YG Team

E-RYT 500 (Owner/Founder of YOGA GARDEN) Laurel is a Minneapolis, MN based Yogi, Designer and Entrepreneur. She has been practicing yoga for over 25 years and teaching for two decades. Her yoga studio, YOGA Garden, is considered one of the leading studios in Minneapolis.  She teaches her students to use Design Thinking concepts on their mats and how to use that experience as a metaphor for their creative pursuits.  She is a teacher to many successful C-Level executives, artists and entrepreneurs who are curious, creative and understand yoga as a way to increase creative confidence through movement.

In addition to YOGA Garden she is the owner/operator ROAM Yoga Retreats and has led over 50 retreats worldwide. She holds a BFA from the University of Wisconsin, has lived in London and travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, Central America and Africa.

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Discovered her passion for yoga as a solution to the wears and tears on her body as a result of more than a decade as a hair stylist. Since, yoga has centered her in becoming and being a mother. Stephanie’s primary focus and motivation is to empower women and their families in pregnancy, labor, and parenthood through the strength and balance yoga provides. Stephanie strives to create an environment that is wholly inclusive to all levels, abilities, and perspectives. She is guided by the principles of Anusara Yoga and has also completed Blooma’s Level 1 Prenatal Teacher Training with Sarah Longacre and Stacy Seebart. For more info please contact Stephanie at  Stephanie.loes@gmail.com www.yogamamampls.com

Pete Cairns teaches the bio-mechanics of anatomy through yoga and does orthopedic bodywork & shiatsu for a living. Pete’s sessions focus on facilitating neutral qualities of tension within the body, mind, and consciousness. Pete’s goal is to empower people with workable tools so they can create and embody vibrant postures of life.

Melissa Keller (she/her) has been practicing yoga since 2004 and teaching since 2020. Her classes infuse yoga philosophy, alignment based vinyasa, and nervous system regulation skills to create an environment for students to gain a felt-sense of safety, strength, connection, and acceptance of the present moment. Melissa is passionate about the healing potential of movement and creativity on and off the mat. Her own healing journey serves as a foundation to support others on their paths.

She loves music, camping, water, and gardening with her family. She is also the founder and owner of Awaken Heart Somatics, a somatic therapy practice offering teletherapy in Minnesota and Arizona.

During my 10 trips to Asia to lecture, show my work and teach I have learned and continue to learn about traditional Asian cultures especially Chinese Medicine and Tai Chi. I taught tai chi at the Natural Step School for about 5 years and then studied with Dr. He and her proteges at the American Academy of Oriental Medicine in Roseville. I have over 25 years of teaching experience and have been practicing tai chi for about 15 years and teaching it for 9. I approach this martial art as a healing practice knowing it is fantastic for balance and holistic mental and physical well being. For me, Tai Chi connects me to a deeper purpose as a being in the world. It powerfully brings me to myself in ways that are part of my spiritual understanding. In my other life I am an accomplished artist and hand papermaker often mentoring younger practioneers.

Ben has always had a deep desire to know about movement and health. He first took a yoga class 20 years ago and knew it was a great way to connect his body and mind in a healthy way. He studied martial arts and went deep into running to learn more about the body and the connections one can know. While training as a runner and coaching runners for years he turned to yoga for balance in his life. 10 years ago he found Laurel Van Matre’s classes and knew that she taught in a style that spoke deeply to him. Having completed the 200 hour YTT at YOGA Garden he wants to help others connect their mind and bodies in a healthy and positive way.

For over 10 years, I’ve guided people toward physical alignment through my chiropractic practice. As an astrologer, I now help people reflect on the many other ways they can AlignWell in their lives. I’ve always had a curious mind (hello, Gemini Moon!) and a drive to create balance and alignment in my life (thank you, Taurus Sun on the Ascendant).

I see your birth chart as a personalized divinatory map—one that can deepen your understanding of past events and patterns, root you in the present, and offer guidance as you navigate the future. Through natal chart readings and teaching, my aim is to help the symbols speak so you can gain perspective, clarity, and self-acceptance from this ancient practice.

I studied Biology at the University of Missouri–Columbia, earned my doctorate in chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University, and completed my training in ancient Hellenistic astrology with Adam Elenbaas through Nightlight Astrology. I’m the owner of McFerson Chiropractic and AlignWell Astrology, and I live in Northeast Minneapolis with my partner, our two children, a cat, a dog, and a very large garden. My favorite days are spent listening to music, being outdoors, sewing clothing, or hosting delicious dinner parties with friends and family. You can book a chiropractic appointment or astrology read with Dr. Erin at https://mcfersonchiropractic.com