Teachers

Leah Hansen has been a regular practitioner of Baptiste Yoga since 2005. She finds that the physicality of the practice gives her access to her emotional and mental wellbeing. She lives her practice on and off the mat knowing that the tools of the practice creates integrity not only in her physical body but in her relationships. Leah is invested in Baptiste Yoga as she loves the rigor, the intensity, the fun, and the compassion that the practice packs into one class. It is the most transformative style of yoga that she has ever studied and it is a proven practice that works. She and Jon opened Hot Spot Power Yoga together as a place to share Baptiste Yoga with as many people that would listen. Leah is up to inspiring powerful transformation in the Jacksonville Community. She is up to holding space for the best and most highly trained Baptiste Yoga Instructors to teach. She is up to holding space for people to destress, release, and have breakthroughs physically, emotionally and mentally. She is up to creating the studio as a platform to give back to the community through donation based events which raise thousands of dollars for charity each year. She is up to being her biggest best self in this life and inspiring others to do the same.

Jon Hansen has been practicing Baptiste Yoga since 2010. He is passionate about owing a business that gives back to the community in a powerful way. He is inspired by Baptiste Yoga specifically as he knows that this practice gives real physical results while also being an outlet to destress mentally and tap in emotionally. As a man he knows the importance of emotional intelligence and he is at cause to continue to expand himself through this practice while inspiring others to do the same. Jon is up to creating a space for transformation in the Jacksonville community. While studio ownership can be stressful, Jon is reminded over and over again the importance of providing a space for people to practice Baptiste Yoga. Jon is passionate about supporting the Jacksonville Community while investing in teachers to share their teaching as well as further their teaching experience. Jon is up to creating Hot Spot Power Yoga as an organization that has a powerful impact across the board whether it is reaching new students and teachers, or expanding current students and  teachers. He knows that Baptiste Methodology works and he knows that Hot Spot Power Yoga is a platform to inspire others through Baptiste Yoga and the Baptiste Methodology. 

Karina discovered Baptiste power yoga when she moved to Jacksonville, FL in 2006 and instantly fell in love with the strength, love and joy that she felt. Through the practice she discovered that she could do things she never thought possible, like crow, and through that she knows that anything is POSSIBLE when you get fear out of the way. She left her corporate job at Merrill Lynch and became a full-time yoga instructor which lead to managing the studios. In addition to teaching and managing Karina also creates and leads workshops and facilitates teacher training programs.  Through her teaching Karina hopes to inspire others to discover what IS possible when you let go of the fear.

Outside of the yoga studio Karina loves to spend time with her family, going on riding bikes to the beach and is passionate about gardening and cooking!

Dawn began practicing yoga in 2005 teaching and soon after found herself teaching Yoga at the University of North Florida. She practiced and taught yoga as one of the first Baptiste studios opened in the Jacksonville area. Soon after she found her way to studio management and has contributed to studios throughout Jacksonville.

She has been contributing to the Jacksonville yoga community for over 20 years.

She finds that the physical practice allows her to relieve tension in her body while building strength. She feels grounded and calm and less reactive as a result of a regular practice.

Dawn's hope is that others gain awareness of what they need and the wisdom to act accordingly through this self discovery.

Kyle found yoga in 2005. He began. practicing at the first Baptiste Yoga studio in Jacksonville. He quickly found himself teaching this style of yoga and curious about yoga, meditation, and plant medicine.

While he has been a long time yoga practitioner and teacher his curiosity lead him to study Ayurvedic medicine. As a student of nature, Kyle views that the sciences of self-healing and self-discovery are of deep importance for optimal cultivation of wellbeing. 

Kyles yoga, practice brings him balance, clarity, and empowerment. His hope in teaching these practices to other is an opportunity for the student to develop greater strength, sustained energy, and mental clarity.

