about us

Katie is a Jacksonville native and long-time student of yoga. She first experienced the practice at age 14 when she accompanied her mother to an all-levels class in San Marco. The class was welcoming, nurturing, and accessible, and left Katie feeling incredibly relaxed and grounded. She returned to yoga periodically over the next 18 years whenever she needed help reconnecting with herself, adapting to change, or soothing her anxiety or depression. In 2016 she entered into Regenerative Living School's 200hr yoga teacher training. Upon completion, she immediately dove into the 300hr advanced course, during which she formed a close friendship with her classmate Melissa, who would later become the first yoga instructor at Casita besides herself. It was during these trainings that Katie gained a deeper understanding of yoga as a way of life and a newfound desire to share her knowledge through teaching. 

Katie's classes are moderately-paced and methodical, emphasizing each student's ability to adapt their practice to fit their needs. She considers yoga to be a form of activism in which we better ourselves on the path toward bettering the world. She is also a lifelong musician, songwriter, and overall arts enthusiast. Katie enjoys long conversations with her sisters, alone time with her asocial cat Logan, and fermenting all the vegetables.

Melissa is a mom of 2 who was born and raised in Colombia and moved to the United States in 2005. She attended her first yoga class at a gym, fell in love with the practice, and started a spiritual search along with it. In 2014 she got her 200-hr certification in Sivananda yoga in India and in 2017 she completed her 300-hr certification in an Ashtanga inspired training. She is also certified in 1st level aerial yoga. Melissa enjoys reading, traveling, running, doing functional workouts and spending time with her family. 

Melissa teaches an organically-sequenced vinyasa flow that incorporates strengthening exercises in addition to traditional Sivananda and Ashtanga postures. She leans towards an intermediate to advanced practice, always offering different options for all. Expect to break a sweat during class, and to feel empowered and refreshed when you leave! You can catch Meli on the mat Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6pm teaching Athletic Flow.

Samantha is a Jacksonville native and a mother of one. She studied dance and piano from the age of 4, and as a high school student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, her theater teachers used yoga as a means of helping the actors tap into their bodies and become more comfortable with movement and stage choreography. After the birth of her son in 2008, she returned to yoga as a means of exercise to lose weight. Uncomfortable and a little embarrassed, she attended very few in person classes and opted to follow along with online videos and beginner flow applications. Years later she was introduced to the Regenerative Living School through their yoga teacher trainings. The school’s holistic approach not only inspired Samantha’s love of yoga, but provided healing around the embarrassment and discomfort she had been feeling concerning her body. Through yoga, Samantha learned a new love and appreciation for her body and found strength she never knew she had. She joined the 200 hr yoga teacher training to bring that same self love and healing experience to other women. Samantha is dedicated to encouraging women of color and women of all body types to explore radical self love through building strong and flexible bodies, and making yoga accessible to new communities. 

Jes started her yoga journey when she was a preteen; the summer after 8th grade she went to a yoga class everyday at the Riverside YMCA, and that’s when she fell in love with the practice. Struggling with anxiety and an eating disorder, she found solace in yoga and meditation. She soon discovered that healing started from the inside. Since then yoga has been a crucial tool in her life, especially now that she juggles being a mom, dog walker, and wedding photographer. She received her 200hr training in 2018 at a Baptiste affiliated studio, Hot Spot Power Yoga, and her 300hr training in 2020 with Tara Rawson’s Regenerative Living School. With two very different trainings, Jes loves to teach a class that is balanced with strength and ease, or in Sanskrit, Sthira and Sukha. In addition to teaching asana, or the physical practice, Jes also emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and inner dialogue during practice; based off personal experience of having anxiety and depression and a trauma informed workshop by Yoga4Change, Jes teaches with cues to remind students to speak kindly to themselves and come back to the present moment. 

Hello everyone! I'm Marylin also known as The Yogi Doc. I am settled in Jacksonville, FL and work as a family medicine physician. As a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) I believe in the mind-body-spirit connection and adopt a holistic approach to healthcare.  I also recently started Ayurvedic school in hopes to bring together the Eastern and Western medicine in my practice.  I have been practicing yoga since I was 15 and teaching yoga since high school.  I remember how grounding yoga practice was for me during medical school and residency especially when I could use it to help my fellow colleagues in times of stress.  Eventually I started using it in my clinic to help my patients.  My joke is that you knock before entering my room because I could be in the middle of a meditation session with my patient.  Now more than ever, I feel like the world is in need of love, healing and compassion.  That is what I hope to bring to others through practicing yoga with me. 

My official teacher training was in Kovalam, Kerala at Padmakarma where I did my 200 hr YTT intensive.  I was born and raised in Kerala and it was important to me that I obtain my foundation from there.  I keep my practice as genuine and authentic as possible and draw inspiration from Hatha and Vinyasa styles.  As a physician I am privileged with the knowledge of understanding the anatomy and physiology at a much deeper level and work with clients who have different medical conditions or physical limitations. I have expertise in teaching clients all the way from kids to the elderly population.