.Tara Laval is a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance, and a Certified Yoga Nidra Facilitator through the Amrit Yoga Institute. She is particularly interested in slowing down, focusing on the present moment, and reducing stress. Her yoga classes are a mixture of movement and stillness, with an emphasis on the breath, foundation and safe alignment of the body.

 

Tara’s passion is to encourage students in finding balance between strength and stability, and endurance and ease. As a Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Tara guides her students through deep levels of relaxation to heal and restore mind, body and soul. When she is not on the yoga mat, you can find Tara cheering on her hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Go Bolts!

'A Journey of 1000 miles big a with a single step’ 

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Kj loves a journey and a process. And yoga gives EXACTLY that! KJ found yoga over a decade ago and has been exploring the journey ever since. Along the way finding that the breath is more powerful then our bones and that the present moment is where our REAL power lies.

 

KJ loves to share the energy and strength of powerful vinyasa, while leaving room to explore variations and modifications.  In her class, you will find a blend of traditional Ashtanga Yoga mixed with non-traditional flows, with a heavy focus on mobility that can be applied to everyday movements.  

 

In KJ's words; "I want each person who steps on the mat to realize that every shape their body makes is already perfect."

Florence’s “slow flow” style is a mix between vinyasa and hatha yoga; she enjoys the challenge of staying in a posture and really exploring the effects of that posture on the body and mind. 

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She truly believes yoga should be accessible to everyone, which is why she chose to pursue an education in chair yoga and restorative yoga, under the leadership of Hanaq Prana Yoga’s founder, Lorena Saavedra Smith. 

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Florence is also a certified reiki master and is eager to explore opportunities to couple the transformative powers of reiki and yoga. 

Ever since stumbling across her first yoga class in 2006, Caroline has believed in the healing powers of yoga. 

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Caroline strives to create a welcoming atmosphere in her classes by focusing on self-love, acceptance of what is, and body awareness.

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Caroline is passionate about making yoga and self-care accessible to all people. She has taught in a variety of settings including yoga studios, public schools, parks, and rehabilitation and detention centers.

Looking for relief from back pain, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome, Maiximina " Maxy" Barrios, attended her first yoga class and fell in love. Not only did she throw out all prescription pills for pain management, Maxy overcame depression, mental illness and past traumas. 

 

The healing that yoga brought to her life inspired her to share this with others and, also, to realize her childhood dream of being a teacher.  

 

By becoming a yoga teacher, Maxy is living her life's purpose to bring healing to the collective by combining the trifecta of mind, body, and spirit through yoga.  

Susie first found yoga while completing her clinical rotations as a dental hygiene student. Every morning before seeing patients, her teacher would lead a ten minute practice to help balance the day. It was then when she realized that yoga should be a daily essential practice.As her hygiene career kept growing, so did her practice.

 

Susie completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2017. She taught in various yoga studios and residential buildings around the DC metropolitan area. She returned to her home state, Florida and has used yoga as a way to immerse herself in her new community.

 

She recently completed her 300 hour training with Authentic Movements, a school based on intricate anatomically-based alignment as well as free-form creativity-inspired movements.

 

Susie creates a comfortable space for her students to explore within themselves no matter what level of yoga they’re coming from. She puts a lot of effort into crafting diverse playlists and has created pop-up classes with an array of specific genres that welcomes inclusivity.

Carla is a RYT 200HR through Yoga Alliance, specializing in kids, mindfulness, chair and all levels of hatha yoga. She has been studying yoga for over 15 years and was lucky enough to study under Karin Stephan who worked closely with B.K.S. Ivengar. She continues to stay educated through online yoga courses as well as in person workshops; prenatal yoga, SATNAM mediation, Ayurvedic living, herbalism and more.

 

With the aspiration to help keep things fresh and spread more knowledge as she goes along, she practices healthy living through all avenues. “Our body are gardens our wills are our gardeners” - Willliam Shakesphere.

 

She is drawn to teaching kids because they are the wonderful future of our world. With the hope to plant the seeds of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga practice. Being a Mom of two herself, she knows how to make it fun and never boring. Always catering to the individual child as every child holds their own special personality.

