Team — Kula Yoga Grand Rapids

Megan Rader

I grew up outside of Chicago, where I began practicing yoga in high school. After years exploring on my mat, I completed my first 200-hour yoga teacher training through CorePower Yoga in Chicago. I deepened my understanding of yoga with two more 200-hr trainings while living in Seattle. My family and I moved to Grand Rapids in 2014, and the team and I opened Kula Yoga not long after. My classes are both accessible and challenging, with a strong focus on safe alignment, steady breath, pushing limits, and really tapping into the fluid flow that is Vinyasa. I created Kula, because I want to provide Grand Rapids a warm, welcoming, beautiful space to realize all that yoga has to offer. Kula is the spot where you can show up on your mat, just as you are, move with your breath, and spend time with your neighbors. It’s a true honor to serve you.

Danea Mather

My practice began in 2010, but became more serious in 2017 when I discovered both Buti Yoga and Vinyasa at Kula. Feeling called to share the practice, I completed my 200-hour YTT with Megan. After graduation, I certified in Buti Yoga, DEEP, and Hotcore, Restorative Yoga and Yin. I teach to share the groundedness, freedom of self, and deep connection that this practice has given to me. I aim to support each student on their own journey through classes focused on creative movement, alignment, and challenge, both physically and mentally. Come meet me on your mat!

Kathleen Pedres

I discovered the beauty of yoga while I was going through a challenging phase in my life. When I moved to Grand Rapids years ago, my practice became my constant companion through the transition. I eventually made new friends and joined a community through yoga. It has kept me grounded and present through the ebb and flow of life. I decided to take the Megan Rader Yoga Power Vinyasa Teacher Training in order to better understand yoga and all it encompasses. Little did I know that I would want to share the knowledge I gained with others. The sequences I create for my students form fluid patterns of dynamic movement and grounding energy and are designed to rejuvenate your mind and body. I am beyond excited to be part of Kula and to connect further with the yoga community here in Grand Rapids.

Brittany Nawara

I was introduced to yoga while taking classes at GRCC a number of years ago, but it was not until 2013 that I began to practice regularly. When I take a yoga class, I find myself so focused on my breath, movement, and the teacher’s cues that my mind does not wander for the duration of the entire class. It is so refreshing to do something good for my body and mind at the same time and I look forward to offering that same experience to my students. Yoga has brought many new friends to my life, and I am very happy to be a part of Kula.

Audrey Kersjes

I was first introduced to Kula Yoga by my sister in 2019, and I’ve been hooked ever since. My practice began very simply as a way to move my body and slowly developed into something much more personal—a way to connect my mind and body and to nourish my soul. I hope to provide this same experience to each of my students. After practicing for some time, I completed Megan’s yoga teacher training in 2022. I am so stoked to be a part of the Kula team and be given the opportunity to share my passion with the students and community! I look forward to seeing you in class.

Jessica Barr

Yoga has been a fixture in my life since 2017, and I developed a more serious practice years later when I became a member at Kula. I’ve found a sense of peace through the connection of my body and mind that yoga has given me. In the fall of 2021, I felt called to complete Megan’s 200-hour yoga teacher training to better understand the roots of yoga, as well as to deepen my practice. I am very excited to share my knowledge and love of yoga, and I hope to help students connect with themselves and others within the Kula community.

Naxal Shah

My first experience with yoga was taking a class with my mom in elementary school. Over the years, I tried different forms of yoga but my practice became consistent when a friend brought me to Kula in 2018 and I discovered Vinyasa. I joined the Kula community not long after and was immediately drawn to the mental and physical benefits that I found with a consistent yoga practice, as well as the renewal I felt after practicing. I joined Megan’s teacher training in 2021 to deepen my understanding of yoga and to share it with the community. I aim to teach creative, accessible, and challenging flows and look forward to meeting you on your mat. I am very excited to be a part of Kula!

Rei Gjeci

Born in Albania and raised in Grand Rapids after the age of 12, I discovered yoga while attending college in East Lansing and instantly fell in love with it. My yoga practice remained sporadically consistent, but when I found the Kula community in 2018, it became an integral part of my life. Yoga introduced me to deep breathing techniques which allow for the ability to get in tune with my body and focus my mind. It is a channel I use to challenge my physical body, calm my mind, and incorporate the benefits I gain off of my mat. I have now been practicing for close to 10 years and am a certified Vinyasa instructor through the Megan Rader Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training. I believe yoga is for every BODY and I am thrilled to share my knowledge and experience with my students and to grow together.

