Our Instructors
Having taught yoga for nearly two decades, Alex has gained a reputation as one of the most reliable experts in biomechanics and using yoga to heal. While his 5 yoga and bodywork certifications reflect his strong commitment to the science of yoga and its healing forms, expect a class that is more like song and poetic exploration than like rote mechanics. “The human soul is not meant to technique,” he says, “but to dance.”
His teaching focuses on alignment, breath, action and attitude for full human detoxification– physically, mentally and emotionally. The result is a class to push your spiritual edge from struggle to ease; from intensity to peace; and from madness to clarity. “Life is a wild ride and you never know what’s just around the corner. All we can do is discover the parts of ourselves we never knew were there and then… blossom.”
Alex Pfeiffer, Lead Instructor (E-RYT500, YACEP)
Valerie Hesslink (E-RYT500, YACEP)
When I enrolled in yoga teacher training, I was unsure if I would teach yoga. My intention was to learn more about how to take a few of the shifts and experiences in my yoga practice and deepen them further in my bigger body. What I discovered along the way is a passion to make yoga accessible to all non-conforming bodies. Only near the end of training did I decide that I wanted to share my yoga. That I wanted to help others who were in– bigger bodies, old bodies, stiff bodies, or just bodies that get ignored by the yoga world – to make yoga work for them. My hope is to bring this ease to your practice.
I have spent a few too many years of my life waiting......waiting to lose a few pounds before I was worthy of X Y or Z. I have been in the head-space of struggling with low self-esteem, bad body image and the constant desperate apology and shame that comes with feeling that I’m not sufficient for any of these things.......Yoga changed that for me and the more I delve into this sweet practice, I realize none of that matters if I don't check in with what is right here now. Beautiful imperfections, messy flaws, ample body parts. They are all here. I know what it’s like to finally realize that I am enough, just as I am.
My approach to wellness is focusing on movement that inspires joy and self-care. My aspiration in teaching is to bring a yoga pose to your unique body and not the other way around. I want to help make yoga work for you. Your body deserves no less! Forget squishing yourself into a pose. Your body is not a problem to be solved.
Kate Thompson-Feirn, 200 E-RYT
is a Yogi, Energy Healer, Certified Life Coach and Metaphysician.
She brings her Holistic knowledge and personal healing experience into her classes; guiding yogis into a higher vibrating place of Pure Peace and healing. She uses integration techniques to reset the nervous system between poses.
She began her practice in 1974 as an angsty teen-in her parents basement and never looked back! Since then, she has been sharing her passion for yoga with others. She taught Yoga at several local studios and founded the Yoga Program for Addicts at Tellurian while she was an Integrative Counselor there.
Kate also brought Yogic Healing to Cancer patients at Gilda’s Club. She fell in love with Yin Yoga while taking Alex Pfeiffer’s Yin class for many years and chose him whole heartedly as her Yoga Mentor, receiving her intensive training through 21 st Century on the Mat.
She holds a Masters degree in Holistic Theology-and a Ph.D in Metaphysics from AIHT. Her dissertation is entitled “ Healing through the Language of the Universe.” She is both a Usuii and Karuna Reiki Master, trained in Sedona by internationally known teachers Laurelle Gaia and Michael.
Kate owns Purepeaceconsciousliving.com where she is a Conscious Life Coach, Wedding Officiant, Energy Healer and Vlogger/Blogger.
She infuses her intuitive awareness, conscious breath-work, Central Channel breath (Sushumna) and Bhanda work to explore Yoga as a way of Be-ing, both on and off the mat. She specializes in Yin and Yinergy Yoga, teaching yogis to be the silent watcher of their SatNam,or authentic Selves, their Eternal Energetic Presence.
Kate uses creative sequencing, props, chanting, tapping, mantra, music, intention and energy work to create a sacred space for your inner journey into expansion of Self.
Louise Tourigny, CYT
Louise has practiced yoga since the age of 12 and has offered yoga classes to the community in Rock County, WI for more than 10 years. From her current location near Montreal, her classes focus on the use of props to enhance one’s practice. Her approach is primarily inspired by Iyengar and Sivananda yoga.
Her Gentle Hatha classes are easily accessible to all audiences.
Rachel Porat, CYT
My journey with yoga started while I was going through a very challenging time in my life, after moving to a new country and leaving behind everything and everyone I knew and loved.
Without having a support system like my family and friends, I was starting to feel lonely and drained.
I remember attending my first yoga class, feeling for the first time in a very long time so calm and relaxed, and at the same time so energized and revived !!!
