Hear from Program Graduates:
Chelsie Polcha, BA, 200RYT
Chelsie began practicing yoga shortly after getting clean from alcohol and other drugs in 2004, and has been practicing yoga ever since. She is a registered 200hr Yoga Teacher and is currently enrolled in Jessica Lynne Trese’s 500 hr ashtanga apprenticeship for the benefit of self and others. Chelsie graduated with honors from USF in 2017 with her bachelors in psychology and has over 10 years experience working in mental health and addictions. Chelsie endeavors to teach all levels students from all backgrounds both in the recovery community and beyond. Along with honoring the traditional lineage of Ashtanga, she endeavors to teach with a sense of calm, bright positivity, and a focus on the breath, she hopes to assist others in increasing their own well-being through yoga and the practice of meditation.
Off the mat, Chelsie enjoys camping and hiking, quad roller skating, arial dance through pole/lyra/sling and dancing to live music. She also considers herself a ginger beer(soda) connoisseur and loves snuggling with her cat Bella, when Bella allows her to.
Caio Amaral
Caio was born and spent his childhood in São Paulo, Brasil. Currently residing in Maui, Hawai’i, Caio set out to go deeper into svādhyāya (self-study of his life) through partaking in Jessica Lynne Trese 500hr. RYT Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Apprenticeship as a way to look within and continue living in truth. Caio’s first encounter with āsana practice was in 2014 when he was searching for the edge and performance enhancement as a Soccer player at The University of Tampa. Caio is not only a student of life, but also one of Bhakti Yoga, which has ripped his heart wide open with love for The Divine.
Caio offers this practice because of the great impact it has had in his life’s vitality. His intention is to pass down knowledge from the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga lineage to his students while sharing the benefits of consistent daily āsana practice. Caio is inspired by Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois’s teaching: “Practice and all is coming”.
Caio creates a supportive and encouraging environment for his students to learn and grow in their own personal āsana practice. His natural curiosity and compassion creates a safe space for students to feel welcome and come as they are.
Caio’s further studies include Sanskrit, Ancient Spiritual Texts, Ayurveda, and Aṣṭāṅga. When Caio is not practicing āsana or studying, he is surfing the waves of Ho’okipa, singing his heart out at the Hanuman Maui Temple, nourishing his body with Ayurvedic plant based meals, and laughing with his community in Haiku around the kitchen table.
Susan Devore
I’m incredibly honored to introduce myself as an instructor with Yoga Chikitsa! My name is Susan Rae Devore, and I go by Susan, Sue, or Suze. I currently live in Ybor with my partner, Adam, who is a tattooer specializing in traditional Japanese. I love cooking, gardening, crafting projects, and Netflix, lol. I was born at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. After the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, my mom, sister, and I followed my dad to the next assignment in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. By 1995, we were living on Macdill Air Force Base here in Tampa. After high school, I attended the University of Florida graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor’s in English and Film Studies. More than anything I wanted to travel as I felt this was the real school, and had travelled much of Europe in college. I moved to Chicago where I continued to work in fine dining, even landing a job at the sister restaurant of Alinea, called Next. I took my next opportunity with a job in Thailand teaching English in an elementary school, and it was there I also met my teacher, P Noi. She was known well in the small teacher population in Surat Thani for teaching yoga classes in English, and it became a part of my routine after work. P Noi introduced to me asana, pranayama, and yoga philosophy. I was so inspired by her I went to India for teacher training less than two years after returning to Florida from Thailand. Teaching has brought me incredible joy as I had to find a way to describe and share the practice in my own way and that brought me closer to it and others. The introduction of Ashtanga yoga to my life in 2019 gave me even more ownership of my experience in the practice. I started working with my wonderful teacher Jessica in January 2021 and she has given me great tools to support others in their individual paths. I will be finishing her much recommended 500 hour program this month, July 2022! Just in time for the new class to start! I am excited to continue working closely with her as I step into a teaching position. Thank you so much to the community for your trust and welcome! See you at practice!
Ranjan Vadlamani –
Ranjan’s first yoga practice was in his elementary school in India when he was 4 and it was just a fun activity. He later traded his Yoga practice for other sports and later on for his pursuit in higher education. He started getting deep in spirituality when he was 24. He says he can’t explain exactly what happened but his faith got stronger out of nowhere and with his adolescent ages spent in India, he feels lucky to have the exposure to various religions, cultures and spirituality all around him and wanted to understand more about them and thus began his Yoga journey.
He first started trying different classes like beginners, flow etc., but felt like something was missing, and because of his earlier exposure, he could quickly identify that the missing aspect was that most of the Yoga practices are just limited to a good body stretch and Asana and were missing the spiritual and authentic Yogic practices that actually helps a student introspect more.
He then took a Mysore Ashtanga workshop led by Kino in which he met Jessica, and started taking Ashtanga classes under Jessica’s expert guidance. He took private meditation classes, breathing classes with Jessica and realized that he found his mentor, guide, teacher, a sister who can help him on his path.
