New Student Special! 3 yoga classes for$36!
Instructors
Linda DeStefano, RYT200
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Linda DeStefano is the owner of Journey Yoga & Wellness, an attorney, and a mom to five beautiful children. Linda began her yoga path over 20 years ago when she was looking for a way to alleviate the strains associated with running. Her path to becoming a studio owner was discovered after her eldest began to struggle with addiction and
Linda DeStefano is the owner of Journey Yoga & Wellness, an attorney, and a mom to five beautiful children. Linda began her yoga path over 20 years ago when she was looking for a way to alleviate the strains associated with running. Her path to becoming a studio owner was discovered after her eldest began to struggle with addiction and mental illness, and she found peace and healing and a deeper understanding of how yoga works.
Grounded and warm, Linda brings to her classes a thorough understanding of alignment, patience, and an invitation to compassionately explore one’s self.
She is overjoyed to share the light she has found and hold space for healing and wellness. While the asana practice supports discipline and a healthy body, loving kindness has become her personal practice. Uniting the physiological, intellectual, and emotional selves is a guiding force for her teaching. Through mindfulness of self, we can cultivate love for all.
Linda is infinitely grateful to the teachers at SoulSpace Yoga & Wellness for guiding her journey.
Linda finds happiness in spending time with her family, staying active, reading, and gardening.
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Karen started practicing yoga in 2005 to balance her workouts. She
immediately fell in love with the physical practice; however, what she wasn’t
expecting was the mind, body, and spiritual connection she discovered.
As a registered dental hygienist, Karen had always been interested in the
human body and physical health; yoga simply added to t
Karen started practicing yoga in 2005 to balance her workouts. She
immediately fell in love with the physical practice; however, what she wasn’t
expecting was the mind, body, and spiritual connection she discovered.
As a registered dental hygienist, Karen had always been interested in the
human body and physical health; yoga simply added to this interest. Karen
believes yoga is the path to optimum physical and spiritual well-being, and
views yoga as a gift to mankind. She sees yoga as a gift she has given
herself, and now she is striving to help share that gift with others.
Karen received her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate from Cross
Roads located at SoulSpace Yoga and Wellness in Plantsville, CT. In 2018,
she completed her 500 training also at Cross Roads. Karen is registered with
Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT200, RYT 500, YACEP.
Karen also enjoys spending time in nature, walking, gardening, reading,
making jewelry and most of all spending time with her husband, daughter and son.
Alison DiPinto, M.A., LPC, RYT200
Karen Carollo, E-RYT200, RYT500, YACEP
Alison DiPinto, M.A., LPC, RYT200
Alison DiPinto is a registered yoga teacher with a a specialized 100 hour training in trauma sensitive yoga, a 300 hour online yoga psychology certification and a level two certification in Grief Yoga ®.
Alison has worked in the mental health field for the past 25 years and currently is a clinician at Ann's Place, a cancer support center i
Alison DiPinto is a registered yoga teacher with a a specialized 100 hour training in trauma sensitive yoga, a 300 hour online yoga psychology certification and a level two certification in Grief Yoga ®.
Alison has worked in the mental health field for the past 25 years and currently is a clinician at Ann's Place, a cancer support center in Danbury. Alison has studied dance and movement most of her life and believes the path to well-being and contentment is finding connection to one's own body, breath, mind and spirit and being able to share one's truest self with those we cherish and the collective whole.
Chris Smith
Michele Testa, RYT200, Reiki Master, RN
Tanya DeJesus
Chris Smith is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher with 25 years of experience leading classes in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Chris’ experience with Yoga began after college, when he attended his first Kundalini Yoga class in Hanover, MA. From that first class in 1991, he knew he had found what he was looking for. Chris dove headlong int
Chris Smith is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher with 25 years of experience leading classes in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Chris’ experience with Yoga began after college, when he attended his first Kundalini Yoga class in Hanover, MA. From that first class in 1991, he knew he had found what he was looking for. Chris dove headlong into learning everything about Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, including a daily morning Sadhana practice, a thousand day mediation experience, and numerous 3HO Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration weeks at Guru Ram Das Puri in Espanola, New Mexico.
