The ElemenTree Yoga team is comprised of qualified yoga instructors who are ready to put their energy and skills towards helping you reach your goals. Everyone at our studio believes in establishing a safe and mindful yoga practice. We want to teach you how to keep your energy balanced. We’re looking forward to being a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Cara

Co-owner of ElemenTree Yoga and register pre-natal yoga instructor

I started my yoga journey in 2004. As a stay at home mom of two toddlers, I decided to try a yoga class simply as a way to get out of the house and talk to adults, little did I know that decision would change my life. The first class I attended, I could not hold a downward-facing dog without my arms trembling, but instead of feeling discouraged, I felt exhilarated. For that one hour, I was not a mom, wife, or boss; I was just me. This sense of returning to self is what I strive to create for each student taking my class. Yoga is a practice; it is not mastering a pose perfectly; therefore, I want to empower my students to create a meaningful individual experience by providing a safe space to explore their yoga practice.

Willow

Willow fell in love with yoga in 2007 when she got out of the military and became a stay at home mom. She discovered that it gave her the strength and the patience to nurture herself and her children throughout each day. The practice of Yoga has taught Willow how to slow down, sit still (this was quite the challenge) listen to her body and go with the flow. She makes ALL students feel welcome and comfortable in the playful classes that she teaches. Willow taught yoga for 7 years at Navarre Living Yoga and she is now excited to be a Co-Owner of ElemenTree Yoga Studio.

Nancy

Nancy discovered yoga after she retired from the Air Force. She began her yoga journey in Navarre in 2007. After completing her 200 hour teacher training in 2014, she began teaching at Navarre Living Yoga. In 2017 she completed a 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training with Surya Chandra Healing School of Yoga and is Yoga Alliance 500-Hour RYT certified. She is also a certified Accessible Yoga teacher. She enjoys scuba diving, and while traveling the world to enjoy this passion, she finds time to visit yoga studios in many different countries. Nancy believes the mental and physical balance of a yoga practice can benefit all ages and abilities.

Mary

I discovered physical fitness, as self-care, during a period in my life where I was overwhelmed; between children, a home, a husband and a job, it was imperative I found time for myself. Going to the gym, taking various fitness classes, helped me to be the best me. I took my first yoga class in 2000, in a small classroom above the base library at Ramstein AB, Germany. The class introduced me to a new ‘work-out’, and a curiosity for the practice. We moved to our beautiful beach town in 2003 and I continued on my self-care journey. I started taking classes at a little studio, Navarre Living Yoga. Fast forward to meeting a teacher that was transformative in my yoga journey. As a new teacher, she invited me into her world of body and spirit exploration through yoga, and this moved me to begin a daily yoga practice and pursue teacher certification. I received my initial training at Navarre Living Yoga, obtaining my 200 RYT, in 2016. I earned my advanced certification, completing my 500 RYT Certification, at Dragonfly Yoga in 2021. I’m also certified in Aerial Yoga and Yin Yoga. I’ve been very fortunate to learn from the pillars of our yoga community to include Willow Conolly, Tara Taylor, Laura Tyree, Melissa Shalongo and Moira Anderson. Let me assist you in your yoga journey and introduce you to our yoga community.

Michaela

While stationed in Germany in the 1990’s Michaela was introduced to yoga. Moving back to the U.S. in 2001 and finding Navarre Living Yoga is where her journey began. Moving onto Elementree Yoga Studio she continued to pursue her practice with Willow and Cara. In 2021 she completed her 200-hour teacher training from Elementree Yoga School, and in 2022 she became certified in prenatal yoga receiving her RPYT from Surya Chandra Healing Yoga School. She enjoys getting her hands in the earth planting & gardening as well as traveling the world, hiking, and just being one with mother nature. Michaela finds joy, satisfaction and inspiration in seeing students discover their own personal yoga journey and hopes to nurture and encourage them along their way.

Natalie

Natalie has always had an appreciation for mindful movement and over the years, she fell in love with the subtle power of yoga. Natalie became a certified instructor at Downtown Yoga in Pleasanton California and has been teaching in Florida since 2019. Using classic poses, she choreographs vinyasa flows to increase flexibility, balance, and to rejuvenate the mind and body. She believes that yoga is for everyone and strives to create an inclusive and warm environment for her students.

