Amy Beth Treciokas
Amy started Yoga in high school with a Sivananda Yoga class at her suburban Boston high school where she also studied the Bhagavad Gita in English class. She ran Varsity track on the state championship team and was Bay State All Conference in cross-country, and figure skated. She was Salutorian of her high school class and studied music from an early age, starting with piano at age 6. She learned piano for 11 years, flute for 6 years, and cello for 3 years.
She studied molecular biology at Princeton University, earning a B.A., where she was a soprano soloist in the Glee Club and on the Varsity Sailing team. She toured Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria and France with the Princeton University Glee Club. She won the Alvan T. and Viola D. Fuller – American Cancer Society Research Fellowship for Cancer Research in 1987. She was a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Fellow at Cornell’s Medical campus in Manhattan as a Ph.D. candidate in Immunology. She has also done graduate work in Physiology.
After graduate school, Amy worked as an actuary at Towers Perrin, and at Shand, Morahan, and Company (now Markel Corp.), earning an Associateship in the Society of Actuaries, and becoming a Member of the Academy of Actuaries.
She resumed her yoga studies as an adult in 1993 at the Evanston Athletic Club with Kim Schwartz of the Temple of Kriya Yoga. Amy then studied with Suddha Weixler of Chicago Yoga Center who introduced Amy to Ashtanga Yoga, and told her about the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga system, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Guruji). Amy went to Mysore, India for the first time in December 1996, for the first of 14 trips to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his grandson, Sharath Rangaswamy at the yoga shala in Mysore. In 1999, she was granted authorization to teach Ashtanga Yoga. She was a direct student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from 1996 until 2009. Amy also studied with Manju Jois, Guruji’s son and with Dena Kingsberg in Bali, Tim Miller and Lino Miele, Graeme Northfield, David and Simi Roche, and Radha Warrell in Crete, Greece. She completed Teacher Trainings with Suddha Weixler and Tim Miller. While in India, Amy found kirtan, call-and-response chanting the names of the Divine in Sanskrit.
She received her RYT-500 from the Himalayan Institute and is certified at the highest level through Yoga Alliance (E-RYT500). She is also certified in Hormone Yoga Therapy for Menopause and Yoga for Diabetes by Dinah Rodrigues (IYTA). Amy has also studied Reiki, and is a Reiki Master. She has completed a vision quest with a Native American elder.
On July 8, 2003 Amy founded Yoga Now in Edgewater, then on March 25, 2006 moved Yoga Now downtown to 742 N. LaSalle, a new all eco-friendly studio. She teaches Ashtanga Yoga, Bhakti Vinyasa Flow and Yoga Teacher Trainings. She also leads her band, Amy and the Bliss Tribe in monthly kirtan. She teaches yoga and leads kirtan at Bhaktifest Midwest, Sukhava Bodhe and other festivals.
In 2012, Amy was selected to be part of the first cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program in Chicago, where Warren Buffett was the graduation speaker. In 2013, Amy was selected to join the Inner City Capital Connections program (part of the Initiative for the Competitive Inner City). In 2014, Amy won an award at the Enterprising Women of the Year Conference in Sarasota, FL. Amy is on the Board of Directors of the Princeton Club of Chicago.
Bill Shapleigh
Bill has been studying Ashtanga Yoga since 1999 and teaching it in Chicago since 2000.
Since taking his first Ashtanga yoga class with Lisa Hill in 1999, he knew that this precious, ancient practice would be a very important part of his life going forward. He would go on to practice with Lisa, and later went on to meet and study with Suddha Weixler (Chicago Yoga Center), Tim Miller (www.ashtangayogacenter.com), Lino Miele (www.linomiele.com ) and was fortunate to have met and practiced with Dena Kingsberg (http://www.dena.net.au/) during her visits to Chicago. All of these wonderful people continue to have profound influence on Bill’s life, practice and teaching.
“I simply wish to pass along this precious system as my teachers taught me…as Sri K Pattabhi Jois passed it along to them. I hope that students are inspired to practice with consistency and devotion, following the method accurately. The importance of this can not be stressed enough.”
Brenna Gordon O’Dea
Brenna was born and raised in Chicago and first discovered yoga during her freshman year at UW-Madison. She completed her 200 hour training with Amy at Yoga Now in 2020. Brenna aims to make yoga and breathwork feel approachable and accessible for all bodies and minds. Her teaching style is calming and caring. From deep neck stretches to deep chair pose holds, come to class ready to feel both relaxed and energized. Brenna is thankful for finding yoga and for her increased levels of self confidence and peace of mind she has developed over the past eight years practicing. She hopes to see your shining face in class one day soon and for you to leave your mat with your head held high and your shoulders at ease!
