5th year Festival Leader - founded the Yoga Bliss Festival in 2022.  In 2001 she founded and opened Halcyon Spa, Salon & B&B in her hometown of Augusta, MO and with the support of her dedicated staff, Halcyon Spa is thriving and getting ready to celebrate its 25th year in August. Her passion for the human body, yoga, and love for community called her to be a physical and massage therapist practitioner in JFB MFR® for more than 25 years, and a yoga instructor for 14 years. Kathy currently lives in Sedona, AZ and is working full-time as a Physical Therapist at Therapy on the Rocks in the Western Myofascial Release Treatment Center.  She creates a Spa newsletter twice a month and produces a daily inspirational email for her yogis. Kathy provides seven virtual yoga practices a week with teaching partner Allison Chrisman, teaches in-studio at Village Yoga in Sedona, AZ, and has co-created the YouTube Channel ‘Barefoot in America’ with her partner, Karl Mullings. During the summer she comes back to here hometown and sees clients at Halcyon Spa, offers her Barefoot in the Vineyard Series, and in December returns to Augusta for her yearly Winter Solstice Practice. She also offers Myo-Yin/Sound Healing Workshops when she travels.  Her goal is to lead yoga practices that are accessible to every-body and offer choices for each student to personalize their practice, to honor their limits and see their potential.

1st year Festival Leader - Tim Appelbaum is a Breathwork Facilitator and 500 Hr YTT YACEP from Saint Louis. The journey to yoga included time in the Marines, Elementary School Teacher, Cage Fighter, and now yoga studio owner. Following the Marines and Afghanistan, Tim sought healing outside the VA and found breathwork through Brian Mackenzie’s Shift Adapt and work with fighters. Since 2016 he has been working on breathwork/nervous system with athletes, professionals, veterans, and clients. In 2020 he took the dive to full on yoga teacher and hasn’t stopped since, now owning Fox Company Yoga. He has taught at retreats in Texas, Brazil, the Teton Yoga Festival; in addition to teaching at the studio. 

1st year Festival Leader - Sara Biermann, LMT is the founder of Blu Room Wellness and is an intuitive bodyworker with over 25 years of experience. Her work is rooted in presence, nervous system regulation, and deep listening—creating spaces where clarity, ease, and inner knowing naturally emerge. Sara’s sessions are experiential, grounding, and often described as profoundly unlike anything else.

1st year Festival Leader - Karen Billberry is a 17 year licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Indiana. A former social worker focused on adults with severe and persistent mental health diagnosis in an outpatient setting, facing burn out, she stepped away from her career and began her journey in the massage world. Knowing there was a piece still missing, she finally found it in 2018 via the magical world of John F Barnes Myofascial Release. She is forever grateful for his encompassing spirit, loving words, and transforming hands.Description goes here

5th year Festival Leader - Mindful Movement, LLC, is a Group Fitness Instructor leading classes for over 20 years and is currently at the Four Rivers Area YMCA in Washington, Missouri. She holds A.A. degrees in Fashion Merchandising & Liberal Arts; B.A. Recreation & Leisure Studies from San Francisco State University; Univ. of Missouri Extension Master Gardener. In addition she is trained and certified in ACE Group Exercise Instruction, AFAA Group Exercise Instructor; AFAA Pilates; Black Belt – TaeKwonDo (former instructor); KickBoxing/Step Aerobics; Les Mills International - BODYBALANCE, BODYPUMP (AIM 1 level), SHAPES, & SPRINT (Cycling Intervals); LIVESTRONG; PiYo Strength; Reebok/YMCA Indoor Cycling Training; Silver Sneakers - Classic, Ener Chi, & Yoga; Turbo Kick; Yoga RYT 200 hours; YogaFit Level 1; Member of Yoga Alliance; and Zumba.

5th year Festival Leader - (she/her/they) - Shenee is a creator and visionary who’s life is dedicated to being in service to others. At the foundation of her teachings is transformational breathwork as a tool for intentional life design. She blends breathwork with complementary modalities to create a unique + dynamic experience that is a true energetic rebirthing!  With a background in both the healing arts & permaculture, Shenee offers an integrative approach to wellness, encouraging clients to consider their physical, mental and emotional states, as well as the quality of their breath and relationship to their environment. She works with clients both virtually & in person through sessions, workshops, programs & immersive retreats both locally + internationally.  

