BIG OM YOGA RETREAT SUMMER LEADERS
We are super excited to have an amazing line-up of talented instructors and teachers to lead the Big Om Yoga Retreat. Read below to learn more about the wonderful humans who will be leading each experience.
Hailey Boswell and Joe Picorale
Hailey first started doing yoga in college for the physical benefits it offered, but it didn’t take long before she felt the change yoga was making in her heart and mind as well as the body. Yoga helped her deal with the stress of working her way through college in a positive way, and continues to do so. She discovered a new sense of love for herself and others, which she had never felt before. Yoga invites her true authentic self to shine through, and allows her to feel more confident in everything she does. Hailey received her 200-hour teacher certification from Everyone Yoga School in May 2016. She teaches a vinyasa flow style class and enjoys teaching all types of classes ranging from soft, medium, to powerful.
Joe began practicing yoga in 2010 and is a RYT 200. He was one of the original founders of the I AM Yoga Festival in the fall of 2010 and opened the first Be Love Yoga Studio in 2013. With the help of the growing #belovecommunity at Be Love Yoga Studio Joe has since expanded with a second studio in Downtown Jenks America and two franchised studios in Bristow, OK and Owasso, OK. Joe's passion is connecting people and creating the framework for a community that will change the world. Joe is the creator of the Big Om Yoga Retreat and teaches regularly at Be Love Yoga Studio Tulsa.
Derek J. Smith, Certified Wim Hof Instructor
Derek enjoyed his fiery youth in the California sunshine and eclectic culture of the San Francisco Bay Area. Looking for a connection with his father and seeking a geographical change, he moved to Oklahoma at 18 which began his search into the fields of Martial arts, fitness, personal development, and human behavior for 20 years. In 2017 he received his certification with The Wim Hof Method along with 200 hours of Yoga Teacher Training and other human movement modalities. He currently is focused on serving others and does that through personal training and The Wim Hof Method. Derek’s intention is to be useful and to allow Life to play him like an instrument dropping all expectations. He and his wife, Alyssa, are currently opening a business to bring physical wellbeing and mental resiliency to more people via strength training, Yoga and The Wim Hof Method. You can find Derek at Submerge Tulsa.
Sinjun Wesson, Evolved Being
Sinjun is an artist hailing from the midwest. His work explores our connection to nature and the spiritual. An Earth critter with alien dreams. He wants to make “your favorite t-shirt”
TJ Hoopes, Tucker James Music
Born and raised in the desert of Las Vegas, TJ began creating music at the age of 15, found the love and healing through vibration and frequency and began to record and release music stemming from personal experience. Tucker James Music continues to grow, learn, and share all types of music with the intention to spread awareness of everyone's individual birth right for complete liberation and the choice to spread love. His new album “Elemental Freedom” just dropped June 2021! Definitely give it a listen exclusively at www.tuckerjamesmusic.Bandcamp.com Enjoy yourself, enjoy others, and enjoy life! Follow on Instagram and Facebook for tour updates and new music!! @tuckerjamesmusicandyoga Live out loud and check out the music: https://linktr.ee/Tuckerjamesmusicandyoga
Misty Love, Acrolove Certified
Misty Love is a certified AcroLove Instructor and Event Coordinator in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She first encountered acro shortly after coming out of a 15 year abusive marriage. What she discovered was an activity and community that promoted healing on many different levels. Acro helped her learn how to develop trust with other human beings as they lifted her up and supported her both figuratively and literally. Along with presenting opportunities to improve communication skills, Acro also provided her with fun filled ways to become more athletic while enjoying non sexual human touch that we all need to thrive in our daily lives. She views acro as powerful healing tool and confidence booster. Misty became an instructor and continues to sharpen her skills so that she could help spread the passion, love, and joy of Acro with you.
Alfie Menesis, RYT 200
Alfie started practicing as a way to recover from a weight lifting regimen and to destress from working retail management. He soon realized that Yoga started giving him something much deeper; he found higher self-esteem, self-love, and empowerment he never found from just working out in a gym. After a year and a half of practicing, he received his RYT-200 from ViraVinyasa Yoga School in April 2018. Other training Alfie has received include 15 hours of Yin Yoga with Melissa Christensen and 17 hours of Pranayama with Mark Stephens.
Alfie teaches Vinyasa Flow, Yin Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation in public classes and workshops as well on his Youtube channel, “Fully Inspired: Yoga by Alfie” and on the Insight Timer Meditation App. Beyond the physical aspects, Alfie believes compassion, vulnerability, transparency, and heartfelt playfulness are key aspects in attaining true strength and empowerment. The heart of Alfie’s teaching comes from the connection between his practice and life experiences; and his intention is to inspire his students to connect their movement and breath on the mat to how they move and breathe through life off the mat.
