Our Teachers

Born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1996 and raised in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Emile (Em) was shaped by the contrast of two worlds. Moving to the U.S. at six without knowing the language taught her adaptability and resilience, while summers spent traveling solo with her sister across Lithuania, Africa, Turkey, and Greece nurtured her curiosity, reverence for diverse cultures, and love of exploration. By eighteen, she was traveling independently, prioritizing experiences over possessions, and by twenty-eight, she had explored over fifteen countries—many in the developing world—where she witnessed the richness of simplicity, the power of community, and a deep respect for Mother Earth, experiences that laid the foundation for her work in healing and transformation.

 

Her path has also been shaped by profound loss. Childhood trauma and the later passing of both her best friend and father became catalysts for deep inner work. Rather than letting grief close her heart, she allowed it to expand her—teaching her presence, compassion, and the transformative power of love. These experiences, along with periods of deep disconnection from her body and truth, now inform the gentle, intuitive, and reverent way she holds space for others.

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Em’s spiritual curiosity began in adolescence, sparked by a fascination with the mind and the nature of existence. This inquiry led her to study psychology, explore meditation and subconscious reprogramming, and dive deeply into yogic and energetic practices. 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. In 2023, she launched YOGAEM, an on-demand platform devoted to yoga, mental and emotional mastery, and soul evolution. 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, Em embodies the archetype of the wounded healer—one who transforms pain into purpose and teaches that healing is not about erasing hardship but embracing the full spectrum of human experience. As the owner of Rising Lotus, founder of YOGAEM.com, certified energy worker, 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 (2018)

• E-RYT 200 – Hatha Yoga, Vita Sireikis (2017)

• RYT 200 – Kundalini Yoga, Samadhi Banks (2020)

• RYT 300 – In-Depth Iyengar Yoga (Yoga Therapy Focused), Gabriel Halpern (2022)

• Trauma-Informed Breathwork Coaching (200+ hrs), Owaken Breathwork (in progress, graduating April 2026)

• Master Reiki Healer, Jenni Maes & Shaman Jay

• Sound Vibrational Therapist, Shaman Jay

• Specialized Studies:

  • 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

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starlite 🌟 received her 200hr YTT in 2016. starlight is very passionate about the meditative aspect of yoga, connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit. She brings many styles of yoga into her classes, always making sure to dedicate time to create a space for stillness during practice. With her powerful meditative guidance, you truly open up the path to go into a space of stillness and peace within and feel the unity you share will all of life. 

 

"Greetings. Eye am. Reflections abound. Healing me healing you. Describing me describing you. Loving me loving you. Slightly more yin than yang, and also more yang than yin. Eye balance like fire. Unpredictability is the plan, more of an evolution than a class. Are you breathing, or are you being breathed? Release. A loss, a purge, a deep wonderment that bends all cells, one. Breathe in the exhale. Notice. Just look at it. Come with me, be come a receiver. Abundant. Pure. Fulfilled. Now inhale. This always was an introduction to your cellf. Love you."

A RYT-200 teacher, Diane began practicing yoga late in life as a way to round out her cardio and strength training while increasing her decreasing flexibility. After just one class, she discovered that yoga was so much more… a true balancing of mind, body and spirit.

 

Diane loves to share her love of yoga asana, breath work and a sense of inner peace in her classes. Knowing that every day is a unique experience, so too is your yoga practice. Her philosophy is to let the poses meet the body where it is today, not trying to push your body to fit the poses, while developing your own self-awareness.

 

When not practicing or teaching yoga, Diane loves to walk in nature, kayak, try new vegetarian/vegan recipes, read, listen to music and enjoy family time.

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.

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Jennifer discovered the transformative power of yoga at a time when life seemed overwhelming and stressful, which resulted in feeling burnt out from the corporate world and fast-paced society in which we live. Yoga opened a path to the journey of self-discovery, self-mastery, and embodiment. Jennifer completed her 200-hour YTT certification in 2017 and since then continues to lead classes that explore the connection between breath awareness, skillful movement, and mindful intention.

She aims to create a supportive environment where students can safely experience the celebration of movement and yoga as medicine. Jennifer encourages students to approach their yoga practice as an opportunity to deepen connection to the self, build confidence, reinforce self-love, cultivate discipline, and unlock creative expression. It is her intention for students to leave feeling connected, grounded, and inspired to take their yoga practice with them off their mat and into their daily life.

Inga is a long-time yoga student who was introduced to Pranayama practice in 1987 at the age of 14 and started her asana practice about a decade later. Inga completed her first 125-hour teacher training with Suddha Weixler (The Chicago Yoga Center), whom she still regards as the primary influence on her teaching style. In 2013, she completed a 200-hour training with Rishikesh Yogpeeth in India, after which she fully committed to teaching yoga. Inga is about to complete her 500-hour training with Poonsm Gupta, a leading educator in Yoga Therapy. Inga owns the Carpe Diem Studio, which offers various events, including sound healing, art therapy, spiritual retreats, and traveling for women.

