Teachers - The Yoga Centre

Our Instructors

William Hunt

Yoga Instructor

William Hunt, on the national registry with Yoga Alliance’s highest credential, E-RYT 500, had his foundational training in yoga and meditation from the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago during the 1970s and 80s. From 1995- 2006, he was the director of the Temple’s Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program.

Many of the well known yoga teachers in the Chicago area graduated from his program. Presently, William is on the staff of the yoga teacher training program at the Bhavana Institute in LaGrange, Il.

From January, 2002 through December, 2011, he was the business owner and main instructor at The Oak Park Yoga Centre. He and his staff found much joy and satisfaction serving the community through teaching yoga and yoga-related topics to all levels and ages. After 10 years of running a successful studio, William decided to retire from the demands of business ownership to devote more of his energy to simply teach yoga and further refine his own practice.

Through 35 years of observing students and improving his personal practice, William is able to skillfully instruct yoga to all ages with various physical conditions and needs. Many of his students see improved strength, mobility and poise as well as notice significant relief from tension and pain caused by repetitive actions, misalignment and life’s challenges. Meditational skills and breathing practices are also are also included into his classes to help students uncover their inner resources of strength, wisdom and contentment.

Meg Barber

Yoga Instructor

Meg Barber has been studying yoga since 1999. Her yoga teaching experiences include basic, beginning, continuing, partner, aqua and restorative yoga. She has created and hosted a number of workshops including yoga for the lower back, practice at home and the application of yogic philosophy in the workplace. She completed her 200 hour studies with the Temple of Kriya Yoga in June, 2004 and her 300 hour studies with the Bhavana Institute in June of 2012. She is a registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level and is an experienced yoga teacher at the 200 hour level. Meg continues her yoga studies with Kathleen Wright, Janet MacLeod and Kim Schwartz. In addition to yoga, Meg has trained in Meditation, Usui Reiki, Astrology, Aromatherapy, Dream Analysis and Dowsing healing modalities.

With her roots in corporate America and her training in energetic healing, Meg has experienced yoga as a valuable tool for centering, stress reduction, inspiration and relaxation. She also believes that yoga increases wellness while improving the quality of life. With this in mind, Meg believes that yoga should be made available to people of all abilities.

Micki Leventhal

Yoga Instructor

Micki Leventhal has been practicing yoga since 1995. She completed her 200-hour teacher certification in 2004 with the Temple of Kriya Yoga and has been teaching since that time. She has continued to study and deepen her personal practice and teaching skills, completing continuing education coursework, intensives, and workshops with master teachers including Tias Little, Gary Kraftsow, Paul Grilley, Rich Logan, Shana Linn, Sara Strother, and Jim Bennitt. Her major influences include Iyengar, Tantric, Anusara, and Viniyoga-based practice.

With a background and continuing joyful engagement in dance and creative movement, Micki encourages her students to “move from the inside out.” She offers a challenging yet compassionate yoga practice that balances strengthening with stretching, flow with exacting instruction in alignment, and emphasizes breath and mindfulness, to create a moving meditation. Bringing warmth, humor and encouragement to the studio, Micki guides students to develop a high degree of body awareness for a safe and satisfying practice that respects each individual’s anatomical structure and life experience. Micki is registered with the Yoga Alliance as E-RYT200.

Kim Vulinovic

Yoga Instructor

Kim has over 20 years of yoga experience and is listed with Yoga Alliance as an experienced registered registered yoga teacher (E-RYT200). She earned her 200-hour teaching certification from Don Wenig of Dancing Feet Yoga, and has studied extensively with Gabriel Halpern of Yoga Circle, as well as many other local and nationally recognized teachers. Kim’s teaching style combines her knowledge of proper alignment with her love of vinyasa, creating a style that is both therapeutic and slowly flowing. Kim also specializes in children’s yoga, and holds a YogaKids certification. Kim has taught and trained children locally and led YogaKids seminars and workshops internationally.