Website:  www.inspirationactivation.life 
Email: shenee@inspirationactivation.life
IG: @shenee_alexa  www.instagram.com/shenee_alexa
IG: @inspiration_activation  www.instagram.com/inspiration_activation
Facebook: Shenee Alexa Booth www.facebook.com/shenee.alexa.lmt 
Facebook: Inspiration Activation www.facebook.com/inspirationactivation

4th year Festival Leader - Regan Caruthers is a writer, spiritual teacher and founder of Aset Yoga Center, housed on her serene 10 acre estate in Washington, MO.  Regan began contemplative practice at the age of three, learning meditation and Tai Chi at an innovative elementary school. A former Silicon Valley executive, Regan served as teaching faculty at the HeartMath Institute, leading retreats and programs for business audiences. Now she draws on over 500 hours of yoga training and dedicates her life to supporting the inner life of others, providing free community yoga, private yoga instruction, and transformative inner life coaching.  Her memoir, Tragic Magic was published last year and is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

3rd year Festival Leader - is a St. Louis painter, poet and Reiki master. Collectors who resonate with her work have described it as “more than art” and “speaks to the parts of me that need light, joy and love.”  Her paintings and poetry provide a portal to the sacred space within. As a creative expression facilitator, she invites participants to rediscover their own sacred space and sense of delight. She facilitates workshops and creates sacred space for events and engages in community collaborations. Angela's paintings and drums have been featured at the past 3 Yoga Bliss Festivals. She is a contributing author in the bestselling book, "Shine Your Soul Light," a book that shares empowering stories of 11 international visionaries. At her core, Angela believes: "Within us all is the capacity to love without reservation, express ourselves fully, and see the beauty in each other and ourselves." 

Contact at: www.AngelaLChostnerArt.com instagram.com/@achostner/ achostner@gmail.com

2nd Year Festival Leader - Allison Chrisman is the founder of Elevate, Expand, & Evolve with Allison and the creator of The Restorative Reset. She is a Certified Life Coach through the Gaja Collective. She guides individuals to regulate their nervous system, reconnect with their body, and return to a more grounded, steady, and aligned way of living. With a background in psychology and body-centered practices, her work centers on restorative wellness, supporting deep regulation, reconnection, and sustainable inner balance through a grounded, heart-led approach. She completed her 200-hour yoga certification with Yandara Yoga Institute in Mexico and has continued her studies with advanced Yin and Restorative Yoga training through Yandara, as well as Yin Yoga training with Gabrielle Harris. She also trained in Restorative Yoga under Jillian Pransky, author of Deep Listening, whose work profoundly shapes Allison’s approach to slowing down and turning inward. Restorative yoga is her passion, not just because it’s gentle but because it’s transformational. She is deeply passionate about sharing the practice of Yoga Nidra, guiding participants toward relaxation and inner awareness. Her classes blend stillness, breath, and intuitive guidance to help regulate the nervous system, release tension, and create space for inner alignment. It’s not about fixing; it’s about remembering who you are. Allison specializes in crafting restorative experiences that weave yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra, sound, Reiki, and energy work, inviting deep rest, renewal, and space to listen and access your inner wisdom. Rooted in the belief that transformation begins within, her work is about helping others reconnect with their true selves. Whether through movement, stillness, or sound, she holds space with honesty, compassion, and a deep respect for each person’s unique journey. Contact:https://linktr.ee/allisonchrisman

5th year Festival Leader - is a native of Washington, MO and opened Present Moment Yoga in 2011. She discovered the benefits of a regular practice in 1999 while looking for something to support her mind and body after childbirth. Quickly recognizing the amazing benefits that linking breath and movement have, she dove deeper into all aspects of the practice and became certified to teach.  Melissa's teaching style is focused on making yoga accessible to all levels, challenging her students to achieve their goals through intelligent sequencing and mindful modifications, and helping them to learn more about the practice of yoga and about themselves.