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Inga follows the Ashtanga traditions in the form taught by Manju P. Jois, whom she considers her master teacher. She also studied with David Garrigues, Tim Feldmann, and Andrew Eppler and attended the Mysore Yoga Conference in Mysore (India), which helped her expand her understanding of what Ashtanga Practice means to her. She aspires to serve her students by continually learning and deepening her practice. “We all are students in the first place since we can only teach what we have mastered ourselves” is her motto. While enjoying all the health benefits that she credits to her regular Ashtanga practice, she points out that Ashtanga Vinyasa became the primary practice, which matters along with the restorative practice, also known for its therapeutic benefits. Inga is ready to share her passion and knowledge with everyone who feels called to learn with her.

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“I believe in the healing power of yoga, one breath and one moment at a time.”

With a background in dance, Connie first came to the mat seeking a physical practice for strength and flexibility but quickly realized yoga is so much more. The more she practiced, the more her mat became a sanctuary. A place to let go and find stillness. Connie fell in love with the spiritual side of yoga, and the way our connection to breath makes us whole in mind, body and spirit.

Yoga has helped Connie grow stronger, both physically and mentally, on and o( the mat. Her practice has taught her self-acceptance, and to see herself and others with only love. “When you lead with your heart, anything that no longer serves you begins to fall away and only love remains.”

Connie’s passion to help others led her to complete her 200 RYT certification in 2016 through LifePower Yoga. Always a student first, she continues to learn and holds additional certifications in Restorative Yoga, Restorative Yin Aerial Yoga, and Level 1 Reiki Energy Healing.

Connie is grateful to be part of the yoga community and Rising Lotus family, and looks forward to sharing space with you.

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 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.

After 20 years of balancing career, family and expectations, Allison took a leap of faith to be more present at home and at ease in her life.  Allison's passion for Yoga became a central focus as she completed her training with Brenda Temme and Life Power Yoga. 

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Allison believes in the healing power of Yoga, the strength of its community and impact on the world. She's committed to empowering others to see themselves through their own eyes, finding peace through breath and cherishing the present moment. Allison keeps fresh with meditation, workshops and practicing with fellow Yoga teachers. Her classes are dynamic, powerful and full of heart!

Yoga was the key that unlocked a whole new perspective on life for Anna Lee.

At once she realized it was more than an activity but a lifestyle. Within this journey of transformation, healing, and growth, she knew more than anything, she wanted to share her love of yoga with others. To help people realize the power of their own breath, and to know that no matter how much is going on outside oneself, they can tune into the rhythm of their own heart beat, taking comfort in its pulse. Anna Lee was beyond enthusiastic at discovering her devotion to nature could be combined with her passion for yoga in completing her 200 hour certificate at Adventure Yoga Training in Arizona. It is Anna Lee’s greatest hope that each class will bring you an expansion of the mind, nourishment of the body, and an elevation of your soul.

Hannah grew up participating in gymnastics and cheerleading. From a young age. She enjoyed movement, flexibility and being within her body. She took some yoga classes in high school and college but it wasn’t until after she graduated college in 2017, that she dove in deep with her yoga practice. Yoga helped her reconnect
with herself by getting her back into her physical body and calm mental anxieties.
After several years of taking various styles of yoga classes and attending
workshops, Hannah decided to conquer a personal goal and signed up for a 200
hour yoga teacher training at Rising Lotus Yoga Studio. She achieved this goal in 2023 and began teaching yoga right away. Shortly after completing her 200 hour training, she became certified in Buti Primal Flow Yoga which is a vinyasa inspired practice that incorporates balancing out the divine feminine and masculine energy within the bodies.

Hannah is forever grateful she followed her intuition and is now able to share her passion with others. Hannah always
reminds her students that they know their bodies best and to listen to them
throughout practice and life!

Born in Chicago and raised in South Florida, Kelly’s early years were filled with athletics, music and the beach. After college, she moved back to Chicago and worked different jobs in media, television & wellness. She enjoyed those experiences but something was missing.

 

In 2019, she found yoga.

 

Determined to find her own voice and unique path, yoga helped her with self connection and expression. It gave her the confidence to explore new ways of thinking, speaking and interacting with the world.

 

Somewhere between the high energy of the city and the laid back lifestyle of the south, lies the essence of who she is.  A free-spirit with a strong desire to find truth, peace & love in everyday life.

 

Kelly is known for delivering a deep, heartfelt yoga practice that encourages you to learn and connect in deeper ways to yourself and others. She creates an environment of peace and positivity using guided meditation, movement, music & thoughtful messages.

 

When she’s not teaching yoga, she’s wandering the earth, being inspired by old things, new things, things that grow, people, animals, the beach, books and art.

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