our teaching faculty

Kara Aubin . E.RYT500, CAP, AYT

Kara Aubin is the founder of the Ayurvedic Wellness Center. She is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, ParaYoga teacher, Herbologist, and Holistic Health Coach based in Kalamazoo, MI. With 20 years of experience and training in the sciences of Yoga & Ayurveda with master teachers, Kara weaves the teachings of yoga, ayurveda, and holistic living into her clinical practice, group classes, workshops, and private sessions to share radical wellness with you. 

Kara’s mission is to guide students toward their bright inherent potential, as well as their right to radical wellness and balance. She finds the practices of Yoga & Ayurveda harness our capacity for self-healing, empower us to do our dharmic work in the world, and help us experience the beauty and bliss that is essential in each of our lives. You can study with her via workshops, her 9-month Yoga + Ayurveda Training program, Sva Sadhana, and on retreat.

Judah Gesmundo

Judah was first exposed to hatha yoga when her mother followed Lilias! Yoga and You on PBS. She was a professional modern dancer from 1975-1980, teaching in NYC for Erick Hawkins and at her own school called The Dance Place. Judah was exposed to yoga teachings and practices in 1979 and completed her hatha yoga teachers training in Ganeshpuri, India in 1990.

Judah is a life-long learner and thoroughly enjoys sharing her love of yoga, movement and meditation with others.

Gina Greene . E.RYT 500, L/CMT

Gina took her first yoga class in NYC at The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center where her heart was smitten. Her first certification in Basics was through Kali Ray’s TriYoga system. She went on to complete her 200 and 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training certifications through Lotus in the Flame with her teacher, Melissa Spamer, who shares her deeply lived experience of Yoga & Ayurveda with a dedication that has been a gift to receive.

Gina is grateful for the richness offered her, the ground from which her unique understanding of yoga, bodywork and living with presence could root and rise. She began teaching yoga in the Kalamazoo community eighteen years ago upon request and hasn’t turned away from the invitation since. Her classes tend towards steadiness, essential movements for stability and ease with a request for curiosity and kindness towards the body-mind. She knows well the need to remember and offer the invitation to soften, listen, gentle and receive the sweetness of heart-centered awareness.

Kristin Linde . B.S., AHC, AYS, RYT

Kristin Linde is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Yoga Teacher, and Plant-based Chef with a passion for helping people care for themselves in a deep and meaningful way. Kristin works with clients clinically, offers one-on-one food/nutrition support, and also teaches cooking classes and workshops at the AWC.

She is currently continuing her education with Dr. Vasant Lad at the Ayurvedic Institute in Asheville, NC. When not in the kitchen cooking, studying, or on the mat you can find Kristin hiking in the mountains, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Kat Owens . IAYT CYT

Kat Owens (she/her) is an IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, international facilitator of trauma-informed yoga programs, Accessible Yoga Ambassador, and fierce advocate for a vision of wellness that represents all bodies & experiences. With a varied background in restorative justice & embodiment practices, Kat has taught in a range of settings--from New York City public schools to Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Nepal.

She has a deep passion for sharing a yoga practice that is accessible, rooted in relationship, & celebrates every person's unique path to well-being & liberation. Currently creating and living on the lands of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations.