Meet Your Guides

We’re thrilled to introduce the incredible lineup of yoga teachers joining us for the 2025 festival! This year’s instructors bring a rich blend of experience, styles, and backgrounds. There is something for everyone, whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned yogi. Our teachers are Inspire Yoga by creating inclusive, inspiring experiences for all bodies and levels. Get to know the teachers, explore their unique offerings, and prepare to roll out your mat with some of the most talented and heart-centered guides in the community.

YOGA SCHEDULE

Ace Champion

Ace Champion-A.K.A. “Good Buffalo” is an Ancient Native Tree Flute “Air Bender” musician who

Allison Butt

Allison is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher whose practice began over 20 years ago.

Allison Wallner

Allison’s yoga journey started with the physical movements and quickly grew to a deeper

Angela Milne

Angela’s classes focus on deep relaxation, guiding students to use breath and awareness to

Austin Kopitzke

Austin is a humble human with a love for life. He created a yoga

Bonnie Manthey and Melissa

Bonnie has been teaching gentle flow yoga for two years and is currently offering

Brittney Dorsey

Brittney has over 15 years of experience in her yoga journey and has studied

Chari Long

With over 35 years of devotion, Chari Long (Jaideep Kaur) guides others in the

Chris Marcks

Chris began practicing yoga in 2009 and began teaching in 2016. She holds (2)

Craig Woolley

Craig discovered yoga over thirty years ago which led him on a journey of

Crystal Hill

Crystal is passionate about living a healthy, balanced lifestyle and helping others do the

Dan Wilson

Dan, a 200-hour registered yoga teacher, began a disciplined daily yoga practice in 2022

Deanna Laemmrich

Deanna has been practicing yoga for 20 years. She earned her 200 hour certification

Deb Sampson

Deb Samspon is a 200-ERYT with 19 years of experience, a massage therapist for

Deborah Sommerhalder

Deb has been teaching yoga for over 20 years, creating inspiring, uplifting, Bhakti Yoga

Elisabeth Potaczek

Elisabeth has been practicing yoga for over 25 years and teaching for 20. She

Erika King

Over the past twenty years, Erika has taught Yoga, became an Ayurvedic and Bioenergetic

Heidi Heimerl

Yoga took Heidi by the hand more than eighteen years ago, guiding her toward

Holly Tuyls

Holly Tuyls is a Certified Holistic Coach and a Certified Yoga Instructor who attended

Jan Marnocha

Jan Marnocha has over 20+ years of yoga experience. Her classes encourage curiosity, flexible

Janice Zuege

Janice received her 200-hour registered yoga teacher certification in 2018 and teaches a variety

Jen Tews

Jen is a certified RYT 200-hour yoga teacher who infuses her kid classes with

Jenni Davel

Jenni has been teaching yoga for four years, sharing vinyasa, breathwork, meditation, and prenatal

Jennifer Schlavensky

Jenny is a yoga teacher and rebirthing breathwork guide devoted to the healing power

Jess Fagan

Jess is the owner and lead instructor at Atha: A Wellness Studio located at

Jessa Bongiovanni

A passionate Yoga | Movement Specialist and Lifestyle Alchemist. Harnessing my RYT 200; Yoga

Jessica Fritz

Jessica wandered into her first yoga class in 2005 as a college freshman, not

Jessica Haessly

Experienced Yoga + Meditation professional with a focus on healthy mindset habits and empowered

Jim Crane

This year marks Jim’s 27th year in yoga and 19th year of teaching.  He

Karen Pujals & Brad

Karen, MS, CHt is a certified professional consulting astrologer and harmonic sound therapist, providing

Kathy Davis

Kathy has been practicing and studying yoga for over 20 years and is currently

Katy Keefe-Neilson

Katy is a creative, spontaneous yoga instructor who brings playfulness and connection to the

Kelly Kelderman

Kelly is a wellness professional dedicated to helping individuals achieve their wellbeing goals and

Kimberly Kamps

Kimberly is owner and founder of Now Yoga and Wellness LLC, an outreach yoga

Kylee Knox

Kylee completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2024 with Kootenay Yoga School in

