Under the guidance of our skilled faculty, find the space, strength and resilience you didn’t know you had.
Laurel Adams
Laurel came to yoga through her journey as a dancer, understanding at a young age the power of moving the body in order to move and shift energy, both internally and externally.
She then studied and taught Pilates, studying locally under Diane Thayer and Emily Bogard, heavily influenced by the works of Ida Rolf, Joseph Pilates and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen along with many other leaders in the mind/body realm.
After nearly a decade of teaching Pilates, she ventured into her 200 hour yoga training, wanting to understand more deeply the power of mind/body work to transcend us into a deeper, more connective life, with our Selves and with one another. She recently finished her 300 hour yoga training with Matece, and is deeply excited to share in this journey of understanding the full depth and wisdom yoga has to offer us all.
Laurel shines in her ability to intuitively accommodate students of all ages and abilities, challenging her classes to engage fully and safely in a holistic way.
Her classes offer a nurturing and encouraging environment, through a fluid practice of breath, asana and meditation, while simultaneously bringing an innovative mind/body essence from her Pilates and dance background.
She is a mother, wife, and an ardent lover of nature, who thrives on creating a safe and nurturing space for students to realize their full breadth and potential.
Marci Becker
Marci Becker is a Wellcoaches Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Certified MNDFL Instructor (CMI), experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT 500), & a continuing education provider through Yoga Alliance (YACEP). She has a deep desire to walk alongside YOU on your wellness journey. Always recognizing that you are in the driver’s seat….but sometimes you need someone to ride with you on this roadtrip we call life.
Marci fell in love with the practice of yoga through the Healing Spirit yoga studio in Bloomington, Indiana. While living a hectic life with small children, a full time job, many family responsibilities and other activities, the sanctuary of the yoga studio became more and more important in her life. No matter what else was going on at any given time, going to yoga class always brought her back to a beautiful place within herself: a true sanctuary. Being fascinated with the rejuvenating and healing effects of the practice, she decided to study formally. She completed the 200-hour training program with Marsha Pappas and Nikki Myers at the CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health in Indianapolis in the summer of 2010. The training program was everything she wanted and so much more. She is honored to now share her love of this sacred practice with others.
In 2018, she reached ‘Experienced’ level of certification with Yoga Alliance and in 2021 completed her advanced Yoga Teacher training with the Nourishing Heart Yoga Studio. With her certification of Continuing Education Provider for Yoga Alliance, she also looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experience with other Yoga Teachers as they work to continue to grow and learn as teachers and practitioners.
Melissa Burger
Melissa began her yoga journey in college to balance her rock climbing routine. Her yoga practice has deepened over the years into daily self care in order to better serve others off the mat.
She also teaches high school science where she incorporates mindfulness techniques into her students’ daily routine. She is incredibly passionate about cosponsoring her school’s Gay Straight Alliance and providing a safe space for all students to feel heard and respected. This year she has started working with the cross country team to supplement their running schedules with yoga.
Melissa completed her YTT with Matece in spring of 2022. This training helped grow her personal practice, and she is excited to continue to learn within the Nourishing Heart Yoga community. She hopes to create a safe space in the studio for everyone to explore their own practice.
Elizabeth (Liz) Cobb
She is a student of yoga for nearly 20 years and gained her Yoga Alliance teaching certification in 2019. Her lineage is the Krishnamacharya line mainly through the teachings of T.K.V. Desikachar. She shares meditation as illuminated by the Himalayan Masters via the instruction of her teacher Tracee Stanley. She is also receiving formal Sanskrit education through the Dhar India Studies Program at Indiana University. She has a deep respect and curiosity for all styles of practice. Liz strives to cultivate an understanding of the eight limbs of yoga in all realms of her life.
Liz has an athletic background mainly in endurance sports. She was an elite amateur cyclist for eight years before switching to distance running. She also practices martial arts. All this might lead one to believe that to her Asana is the most important aspect of yoga, but that is not the case. To Liz, the true sweetness of yoga practice lies in its philosophy. Therein we learn how we can lead a good life by right action and discover our true nature, which is already perfect.
She finds that folks usually come to the yoga mat for physical practice. Therefore, her goal as a yoga teacher is to foster space and time where people can honor spirit through embodiment. While yoga Asana places focus on the individual’s experience of their own body, she also encourages understanding of embodiment through relationality. She does this by offering Thai Yoga Massage and by sharing her knowledge of herbalism.
Liz’s favorite local non-profit is The People’s Market Bloomington. They provide nourishing food to historically marginalized people in our community. Whenever possible, she gives reparation in the form of money to this fantastic organization.
Jesica Conger
“The practices of yoga quite literally saved my life. When I share my yoga with others, I heal myself.”