Chris was fortunate to attend many classes taught directly by Yogi Bhajan, the Kundalini Yoga master that brought this practice and technology to the United States. Chris was part of the first official teacher training course ever held for Kundalini. He is also a certified BreathWalk leader/instructor and has studied numerology and Reiki.
Chris has taught classes to all levels of experience and has particular expertise with those individuals that are trying to incorporate a yoga practice into their daily lives. He is a Vice President and Managing Director for TSIB, a leading Brokerage firm managing insurance for large construction companies and projects, including major airports, hospitals and sports stadiums. He blends the understanding of these daily challenges with the Kundalini Practice to maximize your own personal results.
Chris has lived in Newtown with his wife and two daughters for the past 17 years. He enjoys supporting the community as a representative on the Legislative Council and is enthusiastic about the arts, particularly classical ballet, theatre, and competitive dance, as experienced through his daughters.
Tanya DeJesus
Michele Testa, RYT200, Reiki Master, RN
Tanya DeJesus
I found yoga about sixteen years ago while living in NY. Hot yoga classes helped me to feel balanced and calm and this followed me off the mat into my busy life. When I moved to Connecticut to raise our family, my yoga practice deepened. Something that started out as an exercise routine for me shifted into a deeper more spiritual practice
I found yoga about sixteen years ago while living in NY. Hot yoga classes helped me to feel balanced and calm and this followed me off the mat into my busy life. When I moved to Connecticut to raise our family, my yoga practice deepened. Something that started out as an exercise routine for me shifted into a deeper more spiritual practice. Yoga quieted my mind even in the midst of chaos. This practice has given me the tools I need off the mat to cope with everyday stress & anxiety. Yoga helps to nurture our emotional and physical well being. This has been a huge transformation for me and I look forward to sharing the practice with those who struggle to find peace. “
Tanya is a graduate of the Yoga Dimensions 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and currently continuing education at Ohra yoga to complete her 300 hour training. Since 2019, she has been teaching community based yoga classes and offers private sessions upon request. She offers a gentle/restorative style of yoga and ends with a guided peaceful meditation.
Michele Testa, RYT200, Reiki Master, RN
Michele Testa, RYT200, Reiki Master, RN
Michele Testa, RYT200, Reiki Master, RN
Michele Carella is a Registered Yoga Teacher with additional certifications in Childrens yoga, and Trauma Sensitive Yin yoga for Adults.
Michele started practicing yoga in 2008 and received her 200 hour certification in December of 2013, from Crossroads Yoga Teacher Training located within Soul Space Yoga & Wellness in Plantsville, CT. Sh
Michele Carella is a Registered Yoga Teacher with additional certifications in Childrens yoga, and Trauma Sensitive Yin yoga for Adults.
Michele started practicing yoga in 2008 and received her 200 hour certification in December of 2013, from Crossroads Yoga Teacher Training located within Soul Space Yoga & Wellness in Plantsville, CT. She has taught Children's yoga, All Levels Flow yoga, and Gentle Flow/Yin yoga.
She also received her certification as a Shamballa (Intuitive) Reiki Master in January of 2017, which has only enhanced the energetic and mindful connection of her own yoga practice, as well as the practice that she shares with her students.
She has been a Registered Nurse for 28 years, and is Grateful to include the principles of Yoga as well as the healing energy of Reiki in her everyday connections.
She enjoys spending time with her teenage son and their six rescue cats, spending time with family and close friends, hiking, jogging, reading, listening to all genres of music, and experiencing nature in all types of weather.
