Prairie Sunshine Yoga Studio

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Alla

       Alla was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the early nineties, she attended St. Petersburg State University where she majored in finance. After working as an accountant for seven years, Alla met her husband Tony and in 1998 moved to Chicago. In 2000, she began to attend weekly yoga classes. During the next few years, Alla became increasingly dedicated to her practice. In 2007, she completed a 200-hour teacher certification program. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Alla was hospitalized with a collapsed lung and was forced to spend nearly a week in the hospital. While in the hospital, she read Matthew Sanford’s memoir Waking which gave her hope and also changed her perspective of both her personal practice and teaching style.
       To her, yoga became not only a physical exercise, but also a method of healing. By using meditation, breathing exercises, restorative poses, and guided relaxation, Alla had a relatively short recovery process. During this ordeal, she learned how to use props and modifications to make yoga accessible to all people, regardless of their physical abilities. Today, she is continuing her education through an apprenticeship with Gabriel Halpern at Yoga Circle in Chicago. She is also a certified Reiki practitioner. In addition to her classes at Prairie Sunshine, Alla currently teaches a gentle yoga class for Cancer Wellness Center in Grayslake where she uses her knowledge of restorative yoga along with Reiki healing.
       Alla has three children; Ksenia, Alexis, and Tony who also practice yoga. She has three cats, a snake, and occasionally some orphaned ducks in the spring. In her spare time, you can find Alla working in her rose garden or flipping through countless pages of both Russian and English novels.

Allison

Allison teaches alignment-based, Iyengar-inspired hatha yoga. She apprentices in therapeutic applications of Iyengar yoga with Gabriel Halpern at Yoga Circle in Chicago. She has an E-200 registration with Yoga Alliance and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Allison teaches group and private yoga sessions throughout Lake County.

Beth

Beth has been studying yoga and healing arts since she left home at age 18. She was introduced to her guru Ammachi, the hugging mother, which sparked a lifelong interest in bhakti yoga (heart centered) and raja yoga (meditation). She is inspired by many masters of Hatha Yoga, and considers each learning experience with every yoga instructor a blessing, even if just a single class. Beth's teaching has evolved much over the past 5 years from simply creating a sequence plan before class, to opening herself up to the needs of the students at the present moment. She loves to blend the styles of Vinyasa, Restorative, Ashtanga and Kundalini, and will include pranayama and meditation in her class as well.

Geri

Geri is our Pilates and Zumba instructor and has been with us since the very beginning. She has a continuing STOTT Pilates certification in Essential, Intermediate, and Advanced Matwork. Geri is also continuing American Red Cross CPR Training and AFFAA Group Exercise Certification. Her classes provide both a fun and challenging workout for the entire body. ZUMBA is an upbeat and exciting aerobic/dance workout set to Latin music.

Maryann
I took my first yoga class in 1995 at a local community college and was hooked. Through the years I continued to take yoga classes and briefly thought about teaching but never gave it serious thought until I moved to Round Lake in 2005. The more I learned about the rich history of this ancient practice, and the more I applied these techniques to my life, I knew I found my passion and purpose in life.
Watching my own life improve in so many ways when I practiced yoga, I enrolled in a teacher-training program to share yoga with others. Having had a body full of toxins from food and chemical sensitivities and slowly watching my life improve as these toxins were released I wanted to share my knowledge and help others on their path towards health.

Lindsay
As a special educator and former softball coach, lifelong learning and teaching has been my always passion. I was introduced to yoga in 2007, and instantly fell in love with the practice. It provided a perfect balance to running and softball, and it calmed my always active mind. My practice really blossomed at Prairie Sunshine, where I was constantly inspired by the talented teachers and I received love and encouragement from its community to grow into the teacher I am today. I am excited to share my passion with others, and am looking forward to us all growing our practice together!

Brooke

Brooke fell in love with yoga 6 years ago when she first started practicing out of necessity in order to relieve back pain from a herniated disc while pregnant with her first child. Not only was she able to eliminate her back pain while other methods failed, but she quickly learned that there was a lot more going on with yoga then just the physical practice. With yoga, she was able to take time for herself and really focus on the connection between her mind, body and spirit. Over the years, Brooke found that being on the mat was some of the only time she had to decompress while working in a stressful job environment and raising her two young children. In 2010, Brooke completed her 200 hour certification through Wendy Dahl of Blue Sun Yoga and she is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She continues to expand her knowledge and find inspiration through many workshops and classes from various teachers and styles of yoga. Her intention as a yoga teacher is to help share the healing effects of yoga with others. Ultimately, she realizes she is simply a guide for her students to find their own practice and do what speaks to them. Brooke's biggest joy is spending time with her family. She also loves hanging out with friends, seeing live music, reading and spending time outside.

Jane

Jane, a 200-hr certified yoga instructor, has been practicing yoga for approximately 10 years. She considers it a privilege to have the opportunity to share the gift of yoga with others. She teaches an Anusara-inspired vinyasa flow class which is appropriate for all levels, including beginners. She genuinely believes that the benefits of a regular yoga practice can be transformative. Her intention with each class is to guide yoga students to the self-awareness which leads inevitably to all that yoga has to offer, including both mental and physical: balance, strength, flexibility and joy. She teaches with gratitude to her teacher, Wendy Dahl, for her inspiration and support, and also counts Elena Brower as a beautiful inspiration and influence; She aspires to teach and continue her life-long path as a student with the grace and humility that Elena embodies.

Nancy

I began practicing yoga over a decade ago as a way to be more patient and present with my children. My practice has helped me to grow spiritually and to deepen all of the important relationships in my life. I worked as a Psychologist when I was living in Minnesota and I have spent most of my career working with children and their families. When I moved to Illinois 11 years ago, I stopped practicing Psychology, but deepened my practice of yoga and became a registered yoga teacher in 2009. I feel so fortunate to be able to teach yoga. I am humbled by the process of accompanying my students on their journey towards self-awareness, physical health and spiritual clarity. I believe that yoga is truly a lifelong practice and I enjoy teaching all age groups. I have found that children have naturally open hearts, minds and bodies making them natural yogis; I feel truly grateful to be able to kindle their desire to learn and practice. I founded Yogi Sprouts (fresh yoga for kids’ growth) in 2009 hoping to give more children and families the opportunity to share yoga in a way that truly enriches their lives. Imagine how peaceful our world might be when these Yogi Sprouts are grown…..

Maryanna
I started practicing yoga 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with migraine headaches, along with exhibiting other symptoms of stress. I quickly fell in love with yoga and the way it changed my life. When practicing yoga, my whole body felt better. I had more energy and an overall better sense of well being and calmness. I love the mind, body connection yoga offers. I also practiced yoga throughout my pregnancy with my son, and felt it played a large role in having a happy, healthy pregnancy. I want to share my love of yoga, and the amazing benefits it provides, with others. My passion for yoga led me to become an RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) completing the 200 hour yoga teacher training with Blue Sun Yoga.