Lauren Nelsen

Lauren Nelsen has resided in Wisconsin, New York City, Los Angeles and the San

Leeann Ross

Leeann Ross grew up acting and dancing in Atlanta, GA before earning her BFA

Lisa Joy Meli

Lisa Joy is an intuitive medium working with master crystals to retreive messages and

Lori Smasal

With over 20 years of practice, Lori has discovered that yoga is more than

Mahima Grover

Mahima is a 250-hour certified yoga, pranayama, and meditation teacher with 15 years of

Marcia Chapman

Marcia’s journey with Qigong began over 20 years ago. She is a certified Spring

Melissa Benson

Melissa’s love for yoga began when she felt the positive benefits yoga had on

Murphey Davel

Murphey is a fun, creative kid who taught her very first yoga class at

Nikki Sunshine

Nikki was raised in Wisconsin but has spent the last ten years traveling and

Robin Hertting

For the past 20 years, Robin has shared yoga with such amazing people! In

Sandi Toppins

Yoga has given Sandi a new meaning to connect with her inner silence and

Sara Karimi

Sara is a 500 Hour E-RYT Yoga Instructor and full-time professional dancer based in

Stephanie Emenecker

Stephanie joined the Atha team, located in Neenah WI, as a certified STOTT pilates

Stephanie Matulle

Stephanie is a dedicated and compassionate yoga teacher with a profound understanding of both

Tanja Zins

Tanja discovered yoga as a healing practice and now guides gentle vinyasa flow classes

Teresa Moucha

Teresa‘s mission is to help others make this life journey a little less challenging

Tommy Douglas

Tommy discovered yoga four years ago and quickly fell in love with the practice.

Tree Janzen

A nature lover and adventuring spirit, Tree has been teaching yoga for almost 20

By attending the Mandala Yoga Festival, participants acknowledge that photos may be taken throughout the event and may be used for promotional purposes. Attendance implies consent to be photographed, and participants assume all risks associated with participation in a public event. Learn more on the FAQ page.

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Kristi Passehl

Kristi Passehl is a breathwork facilitator, holistic health coach, and is certified in somatic and energy healing. She believes that tuning into our breath is a transformative journey, enabling individuals to manage stress and enhance self-awareness in order to create a healthy environment for healing to happen. Through her holistic approach, Kristi empowers clients to unlock their potential, cultivate a balanced lifestyle, and connect deeply with themselves, leading to healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Kristi will be offering individual breathwork/meditation sessions- in this calming 30-minute session, step away from the noise and into your breath. Designed for the busy, overwhelmed woman who’s always on the go, this practice is a tool you can use in your daily life to help you release stress, quiet your mind, and come home to yourself. You’ll leave feeling lighter, more centered, and deeply recharged.

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Deb Sommerhalder

Deb Sommerhalder offers sound massage and "bhakti (devotional) yoga experiences and that will help you reset your body and mind back into harmony. With over 20 years teaching yoga and seven years offering sound healing as a certified Peter Hess Sound practitioner, you can be assured that she will help you cultivate optimal health and well-being in a “less is more” gentle, holistic manner. She is also a certified End of Life Specialist, and uses sound, meditation and coaching to help you transition through the cycle of birth, life and death with curiosity, openness and love.

Deb offers sound massage, yoga and End of Life services at her office in Restorative Wellness Center, Oshkosh. She also teaches yoga+sound classes and workshops at Yoga Elements, Menasha and BE Center for
Holistic Healing in Appleton.

www.innersunyogastudio.com

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Sarah Hounsell

Sarah Hounsell is a farrier by trade.  She lives in Oshkosh and has been running her horseshoeing business for the past 21 years.  After an encounter with an animal communicator/Reiki master in 2011 she decided take her Reiki 1 class. The focus was on horses as much as
humans in that first class which has been such a blessing to Sarah's relationships with the horses she works on daily.  A few years later she finished Reiki 2.  As she begins the process of retiring from horseshoeing she plans to complete Reiki Master as well as other
healing modalities.