About Us

OUR MISSION

At Simply Yoga, our mission is to provide a serene, safe and welcoming space where students can develop their very own personal yoga journey of self-transformation. When we opened the studio in 2012, we created a non-intimidating and non-competitive environment where people could go to find peace and unity.  Yoga isn’t about the ego or finding the perfect pose, it’s about practicing all limbs of yoga and that’s what we bring to our classes. Teachers are encouraged to bring their own teaching style and voice, allowing for a unique experience every time. We believe consistent yoga practice will leave students feeling rejuvenated and inspired, ultimately creating a calm and peaceful mind, an open and compassionate heart, and a strong feeling of self -acceptance. View our instructors below…

EDIQUETTE

Walk-ins are welcome,

Please be on time. Doors will lock at start of class.

No cell phones in class and please silence watches.

Please remove shoes before entering studio. We have cubbies in the lobby for them and your other items.

Minimum age is 13.

Please bring your own mat.

Teresa Cordes, 200 RYT

Teresa began her appreciation of yoga more than 15 years ago when she came upon an obscure cable network channel with a 60 minute yoga practice that opened her eyes to the varied benefits of yoga (physical, mental, spiritual). “I still carry a question with me that the instructor asked the students/viewers in one class…..’can you see beauty everywhere you look?’….it’s amazing how that simple question can reframe one’s mind and outlook whether it’s during a yoga practice or just getting through the day.” She was drawn to the flow of a vinyasa practice and the way it calms the mind and strengthens the body. With a regular yoga practice from those early days forward, she felt called to take her practice deeper by becoming a yoga teacher. Teresa retired in the Fall of 2021 from a 30+ year career in the corporate world and completed her 200 hour teacher training in January 2022 at Simply Yoga. She splits her time between Fort Wayne and Marco Island, Fl., where she has formed a community yoga practice offering an all levels class attended by a group of beautiful yogi’s ranging in age from 25 to 75. Teresa loves adapting her classes to varied experience levels and physical abilities. Honoring one’s body and recognizing when to go deeper into a pose or back out or modify is central to her teaching. It’s not about how we look in the pose, but how and what we feel in the pose. She’s passionate about creating practices that flow slowly with gentle postures as well as building practices that generate heat, strength and allow the class to play with their edge.

Kari Cox, 200 RYT

Kari started her yoga journey at Simply Yoga over a decade ago and now it’s come full circle with her teaching at Simply Yoga! Kari started teacher training soon after the birth of her second child to help her combat the stress that comes with parenting 2 children. Teacher training became a way to enhance her personal practice, but once she got in to the roots of yoga and noticed how it made her feel not only physically but mentally, she knew she needed to start teaching to others. She wants to share the mindfulness that comes with yoga to others. Kari completed her 200hr yoga alliance teacher training at PranaYoga Institute in Fort Wayne.

Jacqui Follett, 200 CYT

Jacqui stumbled onto to yoga at first for the physical benefits of improving her flexibility and muscle strength, but fell in love with the mental and spiritual benefits of quieting and calming her mind and spirit. Yoga provided the physical, mental and spiritual therapy she needed in her life. She realized when she left the studio after a class that her mind wasn’t racing from thought to thought or trying to solve some problem, but was actually calm and content. The peace she discovered in her mind was life changing. She quickly wanted to learn more and share this experience with others. Yoga not only provides physical benefits, but helps us deal with anxiety, stress, and can bring control back to life when things seem out of control. Whether taking an energetic vinyasa class, a slow steady flow class, or a meditative yin or restorative class her body, mind and spirit are nourished and restored. The benefits of yoga seemed limitless and practicing quickly became a necessity in her life. Embarking on the journey of teacher certification happened because of her desire to share these wonderful discoveries with others.

SamanthaKosakowski-Beck, 500 E-RYT

Samantha has been instructing in the fitness industry for the last 20 years, finding the call to yoga the most gratifying. She currently holds an E RYT 500 and YACEP certification with a specialty in Chakra Healing work, Children’s, Teen’s, and Trauma informed yoga certification, Reiki Master Teacher certification, Certified Crystal Healing certification, Meditation Teacher Training certificate along with a Silver and Fit certification and is currently working on her Qigong certification. She also volunteers her time at her children’s school, bringing yoga into the classrooms. Her classes are well rounded, utilizing all of the elements of yoga from yamas and niyamas to pranayama, asana, meditation, and more. She enjoys teaching all types of yoga from restorative to power, teaching to the room, and connecting with her students. She believes yoga does not stop off of the mat and hopes to bring the practice of yoga, in its wholeness, into the lives of people she connects with.