Stephanie Barnes, RYT 200
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Stephanie has been practicing yoga in various forms, from gentle to hot power vinyasa, since the late 90s. She approaches her yoga practice with a focus on form, breath, patience, and non-judgment of self, reflecting these principles in her teaching to others, by meticulously structuring postures from the outside in and from the bottom up
Stephanie has been practicing yoga in various forms, from gentle to hot power vinyasa, since the late 90s. She approaches her yoga practice with a focus on form, breath, patience, and non-judgment of self, reflecting these principles in her teaching to others, by meticulously structuring postures from the outside in and from the bottom up. In her classes, Stephanie integrates the mind and body to offer a holistic yoga experience that strengthens, opens energy pathways, fosters flexibility, and instills both self-trust and confidence in practitioners. Through her own journey with yoga, Stephanie believes that yoga, in its many forms, serves as a pathway back to the self, offering a journey of self-discovery, inner alignment, strength, and empowerment through the healing of the body and mind.
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Janette’s interest in yoga began in 2011 after her first class, finding her mind and body at ease. She continued practicing and received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certification at Yoga Culture of Danbury in 2014. Her yoga studies have been supplemented with her knowledge of the body from her Associate’s Degree in Science as a Physical Th
Janette’s interest in yoga began in 2011 after her first class, finding her mind and body at ease. She continued practicing and received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certification at Yoga Culture of Danbury in 2014. Her yoga studies have been supplemented with her knowledge of the body from her Associate’s Degree in Science as a Physical Therapist Assistant. Janette values love, honesty, happiness and equality, and believes everyone should be treated and spoken to on the same level. She wants her students to fully understand the proper alignment of poses to avoid injury, as well as see the beauty in each aspect of yoga and everything in life. Janette believes that everyone can be happy if they take a step back, see the beauty all around them and believe that they are all they need.
Kelvin Young
Janette Petrovich, PTA, RYT200
Kelvin Young
Kelvin Young is a Sound Practitioner and a person in long-term recovery which means he hasn't consumed alcohol or any other drug to cope with emotional distress since March 6th 2009. The first time he was exposed to sound healing,
Kelvin discovered the sounds of the crystal and Tibetan singing bowls and gongs calmed his mind, relaxed his
Kelvin Young is a Sound Practitioner and a person in long-term recovery which means he hasn't consumed alcohol or any other drug to cope with emotional distress since March 6th 2009. The first time he was exposed to sound healing,
Kelvin discovered the sounds of the crystal and Tibetan singing bowls and gongs calmed his mind, relaxed his body and nourished his soul. He went on to study sound healing with Master Sound Healers, Paul Hubbert of the Holographic Sound and Inner Balance and Satya Brat Jaiswal of the International Academy of Sound Healing, Kelvin has also studied with Brian Luke Seaward of Inspiration Unlimited, a renowned international expert in the field of holistic stress management and received his recovery coach certification from CT Community for Addiction Recovery.(CCAR)
Kelvin has presented around the country in diverse settings, including Yoga Reaches Out, Newtown Yoga Festival, Indie Yoga in San Francisco, CA, Alex Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, yoga studios, retreat centers, conferences, colleges, prisons, addiction treatment centers, psychiatric inpatient units at state hospitals and mental health agencies.
Kelvin also was presented with the 2017 Dr. F. Marcus Brown Memorial Integrative Medicine Award for exceptional commitment to incorporating integrative medicine within CT Valley Hospital, a state psychiatric hospital. Kelvin was featured in a powerful documentary on trauma, addiction and recovery called Recovering Community. He also serves on the board of directors at Manchester, CT HOPE Initiative and Eat The Sunlight Health Inc. Kelvin is also an active member of the CT Holistic Chamber of Commerce and ACLU Smart Justice Initiative.
Kelvin manages stress by eating a vegan/plant-based diet, reading, practicing, sound healing, deep breathing exercises, aromatherapy, listening to uplifting and relaxing music, body movement, massages, being in nature and spending quality time with loved ones.,Today, he continues to share his story of finding freedom from alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin and prescription drugs and facilitates private and group sound healing sessions for holistic stress relief at yoga studios, wellness centers, ecstatic dances, festivals, retreat centers, businesses, corporations, non-profit organizations, schools and addiction treatment centers throughout the United States.. He is passionate about holding space for people to heal and is known for his warm, loving and down-to-earth way of connecting with people.