Yoga Staff
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Ane Cortabarria:
Ane is from the Basque Country and arrived to Seattle in 2018, where she fall in love with the yoga practice. As an Awakening Yoga Academy graduate, Ane approaches her teachings from the functionality of movement. Allows moments of freedom within the structure for exploration, and creates fun and spicy flows focused on Awakening Yoga to allow this. Ane’s goal is for the practitioner to find awareness within and to use that as a means to get to know their self better, whether it’s in a physical, emotional or metaphorical way.
Kelsi Haugaard:
Kelsi’s passionate about supporting people on their personal growth journey toward reconnecting with themselves. She has been practicing yoga for the last 4 years. Starting out as a life coach she decided she wanted to bring her two passions together and share them with others. Yoga became a space of healing for her, which lead her towards reconnecting with herself. Yoga has always been a place for her to connect with her breath, create a deeper understanding of her body and of herself, while bringing it with her off the mat. Kelsi’s class connects with the phases of the moon to guide her class while having a gradual build of strength and connecting to the breath and bringing playfulness into the environment. Outside of yoga, Kelsi likes to boulder, play volleyball, hike, be outside in nature, and spend time with her friends & family.
Kristen Klooster:
Kristen teaches a welcoming approachable vinyasa style class that starts slowly at first to blueprint each posture before repeating as a flow, connecting each breath to movement where mindful sequencing builds to add new layers and playful opportunities to challenge yourself. Each class is thoughtfully sequenced to balance dynamic movement, strength and flexibility, with the more subtle benefits of releasing tension, coaxing the nervous system towards balance, and inviting a deep sense of relaxation. Classes are infused with music and inspiring themes that connect your practice to daily life. A PNW native, she is an outdoor adventurer and depending on the season you can find her in the mountains, forests, lakes, or oceans. She loves hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, scuba diving, skiing (water & snow), sailing, and traveling to new places. Kristen began practicing yoga over 20 years ago and has been teaching since completing her first 200 hr RYT in 2013. Through the years she has completed training programs including Yoga for Athletes, 50 hour Yin Yoga, Corepower Level 2, and has also coached for many teacher training programs in Seattle.
Naomi Cherian:
Naomi practices yoga as a moving meditation. Her focus is connecting one’s breath in different asanas, or poses, as well as synchronizing the breath through transitions. In Naomi’s classes you can expect to find an emphasis on being present in the body, building heat and working up to a challenging pose, then cooling down to a renewed sense of peace. The focus on slow breath and flowing through movement is meant to engage and regulate your nervous system. Naomi has spent years working in emergency medicine and has found yoga to be medicinal in healing the body and mind from the effects of constant activation. She loves to encourage a sense of connection to spirit, body, mind, and others through the practice of yoga.
Rachel Molidor:
Rachel, originally from Texas, moved to Seattle 2 years ago to be closer to nature. She got a degree in nursing and continues to work part-time while pursuing a path in yoga. She was initially drawn to yoga for exercise and meditative benefits after college. As time went by, questions came up and her curiosity grew. She began to notice that when you focus your attention on the breath, a sense of awareness arises, the mind quiets and a feeling of equanimity settles. She loves how yoga inspires mindfulness and how it can be transferred to all other aspects of her life. She loves to bring a sense of playfulness into her practice. Her other activities of play include inversions, breath-work, sound meditation, playing piano, mushroom foraging, climbing outdoors, backpacking, surfing and camping.