Yoga Den Avondale Instructors
3653 St Johns Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida 32205
Get Directions | (904) 662-0485
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Devon Schlegel
Devon Schlegel stumbled into her yoga journey in 2017, when she moved across the street from Yoga Den Avondale, all the way from Philadelphia. She quickly fell in love with the practice, which served as a stress reliever and helped her strengthen her relationship with her body. Later on, yoga proved to be an integral part of her rehabilitation following two knee surgeries. Devon is a board certified art therapist and licensed mental health counselor and recently received her 200 hr RYT training from Yoga Den.
Jacklyn Wiggins
Starting my yoga journey over 15 years ago in New York I then relocated to the Sunshine state. I was grateful for the opportunity to obtain my yoga training through the Yoga Den.
I love yoga first and foremost for being an unending discovery of self awareness, self discovery and self transformation. Yoga has changed my life both on and off the mat. It’s taught me to breathe and believe in myself. But most importantly it taught me to listen and respect my body. Like they say! I bend so I don’t break. I hope to spread my love for yoga to you!
Lyssa Ball
Lyssa has been practicing yoga since 2000 and adores sharing her love of yoga as a teacher. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training through Yoga Den in April 2019 and her 85-hour prenatal yoga teacher training in February 2020. In addition, she has over 50 hours of yoga continuing education, including training in Restorative and Yin. Lyssa believes yoga can help us stay awake to the present moment, practice loving kindness, and express creativity. She enjoys cooking, reading, taking walks, and spending time with family and friends.
Lauren Baker
Lauren Baker took to yoga 15 years ago for the fun shapes and flexibility. She stayed for the breathwork and intentional stretching, which helped her reduce both anxiety and running injuries. Earning her 200 hour teacher training from Yoga Den in December 2019, she enjoys teaching power yoga and vinyasa flow for all levels. With a passion for fitness, and gratitude for mindfulness and community, she looks forward to practicing together.
Amanda Flakowicz
After resigning from ballet, Amanda began her yoga practice in 2021. Through her practices, she grew fascinated by its mental and physical healing properties. She was inspired by her teachers at Avondale to complete Yoga Den’s 200hr teacher training, and began teaching to athletes, kids, musicians, and at Yoga Den. In addition to teaching yoga, Amanda currently attends Jacksonville University, majoring in exercise science and piano performance, and aspires to a career in physical therapy. Amanda loves to read, teach piano to kids, embroider, and drink yerba mate in the park!
Ashlee Larramore
is a professional dancer/cheerleader and recently started her journey in yoga instruction. She loves to include dynamic stretches, pilates, and rhythmic movement in her workouts, and brings this style into her yoga classes. When Ashlee isn’t in the yoga studio or cheering from the sidelines, she works in project management and data analytics. Her unique experiences lend themselves to helping busy young professionals find the time to slow down. Ashlee is excited to share her love for movement and creative expression with the Jacksonville community. Yoga Den 200 hour graduate.
Kim Royal
Kim started her yoga practice in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the benefits of the practice. Connecting the mind and body with movement and breathe became a form of medicine for her life which has helped heal acute injuries and manage daily stressors with her career as a nurse. Moving to the Riverside area has brought her to Yoga Den Avondale where she’s enjoyed growing her practice for the last few years. Recently, she made the decision to further advance her yoga journey by completing the Yoga Den 200 YTT program.
Emilie Johnson
Emilie Johnson began her journey with yoga over 10 years ago but it wasn’t until recent years that she really dedicated herself to a regular practice at Yoga Den. She completed her 200 hour teacher training in June of 2013 at Yoga Den and continues to learn both as a student and a teacher. She also loves dance and teaches dance fitness. She feels honored and humbled to be able to share her passions of yoga and dance with others.
James Kinnick-Bitar
Although I had experimented with the practice on and off as part of my workout routines in the 1990’s, it wasn’t until 2009 that yoga presented itself to me as a lifeline. A year earlier, I had been diagnosed with MS, and was experiencing mobility issues which were having a tremendous impact on my daily life.
Enter yoga.
I started working one on one with a yoga teacher and therapist friend in San Francisco, and within 6 months was moving around with ease, in ways I thought I’d never be able to! It became a part of my daily life, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I moved to Jacksonville in 2016, and my partner turned me on to Yoga Den Avondale, which is where my journey to becoming a teacher really started. I really loved the “come as you are, we’ll meet you where you’re at” vibe, and found myself wanting to become more involved; to share my story and the practice, and to encourage others who may be struggling with issues similar to mine to walk their path back to feeling whole again.
2020 was the perfect opportunity for me to enroll in the Yoga Den 200hr teacher training, and I took it!! I’m currently an E-RYT200, and will complete my 500hr training in November of 2023.
