Brandi
After dealing with back pain for several years and struggling to find an exercise routine that didn’t cause additional pain, Brandi stumbled upon yoga. She began working with a physical therapist that incorporated yoga into her therapy and quickly found that it was something that had been missing from her life. Yoga helped strengthen and heal her from the inside- out. Long before her back pain subsided, she felt called to teach yoga and share this healing modality with others.
Brandi is RYT 200 certified and enjoys teaching an athletic vinyasa-style practice. Her classes focus on building strength, flexibility and stability, while always keeping proper alignment and safety at the forefront. She finds great beauty in flowing through postures in alignment with breath.
Stephanie
Stephanie started teaching aerobic classes back in college and after a hiatus she returned to fitness instructing 12 years ago. She loves to make fitness classes challenging, but fun for everyone.
Stephanie is AFAA certified for general fitness instruction, Schwinn certified for indoor cycling, and has special certifications in TRX, Bootcamp, stability ball and barre. Stephanie has been at AHPD for almost six years. She loves teaching classes and is continuously learning to improve them.
Michelle
Michele’s passion for dance goes back to her childhood. As a young adult, she lived & worked in Cozumel, Mexico where she fell in love with salsa & merengue dancing. When she discovered Zumba, she knew she found her dream job. Michelle has been teaching Zumba for over seven years and loves bringing the joy of Zumba to her participants.
Kim
Kim’s background in dance spans several decades long. She’s always had an interest in improving and maintaining her physical fitness. Eight years ago, Kim discovered the fitness format that checked all of these boxes for her. She fell in love with WERQ Dance Fitness, a format that marries current pop & hip hop music with consistent choreography, aerobic movements and fun!
Kim became certified to teach WERQ and hasn't stopped since. Her goal in every class is to provide a fun, safe, welcoming environment for everyone. Her class welcomes everyone, even those without any formal dance experience.
Indi
Since 2001, Indi has been teaching group fitness classes including Pilates, Core and Weight Training, Step Aerobics and more. She has been a Zumba instructor since 2008, and started working for the Park District in 2014. Indi likes to lose herself in the cadence of each genre. She appreciates the exhilarating power of music and rhythmic movement. The part she enjoys the most is the energy that bounces back and forth between the participants and her.
Rebecca
Rebecca has been practicing yoga for 30 years. She teaches children, adults, chair yoga, holy yoga and yoga with weights. Her classes are a blend of strength and flexibility in a welcoming atmosphere. She believes yoga and meditation can nurture your spirits, cultivate your inner resources and connect your mind, body and soul.
Laureen
Laureen started practicing yoga in 2006 after race walking the Chicago Marathon. Yoga quickly became the perfect complement to her Pilates, weight training, spin classes and race walking. Laureen earned her 200 YTT in February 2020 and continues to build her teaching skills through workshops and retreats. She taught virtual and outdoor classes for a year before teaching adults and children in person. She believes that strong, dynamic flows help cultivate body awareness and fuel a powerful connection between the body and mind
Kile
Kile is a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor whose focus is helping people improve their overall health. He has a lot of experience helping people recover from injuries, focusing on safety and efficiency. Kile described himself as having a fun and laid-back personality. He will help you feel comfortable regardless of where you are at in your fitness journey.
Margaret
Margaret has been a lifelong fitness enthusiast as she ran track and cross country in both high school and college. Following college, she started competing in triathlons and running events from 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers. In 2009 after completing treatment for stage 3 cancer, she felt called to a career in health and fitness.
Margaret is Group Fitness Certified with AFAA, has specialty certifications in yoga, TRX, Bootcamp, Cycling, Kettlebells, Water Exercise and Deep Water Running. She is also a certified distance running coach through RRCA and Certified ChiRunning and ChiWalking instructor.
When Margaret isn't teaching classes, she enjoys spending time with her family, husband John, 3 adult children, son-n-law, future daughter-in-law, and 2 grandchildren.
Jeanne
Jeanne practiced yoga for many years before becoming a RYT 200 teacher in 2014. She feels that yoga is for everyBODY. Her classes include a variety of alignment-based movements and her sequences combine both restorative stretching with rhythmic flow. Every class is different, as Jeanne likes to introduce new poses and varied transitions.