Bri Ryan
Bri is a Chicago native who grew up practicing yoga with her mom. Her practice really blossomed at Yoga Now, as a student, in her early 20s. A chaotic home life and busy school schedule drove Bri to her mat and yoga became her daily self-care practice. It was at this time that Bri recognized the power of yoga as a method for healing. After completing her Bachelors in Psychology at University of Illinois- Chicago, Bri moved to Las Vegas in 2014 where she decided pursue a 200-Hour certification at Sin City Yoga. This training included prenatal guidance and Thai massage workshops. In an effort to combine her interest in psychology with a passion for yoga, Bri gained a Trauma Informed Yoga (TRY) Teaching Certification under Joyce Bosen in 2017. At this point her unique teaching style began to unfold. Bri’s classes focus on connecting to the breath, identifying areas of tension in the body, and directing energy to those spaces in an effort to alleviate suffering. Yoga inspires Bri to look inward and reflect and she uses that to curate creative themes for classes that include thoughtful sequencing and plenty of space to surrender. She hopes to engage your senses through music and sound bath exploration, herb burning, and essential oil application. She also incorporates the use of safe, hands on adjustments. Bri’s classes are challenging, yet balanced, and are often playful. Last year, Bri received her Reiki II Certification under Tiffany Ketchmark and utilizes this knowledge and training both on and off the mat. In addition to teaching at Yoga Now, Bri has taught yoga at Cook County Jail and The Rape Crisis Center. Bri is receiving her Masters in Social Work with a specialization in mental health and groups from Loyola University in May of 2020 and plans to incorporate yoga in her future work as a Clinical Therapist.
Brittany Burley
Brittany’s yoga journey began on the shores of Lake Michigan when a friend invited her to an outdoor yoga class at Belmont Harbor. Immediately, she felt at peace and reconnected with her body, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since she was a gymnast. Soon after this, she started to develop her personal practice which led her to discover the work of Lara Heimann, a physical therapist/yoga teacher and founder of LYT Yoga® Method. Before studying this advanced technique, Brittany completed her initial yoga teacher training certification, a 200-hour program that she finished in 2018.
After her departure from the corporate world to teach yoga full-time the pandemic hit which brought two good things – the ability to teach virtually and the time to immerse herself in the LYT Yoga® certification program, an additional 200 hours of yoga training.
This core-based, in-depth anatomical approach of LYT Yoga® balances flexibility and stability, builds strength, and improves posture, all while reducing pain, stress, and tension.
Brittany’s passion as a LYT Yoga® instructor is to help students align mind, body, and spirit through safer and more functional movement patterns both on and off the mat.
Cathy Leggett
Cathy Leggett was first introduced to yoga as a part of her classical ballet training during high school. She rediscovered yoga as an outlet for stress relief while working on Wall Street and pursuing her MBA at the University of Chicago. Her classes are athletic yet meditative with a focus on conscious breathing. She loves that yoga makes you feel more balanced, alive and at home in your body and mind. She completed her 200-hour teacher training with Amy Beth Treciokas at YogaNow and is working to complete her 85-hour Prenatal certification through Blooma.
Colleen Scallen
Colleen (she/they) has been practicing yoga on and off for over 10 years. Colleen’s
eating disorder and other mental health issues are what drove her to, away from, and
back to yoga. This winding journey led them to get teacher trained and create places
where people can practice yoga without a disordered, perfectionist, one-size-fits-all
mindset. Colleen is a certified 200 hour vinyasa teacher, Accessible Yoga certified through Accessible Yoga Training School, and soon-to-beTrauma Informed Certified through Room to Breathe Yoga. An actor, dancer, mover, and mental health advocate, Colleen brings an artistic, compassionate, and nonjudgmental lens to her classes. Colleen’s goal is to cultivate a brave yoga space that is trauma-informed, aligned with body liberation, and unapologetically anti diet-culture, queer positive, and recovery-oriented. Follow their yoga journey on Instagram (@catnapyoga).
