibility, stability, and functional movement—while reminding participants that healing doesn’t have to be rigid or serious. Sometimes it’s found in laughter, curiosity, and a goat snuggle. Samantha’s teaching style is intuitive, trauma-aware, and deeply grounded in the connection between mind, body, spirit, and environment. Through yoga with goats, restorative practices, and animal-assisted experiences, she creates a safe, welcoming space for participants to soften, regulate, and experience those “AHHA moments”—the subtle realizations that often spark lasting change. With over 22 years in the medical and wellness fields, Samantha brings a unique depth to her work. Her background includes service as a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman (2003–2008), Surgical Technologist, Licensed Massage Therapist, Registered Yoga Teacher, and studies in equine massage and training. She is deeply committed to continuing education and collaborative care, often guiding clients toward a well-rounded, supportive wellness team. Through Rustic Forest Farm & Sanctuary, AHHA, and Collective Wellness & Spa, Samantha offers massage therapy, yoga, energy work, animal-assisted healing, and nature-based experiences—always rooted in compassion, curiosity, and reciprocal healing between humans and animals.

Samantha Bayless

Goat Yoga

Goat Wind Down & Snuggles

Shawn came to the Ashtanga Yoga Practice in 2001 after studying Integral Hatha Yoga for a year. He has a dedicated daily practice. In 2020 he received his 200 hour YTT certificate at Eternal Yoga in Ashland KY, where he now teaches. In 2022 he started studying with Taylor Hunt who is an Authorized Ashtanga Instructor. He has completed a 3 year Internship program with Taylor.

Shawn England

Intro to Ashtanga

Ashtanga Primary Series

Stephanie Coy is a passionate advocate for recovery and community healing. She is a 250 RYT that works as a case manager for Wayspring, and is on the board of directors for the Louisville Recovery Community Connection (LRCC). Both organizations are committed to supporting individuals impacted by substance use and trauma. She has been teaching trauma-informed yoga to the recovery community in Louisville KY, at LRCC and residential treatment facilities, as well as providing yoga and meditation workshops at community events since 2020. Stephanie brings lived experience, compassion, and a deep understanding of yoga’s role in recovery from substance use and other mental, emotional, and spiritual struggles.

Stephanie Coy

Yoga Behind the Walls: A Workshop on Healing & Service

Suzy Hawkfire (aka Suzette Summers) is a healer, shamanic practitioner, Ecstatic Dance Facilitator, and soul guide. Having been on a conscious awakening and healing path for most of her life, it is her honor and life work to support others in their journey of awakening to the truth of who they truly are-- who we all are: Eternal Radiant Love. By weaving sacred circles and ceremonies she cultivates intentional containers where participants feel safe to be vulnerable, seen and valued. Let us re-member ourselves together. Suzette also has a private practice in Louisville, Ky where she offers shamanic healing sessions, craniosacral sessions, and intuitive massage

Suzy Hawkfire

Journey into the Chakras

Flow of Freedom Ecstatic Dance Journey

Tara Butler of Soul Link Yoga is a certified yoga instructor and sound bath practitioner based in Bloomington, Indiana. With a deep reverence for yogic philosophy and mindful living, Tara weaves wisdom into every class—leaving students with gems of inspiration that they can carry off the mat and into their daily lives. Her offerings invite students to explore the sacred path of self-discovery. Through movement, sound, and stillness, Tara guides others toward greater presence, healing, and spiritual connection.

Tara Butler | Soul Link Yoga

Kundalini Yoga: Awaken, Heal, Transform

"Teresa Pauline owns SoulRebeLex Wellness in Lexington, KY. She is a graduate of Lexington Healing Arts Academy (200 YTT; 2016), Essence of Yoga Center (300 YTT; 2018 & 300 YTT; 2022). She most recently was certified through the Masters of Wisdom and Meditation Teacher Training with davidji (2025). Teresa also is the owner & program director of her own teacher training school, SoulScapes By SoulRebeLex, RYS200. Teresa’s focus is on creating a safe, comfortable space for all of her students where they are free to be themselves in a peaceful and inclusive environment. She believes yoga SHOULD and CAN be for everybody and has arranged her studio in a way that allows students the freedom of movement and breath, regardless of experience. "

Teresa Pauline

Elemental Flow into Summer

Fluid Dreaming Through Meditation

A student first and teacher second Tiffany’s style of instructing invites you into yourself. In the years that followed her graduation from Lexington Healing Arts she fine tuned her offering and found the students that resonated with that. Classes focused on a variety of yoga styles, long holds, breathing techniques, and the safe space to bring yourself back again and again, are just some of the keys to getting students into themselves. She believes you should feel something after a good yoga class mentally, physically, and spiritually. Join her and discover the yoga bliss!

