Our Team
Our Team
Our team at Vibrant Yoga is dedicated to providing you with the support, knowledge & tools on your wellness journey. We are a team with a vast knowledge in a variety of holistic remedies & tools specializing in different arenas we found passion in.
“It’s all about shared goals, mutual support & being a part of something bigger than ourselves”
“Small in people, BIG on passion”
“We practice what we preach by creating an inclusive and engaged culture”
Founder
Masha
Masha is the kind of person who makes you wonder if she’s secretly discovered more hours in the day. As the brain and heart behind Vibrant Yoga, she’s turned her zest for life and a penchant for wellness into a buzzing hub where yoga isn’t just about touching your toes—it's about what you learn on the way down.
Not one to be boxed by conventional career paths, Masha has zigzagged through roles that blend creativity with impact, always with an eye towards how best to serve up well-being with a side of joy. She believes in balance (both on and off the mat) and has made it her mission to spread this gospel far and wide—because who says enlightenment can't come with a few good laughs?
Through Vibrant Yoga, Masha invites everyone—from newbie yogis still figuring out their downward dog to seasoned practitioners seeking deeper connections—to find not just strength but also lightheartedness within their practice.
Beyond bending bodies and enlightening minds at Vibrant Yoga, Masha champions wellness as something accessible to all corners of our lives—even those we least expect (yes, even during those back-to-back Zoom meetings).
So whether she’s lighting up rooms (virtual or otherwise) with her wit or grounding them with wisdom beyond her years, one thing's clear: following Masha’s journey feels like catching up with an old friend—the kind that inspires you simply by being unapologetically themselves. And let's be real: in today’s world, couldn’t we all use a bit more of that vibe?
Project Manager
Chloe
Chloe's journey within the health and wellness world has been a rollercoaster of different passions, hobbies, and interests. She began professional dance at age 3, throwing herself headfirst in jazz, hip-hop, cheer, lyrical, tap, and ballet while simultaneously playing travel soccer for about 16 years. After an injury closed that chapter, she found new and exciting ways to keep up with her health including pilates, barre, yoga, and eventually kickboxing and bodybuilding. Balance is something she has always seen as vital in her fitness career, supplementing her heavy weightlifting and intense combat with relaxing and healing yoga. The stability she has seen come through in her life by doing two very different types of workouts not only provides a well-rounded physical health, but also mental.
Chloe's other passion lies within the film production and marketing industry, and she has found her niche in creative and digital project management by creating bold content for her clients.
"Being able to create media for the health and wellness industry, a vertical that I care so deeply about, allows me to really put my heart and soul into every project I am a part of because I stand by and care about the content so much."
Having her career and passions aligned is something Chloe has always desired in her life and hopes to continue this path for many years to come!
Yoga Teachers
Andrea
Andrea is a passionate teacher and avid student of yoga who is motivated by the direct change that practice has brought to her life both physically and mentally. Yoga has proved to be a deep transformative experience and Andrea has experienced outstanding benefits which she loves to share with her students. Originally from Uruguay, Andrea came to the US with a Fulbright Scholarship in 2003 to go to graduate school and began practicing Yoga in 2007. Growing up a competitive gymnast, her understanding of body mechanics began at a very young age. Andrea obtained her 200-hour Teacher Training Certification from Moksha Yoga Center in Chicago in 2011 and has been teaching since then at multiple studios and health clubs around Chicago, private sessions and corporate Yoga. Andrea has been deeply influenced by teachers such as Sara Strother, Noah Maze, Adil Palkivala, Kino MacGregor, Annie Carpenter, and Gabriel Halpern among others. Her classes are focused around dynamic, challenging and progressive sequencing with a focus on alignment. Come ready to challenge yourself and unveil your potential.
