ERIN SMITH
My yoga journey began while I was attending the Aveda Institute. Aveda is derived from the word Ayurveda. As I studied Ayurveda at the institute, there was much talk about yoga . I decided to go and try a class and well, the rest is history! Walking out of my 1st class, I remember feeling a sense of peace and calm, yet I was alive with an energy that I had never felt before.
Years later, these same feelings keep me returning to my mat as a student and as a teacher. My yoga practice continues to guide me through the challenges and joys of life. I enjoying teaching and attending warm and hot vinyasa as well as yin. My teachings are inspired by my students, my teachers, the world around me and the experiences of my own life.
Off my mat, I enjoy spending time with my family and our dog Sanibel. You might find me walking and hiking the parks, bike riding or paddle boarding. My husband Jonathan and our 2 sons, Sullivan & Sawyer are quite the adventurers, so you might find me zip lining through the tree tops or learning to slackfline in the woods.
JONATHAN SMITH
My yoga journey began when my wife Erin talked me into going to a class by myself. She had been practicing yoga for about 10 years and I would always see her come home with a smile on her face. I was curious to see if the same would happen to me on my first class. Let’s just say that I came home humbled that first evening. I had no idea what I had done that first night to be so sore the next day, but I could not wait to go back and do it again. She went on to get her yoga teacher training certification and decided to fully commit to yoga being her full time gig. I saw her living out her dream of living the yoga life and life was good. In 2014, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer and my life was turned upside down. I turned to yoga to help with my rehab from surgery and all of the chemo and radiation treatments. It was during this time that I truly understood how yoga can change a person’s life. I credit yoga and the instructors at Flourish for helping me survive through the most challenging mental and physical turmoil I had ever been through. With this new found respect for what yoga did for me, I entered into the yoga teacher training at Flourish in the fall of 2016. I wanted to share with others the gift that yoga gave to me. I do enjoy all styles of asana, yin, gentle, warm, and hot yoga. But it is the practice of the other 7 limbs of yoga that brings everything together.
JESSIE ARMBRUSTER
With a history in personal training, I found myself suggesting yoga to most of my clients as a supplement to their cardio and strength training. I started to attend yoga myself over three years ago and fell in love with how it rounded out my physical fitness. I was humbled after completing my 200 hour yoga teacher training at the endless amounts to learn. Further deepening my understanding of the spiritual connection was unexpected and profound. Helping people find what keeps them mentally and physically healthy has always been a passion of mine. Stepping into a teaching role at Flourish felt like a gift. You will find me in warm and hot yoga classes. My classes are known to be both challenging and nurturing, leaving students feeling energized and renewed.
When I’m not teaching, I am spending time with my husband, two teenage sons and our dog, Bear. Movement is my medicine, so you will often find me walking, running or strength training when I am not practicing yoga. I am passionate about nutrition and am always on the hunt for the best recipes to share. I look forward to seeing you on your mat!
TAYLOR BAKER
I started doing yoga classes at the gym after my workouts as a way to cool down and stretch. I quickly learned that yoga was much more than just stretching and loved how I felt after class. I did yoga on and off for about 10 years before finding Flourish in 2019. I fell in love with the hot vinyasa classes and began practicing nearly every day, either in the studio or at home. Becoming a yoga teacher wasn’t necessarily on my radar, but an instructor of mine who I really looked up to told me I would make a good yoga teacher, and the rest is history. I decided to go through with teacher training at Flourish and graduated in March 2022. It is my hope to bring some of the joy and knowledge I’ve gained from my yoga practice to others! Outside of yoga, my husband and I own and operate Atlas Chiropractic together in Fishers.
JANETTE BROWN
My yoga journey began in 2017 as a way to navigate the joint pain and lingering symptoms that accompanied my breast cancer treatment. After just a couple of weeks I was hooked. Physically, yoga has helped me move with more ease and less pain and the practices of breath work and meditation have helped me learn to navigate stress and anxiety. My background is in music and performing arts administration, and I love learning the ways that the benefits of yoga flow over into that part of my life. I believe that yoga is for everyone, and I am passionate about helping people see the ways that yoga can benefit them.
My husband, Matt, and I live in Indianapolis and have four grown children. We are gradually adjusting to life as empty nesters. In my free time I enjoy listening to podcasts, traveling, spending time with family and drinking good coffee.