He quotes the reference from “Vijnana Bhairava Tantra” which defines a Yogi (a meditator) as “One who closely examines the relationship between the subject and the object, one who sees and the one being seen. Someone who examines his connection with himself and the object that he is connected to.”
One of his favorite quotation is “The body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness!”. Ranjan is on a path to finding himself, shedding his layers of conditioning and spreading the knowledge he gains to others who are interested in this path.
Ashley Adams – YA 500hr RYT
Progressive, funny, and 100% real, Ashley Adams is the founder of Black Prana Magazine and Black Prana Yoga.
With family history hailing from the small beach town of Tarpon Springs, Florida, this business tycoon, mother, and eldest sister of four knew fate led her to purpose when doing “the work” didn’t quite feel like working. Ashley says the success of her business is rooted in pure frustration.
In response to that frustration, Black Yoga Magazine was born. The only publication of its kind, BYM exists because of the lack of representation for people of color in the yoga world.
Ashley also made the conscious decision to lower the barrier to entry when it comes to people of color obtaining their certification to teach Yoga and less than a year ago, Ashley launched her first 200-Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program virtually. To date, Ashley has successfully trained over 4000 yoga professionals.
Magda Kot
Having practiced yoga for years in a variety of styles, Magda Kot (she/her) attended her first Ashtanga class in 2019 and instantly fell in love. Using the Tristhana method of synchronized breathing, postures of the body (including bandhas) and specific gazing; Magda continues to be challenged and inspired in her yoga practice on a daily basis. Her goal as a teacher is to provide students with an environment for them to develop steadiness of body and mind and gain a direct experience of the inner self. Originally from Poland, Magda has over 10 years of experience providing experiential and simulation-based learning activities in the University of South Florida’s medical school. She holds a Master’s degree in Education, and is currently completing an intensive 600+ hour Ashtanga apprenticeship program under the direction of Jessica Lynne Trese, KPJAYI Authorized Ashtanga Teacher. Magda is honored to learn not just from her own teachers but also from all the people that she has the privilege of sharing yoga with. In her spare time, you can find her paddle boarding, hiking or biking the trails, and spending time in nature.
Laura Gasparro
Laura has been a student of yoga since 1988. Laura feels lucky to have found the benefits of yoga and meditation back in the early 90’s when she was a new mom, and feels that these practices were incredibly helpful in navigating what felt like a “stressful and complicated life” the time. Since 2003 she devoted herself to the Ashtanga Yoga method and strives to study closely and frequently with the direct lineage holders of Ashtanga Yoga. She began her journey as a yoga teacher in 2005 and received her 500 hour yoga advanced level certification from Beryl Bender Birch in the practice of Classical Ashtanga Yoga from The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute in 2008. She taught for 8 years before relocating to Tampa. She is currently enrolled in a Mysore Apprenticeship study program with Jessica Lynne Trese and is passionate about sharing the Ashtanga Yoga Method. Her loving kindness combined with focused attention on self-care and self-discovery welcomes students of all levels. It is her intention to inspire students to come practice and discover yoga as a lifelong source of wellness and vitality.
Della Ruth Marsan – Yoga Alliance 200 Hour RYT
Della began her yoga journey in 2007 as a supplement to her professional dance and teaching career. After years of intermittent yoga practice she realized that yoga was more than a supplement to her dance career; it was a calling towards a better way of life. Soon after this realization, she began practicing the Ashtanga Yoga method 6 days a week under the loving instruction of Jessica Lynne Trese. Falling in love with Ashtanga Yoga, the yogic philosophy and the journey of self discovery that yoga provides Della decided it was time to become a Registered Yoga Teacher so she could share yoga with as many people as possible.
Della graduated from Asheville Yoga Center’s 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program in Asheville, North Carolina in 2017. During her training she had the honor to study with teachers such as Stephanie Keach, Kimberely Puryear, Michael Johnson, Libby Hensley and Shala Worsley.
In 2018 Della completed a 600+ hour Mysore-Ashtanga apprenticeship program under the loving direction of Jessica Lynne Trese. (KPJAYI AUTHORIZED ASHTANGA TEACHER) During the course of this training Della studied intensively in the fields of yoga philosophy, meditation, Sanskrit chanting, anatomy, and yoga traditions in order to gain the knowledge to share traditional Ashtanga Yoga authentically to beginner, intermediate, advanced and injured students of all ages and physical backgrounds.
In 2019 Della traveled to the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga; Mysuru, India where she spent one month studying at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute. She is honored to have had the opportunity to be a student of Paramaguru Sharath Jois and hopes to return again in the future.
In 2020 Della completed the Baby Yoga and Developmental Movement training by Shari Vilchez-Blatt of Karma Kids Yoga in NYC. Della is knowledgeable in how to assist babies in building body awareness, strengthen growing muscles, stimulate their senses and brain development as well as helping infants grow towards their next developmental milestones.