25 minute Chair Yoga & Meditation Class with Andrea
Ruth Ann
Ruth Ann loves that yoga has truly given her the ability to connect her physical fitness with her mental fitness, which allows her to fully accept her body for its achievements as well as its limitations. She uses myriad principals and techniques to practice living yoga in her daily life off the mat and hopes to share that gift with her students. Ruth Ann received her initial 200 hours Hatha yoga training at Global Yoga in Chicago. That training as well as her continued education has exposed her to teachers of several styles of yoga, including, Anusara, Kripalu, Astanga, Bikran and Kundalini. Like walking her dogs, running, gardening, playing card games & cooking, yoga has become another healthful activity she enjoys sharing with her family and friends. She hopes you will join her in her journey to live a life of more ease and peace.
30 minute Gentle & Relaxing ‘End of Day’ Yoga with Ruth Ann
Alicia
Alicia is a 500 Hour Yoga Alliance Certified, Pilates & Reiki Master who has a strong passion for mental health. Her main focus on the mat emphasizes the importance of alignment, foundation & flow. It was through her personal battle of depression she was able to awaken to forgiveness. She is an advocate for self love! She is a firm believer that love is our greatest gift. Within that love lies an inner-strength available to all who’s willing to lean into vulnerability. She encourages students to open their hearts by using a variety of self-soothing techniques such as yoga, Reiki, meditation, sound healing, breath-work, chakra balancing, aroma-therapy and EFT-tapping.
Alicia found peace in the heart of Peru summer of 2016. She has since reconnected with the beauty of the natural cycles of endings & beginnings. Sitting with Mother Earth’s nourishing medicine ease her mind & body of daily life. Meditation, prayer, ritual & devotion create space for herself to be present. Understanding the way of our ancestors invites powerful transformation on all levels. She has since devoted herself to being in service to others healing journey. It is important to her that we know that we are not alone , together we can heal.
Her playful spirit, intuitive nature & inner-child offer warmth. Her mission is to support others on their path of well-being. Living life fully in these 4 main pillars of,”Health, Wealth, Love & Self Expression,”offer a road map to attain balance. Happiness is a choice we can make for ourselves. Self love is the best kind of medicine. She provides a safe space to release, surrender, let go or experience bliss, joy & connection by facilitating Ceremonies, Retreats, group classes & private sessions.
Practice with Alicia
Nina
A desire to feel good in her body sparked Nina’s journey into wellness through yoga, dance and holistic movement. And this is exactly what she hopes each of her students will gain from their movement practice: feeling “at home” in their bodies. Yoga came into Nina’s life while in college. After, as she pursued her career as a professional Argentine tango dancer in Buenos Aires, Yoga served a vital role as part of Nina’s fitness routine: it created a sense of balance, supported her dancing and worked on both strengthening and stretching her body. She definitely still craves Yoga for this reason. However, her time in Argentina awakened a more profound experience. The exercise aspect of Yoga was no longer the end of the journey, but rather the vehicle from which to start the journey. The beauty is that this journey towards self awareness is as unique and personal as each human being embarking on it. After practicing various methods for over 2 decades, Nina chose to receive her 200 hour certification from Yoga Medicine in 2018. Nina is also an avid practitioner and teacher of the remarkable mind-body movement system called The GYROTONIC® Expansion System. GYROTONIC® has roots in Yoga and incorporates aspects of dance and martial arts to create an extraordinary movement system like no other. Breath, circularity, spirals and rhythm combine in a way that makes movement and “working out” a joy instead of a chore. Nina has dedicated the past 15 years to this amazing work. While much of GYROTONIC® is practiced on equipment (similar to Pilates), its original form called GYROKINESIS® is practiced without equipment, which makes group and private classes possible in any location! After starting her family in 2010, Nina’s work with Argentine tango slowly began to shift more towards GYROTONIC® and Yoga. A student as much as a teacher, Nina constantly takes continuing education courses to deepen her knowledge and abilities. Just as Nina’s own influential teachers have touched her life, Nina strives to empower others by offering them the tools to get to know their bodies better. The better you know your body, the more ease and effortlessness embody your movement. Hey, who couldn’t use a little more lightness in their daily stride, right? Becoming more conscious of habitual patterns in alignment shifts our energy from within, and regular practice creates lasting changes. Nina’s keen eye for detail helps her students identify how they can create a greater sense of space and expansion internally, improving balance and coordination and enhancing clarity and calm. Of course, she brings a satisfying sense of a “workout” to each session. The unexpected take-away is the “work-in,” which happens as much from the physical challenge as it does from the release of effort.