2nd year Festival Leader - Jill is the founder of Wildwood Yoga & Wellness, a thriving studio that has served its community for over 10 years. She began practicing yoga in 1996 and has been teaching since 2002, now holding over 2000  hours of training. Jill is an E-RYT 500, YACEP, certified Roll Model® Method Practitioner, Reiki Master, and a trained sound healer and sonic massage practitioner. Her teaching style is grounded, intuitive, and therapeutic—blending functional movement, breathwork, and self-myofascial release to support physical and emotional well-being. She often weaves in sound healing and energy work to create a deeply immersive experience. A mom to three boys, Jill brings authenticity, compassion, and a touch of magic to everything she offers. Her classes are a space to reset, reconnect, and return home to yourself.

1st year Festival Leader - After more than two decades as a registered nurse, Bex Feltmann's path has gently guided her back to the heart of nursing—the art of true healing—through work that honors mind, body, and spirit. With a deep passion for whole-person wellbeing, she created a ceremonial healing dance practice that offers a supportive space for release, renewal, and personal reclamation. Drawing from training in classical homeopathy, Bach® Flower Essences, psychological and medical astrology, and other holistic modalities, she provides collaborative, trauma informed, heart-centered care that supports both individuals and groups in discovering their own pathways to balance, transformation, and deeper connection. Her work weaves together embodied astrology, somatic movement, vibrational medicine, and ceremonial ritual to create healing experiences that nurture the whole person. At its core, her approach is rooted in the belief that healing unfolds naturally when we honor the body’s innate wisdom, align with the rhythms of nature, and allow space for authentic expression and integration.

4th year Festival Leader - 5th year Festival Leader - Sarah is the owner of Optimize Health & Wellness in Glen Carbon, Illinois. With over 33 years of experience as a physical therapist, Sarah brings a deeply integrative approach to health that honors the connection between body, mind, and overall well-being. She earned her Ph.D. in Natural Health in 2010 and is an expert-level John Barnes Myofascial Release® therapist, blending hands-on manual therapy with movement, nutrition, and mindfulness practices. Sarah’s work is grounded in the belief that every person deserves to experience the joy of health, balance, and freedom in their body.

5th year Festival Leader - is a dedicated yogi and somatic psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience in trauma-informed, body-centered healing. Introduced to yoga during her first pregnancy in the 1990s, she has remained a devoted student ever since. Passionate about silence and the dharma, Jenna is a longtime practitioner of Vipassana meditation and regularly attends silent retreats to deepen her practice. She has led over 14 transformational retreats in Sedona and abroad as co-owner of Sanctuary Bridge Transformations, guiding participants in reconnecting with their hearts, healing trauma, and reclaiming their authentic selves. Jenna maintains a private practice, working with clients from all walks of life, and curates individualized healing intensives for those seeking deeper, immersive support. Her work weaves mindfulness, ceremony, somatic therapy, and embodied spiritual practice to create grounded yet deeply transformative experiences. For more information, visit www.sanctuarybridgetransformations.com

1st year Festival Leader - Amber began her regular yoga practice in college during a particularly stressful point in life. She was not a very physically active person so yoga became a safe place to explore her body's physical capabilities, as well as process thoughts and emotions. She soon realized what a profoundly positive impact yoga made on her life as a whole and how it improved the way she interacted with the world around her. She decided to pursue her 200 hour Yoga Certification in 2014 as a way to share all the amazing benefits of this practice with others. Amber trained at Urban Breath Yoga School in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she acquired her E-RYT 500 status as well as her 85hr Prenatal Yoga Certification, and became a Yoga Alliance Certified Education Provider. She lived and taught in St. Louis for many years before moving to Kansas City, Missouri where she went on to complete her 25hr Aerial Yoga Certification at KC Yoga Kula. From there she assisted and co-lead multiple 200-hour teacher trainings at KC Yoga Kula alongside Nancy Kaul. She also taught many continuing education courses, yoga workshop series, and contributed specialized modules for other 200-YTTs at studios throughout the Kansas City Missouri area. She now resides in St. Augustine, Florida, where she teaches weekly classes, private sessions, workshops, and yoga education trainings. She has additional specialized training in Trauma-Sensitive Yoga techniques, AcroYoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Functional Anatomy, and has experience working with a wide variety of body types, skill levels, and health conditions. She loves helping individuals deepen their understanding of Yoga and cultivate a well rounded practice that can positively impact their everyday life. Her classes are safe, creative, relatable, and playful. Her goal is to always leave people feeling more balanced and regulated than the way they felt walking into class.Description goes here

5th year Festival Leader - SiriAtma is a devotee on the path of love & wisdom. Her fervent love is deeply felt in all of her offerings.  She nurtures with gentleness and playfulness in her facilitations. She is deeply steeped in the realm of the subconscious, and a teacher of ancient wisdoms of yoga & gong sound therapy. She is a clinically certified hypnotherapist (CCHT), and a well of knowledge in kundalini energy. She is Mom to 3 sons, however she mothers all who come to her seeking liberation.