Diana Shea

Yoga Instructor

Diana has over twenty years of experience as a yoga practitioner. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200), having completed her teaching certification in Hatha Yoga with the Temple of Kriya Yoga in 2006 (Chicago). In 2007, Diana completed her Prenatal Yoga teaching certification with Yama Studio (Baltimore) and her labor doula certification from Sinai Hospital (Baltimore).

Teresa Heit-Murray

Yoga Instructor

Teresa is a RYT 200 yang, yin, hatha and vinyasa flow teacher. She has been practicing yoga for over 12 years all over Chicago and Oak Park. Her classes focus on a body/mind awareness in a way that helps individual students find what works for their unique anatomy. She also has special training in healthy back solutions with Gabriel Helpern and Elise Miller (scoliosis specialist) as well as Yin Yoga with Paul and Susan Grilley. Teresa has a unique perspective on the physical benefits of yoga, as her practices has given her much relief from scoliosis. She focuses on core strength, posture, lengthening of muscles and tissue. Teresa is a dancer and designer who brings much creativity to her sequences and desire to be a good guide for exploring new poses in her classes.

Mindy O'Keefe

Yoga Instructor

In 2001, the owner of a floral design boutique and pregnant with her second child, Mindy was attracted to yoga because of the peacefulness and spiritual nature of the practice. Since that time she has practiced and extensively studied Ashtanga, Forrest, Yin, Restorative and Vinyasa styles of yoga. In 2010 she completed her 200 hr teacher training (200 CYT) at Chicago Yoga Center under the guidance of Suddha Weixler. Mindy’s yoga practice inspires her to live fully and free, to raise her 3 children more mindfully and to take those “bumps in the road” in stride. Her teaching style focuses on posture and alignment, while encouraging students to observe the mind, experience the breath, awaken the consciousness and simply enjoy taking the time to care for themselves.

Julie McKune

Yoga Instructor

Julie completed her 200-hour training with CorePower Yoga (2013) and her 500-hour training at Prairie Yoga (2016). She loves to authentically connect with her students and be a witness to their unique journeys. Julie strives to create a positive environment for her classes and encourages her students to be inspired by their own unique potential. Julie is a wife, mom to two wonderful children, interior designer, and a volunteer. She lives in Oak Park Illinois.

Linnea Larson

Yoga Instructor

Linnea Larson teaches Yin yoga- a new term coined recently, the focus of which is on keeping the connective tissue flexible and maintaining a open and receptive perspective during practice. She has studied yoga with many great teachers including, but not limited to: Amy Weintraub, Richard Miller, Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley, Paulie Zink, Suddha Weixler, Barbara Kohnhorst, Mary Louise Stefanic and Kate Wester.

Linnea has extensive healthcare and clinical experience and has developed one of the first mind/body clinics in Illinois. She was one of 20 Presidential appointees to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. She works with people interested in overall healing and flourishing using HeartMath tools, yoga and meditation. This unique teacher has practiced Vipassana meditation for 20 years and is trained as a facilitator in this practice under the teacher Shinzen Young. With a life-long interest in learning, Linnea likes to hear people’s stories and encourage their well-being through focused interaction.

Annie Walter

Yoga Instructor

Annie Walter was a yoga student in the 90’s. The goal then was simply to have relaxation and stress reduction. After more than ten years of being a student she felt the need to deepen her understanding of yoga and the possibility of sharing this art with others. Her 200-hr teaching certification from the Temple of Kriya was the beginning of her desire to seek disciplines with simple therapeutic models. Hatha yoga helps to understand the importance of breathing, Iyengar alignment and Eischens kinesiology with a mixture of the other two. Under the guidance of Kari Tomashik (the direct lineage of Eischens yoga from Roger Eischens) she became more in tune with the principles of Eischens and found the transformation work delightful. Students’ response to Eischens Yoga was amazing. Her studies also include Feldenkrais method, Tai Chi, Reiki and she is a certified Relax and Renew® trainer with Judith Hanson Lasater. Her classes deliver an amalgamated version of these various modules. She feels that this is what makes Eischens Yoga special because Roger Eischens had the vision of merging Eastern discipline with Western science!

