MEET THE TEAM

NATALIE

OWNER | TEACHER
26+2 | Hot Power | Hot Pilates

RYT 200, Hot Yoga + Pilates Certified, 300hr training original hot yoga series

Natalie moved to Woodstock in the summer of 2022. She loves the small town charm. One of the things her friends asked when she said she was moving is where will you practice yoga? In her first year embracing Woodstock as home, she was unsuccessful in finding a close place to practice in the heat. So… here we are... ARIS was born from the heart and vision of Natalie's long-time love for and ever-expanding knowledge of an ideal HOT practice & community! ARIS: Ambition, Resilience, Inspired, Strength

Natalie is a mom to two daughters and two sons, and a few four-legged kids too. She LOVES the heat… total sweat junkie. But this wasn’t always true. It took a lot of convincing to get her to step foot in the hot room for the first time. After crossing the threshold: one class and that was it! There was no turning back. If you know, you know! If you’re wondering what it’s all about.. come try a class and see for yourself where the magic happens with daily HOT practice.

Always active and on the go running on adrenaline, Natalie recognizes that usually equates to running on empty. Add to that full-speed lifestyle, she was a young mom and always so focused on trying to do everything right, instead of giving herself grace for doing the best she could. After beating her body to a pulp riding horses and running -she found her space on the mat 15+ years ago. It was exactly what her body needed to balance a high impact lifestyle. It was many years after that when she discovered the ideals and benefits of hot yoga and the true mind/body connection started. "I could feel the change in my body almost immediately. This is where I learned to stop worrying my mind endlessly if I was doing anything right and found clarity in my thoughts." -Natalie

Natalie will tell you: Yoga keeps me sane! I can feel it in my body and my mind when I’ve been away from the mat too long. Even my daughter will say… "Mom, you need to go to yoga!!!"

Her goal at ARIS is to build a community that comes together to work on themselves. To create space where there is an ease to quiet the endless chatter and encourage you to take time out of your day to take care of YOU. To help you gain strength, flexibility, and balance both in the body and in the mind. To explore each posture each day as if it were your first class and allow yourself to accept wherever you are in your practice today.

AMMAN

26+2

Amman has been a dedicated 26+2 yoga practitioner since 2006 and has been sharing the transformative power of yoga as a teacher since 2019. Having taught in both Los Angeles and Chicago, Amman combines elements of urban energy and mindfulness in each class.

Specializing in the 26+2 yoga series, Amman deeply appreciates the strength, flexibility, and mental clarity this practice fosters.

Whether you’re stepping onto the mat for the first time or deepening an existing practice, Amman is committed to creating a supportive, engaging, and empowering environment for all students. In her teaching, she focuses on proper alignment, breath control, and the joy of self-discovery, making each class a fun experience.

AMY

Hot Barre Flow | Power Yoga | Yin

Amy has spent most of her life as a dancer, taking the all too often segue from dance into yoga. She has practiced on & off since she was 15 years old. It fills Amy with joy to have the opportunity to share her passion for yoga with each of you & getting to see you all continue to grow alongside her.

ANNIE

Hot Power

Annie has been practicing yoga since she was sixteen years old and teaching since 2017. Her yoga practice has taught her to listen to her own voice and discover her own truth. Her intention is that through the practice of yoga that you too can feel empowered in your own body, mind and soul.

We come to our mats often to escape, but what we often find is ourselves. Annie will teach you how to take what you learn in class and apply it into your everyday life.

Annie will tell you: Bio’s are cool and all but you come to class to learn about yourself, not learn about me! Let’s learn about ourselves together in class!

DAN

Yin | Restorative | Sound Bath | Hot Power

Dan has been teaching yoga since 2005 after completing certification at the temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. Dan has taught yoga at festivals, in classrooms, privately, and in large room seminars. Dan specializes in yin and restorative yoga but also teaches a flow style. All of his yoga sessions end with a sound healing meditation. He fully believes in this work and in a yoga-influenced lifestyle.

Dan lives in Woodstock with his two kids.

GLORIA

Vinyasa Flow | Hot Power | Beginner Series

Gloria has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching since 2008 when she completed her first yoga teacher training. She brings a love for movement and body mechanics to her teaching style.

Gloria will be teaching power yoga, with a focus on alignment and vinyasa and to help build strength and stability in your body with connection to breath. She is also a LMT and offers full spectrum thermal therapy with her mobile sauna business.

JEN

Hot Power | Strength & Stretch

When Jen took her first yoga class in 2007, the impact it had on her life felt profound. The physical workout was intense. She felt calm and experienced some much-needed mental clarity. After that first yoga class, she went down a path of yogic exploration and found a wide range of yoga practices, which all led to the same brilliant outcome of calm and mental clarity. During the pandemic, yoga was a critical part of how she overcame some of the mental struggles that plagued people around the world after the forced isolation. Since yoga had been such a critical part of her survival, she wanted to share it with others. In 2021, she joined a 200HR teacher training program at Fox Valley Yoga Teacher Training, and became an certified instructor in 2022.

Breathwork has always been a big part of her yoga practice. When teaching, she enjoys connecting breath to movement. Jen hopes her students get to enjoy an intense physical practice and walk away feeling calm, with mental clarity, ready to embark on a productive day.

KRISTINA

Strength & Stretch

Kristina has been enjoying all types of group fitness classes from PIlates to yoga to weight training since her teenage years, and she's been ACE Fitness certified and leading group exercise sessions since 2016! Kristina has also spent a full career in the elementary/middle school setting which provided her the path to also grow into sharing her personal passion as a teacher: fitness. Her favorite fitness classes include a combination of yoga, Pilates, and weight training... at ARIS this cultivates in the perfect peak performance class we call STRENGTH & STRETCH!

Some of her favorite quotes are:

"It is when I struggle that I strengthen. IT is when challenged to my core that I learn the depth of who I am." -Steve Maraboli

"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs.... one step at a time." -Joe Girard

LISA

Lisa has been taking yoga since 2010. It has been a life changing practice for her due to the benefits of relaxation, overall positive health, and physical strength that she cultivated by being a dedicated student. She began her teacher journey in 2014 with the intention of leading others through their practice to experience the same joy and perks that she's gained by being a yogi.

She enjoys all yoga styles; she is mostly versed in flow and other vinyasa formats, however she really likes the 26+2 sequence, has a love for arm balances, and some of her favorite classes are sound baths/healings. Outside of yoga, she loves spending time with her family and pets, and also has a small business focused on self care.

MAGGIE

Hot Power | Yin Yasa

Maggie is a CYT200 Yoga instructor and flexibility coach. Her teaching style is accommodating and inviting to all ability levels and she enjoys teaching Vinyasa, Power, and Yin Yoga styles. As she leads she focuses on the mind body connection using the breath and practicing presence. She encourages yogis to listen to their bodies and modify/adapt whenever needed and provide rest/reset as your experience may call for... meet yourself where you are today, that is the best any of us can do and Maggie is here to support you with her knowledge, lightness, and grace as she leads from the front.

She has said, "being truly present on your mat is how to get the most benefit from your practice." Maggie is passionate about physical fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and living a healthy lifestyle.

SAM

Front Desk

Bio Coming Soon