Jesica began practicing yoga in 2012 on the heels of recovering from addiction. She traded her addiction for yoga books and spiritual texts and started practicing with deep intention. In 2015, Jesica moved to Bloomington on the quest to deepen her practice and teach yoga. She made a home at Ekah Yoga, where she still practices and teaches at to this day. Shortly thereafter, she discovered Matece and Nourishing Heart Yoga. Jesica received her 200 hour training in 2017 and her 300 hour training in 2021, both from Nourishing Heart Yoga. Jesica gives the deepest reverence to her teacher, Matece, for her Grace and teachings of Love.
A practice with Jesica has a strong embodied felt sense. Teaching from an intuitive center as an empath, Jesica tunes into the collective energy to guide the class in flow moment to moment. Jesica’s practices are unique, joyful, embodied, introspective, soulful, and transformative.
Off of the yoga mat, Jesica is on the spiritual journey as a mother to her young son, River Sol. Every moment, River is effortlessly teaching her yoga philosophy of how to love more and how to be more fully present in that love. They spend their days hiking in the woods, swimming at the lake, gardening, riding bikes, and caring for their dog, Ali, and cat, Ma.
Come shake off that midweek muck with a soulful practice to enliven body, mind, and spirit!
Denise Hyble
Denise’s philosophy as a yoga teacher is to help people feel connected to their body, quiet their mind, stimulate a healthy nervous system, and release tension in the body caused by stress, anxiety, or trauma. Denise teaches a gentle, mindful yoga. She sees yoga as a means of listening to the truths of our bodies rather than only the “shoulds” of our brains. Her teaching technique uses a combination of gentle asanas, breath work, meditation, and somatic yoga.
Denise completed her 200-hour RYT training with Matece Skow at Nourishing Heart Yoga. She has been fortunate to learn from other talented teachers as well, including Erich Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Judith Lasater, Amanda McMaine and Diane Thayer. Her yoga practice is also greatly influenced by her Gestalt training.
Denise is a psychotherapist in private practice for over thirty years, specializing in trauma and PTSD work. She provides individual and group therapy, consultation and supervision, and teaches classes and workshops. She is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Emotional Freedom Technique, Gestalt Physical Process, Resorative Yoga and Embodied Life and is a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute for Gestalt.
Kelly Linz
Kelly discovered yoga during her early recovery when a trusted loved one led her to a transformative retreat with Matece. What began as fearful steps into an unfamiliar practice became a profound pathway to healing. Yoga offered her the ability to look inward with compassion and uncover the light that had always existed within the darkness. Kelly found that yoga’s mind-body-spirit integration helped her develop holistic awareness, connecting physical sensations, emotions, and spiritual states in a way that naturally aligned with her 12-step foundation.
Following the 12th Step promise to carry the message to others and practice these principles in all affairs, Kelly dedicates her teaching to serving others in recovery through yoga, the practice that supported her own transformation. She believes yoga isn’t about becoming something more—it’s about uncovering what has always been there.
Kelly creates sacred, supportive spaces where students can explore the mind-body-spirit connection while reinforcing 12-step principles, using trauma-informed approaches that honor each person’s growth and the recognition that we are already enough.
Julie Madewell
Julie Ann has practiced yoga for over 20 years, but it was a recent experience with chronic illness that deepened her connection to the practice and inspired her to pursue teacher training as part of her healing journey. With a background in education, she brings a thoughtful and accessible approach to her teaching, focusing on creating inclusive spaces where students of all abilities feel welcome.
Certified in Vinyasa and Accessible Yoga, Julie Ann specializes in trauma-informed and gentle practices. She regularly teaches at The Cancer Support Community South, offering yoga to cancer survivors, and volunteers with the Bloomington Animal Shelter, fostering dogs and cats. Her classes are rooted in compassion, joy, and the belief that yoga can be a powerful tool for healing and connection.
Julie Ann brings a compassionate and inclusive approach to her yoga teaching, with a strong commitment to making yoga accessible for all. She completed her 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training at Nourishing Heart Yoga Studio and is a certified Accessible Yoga Teacher through the Accessible Yoga School.
Julie Ann has experience teaching a variety of classes, including Integrated Accessible Yoga, Gentle Yoga, All Levels Flow, Slow Flow, and Adaptive/Chair Yoga. She specializes in trauma-informed and accessible practices for students of all ability levels, and individuals with limited mobility.
Her classes focus on mindful breathwork, thoughtful sequencing, and offering appropriate adaptations to meet each student’s needs. Julie Ann’s goal is to guide individuals on a transformative journey towards holistic well-being, helping them reduce stress, improve mobility, and cultivate a deep sense of inner peace and delightful joy.
Aaron Nordmeyer
I completed the 200 hour Yoga teacher training at Nourishing Heart Yoga and began teaching classes in 2023. My second station is driving a school bus for Monroe County. Driving a bus full of kids gives me daily opportunities to practice the teachings of Yoga in the world; breathing, finding calm, corralling the fluctuations of the mind, and keeping a Love-First mentality. Outside of work, I’ve renovated unlikely spaces to make them home. Not so much a house flipper as getting creative out of necessity. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my significant other, getting out and exploring, and doing things with my dog Carly.
