Meet The Team

Sharing the benefits of yoga is a passion of Danielle's, so when the opportunity to buy Jai Dee Yoga & Wellness knocked in the middle of a global pandemic, she answered the door.  

 

Making yoga accessible to people at all levels is at the heart of her practice. By connecting the breath to the body through asana, Danielle fosters a space where every level of student can explore their mind, body, and spirit in the present moment.

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Tara’s passion is to encourage students in finding a balance between strength and stability, and endurance and ease. She is particularly interested in slowing down, focusing on the present moment, and reducing stress. Her yoga classes are a mixture of movement and stillness, with an emphasis on the breath, foundation and safe alignment of the body.

 

As a Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Tara guides her students through deep levels of relaxation to heal and restore mind, body, and soul.​

Crista has a passion to encourage students to connect with their breath to invigorate and revitalize the body and mind.

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Her classes include elements from Hatha yoga that offer opportunities for fluid movement and moments of stillness.

Crista is especially interested in slowing down, finding the breath, and letting go of what no longer serves our body, mind, and spirit.  When not on the yoga mat, you can find her wandering barefoot in the forests of Florida or singing at a local karaoke night.

Beginning with Leslee’s very first yoga class, she has been blessed to have amazing, caring and exceptional teachers. To her delight and wonderment, yoga not only increased her flexibility, focus, and energy, yoga also clarified and redefined the strength and peacefulness in her body and mind.

 

The moving meditation of her practice soon followed her off the mat and into all of her life. As her practice continued to deepen, sharing the blessings became her next step in the journey.

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Florence’s “slow flow” style is a mix between vinyasa and hatha yoga; she enjoys the challenge of staying in a posture and really exploring the effects of that posture on the body and mind. 

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She truly believes yoga should be accessible to everyone, which is why she chose to pursue an education in chair yoga and restorative yoga, under the leadership of Hanaq Prana Yoga’s founder, Lorena Saavedra Smith. 

 

Florence is also a certified reiki master and is eager to explore opportunities to couple the transformative powers of reiki and yoga. 

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Ever since stumbling across her first yoga class in 2006, Caroline has believed in the healing powers of yoga.

 

Caroline strives to create a welcoming atmosphere in her classes by focusing on self-love, acceptance of what is, and body awareness.

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Caroline is passionate about making yoga and self-care accessible to all people. She has taught in a variety of settings including yoga studios, public schools, parks, and rehabilitation and detention centers.

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Kate began practicing yoga in 2007 as a way to alleviate stress and back pain, but her practice deepened in 2017 as she started recovery from alcohol addiction.

 

 

Within her yoga practice, Kate found tools to help her learn to accept distress and discomfort, and she is driven to help others access these tools (whether they are in recovery or not).

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In her classes for beginners, she relies heavily on the use of walls and blankets, making sure to protect and strengthen joints and fascia. 

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Andrea fell in love with yoga in college when she started practicing as just a way to exercise.  She had n idea it would have such a positive impact on her life.  

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Andrea's practice has continued to evolve over the years and in 2015 she completed a 200 hour yoga teacheer training at Half Moon Yoga in Medina, OH.  

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Andrea enjoys leading a variety of styles and levels and loves learning new things from fellow teachers and practitioners.  Andrea is from Pittsburg, PA and is brand new to Florida.

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German born, with terminal degrees in two arenas, he is a graduate of Sattva Yoga teacher training (200 RYT), his curiosity with yoga began in 2010. In what started out as a way to increase his university soccer team's flexibility, yoga began to resonate more and more with him, physically and philosophically. He has taught previously at Sattva Yoga, Trinity Yoga and, since the start of the pandemic, online. 

 

Thomas is committed to being thoughtful of all that join him for movements on the mat. It is his intention to offer a space that is inviting during your time together. Breathe, move, breathe, stillness.

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Crystal Gulledge, owner of Diamond in the Lotus Yoga, is an RYT 200hr yoga instructor who has been teaching yoga since fall 2016. She especially enjoys creating yoga sequences for asana practice with a Vinyasa yoga style and then adding in yoga psychology. 

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Crystal got into yoga through her aunt when she was a high school student going through some tough times. She continued her practice into adulthood. During times of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, her yoga practice and spirituality led her forward.

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'A Journey if 1000 miles big a with a single step’

 

Kj loves a journey and a process. And yoga gives EXACTLY that! KJ found yoga over a decade ago and has been exploring the journey ever since. Along the way finding that the breath is more powerful then our bones and that the present moment is where our REAL power lies.

 

KJ loves to share the energy and strength of powerful vinyasa, while leaving room to explore variations and modifications.  In her class, you will find a blend of traditional Ashtanga Yoga mixed with non-traditional flows, with a heavy focus on mobility that can be applied to everyday movements.  

 

In KJ's words; "I want each person who steps on the mat to realize that every shape their body makes is already perfect."

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Looking for relief from back pain, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome, Maiximina " Maxy" Barrios, attended her first yoga class and fell in love.   Not only did she throw out all prescription pills for pain management, Maxy overcame depression, mental illness and past traumas. 

 

The healing that yoga brought to her life inspired her to share this with others and, also, to realize her childhood dream of being a teacher.  

 

By becoming a yoga teacher, Maxy is living her life's purpose to bring healing to the collective by combining the trifecta of mind, body, and spirit through yoga.  

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Susan first found yoga while completing her clinical rotations as a dental hygiene student. Every morning before seeing patients, her teacher would lead a ten minute practice to help balance the day. It was then when Susan realized that yoga should be a daily essential practice. As her hygiene career kept growing, so did her practice.  

Susie completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2017.  She’s taught in various yoga studios and residential buildings around the DC metropolitan area. She  recently returned to her home state of Florida and is excited to use yoga as a way to immerse herself in her new community.

 

Susan creates a comfortable space for her students to explore within themselves no matter what level of yoga they’re coming from. She’s currently enrolled with Authentic Movements and looking forward to completing her 500 hour yoga certification.

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"It doesn't matter who you are, yoga will make you a better person."

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Gigi Jennewein took her first yoga class in 1999. It was then she realized that the body relaxing and warm-up work she had been practicing for years prior as a theatre artist and professor was mostly yoga based. That discovery set in motion a dedicated study and practice that continues to this day.

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Gigi is a Professor Emerita of Communication and Theatre at DePauw University in Indiana. While she continues to maintain a professional acting and directing career in Indiana, she recently embarked on the journey of testing out Tampa - specifically Seminole Heights - as her second home and base for theatre work locally. Tampa isn't new to her, however; she was raised here and has numerous extended family members in the area.

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Gigi's training began with Yogaville co-founder Lakshmi Fjord, and continued with Iyengar-trained teacher Nancy Butler. She received her 200 hour certification in 2017 from Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and continues to study with this organization founded 35 years ago in the Kripalu tradition.

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