Tiffany Howard

 Seated Postures: Forward Bends & Twists

Tivoli is a bird enthusiast and has spent countless hours staring at trees to see what visitors are popping through the area. She has a particular obsession with seeing the warblers come through during spring and fall migration, but appreciates the winter and summer birds as well! She loves nothing more than the joy and excitement of a fellow birder seeing a new bird and loves to help new birders get an idea of the variety of birds that are around us at any given time during the year. She has found that birding has helped her cultivate a deeper appreciation for the natural world and loves to help others fall deeper in love with the world around them! Tivoli and a couple of her friends started a birding group in Lexington called Lex Bird Cult and have been leading groups of folks on bird walks around the area because they have found that birding with others is much more fun than birding alone!

Tivoli & Joe

Bird Walk

Kentucky Yoga Festival logo designed by Cricket Press features a beautiful tree scene.

Tyffanee Lewis-Johnson

Acknowledge and Let Go: Mediation 

Sarah Smitha is a certified vocal sound healer whose work centers on the voice as a pathway to emotional safety and self-connection. Through her WolfByrd practice, she creates embodied, experiential workshops that invite both joyful expression and the release of fear and anxiety through sound.

WolfByrd

Using the Voice to Heal Anxious Attachment 

Zoë first fell in love with Yoga as a teen; borrowing her mothers KET yoga videos to practice in her room; But it wasn’t until Zoë was picking up the pieces of her life in the wake of an abusive relationship that she truly learned the healing power Yoga can bring to our lives. Inspired by the role of Yoga and supportive communities in her own healing journey, Zoë studied and graduated from The Yoga and Wellness Education Centre and has now been sharing the practice of Yoga with her community for nearly a decade. Her passion is holding trauma-informed spaces that inspire and empower folks from all walks of life on their own personal healing journey. You can expect to find lots of options to explore and encouragement to choose your own path in each of her classes. "

Zoë Shepard

The Power of Our Voices

Interactive Zones & Theme Camps

Be sure to stop by and check out the 2026 Kentucky Yoga Festival theme camps for fun events and activities throughout the festival!

Free Listening

Free Listening

Anice is a sacred space holder, a movement chaplain, a social worker, an organizer and a cross-pollinator. Her core passions are social justice, creating and sustaining community and authentic relationship. She’s leaning into connection with Spirit to figure out what she’s being called to next.

KENTUCKY YOGA FESTIVAL 2024

The Meditation Temple

Katie Ward is a forever-artist, movement practitioner, and the visionary behind Realigned Body’s mobile healing project, the Body-Mind-Soul Space. Her work blends creative expression with somatic awareness to create immersive environments that support inner stillness, reflection, and emotional restoration. The Meditation Temple is an extension of this mission- an intimate, mobile sanctuary designed to offer grounding, peace, and mindful connection to all who enter.

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Secret Sunrise Ohio

Jill Davis, also known as GrandmotherJoy, is a registered nurse, movement facilitator, and igniter of Secret Sunrise Ohio, which launched in 2024 to create spaces where people can experience dance as a pathway to healing, freedom, and deeper self-connection.

With over three decades in nursing and many years using gentle manual therapies to support babies and families, Jill has witnessed firsthand the body’s incredible capacity to heal through touch, rhythm, and movement. Her professional background deeply informs her belief that the body holds wisdom — and that movement can unlock emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being at every stage of life.

Through Secret Sunrise Ohio, Jill invites people of all ages and backgrounds to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the joy of being fully alive through music and mindful dance experiences, often rooted in nature and community.

A lifelong lover of the natural world, Jill draws inspiration from the outdoors, creating experiences that feel grounding, nurturing, and expansive. Her heart’s work is helping others feel safe in their bodies, free in their movement, and empowered to heal from the inside out.