Our Teaching Team - The Yoga Tree

Meet Our Team

The Yoga Tree is home to a select group of yoga professionals, who we believe comprise the finest teaching staff in the Pacific Northwest each specializing in a particular area of study or style of Hatha yoga. We are committed to teaching the highest quality yoga possible with attention to each student's specific needs.
For information about private lessons or corporate classes,

Meet Our Team
click on pictures for credentials and bio

Susanne’s early experiences with yoga began as a small girl practicing along in her fuzzy pink pajamas with PBS’ Lillias, Yoga, and You. Many years later she tiptoed shyly into a class at the local gym searching for a way to alleviate stress and anxiety. She has been a devoted practitioner ever since, exploring many different styles and teachers.
Susanne firmly believes in the accessibility of yoga, and that anyone and everyone can experience its joy as well as its physical and mental benefits. Susanne is a student of yoga first and foremost, studying with amazing teachers from all over the world. Susanne has been teaching since 2010, and is registered with Yoga Alliance. In addition to Hatha Yoga and Chair Yoga, Susanne teaches the mindful practices of Yin and Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra. She is a Certified iRest® Yoga Nidra Instructor, and has assisted in numerous trainings, retreats and immersions.

With Susanne, you can expect a class that is approachable, balanced, and a little bit playful. You might hear the occasional giggle or “ya’ll”. You will be encouraged to explore how poses feel in your body and maybe discover something new about yourself or experience a pose in a different way.

Off the mat, Susanne enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband and celebrating life with family and friends.

Celia started subbing for The Yoga Tree in the summer of 2022, and immediately loved this kind and heartfull community. Celia loves all styles of yoga, but especially Ashtanga Vinyasa and Yin. Celia also has a background in Pranayama breathwork and Mindfulness.

Celia has put a lot of work into self and inter-generational healing, and loves the approach of having a holistic lifestyle with kindness at the center of it :)

Outside of the studio, Celia works in social service and education, where she tries to include as many of these practices as she can. She also enjoys books, animals, flowers and fruit!

Jodi Boone has taught restorative yoga teacher trainings since 2012 in India, Japan, Switzerland, and Seattle. Loving all things soft and gentle, she was naturally drawn to practicing restorative yoga. She studied with Judith Lasater in 2015, which inspired her practice and teaching. As a massage therapist, Ayurvedic practitioner, and Reiki practitioner, Jodi is deeply aware of how gentle practices can be profoundly nourishing and healing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Jodi is currently studying counseling psychology at The Seattle School, where she is specializing in trauma therapy.

Brenna is a licensed massage therapist and yoga teacher with a mission to help you feel better in your body by sharing embodied healing practices like bodywork, pranayama, asana, and meditation. She works to transform tension into ease, restriction into spaciousness, and agitation into restfulness, strengthening the mind-body connection along the way. Brenna offers a mix of massage modalities including Swedish, deep tissue, muscle energy techniques, passive stretching and joint mobility, myofascial release, and cupping.

“One day you finally knew what you had to do and began...” ~ Mary Oliver

Jennifer was introduced to Hatha yoga when she was a child by her mother who had learned it in turn, from her mother. Jennifer began teaching Hatha yoga in 1998. In 2003, Jennifer was introduced to the teachings of Dr. Richard Miller and the deeply healing practice of iRest® Yoga Nidra. In just a few sessions, she felt a profound shift in her ability to be at ease amidst the ups and downs of life.

Jennifer has trained extensively with Dr. Richard Miller in the art and craft of iRest® Yoga Nidra. She has been assisting in iRest trainings and retreats since 2012. She is a Senior iRest Teacher Trainer and a Certification Supervisor for the Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI) an educational non-profit, that provides programs, teacher trainings, and retreats based on the ancient teachings of Yoga. Come to her Tuesday morning or Wednesday night classes to find out more about this profound practice of restoration and self-inquiry.

In her movement classes she encourages connecting with the breath and sensation, moment to moment, so that the poses arise from an inner wisdom rather than an outer form imposed upon the body. Jennifer’s students describe her as wise, approachable, intuitive and supportive. She infuses her classes with poetry and with a profound insight into the workings of the body and the nature of the human spirit.

Her Hatha Yoga teaching has been inspired by Donna Farhi, Gary Kraftsow, and Richard Miller, She loves exploring BodySensing Yoga, Developmental Movement Patterns, Somatics, functional movement, and strength training.