Laura Murphy, 200 CYT

Laura Murphy began her yoga journey in 2010 while living in St. Petersburg, FL.  She was immediately drawn to the physical benefits from her practice, and quickly developed an appreciation for the benefits that yoga provided mentally.  Laura’s teaching style focuses on building both physical and mental strength.  Her classes tend to build in intensity through a flowing practice in which there is one breath matched to one movement.  She believes in making yoga accessible to everyone and will provide modifications for all levels in her classes.  Laura completed her Yoga Alliance 200-Hour Certification though Simply Yoga in 2015.  Laura is also a licensed mental health counselor in Fort Wayne, and has devoted her life to helping others achieve both physical and emotional well-being.

David Ryan, 200 CYT

David’s yoga practice began ten years ago. Over time he became increasingly drawn to his teachers’ mention of elements of yoga other than the physical postures. At the end of 2019 he enrolled in Simply Yoga’s 200 hour teacher training with the intention of learning more about yoga’s ethical underpinnings, concepts of breath and energy, and meditation. David’s classes are informed by his belief that, while sometimes striving for ever more ambitious postures is what we need, yoga’s greatest contribution to our well being is always available to us if we remain mindful about respecting and nurturing the body and the mind we have minute by minute, breath by breath. David’s emphasis in any type of class is less on what we do than on how we do it. In every type of class, he hopes to inspire in students awareness, curiosity, freedom from judgement and trust in their intuition. When our physical practice is influenced by those attributes yoga is best able to deliver mental clarity and calm through both movement and stillness.

Amber Sewell, 200 CYT

Prior to starting yoga, Amber tried many different types of fitness classes, but she couldn’t find something that felt right to her. Amber started exploring yoga in 2009 and began experiencing the benefits of the physical postures and the mind/body/spirit connection pretty quickly. She began practicing regularly around 2015, which led to her completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2017. In a busy world with so many external pressures to perform and be productive, yoga offers a necessary respite from demands and expectations. Amber enjoys yoga as a ritual, an invitation to slow down, explore and be curious about one’s body and tune in to one’s inner landscape while allowing oneself to be where they are without judgment. She believes yoga is unique in its ability to simultaneously nurture, build strength, and develop flexibility in the body and mind. She enjoys teaching gentle, slow flow, and yin/restorative classes to people of all ability levels.

Heidi Sims, 200 CYT

Heidi’s passion for fitness and wellness started more than fifteen years ago. She began working out to improve her overall wellbeing, health and stress management. Gravitating towards high intensity classes, she went on to get certified to teach Turbo Kick. While her love for fitness continues and has evolved, she was interested in yoga for the mind body connection. The combination of poses and breathing while using meditation was a natural step with her years of meditating. Being in the present and “getting on the mat” can be a challenge and Heidi enjoys practicing yoga with others. Leaving the mat feeling more present, centered and mindful is part of the gift yoga Heidi enjoys the most.

Christa Smith, 500 E-RYT

Christa Smith, E-RYT 500, MBA is the founder of Simply Yoga in 2012. She began her yoga journey after her first class where she knew  yoga would be a part of her life from that day forward. She fell in love with the physical challenge of yoga as well as the mental benefits it gave her.  Christa had been a dancer for most of her life and a dance instructor, so the transition to yoga was natural for her. Her passion for yoga inspired her to share that passion with others through teaching.  She truly enjoys watching students transform during their yoga practice.  Christa’s teaching style focuses on alignment and making sure people are safe.  Her classes tend to gravitate towards Vinyasa incorporating breath and movement with a lot of flowing sequences – almost like a dance.  She believes in teaching to all levels in the room where everyone leaves feeling challenged and refreshed.  Christa received her Yoga Alliance 200-hour certification from the Himalayan Yoga & Mediation Center in Palatine, Illinois and her 500 at Hilltop Yoga in Lansing, Michigan.

Meggan Testin, 200 RYT

Meggan Testin obtained her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification from Simply Yoga in 2014. She started practicing yoga off and on starting in 2010, and has been consistently practicing since 2012. Originally starting yoga for the physical aspect, she has learned to find the mental benefits to balance out her everyday life. During her pregnancy, she had to scale back her practice, which allowed her to focus on breath work with the movements. It’s about meeting your body where you are that day. Everyday we meet different challenges off the mat, which can affect our practice. She will start the class with flows to get the body warmed up before moving to standing postures. Meggan will give modifications for poses according to the students in the room. Meggan is also certified in Prental Yoga and teaches our prenatal series.

Teresa Voirol, 200 RYT

Teresa’s interest in yoga began years ago in junior high at a time when yoga was not as mainstream as it is today. She dabbled in hatha and yin style yoga at home for years and followed yoga videos in her living room before taking her first vinyassa flow style class in a studio 8 or 9 years ago. The mental and spiritual benefit of yoga became increasingly apparent to her and is the part of yoga she is most drawn too. In addition to the physical benefit of gaining strength and flexibility, Teresa sees yoga as a lifestyle and as a tool to calm the anxious mind in a way nothing else can. She also loves the rich history and philosophy of yoga. Teresa completed her teacher certification training here at Simply Yoga and is passionate about sharing the experience of yoga as well as its benefits with her friends, family and students in her classes.