The Art of Personal Transformation
200-hour Yoga Teacher Training & Certification
October 6th, 2026 - April 25th, 2027

Nicole Schneider is a full-time traveling yoga teacher, 500HR RYT, YACEP, with training in multiple Hatha styles. Along with her full teaching schedule, Nicole assists in leading Yoga Teaching programs, leads private and corporate yoga sessions, supports community efforts through yoga fundraising events, and shares her teachings online, in after school programs, outdoor classes, yoga workshops and trainings across the Chicagoland area. Nicole has developed her own Restorative Yoga Teacher Training Program and is passionate about training other teachers and students in the art of relaxation. With a global finance background and Northwestern MBA, Nicole understands the stress of corporate life and enjoys helping others cultivate their own peace and balance through yoga and meditation.

Visit www.justbewithnicole.com to learn more about Nicole and her yoga offerings.

Em’s spiritual curiosity began in childhood, sparked by a fascination with the mind and the nature of existence. This inquiry led her to study psychology, Law of Attraction, subconscious reprograming, yoga, energy, and the nature of consciousness through meditative states and deep presence. In 2017, she completed her first yoga teacher training, and by 22, she took a leap of faith—stepping into ownership of Rising Lotus Healing Center alongside her mother. Together, they transformed it into a sanctuary for healing, self-discovery, and spiritual expansion, later extending this mission worldwide through transformational retreats.

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Since 2019, Em has served as the lead trainer for the Rising Lotus School of Yoga & Wellness 200-hour Teacher Training Program, certifying nearly one hundred students. With over 10,000 hours of teaching experience, she blends ancient wisdom with modern science to support others in reconnecting with their authenticity, inner power, and embodied truth.

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Today, as the owner of Rising Lotus, certified Owaken breathwork facilitator, energy worker, yoga teacher, sound therapist, and intuitive coach, she bridges the seen and unseen to guide others home to themselves.

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Her intention is always the same: to help others reclaim their power, embody their authentic medicine, and remember who they truly are—beyond stories, roles, and form.

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Emile's Training & Certifications:​

• B.A. in General Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago 

• E-RYT 200 Hatha Yoga, Vita Sireikis 

• E-RYT 200 Kundalini Yoga, Samadhi Banks

• E-RYT 300 In-Depth Iyengar Yoga (Yoga Therapy Focused), Gabriel Halpern 

• Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator, Owaken Breathwork       

• Master Reiki Healer, Jenni Maes & Shaman Jay

• Sound Vibrational Therapist, Shaman Jay

• Living Wisdom: Bridge Between Yoga & Activism (80 hrs), Bex Tyrer

• Unwind the Feminine (80 hrs), Bex Tyrer

• Yoga Nidra (50 hrs), Caley Alyssa

• Restorative Yoga (20 hrs), Nicole Schneider

• Para Yoga (12 hrs), Rod Stryker

• Yoga on a Quantum Level (10 hrs), Gina Antoun

• Foundations of Meditation (10 hrs), Gina Antoun

Gabriel Halpern holds a BA in Philosophy, an MA in Health Psychology, and was trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institutes in San Francisco and Pune, India, by Iyengar himself. Gabriel has practiced since 1970 and gives workshops nationally. He founded and directed the Yoga Circle in Chicago, IL from 1985 until 2018. For over twenty years he was a core performance faculty member at De Paul University’s Theater Department. In 2011, he was awarded the Elder/Mentor of the Year by the Mankind Project. Owing to the direct influence of BKS Iyengar and 50 years of continuous practice and study, Gabriel’s teaching is all that is yoga: zeal in practice, science, art form, lifestyle, and mystical mentoring. At 76, he has finally turned into the ritual elder he has been seeking his whole life.