I'm honored to be able to spread this amazing gift to others.
My class is a unique combination of mindfulness practice while holding poses a little longer, for both an inner and outer challenge.
We will start every class with a session of relaxation, and then only when deeply grounded, begin to do the physical practice.
You will be encouraged to hold some of the poses a little longer than usual, and practice keeping a calm, smooth breath, while being physically challenged.
Practicing staying calm and breathing smoothly, while we are on fire, slowly adjusts our nervous system, and teaches us to keep our calm on and off the yoga mat.
Micole Gauvin, CYT
Hi! Γεια! I'm Micole! :)
I grew up in southern Wisconsin ~ 6 years ago I traveled halfway 'round the world to teach for a year in Greece and ended up finding myself, the love of my life, and yoga! Since then, my yoga practice has helped ground me through all life's ebbs and flows.
I completed my 200-hour YTT certification at The Studio in Madison through Alex Pfeiffer’s 21st Century Yoga on the Mat in 2018.
A few months after finishing my YTT program, I rolled up my mat and moved back to Athens, Greece to be in the same time zone as my now-husband and teach fourth grade.
Fast-forward a bit to 2020, and like so many of us, my yoga practice and teaching moved from a physical studio to a “zoom” virtual studio. I’ve been teaching virtual classes for a little over a year now, embracing the silver-lining of technology that lets us create a space online to share a practice, logging in anywhere from Wisconsin to Greece!
My classes tend to ebb and flow somewhere between vinyasa and hatha style flows, with modifications to help meet you on the mat wherever you happen to find yourself that day : Slow, gentle yoga flows with lots of feel-good stretches and chances to connect with your breath. In my classes, I hope you find a sense of groundedness and strength you can carry with you on and off the mat.
Looking forward to meeting you on the *virtual* mat! :)
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Pam MacLeod, CYT
I became hooked on Yoga in 2003 after I took my first class. I continued to practice and take classes until the time was finally right to dive deeper into Yoga through teacher training. I hope to inspire my students as my teachers have inspired and encouraged me.
My classes are a slower-paced flow with time to focus on alignment and attention to breath in the pose. A time for self- reflection. I hope my students leave the class feeling invigorated, but calm and restored.
I completed 200-hour teacher certification in 2017 and have continued training with Alex Pfeiffer and 21st Century Yoga on the Mat, through The Studio in Madison.
Cathy Goehler, CYT 500
Initially a reluctant yoga student, I quickly realized that practicing yoga was helping me to grow physically stronger and more flexible as well as living from a calmer and healthier mental place. Yoga continues to inspire and challenge me; I will always be a student of yoga and am grateful for my teachers and mentors who guide and support me on this journey.
It is with this spirit of inspiration and support that I make it my mission to offer you a space to foster a consistent yoga practice in a way that honors each student's individual path. My classes will gently challenge you to explore your edge and expand beyond it as you enjoy creative sequencing, a bit of playfulness with nuggets of wisdom sprinkled in.
I completed my 200-hour Power Vinyasa Training with Empower Yoga and my 300-hour Advanced Teacher Training with 21st Century Yoga On the Mat. I have also completed trainings for Prenatal Yoga, Yin Yoga and Yoga for Cancer Patients/Survivors.
Kelsey Dalrymple, CYT
I first experienced yoga at the age of 16, following along to a cheesy VHS in my basement with my best friend, giggling the whole way through. Over the next few years, I experimented here and there with different elements of yoga that I was able to access through fitness videos. But it wasn’t until much later that yoga became a permanent fixture in my life. In 2018, I was privileged to participate in a yoga retreat with teacher Shari Hochberg, which allowed me to experience yoga in a way that not only helped bring balance to my body, but also my mind and spirit.
In 2020, I completed my 200-hour YTT certification at the Studio in Madison, WI through Alex Pfeiffer’s 21st Century Yoga on the Mat program, which not only improved my personal yoga practice, but also inspired me to share what I had learned with others. While I teach a variety of classes from slow flow Vinyasa styles, to more mindfulness-based sessions, my Friday 5pm Happy Hour Flow class is inspired by the Baptiste form of yoga: a more fast-paced and energetic power flow style that provides a total-body experience, will help you work up a sweat, and will leave you feeling refreshed and balanced.
So grab your mat or towel, put on your favorite tunes, and join me on Fridays to shake off the stress of the week and start your weekend off right by doing something beneficial for your mind, body, and spirit!