Pure Yoga

Sarah Groskreutz is a certified integrative heath coach and yoga teacher. She began her yoga and meditation practice as a way to heal chronic pain and manage anxiety. The freedom in mind, body, and spirt she found through these practices inspired her to pursue her 200-hour training at Pure Yoga and share the benefits with others.

 

Sarah's passion is guiding people to find more energy, joy, and meaningful connection in their lives. She finds this herself through time in nature, yoga, meditation, dance, and lots of laughter with her husband, family, and friends.

Matthew Heald is a rambunctious strength trainer and previous body builder.  As owner of Huge Iron Gym in Scandia, MN he has helped athletes increase their strength, power and confidence through “old school” weight training. Looking to increase his flexibility, he was encouraged by a friend to attend a yoga class.   Seeing the benefits of yoga, Matthew decided to become a yoga instructor and graduated from the first 200 hour training program at Pure Yoga. 

Alex began practicing yoga as a way to heal her body and mind after playing college basketball. The asana is what drew her to the practice, the prana is what made her stay. After years of toying with the idea of completing YTT, Alex found the perfect fit in Pure Yoga's teacher training program and achieved her 200 hour RYT certification in May 2019. 

 

Off the mat, Alex is an occupational therapist working in home care and mental health and brings her insight about the body and mind into every yoga class. Alex's intention is to have something for everyone in each of the classes she guides, creating a sequence that can be easily adapted for the specific class's needs that day. Alex works to find the “just right” challenge for each practitioner, because in the space between ease and daring, there is no telling the transformation that will arise.

A passionate Yogini, E-RYT 200, and Energy Healer, Suzy Schaak has worked with thousands of students. She opened her studio, Pure Yoga, over 10 years ago to create a welcoming, gathering place where river valley residents could stretch body, mind, and spirit. Pure Yoga has won “The Best Yoga Studio in the River Valley” every year since 2011 as well as being a finalist for “Best Yoga Studio in the Twin Cities” in City Pages. 

“I’m in the business of transformation. My studio and my teaching are about much more than the physical practice of yoga. I’m about meeting each student where they’re at physically and emotionally.

When I step into a classroom, I take my students on a journey Sometimes my job is about supporting them to face their fears…even as simply as approaching a yoga pose in a playful way. I intentionally challenge my students to step outside their comfort zone by encouraging them to listen to their own inner guidance. 

I don’t believe that yoga and meditation need to be so serious. I want to allow my students the experience without feeling like there is a right or wrong way along their journey. Just enjoy the amazing benefits of yoga and have some fun!”

I approach my healing sessions in much the same way.  Each session has an organic rhythm. My intention is to open and release your energetic and emotional blocks.  In doing this, we bring you back to your natural state of peace, balance & vibrant health by awakening your own power within. When you live in the power of your own love, all resistance falls away and you have the freedom to create a life that is beyond your wildest dreams.”

Erin has a passion for making a connection with students and wants them to discover something new on the mat each class. She wants you to show up with no expectations on yourself and will challenge you to break out of your comfort zone and open up to new possibilities on and off your yoga mat. 

Erin has lived in Minnesota her whole life, and when not teaching yoga she enjoys spending time with family and friends, loves to sing karaoke, and also teaches kickboxing and strength training.  

Erin began teaching yoga in 2011 after receiving her 200 hour RYT certification as a part of Pure Yoga’s very first teacher training program. She began teaching to share her love of the practice with others and help them on their journey of self growth. Erin is a 500 hour E-RYT with the Yoga Alliance and a member of the Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider® (YACEP®). She is also a Certified Baptiste Yoga Teacher and a representative of the Baptiste Institute as a graduate of the Fit to Lead program and is committed to bring the Baptiste Methodology to Minnesota.

Hannah’s yoga practice began at age 16 when she started attending classes at a small local studio in her hometown. This initial introduction sparked a deep interest in yoga, meditation, Eastern philosophy, and mindful movement. In addition to teaching yoga, she has a doctorate degree in physical therapy and is passionate about helping others get back to the activities they love to do. Hannah is fascinated by anatomy, posture, and bodywork, and how to create healing and transformation through movement and mindfulness. When not teaching or working as a PT, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, skiing, running, cooking, and checking out the food scene in the Twin Cities. She is excited to be part of the Pure Yoga team and to connect with you!  

Chris Gordon, LMT, RTT, ERYT-500

Chris Gordon is a certified thai massage therapist, yoga instructor, and mentor that is dedicated to helping his students develop a more mindful and more powerful path as a healer.

He has studied with Thai massage masters in Thailand and Laos, as well as the United States. With over 10 years experience teaching the art of Thai massage, his trainings offer clear instruction, intuitive guidance, and hands-on learning.

Chris is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education approved provider and by THAI (Thai Healing Alliance International) as an approved instructor.

I am excited to be teaching RIPPED at Pure Yoga! I am a health and physical education teacher at Stillwater Area High School.  I am also an assistant coach for the Stillwater HS Varsity Softball team that won the 2018 State Championship and took 2nd in 2019! I live in Scandia with my husband and two children who are 8 and 6 years old.  I look forward to seeing you all in a RIPPED class!

Kim is a E-200RYT/500RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher), Reiki Master, Level 4 Qigong, Lightbody Energy Healer as well as a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard.