Rich Logan has traveled the world studying and teaching massage therapy and Yoga. He has been on faculty at the Chicago School of Massage therapy and The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. As well he has taught in the Indian based Teacher Training group Rishikul in their Nepal program.  He teaches yoga anatomy for several teacher trainings in Chicagoland as well as workshops in the surrounding area. Rich has also been a guest speaker on Western massage techniques at the Auyurvedic College in Mysore, India. He has also taught adjustment and anatomy oriented yoga courses for yoga teachers in Hamburg, Germany.  He has presented at Wanderlust Chicago, teaching well over a thousand students in Grant Park.  He was also a featured yoga presenter at Bhakti fest Midwest in Madison.  He also has been performing with Kirtan groups in Chicago since 2002 as a guitarist and fronts his own group with a revolving band of world-class musicians called Akoustikirtan.  A serious student of Yoga since 1998, teaching since 2001 and a meditation practitioner since 1978, Rich incorporates his knowledge of anatomy and physiology with a unique understanding of spirituality in the modern world. Rich has studied at the prestigious Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Madras, India with TKV Desikachar among others presiding, The Atma Vikasa in Mysore with Yogacharya V. Venkatesha and wife Acharye Hema, The Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Center near Dharamsala with Sharat Arora.  Rich's significant teachers have been, Kim Shwartz, Tias Little, Aadil Palkhivala, Gabriel Halpern and Anna Forrest. Rich has also assisted Tias Little in workshops as well as his Esalen retreat in 08. He continues to study at the Yoga Circle under the tutelage of the enigmatic and brilliant Gabriel Halpern in the Iyengar tradition.  Rich has an eclectic teaching style focusing on the seeming basics to allow for a deeper practice by sitting in some poses for extended periods and moving through other postures smoothly with deliberation attention on placing ourselves in the pose as opposed to habitual patterns and gravity running the show.  A mindful practice is focused on, bringing us to the edge of ‘experience’ to ‘witness’ the moment unfold and realize it is us who is the unfolding.

Through her own spiritual awakening, & altruistic Aquarian nature, Gina has dedicated her life to sacred service. Her curiosity, along with a Sagittarius moon placement sparks her passion for higher learning & esoteric study which she infuses in all of her offerings. Gina is a certified yoga teacher, and offers her expertise in yoga teacher training modules. She serves as a meditation guide, Reiki energy practitioner & ceremony facilitator of lunar rituals & sacred rites. She has hosted local & international retreats, workshops, women’s circles, specialized courses and events that promote higher consciousness, well being and community connection.

In 2021, Gina began an in depth course of study in Mystery School teachings of the Desert Rose, receiving her ordination as a Priestess of Mary Magdalene, upholding the mystical feminine teachings & rituals of the Rosa Mystica. She infuses Egyptian energy medicine practices & lunar wisdom from this lineage in her ongoing offerings.

Gina is co-founder, along with her husband Joe, of Inspiritus Alchemy, a magickal cottage in Willow Springs where Gina runs a holistic hair salon business offering energy infused, conscious hair services. The upstairs loft of IA is a temple space, fondly dubbed, The Red Temple where she offers Magdalene Alchemy Meditation Practices, Shabbat, Women's Circles, Private Empowerment Sessions and Psychedelic Integration mentorship

You can connect with Gina every Tuesday morning at Rising Lotus for her signature Light Body Activation class, as well as monthly community New Moon Rituals.

Stay connected on socials @InspiritusAlchemy or stay tuned at www.inspiritusalchemy.com Ahava, Gina

In 2010 Karla discovered Ayurveda.

"I was overjoyed to discover that all of my thoughts and feelings about humanity the world at large, along with all that I had learned about healthy eating, had a NAME. I love and wholeheartedly believe in this practice. It has brought me back to my beginnings and allowed me to be in tune with nature and the ancient healing of my ancestors."

Karla is extremely passionate about bringing the healing power of the Ayurvedic lifestyle to her community.

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Karla A. Cain, CAP

• National Ayurvedic Medical Association Professional Member

• NAMA Board-Certified Āyurveda Practitioner

• NCCBAM Certified Āyurveda Clinical Supervisor

• Āyurveda Body Therapeutics

• ERYT1000, Yoga Alliance CE Provider

• Vedic Psychology, ACE Behavioral Change Specialist

• Holistic Business Mentor & Consultant

• President, Āyurveda Professionals of Arizona

• Board of Directors, National Consortium of Āyurveda Medicine

• Adjunct Faculty, Ānanda Āyurveda Academy - Willowbrook, IL

We are brining in a Business Growth & Marketing Specialist Garry Johnson from Hip & Cool Marketing Inc., to help you understand and establish the skills, tools and mind set to be a successful Yoga Instructor.

His holistic and unique approach to growing a Yoga Business is a perfect match for the Yogi/Yogini who wants to have full classes with the ability to develop a loyal following of students who will pay for whatever you have to offer.

Garry brings over 26 years of experience and success in building from scratch, growing and even running businesses in the fitness and health and wellness industry. As a direct result of his coaching, marketing, sales and innovative business systems he has helped Entrepreneurs generate over $100 Million in product and services.

He is a retired Master Hypnotherapist who logged over 20,000 individual sessions in his career, taught and certified some of North America's top Hypnotherapists and is an accomplished Instructor Level Black Belt in 2 different Kung Fu Systems. 

He is an International Speaker, Author and Father of 3 beautiful girls, ages 7, 16 and 29.