Kyle is currently running an acupuncture clinic in Jacksonville FL. If you are interested to learn more please visit his site here: Kyle Roberts Acupuncture

Lori began her yoga practice in 2003 at a Bikram studio while living in Orlando, Florida. Upon moving to Jacksonville in 2005 she found a practice in the Baptiste Journey into Power series. Looking to deepen her practice she then enrolled in the Hot Spot Power Yoga’s 200 hour Life Transformation Program 2014. By June of 2014 she was on schedule at HSPY teaching the MS Yoga and Power classes and has been teaching consistently since.

Through the practice of Baptiste Yoga, Lori has felt stronger in body and mind on the mat and felt a shift in her connection to loved ones and in the community. She has felt pushed beyond her comfort zone and as a result has purposefully sought out opportunities that she might have shied away from before ranging from leading a fundraising team to simply being alone at a concert.

It is through these shifts in her own life that she teaches to inspire, flow, personal growth and connection in her classes. Not just connection to the community, but connection to oneself.

Maria began her yoga practice in high school with her best friend whose father was a yoga teacher. Throughout college and her five years living in Southeast Asia, Maria continued to practice many different styles of yoga and found the introspection and reflection through the movement of body and breath to be incredibly healing. Maria was introduced to Baptiste yoga class shortly after she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2007.  Immediately, she was completely enthralled with the rhythm and flow of the class.  She also found that the heated practice increased her flexibility, as well as physically rinsed her body out. Maria knew she was at home with the sweat, spirit and energy of the Baptiste practice and became a regular practitioner.

Maria completed her 200 hour teacher certification program at a Baptiste affiliated studio in October 2010 and has since been dedicated to her yoga practice, self-growth and development as a teacher and as a healthy balanced individual with a desire to give back to her community. Maria works in the field of early childhood development and social work.  Maria has created a community connection between yoga, bringing the healing qualities of the practice to a diverse variety of individuals; self-empowerment is something yoga offers and all communities need. The Baptiste practice has inspired Maria to be a leader in her community.  Maria recently completed her Masters in Social Work, and has a passion for art, music, food, and international travel.  

Nancy loves the Baptiste style of yoga because it has lit up her life! Through consistent practice, she has and continues to achieve goals she never imagined, on and off of her mat.  The empowering and supportive Baptiste community instills in her the belief that anything is possible.  She holds a 200-hour RYT certificate and is also certified in YOD.  She loves to share the Baptiste style yoga with other people on her community. Whether doing a community class or teaching in the studio, she enjoys sharing the healing powers of yoga through the empowering methodology of Baptiste yoga. 

Hailey has been practicing yoga for the last five years. She practices to relieve daily stress, to honor my body in a healthy way, to come back to the present moment, and to be a part of a loving community. Hailey enjoys empowering people through power and restorative practices. Hailey's teaching journey began when a practitioner came up to her after class and said, "yoga has literally changed my life." She then started to think about how much it has changed her life for the better, how much the Baptiste community has supported her. Hailey feels that teaching yoga is a blessing and being able to help others find their truth is an honor. She is up to creating fire, peace, and excitement for the moment in others. Hailey is a new mama to a beautiful little girl and a giant lab.

Linda embarked on her yoga journey in 2012, in Puerto Rico and since then, it has been an extraordinary path of self-discovery, healing, and transformation.

In 2020, she made the conscious decision to deepen her practice and share the profound benefits of yoga with others. She relocated to the vibrant community of Jacksonville and completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training, at Hot Spot Power Yoga. It was a pivotal moment that fueled her dedication to guiding others on their yoga journey. Having experienced the transformative power of yoga in her own life, Linda is on a mission to make it accessible to everyone. Her dream is to transition from the corporate world and devote her time entirely to yoga, cultivating a space where individuals of all ages and abilities can find solace, healing, and rejuvenation. Linda's passion lies in offering restorative and yin classes; providing a sanctuary where students can slow down, reconnect with their breath, and nourish their bodies and minds.

Additionally, she is thrilled to introduce chair yoga classes tailored to seniors, ensuring that everyone in the community can enjoy the benefits of yoga, regardless of physical limitations.