Kellie

Kellie- PhD, RYT 200- I discovered yoga in 1998, when a friend suggested I try a class. I had been living with depression most of my life and was looking for something to assist in alleviating my depression symptoms. Once I tried yoga, I was hooked. I was immediately entranced by the effects of movement and breath. Yoga helped manage my depression through mediation and asana. My goal as a yoga teacher is to create a joyous, creative, fun and spiritual practice where students can be curious, build strength on and off the mat, break down boundaries and start living more fully. I thrive on empowering others through yoga. I completed my Yoga Teacher Training in 2018 at Navarre Living Yoga. I am excited to deepen my personal practice while guiding others in the wisdom and effects of this sacred practice.

Patt

Greetings, to the beautiful community of yoga! I have been so fortunate to practice a variety of yoga classes in Navarre for the past 25 years. I began my practice in the 60's when neighbors founded the first Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Northern New York. This began a lifetime of personal practice and classes in the oddest places around the world. Since retiring, I completed a 200 hr YTT and have concentrated my teachings on meditation, yoga nidra and gentle postures. Yoga, completes the perfect balance between the mind and the body while focusing on the breath, the emphasis in my teaching classes. It is a privilege to become part of ELEMENTREE... with my experiences I can share yoga practices and breathing techniques to help the busy mind relax and the body to obtain "stresslessness"!

Hollie

Yoga has been part of my life since I was 16. Twenty years later I finally embarked on teacher training so now I get to share my ever growing knowledge with you. Pranayama (breath work) is my go-to and has been my one true constant, especially during tough physical engagement, from training and completing sprint triathlons, to childbirth(!), as well as incredibly challenging emotional periods. It is a bridge for a stronger and a calmer mind, in which I consistently practice to build my own resilience. Yoga as a whole has been grounding through its consistency and reliability for the tolls and uncertainty that particularly come with living a military life, especially being so far from family in my homeland of the UK. 2020 pushed me to really deepen my already well established asana practice and discover a more rounded aspect of yoga, not just physical movement for strength building, flexibility and mobility, although I do enjoy those aspects too. The subtleties of a yoga asana is what sings to me and what I love to share. I look forward to guiding you in class, where I can hold space for you to build your own resilience for all of life’s ebb and flow. ~ through the waves of life breathe the light that always shines within.

Maegan

My passions for philosophy, sociology, and world religions launched my interest in yoga in my late teens. As my life expanded into adulthood and transformed into one of a military spouse, attending college far from home, yoga was a hobby that provided exercise and social interaction in a kind and loving environment. In 2005, after having my first child, I found myself drawn back to the mat, pulled particularly to the practices of Yin. There, the sacred roots of my practice were born. Today, as a mother, wife, and mental health professional, I believe that the many tasks of modern life require nurture and balancing. The inner-work of yoga and it’s innate ability to strengthen the bridges between our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies is a vital component of living a life in connection. As a teacher, I strive to guide students in practices that help them uncover their own inner-wisdoms and enhance their abilities to not just cope with life but to thrive vibrantly within it.

Marcia

Marcia started practicing yoga in 2010 when she discovered it was a great remedy to counteract the stress from her life as a single mother, business owner and leader. Through her practice, she learned how to work with her body instead of against it, finding emotional peace, mental well-being and a spiritual connection along the way. Marcia knew she wanted to deepen her practice and share her appreciation for yoga with others so she attended the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Elementree Yoga, completing the course in 2020. She currently works as a Realtor, where she has served hundreds of families with the buying and selling process for over 17 years. She has also mentored dozens of newly licensed Realtors since 2010. Her drive to help and guide others is so fulfilling that she decided to turn her passion into a career. Marcia is thrilled to add ‘Certified Dharma Coach’ to her resume where she assists individuals discover their purpose and passion. In Marcia’s class you can expect creative sequencing, a challenging physical practice, breathwork, meditation, and a safe place to connect, reflect and explore with others.

Renee

Renee began her body awareness and movement at a young age in the middle of a dance studio in her hometown of Iola Kansas. After many years of discipline and commitment to the art of dance, she continues to keep body awareness, graceful movements at her center as she guides and leads those in her classes each week. Renee earned her 200hr YTT in the fall of 2020 through Element Tree Yoga Studio and plans to continue her focus and studies in prenatal and postnatal yoga. She is also a certified placenta encapsulator serving the NWF area, and is a certified labor doula serving the Pensacola area. Her focus clearly shows that she desires to support and serve women, helping them each to realize their potential and strengths whether it be yoga or meditation or labor coaching. Renee, her husband and their son, live in Navarre along with their two cats.

