Your Simply Yoga Instructors

owner / Instructor

Simply Yoga Lemont

Susan

I didn’t know what I was in for when I began yoga practice within studio walls. Sure I’d done yoga for years at the gym, but finding a studio to practice in that immediately felt like home and to feel part of a real yoga community? I was hooked. I felt the physical and mental benefits from my very first class. Over time I was really able to take that feeling with me more and more each day and found peace and balance in my life that I didn’t know was missing.

My hope is to provide that same feeling of community and balance to others by opening this studio as a home for those who wish to try yoga for the first time, or find a new yoga home at Simply Yoga. Welcome home.

Contact

E-mail: susan@simplyyogalemont.com
Phone: 630.410.2228

Instructor

Vanessa

I was very hesitant to take my first yoga class. I had never worked out regularly, never taken any fitness classes and did not enjoy going to a gym. Despite all that, something drew me to go into the studio. With my friend by my side, we ventured into this journey together and never looked back.

Every day on my mat truly is different and it gives me a moment in my increasingly hectic days to quiet my thoughts and just breathe. I have gained so much physical and mental strength from my practice. I find myself running to the studio because I need yoga and the sense of peace I take away with me is immeasurable. Since the first day Simply Yoga opened their doors in February 2014, I have been a part of this amazing family of close friends and instructors who love to teach and get the opportunity to guide students on this incredible yoga journey. The months have flown by since that very first class in the studio and so many amazing students continue to find their mat and themselves with every breath in their practice. Walking into Simply Yoga, will be like walking into your second home. That feeling of comfort, trust and community can be found within those walls. As an instructor, my goal is to help guide you in your practice so you can determine your own path connecting mind and body. Welcome home!

Instructor

Stacey

I have always had a love for fitness and I appreciate every moment I have to incorporate exercise into my life. I have been teaching group fitness since college and have found a home as a yoga instructor at Simply Yoga since we opened in 2014. I love to share the positive effects yoga has had on my life and being able to give you a workout while guiding you through a flow of breath and movement.

Yoga has become more to me than just a workout; it has become a huge part of my everyday life. I am so thankful that yoga has helped me on my personal journey and I am passionate to share this positive effect with the Simply Yoga community.

Finding your sense of self, with no judgement, to open your heart, mind and body to all possibilities and to honor your own truth – that is what you will feel at Simply Yoga.

Instructor

Christina

Christina has been practicing yoga since 2010 and became Certified to teach Vinyasa Yoga here at Simply Yoga Lemont in 2015. Since then, she has earned her E-RYT, has been certified in the Tap~n~Pow(Her) Method and is also a certified PiYo Instructor. She has attended Yoga workshops and retreats in Italy, Chicago and California.

Christina’s goal with each class is to provide a deep vinyasa-based practice that encourages a more internal exploration of the poses using the breath and a calm, focused mind.

She uses music to create a sense of rhythm and focus in her classes to help link breath with movement and flow through each pose. Her classes are both physically challenging and mentally reflective. Some of her classes are a bit more challenging but Christina encourages everyone to work at their own pace, using blocks, straps, bolsters and weights, and to be mindful that the practice of yoga in an evolution, not a destination. “Ultimately, the desire is to become the person off the mat that you are on mat; strong, flexible, balanced and able to face the world in a more present way.”

Instructor

Amy

Amy joined a friend for a yoga class 12 years ago and hasn’t looked back. She completed her RYT 200 at Simply Yoga in May of 2015. Amy loves yoga because it forces her to not take herself too seriously, allows her to eat all the chocolate she wants and because it’s the only activity that truly stops the chatter in her head!

Amy’s classes challenge her students with new poses and creative sequencing, encourage a spirit of playfulness and provide a warm environment to build strength and flexibility. She also appreciates the calming power and deep release offered by a Restorative practice. Watching her students as they explore and grow in their own practice inspires Amy. In her home practice she enjoys getting upside down, arm balancing and a long savasana.