Della lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, daughter and two fur babies. In addition to teaching yoga, Della is the Primary Dance Director at Jansen Dance Project where she enjoys sharing her love of dance with children ages 2-18. Della is committed to practicing and sharing the Ashtanga Yoga Method and sharing her dedication to yoga and passion of dance with as many people as possible.
Caroline Williams, LMT – I began my journey into Ashtanga Yoga in early 2013, with Jessica Lynne as my Mysore teacher. In 2015, I completed Ally Ford’s Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training, and am Registered as a 200-hour Level Teacher. In 2016, I completed Phase 1 of David Kyle’s Rocket Yoga Training, a 50-hour course introducing this Progressive Ashtanga method. In October 2017, I completed a 600+ hour Mysore Ashtanga Apprentice with Jessica Lynne. I am honored for all of the teachers that have guided me to where I am today, and for all of those to come. In addition to teaching yoga, I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, specializing in the healing art of Thai Yoga Massage. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to share the practice with others.
Brittany George – When I began my journey with Ashtanga, I was 22 years old. I was 22 years old and lost. I spent most of my time before then in relationships where I was mistreated, in bars where I had become a regular, in jobs I had no passion for and I distanced myself from my true feelings that I had been burying for quite some time. I may have had everyone else convinced I was fine, but I knew myself more than I wanted to admit. Despite my self deprecating behavior, deep down, way beneath the hurt, I was ready for something, anything really, to hurl me back into reality. I was ready to face my demons. It was then, in the midst of my downward spiral, that I found Ashtanga. Thank all that is divine.
Ashtanga pulled me from out of the muck. It gave me something to look forward to daily…a routine amongst the chaos of what my life had become. It paved the way for me to kick bad habits I had been neglecting to otherwise. When I committed myself to this daily practice, I also lost all desire to self destruct. I quit smoking, cold turkey! I began saying no to the late night shenanigans because I knew I had to be up early the next day to practice. Before I knew it, I had left my jobs in the bar and began to look for work elsewhere. I found myself for the first time in a relationship with a partner who actually valued me and constantly reminded me of my self worth. Little by little, but still relatively quickly in the grand scheme of time, I changed my life. I owe it all to this beautiful practice.
Years had passed and I was still a dedicated student to the practice. I spent most of my time (and money) on workshops and intensives, practicing and studying with authorized and certified teachers because I wanted to learn Ashtanga in the most authentic and true way I could. Straight from the source. I studied with teachers such as Tim Miller, Greg Nardi, Kino McGregor, Tim Feldmann, Richard Freeman, Daylene Christensen, Krista Shirley, Patrick Nolan, Diana Christenson, Lisa Schrempp and of course ours truly, Jessica Lynee Trese. I began to recognize how invested I had become on this path of a yogi. I experienced first hand the transformation it had on my life and I felt like it was my duty to convince everyone else as well. I wanted to share with people the transformative effects of this practice, so I decided to take a 200 HR Teacher Training program with a local teacher, Jade Skinner who had a major impact on me and my journey as an Ashtangi.
I graduated a RYT ( Registered Yoga Teacher) in Ashtanga Vinyasa and began teaching as much as I could. It wasn’t long before I had a full teaching schedule and left my day job to peruse my passion in full force. Even though I became I teacher I was still very much a student. A student of Ashtanga who was still hungry for more knowledge, a deeper connection to the source. It was after two failed attempts at applying to KPJAYI in Mysore India and not getting accepted due to a high volume of students traveling there yearly, that I came across the apprenticeship program with Jessica. I knew if I wasn’t able to travel to India to study that I was going to use the opportunity to delve deeply into the tradition here on my home turf. So, I applied for the traditional Ashtanga studies and Mysore apprenticeship with Jessica. I began the apprenticeship just a few months after.
I wasn’t new to the Mysore room. I had been practicing in it for four years and had assisted in Mysore rooms both in St.Petersburg at the Body Electric with Jade Skinner, and White Orchid and The Yoga Room in Dunedin with Calley Mason. Both experiences with Jade and Calley helped to shape me into the teacher I was when I arrived at Yogani to begin working with Jessica. 9 months working intimately with both Jessica and the students of Yogani had passed and I had graduated the apprenticeship program. Over 600 hours were calculated between the Mysore room and other classroom settings. Jessica taught me more in 9 months than I could have ever imagined possible. She changed my entire outlook on the practice, not just as a teacher but as a student too. With Jessica, I was able to see the bigger pictures when it came to the practice and the individuals practicing it. She allowed me to really see Ashtanga as the therapeutic and healing practice that it is. Working with Jessica I gained knowledge, experience, confidence and understanding as a teacher. 4 things that I consider to be the most important thing while guiding students as personally as you do in the Mysore room. I am so grateful for everything that Jessica has shared with me and continues to every time I step onto my mat as her student.