Corinne Chew
RYT-200
Danielle Zielinski
I came to yoga to heal and focus on my breathing after a lung surgery almost 2 years ago now. I had always practised some yoga in a physical sense for years (“gym yoga”) but had never really given myself fully to the holistic spiritual practice. Yoga is a rich path, in which you gain a deep understanding of yourself – body, mind and soul. I believe in the power of coming to your mat everyday no matter the outcome. By trade I am a Nurse Practitioner and a Whole Food Plant Based Diet Nutritionist. In my spare time I like to volunteer at a local urban farm and ride my bike. Having just finished my YTT-200 training here at Yoga Now under the instruction of Amy, I am a novice teacher, but committed to shaping classes where students feel accepted, guided, challenged and find some joy while working through different asanas, breathing exercises and meditations. I like to find ways to bring back a sense of balance and equilibrium to the body and mind after living in our modern world.
Emily Chou
RYT-200
Emily Salzman
Eva Yam
RYT-200
Eva started down the path of yoga by accident in 2001, seeking a brief escape from the corporate world with a week-long spa experience. It happened to be ‘Ashtanga Yoga Week’ at the spa; by the end of the week, she had completed the primary series and was hooked on yoga. Since then, Eva has traveled extensively to seek out and to study with senior teachers both in and out of the Ashtanga system, with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois US Tours, teacher training from David Swenson and Tim Miller and in-depth studies with Rolf & Marci Naujokat, Chuck Miller & Maty Ezraty and Tim Feldmann & Kino MacGregor. While her focus is Ashtanga yoga, she recognizes that each body is different, and works with each student based on their respective approach to their practice. Eva firmly believes the yoga practice is therapeutic and healing and transmits this accordingly. She is indebted to all her teachers for their guidance, support and endless patience.
Francelia Serrano Chavez
RYT-200
Born and raised in Texas, Francelia began practicing Yoga in 2007 as part of a cross-training exercise while she trained for her first half marathon. She fell in love with the practice and knew this would be a lifelong passion. After experiencing firsthand the benefits of yoga, in 2013 she received her 200hr Soul Awakening Yoga teacher training certificate from Southtown Yoga Loft in San Antonio, Texas. In 2016 she moved to Chicago and shortly after she found Yoga Now studio and enrolled in Yoga Now’s Teacher Training. Francelia received her 200hr Yoga teacher training certificate at Yoga Now and is now a registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. What started as a hobby soon became a way of life. Francelia is known for her authentic and genuine teaching style. She aims to provide a space where people are given the opportunity to discover the truth in transition, and the sense of lightness you’re looking for in your practice. She loves to combine creative sequencing, playfulness and spirituality in her classes.
Out of the studio, Francelia works for a nonprofit organization in a program which supports the youth with disabilities as they prepare for future transition into jobs or higher education.
Holly Tu
Holly is an avid yogi who enjoys bringing love, connection, and positive energy to her classes. Her yoga practice began as a complement to her athletic pursuits in high school, and has evolved over the past 10+ years into a deeper spiritual and emotional pursuit. Holly aims to help her students become more in touch with their emotional bodies and, in doing so, create space between one thought and the next.
Holly completed her training under the tutelage of Amy Beth Treciokas at Yoga Now, and is influenced by both vinyasa and ashtanga styles of practice. As a pitta or “fire” personality, she believes in our constant capacity for change but also that each day we show up to our mat in different ways. Although yoga is a fully self-sufficient practice, she enjoys “cross-training” with martial arts and weightlifting, both of which have contributed to her appreciation of alignment, physiology, and self-empowerment.
Jackie Keith
Hello friend, my name is Jackie!
I believe that introducing more people to the deeply healing benefits of yoga has the power to completely transform our world. In my classes, I combine creative sequencing with a focus on safe, sound alignment as well as meditation, pranayama and yoga philosophy for a practice lived both on and off the mat.
When I took my first “offical” yoga class in 2019, I was nervous. I assumed you had to look a certain way or that you had to know everything about the poses. I thought yoga was only a workout-I had no idea how to do ujjayi breath or to align my body in down dog.
Yet, I knew after that first class it was the beginning of my journey to becoming my most authentic self. For me, yoga is an integral part of an everlasting process toward self-acceptance and peace. I hope to bring this authenticity and journey to each one of my classes. That is what I love about a yoga class, it allows you to get into a place physically, mentally, or spiritually that one may have never been before. I love when students find something within themselves to empower them
When you take my class I want you to be able to experience something new; whether it’s finding a new way to align the spine in a down dog or finding the ability to let go of unwanted stress. During our time together, we’re going to have some fun while also giving yourself some much needed time and attention.I find immense joy, satisfaction and inspiration in seeing students discover their own personal yoga journey and I hope to guide and encourage you along the way.