She is known for her infectious laugh and her abundant garden (those are her beautiful flowers you see at the studio). In addition to brightening the studio with her plants and personality, she also co-manages the studio.

In her own life, she has used yoga to heal from a severe back injury and uses iRest Yoga Nidra meditation as a way to nurture herself as she supports her husband, who lives with cancer. In her spare time she runs wild with her two nieces, enjoys cooking (she used to be a pastry chef!) and spending as much time out of doors as possible.

Through the teachings of iRest Yoga Nidra, Jennifer has become aware of a deep sense of wholeness that has always been present and with this wholeness, an ability to fully welcome life with all of its ups and downs. How could she not share this with the world?

Kate has practiced yoga for over thirty years. When she wandered into a Brooklyn loft for her first class, she was immediately hooked. As a former dancer she has always loved movement, and the discipline and flowing sequences were familiar and inviting.
As Kate began to practice regularly, she noticed something more. The movement, breathwork, and community were bringing her mind into the present, into focus, and into tranquility. Experiencing yoga as a pathway to peace led her to become a teacher in 2010.
Kate draws on her extensive background in Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions to create classes that are active and fun, with clear instruction and meaningful sequencing. Her approach to teaching is friendly and balanced, and she enjoys cultivating self-awareness in her students. She welcomes all practitioners of all levels.
Kate also loves being a mom, hiking, reading, taking photos and precious time with family and friends. She has lived in New York, Paris, Maine, Los Angeles and Washington DC before landing in Seattle in 2015.

Suzanne says, "I took my first yoga class at age 15 in Olympia, WA. As my life brought me to different teachers throughout the Pacific Northwest, I came to appreciate yoga as a practice of living well. Using yogic guidance passed down through the generations, my classes create a nurturing environment for students to respond to the wisdom in their own bodies. Together, we explore the benefits of breath, movement, and meditation. From creating physical and emotional resilience to supporting spiritual fulfillment, yoga contains a multitude of potential fruits; my hope is to support students in their own journey of discovery and connection."

A movement teacher for over 20 years, Heather (Danso) Emanuel’s loves sharing supportive practices: Restorative Yoga, Reiki, and the Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education. She empowers students to find paths to increase their own skillful resourcefulness, recover functionality, and reduce pain. She’s a master at adapting poses and practices to the individual, and empowers folx to sense and expand their own intuition and self-knowledge. Her passionate belief in movement as healing has led her to study yoga for movement disorders, Pre and Postnatal yoga, senior yoga, as well as somatic movement modalities. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and LMT with expertise in functional anatomy and movement.

Aubra has been a part of The Yoga Tree community for almost as long as she can remember. She took her first class at the old location when she was seven years old in an attempt to lower her anxiety. She fell in love with the way the Friday night restorative class made her feel. Her seven-year-old way of articulating this was saying that meditating “was like taking a bath for your insides.” Since then, The Yoga Tree has been a supportive space to come back to throughout her life.

Aubra has been dancing her whole life and finds movement in everything. Yoga has changed her relationship to dance by giving her a deeper appreciation for her body and the way it allows her to access her emotions and inner-self. Aubra’s goal as a teacher is to give every student a space to find dance, breath, creativity, and meditation in their bodies and minds in the way that works best for them.

Studying Dance and Education at The University of Washington showed Aubra how important it is to continue learning in every area of her life. Yoga has been her ultimate teacher. She completed both her iRest® Yoga Nidra Level One training and 200-hour teacher training at the Yoga Tree and has dedicated herself to continuing her studies of yoga and its roots.

Aubra has found joy teaching in dance studios, childcare centers, and school settings, and is so excited to be teaching at a studio that means so much to her.

I am fueled by the technology and philosophy of yoga. Yoga offers on-the-mat opportunities to discover one’s own relating to the self and the world from an explorer’s lens. A devoted practice nourishes the body, mind, and soul; and centers people in ways that empower them to be their most authentic and vibrant selves. This attunement, from the inside out, invites more openness, clarity and joy to off-the-mat opportunities in daily life.

I teach yoga asana, pranayama and meditation because each practice offers the opportunity to uncover, accept, reflect and learn about oneself on a path of healing and transformation. 2009 was just the beginning with a 200-hr certification from locally based Pacific Yoga with Theresa Elliot. In 2017, I received an additional 300-hr certification from Seattle Yoga Arts and now, have my sights set on a Yoga Therapy accreditation. My learning will never stop as it informs my relating in the world and on the mat. Favorite offerings include sensual vinyasa flows, alignment- focused classes, meditation groups and spiritual book discussions. Yoga fuels an enriched existence. I hope to support you getting fueled by yoga, too. See you on the mat!

Jessica Jobaris received her certification teacher training thru Pacific Yoga in Seattle, WA, having also studied at Samadhi, 8 limbs, Urth Yoga in Los Angeles, and Om Yoga in NYC. Her style is eclectic, drawing from Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, Anusara, and iRest Yoga Nidra. Jessica is deeply inspired by the powerful yet slow medicine of yoga.
She aims to empower her students, with compassion and humor, by challenging them to safely find their physical edge, with a strong emphasis on sound alignment, to uncover the Sacred within each of us. Jessica also studied extensively with The Tamalpa Institute, training in Expressive Arts Therapy, a modality of mindful movement practices integrating with art. She has taught yoga extensively in Seattle, most notably at The Yoga Tree, Lotus Yoga Studio, Seattle Pacific University, University Prep Academy, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Central Park, NYC, Casale Santa Brigada in Umbria, Italy, and at Dock 11 in Berlin, Germany, where she combined dance technique with yoga. She is also a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor of dance, with over 20 years of dance/movement training. Jessica also loves spending time with her partner Matt, traveling of any kind (this photo comes from Berlin, her second home!) and carries chocolate in her purse and glove compartment. Jessica has been teaching yoga for 9 years now, offering privates, semi-privates, and workshops, along with She aims to empower her students, with compassion and humor, by challenging them to safely find their physical edge, with a strong emphasis on sound alignment, to uncover the Sacred within each of us. Jessica also studied extensively with The Tamalpa Institute, training in Expressive Arts Therapy, a modality of mindful movement practices integrating with art. She has taught yoga extensively in Seattle, most notably at The Yoga Tree, Lotus Yoga Studio, Seattle Pacific University, University Prep Academy, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Central Park, NYC, Casale Santa Brigada in Umbria, Italy, and at Dock 11 in Berlin, Germany, where she combined dance technique with yoga. She is also a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor of dance, with over 20 years of dance/movement training. Jessica also loves spending time with her partner Matt, traveling of any kind (this photo comes from Berlin, her second home!) and carries chocolate in her purse and glove compartment. Jessica has been teaching yoga for 9 years now, offering privates, semi-privates, and workshops, along with group classes.

Jennifer came to yoga at a time when she was struggling to understand herself. She began practicing yoga as a way to add more movement into her life, but quickly realized that when she came to the mat she was gaining much more. Throughout her practice, she was able to rebuild her connection with her body and mind through conscious breathing and movement. She completed her 200 hour Hatha Yoga teacher training at The Yoga Tree so that she could share these amazing practices and hold space for others to find the light within themselves.

Jennifer is an energetic teacher that enjoys sharing her passion for yoga and meditation with others. In her classes she enjoys incorporating postures that build heat and focus on proper alignment while also taking the time for reflection. There will be space for laughing at ourselves while wobbling in a posture or joy when you find that perfect balance. Coming to the mat is such a great representation of everyday life, you just have to show up for what is here right now. She enjoys incorporating a theme into her classes and believes in being a lifelong student.

Jennifer has also completed iRest® Yoga Nidra Level One training, is Reiki Level Two attuned and is interested in the mystical and spiritual side of life. When she isn’t practicing, you will find her outdoors hiking, backpacking, jogging or enjoying the wonders of nature.

Amanda has been teaching since 2013, and loves the whole-body support asana provides. She found yoga at a time when her mental and emotional state needed support, and feels that tuning into the body is an essential tool to navigate life's mind-focused culture. Ultimately, Amanda believes in using yoga to nourish yourself, and will often bring in vibration (a singing bowl or gong) to aid that process.
In her asana classes, you'll experience a slow, deliberate style, with a focus on alignment, mixed in with humor and practicality. You will leave with a sensation of having worked hard without completely tiring yourself out. Amanda always incorporates steady breath work, while bringing in a mental component or theme so you can take yoga where it counts – off the mat, and into your life.

