Meet our teachers!
Kris Batzner, RYT
Kris is Owner of RedBloom Yoga and Center for Community Wellness and runs Kula Yoga Outreach in Mt. Pleasant and Alma. While Kris has practiced yoga on and off for most of her life, she began a definitive yoga practice in 1998. She is certified through Yogafit to teach general yoga as well as yoga for seniors, children, and pre/post-natal, and has received her certification in Ascension/Aerial yoga through Shanti School of Yoga. She started teaching yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes for adults and children while living in Orlando, Florida in 2008. After moving to central Michigan, Kris taught yoga in fitness centers and yoga studios before starting Kula Yoga Outreach, a yoga community based in Mount Pleasant and Alma, Michigan. She currently organizes Kula Yoga and is excited to expand that sense of community and love of healthy living into RedBloom Yoga and RedBloom Center for Community Wellness. Kris tries to always find the joy and humor in a practice and encourages yogis practicing with her to do the same.
Before starting down the yoga path, Kris worked as a music therapist for 10 years in a variety of settings. She is an avid reader and knitter with two mini-yogis (daughters) and a husband at home.
Kris’ philosophy is simple- everybody can do yoga, regardless of shape, size, or experience. And everyone should have the chance to experience yoga in their own bodies. In her personal practice Kris likes to spend much of her time upside down.
Kris is Owner of RedBloom Yoga and Center for Community Wellness and runs Kula Yoga Outreach in Mt. Pleasant and Alma. While Kris has practiced yoga on and off for most of her life, she began a definitive yoga practice in 1998. She is certified through Yogafit to teach general yoga as well as yoga for seniors, children, and pre/post-natal, and has received her certification in Ascension/Aerial yoga through Shanti School of Yoga. She started teaching yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes for adults and children while living in Orlando, Florida in 2008. After moving to central Michigan, Kris taught yoga in fitness centers and yoga studios before starting Kula Yoga Outreach, a yoga community based in Mount Pleasant and Alma, Michigan. She currently organizes Kula Yoga and is excited to expand that sense of community and love of healthy living into RedBloom Yoga and RedBloom Center for Community Wellness. Kris tries to always find the joy and humor in a practice and encourages yogis practicing with her to do the same.
Before starting down the yoga path, Kris worked as a music therapist for 10 years in a variety of settings. She is an avid reader and knitter with two mini-yogis (daughters) and a husband at home.
Kris’ philosophy is simple- everybody can do yoga, regardless of shape, size, or experience. And everyone should have the chance to experience yoga in their own bodies. In her personal practice Kris likes to spend much of her time upside down.
Carlin Caszatt, RYT
Carlin’s yogic path began long before she ever stepped foot into a studio. Having been a former gymnast, as well as a coach, she went on to pursue a bachelors of science in health fitness from CMU. Carlin was soon drawn toward a more natural approach to health, and so decided to pursue a degree from the Naturopathic Institute of Therapies and Education. This holistic approach to health inevitably led her to yoga.
After Carlin experienced her first group yoga session she was hooked. She eventually went on to earn her 200 hour yoga teacher certification, and then decided to focus on the vinyasa style of yoga. Carlin has an aptitude for inversions and believes that the combination of breath and movement in a yoga practice are priceless attributes to a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
“Yoga soothes my nerves and nourishes my soul.”
Carlin’s yogic path began long before she ever stepped foot into a studio. Having been a former gymnast, as well as a coach, she went on to pursue a bachelors of science in health fitness from CMU. Carlin was soon drawn toward a more natural approach to health, and so decided to pursue a degree from the Naturopathic Institute of Therapies and Education. This holistic approach to health inevitably led her to yoga.
After Carlin experienced her first group yoga session she was hooked. She eventually went on to earn her 200 hour yoga teacher certification, and then decided to focus on the vinyasa style of yoga. Carlin has an aptitude for inversions and believes that the combination of breath and movement in a yoga practice are priceless attributes to a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
“Yoga soothes my nerves and nourishes my soul.”
Stacey Graham, RYT
Hi. My name is Stacey Graham and I am excited to be sharing my enthusiasm for the practice of yoga with you at RedBloom Yoga and Kula Yoga Outreach in Alma. I was first exposed to an asana practice in bush Alaska in 2004. I felt a difference in my overall wellbeing from the first time that I practiced asana. In 2011, I practiced in my first public class here in Alma. After I started to practice in a public class, I began to understand that Yoga is more than just movement and postures. In class one day we were moving in a sun salutation and I noticed a thought that influenced my decision to take a teacher training course in Mt. Pleasant. In the spring of 2013 I completed my teacher training and obtained my 200 hour certification and registered with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher.