Yoga came into my life around 2011. Asana practice and Yoga philosophy resonated with me when nothing else had. The practice has truly transformed me and given me a path to follow. I enrolled in teacher training to continue and deepen my practice and I teach to give something I’m so grateful for to others.
Susan Rae
Susan Rae is a Certified Yoga Instructor and Qigong teacher, and she is delighted to share her practice with you!
Being a lifelong seeker, dreamer, creative intuitive, artist and visionary, Susan has been deeply immersed in the healing arts all of her life. She has found inspiration and solace in Nature since she was a young child, and creative play and
movement have been her most favorite healing practices.
My initial introduction to yoga was in the 90’s when I took an elective course in Hatha Yoga during my final semester of college. I practiced privately at home for several years before I decided to deepen my knowledge and understanding of yoga. In 2014, I earned my 200
hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Certificate from Cityoga in Indianapolis.
hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Certificate from Cityoga in Indianapolis.
I like to infuse my classes with invitations and encouragement for self-love, self-acceptance, and self-appreciation. My classes also incorporate the chakras, the five
elements, and awareness of our connection to the Earth and the Heavens as I guide us through the journey of experiencing ourselves as energy. Simply coming to yoga class is an act of self-love. Please join me as we move, breathe, and become more aware of the sweetness of living in the light of loving ourselves.
elements, and awareness of our connection to the Earth and the Heavens as I guide us through the journey of experiencing ourselves as energy. Simply coming to yoga class is an act of self-love. Please join me as we move, breathe, and become more aware of the sweetness of living in the light of loving ourselves.
With a background in landscape design, I love working in my yard and dreaming up new spaces inside and around my home. I love to dance, hike, bike, listen to live music at outdoor venues, and make connections everywhere I go. I love to paint and hope to soon have my pottery studio ready to create again.
My young adult children, Elijah and Emily, whom I love dearly, inspire me continuously and are two of my greatest teachers.
To learn more about Susan Rae and her offerings, please visit: www.SusanRaeofLight.com
Matece Skow
Matece Skow is a distinguished mother, mentor, healer, and the visionary founder and director of Nourishing Heart Yoga School and Studio. Since 1999, she has been a beacon of compassionate growth and healing for her students and clients. Renowned as a global yoga teacher, Matece imparts teachings with heartfelt devotion, wisdom, and presence, fostering transformative experiences in both body and heart within safe and nurturing environments.
Her expertise extends to training both novice and advanced yoga instructors, guiding them to teach yoga from the heart. Her comprehensive 200 and 300-hour programs are meticulously designed to promote physical, spiritual, and emotional expansion among trainees.
Since 2012, Matece has been at the forefront of leading international workshops and retreats focused on yoga, philosophy, and the healing arts. Her online yoga classes, prominently featured on Grokker, connect her with a worldwide community of yogis.
A lifelong learner, Matece has been profoundly influenced by her spiritual teacher, MaDar. This cherished relationship has been the cornerstone of her spiritual insight and embodiment. Matece walks a humble path dedicated to the service of Divine Love, channeling the grace that flows through her heart into her work and community.
Morgan Thames
Morgan began her yoga journey in 2011, seeking solace from your typical college student stress. She instantly fell in love with all aspects of the practice – from the physical, energizing, empowering feeling after a sweaty vinyasa practice, to the soul-nourishing and calming effects of meditation. There is no doubt that the practices of Yoga kept Morgan going through the most painful time of her life: the loss of her mother in 2016, and a period of deep depression thereafter.
The eternal love and hope of Yoga encouraged Morgan to keep going as she battled depression, grief, and trauma. The spiritual and physical practices of yoga helped her see that joy and pain can coexist together peacefully, and this is the core of what she wishes to share with her students during class.Morgan completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with Matece and the Nourishing Heart Yoga School in May of 2022. Morgan is infinitely grateful to her teacher, Matece, for her kindness, compassion, and loving wisdom. She is so excited to begin her teaching journey at Nourishing Heart Studio.
Angela Williams
Angela Williams is a American Council on Exercise certified group fitness instructor, Nia Black Belt and a Size Inclusive Fitness Instructor. She has been leading embodied movement classes and inspiring authenticity for 15 years. With over 500 hours of somatic training and a lifetime of learning and exploration, Angela created a dance class experience based in exercise science and embodied knowledge that is deeply rooted in the desire to create freedom for every body.
“I have a deep heart desire to share the power of connecting and dancing to music with a group of people. I want to guide a beautiful dance where the deep work of self discovery and community building can happen! Music, voice, connections and physical sweat are a magical formula for transformation! I want to see people ignite from within and shine their light! “