Kim is also the owner and founder of Brown Dog Paddleboard Co! She has years of experience on the water teaching hundreds of students Stand Up Paddleboarding.  She not only shares her passion for SUP & Yoga but empowers you to find your own passion on the water or in your practice. Kim is a Level 2 WPA Certified Paddleboard Instructor and Certified Master Paddle Into Fitness Instructor.

Heather Ramsay, RYT 200, with additional certifications in Yoga Sculpt and Little Kids Lotus(11/2018). She continues to refine her skills as an instructor and student and has found a new appreciation for the capability of the body, mind and breath/Prana. As the body is ever changing, she keeps this in mind for each class, removing judgment and expectations. Knowing the benefits of Yoga, Heather works with intention making each class accessible, offering modifications and freedom of movement based on what each individual body needs. 

Heather is married to her supportive husband Brady and together they have two active boys.  Heather has a culinary degree from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in AZ and now focuses on healthy, tasty food. She spends her free time gardening, crafting, knitting, walking the family’s Golden Retriever and sharing joyful moments with her incredible friends.

 

I started practicing yoga when I was an equestrian trainer and instructor. Although my horses and I had great form from the outside I suffered from back pain on the inside. It was then in my yoga practice I found healing by finding proper spinal alignment and core activation with each asana. I was able to take that off my mat and into the saddle,  literally! Not only that yoga gave me a sense of self confidence and self love that I truly needed.  I decided to pursue my passion of teaching and yoga and share that healing with others and became a yoga instructor.  Together with my other half, Chad, we have quite a bit of for babies two horses,  Midget and Blue, and two dogs, Stella and Emma. Along with yoga I enjoy riding, strength training, painting, dance, and just being outside enjoying nature on the farm, kayaking on the river or just a simple bon fire under the stars.  

Emily trained in New York with some of the best instructors in the Pilates industry.  A long-time Pilates enthusiast who came to know her body, her athleticism, and her leadership skills through movement, Emily builds confidence and community wherever she goes. She is committed to offering a variety of fitness modes for her clientele. Emily believes good health and good friends are for everyone. 

I began practicing yoga 20 years at age 18 in a community center purely for fitness. At first, yoga was a form of exercise I just really enjoyed and my complimented marathon trainings. As my practice evolved, and my experiences of the philosophies of yoga deepened, so too did my acceptance of what health, for my physical, emotional, and spiritual body looked and more specifically FELT like. As an RN with 13 years of cardiac experience and training in holistic health care, I am especially interested in the healing properties yoga offers to those suffering with chronic diseases, many of which are worsened by chronic pain and stress. I decided to do a teacher training, and completed the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Pure Yoga. My intention was to deepen my personal practice (of both yoga and nursing). I did not intend on teaching in a class setting. But from the first moment I started teaching, I absolutely loved it. It felt like bringing my love of nursing back to the core of healing. I am RYT 200, registered with Yoga Alliance. Yoga to me is equal parts empowerment and surrender, both connecting to and expanding from our inner world. Every time I step on my mat I learn something. I look forward to learning and practicing with you. Namaste!

Related Certifications and Education:

• 200-hour RYT certification (registered with Yoga Alliance), Pure Yoga, Stillwater, MN
• In process: Health Coaching Certification, National Society of Health Coaches
• Registered Nurse (MN and WI), Registered Public Health Nurse
• Masters of Arts in Nursing: Transcultural and Community Health Nursing. Augsburg University

Brita brings elements of dance to her teaching style and finds joy in blending the two arts with soulful, upbeat music.

Brita holds a BA in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of St. Thomas. She is a former Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader and holds several certifications including a Holistic Fitness Specialist, YogaFit, NETA, STOTT Pilates, Zumba, PiYo, Pure Yoga Barre and Beyond Barre.

Brita lives in Stillwater with her husband, their two children and German Shepard, Pacino Wolfgang Amodais.

Pablo was introduced to yoga in 1992 while working as a touring musician. Traveling city-to-city and country-to-country for almost five years, while glamorous and exciting, had begun to take a toll. Seeking a means for better sleep and a clear mind, Pablo found ashtanga yoga, a practice handed down from Krishnamacharya, the godfather of all modern yoga, to his pupil Sri K Pattabhi Jois. Pablo immersed himself into his practice, studying postures, alignment, breathwork, anatomy, and philosophy.

Pablo has studied ashtanga with David Swenson, Kino MacGregor, Tim Feldman, and Patrick Nolan, and hatha yoga with Rod Stryker and Bikram Choudhury. He has taken pranayama classes with Max Strom and Patrick Nolan and anatomy and yin classes with Dr. Paul Grilley. His Thai yoga massage studies with Cheri Clampet Borda and Arturo Peel allowed him to deepen his knowledge, specifically with bodies that have experienced injury or trauma. He has put this training to work for many years as an outreach volunteer with Lutheran Social Services, Project Pride for Living, and The Link where he teaches yoga to homeless youths, people recovering form addiction, and those transitioning in life.

Drawing on his years of direct experience and training Pablo will help guide you to a deeper understanding of your own practice. Pablo's yoga training and experience includes a 200-hour vinyasa certification, 40-hour Primary Series Ashtanga certification, 40-hour Intermediate Series certification, 40-hour Para Yoga Certification, 40-hour training in Therapeutic and Thai yoga massage, and over 24 years of yoga practice.

Pablo is available for private instruction, offering posture alignment and breath work, discussion of yogic practice and philosophy, and Thai yoga massage.