Erin found yoga in 2013. She was a regular practitioner for years and one of the founding members of Hot Spot Power Yoga Studios. After years of practice Erin decided to take the plunge and obtain her RYT-200 from HSPY studios. What Erin took from her training she implemented into her teaching and her life which lead her to many life changes. Through these changes Erin found that yoga provided her with whatever she needed from the practice, whether it’s a chance to ground down, or gain the energy to reset and rise up. Most importantly the practice reminds her to tune into her own body and get present.

Erin's hope is that others gain whatever they are seeking through her classes. The practice of yoga meets you where you are, and from there you can cultivate what you need.

Bekah is a Jacksonville native and lives right here in Atlantic Beach! Teaching and helping to lead others has been her passion for most of her life.  Her experience ranges from being an elementary school teacher for 11 years, as a yoga instructor for the past 5 years, and as a current stay-at-home mama!

Bekah initially started practicing Baptiste yoga in 2016 and found her love for the practice. Nearing the end of 2018, she began her Vinyasa 200 hour teacher training.  She started her journey as a yoga teacher with Yoga 4 Change and has led classes at several studios and locations around Jacksonville and St Augustine since early 2019.  Over the years she has completed trainings in SUP Yoga, Trauma-informed Yoga and Yoga Sculpt. She has been a member of the hot spot family since 2020!Bekah‘s goals are to inspire and encourage others to live a healthy and balanced life both mentally and physically, with an emphasis on finding what works best for YOU regardless of age, ability or lifestyle!

Ashley took her first yoga class after a workout at a local gym in San Antonio, TX in 2015. Intrigued, she developed a regular practice as an alternative to the usual gym routine, which was never really fun. When she returned home to Jacksonville a year later, she took her first class at Hot Spot Power Yoga  and was instantly hooked - to the sweat, to the friendly community and mostly, to the feeling of empowerment it brought to her life. When the 40 Days to a Personal Revolution program came around, Ashley dove in head first. By indulging in self-inquiry and sharing, meditation and daily yoga practice, the process of personal awakening began. She started to understand how the principles of Baptiste yoga applied to life, on and off the mat, launching her journey to self discovery.
Through yoga, meditation and the support of the HSPY community, she learned to love who she was meant to be, instead of who she felt she should be. This created a ripple effect in her life, allowing her to grow deeper in her relationships, unashamedly pursue her passions and attract unlimited abundance. Wanting to be able to offer the same magic and possibility to others, she became RYT-200 certified in Fall 2018. In addition to teaching power and restorative yoga, Ashley also leads regular meditation workshops at all the HSPY studios.

Brandon discovered yoga in 2018. At first yoga was a stress reliever that supplemented his other workout routines. As his practice progressed he stopped all his other workouts as he saw yoga was making a stronger impact on his life. There was something deeper opening up for him. He took the next step to get his 200 hour RYT. And he started teaching at HSPY in 2022.

The practice of yoga helped Brandon to reconnect with his body. Which has allowed him to be more in tune with his intuition and more aware of when his thoughts and actions are not in alignment with the person he wants to be. Yoga has allowed him to feel more comfortable expressing himself and to take his self less seriously. And this has allowed yet another layer of dropping concern for what others think of him.

Brandon's hope for his students is that his passion and joy for yoga is received by everyone he shares space with, both on and off the mat. He hopes his students always have fun in class, even in chair pose, and leave the studio feeling energized and inspired to continue their practice and trust in their own abilities. Pose by pose Brandon believes everyone has the power to push past their comfort zone and become the best version of themselves.

Amy started practicing in 2020 and jumped into teacher training within a year of practicing. She knew she wanted to take a deeper dive into what she was gaining from this practice.

In her practice she really found a deeper level of self love. This exploration of self love lead her to really peel back the layers and find so much more through her teacher training. The deeper she went into your practice and into her teaching the quieter her mind got, and the more clearly she could see and cultivate that self awareness an self love. She wanted to share it with others.

Amy hopes that her students gain a sense of community, safety and love through this practice. And not only is Amy teaching this on her mat, and in the studio, but she is also bringing this practice into her own business. A matchmaking business to help people find their own self love and beyond that the love of their lives. Amy also teaches theatre production, and acting classes.