Danielle

Danielle McIntyre first started yoga in 2014 and has been going regularly ever since. She found yoga to give her a sense of peace and confidence and yoga became her primary method of self-care and physical exercise. Danielle completed her 200-hour training in 2021 in Pensacola. Danielle is a huge advocate for incorporating mindfulness into your daily life. As a yoga teacher, she would like to encourage people to strengthen their bodies, grow in their mind body-awareness, and cultivate more mindful ways of living.

Niraj

I grew up as an Air Force brat and had the privilege of living in and traveling around Europe as a child through early teens. I continued the military tradition by joining the Marine Corps after high school. It was also in preparation and through the Marines that I was first introduced to hand-to-hand combat training and physical training.I followed a dream of going to film school after leaving the military. This adventure took me across the country to Los Angeles, and then to New Orleans, and most recently Atlanta. As with every Hero's Journey, my path took me through some dark times which eventually brought me to the yogic path. In January 2021, I decided to jump into the 200 hr yoga teacher training at Elementree Yoga having almost no experience with yoga. Not only did I find healing, community, and spiritual awakening, but it opened up the doorway to things I had lost along the way, like my fitness and passion for martial arts and so much more. I now seek to integrate all my interests into my yoga and desire to help light the way for others as the way was lit for me during my 200 hour training. I am currently taking a break from the film industry while I complete the first 300 hour training to be offered at Elementree Yoga. My goal with teaching yoga is to empower the students by igniting the warrior spirit that resides within everyone.

Jeanne

I invite you to join me on a journey of mindful movement. As an experienced yoga practitioner, I can assist in building your capacity for resilience and help find ease in your exercise routine. The emphasis on movement coordinated with breath can deepen connections between the mind and body. Join me for a class and experience the positive changes that coordinating your breath and movement can make! I've been practicing yoga for more than 20 years. I recently discovered aerial yoga and it is the most fun I’ve ever had exercising! This experience provided the inspiration to complete the 200-hour yoga teacher training program. I look forward to sharing my zest for yoga while making it fun and accessible for everyone. I'm prepared to guide you in discovering this fun way to move, get stronger, gain confidence in your body's abilities and have FUN!

Keturah

My yoga journey has been non-traditional from the start. It began in 2009 with the cultivation of a mindfulness meditation practice as a method of managing stress and illness in a particularly difficult time of my life. The healing I found there was something like magic and sparked my lifelong study of the science and philosophy of our natural ability for healing. It wasn’t until 2018 that I discovered my love for practice of Asana and didn’t enter a classroom until 2020. I knew that I needed to seize the opportunity to further my study with the instructors at ElemenTree Yoga and completed my 200hr Teacher Training in 2022. My hope is to encourage students to cultivate a personal practice and assist them in tuning into the subtleties of the mind, body, and spirit while also building strength and flexibility. Beautiful things can happen when we allow ourselves to slow down, be still, listen, and accept ourselves as we are, only then can we hope to do the same for others.

Sara

I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2022 at Elementree Yoga Studio. I wanted to do something for myself and increase my yoga knowledge and fortunately, I achieved that and so much more. Yoga has come in and out of my life since highschool, but in the last few years it has become such a necessity for me. Having time just for me, especially as a wife and mother of two young children, is what keeps me grounded. As a Registered Nurse, I have always enjoyed caring for people and I’m excited to share my love for people in a new way. Advocating about health is very important to me and I believe yoga is beneficial to not only physical health, but also mental and spiritual wellbeing. It is my hope that my students feel loved and cared for when they take my class.

Richele

I am new to practicing yoga from the front of the room and am looking forward to growing here with all of you. My favorite classes involve slow flows with gentle movement linked to the breath, or are restorative in nature where we drop in to the body to quiet the mind and relax the nervous system. When I first tried yoga, I was serving in the Air Force and living in Hawaii. I loved the rhythm of the movement and the energy of the room. However, I approached yoga solely as a form of exercise at that time. When I transitioned to being an Army spouse and at-home mom, I no longer prioritized regular exercise. I didn't understand the benefits I was leaving behind by not practicing yoga. After several years full of moves, challenges and change, I found my way back inside a yoga studio - this yoga studio - and everything felt different. Yoga was the first thing I tried in so long that I could do, and actually feel good doing! Acceptance, increased self awareness and a calmer mind are a few of the gifts I found here on my mat. Now that I have completed the ElemenTree Yoga School 200 Hour Teacher Training Program, I am excited to share my practice with you.