MEG FABER
Meg Faber brings her passion for yoga into teaching an energetic yet beautifully peaceful class. Meg’s objective is to offer a yoga experience as a complete exercise and workout program for the body as well as the mind. Meg has been practicing yoga for years and has taken her love for this form of total health and awareness and physical training, and turn it in to a career. She received her yoga teacher certification with the exceptional instruction of Ann Miller and Dona Robinson, and she has completed the YTT 200 hour course. Meg also has studied dance throughout her life including through her college studies. She also has a B.A. in English. After spending many years in corporate human resources assisting corporate executives and employees find balance in the workplace, Meg now directs her energies to the restorative power of yoga by teaching it to and sharing it with others. Meg’s class merges the yoga styles of Hatha and Vinyasa (Vinyatha)
KATHRYN HILL
I discovered yoga 10 years ago but didn’t really start practicing regularly until 2018. While I was always very physically active in other ways, no other form of fitness was able to give me the same feeling yoga has. The connection to the mind, body, and spirit is unlike anything else. After I took my first class at Flourish several years ago, I was instantly hooked to the studio and the teachers. I quickly realized I wanted to deepen my practice and signed up for Flourish’s 200-hr teacher training program in the fall of 2021. I learned so much about myself on and off my mat during that time.
Yoga continues to transform my life in so many ways and I want to share with others the gift that yoga has given me. For me, yoga is about the balance between strength and flexibility, exertion, and releasing. So, my classes combine both strength and mobility work in a dynamic, Vinyasa Flow style. Expect to move, sweat, and breathe.
MIKE FIN
Mike began practicing yoga in 2007 as a means of augmenting his existing fitness regimen. He soon discovered that the physical benefits, while considerable, were only part of what yoga had to offer. In 2010 he completed the Yoga Alliance 200 hour teacher training certification at Invoke. Mike finds that yoga helps him handle the stress associated with work related travel which has taken him to every state except Alaska. This same travel has allowed him to pursue his yoga practice in a number of states. Mike is grateful for the teachers, classmates and students that have and will continue to inspire him.
HALEY FRISCHKORN
I love yoga! There. I said it. Like all beautifully complex things, I believe the more I learn, the more I realize how much there still is to know! Yoga is, for me, a process of discovery. Each day I come to my mat, I learn something about myself. But after 17 years of practice, I think the best thing I've learned is to pay attention! Sometimes this means I need to concentrate on my physical practice (as you may hear me say in class-- "this balance pose is just a party trick-- the concentration it takes to stay in the pose, that is a life skill!"), but other times, when I'm attentive, I know I need just to breath, to be still, to listen, to rest. Yoga has taught me this. And, as my favorite poet, Mary Oliver once wrote, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." So each day I get on my mat, I pay attention, and I learn something new. And as a teacher, I get to share this always new and amazing, infinitely unfolding practice with my students-- and be a small part of their journey as well! What's not to love about that?!
STACEY SIMPSON
E-RYT200, E-RYT500
My journey began many years ago, through change, challenge, and joy, yoga has been the foundation to keep me grounded. In 2007, I was diagnosed with cancer, my grounded life became a little unpredictable. The restrictions and limitations of my lifestyle, eating habits, and mental well-being were surprising. My general sense of life was shattered. After several months of surgery and general stir-craziness; the doctor released me to yoga! To get back to the mat sounded like heaven. The simple sense of peace and happiness filled my heart and soul-it was like returning to hOMe.
A decade later, I had a great teacher remind me everyone has a different path to follow; we are all unique and special, and we will all take different roads to find our way. Life is full of infinite opportunity, if you are willing to let go it can lead to endless possibilities. Like the feeling of flying your very first Crow, if you are willing to let go of the ground you will soar!
I love vinyasa and the simple connection of breath and movement—so empowering. My hope-my students find the same sense of joy on their journey as I found on mine. Namasta-cey
GRETA SNELL
I first came to my mat as a way to strengthen my body, but I quickly found that it was my ticket to healing my mind, body, and spirit. As a result of that realization, I set out on a personal journey toward self-transformation, self-love, and self-awareness while also prioritizing my physical health. I’ve been an avid yogi since 2012 and earned my RYT200 from Flourish in 2018 as a way to better share what has become my true passion — YOGA, from asana to pranayama to meditation and beyond. I truly believe our body is the most intelligent and intuitive teacher we have, and yoga is simply a set of tools to turn inward and listen and learn from it. In my classes you can expect a high-energy class with an emphasis on meditation in motion. I love a fiery flow paired with an energetic playlist, but I also hope each student leaves the studio with clarity of the mind and spirit. You can find more from me at TheMoonandShe.com.