When not at the yoga studio, Amy enjoys sharing her love of cooking and baking with her husband, children and friends, playing with her two naughty (but cute) dogs and traveling.

Instructor

Melissa

Finding your sense of self, with no judgement, to open your heart, mind and body to all possibilities and to honor your own truth – that is what you will feel at Simply Yoga.

Instructor

Jestine

I started my first yoga class four years ago to help with my anxiety and stress levels and fell in love right away. I had gotten an ‘awaken’ feeling in my first savasana and was hooked ever since. In my mind, I thought this was what I have been searching for. Alongside the mental benefits, I also felt my body getting stronger, more toned and more flexible. Every practice is extremely different, but every practice is also a small step forward, in which your body and mind learns new things. I am pleasantly surprised every time I find my body coming into an asana that I was never able to do months or years prior.

I am very passionate about healing the emotional and physical body, and am mindful of this while teaching my students. I do not believe in a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to yoga- every body is different and everyone comes to class for different reasons, and I whole heartily respect that as I guide you through your own practice. My goal is to allow my students to feel safe, free of judgment and encourage you to learn something new about yourself through practice as you focus inwards. You are the most important piece to my class, and I would love to have you join the Simply Yoga community.

Instructor

Shaun

For more than 30 years I have been involved in the martial arts which is what led me to take my first yoga class back in 1996 . I was so impacted it set me forth on a path to wellness. By September 11th 2001 I became a Reiki Master Teacher, in 2004 I was initiated into the Kundalini Maha Yoga tradition but it was in 2023 I took a class at Simply Yoga and instantly felt at home and went through the teacher training program

Currently I do work as a Tarot reader and inadvertently became a meditation teacher. I also teach Qigong a Chinese form of Yoga which is also the foundational practice of TaiChi it involves breathwork and gentle movement. I enjoy teaching publicly and offering private lessons as well. For me it is an honor and privilege to share what I love with others who are on their own journey into wellness

Instructor

Chrissy

Chrissy came to yoga seeking relief from debilitating anxiety as a teenager and continued her love of the practice into adulthood. The mat was where she found solace, peace, and balance when her mind was all encompassing and her anxiety had her spinning. Curious as to how yoga worked so well, Chrissy signed up for teacher training, never planning to stand up and teach to students.

Chrissy was certified to teach in 2012 with Adrienne Smith and was inspired to share the practice with others and…teach. Helping others who had suffered with anxiety fueled Chrissy’s fire to deepen her yoga education/training, eventually gaining her 500hr certification. With years of teaching and experience Chrissy has recently gained her E-RYT 500 and is leading our 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training Program right here at Simply Yoga. Yoga has changed the life and the path for Chrissy, so she would like to further her reach in helping others better themselves and their practice through trainings.

When not in the studio, Chrissy is an artist, painting and creating in her studio when she can find time away from her responsibilities as a mommy. Most of Chrissy’s free time is spent caring for, spending time with, and having massive dance parties with her sweet little three year old, Everleigh. Spending time with her husband and daughter outdoors is where you will find her most of the time, as she calls that her “happy place”.

Mary

I was a Yoga sceptic and reluctantly went with a friend 10 years ago to a new studio in Lemont called Simply Yoga. I was immediately hooked! It was truly what my body was craving and I didn’t realize it! I have been involved in athletics and exercise all my life and would come home feeling depleted rather than energized. This was the first time I felt my body saying “Thank-you”.

Fast forward, I retired from being a high school teacher in 2020 and took a leap of faith to become a certified instructor. I completed my 200hr. Teacher Training Certification through Simply Yoga in 2022 and jumped right in to teaching! What a great “gig” to be able to incorporate my love for teaching and do it through instructing yoga. I so look forward to every class that I teach and welcoming every student walking through our doors that they may feel that sense of community that I did from the moment I entered the studio 10 years ago.