MEET OUR DEAF NORTH TEACHERS
JESSALYN AKERMAN-FRANK
Jessalyn got her RYT-200 from St. Paul Community College under Dr. Kate McGowan. This 9 month Yoga training program also focused on Self-Care, Mindfulness and Restorative Yoga approaches. Jessalyn became trained in Trauma Informed Yoga with Firefly International Yoga program. She is also trained in Kidding Around Yoga (KAY), and recently participated in Yoga Ed. Chair Yoga training.
​
In addition to her Yoga training, Jessalyn is also trained in Reiki 1 and 2 under Reiki Master Deb Golos and Life Coaching with CrossRoad Solutions under Deborah Meyers.
​
She has been teaching in community centers across Minnesota, Tula Yoga studio, Embodied Health Yoga studio, and Thompson Hall Deaf Club. She also teaches with Passages Deaf Travel and is a frequent requested guest at conferences. Jessalyn opened her online Yoga studio, Deaf North and loves working with other Yoga teachers.
​
"Yoga saved my life as an asthmatic, as a deaf person and as an adult. It gave me what I needed to navigate life.
​
My Yoga Journey in Minnesota started in 2001, my passion for yoga is based on my belief that Yoga should be accessible to everyone. That is still the goal today, my journey had a lot of closed doors, was a challenge to navigate the Yoga community and feel welcomed. I want the opposite experience for our community, and that is why I am invested in this work."
​
VAL ZIMMER
Chair Yoga
​
Meet Val Zimmer. She is a Deaf certified and trained Chair Yoga teacher.
She is a California native. She got her training at the Ashram on Sivananda Yoga farm in 2016.
Val loves teaching chair yoga because of the modified poses with the support of a chair as a prop. "I am grateful to be sharing my world with you."
​
LAURA PEREZ
Yoga Teacher
Laura Perez is a Registered Yoga Teacher (200 RYT) with Yoga Alliance which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with an approved and active Registered Yoga School (RYS). Her certification is from Lotus Yoga Centre (2017) which follows the Himalayan Tradition of Hatha Yoga.
As a competitive athlete, Laura has always led a healthy lifestyle focusing on physical training, strength building and nutrition. She came to yoga with the desire to improve flexibility, quiet her mind and lift her spirit. Laura’s teaching incorporates these concepts in addition to promoting breath awareness.
“My hope is to share knowledge and learn as a community. Classes have purpose and bring good energy. By offering different options, every student will be challenged and comfortable. I invite you (and your mat or chair) to join with the desire to nourish your body, mind and spirit. Looking forward to practicing TOGETHER.”
​
TANYA ARRIAGA
Tanya Arriaga is a Master's level graduate of Clinical Psychology with an interest in mindfulness-based methods of yoga and AcroYoga. She completed over 400+ hours of yoga teacher training with Youga Yoga of Corpus Christi, Yogabatics of Austin, and Daniel Scott's Yoga of Trust team. Also she is a certified instructor of the 2017 LIFT School of Acrobatics 200 hour certification program.
Yoga and AcroYoga are an important part of her life. Being that she is partially blind and almost complete deaf she has been able to excel at these practices since she has empowered herself to heighten her other senses. All of her life she has had to get around primarily by using cues and body language rather than listening and seeing. She has developed skills in alignment-based yoga, partner dynamics, and acrobatic yoga.
​
Her great passion is to help people who have been through stressful experiences by strengthening their relationship and overall view of themselves so they can have a sense of inner peace, completeness, happiness and feel generally loved.