Yoga has helped me to find peace in the moment and joy in my life. It has allowed me to notice my thoughts, feelings and sensations in my body without the judgment that I once felt. I am excited to join Kula in bringing additional opportunities for people to experience this full and rich practice of yoga. I look forward to practicing with you soon!
Hi. My name is Stacey Graham and I am excited to be sharing my enthusiasm for the practice of yoga with you at RedBloom Yoga and Kula Yoga Outreach in Alma. I was first exposed to an asana practice in bush Alaska in 2004. I felt a difference in my overall wellbeing from the first time that I practiced asana. In 2011, I practiced in my first public class here in Alma. After I started to practice in a public class, I began to understand that Yoga is more than just movement and postures. In class one day we were moving in a sun salutation and I noticed a thought that influenced my decision to take a teacher training course in Mt. Pleasant. In the spring of 2013 I completed my teacher training and obtained my 200 hour certification and registered with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher.
Yoga has helped me to find peace in the moment and joy in my life. It has allowed me to notice my thoughts, feelings and sensations in my body without the judgment that I once felt. I am excited to join Kula in bringing additional opportunities for people to experience this full and rich practice of yoga. I look forward to practicing with you soon!
Amy LaPorte, RYT
Amy has been practicing yoga since 2003. She is a native of Michigan: her yoga roots in Grand Rapids with an early focus on Anusara style. In 2012 she had the opportunity to move to southern California where she refocused her practice and pursued her teacher certification. She moved back to Michigan in 2015 to come back to her roots and share her experiences.
Amy has explored multiple disciplines including Ashtanga, Anusara, Kundalini, and Vinyasa Flow with a variety of teachers. She found her home in alignment-focused practice and went on to receive her 200 hour yoga teacher certification from the Shraddhaa School of Yoga in Temecula, California. Amy’s teaching style is thoughtful and clear. She moves her students in a mindful and safe way with an ever-present focus on body alignment. She is always up for a bit of laughter and fun in the class. There is no need to make it harder than it needs to be.
"As strength and power increases, out conviction awakens us to our own beauty." (from Splender of Recognition by Swami Shantananda)
Amy has been practicing yoga since 2003. She is a native of Michigan: her yoga roots in Grand Rapids with an early focus on Anusara style. In 2012 she had the opportunity to move to southern California where she refocused her practice and pursued her teacher certification. She moved back to Michigan in 2015 to come back to her roots and share her experiences.
Amy has explored multiple disciplines including Ashtanga, Anusara, Kundalini, and Vinyasa Flow with a variety of teachers. She found her home in alignment-focused practice and went on to receive her 200 hour yoga teacher certification from the Shraddhaa School of Yoga in Temecula, California. Amy’s teaching style is thoughtful and clear. She moves her students in a mindful and safe way with an ever-present focus on body alignment. She is always up for a bit of laughter and fun in the class. There is no need to make it harder than it needs to be.
"As strength and power increases, out conviction awakens us to our own beauty." (from Splender of Recognition by Swami Shantananda)
Consuela Colonna-Ramirez, RYT
My name is Consuela Colonna-Ramirez; my husband, Benjamin Ramirez-Shkwegnaabi, and I
completed the 200-hour Teacher Training Program together at High Desert Yoga in
Albuquerque, NM in November 2016. Additionally, we both completed a twenty-hour Restorative Yoga Teacher Training together through High Desert Yoga with Andrea Peloso in November 2016.
I studied yoga with my first yoga Teacher, John Stowe, in Oneonta, NY from about the year
2000 to about 2001/2. This was a period of intense study, which started as a once a week class
and ended with daily and many times twice daily classes. John Stowe received his training and
certification as a yoga teacher from Kripalu Yoga in Stockbridge, MA. I then practiced yoga on
my own and took classes as much as I was able until, together with my husband, Ben, I
attended and completed the 200-hour Teacher Training and the twenty-hour Restorative Yoga
Teacher Training workshop at High Desert Yoga in November 2016.