ALLI STEINKE
Alli Steinke discovered yoga during her first pregnancy in 2008 and has never turned back from this life changing PRACTICE. After completing her 200 hr RYT early 2013 she continued apprenticeship at Flourish Yoga + Wellbeing for over 5 years. She is also the founder of the Fishers YMCA Water Yoga Program. This is an innovative practice combining yoga in the comfort of a heated pool allowing people who normally might not be able to practice on land enjoy the countless benefits of yoga. In addition she teaches prenatal, yoga for kids, offers Mommy & Me classes and assists YES to Vets (Yoga Education and Services for Veterans) under the guidance of Nancy Schalk. Her passion is sharing the light and love experienced through yoga with everyone she meets. Alli focuses on a fun and playful style that is inviting to all walks of life from young to old and everyone in between.
SHELLI VESTER
I tried my first yoga class in 2011 to incorporate new movement and stretching into my existing strength training routine. I didn’t realize the magnitude of yoga until I joined my first studio and fully emerged myself but once I did, I never looked back.
I joined Flourish in 2021, and graduated teacher training in March 2023. Yoga has changed my body and captured my mind like nothing has before. I love learning about yoga and learning more about myself each time I come to my mat.
You will see attending Vinyasa classes as well as Yin and Nidra classes. Yoga is a balance between strength and flexibility, exertion and releasing. As a teacher, I want to show students how powerful it can be to connect breath and movement. My classes combine strength and mobility, challenging the mind and body. Expect to smile, move, sweat and breathe.
Off my mat, I enjoy being with my husband, Quentin and our 2 dogs Brewtus & Athena. I am a health coach part time and in sales full time.
NIKKI WHITMAN
JEN XANDERS
My journey crossed the path of yoga around 1995 as I looked to create a healthier lifestyle, as my Type A approach to life was wearing me out quickly. It has been an ever evolving and changing experience that has deepened and enriched all aspects of my life. I began the practice of yoga to get stronger, and somewhere along the way realized yoga can heal not only the body but also settle the mind. It has changed and enriched every aspect of my life and relationships. I find this practice to be a metaphor for life that helps us hone the tools that we need to not just survive our hectic lives but to live them and love them!
As a teacher, I look to encourage students to reconnect with their bodies and intuition; helping them realize how powerful, loving and happy they are beneath all the junk they don’t need. My teaching style is physically challenging and a compilation of every teacher and student I have had the joy of practicing and studying with. Expect to sweat, smile and let go of the outside world.
Special interests of mine, include neuroscience and the overlap of yogic practices, philosophy of yoga, and modern & medical overlaps of breath work.
I am honored to have created and run the Flourish Yoga and Wellbeing 200 RYT each fall. It is a joy to help grow my yoga home and community. In 2022, I put together a team and got our first 300RYT off the ground.
When not teaching or practicing yoga, you will find me spending time with husband, Mike, and our twin 19 year-old girls, Sophie and Amelia. In my free time (ha) you may find me, hiking, lifting, climbing a mountain, catching live music, doing yoga on my paddleboard, working in my garden, or cooking!
Peace.
RYT since 2007, ERYT 500 since April 2018, and Yoga Alliance YACEP provider for continued ed. | Lululemon Amabassdor since 2012 | Yoga and Youth Ambassador | 200 hr training from All People Yoga | 300hr training from Asheville Yoga Center
**Prior to teaching yoga, I attended university studying pharmacology and business. I graduated with a business degree, that put me into the pharmaceutical industry for 10 years. I am a science minded skeptic by nature. And once yoga took me in, I was captivated with how and the why it works. This is has led me down the path of all the ways that modern neuroscience and medical knowledge show the power of a true yoga practiced steeped in the 8 limbs. I am humbled and honored to be able to share the gifts of yoga and blessed to hold space for others to find healing.
EMMA YOUNGMAN
My yoga journey began right here at Flourish in 2016 when my mom and sisters invited me to join them at a Hot Vinyasa class, and I have been practicing ever since. I originally approached yoga as a way to spend time with my family and exercise my physical body, so it was not until 2019 during my Freshman Year at Indiana University that I felt the impact that yoga had other aspects of my life: on my breath and on my mental and spiritual bodies. In 2023 during my Senior Year at IU, I enrolled in a 200-Hour Teacher Training at Vibe Yoga Studio in Bloomington, and there, I experienced the joy of sharing my practice with others. I graduated from Vibe’s YTT (and Indiana University) in May of 2023. I am an ongoing student of yoga, always looking for opportunities to expand my practice and use it to connect with others. When I’m not in the studio, you may find me working at a music festival, going on a walk with my dog, and spending time with my friends and family. I look forward to practicing with you!