Kristen McQuaide Founder - Director of The Space Yoga Studio, E-RYT 500, YACEP, (Intraining 800 HRYoga Therapist and Ayurvedic Counselor)
When I first discovered yoga over 30 years ago, I immediately experienced its transformative powers. Yoga saved my life when I was going through a very painful emotional transition, and yoga continues to save my life, keeping me balanced every day. Whether I am teaching or practicing Yoga, my happiest place is being on my mat. My mat never disappoints; it is my most honest teacher, listener, healer, and challenger. I seek to inspire and empower others to pioneer their personal wellness path on and off their mats.
Kristen McQuaide, E-RYT 500, YACEP, Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor L1, Aerial Yoga Certified. I am the founder- Director of The Space Yoga Studio in Visalia, California, USA. I am the first lead teacher of LEVITYoga 200 HR RYT. Co-Creator of FireFlex Yoga, a yoga-based wellness program for firefighters. I host annual 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training programs. Yoga Alliance accredited. I am currently studying to get my 800 HR Yoga Therapy Certification. Graduation in spring 2024. I have studied under the internationally recognized and advanced yoga teachers Peter Sterios ERYT-500 founder of LEVITYoga™, MANDUKA™ Yoga Mats, and creator of the popular yoga DVD series “Gravity & Grace.” After graduation, Kristen was asked to be the first LEVITYoga™ Teacher Trainer.
NICOLE TUDOR
Nicole Tudor 200 HR RYT + Certified Reiki Master has always shared her love for fitness and exercise in finding a mind-body connection. She moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and brought with her a background in kinesiology and business. Her practice has evolved from physical cross-training in high school to find a place of calm and stillness in the mind, often with a focus on chakra awareness. Her classes are intelligently sequenced with compassion and humor. Nicole is passionate about philanthropy, traveling, hiking and striving to lead a healthy, well-balanced life while promoting that lifestyle to others. Nicole is also a Reiki practitioner, a Japanese form of energy work for stress release. You may contact her to schedule private sessions. Follow her on Instagram @nicoleatudor.
EMILY LUCIETTO
Emily's passion for practicing yoga and her enthusiasm for teaching is rooted in her sense of yoga as the ultimate form of self-care, which she feels is an essential part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. As an E200 HR + 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, she started practicing in 1997 and was immediately drawn to its transformative effects. Emily completed her 300-hour certification in Santa Cruz, California with Mark Stephens, an internationally esteemed teacher and well-known author of several books, including the widely referenced Yoga Sequencing and Teaching Yoga. Emily also completed an independent study with Stephens, which focused on an in-depth examination of the practical and functional anatomy of the joints in yoga practice. She completed her 200-hour training at COIL Yoga in Fresno, California, where she studied under Katie Flinn, James Bailey, Cheri Clampett, Marie DiBona, and Arturo Peal. Emily is particularly skilled in teaching mixed level classes, focusing on the individual needs and intentions of each student. Her alignment-based vinyasa classes are thoughtfully structured, energetically uplifting, wholly welcoming, and leave her students coming back for more. With her home in Visalia, she and her husband Gian are the proud parents of three young children, Luca (6), Annie (5), and Marco (2).
CANDICE HANSEN
I started practicing yoga in 2004, and slowly started developing a home practice, with the asanas I learned in class. I used those asanas daily as a way to balance my body after working long hours as a massage therapist. I fell in love with yoga even more in 2010 while doing prenatal yoga. I realized how much the breathing and practice of yoga helped connect me with myself and my baby. Also it made me feel grounded in a time that can be challenging with the many changes of pregnancy and becoming a first time parent. I decided to get my 200hr RYT in 2015. After 14 years of being a massage therapist and working in a chiropractic office, I saw the tension, pain, and injury cycle happen over and over again. I felt that yoga is the best way to help people and hopefully break that cycle. So I feel that a person with less tension and pain has more energy and is a happier person. Allowing them to enjoy their life and loved ones more & have the energy to do the things they love. Which to me makes the world a better place.
MEREDITH CASARES
Meredith is a talker at heart and laugher by design. She loves interacting with people, experiencing other cultures, going on planes, driving in cars, riding bikes, or walking on her own feet to other places. In graduate school, she found her love of yoga. It allowed her to connect and know herself in a completely new way, and be a part of something greater and far more impactful than just attending a simple yoga class. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Meredith uses her clinical understanding of mental health and aims to guide her classes through an honest understanding of self-awareness through movement and meditation. Finding a means to manage our stressors by attending to our own mental health through the practice of yoga. In attending her class Meredith hopes that you can come and see yourself in a way that you never have before so that you can find, meet and accept your truest self. There will be a good dose of fun, easy-going, and accepting energy for everyone who attends. Meredith lives in Visalia, California with her two pups Gussy and Roscoe, and considers herself more than humbled and grateful to have the love and support of her parents, Tony and Melanie, and the best group of supportive women surrounding her in town and across the country. Meredith has recently finished her 200 RYT yoga certification through the guidance and support of Kristen Bini McQuaide at The Space Yoga Studio and Levity Yoga.
