Since 2011, Great Lakes Yoga has empowered the Great Lakes Bay Region with an evolving Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. By offering classes in a heated environment, GLYoga takes this practice beyond the standard surface components of yoga. Each class offering is intentionally crafted to open and deepen the pathways to the physical, mental, and emotional being. Over 70,000 hours of practice within our walls is only the beginning.
Join Us. Experience the Growth.
Our Studio
2 studios. 1 community. In 2022, GLY expanded to offer two practice spaces. Both studios will feature a variety of classes tinted with their own personalities.
Studio A |
STUDIO A features a cozy, dark environment that is excellent for taking your practice inward. The warm wood floors have held up the majority of our practices at GLY (so you know it has good energy)! This studio is the home of aerial yoga, virtual meditation, and many of our intimate yoga classes. |
Studio B |
STUDIO B is the new kid on the block and provides ample room for all our yogis and their friends. The natural light and bright walls create the perfect setting for solid drishtis (gaze points). Many weekends will be enjoyed in this space as it hosts Hot Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and many of our Gentle classes. |
Our Team
Jennifer Wilk
GLY OWNER, E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500
Hot Vinyasa was the first place I felt like I was going to die … and wanted more. The rhythm, music, HEAT, and ever-present breath woke something up inside me. With every class I went to, I failed, fell, laughed, grew, and craved for more. Soon the freedom found on my mat consumed me. I didn’t back off – I pushed into this feeling and jumped headfirst into teacher training. Today and everyday, I am honored to hold space for fellow students as they taste the seductive flavor of freedom on their mat, in their life, and from their thoughts.
LIFEPOWER YOGA | 2016
CENTER FOR YOGA | 2018
HEART YOGA | 2022
Tessa Dake
RYT 200
I dipped my toes into yoga around 2010 but had difficulty connecting.After a few sports related injuries I returned to the practice in 2013 and haven’t looked back since.My initial love of physiology naturally extended to a focus on alignment, which has progressed to furthering the mind body connection.Through this practice I have learned to better trust my own instincts and, in turn, connect more meaningfully with those around me. So join me as we work to build a community of individuals that find a way to breathe as one, even if only for an hour. See you on the mat!
CENTER FOR YOGA | 2016
MARIE HENGESBACH
RYT 200
Yoga has saved me and changed my life three separate times! About 12 years ago I fell while jogging. I wound up with a bulging disc in my back. I went to a pain clinic and physical therapy. Neither of those things helped me. I decided to buy a yoga book and start practicing. It was the only thing I did that eased my pain. The next time was when I was going through a very difficult emotional time in my life. I needed something to pull me out of my despair. I decided to take hot yoga classes at a yoga studio in Kalamazoo. It was amazing. I typically went 5-6 days per week. It helped my frame of mind and put me in a much better place. The third time was when I started coming to GLY. It was then when I started attending classes at GLY and I LOVE it. So much so that I completed my 200 hour RYT training and am so happy to be teaching here. I was looking for a purpose after I retired and now I have found it.
LIFEPOWER YOGA, 2018
Cathy Jesko
RYT 200, RYT 300
My yoga journey began with being a fitness enthusiast and wanting to promote health & exercise in the Greater Saginaw Area through not only fitness but improved health and well-being. During Covid, I found a calling, literally a sign, that led me to Great Lakes Yoga. I stepped foot in the studio, knew I was exactly where I was meant to be, and started one of the most significant journeys.
After walking away from a near-fatal car accident in 2018, I constantly longed to figure out my purpose, my reason for being here. Yoga has been a source of light and self-love that has brought peace and calm to my busy life. I appreciate the opportunity and space that Great Lakes Yoga offers to slow down, remove mental clutter (aka clear my mind), create connections, and deepen my sense of curiosity and awareness. In holding space for others, I no longer have that longing to look for something else…I have found my home at Great Lakes Yoga.
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2021
HEART YOGA | 2022
Molly Ouellette
RYT 200
My yoga journey began in 2015 after approximately 1 year of practicing meditation and breathwork. This daily practice of meditation relieved me of unnecessary anxieties and self-evaluation and gifted me the insight to build self-love, resilience, and leadership within my day to day. My mediation has expanded from observation of breath, gratitude, acceptance, setting intentions, mantras, and movement. Today I am dependent upon my breath to guide me.
I had practiced yoga several times but practiced it with little understanding until early 2015. I was invited to a hot vinyasa class in Denver Colorado. This to me was my first real experience of body and breath. I soon traveled home and came to my first class at Great Lakes Yoga (home). This to me was an elevated experience, a welcoming space. I eased in, observed, listened so carefully, bent so gently and in what felt like a very short time I closed my eyes and had fallen in love. Yes, I have a love affair with yoga. I remember in the first months I was exhilarated by the way I was feeling, I was exhilarated at the experience of exploring different styles, poses and flows. I was beginning to know myself, really know myself, and I like knowing me. In the space of yoga, I feel connected.
I have healed from and adjusted to two separate significant injuries while practicing. Yoga heals me.
