Inspiring Actions LLC - River Falls Staff Bios, River Falls, WI

Alexa

Yoga Instructor

Who doesn’t want to check out some trees in Downward Facing Dog?! That pretty much sums up what we all want our yoga-in-the-park teacher to hold as an unofficial motto, now doesn’t it? That’s our Alexa! An enthusiast for all things outdoors in our beautiful St. Croix Valley, Alexa often weaves that love into her class music and themes, whether they are outdoor or indoor at Inspiring Actions. Outside of the studio and away from her hotel business, Alexa uses the time she spends kayaking, hiking, fly fishing, reading and walking the dog to regularly practice her personal mindfulness and breath work, which then gets parlayed into her Mixed Level, Beginning and Restorative classes in a way that leaves students feeling refreshed and relaxed. ¿Y hablas español? ¡Alexa también!

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center
CPR certified

Ali

Yoga Instructor

Ali describes her discovery of yoga as a breath of fresh air…though since her background is rich in Hot Yoga, that “fresh air” is relative! Ali’s path to becoming a teacher has lead her through Bikram, Vinyasa, and Restorative Yoga as well as meditation practices, including a training with Rama Jyoti Vernon. A perfect reason to take a class with Ali is that she embodies what we are: a yoga and wellness center. Ali’s professional and educational life centers on whole body health, so in addition to teaching yoga, Ali has a master’s degree in Holistic Health Studies as well as certifications in several health-related modalities, making her the perfect candidate to answer your questions regarding healing and wellness. That’s her life’s work, and she’s excited to share it!

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, Boulevard Yoga and Healing Arts, Kansas City, MO
Yoga for Recovery, Recovery Yoga Meetings, St. Paul, MN
Trauma-Informed Yoga, Firefly Yoga International
Yoga for Cancer Care, Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center, Mendota Heights, MN
MA Holistic Health Studies, St. Catherine University, Minneapolis, MN
Reiki Master Teacher, Angelic Healing Center, Norwalk, CT
Healing Touch Levels 1 and 2, Healing Touch International

Angela

Yoga Instructor

Angela began her yoga path in 2008, and since then she says, “I haven’t found a style yet that I haven’t enjoyed!” Originally drawn to Vinyasa styles, Angela has morphed into the go-to woman for all things restorative at Inspiring Actions. Not every studio can say that their lead restorative teacher has trained with Judith Hanson Lasater, the foremost expert in Restorative Yoga in the United States, but we can! It is this love for – and experience in – many styles of yoga that makes Angela feel that essential part of that process is the exploration of the here and now because the yoga our body craves from day to day, month to month, and year to year will change. She is skilled at helping students figure out when each style of yoga is right for their body, so please ask her! Angela’s most recent trainings are in Thai yoga bodywork as well as restorative and yin yoga styles, and if you’ve ever taken one of her classes, you’ll feel her expertise immediately. We’ve found one problem with that though: when the time is up, no one wants to leave her class!

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
Relax and Renew® Restorative Yoga Teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater
Thai Yoga Bodywork, Yoga & More, Hudson, WI
Reiki First Degree
YogaFit level 1
First Aid certified
CPR certified
AED certified

Sunday

1:00

–

2:00

PM Yoga Nidra Indoor River Falls

1:00

–

2:00

PM Yoga Nidra Virtual Zoom

Anjelica

Anjelica Kinney, RYT 200

Yoga Instructor

Each of us deserves a welcoming and safe environment to give back to our mind and body. Anjelica has used this as a guiding principle in her Hatha-based classes in studios, at festivals, and in community education since she began teaching in 2015. It's pretty special when personal and professional interests both align with wellness center offerings, and this is at the heart of Anjelica's strengths. Her parallel paths of practicing reiki, working as a birth doula, and pursuing a doctorate in acupuncture and Chinese medicine inform her yoga classes, but we would argue that being a ceramic artist comes up just as much! Just like when hands transform simple clay into captivating sculpture, transformation happens on our mat, and the possibilities are endless. Anjelica, a teacher with an artist's mind, helps her students leave the outside world at the studio doors and re-enter after class sculpted just a little bit differently.

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, MCTC, Minneapolis, MN

Usui Level 2 Reiki Healer

Yoga Nidra Certification, Shiva Shakti School of Yoga, New York

Birth Doula Certification, Enlightened Mama, St. Paul, MN

CPR and AED certifications

Sunday

10:30

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11:30

AM Hatha I & II Mix Indoor River Falls

Carly

Yoga Instructor

The teenage years are an impressionable time, so it’s fitting that Carly, the woman who took her first yoga class with her mom at 15 years old, is now a yoga teacher. There’s something about those first classes that just stuck for her. Her own practice runs the gamut from Restorative to Heated Power, so expect to see Carly leading a variety of classes at Inspiring Actions. But no matter the class, her goal is always the same: for students to leave class feeling better than when they started. Other than a great yoga class, what makes Carly’s day feel better than when it started? Being outside! This Forest Science major loves to be outdoors hiking, kayaking, camping, birding, or all of the above.

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center
DONA Birth Doula certification, Enlightened Mama, St. Paul, MN
CPR certified

Dana

Yoga Instructor

Dana first started practicing yoga when Inspiring Actions opened in 2008, and she shortly realized that yoga had significantly increased her flexibility and decreased her pain after back surgery. She was hooked! From then on, Dana sought to learn more and became part of the inaugural class of Inspiring Actions Teacher Training, spurring her interest in vinyasa flow and other heated practices. Since then, Dana has also completed Inspiring Actions’ Yin Yoga training and also trained with John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga. Dana is also the girl to go to if you simply need someone to brag to about your latest catch because your family doesn’t want to hear it any more – Dana is musky-killing powerhouse!

Related Certifications:

200-hour certification, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
YogaFit level 1
CPR

Debbie Hill, RYT 200

Yoga Instructor

Since 1994, Deb’s yoga path is one that has included experiences from Yoga Fit trainings, to practicing Bikram yoga for two years, to teaching Downward Facing Dog and Warrior poses to kids in a village in Africa in 2011! Her “day job” as a flight attendant brings her all over the world, so it’s appropriate that her yoga practice has taken a similar journey, pulling from various traditions and including a little bit from here, there and everywhere.

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
Yoga Fit level 1
CPR

Erin

Yoga Instructor

Coming from a long line of teachers, Erin began practicing yoga in 2004 as a way to find balance to her day job teaching high school French and AP Art History in Lakeville, MN. Having grown up in River Falls, she came back to the area to teach yoga at Inspiring Actions in 2009. Erin’s classes are infused with a strong alignment focus and a holistic view, speaking not just to the physical but to the energetic body as well. With a “yoga mutt” background that includes Iyengar, Bikram, Ashtanga, Yin and Anusara, Erin’s primary practice is Power Vinyasa, and she has attended trainings with Baron Baptiste, David Swenson, Seane Corn and TeriLeigh Schmidt. Come to Erin’s Power Vinyasa classes to get your butt kicked….in a very fun-loving way that will keep you coming back, of course!

Related Certifications:

300-hour RYT certification, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
200-hour RYT certification, Sun Moon Yoga, Mankato, MN
CPR

Jackie

Yoga Instructor

In her first yoga class ever, Jackie made a startling (albeit, common) discovery: for 51 years she had be breathing wrong! Yikes! While it quickly gave her tools to reduce stress, Jackie is an avid equestrian and was amazed at what yoga contributed to her riding skills as well as just about any other skill needed to shine throughout the day. If you attend one of Jackie’s classes, you will notice her skill in applying what you do on the mat during your yoga practice to what might be included in your life off the mat. Simply because she has used her yoga skills off the mat in productive ways and is continually learning, Jackie is a great sounding board for those questions, so don’t be afraid to ask! One of her goals in teaching yoga is to help share with others how you can maintain balance, strength and flexibility while you age….and how to do that with both grace and humor!

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
Certified Personal Trainer

Friday

9:30

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10:30

AM Gentle Yoga Virtual FB

9:30

–

10:30

AM Gentle Yoga Indoor River Falls

Jennifer

Yoga Instructor

If you’re sending your child to a Yoga Kids Camp or a Girls Yoga Workshop, who better to plan and lead activities for your child than Jennifer, who has been teaching elementary-age students since 2000? With a Master’s degree in Education, Jennifer Mankowski is a leader in shaping the offerings for kids at Inspiring Actions. Her primary focus is in building kids and adolescent body confidence and self-esteem through yoga, and if you’ve seen the pictures of her yoga camps, it’s clear the kids have an awesome time doing it! Jennifer’s interests don’t stop there, however. She teaches adult classes as well, maintaining a special interest in vinyasa yoga. In 2013, Jennifer launched The Light Within, a life coaching and spiritual consultation business that is now a part of the offerings in the Wellness Center here.

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, TeriLeigh LLC, Hudson, WI
Kids Yoga, Little Lotus Kids Yoga
Certified Life Coach & Spiritual Mentor, Behavioral Healthcare
Consulting Training Institute

Katie

Yoga Instructor

Who better to teach a Gentle Yoga class than a woman with degrees in Early Childhood and Elementary Education? Patience, understanding and gentleness come with the territory! Enter: Katie Fredrickson! Katie came to Inspiring Actions in 2016, and although she started teaching Gentle Yoga, don’t be surprised to see her teaching many other classes—especially Vinyasa, which is one of her favorites. Studying with Brooke Boon, author of Hatha Yoga Illustrated, and the use of essential oils are two important benchmarks of Katie’s training. Katie incorporates the oils into her practice, and if you have questions about the hows and whys of the powerful yoga and essential oil combination, you’re the perfect candidate for Katie’s classes. As with any class at Inspiring Actions, come with questions and ask away!

Related Certifications:

200-hour HYI, Holy Yoga
500-hour M-HYI, Holy Yoga
CPR
First Aid
AED
Group Exercise Certification

Kelsey

Yoga Instructor

One of the things we hear at Inspiring Actions all the time is that our students love the variety of yoga classes we offer, taught by instructors with vastly diverse backgrounds. Kelsey fits into this niche perfectly with her expertise in “all things baby” yoga! As a mom to two girls and a boy, Kelsey blends motherhood and extensive pre/post-natal yoga training to bring an assortment of classes for soon-to-be and new moms. These classes can vary with the seasons, but expect to see Kelsey leading any of the following: Prenatal Yoga, Postnatal Yoga, Mommy/Daddy & Baby Yoga and Crawlers Yoga. Women who attend prenatal classes describe feeling less stress and experiencing easier deliveries; parents who attend Mommy/Daddy & Baby Yoga report bicep strength like they’ve never had before; and Crawlers Yoga attendees note an awesome new kind of parent-child fun! What’s not to love?

Related Certifications:

200-hour RYT certification, Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center, Mendota Heights, MN
Prenatal Yoga certification, Blooma, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Pre/Postnatal Advanced certification, Blooma, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Birth Doula certification, Enlightened Mama, St. Paul, MN

Monday