Get to know us better in class

 Gillian-opened Minnehaha Yoga Studio in 2006. She began doing yoga years ago when there was just Yoga, over the years she has practiced most styles of yoga as they became available in the twin cities and finds value in all styles of yoga.

When she opened the studio she wanted to create a beautiful comfortable place where everyone would feel welcome. Every one can benefit from Yoga-what's not to like about feeling better, feeling a bit stronger, calmer and more open. You don't have to stand on your hands or twist in to a knot but if you want to we can help you find it in you.

Gillian completed her 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification training and Vinyasa training at Core Power Yoga and continued her studies with Tias Little, Julie Gudmestad, Max Strom and has done workshops with may other great teachers. She is trained in Thai Yoga massage and uses many of the techniques to adjust and assist in all her classes.

Gillian brings elements of all her teachers and styles to her classes, in either a gentle class or a more vigorous Vinyasa, trying is always more than doing. It's in the process of trying and falling that we learn the most. Gillian believes that a guided group yoga class should still be an individual experience where each student is encouraged to find the version of a pose that best suites their needs. She loves that all of the classes are small and you will never be "you in the red shirt." Gillian is very thankful to all of her fellow teachers here at the studio for their help, patience and guidance.

I began practicing yoga daily in 2011, after  graduating from the Yoga Center of  Minneapolis' 230 hour Yoga Study Program. After completing my 500 hour Yoga Study Group, I worked with a family therapy group in yoga/art, took a Yin Yoga training detour and continued teaching drop in Vinyasa Yoga classes. I always returned to the simple elegance of the Primary Series for sequencing ideas and self practice. In 2013, I participated in David Swenson's weeklong Ashtanga Yoga Immersion. This opened the door for Mysore Style practice, the Patanjali 8 Limbs based, 6- times a week/moon days off tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I have been a student and teacher of this style for a few years and recently visited KPJAYI (the K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute ) in Mysuru, India for a month. Teachers and mentors include: Ellie Kaufman Wannemacher, Lynn Thomasberg, Rachel Hiltsley, Angela Jamison. Practice in all conditions, and this practice is for all people.

Mike Fry-Mike took his first yoga class in the early 1990ís and has been a huge fan of it ever since. Over the years, he has increased his practice and

study with different teachers with different approaches. He has also incorporated a deep perspective of what yoga can contribute to a personís life, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. And, while he is serious about his own yoga practice, his classes are likely to leave you feeling light and laughing, because he loves sharing his practice in a light-hearted way with anyone at any level.

In his normal daily work he owns a consulting business that helps animal shelters across the United States. It is hard, emotionally challenging and

stressful work. Mike says that yoga reduces that stress and it helps keep focus and balance when the world around him is chaotic. Teaching other people to achieve that balance and focus is a passion for him. He says that of all the yoga studios he has visited, Minnehaha Yoga, where he has practiced for several years, and studied with Gillian- is his hands-down favorite. That makes him especially happy to be with our team.

I am a nurse and yogi who has been practicing yoga for over 10 years! My first class was in college, and years later, in 2008, I found Minnehaha Yoga Studio and experienced the power of the breath. As a nurse, I was taught that breath is involuntary, as a yogi, I know that we can also use our breath (Pranayama) to help create balance. I have worked in women’s health and community outreach for years and have extensive trauma experience. 

I am a RYT-200 certified yoga instructor. Practicing a variety of styles through the years: Vinyasa, Hatha, Iyengar, Yin, and Restorative, I love to guide Gentle yoga classes, because of the healing and calming that happens when we slow life down and create space to connect our body, mind, and spirit. My classes are meditative, because all of yoga is a moving meditation! I am passionate about yoga because it has given me the tools to be present and wake up to my own life. Looking forward to seeing you in class-I would love to be a part of your yoga journey!