Brooke Carter, The Sacred Whore
Through my practice of deep somatic healing, I facilitate a unique and profound experience known as Shibari Rope. This ancient art form becomes a powerful conduit for healing and connection, allowing individuals and couples to explore the depths of their being and unlock their transformative potential. With my expert touch and intuitive presence, Shibari Rope sessions create a space for deep release, emotional unraveling, and the reawakening of sensuality and embodiment. The Sacred Whore
Nicole Peltier, Raven Yoga Nation
Nicole has been teaching her eclectic, musically motivated, creative yoga classes for over 23 years to all ages and levels. Nicole draws a lively following of teens and young people who are inspired by her young, fresh attitude and easy to follow instruction. Being "mature" also makes Nicole an ideal teacher who inspires students well over thirty to let down their hair and rock without reservation and with a focus on meditative moments that surround us. The Yoga Room, Tulsa's first yoga studio, was opened in 2001 by Nicole and her partner, so she is considered the OG of Yoga in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has a wildly passionate heart and her energy is contagious. She is truly inspirational and her classes leave the students with a fresh perspective and usually take the student much further than they expect to go. And, for that reason, her classes are called "an experience". She focuses on the energy yoga arouses when combined with music, that is part of how she connects the students to joy, movement and childlike freedom. Also, since Nicole's discovery into her own recovery she developed her own 'Raven Yoga for Freedom', (Trademarked in 2016) which addresses the issue of addiction, fear and emotional blocks. Nicole also leads a nondenominational Sunday Yoga Service with gospel and worship that she calls "All Rise Yoga Service". Nicole studied at Mount Madonna Center in Santa Cruz in 2000, and has studied extensively to hone her craft. She spent 2022 studying Shamanism with a local shaman and incorporates shamanic practices into her classes. Nicole has taught at Fayetteville Yoga Fest (4 years), Telluride Yoga Fest (2 years), Farm Fest (Shreveport)(2 years), OKC Yoga Fest, IAM Yoga Fest (4 years), Big Om Yoga Fest (2 years) and she has lead at the Big Om Retreat 12 seasons. She also has several modules she offers for yoga teacher trainings. She teaches Cueing, Voice Control and Flow Tactics to budding new yoga instructors. She continues to travel all over the world offering yoga classes, retreats and ceremonial offerings.
Emmy Kinnally
Emmy was born and raised in The Ozark Mountains dancing and exploring. She has spent the past couple of years traveling to Central and South America immersing herself in the culture and plant realms of Peru and Costa Rica. There she learned of our ability to connect with plant consciousness and to deeply commune with spirit. Since returning to the States, she embarked on a Green Magic Apprenticeship which grew her knowledge of herbal remedies alongside plant spirit medicine. Here is where she learned the power of common plants and their ability enhance our wellbeing. She is a proponent of reciprocal relationships with the plants and hopes to share ways of relating that open the possibility for plant - human friendships to emerge.
Kate Bryan from Veg Out Tulsa
Kate found her passion for cooking as a deep meditative practice a decade ago. She has been vegan for a little under 6 years and by living out her own truth she is now been able to share food as medicine with her community. She has education in nutrition, and a deep dedication to serving others. She studied yoga in Newport Beach, CA in 2019 and teaches locally when she isn’t at the farmers market or whipping up goodness in the kitchen! She strives to bring her two worlds together as her company “Veg Out Tulsa” organically formed; starting in a local yoga studio as a meal prep professional in an Ayurvedic medicine cleanse under a practitioner. From there she has taken off with weekly mason jar meal prep menus, multiple local business caterings, BE LOVES 8th birthday celebration, and now on to her favorite niche- catering yoga retreats. She believes mind, body, and soul is the beautiful trifecta we should always be striving to nourish. Having these two passions intertwine has allowed her to live out her dreams and step into purpose. “My purpose is rooted in food medicine. I found this in a very organic way and as a yoga instructor, I believe it is essential in our practice to fuel our bodies with beautiful nutrition from the earth. I’m so excited to share this space with each of you, and strive to make your tummies and hearts happy! “
Megan Burnett, Owner of 405 Yoga in OKC
A devoted dancer and athlete her whole life, Megan has a passion for movement and sharing the joy and the balance that dancing and yoga both guide us to. In 2006, after dabbling in a few 'gym yoga' classes, she took her first studio class with an instructor who actually touched her and helped align her properly into a pose. She was hooked and immediately started to see a transformation in her dance training and her life. Seeking to also empower others with the tools to find balance within themselves, she acquired her 220 hour Kunga Yoga teaching certification in 2011 and has now earned the distinction of E-RYT 200 and YACEP. She studies and teaches a wide variety of yoga: hatha, vinyasa, power flow, The Rocket, yin, restorative, prenatal, gentle, sahaja dance flow, yoga for athletes, yoga for dancers, and more. She is passionate about teaching healthy alignment and yoga 'from the ground up', hands-on alignment, and creating classes that are both playful and soulful, drawing both beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Her students like to call this 'yummy yoga'! Her Studio: 405 Yoga
Tyler Van Arsdale
Tyler Van Arsdale loves movement and play. He received his RYT200 in India and his Acroyoga teaching in Bali with AcroYoga International (AYI). AYI’s teachings involve not only “solar” acroyoga, but also “lunar” flying therapeutic poses and Thai massage for balance and longevity in the practice. Come join in and have fun!
Hannah Bell, RYT 200
Hannah Bell completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in the summer of 2018 at Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville, California. With an extensive background in the culinary arts, Hannah has a wide breadth of knowledge of what it means to serve. While her yoga classes can be challenging in many ways you can always count on a point of levity. Her teacher, Baba Hari Dass, encouraged the attitude of ‘work is play’. Her personal mantra is to be silly, honest, and kind. When taking her class you can always count on her encouragement to lean into the human experience and all of the complexities it has to offer. Yoga can be whatever you want it to be; a stretch, a breath, an hour to just turn your phone off, or something far deeper. She will meet you wherever you’re at with mindfulness and the intention to serve. She knows the real work is stepping off of her mat and carrying the practice into the rest of the world.