Jennifer Strack
Jennifer was first introduced to yoga in a 10th grade health class and quickly grew interested in the practice. It wasn’t until years later that she began to deepen her practice in order to better cope with stress. Inspired by the effects yoga had on her life, Jennifer wanted to share this practice with others. She completed her RYT 200 hr. training at Yoga Now Chicago under the tutelage of Amy Beth Treciokis. Jennifer also received her prenatal yoga teaching certification at Blooma in Minneapolis with Sarah Longacre and Stacy Seebart.
Jennifer seeks to provide a fun, playful and safe yoga practice for her students and hopes they can discover new and wonderful things about themselves in the process.
Joanne Barrett
Johanna Shemesh
Julie Melidis
RYT-200
Julie began teaching yoga in 2003 after discovering the therapeutic effects of yoga during a difficult pregnancy and wanted to help others. A few years later she completed her 200 hour RYT certification at Yoga Now and was introduced to Ashtanga by her teacher Amy Beth Treciokas. She expresses her gratitude and love to Amy for allowing her to continue to learn and practice with her over the years. Julie has drawn much inspiration from her teachers Bill Shapleigh and Jessica Aiken who inspire her on a daily basis. She has been fortunate enough to practice with Sharath Jois and Eddie Stern and learns more about this beautiful practice every day. Julie strives to share the tradition of the practice and encourage the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga in her classes.
Kristin McCoy
Kristin is a professional yoga instructor, dance artist, and writer. Driving her work is the philosophy that creative and embodied practices can be vehicles for personal transformation, and can help people feel more alive and at home inside of themselves. Kristin’s classes emphasize mindfully strengthening the body with proper coordination while regulating the breathing and mental focus. Kristin studies ashtanga yoga under the instruction of Sharath Jois and yoga philosophy under the instruction of Yoganand Michael Carroll.
Matthew Berean
MBA, Certified Advanced Rolfer, RYT-500
Matthew Berean integrates long experience with anatomical and cognitive techniques to benefit
his clients and students. His experience in athletics extends over twenty-five years as a
competitive rower and a coach. His study of cultural mental constructs began as a boy with an
intense interest in the myths of multiple cultures. He learned meditation as a teenager and has
been involved in the healing arts of structural bodywork and yoga for over a decade. He draws
on his personal experience and his training in assisting clients and students.
In addition to completing his basic and advanced Rolfing® Structural Integration training,
Matthew has deepened his knowledge through extensive training in Osteopathy-based Visceral,
Vascular, Neural, Cranial and Joint Capsule Manipulation with Jeffrey Burch; SourcePoint
Therapy energy medicine certification; a 500-hour yoga teacher-training certification through
Prajna Yoga with Tias and Surya Little; and a 300-hour certification course with Khenpo
Samdup Rinpoche on The Stages of Meditation.
Matthew has been fortunate to continue his study of Buddhist philosophy, traditional texts, and
practice, in both formal teachings and retreats, primarily under the tutelage of Drupon Ratna
Vajra (Rinchen Dorjee) Rinpoche, Garchen Rinpoche, and other highly accomplished Lamas
primarily from the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Matthew has accumulated more than 5,000 classroom hours studying the body, the mind, and the
relationship between the two. He uses all of this experience to help clients and students learn
how to fundamentally change the way that they relate to others, to themselves, to their bodies,
and to their world. He teaches Hatha yoga classes which focus on alignment, through the use of
props when needed, to help students feel the grounded space and ease possible in the pose.
Matthew also teaches Restorative yoga classes which draw heavily on slow subtle somatic
movements to help students how to slow down, drop in, and feel the subtle energetic body with
greater acuity. More information about Matthew and his practice can be found at
MandalaAwareness.net
Maureen Yasko
RYT-200
Maureen has been practicing Yoga for about ten years. She discovered Yoga while pursuing a career in Acting and Stage Combat, two other huge passions in her life. Sun Salutations and Asana quickly became an essential part of her process before rehearsals and performances. She found that Yoga not only warmed up her body and aligned her with her breath, but it also brought her a sense of calm and a strongly connected focus. All of these benefits have been integral in her career as a movement oriented performer. Soon, Maureen realized that Yoga brought that same sense of calm and connection into her ever-busy daily life as well, which is a wonderful blessing! She started developing her home practice, studying books on Yoga, and began taking more classes. This journey led her to discover Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga, which in turn brought her to completing her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Now Chicago with Amy Beth Treciokas, a long time student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Maureen is very grateful to be on this path! Yoga continues to teach her about connecting deeper to that peaceful inner soul space where love and acceptance live; about seeking truth and joy in the present moment no matter what judgments there may be; and about cultivating a fierce warrior spirit both on and off the mat. Maureen hopes to share this with her students. “Be Love. Be True. Be Warrior You.”