1st year Festival Leader - Jaya Lakshmi is a multifaceted artist, encompassing roles as a musician, singer/songwriter, yoga teacher, and retreat facilitator. Renowned for her authentic devotional spirit, Jaya Lakshmi has played a significant role in establishing kirtan and mantra music in the West. Since embarking on her professional music career in 1997, she has produced 20 albums spanning the genres of mantra music, singer-songwriter and electronica.  A devoted yogi since 1996, she is certified in Sattva Yoga and has led yoga and spiritual retreats since 2011, sharing her wisdom and illuminating music worldwide. Learn more about Jaya on her website, www.JayaLakshmiMusic.com

4th year Festival Leader - Grace Lindsay is an Akashic Record expert and Reiki Master with 25 years of professional experience. She is a Master Teacher of beginning and advanced Akashic classes and a gifted Akashic Record Reader. Grace has done Akashic Record readings from coast to coast and internationally as well. Widely acknowledged for her skill and compassion in bringing forth meaningful information from the Record, she is passionate about introducing others to the Akashic Record through readings, classes, meditations, events, and healing sessions.  Grace has pioneered Akashic Reiki as a potent modality that combines the healing properties of Reiki with the high-vibrational wisdom of the Akashic Record to form a powerful foundation for transformation. Grace has her master’s certifications in three Reiki disciplines, with additional training in Nervous System Energy Work. Grace gives Akashic Record Readings and Akashic Reiki sessions both in-person and remotely online via Zoom videoconferencing. See Grace's website, AkashicGrace.com, for more information.

1st year Festival Leader - Dr. Link is a graduate of St Louis University School of Medicine. He completed emergency medicine residency training at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1991 and practiced emergency and trauma medicine for 18 years. In 2009 he completed a 2-year integrative medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona, directed by Dr. Andrew Weil.  He completed a second post-residency fellowship in functional medicine, from the Institute Functional Medicine, fall 2017. He has trained additionally in acupuncture, nutrition, and western and Chinese herbal medicine. He opened Integrative Medicine – Natural Healing Alternatives and Medical Acupuncture, in 2009. There he leverages the power of food as medicine, utilizes herbs, supplements, advanced nutritional testing, metabolic/hormonal testing, as well as lifestyle interventions, to improve the care of patients with a spectrum of medical and physical conditions. He is a respected educator in the field of integrative medicine. He is a clinical instructor of integrative medicine in the MU, Capital Region Medical Center Family Medicine Program. He lectures frequently on natural approaches to optimizing health, optimal nutrition, safe and effective use of vitamins, supplements, and herbal medicines.

1st year Festival Leader - Judy Bradbury-Raugewitz, COTA/L, LMT, Myofascial Therapist, is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) who has been practicing Myofascial Release (MFR) since 2002. She has worked in a wide variety of settings, including inpatient hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation, and private practice.  Judy is Expert Level trained in Myofascial Release under John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, founder of the Myofascial Release Approach®. She is an Instructor for Myofascial Release Seminars nationwide and has also served as a staff therapist at “Therapy on the Rocks” in Sedona, Arizona, one of John Barnes’ Myofascial Release Treatment Centers, where she helped people from around the world find relief from chronic pain and complex conditions. Myofascial Release has profoundly impacted Judy’s life  both professionally and personally. Over the years, she herself has received MFR treatment for bulging discs, arm and leg pain, and other conditions, experiencing firsthand the healing potential of this work. Judy is Co-Owner of Inspired Body Therapy in Odessa, Missouri, where she provides hands-on care for clients of all ages and hosts mentorship workshops to guide other practitioners in effectively using myofascial release (MFR) techniques. Her work focuses on reducing pain, improving mobility, and restoring ease of movement by releasing restrictions in the body’s connective tissue system through gentle, sustained manual techniques. In addition to her clinical practice, Judy has advanced her expertise by training under Grace Vedala, PT, in the Therapeutic Art of Myofascial Release and MFR Yoga Approach. This training blends traditional MFR methods with therapeutic yoga principles — integrating mindful breath, sustained postures, and myofascial stretching to help clients open the fascial system for greater flexibility, decreased pain, and a more active lifestyle. Judy’s holistic approach combines the science of fascia with movement and breath awareness, empowering her clients not only to find relief but also to cultivate long-term functional wellbeing. Through her mentorship, she helps other therapists deepen their ability to apply these transformative techniques in their own practices.

