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4150 & 4154 Herschel St, Jacksonville, FL 32210

   

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WELLNESS TEAM

Melissa Johnson
Owner/Wellness and Yoga Director

After many years of college, jobs and soul searching, Melissa finally looked her true path square in the face and jumped in feet first. It all started with a yoga teacher training that was just supposed to be 'informational'. My teacher had a deeper insight than me on my future and predicted that I would leave California and open a yoga center upon returning to Florida. An idea I once thought was crazy and unattainable is now reality. Not only did the yoga center manifest but along with it came the most amazing yoga family! The center has now expanded into what is now a center for yoga and wellness and we are proudly serving the whole self in a variety of wellness modalities. My husband Jay and I feel this center serves a higher purpose than what we can understand and hope
to provide a welcoming, laid back, family atmosphere for everyone who walks through our doors.

Kimberly Ruel, A.P., NCCAOM
Acupuncture Physician & Certified Herbalist

Kimberly Ruel was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida.  She is a fitness enthusiast and has been a massage therapist for 12 years.  She decided she wanted to do more for her patients so she attended The Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in South Florida where she studied acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutrition.  Kimberly has now moved back home and is proud to announce the reopening of her business through the Yoga Ananda Wellness Center.  She enjoys working with people who are willing to take an active role in their own healing process.  She believes acupuncture, massage, sound nutrition, herbal medicine, regular exercise and getting enough rest should be an integral part of living a healthy lifestyle.

  • Acupuncture Treatment

  • Herbal Consults & Treatment

Ginny Hill, LMT MA46232
BIO COMING SOON

  • Therapeutic/Deep Tissue Massage

  • Relaxation Massage

  • Hot Stone

  • Prenatal

  • Couples Massage

 

 

Katie Helow, LMT MA50462

Katie Helow's decision to begin practicing massage was inspired by an increasing interest in healing approaches that offered an alternative to western medicine and therapies. Knowing that the body has amazing potential to heal on its own, she believes in encouraging these natural healing processes through massage, and whenever possible, avoiding more invasive practices that suppress them. Katie's massage is a therapeutic blend of gentle techniques based on her intuition and understanding of each individual. She is trained in Swedish massage and is certified in Indian head, neck & face massage, Chinese reflexology, and Thai Yoga massage.

 

  • Relaxation Massage

  • Couples Massage

  • Thai Yoga Massage

  • Chinese Reflexology

Susan Warrick, LMT MA39475
After the life-altering occurrences of 9/11, Susan re-evaluated her life, past, present and future and decided to leave her chosen profession of Interior Design (for which she attained a degree from FSU and practiced for twenty plus years) to pursue a field that gave back to humanity. Having always been drawn to alternative choices in healthcare, Susan decided to pursue a career in massage therapy, attended school, and became a license massage therapist in the State of Florida. Since that time, she has volunteered and worked for Hospice of Northeast Florida in the capacity of a massage therapist, owned a day spa in Avondale, and managed and worked with several wellness centers in the Jacksonville area. Susan expanded her knowledge of the various modalities of the field of massage by studying Prenatal Massage, Infant Massage, Reflexology, Cranial Structural Therapy and a five year journey to become a Reiki Master. She practices and teaches related classes on the above modalities and looks forward to working with new clients and sharing the soothing benefits massage has to offer.

  • Reiki

  • Reflexology (+ Prenatal Reflexology)

  • Prenatal Massage

  • Relaxation Massage

  • Couples Massage

Pamela Cefaratti
Ayurvedic Consulting
Pamela Cefaratti has an MBA in International Business from Loyola College in Maryland, a BA in Chemistry from the University of Dallas, and too many holistic health credentials to list!   She left a highly successful career in quality consulting in the automotive industry to follow her calling.  In 1996, she joined Dr Vasant Lad at the The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM for the Ayurvedic Studies Program.  Over the next 4 years, she became one of his most advanced students, assuming teaching duties when Dr Lad extended his stay in India.  During that time, she took initiation into Kriya Yoga from Paramahamsa Prajnanananda Giri of the Kriya Yoga Institute.  

Pamela has also studied Western herbalism with teachers such as Michael Moore, Amanda McQuade Crawford, Mitch Coven, and Kevin Spelman.   She was a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, and studied cranio-sacral therapy and visceral manipulation. 

From 2000 – 2003, she attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.   She left one year shy of graduation to keep her family together when the Navy assigned her physician husband to NAS Jax.  She has spent the last few years in Jacksonville integrating ayurveda and yoga into family life with three young children.  She is married to Orestes Gutierrez, D.O., now at Mayo Clinic Florida.

