Melissa Spamer, M.A., LMHC, ERYT 500, LMT, C. Ay.
Melissa began formally practicing Yoga in 1993. She has completed more then six Yoga teacher trainings and has twenty years of teaching experience, leading classes, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Her love of Yoga led her to also become an Ayurvedic practitioner, spending more than two years of didactic study and clinical training at the Ayurvedic Institute with Dr. Vasant Lad. Her approach to Yoga integrates her in-depth studies in Yoga therapeutics, alignment, and energetic embodiment. She has been fortunate to have studied extensively with such celebrated teachers as Angela Farmer, Victor Van Kooten, Rama Vernon, Shiva Rea, Kali Ray, and TKV Desikachar at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram.
Melissa is also a licensed counselor in the state of New Mexico and continues to study interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, trauma, and somatic therapies for a comprehensive approach to healing. She is the co-owner and co-director of YogaSource in Santa Fe, director of Lotus in the Flame School of Yoga & Healing Arts, and she maintains a private Yoga therapy, Ayurveda, and counseling practice. You can visit her website here.
Julie Chase:
Julie Chase owns and operates Wind Willow Sound Health, LLC, a private sound therapy business in the Kalamazoo area.
Reiki Master and member of the Sound Healer’s Association, Julie’s eclectic studies of healing modalities—Reiki, Life Force Energy Healing, sacred Tibetan healing instruments, holistic tuning fork therapy, and life coaching—inspired the development of a unique sound therapy system that assists clients toward relaxation, renewed health and well-being. She works primarily with people who are stress-compromised and conducts workshops utilizing sacred sound instruments throughout Southwest Michigan. Julie is excited to offer Seasonal Gong Celebrations at Down Dog Yoga Center. For more information about Julie, please visit: www.windwillowsoundhealth.com or see Facebook.
Judy Huxmann, LMT, E-RYT 200
Judy is a retired Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Yoga Instructor. Using her experience and awareness from over 18 years of these practices, she is now pursuing the practice of sound therapy. In 2016, Judy became a Certified Sound Healer in the ancient tradition of Tibetan bowls and other sound instruments including Tuning Fork therapy and she continues to explore the healing properties of sound, vibration, meditation and movement.
In 2004, Judy opened and managed Awake and Aware Yoga and Bodywork in partnership with Cynthia Hoss until Awake and Aware merged with Down Dog Yoga Center in February of 2014.
Kate Yoshida: Kundalini Practices
Kate is a registeredIKYTA Kundalini teacher who lives and works in Chicago. She has led yoga workshops at Awake and Aware andMichigan Yoga Associates in Kalamazoo, and Spirit Rising in Chicago, as well as meditation workshops at the Women's Leadership Symposuim and the Summer Institute for Sustainability and Energy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her job at the Office of Sustainability at UIC includes writing and administering grants and bike planning programs. In addition to practicing yoga, she enjoys weaving, knitting and cycling.
Suzi Batdorff, RYT 500
Suzi is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance, completing her first teacher training with Melissa Spamer here in Kalamazoo in 2008. She has since finished additional training in Yin Yoga with Paul Grilley and a second teacher training in 2012 with Behnje Masson in Anusara Yoga, and a 300 hour program with Melissa Spamer. She has had the pleasure of attending workshops with amazing teachers as John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Moses Brown, Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten, Rama Jyoti Vernon, and Kali Ray. Suzi’s lighthearted and easygoing approach is a welcoming light to our fast-paced world.
Chelsie Downs-Hubbarth, RYT 200, RPYT, RCYT
Chelsie received her yoga certification from the Sivananda Ashram of Paradise Island, Bahamas in 2004. At the same time she was pursuing her parallel passion in nutritional health at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, where she completed her Holistic Health Counseling certification. With double undergraduate degrees in Environmental Science and Anthropology from Western Michigan University, Chelsie emphasizes a sociocultural approach to yoga and nutrition for sustainable living and integrates these concepts into her classes. After the birth of her son, Chelsie is especially fond of working with expecting mothers and children. Chelsie is a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 200), Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) and Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT) through Yoga Alliance.
Jen Claus, RYT, MA, LPC
Jen earned her Bachelor’s of Science with a Major in Family Studies from Central Michigan University and her Master’s in Counseling from Spring Arbor University. She began her exploration of the deeper realms of humanity when she moved to Song of the Morning, a yoga retreat center in northern Michigan. There she learned the practice of meditation, the healing benefits of food, and was introduced to a variety of healing modalities. In addition to her work as a full time counselor, Jen is also a certified yoga instructor and completed her 300 hour training with Melissa Spamer in 2016. She devotes extensive time to continuing education and is currently working on her advanced yoga teacher training. Her work, both in yoga and counseling, seeks to unite mind, body, and spirit and bring awareness to the present moment where healing truly begins.
Anne Marie Olbrot, RYT 200
Anne Marie first turned to yoga over 10 years ago in an effort to prioritize her mental and physical well-being as an undergrad. She initially fell in love with the nurturing approach to physical wellness, integrating both yin and yang energies into her self care routine. A regular yoga practice has since become an indispensable tool for turning inward to connect with her body, mind, and soul. The benefits have included lower stress levels and a more mindful existence, on and off the mat. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2017 through Tiny Buddha Yoga in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Anne Marie is thrilled to be sharing the gift of yoga with her community.