3rd year Festival Leader - For much of his life, Swami Sankarananda walked a conventional path that led to apparent success in the business world, only to discover the profound emptiness that comes from living a self-centered life. Overcome by depression and driven by a need for something real and enduring, Swamiji left behind his old life to travel to India. Following Divine guidance, Swamiji returned to walk over 7,000 miles—including a coast-to-coast crossing of the United States—as a pilgrim of peace. Carrying no money and relying entirely on faith and grace, Swamiji discovered without a shred of doubt that peace is here now; that peace is not found in the external world, but is the nature of our very own Self. Today, Swamiji helps guide all he encounters toward real and lasting peace. Through satsangs, workshops, and "Be Still and Know" silent retreats, he shares the practical application of Yoga in daily living, offering tools to help quiet the mental chatter and touch the profound stillness that resides at the core. Walking in the footsteps of Peace Pilgrim and grounded in the lineage of Swami Sivananda, Swamiji’s teachings are not about adhering to rigid dogma, but about actionable steps you can take—right now—to transform stress into equanimity and fear into faith. This offering is an invitation to recognize the Divine that already exists in your own heart. Swamiji’s presence and words are intended to remind us of what we have forgotten: that we are already whole. Even amidst the busy realities of modern life, we can learn to quiet the mental noise, reconnect with our essential stillness, and know that we are peace itself.

First year Festival Leader - Aimee Slater, LMT, is the founder of Myofascial Wellness LLC in Port Clinton, Ohio. Practicing John F. Barnes Myofascial Release, her holistic practice integrates hypnotherapy,  sound and vibration therapy to support nervous system regulation and holistic healing. Aimee’s grounded, frequency-based practice creates space for stillness, coherence, and transformation.

3rd year Festival Leader - Amelia Williams has been a life coach since 1998. In the years since then, she has facilitated many workshops, women's circles, lectures, classes, book study groups, and more.  Today she is enjoying a new but old path of meditation and drumming. She travels around the state teaching why meditation is important to our mental health and staying connected to who we are.  She teaches people how the Zen Labyrinth boards, which she and one of her son’s hand makes, make meditation easy and fun. She started meditating in November 2014 because she was being immobilized by anxiety and panic attacks.  She has meditated in one form or another every day since then. She added drumming to her classes two years ago.  She bought her first drum in 2000.  She enjoys helping people find their natural rhythm with the help of a drum.  Amelia is a certified Master Spirit Life Coach, certified in Time Management, certified in Couples Relationship Coaching, certified in Plant-Based Nutrition, and is a Mind/Body Eating Psychology Practitioner. She and her husband co-facilitate community drum circles monthly.

3rd year Festival Leader - retired as a wellness coordinator. Coupled with her prior work experience as a community health worker, Eileen motivates others to live in harmony in mind, body, spirit, and soul.  She is a trained facilitator of sound journeys, community drum circles, guided labyrinth walks, grief movement, laughter yoga, and grief support groups.  Her interests include practicing healing touch, learning about complementary forms of medicine, and studying about grief, death, dying, and end-of-life education. Contact info:  https://linktr.ee/ewolfington

Mosaic Café and Catering:  Mosaic has been in business under Pat Long for over 15 years. He loves bringing healthy food options to his cafe located inside Mercy Clinic Building in Washington, MO. The cafe is open to the public Monday - Friday from 7:30 - 3:00. Pat and his staff take pride in the preparation of the cafe and catering food and drinks. Mosaic's Catering services range from boxed lunches for schools and corporations to fine dining plated meals for weddings and fundraisers. Pat stands out from the pack by not only creating exciting cuisine for his catering clients but he locally sources seasonal ingredients for every aspect of the operation. Eat local—for your health, the environment, and your taste buds. Visit his website: https://mosaiccafeandcatering.com