Monica Ruiz

I took my first yoga class in 2014 to relieve stress and supplement my routine as a runner, eventually prioritizing yoga and meditation as supplemental tools to heal from trauma and practice moving through the world more mindfully and skillfully. With a consistent practice, I noticed profound shifts in my mental, emotional, and spiritual health; the physical benefits were merely a bonus. In 2022 I invested in the Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training at Kula to further my understanding of yogic philosophy, energetics, and biomechanics with the hopes of eventually sharing all that this ancient practice has to offer with others. I offer a safe space for students to challenge themselves, connect with Self, and explore the dynamic, interconnected relationship between their minds, bodies, and spirits through creative movement rooted in authenticity. I look forward to learning, growing, and moving with you.

Caroline Wiersma

I began practicing yoga while living abroad with limited access to more familiar forms of movement. I loved the simplicity of a yoga practice combined with the intensity I felt throughout class. In 2020, my holistic journey was reinforced and reinvigorated when I discovered Vinyasa at Kula. My personal practice allows me to connect to the ever-changing and evolving portions of myself, and it has led to immense moments of growth specifically through my participation in Megan’s Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. I am so excited to share the boundless potential of a steady yoga practice with the Kula community, while continuing my own journey of growth and self-discovery.

Natalie Phelps

I started dabbling in yoga in 2010 strictly for the physical benefits but when I started grad school in Santa Barbara, Vinyasa yoga became part of my regular routine. Over time, my interest in yoga expanded to include breathwork, meditation, and other styles of yoga. In 2022, I attended my first yoga retreat in Costa Rica where I came back eager and inspired to take my practice to the next level. The stars aligned one month later and I signed up for Megan’s 200-Hr Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. I am over the moon to be a part of the Kula Team and am honored to share the gift of yoga with the Grand Rapids community. My goal is to offer thoughtful, captivating classes that allow you to tune in, challenge your mind and body, and ignite a curiosity in the stories, science, and philosophy that all make up yoga.

Ava Krist

Yoga has always been a part of my life, but it became integral during my junior year of high school. When I visited Kula, I immediately fell in love with both the practice and the studio itself. I joined the MRY Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training at the start of 2023 to gain more knowledge and understanding of the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of yoga, and in the process, I uncovered a strong passion for teaching. The sense of purpose and joy that teaching yoga brings to me is more than I could ever ask for. My classes value a playful balance of challenge and rest and offer lots of opportunity to explore. I am beyond grateful to share this mind, body, and soul-strengthening practice with you at Kula.

Melissa Gray

I was introduced to yoga by my aunt in 2012. At first, yoga was solely a challenging workout and a way to relieve stress. During a big life transition in 2021 I experienced the powerful benefits of a consistent practice. Yoga became a recommitment to self care and helped me build a better relationship with myself and my body. I completed Megan’s Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training in the spring of 2023 and gained the skills to thoroughly and safely share the benefits of yoga with others. I aim to provide a safe space for each student to show up authentically and be present in their bodies and minds, and I hope to be an encouraging witness to the transformation that comes from this self study {svadhyaya}.

Delanie MacRae

l first realized that I enjoyed yoga in high school. The distance runners on my track team would have a yoga day, and I would beg our head coach to let me join them for it. When I graduated college, moved to Grand Rapids, and found Kula, my passion for yoga became unwavering. My favorite part of the week now is making time for myself on my mat. Megan’s Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training was an experience like no other, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities it has brought into my life. Shortly after YTT, I spent a sweaty weekend becoming Buti certified. Now I have the honor of teaching these two life changing styles of yoga, and that means more to me than I can express. Find me on my mat sweating alongside you in a challenging yet fun Buti class, or guiding you through a strength building Vinyasa. Whichever is your style, I look forward to connecting with you on your mat.

Becca Ward

Encouraged by my mother and driven by my own curiosity, I began practicing yoga in 2011. I felt drawn to the physical challenge that yoga presented, and as I developed a consistent practice, I learned to surrender to the flow and tap into my breath. This led me to other mindfulness rituals and techniques like mindful eating, meditation, journaling, and dance. During the solitude of 2020, Kula’s virtual classes became an integral part of my daily life. In the winter of 2022, I moved from Asheville to Michigan to complete my yoga teacher training at Kula, then I earned my Buti Yoga certification in the spring of 2023. I’m so happy and feel so aligned being a part of the Kula team. My aim is to create a supportive and uplifting environment where you connect with your breath, meet challenges, explore unique and imaginative ways to move your body, and emerge from class feeling confident and bright!

Alex Robertson

I discovered yoga in 2014 while recovering from a knee injury caused by running. Making slower, more intentional movements when working my way into poses elevated my running journey. Once I started an in-studio practice, I discovered a love for the physical practice itself, as well as the community that came with it. Kula has been my yoga home since 2017, and in the winter of 2023, I stepped out of my comfort zone to embark on my teacher training journey. Through completing Kula’s Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training, I was able to fully understand both the importance of not only the physical practice, but the mental benefits as well. My classes challenge, offer safe alignment, and allow students to feel welcome and inspired within the Kula community space.