5 Minute Hand Stretch Practice with Nina
Mary
Mary has been teaching yoga & mediation in Chicago since 2015. She’s been lucky to learn and train with some of the country's and even the world's best teachers. She is always learning & studying these ancient practices and bringing them into our modern day lives in practical & approachable ways. Her teaching mostly focuses on vinyasa flow yoga and gentle yoga. She offers meditation and breathwork in her classes and also separately on their own. When she is not teaching yoga or meditation you can find her dancing (mostly salsa), with her nose in a good book, taking a long walk, hiking or trying out a healthy new recipe.
30 minute Slow & Steady Yoga Practice with Mary
Julie
Julie spent over two decades working in corporate marketing before deciding to follow her passion and become a yoga teacher. Her purpose: to help people feel strong in body and calm in spirit. Julie first found yoga over 15 years ago, and throughout the subsequent years as she tried to balance a career with motherhood, she found that her yoga practice - however short - was the only time her anxious mind was calm. She slowly realized that the asana (physical) practice was not a competition to master every pose. Instead, it is more about the intentional placement and action of the body. “As I learned to listen to my body, I began to free myself from expectations of what a pose should look like and what I “should” be able to do. I now readily reach for props or choose a different posture to protect my muscles and joints.” For Julie, yoga strengthens and centers her body, allowing her to breathe deeply amidst the swirl happening around her. This led her to complete 500 hours of yoga teacher training through YogaWorks® and secure the Registered Yoga Teacher 500 (RYT® 500) designation with the Yoga Alliance. In total, Julie has attained nearly 800 hours of yoga teacher training, with certifications in Vinyasa, Restorative, Chair Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Yoga for Low Back Care, and Yoga for Osteoporosis. Julie believes in a joy-infused, alignment-based yoga practice where everyone has a place and is supported for wherever they are in their yoga journey. “I hope to create a space that helps others experience what yoga unlocks for them: improved health, greater strength, deeper contentment, or simply feeling better in their own skin.”
15 Minute Yoga flow with Julie to find your inner calm & balance
Katy
Katy is passionate about sharing her love of yoga with the world, both as a teacher and a student. Her style of teaching incorporates meditation, asana, pranayama, mudras, bandhas and kriyas. Katy believes yoga is the bridge that connects everything together in her life in a purposeful way. She loves helping her students feel empowered and challenged while allowing space for laughing and playing at the same time. Her eclectic teaching style has been deeply influenced by many masters teachers, Aadil Palkivala, Gary Kraftsow, Anna Forest and Sharath Jois to name a few. While attending a class given by Katy, students can expect to receive teachings from classical yoga traditions ranging from the physical postures to the energetic practices. Students will come away feeling strong, peaceful and calm. In addition to teaching group, private and yoga workshops, Katy is also a practitioner of Thai Massage. This type of body work is a traditional therapy combining acupressure, Indian Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga postures. A few of the many benefits include lowering stress, boosting energy and the immune system and improving mobility and range of motion. Katy is an E-RYT 500 with over 2500 hours of teaching experience. She has been teaching yoga since 2015, and practicing since 1998. Join Katy on the mat for one of her classes, or schedule a private session or Thai Massage.