Danika is passionate about sharing the tools of yoga with all folks, regardless of body shape, size, ability, or experience. She is a certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, studying under teachers like Jivana Heyman, Amber Karnes and Susanna Barkataki. Through her own experience living with a chronic condition, she has learned the power of adaptability, and the strength in loving and accepting yourself, exactly as you are. With a background in early childhood education, dance and trauma-informed care, she loves to make her classes a safe and welcoming space for creativity, self-inquiry and playfulness, believing each student is their own best teacher. Danika seeks to honor the roots of yoga in her teaching and to meet each unique student wherever they are at, on any given day. When she’s not teaching, she loves to bake, sing, and hang out with her partner and big black cat, Pow Pow.

Sylvie, originally from France, began practicing yoga as a way to cope with persistent anxiety and freeze response. In its mindful practices and ancient teachings, she found answers and techniques that helped tremendously and convinced her to become a teacher. Through her long-term teachers Maria Williquette and Julia Canfield, both highly intuitive healers in their own right, she was seeped in a cauldron of yogic philosophy and its relationship with western psychology, as well as trauma-informed approaches. Through her teacher and mentor Lynn Jensen (Yoga for Fertility), she also began furthering her healing process thanks to the possibilities offered by Energy Medicine (Donna Eden) and Energy Medicine Yoga (Lauren Walker). Avid to learn and teach, Sylvie then became certified by Lauren Walker as an Energy Medicine Yoga® foundations teacher. She is now pursuing continuing education with Dianne Bondy and Amber Karnes through the Yoga for All training program, so as to make her yoga classes more accessible to different body types.
Sylvie’s classes are a blend of all these influences. You might hear an occasional poem for inspiration, use hand mudras for concentration, and trace energy lines on your body while you move through gentle and adaptable flows. Her intention is to help guide the thinking mind to rest for the wisdom of the body to emerge.

Shubha believes breath has the ability to influence physical, physiological, and emotional health. Through her yoga classes, she focuses on connecting her students with this natural healing tool present in all of us all the time as long as we are alive. All her classes focus on connecting the mind and body through breath, and she is trained to adapt and modify the asanas to serve the student's needs.

She feels fortunate to receive her first Yoga training a decade ago in the T.Krishnamacharya yoga tradition, which focuses on the therapeutic benefits of Yoga using various tools like asana, pranayama, chanting, and meditation. She continues to get guided by the teachers and mentors from this tradition in her lifelong journey of Yoga.

She loves to do private, semi-private sessions for the students interested in developing their personal practice or pranayama, chanting, Yoga philosophy (Yoga sutras), and ayurvedic cooking.

Shelly has been studying meditation and yoga for over two decades. She is an Integrative Health Practitioner and a sincere devotee of Yoga. She got her 200-hour certification from 8 Limbs in 2016. Since then, Shelly has studied with many renowned teachers and is always learning and expanding her experience and knowledge of this lifelong practice by continuing to learn from her favorite and most influential teachers of past and present. Her love of health and movement lead her to her mat. You will find innovative, creative sequencing and dynamic flow when you practice with Shelly; her classes have been described as a beautiful and fun dance. Shelly has a sincere passion for mind, body and spiritual connection, which you will feel through her practice. She encourages her students to find their edge through breath and focus. Shelly is playful, kind and loving; and finds ultimate joy watching the way yoga brightens people’s light!

Influence: Vinyasa Yoga and Ayurveda, Rasa Yoga, Bhakti, Functional movement

Mary Kay began her yoga journey in 1999 while recovering from an injury that had interrupted her career as a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher. She was immediately drawn to the disciple and ritual of yoga. She recognized that not only was she healing from her injury, but also developing strength and flexibility that she had not previously enjoyed and finding relief from chronic tension and pain. What she did not realize at the time is that yoga would become an integral aspect of her life, nurturing and supporting mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. Mary Kay continues to teach dance at Dance Fremont and credits her longevity in her career to the infinite benefits of a regular yoga practice.

Mary Kay completed her 200-hour RYT certification with Pacific Yoga in 2010 and continues to deepen her professional training through local and international workshops. She has taught yoga to people of all ages in a variety of setting including: Seattle public schools, health clubs, yoga studios, dance studios, and as a volunteer with Street Yoga serving, homeless youth, young adults, and children in immigration detention facilities and the foster care system. She continues to study Trauma informed Yoga approaches and techniques and plans to further her connections with this inspiring community.