MANDY TOBIN
Mandy keeps active through a balance of gymnastics, CrossFit, and yoga. She has recently graduated from her 200-hour RYT program facilitated by her mentor, Kristen Bini McQuaide. Mandy enjoys boiling hot showers, handstands, and naps. Similarly, she loves a solid savasana at the end of a hot yoga class. Mandy cherishes the life she and her boyfriend, Charlie, are building together. They have a silver Labrador named Lincoln and a feisty kitten, Mooney.
ALORHA BAGA
200 RYT - Yoga has always been a part of Alorha’s life. It has helped her cope with trauma as a child. She would unknowingly be practicing yoga to help her cope. Her favorite pose has always been Vrksasana/Tree Pose. After fully committing to a yoga practice for over 10 years she decided to deepen her knowledge and enrolled in a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Sojourn in 2015. The Body, Mind & Spirit connections that she feels in both yoga and dance are what inspires her to teach others. Her teaching is driven by her passion for movement, life, and culture and she continues to study and broaden her knowledge and intuition. She has a total of 20 years of experience in body movement/fitness - practicing and teaching Native American Dance, Belly Dance, and yoga. Alorha has always been fascinated with the energetic body and philosophy of yoga which led her to further her knowledge of the Chakras by Certifying in the Alchemy of Chakra through Alanna Kaivalya Ph.D. She has also obtained certification in Buti Yoga, Buti DEEP, and Primal Yoga. During the pandemic, she decided to attend another 200-hour yoga teacher training and is currently enrolled in a 300-hour yoga teacher training in The Kaivalya Yoga Method.
She is grateful to lead and practice with others. Practicing and teaching mindful movement and breath to help others find their own space and self within their practice. It is important to help others connect with their breath and movement, which she believes can help in all areas of life - living yoga on and off the mat. Alorha currently lives on the Santa Rosa Rancheria near Lemoore with her husband Truman and together they have three children, Thomas, Grace, and Lily..
MONSE MESA
I stepped on my yoga mat for the very first time in the summer of 2018 at The Space Yoga Studio for a Warm Detox + Restore class guided by Kristen McQuaide; after that beautiful and reviving class, I knew yoga was meant to stay in my life. I continued to practice yoga at The Space regularly, making it to every class I could. Not long after practicing, I realized I wanted to share my love and passion for yoga by eventually becoming a teacher myself.
In March of 2020, I packed my yoga mat and headed down to the beautiful beach town of Playa del Carmen in Mexico, where I participated in a 200 RYT training
. My two-month stay in Playa del Carmen turned into a year of exploring and traveling the sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters of the Riviera Maya. I am now back in town, stoked to be teaching where my journey all started. Aside from spending time on my mat, I enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, and cooking tasty vegan food.
JESSICA WRIGHT
Jessica discovered her love for yoga in 2020 while vacationing with family in Mexico. On her flight home, she google-searched nearby Yoga studios when she stumbled upon The Space Yoga Studio.
She immediately was smitten with the teachers, the energy, the community, and the range of amazing classes offered at this incredible little yoga studio. A graduate of Kristen McQuaide’s 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training,
Jessica lives for all types of hot yoga, long soothing baths, singing and “dancing” to loud music while she cleans, and makes homemade fruit smoothies.
She currently lives in Visalia with her daughter Aria and their dog Lucy
RINDI STONE
Rindi began practicing yoga many years ago but became a consistent practitioner in 2016. She is a recent graduate from The Space Yoga Studio 200-hour LevityYoga teacher training with Kristen Bini McQuaide. Rindi enjoys the mind and body connection that comes with yoga practice. Rindi lives in Visalia teaches Kindergarten, and is a mom to two grown children. She is eager to share her love of yoga!
GALINA LIIBAU
I took my first yoga class in 2007 in Moscow, where I was born and raised. Since then, yoga has become my way to clear the mind and strengthen the body.
I was fortunate to look closely at Indian culture during a business trip to New Delhi in 2013. India and its people fascinated me, and I desired to experience more of it. A year later, I took a trip to the Himalayan Mountains and stayed in a little village surrounded by a forest full of curious monkeys. For three weeks, I worked on a deep body and mind cleanse at a local Ayurvedic clinic, attending morning chanting at an Ashram followed by yoga practice. The trip was magical and transforming. It changed how I see the world and taught me to find balance within myself and work with my inner energy.
The seeds planted during that trip sprouted when I moved to California. I was happy to join The Space yoga studio as a student and took the opportunity to complete the 200-hour YTT - “LEVITYoGA” taught by Peter Sterios and Kristen McQuaide in 2019. My teaching journey began shortly after.
In my classes, I offer a gentle full-body stretch and mindful movement, often with meditation and pranayama. Please join me on your mat for a flow by candlelight every Wednesday at 6 PM.