 

Carla works closely in her community to bring yoga to teachers, students, and others alike, through gentle yoga practice and breathing techniques. “Anybody can breathe, therefore anyone can practice yoga” T.K.V. Desikachar 

German born, with terminal degrees in two arenas, he is a graduate of Sattva Yoga teacher training (200 RYT), his curiosity with yoga began in 2010. In what started out as a way to increase his university soccer team's flexibility, yoga began to resonate more and more with him, physically and philosophically. He has taught previously at Sattva Yoga, Trinity Yoga and, since the start of the pandemic, online. 

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 Thomas is committed to being thoughtful of all that join him for movements on the mat. It is his intention to offer a space that is inviting during your time together. Breathe, move, breathe, stillness.

Gigi Jennewein took her first yoga class in 1999. It was then she realized that the body relaxing and warm-up work she had been practicing for years prior as a theatre artist and professor was mostly yoga based. That discovery set in motion a dedicated study and practice that continues to this day.

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Gigi is a Professor Emerita of Communication and Theatre at DePauw University in Indiana. While she continues to maintain a professional acting and directing career in Indiana, she recently embarked on the journey of testing out Tampa - specifically Seminole Heights - as her second home and base for theatre work locally. Tampa isn't new to her, however; she was raised here and has numerous extended family members in the area.

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Gigi's training began with Yogaville co-founder Lakshmi Fjord, and continued with Iyengar-trained teacher Nancy Butler. She received her 200 hour certification in 2017 from Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and continues to study with this organization founded 35 years ago in the Kripalu tradition.

Kim found yoga after retiring from 35 year of teaching high school Mathematics. While visiting a friend the month after retiring, the friend said, "Oh and we will go to yoga on Saturday." Kim was hooked!

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Kim has been to many studios near home. She even met Jai Dee's own Florence at Hanaq Prana in 2020. Kim found her "home" at Jai-Dee after taking many 9:30am classes and seeing that Florence taught chair yoga here. Kim's husband attends chair classes as well.

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Kim finished her RYT to help Jai Dee during Florence's vacation time back to France.

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When Kim is not on the mat you can find her Volunteering with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and hosting National Mu Alpha Theta Conventions and Florida State Conventions.
Kim loves DOGS, YOGA and MATH.

Alicia did her training at Lotus Pond Center for Yoga and Health and is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has a passion for helping people maintain flexibility and movement of their body and loves creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere to practice yoga in.

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Helping people has always been her calling as she recently retired from being a full time dental hygienist for 30 years. Her passion for yoga ignited in 2017 when she committed to it daily and saw dramatic improvements in her own body in a relatively short amount of time. She believes it’s never too late to set and meet goals and take steps toward being healthier, especially as we age.

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Her other passion is performing. She is a professional actress and model with Level Talent Group but really enjoys performing on stage at theatres all over the Tampa Bay Area. She has acted, directed, produced, and stage managed many productions for over 10 years and before that, she performed as a bellydancer with Afet’s Dancers of the Desert Sun.

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She is a native Floridian with 2 grown children, 2 adorable dogs, and a husband who was her high school sweetheart.

Growing up as a competitive beach volleyball player, Gigi found yoga as a way to relax and recover. After beach volleyball, she wanted to focus on yoga. The practice of yoga gave Gigi the confidence and the ability to find her true self. She found yoga helped give her the discipline and ability to show up and help others. 

 

After completing the 200 hour teacher training her goal is to help students find self love and confidence through yoga. She is passionate in vinyasa and hatha yoga style classes that focus on strength building and relaxation.

Maxi has been teaching yoga and sound therapy for the last five years.
She has a true passion for bringing light and positivity to others in an effort to help them rediscover their own inner light.

 

Her classes are soulful and therapeutic. Whether it’s a yoga class or sound therapy, you will leave feeling enlightened and MAYBE closer to finding your own light.

Maxi is especially interested in tapping into the subconscious mind.

 

Meditation, deep breathing, and slowing the racing mind will always be a staple during her classes.

When she isn’t on the mat, Maxi is a Wellness Coordinator and is also busy caring for her two beautiful children. 

 

You can find her in an open field, book in hand, while watching her children play and cherishing the bliss of her family in the moment.