Molly Callahan
Molly grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she learned gymnastics, ballet, tap, jazz, clog dancing, basketball, swimming, volleyball, softball and track and field. Movement has been a consistent part of her life.
She was first introduced to yoga in the 8th grade. Her basketball coach had all of the team members take a class to decrease stress and anxiety before an upcoming tournament. Given her background in gymnastics and dance, yoga came naturally to Molly and she has loved it ever since.
Molly began practicing yoga on a regular basis in January 2016 in Little Rock, AR. She had recently returned home from Spain where she had lived for one year. Yoga allowed her to reground and stabilize after being away at college and living abroad.
In November 2017, she started her 200 hour teacher training with Sherri Youngblood’s Sage Yoga School, and graduated in April 2018.
Molly practices and teaches Vinyasa Yoga. She hopes you will enjoy her class and learn a little more about yourself through soul-enriching flows.
Morgan Sweeney
Rajni Tripathi
MFT, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Her dynamic vinyasa classes are alignment-based, with emphasis on breath-connection, conscious movement, and generating heat with meditation at the end, for a full-circle experience.
Rajni’s background includes over 8,000 hours of teaching/therapy experience, hundreds of hours of meditation, and yoga training, mindfulness training, and more. Her purpose is to help others live awake, aware, and able.
She is also Founder/Managing Director of Thought Transformation Institute, and a therapist focused on holistic mental and emotional health. By merging meditation, therapy and yoga practices, she helps her clients tap into their sovereignty and to feel empowered to live the life they want.
She also serves as a Board Member of the American Women’s Medical Association – Chicago, and other organizations to actively promote and facilitate all avenues of mental wellness and emotional health in her community.
https://www.instagram.com/rajnitripathi_
Saleha Qureshi
Saleha (Sa-lee-ah) is a pharmacist who is dedicated to helping her community grow through asana practice and healthy lifestyle choices. She earned her doctorate in Queens, NY and received her Yoga Teacher Training at Samadhi in Denver, CO. Through her twenties, she has completed 2 courses with Vipassana Meditation, both for 10-days in silence. Saleha brings a grounded, healing energy to her classes, assisting her students glimpse their inner truths and radiance. Her goal is to aid each individual become aware of the primary reality within through postures, breathwork, strengthening, discipline, and ancient wisdom.
Tiffany Ketchmark
RYT-500 / Reiki Master
Tiffany began her exploration of Yoga in 2009 as part of a health and wellness challenge at work, and instantly fell in love. She now sees her yoga practice as an essential part of her daily life, as it has aided in both a physical and emotional transformation.
After experiencing all the positive changes in her body, mind, and spirit, she decided to take the next step. This led her to Yoga Now Chicago where she completed her RYT-200H with Amy Beth Treciokas who studied under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. As her passion for teaching continued to grow, she decided to work toward her advanced teaching certification and completed her RYT-500H with Inner Peace Yoga Therapy based in Durango, CO. Her slow flow classes are therapeutic, inspiring, and accessible to all levels. She aspires to encourage students to find their own comfort and inner strength as they grow in their practice to embody their full potential.
Meditation has been one of the most transformative parts of her daily yoga and mindfulness practice. She is passionate about sharing her theme and ceremonial focused meditation workshops and Sound baths with students. These workshops express her experience and knowledge gained through self study, yoga therapy studies, as well as experiences traveling and studying mindfulness abroad.
As a certified Karuna Reiki Master/Teacher, Tiffany is passionate about, and committed to, helping others through this healing energy. Reiki has been an amazing life changing experienced that she is thrilled to share with those looking for alternative and complimentary therapies to enhance their own health and emotional well-being. She offers individual sessions and attunments.
Tiffany is currently studying Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, and is enrolled in an Ayurvedic Practitioner program with Ananda Ayurveda based in Willowbrook, IL. The course has been and incredible experience that has taken her own Yoga and mindfulness practice to a deeper level. She is beyond thrilled to share this ancient knowledge with her students and clients in class, and private therapeutic settings.
In her free time, you will likely find her traveling, cooking, or enjoying the outdoors with friends and family.