Namaste.
CADY GREEN
The year was 2020, and all of us were home, indoors, and masked up. I remember feeling desperate for connection, not just with others but within the confines of my own being. There was this desire for movement, for balance, for a long-sought-after marriage between my soul and my body. Soon to discover that an introduction to Yoga was about to be knocking at my door. After several online Yoga challenges, It wasn't until 2022, almost 2 years later, that I found a home within a local studio- The Space Yoga Studio. Little did I know then this would be a new adventure and journey into a home within my heart. The power of Yoga began to transform me from the inside out. And it continues to do so each and every day.
Growing up, I always struggled to trust my body and therefore testing it and believing that so much was possible for it. Yoga has shown me that almost anything is possible for anybody and everybody. Yoga has helped bridge the gap between my spiritual and physical body, and my mat is an altar where I'm able to offer my mind, body, and soul to God. Having found so much vitality, healing, and effervescence through Yoga, it's my passion to share this knowledge with others.
I recently studied under Kristen McQuaide, completing The Space Yoga Studio’s 200 Yoga Teacher Training Program led by Kristen McQuaide 500 HR E-RYT.
So much positive change started to happen for me once I began stepping on my mat. Now my mat feels like home, a home where connection and oneness begins within.
JESSICA WAGNER
Yoga had been in my life on and off for a little over a decade. It was not until January of 2022, when I took my first class at The Space Yoga Studio, that it planted itself within my heart for good. From the moment I stepped into the studio, I immediately felt at home, and I knew in my heart that I found something truly special.
I was fortunate enough to immerse myself in Levity Yoga’s 200 HR YTT led by Kristen McQuaide 500 HR E-RYT at The Space Yoga Studio. I learned about the Fall 2022 Yoga Teacher Training program Kristen McQuaide was going to host and I knew undoubtedly that diving deeper into my practice is what my heart longed for.
It singularly helped me during a very difficult time in my life, during which I experienced immense loss and struggled with my mental health. My training solidified, for me, the importance of balance on and off the mat.
Yoga has the wonderful ability to bring forth our authentic selves while reminding us of the necessity of patience, grace, and loving awareness. I am beyond excited to help cultivate an authentic practice and share my love for Yoga with Our Space community.
CHRISTIE LONG
Please take a moment to meet Christie, a passionate and dedicated yogini whose life has been profoundly transformed by her practice. A recent graduate from LevitYoga teacher training at The Space with Kristen McQuaide 500 E-RYT, she has a deep-rooted love for yoga and a burning desire to share its transformative power with others. Christie's journey began as a means to find freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil. Through years of consistent practice, she not only conquered her anxieties but also developed an intimate connection and appreciation for her own body, in all of its phases and stages. Christie aims to create a safe and nurturing space for her students to explore their own paths to tranquility and self-awareness. She empowers her students to embrace yoga as a lifestyle, allowing them to find the same liberation from anxiety and appreciation for their bodies that she has finally discovered herself.
Christie's approach to yoga celebrates the uniqueness of each individual, encouraging her students to honor their bodies' needs and limitations while pushing the boundaries of growth. Christie strives to have her students leave her sessions feeling rejuvenated, empowered, and grateful for the journey they are on. She hopes to remind students that yoga is not just a series of postures but a transformative tool that can lead to a life filled with freedom, acceptance, and joy.
LIZ GUND
Greetings from The Space Yoga Studio! My name is Liz Gund. My enthusiasm for yoga may be “out of this world,” but my journey started in 2010 on my living room floor with a quest to relieve sciatic nerve pain. I ultimately continued to practice yoga because the new space and freedom created in my body directly correlated to the space and freedom in my heart and mind. Yoga soothes and challenges me, uplifts and grounds me. The challenges in asana, pranayama, and meditation give me a new perspective on being a better human being who continuously evolves emotionally and physically as a member of a community and as a spiritual being in an awe-inspiring universe. My yoga practice was my best friend when confronted with major upheavals like the passing of loved ones, changes in profession, and my move to California’s Central Valley in 2022.
My journey to teaching yoga began in Kansas City as a student, where I took many Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga classes from a mix of yoga studios & teachers. I felt called to share my experiences and help others through yoga. In 2020, I began a 200-HR yoga teacher training through True Love Studio (Karma Tribe) under Lauren Leduc, E-RYT 500, YACEP. In 2022, I sought additional development through The Space Yoga Studio’s LEVITYOGA 200-HR YTT, under the tutelage and tender care of Kristen McQuaide, E-RYT 500, YACEP, and Peter Sterios, ERYT-500. I feel called to facilitate spaces where students can be accepted and celebrated for being their authentic selves without judgment. I am passionate about sharing the gifts of yoga, so students are empowered to move freely in their bodies, mind, and spirit.
As always, I wish you many blessings on and off the mat, and I look forward to when our paths cross!