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YOGA TEACHERS

Victoria Faulkner

Victoria has been practicing yoga for years and received her 200 hour instructor certificate from yoga alliance recognized Two Suns Rising Yoga. This spiritual practice has brought peace into her life and she hopes students will leave her class feeling that same peace. Victoria encourages students to take what they gain on the mat and apply to their daily lives. She has worked as a childbirth educator and labor partner. During her pregnancy her interest was piqued to offer prenatal, mommy and me and children’s yoga. Victoria is also certified by Radiant Child to teach children’s yoga. Victoria continues to study yoga independently and through her personal practice. This keeps things fresh and allows her to bring new material to the classroom. She can teach gentle classes or offer challenging workouts. Victoria recognizes that students take yoga for a variety of reasons and hopes that her students will find what they are looking for when they attend her classes.

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams, RYT first began practicing yoga in 2004 as a means of releasing tension after long workdays in the corporate world, as well as, the everyday stresses felt by a working mother. After two years of yoga classes, Michelle received her 200HR Teacher Training from Didier Razon's Yoga Alliance registered, "Two Sun's Rising Yoga", while pregnant with her fourth child. Her training included prenatal and children's yoga. Yoga has been a tremendous gift to her and she now has a strong desire to share it's healing and empowering effects with others. She believes that the magic of yoga is discovering your own personal practice that is unique to your own mind, body and spirit. Michelle hopes to help students find their own practice within their individual capabilities and limitations with a constant focus on honoring your body. Michelle has trained with Doug Swenson, Todd Norian and has also obtained certifications in Vinyasa Flow at Bliss Yoga Shala and children's yoga through the Radiant Child Yoga Program. She is excited to continue to gain knowledge on her yogic journey on and off the mat, through workshops, ongoing training and her personal practice.

Tina Vaughn

Tina, RYT 200 began practicing yoga 9 years ago following the birth of her second child.  Yoga was a way of cultivating peace and love within and though the journey began with a trend, it resulted in an unexpected awakening of self; she has truly not been the same since. Tina is deeply delighted and excited to share yoga with those who seek it out, whatever their intention or desire, because she believes the practice comes to speak to us all, in our own way, in our own time. Tina’s classes encourages a very individual yoga practice for students, offering modifications and variations so that each student can find their way to a personal expression on the mat, honoring their body’s limits and abilities. 


Bonnie "Padma" Senteno

Padma started practicing yoga over eight years ago with nothing more than a towel as her mat and the willingness to open herself up to something new. With the guidance of a Sivananda instructor and friend as well as the support of other women, also searching for a better understanding of who they were, Padma’s love affair with yoga began. Over the year’s Padma developed a sense of self with her practice. Yet, it wasn’t until changing her course of yoga practices that Padma’s sense of self and calm began to deepen. With the practice of Ashtanga and certification as a yoga instructor, Padma developed a strong understanding of being present in the moment. Through her dedication to a traditional system Padma has learned the yoga history and philosophy, pranayama (breathing) techniques, meditation, and the anatomy as it applies in yoga. Throughout the eight years of her yoga practice the one goal that has never faltered for Padma is to help others see their true potentials just as she was encouraged to do so sitting on her towel that first day.

Mariana Barrenechea
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Mariana Barrenechea, a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher found and fell in love with yoga at a young age but never took it as a path until she moved from Mexico 3 years ago. While living in Illinois she found herself missing the comfort and upliftment kundalini yoga brought to her life.  Months later she enrolled in a teacher training in Chicago.  Since then she has been enjoying her daily practice and the honor of sharing this teaching with others. She is also certified in the Khalsa Way as a pregnancy yoga instructor, she believes pregnancy is a precious time in a woman’s life, and wants to celebrate with women the gift of giving life.


Sarah Smith
RYT-200, MBody Yoga Teacher Certification Program

Sarah started practicing yoga in 2006 in Charleston, South Carolina and took her first Baptiste Power Vinyasa class in 2008 after relocating to Jacksonville. Although the class was challenging, Sarah was inspired by the combination of heat and spirit and knew that this was exactly what she needed to calm the stress and worries associated with a sales career and moving to a new city. Through practicing yoga, Sarah has found a new light and a lifelong path to peace and openness. Sarah graduated from Clemson University in the spring of 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and currently works full time in corporate health care.
          

 

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