Mary Kay teaches from a broad spectrum of yoga traditions including Hatha, Iyengar, and Vinyasas. She has been graced with amazing teachers who challenge and inspire her and she aims to do the same for her students. Her classes are characterized by creative sequencing, anatomical cues, and a playful yet disciplined approach. Mindfulness techniques and breath work are woven into her classes. She invites students to personalize their practice by staying tuned into sensation, following the breath, and making choices for the most appropriate levels of energetic engagement. Encouraging students to explore mind body connections that fuel vitality, nurture resilience, and promote wellbeing is fundamental to her teaching. Mary Kay is thrilled to be joining the teaching staff at Yoga Tree. She looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm for the healing powers of yoga with students of all levels of experience.

When not teaching or practicing yoga, you might find Mary Kay hiking, biking, swimming, traveling, or hanging out with a good book.

Kelly Walker is an iRest® Level 2 Teacher, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) and Certificated Pranayama Teacher, with a Master's in Education. She began her Yoga Nidra journey in 2012, taking her first iRest class with the masterful Senior iRest Trainer & Supervisor Jennifer Cabanero. At The Yoga Tree, she continues ongoing practice with Jennifer and with the esteemed Pranayama teacher, Linda Oshins. Over the years, Kelly has dedicated herself to the practice and study of Yoga Nidra, enjoying participating as a student in numerous iRest Institute offerings and as an Assistant at iRest Level 1 Teacher Trainings. As an iRest & Pranayama teacher herself, Kelly brings skills from a 20+ year career as an educator, offering a warm atmosphere, space for exploration, and a sincere, heartfelt dedication to these beloved, transformational practices.

I formally began practicing yoga in 2001, and my path has led me through several styles of yoga including hatha, ashtanga, kundalini, and vinyasa yoga. I eventually found the Iyengar method shortly after moving to Denver in 2007. I began teaching in 2011 and received my Level 2 (formerly Intermediate Junior I) Iyengar Teaching Certification in 2018. Over the years, I have spent extensive time in India working to further deepen my understanding of yoga philosophy and practice.

As a practicing bridge engineer, I can’t help but appreciate the level of accuracy, detail, and creative use of props found in the Iyengar system. More importantly though, I appreciate the profound level of self-awareness that continues to develop as I practice the method. I am deeply grateful for all the teachers of all styles of yoga who’ve inspired me to keep growing and learning and am honored to share those teachings through classes at The Yoga Tree.

Adjunct Faculty

Marcia Miller, E-RYT 500, IAYT registered yoga therapist, certified iRest teacher, has been teaching yoga for over 45 years and has taught all levels and types of students from new beginners to yoga teachers and everyone in between. In 2001 Marcia was one of the founders/owners of Yoga on High and remained an owner of the large Midwestern yoga studio until 2021. Along with her two business partners she wrote the curriculum for and co-directed the 200- and the 500-hour Teacher Training Programs and taught dozens of silent retreats. Yoga on High was also the Midwest hub for UZIT trainings, and Marcia led yearly trainings in this potent program of selfcare and caring for others.
She designed and taught the yoga protocol for two large Ohio State University research projects, one researching the effect of yoga on the immune system and the other on the benefits of yoga for women recovering from breast cancer that was the largest study of its kind at the time..
Marcia is also a Reiki Master Teacher and is the Reiki Master for the UZIT training with students all over the country. In addition to teaching all levels of Reiki students, she and another colleague have designed a special Reiki training that includes skillful, non-judgmental questioning, called Dancing with Dragons. She is also passionate about Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and weaves it into everything she does. In 2008, Marcia took the lead in founding the Karma Yoga Foundation, a fund at the Columbus Foundation, as a way to serve all populations of people in her community including low-income kids, homeless veterans, and people in prison. Having experienced much death in her life she is one of the Death Mavens in Columbus Ohio, creating places and opportunities for people to talk about death and grief.
A lifelong learner, a mother and wife, Marcia lives on a farm and is planting as many native trees and plants as she can to support the diversity of life here on earth. You can find her at www.Marciamilleryoga.com

Anne Douglas is a master teacher, with 30 years of teaching yoga and meditation behind her. She has been teaching yogic philosophy, teacher trainings, workshops and retreats since 1989, and is a certified IAYT yoga therapist. She is the creator of the “iRest Daily” meditation program, has over 3 million listens to her meditations on the “Simple Habit” app and is the past Director of Trainers for the iRest Institute. Anne’s boundless enthusiasm, depth of wisdom and gentle humour create fertile ground for inspired learning.