My style is typically power flow, focusing heavily on breath to movement, and although I love a high energy class, I always try to strike balance and provide a strong grounding force as well. I’m very excited to be serving Avondale!
Shelby Rae
I’ve always had a spiritual calling for healing not just for myself but the healing as a collective. When I found yoga my life immediately changed, I found my center and inner peace. After completing my 200-hour RYT in 2016 at Yoga Den I found that I harnessed the power within me. My practice has taken me to North Carolina to study Hataha Pradpika with Michael Johnson at the Asheville Yoga Center. Here my studies grew deeper. I’m so thankful to be able to share the teachings that I’ve received and my personal experience with each of you on and off the mat. I look forward to continuing my journey of learning and sharing this experience with you!
Marcy Knight
Marcy has been a student of holistic healing, Native American spirituality, Eastern philosophy and meditation for the past twenty five years. She began her yoga practice in the 1990’s while dealing with a chronic illness and was inspired to embark on her teaching journey in 2006. She was first trained with YogaFit and then continued her studies with Two Suns Rising Hatha Yoga School. She became certified in 2011 as a teacher of Yoga for the Cancer Patient from the Christina Phipps Foundation. Today, in addition to working toward her 500 hour certification she teaches at Yoga Den Avondale, at corporate locations and works with private students. Marcy believes each breath should a prayer of thankfulness and every moment a celebration. Her classes reflect this belief, providing a space to restore, find stillness, connect to the healing power within and awaken to our own shining potential.
“Yoga is a way to focus within, and by doing so expand our awareness, bringing increased ability to live in balance and harmony. Everything that we are seeking- love, joy and peace is our natural state of being and is already inside each one of us!”
When not on her yoga mat, Marcy sews, keeps bees, is an organic gardener and herbalist. She is also a certified Reiki practitioner.
Tasha Brooks
Since January 2018, Tasha has been the owner of the Yoga Den Avondale location, of which she has been a part of since 2013. In 2009, Tasha attended her friend’s yoga class and found it challenging yet beneficial. Wanting to enhance her yoga practice, she joined the Yoga Den 200 hr Teacher Training program in 2013. After graduating, Tasha’s love for yoga grew as she taught various classes, including corporate, community, brewery, and special needs yoga. Tasha continued her studies in yoga by obtaining certifications in Pre/Post-Natal Yoga, Kids Yoga, and the Bhakti Vinyasa Flow program. In 2017, Tasha also completed her 300hr teacher certification through Yoga Den. Being an active member of the yoga community brings Tasha immense happiness, and she enjoys teaching and experiencing the positive energy that comes with the practice. Tasha looks forward to furthering her personal practice and teaching career.
Brooke Anderson
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” ~Oscar Wilde
This quote rings true to Brooke’s yogic journey as multiple knee operations from playing soccer in college left her in need of healing, the kind only yoga seemed to provide. With an athletic background, Brooke teaches mostly power classes. Each one is filled with high-energy vinyasa flows, balance postures, core & spinal work, with plenty of time to cool down and prepare for relaxation. To Brooke, music is one of the most important aspects of a yoga practice and her playlists are thoughtfully crafted. You may find your savasana accompanied with live music! She loves getting to know her students & feels very blessed to be able to share with the world this gift we’ve come to call yoga, through one individual at a time.
Chelsea Carr
Chelsea is an ESFP(for all you Meyers- Briggs fans). So, basically, that means she’s an extrovert and a lover of all things fun and stimulating. Life is her stage and loves performing for audiences whether she is singing or teaching Spanish to her high school students.
She began doing power yoga regularly in 2010, and at first, really loved its intensity, expressiveness, and playful nature. As she continued to practice, she began to experience deeper benefits – not only physical changes, but mental and emotional as well. Her mat became a mirror reflecting how she thought about herself, how she responded to situations, how her mind was anywhere but present, and began using this awareness to create small, meaningful changes off the mat. Through mindful practice, yoga can be a tool to heal and strengthen our bodies, hearts, and minds. She completed her 200hr training at Yoga Den just so she could share THAT gift with you!
Suzy Walker
Suzy, has lived in Jacksonville with her family since 1999. Her quest for alternative ways to treat a chronic illness led her to begin practicing yoga in 2004, and has been teaching classes since realizing the benefits she received through her own practice. Suzy teaches Power Vinyasa, Yin, Chair and therapeutic classes for adults and children. Her classes are accessible to yogis of all potential shapes, ages, and interests.
She obtained her RYT 200 at Yoga Den and a 500 RYT certification in injuries and special conditions. She is also an active member of the
International Association of Yoga Therapists. Suzy continues to seek additional training to help her students grow and achieve their own goals.