Practice with Katy
Colleen
Colleen is a passionate and talented yoga teacher, known for her energetic vinyasa flow classes and amazing playlists. Her love for yoga began when she was a Montessori educator trained in children's yoga in 2010. This experience sparked her interest in adult yoga, and she later earned her E-RYT 200 to teach yoga to all ages. She has experience in private, studio, corporate, virtual, beach, event-based, children's, elderly, grief and special needs yoga. Colleen will meet you right where you are. Her ability to connect with her students and create a blissful yoga experience is unparalleled, and we are thrilled to have her on our team. Colleen's teaching style is all about finding joy in mindful yoga and connecting to the inner child. She believes that yoga can be playful and fun, while still being challenging and transformative. Her classes are filled with positive energy, and her students leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. In addition to her vinyasa flow classes, Colleen also uses Solfeggio hertz vibrations to heal her students with sound and breath during class. This unique approach helps her students to connect with their bodies on a deeper level and find a sense of inner peace. Colleen has been a bright light for her students in Illinois, where she started her teaching career at studios and corporations, as well as in southwest Florida, where she has built a large following. Her online yoga and meditation have been particularly valuable during the pandemic, allowing her clients to stay active and connected from the safety of their own homes. Her students have dialed in virtually for international association expos, where Colleen has shared her passion for yoga and mindfulness with people from all over the world.
Practice with Colleen
Emma
Emma is a 500-hour certified yoga instructor with expertise in slow and intentional movement, yoga practices for mental health, yoga philosophy, and “off the mat” yoga practices.
Emma completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and 50-hour Yoga Sculpt training at Yoga Under the Palms on Oahu in Hawaii and her 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Zen Yoga Garage in Chicago. Emma practices yoga to connect to her body, release expectations from her mind, and ground down into her most authentic and present self.
Emma’s teaching intention: to create space for you to connect with yourself through movement, notice what comes up when you slow down, and continue without judgment or attachment. Emma offers ancient wisdom from yoga philosophy to supplement her students’ physical practice with a mental, emotional, and spiritual practice to continue off their mat.
Before and as her yoga journey began, Emma worked as a Cross-Cultural Consultant where she trained leaders at global companies how to communicate more effectively across cultures.This is still an area of passion for Emma and she loves its intersection with yoga.
All of Emma’s classes, workshops, and trainings warmly welcome practitioners of all experience levels.
Practice with Emma
Katie
Katie has been practicing yoga for 25 years and she considers this just the beginning of a long journey. As an instructor with 10+ years of teaching experience, Katie maintains a positive perspective, a quest for healing and connection with each person she meets. She strives to teach the importance of self-awareness, healthy lifestyle and the mindset to reach one's fullest capacity. Katie's classes use a variety of modalities pulling from her background in Hatha, Yin, Pilates, Breathwork and Taoist. Katie also has training in HIIT, Kettlebell and Body Physique as she trains for personal gains in bikini competitions. As a teacher, Katie values creating relationships and trust through compassion and support, as well as developing strong networks to each other and within the community. She upholds this integrity through her dedication to each student and within her daily life. Katie continues to expand her knowledge, co dieting herself a "forever a student", fruitening her own practice and experiences so that she may share her knowledge with all of those she meets and has the honor to teach and practice alongside.
Ilyce
Ilyce is a Certified Yoga Teacher, E-RYT®500, and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider, YACEP with over 3000 hours teaching experience. Ilyce is passionate about helping and empowering her yogis and meets them wherever they are on their own journey.
Ilyce began practicing yoga twenty five years ago and fell in love with it because of the deeper connection it helped her form with herself, and ultimately the people and world around her. She offers intelligent, creative, and fun sequencing with an emphasis on maintaining and improving functional movement patterns based on individual anatomy and alignment. Ilyce guides and serves her students with compassion, enthusiasm and with gratitude for their trust in her. All offerings are curated to meet the needs of her students. Ilyce believes that breath is the foundation for everything and her instruction reflects that as "breath led movement".
Off her mat Ilyce is ranked 7th in Women's Long Distance stand up paddle board racing and she currently works in patient advocacy for the rare and ultra rare disease space.
Ilyce's certifications include Vinyasa, Yin, Power, Sculpt Restorative, Adaptive Yoga, Yoga Sculpt and Yoga Nidra. All offerings adhere to best practices for trauma informed yoga. Ilyce is currently pursuing a certification for the Primary Series in Ashtanga Yoga. Her favorite poses are hand and arm balancing postures and inversions. She's helped guide close to 150 students into their first arm balancing postures and reminds her yogis that the shape is never the goal, but while practicing "towards" poses we gain strength in body and mind.