Leslie Donahue

Yoga Instructor

Leslie Donahue is a yoga teacher and licensed massage therapist. She has focused on yoga since 1994 and has been teaching since 1998. Primarily influenced by Iyengar and Anusara styles, Leslie focuses extensively on form and uses hands-on adjustments (with the student’s permission) to help students deepen their understanding of how to deepen their experience of a pose.

MariJo Irbe

BeMoved® Instructor

Mari Jo Irbe, an accomplished performer, and teacher, has called Chicago “home” during much of her career. She has been a featured performer with River North Dance Chicago (RNDC), under the direction of both Sherry Zunker and Frank Chaves, for 15 years and served as the company’s rehearsal director for another 10 years. She has toured extensively, performing works by internationally acclaimed choreographers. Mari Jo also danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and toured nationally and internationally with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, under the direction of Randy Duncan. In 2001, MJ received the “Ruth Page Chicago and Music Alliance Dance Achievement Award”. MJ continues to choreograph, and teach extensively throughout the metropolitan area, as well as the U.S. She is currently on faculty at Loyola University of Chicago’s dance department and is thrilled to be a certified BeMoved® instructor. (A new dance fitness experience, designed by Sherry Zunker, for adults of all ages and skill levels).

Anja Munch

Yoga Instructor

Anja’s passion for the fitness industry resulted from her challenge as a young mother living with cancer. In 1996, out of high dose chemo treatment, she enrolled in an aqua aerobics class. Anja fought the odds and decided to share her journey as an educator in the health and fitness Industry. Today she teaches innovative fitness classes and youth sports school teams. Anja’s private clients receive frequent motivation and understanding of their individual needs. She has helped her clients to achieve their goals in weight loss training, agility training, progressive rehab training, and conscious fitness training.

Due to her experience as a cancer survivor, Anja has acquired a deeper understanding for the body’s limitations and its impact on emotional health, leading to a unique, sensitive approach when working with other cancer patients and survivors. Anja’s expertise is in Pilates and Yoga. She holds certifications in Advanced Stott Pilates, as well as Yoga Alliance and Yoga for Cancer Survivors. Other certifications include NIA- blue belt, Aqua Aerobics, Spinning, Moms in Motion (pre-, post-natal) and Reiki Level III. She has over 15 years teaching experience.

Maria Basualdo

Yoga Instructor

Maria’s dynamic and diverse teaching style draws both from the different yoga methodologies she has studied and also from her background as a modern dancer. She studied and worked as a professional dancer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in New York City for over a decade. It was after a severe injury that she decided to follow the path of yoga. Maria has been practicing yoga since 1985.

Her classes range from vigorous and athletic, to restorative and passive. Her instruction is precise, and she enjoys working with all levels. Certified in the Iyengar yoga method in 2000, she has studied for more than a decade with senior Iyengar teachers and the Iyengars themselves in Puna, India. She has also studied Ashtanga Yoga for several years with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India, Indra Devi style yoga in Buenos Aires and Jivamukti yoga in NYC.

Maria started teaching yoga in 1995. While living in Wisconsin, she taught yoga for the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the Dance Center. She taught at Centro de Iyengar Yoga for several years in Buenos Aires, as well as teaching numerous other workshops throughout the US and Argentina.

While living in Virginia, she founded the Iyengar Yoga Center of Richmond, and taught at Yoga Source. She moved to Chicago in 2006 with her husband and daughter. Maria has written for and been featured in several yoga publications; her yoga demonstrations have appeared on WNBC TV.

Rhonda Fentry

Yoga Instructor

Rhonda began working in the health and fitness industry in 1989, after a successful career as a professional dancer. With experience as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, fitness manager, and group fitness director at various health clubs throughout the Chicagoland area, Rhonda expanded her expertise to include yoga almost 15 years ago. Her many qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Human Movement from A.T. Still University, School of Health Science, as well as fitness certifications through the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, Physicalmind Institute, National Academy of Sports Medicine, as a certified Corrective Exercise and Performance Enhancement Specialist and her 200-hr Yoga teacher certificate in 2003 through Yogafit.

