Jessica Tezak has been practicing yoga for over ten years and teaching for two. She received her Yoga teacher training from Blue Ridge Yoga, enjoys teaching Vinyasa flow and exploring other styles, such as ashtanga, yin and hatha yoga.

For Jessica, yoga is a way to stay in touch with herself and to experience community with others. She believes in the power of a personal practice, and its profound ability to bring about positive change in one’s life. Her classes are intended to give students a chance to go inward, challenge themselves and discover something new!

Ajeet is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) who has taught and practiced yoga for over 30 years. She specializes in Svaroopa® yoga classes and mantra workshops. She is a Reiki master, and her style often helps you to become wonderfully relaxed and filled with deeper understanding of your true Self.

Follow her on Instagram @healwithajeet.

Claire is a native Knoxvillian, mother of four grown children and one precious grandchild. She works as a realtor and office manager/bookkeeper for a local general contractor. She has recently rehabbed two houses, and may have found her next passion in addition to yoga!

Claire started practicing yoga 20+ years ago in Memphis, but really began her yoga journey in earnest upon return to hometown in 2008. She completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training with Cindy Dollar at The Glowing Body in May 2015 and has been teaching regularly since.

Follow Claire on Instagram @clairehyrka.

Kelly Smith Trimble is a writer, yogi and passionate gardener.

After practicing yoga casually for more than 20 years, Kelly’s interest in wellness and the mind-body-earth connection led her to complete her yoga teacher training under the direction of Kim Lomonaco at The Glowing Body in 2023 and become a Yoga Alliance 200-hour certified yoga teacher.

Finding a particular interest in how yoga affects the nervous system, Kelly has taken additional trainings in gentle flow and restorative yoga, and she is currently training with Jillian Pransky to become a certified restorative yoga teacher.

Her books, The Creative Vegetable Gardener and Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, are available at the studio.

Follow her on Instagram @kellysmithtrimble

Niki has been a lover of yoga since her first class in her home while pregnant with her son over 20 years ago. In addition to being a yoga teacher, she is also a hair stylist at Oddities Hair Parlour. She feels the two professions go hand in hand, and the longevity of her 11+ year hair career is connected to her yoga practice and several other therapeutic modalities. The awareness and stability learned through applying yogic principles proves to be a solid anchor throughout her career and life and is always growing and evolving. Yoga is woven into every aspect of her daily life, and she’s happy she gets to share the philosophies and benefits with others.

She received her 200 hour teacher certification in 2024 with Kula Collective at Seven Springs retreats. She currently continues her education by working with a mentor and taking classes and workshops locally and through the American Viniyoga Institute. Niki is fascinated with anatomy and how understanding the body’s structure enhances the yoga practice. With her holistic approach and focus on accessibility, her classes are great for beginners or advanced students with an emphasis on slow gentle movement, alignment and breath awareness. Because of  her experience as a hair stylist in a radically inclusive salon, she is committed to creating a welcoming, accessible and inclusive atmosphere for all students of all levels to deepen their practice in a supportive nurturing space.

Follow Niki on Instagram @mountainmoonhair

Kristin has been practicing yoga for almost half her life, since 2011. She was originally lured in by the promise of a free t-shirt at a yoga event at her college. Many years later, Kristin depends on her regular yoga practice to calm her anxious mind. She considers the predictability and rituals of yoga to be a balm for the unsteadiness that life can bring.

Kristin has been a long-time student at Glowing Body, and she completed her 200 hour YTT under the direction of Kim Lomanaco in 2023. Kristin’s classes reflect her background as an elementary school teacher. Her classes, regardless of style, are conversational and playful. She welcomes all to experience a sense of nurturing and curiosity. Kristin believes in the use of props to help each practitioner find their personal expression of each pose, and she enjoys working with beginners.

Follow Kristin on Instagram @kristinlynell

Ben was born in Knoxville and began to explore yoga as he started to focus on a career in with a culinary focus. It started as a physical practice but over the years became a mind body experience. He completed 200 hour yoga teacher training with Cindy Dollar in 2014 at The Glowing Body.

During his yoga teacher training, he dove deeper into pranayama and meditation. It opened a door into a different aspect of yoga that he likes to incorporate into the classes he teaches. He is grateful to be teaching in the community he grew up in.

Follow Ben on Instagram @benw.b.

Annie began practicing yoga in 2009 and graduated from The Glowing Body Teacher Training in 2023. A Michigan native and former collegiate athlete, she turned to group fitness for stress management and fitness during graduate school. With over ten years of teaching experience, Annie is certified in yoga, Lagree Pilates, and barre. She is passionate about helping others discover movement that can support them throughout their lives. Annie currently teaches power and slow flow yoga at The Glowing Body and also teaches undergraduate yoga courses at the University of Tennessee.

Follow her on Instagram @kirkanna

Carra began practicing Vipassana meditation in 2009. She has spent over 120 days (non-consecutive!) in silent retreat and served for a year as residential staff at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, WA. She is a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, guided by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. She is also a very proud graduate of the 2023 Glowing Body Teacher Training. Carra lives in rural Knoxville, is a proud chicken mom, and in is her first year of acupuncture study at Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine.  

Alison Saville, a native of western North Carolina, has called many places home, from Texas to California to Colorado. In 2013, she and her husband settled in Knoxville with their son, where they’ve now established their roots. Alison adeptly balances her role as a research project manager for an academic institution with her passion for teaching yoga.

In the heart of her 40s, amidst the 2020 pandemic, Alison immersed herself in daily yoga practice, an experience that profoundly changed her life. Inspired by this transformation, she pursued her yoga teacher training certification in 2023 at Glowing Body. Today, her yoga practice complements her busy life, bringing a fresh perspective to her vinyasa-style classes.

Alison’s deep life experiences infuse her teaching style, creating a relatable and nurturing environment for her students. In her classes, attendees will discover not only physical strength but also mental and spiritual resilience. Alison guides her students to honor their body’s wisdom while cultivating an inner and outer strength that extends beyond the mat and into everyday life.

Follow Alison on Instagram @alisonwsaville

Whitney has been a devoted and trusted Massage Therapist in Knoxville since 2017. She specializes in Deep Relaxation and Grief Massage and is peacefully inspired by grief work and holding space for those experiencing loss. In addition, she facilitates grief workshops where she combines story-telling, connection, introspection, and yoga.

Throughout her career, she has become dedicated to providing true rest, stillness, and relaxation. To better serve her clients and community, she completed a Restorative Yoga Instructor Certification in 2023. In her classes, she offers gentle, hands-on massage techniques to enhance restorative benefits.

Through massage therapy and yoga, Whitney’s goal is to reduce pain and stress while subtly increasing body awareness through ease and tranquility. Because of her own healing experiences through these practices, she understands care, comfort, and compassion are of the utmost importance, and she looks forward to continuing to serve the Knoxville community through these modalities.

Follow her on Instagram @whitney.with.ascend