Kirsten took her first yoga class in 2005 at a Bikram studio in Neptune Beach. She instantly fell in love with the physicality of the practice. She practiced off and on for several years playing around with Bikram as well as other styles of yoga. It wasn't until March of 2016 that she found Hot Spot Power Yoga. She happened upon a restorative class during Spring Break. Her step-father had passed away that previous January and she needed an activity to get back into things. The love, kindness, and support she felt from the Hot Spot Community was exactly what she needed. She fell so in love with the sense of possibility and empowerment she felt from taking classes that she took the next step and became a certified yoga instructor in the spring of 2017. She hopes to bring that sense of empowerment and possibility to her students. In addition to being certified as an RYT-200 instructor, Kirsten is level 1 certified in YOD. She hopes to complete level 2 YOD training as well as Baptiste level 1 this year- never stop growing!!!

Jackie discovered yoga in 2013 as she started to incorporate yoga in an already physically demanding workout schedule. Yoga began to give her a sense of balance and ease. As a student she learned how to create space by connecting her own mind, body and breath. This space left her feeling grounded and ultimately helped look within. This internal look helped her feel more connected to herself.

Jackie's hope is that others can gain tools learned on the mat such as such as breathing, staying present, and just showing up, and begin to apply those tools outside of the studio. This way the practice pours into their lives giving a deeper sense of self connection, self awareness, and presence.

Jackie is a go getter and a change maker. She brings her love for physical activity into her classes but also her love for balance and ease.

Jessica started practicing Yoga in 2019. As a student she found that yoga provided her body with physical exercise, increased flexibility, and mental calmness. This sense of strength and calm brought about a deeper curiosity for what the practice had to offer. She began her teacher training in 2023 and immediately began teaching that year. She felt shifted through the program and her husband and friends noticed the shift to. She felt lighter and brighter and less reactive. She knew she wanted to share this this opportunity to create shift with others.

Through her teaching, she hopes others gain what she has from yoga; the physical exercise, increased flexibility, and mental calmness. In addition, she hopes they gain her passion of maintaining a "healthy lifestyle" by including a daily yoga practice to promote both physical and mental health. She also hopes to spread her enthusiasm and genuine love for yoga! This culmination of love for the practice, the body, the healthy choices on an off of the mat, well that is where real shifts create real results.

Tracy has devoted her life and career to helping improve the health and wellbeing in others. She has been practicing yoga since 2005 and earned her RYT-200 in 2018. Within that time, she found a love of weight training and fitness and became a Certified Personal Trainer in 2008. Wanting to learn more, she earned her license as a Physical Therapy Assistant in 2010 and has worked with patients on building functional strength, recovering from injury, and improving quality of life. Currently she is finishing a doctorate program and will be receiving her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2024. 

Through the years, Tracy has worked with almost every population, focusing on the components of strength and fitness that build confidence. Tracy also serves as the Director of WellFest and is dedicated to community outreach and education on wellness.

In her free time, Tracy loves to spend her time being active outdoors  biking, paddle boarding, and exploring with her daughter and husband. 

Initially,  Laura began practicing yoga as a way to lose weight, but over the years, her practice has developed into so much more.  Laura has gained love and appreciation for what her body can do instead of basing my self worth off of a number on a scale.  Her mat became a place to unwind her body and mind from the physical tension and mental stress that builds up as life occurs.  The Baptiste practice challenges Laura to allow herself to be imperfect and to let go of control.

Laura's life took a drastic shift after becoming a yoga teacher. The process made her look at her life, thoughts, and actions from an observer’s point of view.  After dropping self judgement, she is able to live more mindfully in her thoughts, actions, and words to create my authentic life.  Through teaching, Laura aims to help students become more aware and mindful of their bodies during their practice.  She likes the practice to be challenging not only physically but mentally as well by encouraging students to be the observer of their own thoughts so they can become aware of any thought patterns.  With yoga, we create space in the body and mind for new ways of thinking and growth.