Bringing together elements of different styles of yoga to create a more holistic approach to wellness is a top priority for Ilyce and she welcomes the opportunity to share her experience and knowledge with others, while remaining a forever student herself as she continues to learn and embody growth to help empower her students.
Brett
Brett approaches yoga as a system for living in flow with life, and guides his clients to access higher potential through relaxation and activation techniques. He began his yoga journey a decade ago in the midst of a travel-heavy consulting career. Yoga practices helped him cope with the stress of a busy corporate schedule and be a more grounded and focused leader for his teams. He loves the meditative and energy-regulation techniques contained within the yoga system, and enjoys sharing these with others in workshops, classes, and 1:1 sessions. Everything starts with breath, so Brett places a big emphasis on pranayama when teaching methodical Hatha flows and energetic breath-to-movement Vinyasa sequences. He is a big believer in the power of bringing mindfulness, nervous system regulation, neuroplasticity, and manifestation practices into the workplace to create better results and measurable change. In addition to yoga, he teaches Breathwork classes, group guided meditation journeys, and 1:1 coaching services. His certifications include Yoga Alliance 200 Hour, Usui Holy Fire Reiki 1 & 2, and Advanced Breathwork Facilitator through Language of Breath.
Massage Therapists
Tia
As a Massage Therapist, Tia works with the soft tissues of the body to help clients reach their goals. She recognizes that while Massage Therapy is a “Healing Profession,” true healing comes from within. Her job is simply to guide the client and facilitate the process. Dealing with chronic burnout and disregulation, she enjoys providing a service that helps clients drop into their parasympathetic system, where “Fight or Flight” switches to “Rest and Digest.” This is where the nervous system has the potential to decrease overall, systemic inflammation and improve basic bodily functions. Tia has 10+ years of experience as a gymnastics instructor, which informs her understanding of body mechanics and Human Anatomy, and she enjoys learning new modalities whenever she has the chance to expand upon her always-increasing knowledge base. During her free time, she likes going on long walks in nature, playing with animals, and having deep but fun philosophical and existential conversations.
Elisa
Elisa is a licensed massage therapist, practicing since 2007. She has experience with a diverse clientele, and is skilled in a number of massage modalities. Highly professional and passionate about bodywork, Elisa blends the most effective techniques for a customized session, tailored to individual needs and preferences
Pierre
Pierre joins the Vibrant Yoga team with 25 years of education, facilitation and healing experience. After a successful Technology Sales record, Pierre was inspired to understand how healing happens within individuals, groups and organizations. As a practitioner and coach, he has worked with over 15,000 individuals on navigating their healing journey through clinical bodywork, breathwork mastery, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, heart coherence training, nature-based healing practices and now the emerging field of social-emotional relationship skill development. Pierre's quest to understand how humans' harness (and compromise) their body's energy management is at the heart of his work. He has started multiple cutting edge businesses utilizing neuro-recovery technologies, brain-based psychology apps, and grounded hands-on healing techniques to provide a comprehensive solution to restoring health and well-being. Pierre has worked with corporate organizations, as well as athletes and teams in the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLS, ATP, PGA and NCAA. His deep care, compassion, and wisdom provides an uplifting atmosphere for inspired healing, learning and growth.
Julia
Julia is a graduate of The Soma Institute. She is a state-licensed massage therapist and is certified in prenatal massage and manual lymphatic drainage (Vodder Method). In her practice, she utilizes a variety of techniques including deep tissue, fascial release, MLD, joint mobilization, and reflexology. In her experience working alongside chiropractors, she found that she particularly enjoys helping people who struggle with headaches/migraines, mobility issues, and poor posture. Julia prioritizes educating her clients on the anatomy and functions of the body so they may carry that knowledge into their daily lives, heal effectively, and become the best version of themselves. Each session provides a relaxing, personalized experience with therapeutic relief.