I have and will continue to explore spaces and guides no matter my location in the world. I am grateful that no matter what space I find myself in I am gifted with something to take away, something new, something to practice.
I am grateful, forever a student to the practice by which I have a deep love and respect for, the practice that I wish to study in great depth and the practice by which I am honored to hold space for others. See you on your mat!
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2021
Jillian Bourbina
RYT 200
I was first introduced to yoga over 15 years ago, initially incorporating into various workout regimens. However, it was around 5 years ago when I deepened my commitment to my personal practice, embracing its transformative power both physically & mentally. In 2024, I completed a comprehensive Yoga Teacher Training course thru GLY, honing my passion & skills for guiding others on their yoga journey. With a steadfast commitment to continual growth & dedication to lifelong learning, I am thrilled to share the joy & benefits of yoga with my students.
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2024
Heather Selby
RYT 200
My Name is Heather Selby and I graduated from my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2021. One thing I have learned from my training and my time as a teacher, is that my training never really ends… I am constantly learning from my body, from my mentors, from my peers and more than anything else, from my community!!! It’s an honor and blessing to be able to hold a sacred safe space for people who come to their mat to transform their lives in one way or another. I have so much gratitude for my community for sharing their space with me.
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2021
Sophie Kostrzewa-Straebel
RYT 200
After unexpectedly losing my dad, I went from daily movement and prioritizing my health to the complete opposite. For years, I was the girl who took my health seriously… until I wasn’t. I felt lost with no drive or desire to start working my way back. One day, a few months later, my wife said “let’s try yoga.” Thankfully, we did, and I haven’t looked back since.
I got swept up in the practice; it became one of the few things I looked forward to. I could get lost in the breath and pace of a Slowburn or the sweat and playlist of a Hot Vinyasa. Yoga – something I once thought “was not a workout” – turned out to be much more than I ever could have imagined. What I came to realize (for myself) was that, that wasn’t the point.
My journey of starting yoga became the thing that led me back to myself while [ever-] growing into the person I am becoming.
I now happily guide people through their own practice with the hope that they find their “why” too.
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2024
Stephanie Schacher
RYT 200
Yoga has always had an allure to me. The essence of it all – the calm, the flow, the history. What began as a curiosity grew into a love for breath and movement. After years of drop-in classes, library books and yoga DVDs, I took the big step and joined a yoga studio, Great Lakes Yoga. Yoga added to my life in so many ways, giving nourishment to my mind & body. Within practice I was finding my authentic self, allowing me to explore my own perceived limits in and out of the studio.
Excited to take my practice deeper, I completed Yoga Teacher Training in 2024… and the more I study, the more I want to know! My fascination with mind/body connection and desire for nourishment in all forms led me to teach. I am filled with gratitude each day for the opportunity to create and teach and share yoga.
GREAT LAKES YOGA | 2024
Our Policies
Yoga Etiquette
Not sure where to begin? We welcome all levels of students to come and try any class. Every class will have at least one element of challenge and you are encouraged to do what is available to you in the moment. Our teachers will support you by offering modifications and adjustments as needed. Still unsure? Check out the class descriptions for a general concept of what you are jumping into. We often encourage new students to try a Gentle or Yin class, but know that there are no rules. If you have an open mind, join us and make the practice your own.
We find there are a few tips that help students that are new to GLY. Pre-registering for your class is the perfect way to start! Arrive 5-10 minutes early to check in and settle into your mat. It may help to avoid practicing on a full stomach. Try two hours free of food prior to class. Bring your mat, water, and optional towel. We sell Manduka mats and towels if you’re looking for an upgrade. Wear clothing that’s comfortable to you. Yoga apparel is great, but wear what works for your body and practice. Leave your shoes and personal items in the lobby. Perfume, smoke, food, and other scents are not compatible with yoga. Our studio is heated and scents will be amplified.
Registration & Cancellation
We love welcoming as many yogis to practice as possible. We have found this is most efficient when everyone pre-registers and follows a cancellation policy.
- Please pre-register for all classes/events as many of our classes fill up. We may not be able to accommodate walk-in registrations.
- We have a 2 hour class cancellation policy. You must cancel at least 2 hours prior to your class. Sunrise classes (start time prior to 7:00am) have a 9 hour cancellation policy. You must cancel 9 hours prior to your class. We are not responsible for no-shows due to late arrival. The penalty will still apply.
- For class pack holders, late cancellation/no show will result in forfeiture of class pass.
- For memberships, late cancellation/no show will result in a $10 fee that will be automatically charged to your card on file.
- Events/Workshops and Private Classes have a 1 week cancellation policy.
- Retreats and Trainings have unique cancellation windows. Each varies depending on the program.
Waiver & Release
All students of GLY are required to review, acknowledge, and sign a waiver of liability. Essentially we want you to be in control of your own practice, body, and breath. We love our gifted teachers, but we also know the best teacher is the one inside. So, listen to your body, consult your doctor, and be patient on your yoga journey.
If you’d like to review the waiver in its entirety, please enjoy.