Rhonda continues to expand her yoga studies through classes at Corepower Yoga, Yoga By Degrees, and The Temple of Kriya Yoga. Throughout her career, Rhonda has had the great fortune of working with special populations such as cardiac rehab patients, women with osteoporosis, and fibromyalgia, pre/post natal women, obesity, and seniors, as well as conditioned athletes, and apparently healthy individuals ages 3 to 93. Rhonda has volunteered her services teaching Yoga and Pilates classes at homeless shelters and women’s shelters. Rhonda says that Yoga has opened up a new world for her, transforming her life, both as a teacher and as a student. She has personally experienced the healing effects of yoga on the body, mind, and spirit and is excited to share this with her students.

Andrea Edwards

Nia Instructor

Andrea has been practicing Nia since 2004 and has been a certified instructor since 2009. She was captivated by Nia’s unique fusion of dance arts, healing arts and martial arts. “In my first Nia class, I was taken by the combination of dynamic kicks and punches with fluid, graceful motion.

I felt completely immersed in the class, detached from stress, all while getting a powerful, but fun, workout” she recalls. Five years later, she received her first belt in Nia. Her students have said Nia class makes them feel both energized and calm, has improved their body image and is the only aerobic workout that makes them smile. “Each Nia class brings out that same joy in me, and I love sharing that joy with others” she says. She lives in Oak Park with her husband and two sons.

Annelie Palmer

Yoga Instructor

Hatha Yoga practitioner. Annelie has more than 30 years experience in the practice of yoga- 20 of those years at the TFC, having started the yoga program here! Annelie is well-known for her focus on the individual and his/her special needs.

Amy Jill Hardiek

Yoga Instructor

Amy Jill Hardiek began her yoga journey in 1996 and completed her teacher training in Hatha yoga at the Chicago Yoga Center with Suddha Weixler in 2010. She received a yin yoga certification from Paulie Zink and trained with Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers, Judith Hanson Lasater, Leeann Carey and Elise Browning Miller, among others to expand her teaching skills in restorative styles of yoga. She also teaches mindful vinyasa and aerial yoga. Amy’s mission is to help people feel good in their yoga practice regardless of individual physical limitations. Her own scoliosis related back issues, as well as wrist, knee and hamstring injuries, have brought increased awareness of balancing stability, strengthening and stretching. Amy encourages a mindful, consistent practice partially inspired by the Tao Te Ching Verse 63 philosophy of achievement with ease through a series of small steps.

A lifelong musician, Amy trained as a sound therapist in 2017, and often adds instruments such as Tibetan bowls and chimes to her yoga classes to soothe both mind and body. As a professional jazz singer/pianist, she has recorded two CDs, taught many private lessons and performed for many years in the Chicago area. She lives in Oak Park with her musician husband and two spoiled kitties. Other passions include gardening, cooking, traveling, Brazilian music and the Portuguese language.

Candace Lee

Instructor

Yoga has been instrumental in Candace’s life since she was 18 years old and training to be a professional dancer. Her self taught practice helped her grow stronger both physically and mentally and created new pathways for positive self awareness and stress management. Yoga reminds her to live authentically in the present. Candace’s non-judgemental teaching style and compassion-centered philosophy engages and empowers clients to understand the interior landscape of their bodies. With thoughtfulness and wisdom clients explore and expand their movement potential and strength. They accomplish this through Dance, Yoga, Pilates, and Feldenkrais while combining imagery and new movement experiences with courage and positivity. Candace’s sacred connection to movement is fueled by moonlit, late night meditations accompanied by the musical musings of her husband Christopher and the vitality of her 3 children’s journey into yoga and movement. They challenge her to let go and keep evolving into her best self.