Anthony
Anthony is a mobile clinical massage therapist and a graduate of the Soma Institute. He's always had a deep passion for working with his hands and helping others. Before becoming a massage therapist, he spent years working everywhere from non-profits to kitchens, trying to find the right fit for his skillset. Having family members with chronic pain and debilitating conditions, he wanted to help them by better understanding the body's pain and restrictions through a clinical knowledge of anatomy. Massage Therapy became a natural extension of his existing skills and interests, and a way to make a lasting difference.
Kayla
Meet Kayla, our amazing Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor! She graduated from the Mountain Heart School of Body Work in 2017, bringing 800 hours of massage therapy expertise. With 13 years of yoga practice under her belt, she completed her 200 hour training at TriBalance Wellness in 2020, driven by her passion for sharing the life-changing benefits of yoga.
Kayla's mission is simple yet powerful: to create a safe, loving, and nourishing experience for everyone. She seamlessly blends her massage and yoga skills, offering a holistic approach that touches the mind, body, and spirit. Kayla is all about making wellness accessible, empowering her community to embrace a balanced and fulfilled life.
Join Kayla on this journey of self-care and transformation, where her professional touch and genuine love for what she does will inspire you to live your best life.
Veronica
Veronica is fortunate to share yoga instruction and massage therapy as her careers and passions. Veronica began practicing yoga as a student in 2006 in Savannah during her time in art school. After many years of personal practice and creating the connection of yoga, energy healing, and bodywork, Veronica obtained her 200 Hour Yoga Instructor Certification through CorePower Yoga Chicago in 2017. She began teaching in 2018 and specialized in Bikram Hot Style Yoga. It was then that Veronica felt ready to attend The Soma Institute Chicago for massage, and she has been working as a licensed massage therapist since 2019. That year, Veronica also became certified in an energy healing modality that focuses on breathwork and balancing the chakras in Boulder. The education and training Veronica received have enabled her to help many clients over the years. The experience of helping others has filled Veronica's life with so much gratitude and true purpose. Veronica's yoga teaching style ranges from fast-paced, more challenging vinyasa flow to very slow paced, relaxed, restorative yoga, and she enjoys tailoring her sequences to any of her students needs Veronica encourages her students to focus on their breath and allow the body and mind to flow. This simultaneous concentration and release that yoga creates has great healing properties on the body and nervous system. Some also use the ancient poses, their breath, and their practice as a moving prayer or meditation, which is just one reason why Veronica loves yoga so much. It is a space to truly connect to one's higher self and maintain optimal physical health. Veronica's human anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology education have equipped her to help her massage clients to the highest level of therapeutic release or general relaxing massage. She loves sharing what she has learned about the human body with her clients to help them create a deeper understanding of their bodies and movements. She also applies this knowledge when creating yoga sequences for her students and understanding any limitations. Through massage, Veronica provides her clients with a better range of motion, stability, and overall health in their joints and muscles, which means a life with less pain and more mobility, which means enjoying life with more freedom. Helping others heal is what Veronica loves to do most in this live. It brings her the most joy and fulfillment to know she can assist you in having a good life. She looks forward to enjoying a yoga session and massage with you soon!
At Vibrant Yoga, we take pride in our exceptional team of yoga teachers who not only excel in their craft but also lead fulfilling lives outside of our private & corporate clients. Our teachers are passionate about sharing their expertise and guiding students on their yoga journey. When they're not inspiring and empowering individuals through their teachings, they often organize enriching retreats, offering participants the opportunity to connect with nature and delve deeper into their practice. Additionally, our dedicated instructors also conduct virtual classes open to the public, ensuring that anyone, regardless of their location, can access the transformative benefits of yoga. Their commitment to holistic well-being extends far beyond our studio walls, allowing them to make a positive impact on the wider yoga community. Check out What Else Our Team is Up To page for more info on retreat and public classes they offer outside of Vibrant Yoga.