My name is Consuela Colonna-Ramirez; my husband, Benjamin Ramirez-Shkwegnaabi, and I
completed the 200-hour Teacher Training Program together at High Desert Yoga in
Albuquerque, NM in November 2016. Additionally, we both completed a twenty-hour Restorative Yoga Teacher Training together through High Desert Yoga with Andrea Peloso in November 2016.
I studied yoga with my first yoga Teacher, John Stowe, in Oneonta, NY from about the year
2000 to about 2001/2. This was a period of intense study, which started as a once a week class
and ended with daily and many times twice daily classes. John Stowe received his training and
certification as a yoga teacher from Kripalu Yoga in Stockbridge, MA. I then practiced yoga on
my own and took classes as much as I was able until, together with my husband, Ben, I
attended and completed the 200-hour Teacher Training and the twenty-hour Restorative Yoga
Teacher Training workshop at High Desert Yoga in November 2016.
Amy Shinaberger, 200 HR Trainee
In 2013 my health journey started to take on the positive side. After losing a little over 100 pounds on my own at home, I finally started to know and believe in the power of the mind. Mind over matter was my mantra that year.
The following year new goals were made which lead me to the gym where I started to run and take group classes. These new hobbies became my new lifestyle. Unfortunately back issues arose trying to derail me from these activities. Trying to avoid surgery I was led to PT where most of the exercise I was given to help decompress my back were yoga poses. Finally something I had interest in was good for me. I didn't have great balance or flexibility but the idea of trying to deal with my back along with learning to be more comfortable in my body, and was also good for the mind and soul. My passion for yoga was instant.
A friend introduced me to hot yoga and I was hooked. I had the need to learn and grow my practice so I tried all the local places around me that offered yoga. My new lifestyle led me to several different yoga studios and fitness centers and eventually I was encouraged to step in when an instructor was recovering from an accident. I begin to lead PiYo and yoga classes. With limited funds and time, but knowing I wanted to get certified I was talking about the idea with one of my instructors and she pointed me towards Yoga Fit.
This wonderful life journey I'm on has me learning and growing. Yoga Fit certification, workshops, classes with so, so many talented students, friends and instructors, that's my life now. I'm truly humbled and honored to help others as so many have and are doing for me.
My approach, my thinking for myself is: I bend so I don't break. I am core strong. Building a strong foundation mentally and physically so I can handle whatever life throws at me.
In 2013 my health journey started to take on the positive side. After losing a little over 100 pounds on my own at home, I finally started to know and believe in the power of the mind. Mind over matter was my mantra that year.
The following year new goals were made which lead me to the gym where I started to run and take group classes. These new hobbies became my new lifestyle. Unfortunately back issues arose trying to derail me from these activities. Trying to avoid surgery I was led to PT where most of the exercise I was given to help decompress my back were yoga poses. Finally something I had interest in was good for me. I didn't have great balance or flexibility but the idea of trying to deal with my back along with learning to be more comfortable in my body, and was also good for the mind and soul. My passion for yoga was instant.
A friend introduced me to hot yoga and I was hooked. I had the need to learn and grow my practice so I tried all the local places around me that offered yoga. My new lifestyle led me to several different yoga studios and fitness centers and eventually I was encouraged to step in when an instructor was recovering from an accident. I begin to lead PiYo and yoga classes. With limited funds and time, but knowing I wanted to get certified I was talking about the idea with one of my instructors and she pointed me towards Yoga Fit.
This wonderful life journey I'm on has me learning and growing. Yoga Fit certification, workshops, classes with so, so many talented students, friends and instructors, that's my life now. I'm truly humbled and honored to help others as so many have and are doing for me.
My approach, my thinking for myself is: I bend so I don't break. I am core strong. Building a strong foundation mentally and physically so I can handle whatever life throws at me.
Michelle Hawley-Whitney
Michelle Hawley-Whitney is a devoted Buddhist and Meditation practitioner with over 20 years experience, and is a student of the Venerable Ajahn Khemasanto and Jhampa Shaneman. Michelle is a Certified Holistic Life Coach, Certified Recovery Coach and Astrologer at Astro Dharma Den where she merges Meditation/Mindfulness, Holistic Life Coaching and Astrology. Her passion is to guide people to be happy in life's sometimes stressful situations and to be content with life just as it is. She inspires her clients to find their happiness, joy and freedom from suffering in their own unique way through self-awareness, self-understanding and self-discovery.
Michelle Hawley-Whitney is a devoted Buddhist and Meditation practitioner with over 20 years experience, and is a student of the Venerable Ajahn Khemasanto and Jhampa Shaneman. Michelle is a Certified Holistic Life Coach, Certified Recovery Coach and Astrologer at Astro Dharma Den where she merges Meditation/Mindfulness, Holistic Life Coaching and Astrology. Her passion is to guide people to be happy in life's sometimes stressful situations and to be content with life just as it is. She inspires her clients to find their happiness, joy and freedom from suffering in their own unique way through self-awareness, self-understanding and self-discovery.
Alison Miller, RYT
My journey into yoga began over 20 years ago when my children were young. The craziness of being a young mom with three small children limited my ability to be away from my home other than during work hours. I began doing yoga in my living room and it just became a way of life. Over the past 20 years, as I was able to free-up time for myself - I began running, cycling and swimming – and for all of those sports, I fell in love with distance. To both strengthen my body and to become more flexible and nimble, especially during intense times of training, yoga has become non-negotiable.
I completed my 200 hour RYT in early 2017 and started teaching in February. I am now taking courses in Plant Based Nutrition and have recently joined an 18 month Yoga Health Coaching program focusing on the benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. I encourage my students to explore their boundaries, listen to their bodies, and tap into the wisdom of nature.
My journey into yoga began over 20 years ago when my children were young. The craziness of being a young mom with three small children limited my ability to be away from my home other than during work hours. I began doing yoga in my living room and it just became a way of life. Over the past 20 years, as I was able to free-up time for myself - I began running, cycling and swimming – and for all of those sports, I fell in love with distance. To both strengthen my body and to become more flexible and nimble, especially during intense times of training, yoga has become non-negotiable.
I completed my 200 hour RYT in early 2017 and started teaching in February. I am now taking courses in Plant Based Nutrition and have recently joined an 18 month Yoga Health Coaching program focusing on the benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. I encourage my students to explore their boundaries, listen to their bodies, and tap into the wisdom of nature.
Jennifer Jones, RYT
Jennifer’s Yoga journey began during her undergraduate studies when she was seeking balance for her physical body from marathon training and the mental escape from collegiate studies. She found instant gratification from the gifts of Yoga which fit nicely with her natural passion for teaching group fitness classes. She began her teacher trainings through YogaFit, earning Level 3 certification and completed her 200 RYT Certification through OmBodies. Jennifer loves exploring the power of the human body and partnered her Yoga training with her collegiate studies, obtaining a B.S. in Exercise Science and M.A. in Health Promotion.
Over the past 12 years working as a Yoga instructor, Jennifer has taught Vinyasa Yoga classes to include; All Levels Vinyasa, Zen for Men, Couples Yoga and Hot Yoga. Jennifer currently teaches Yoga Sculpt courses at CMU, where she feels so fortunate to have the opportunity to guide, educate and provide the tools for a student to develop a routine practice. As an avid fan of the Yoga Journal Conferences, Jennifer is inspired by Baron Baptiste who focuses on reclaiming your full potential with your physical body through a regular asana practice. Jennifer believes that the layers of Yoga run deep and if you welcome this mind/body time your life will be transformed.
Jennifer’s Yoga journey began during her undergraduate studies when she was seeking balance for her physical body from marathon training and the mental escape from collegiate studies. She found instant gratification from the gifts of Yoga which fit nicely with her natural passion for teaching group fitness classes. She began her teacher trainings through YogaFit, earning Level 3 certification and completed her 200 RYT Certification through OmBodies. Jennifer loves exploring the power of the human body and partnered her Yoga training with her collegiate studies, obtaining a B.S. in Exercise Science and M.A. in Health Promotion.
Over the past 12 years working as a Yoga instructor, Jennifer has taught Vinyasa Yoga classes to include; All Levels Vinyasa, Zen for Men, Couples Yoga and Hot Yoga. Jennifer currently teaches Yoga Sculpt courses at CMU, where she feels so fortunate to have the opportunity to guide, educate and provide the tools for a student to develop a routine practice. As an avid fan of the Yoga Journal Conferences, Jennifer is inspired by Baron Baptiste who focuses on reclaiming your full potential with your physical body through a regular asana practice. Jennifer believes that the layers of Yoga run deep and if you welcome this mind/body time your life will be transformed.
