THE HUM Team
KJ Elaine
she/her
KJ received her 500-Hour YTT Certification in Kelowna, BC in 2017 with the dream of creating a supportive and sustainable studio in the Twin Cities. In 2018, her curiosity for movement and dance led her to complete her Barre and Vinyasa certifications, which continued to expand her knowledge and approach to teaching.
With over 1,000 hours of training in yoga and meditation, KJ has spent years guiding thousands of classes and connecting with students through movement. She is passionate about building programs and offerings that nurture community and support the growth of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) dreamers, entrepreneurs, and creatives.
Outside the studio, she loves gardening, caring for her cats and chickens, being in nature, watching birds, and eating yummy foods.
Emma Boyum
she/her
Emma attended her first non-DVD asana class in 2008 and has been practicing ever since. Emma received her 500-Hour Hatha/Hot Yoga YTT certification in 2015 and another 100-hour Vinyasa-style certification in 2018. As a former special education teacher, Emma feels strongly about providing a safe and comfortable place for anyone to practice yoga, regardless of their ability or experience. She strives to keep things fun, playful, and hopes all students can find some joy in movement.
When not at the studio, Emma can be found golfing (poorly), gardening (less poorly), taking a walk with her pup, dreaming up her next trip, catching live music, or thinking about what to eat next.
Julia Berry
she/her
Julia is a dreamer, lover, and spirit-relative on a journey of joy, expansion, and remembering. In this lifetime, she moves through the world as a Black woman, mother, sister, friend, teacher-student, yogi, and Minneapolis community member—identities she honors as invitations for connection while remembering they are temporary expressions of her deeper essence.
Rooted in heart intelligence, Julia has devoted her path to expanding consciousness and reimagining what it means to be human in relationship with others, first as a teacher centering love and cultivating the inherent genius of youth, and later in leadership roles guiding adults through transformative coaching, facilitation, and curriculum design. With professional training in education, administration, yoga, Reiki, coaching and leadership, she now specializes in learning and development, consciousness transformation, and integrated experiential engagements. Through her courses, coaching, and retreats, Julia co-creates sacred spaces for healing, embodiment, and liberating narratives that expand our collective capacity to love, connect, and live as the divine beings we truly are.
Julia began practicing yoga with a focus on asanas in college and through time learned that the movements and shapes guided in studios barely skim the surface of the depths of the yoga philosophy. In the past decade she deepened her path of living and being through the study of yoga offered all who are seeking. She sees the ancient wisdom passed on through this tradition and the way it is interconnected with all of our ancestors' ancient knowing about being on earth...and how beautifully it can begin with just one breath, one intention, or maybe one attentive shift to what's within.
Mike Kooiman
he/him
Mike encourages everybody to learn, practice and live the essence of yoga. The path leads us to greater integration of all levels of being, to greater mindfulness in living and to uncovering our innate joy. He is an E-RYT 200 level teacher, teacher trainer and Sanskrit nerd.
Mike teaches all class formats and enjoys creating custom themes every month. These themes are adapted to the physical and energetic needs of the participants. Finish your practices feeling energized, not spent! Leave with a sense of peaceful empowerment. Centered, right-minded and ready to show up for the tasks ahead.
In his other lives, he is a graphic designer, Northeast homeowner and comics geek.
Sami Pelton
she/her
Like many, Sami first experienced yoga through the fitness world. Her first teacher was a very wise woman who made it abundantly clear there was more to yoga than just the physical poses. Several years later, as part of shaping her ‘post-corporate work life’, Sami enrolled in yoga teacher training as a way to deepen her practice. As the many aspects and benefits of yoga became more clear to Sami, she grew more excited about bringing yoga to more humans in our world.
Understanding that the keys to mobility as we age —or even to longevity itself—are strength, balance and flexibility, Sami seeks to bring an approachable, fluid and fun practice to her students. Helping her students to realize the physical, energetic, and mental effects of a yoga practice is the goal of each sequence she builds.
Sami lives in the Northeast neighborhood and when she’s not on her mat, you might see her enjoying the miles of walking trails around the city with her dog and/or husband, on a golf course, cross country ski trails, or a pickleball court. Time with her three grown children, their mates, and families are the highlight of any week for Sami.
Kristen Schultz
she/her
Kristen "Kakes" Schultz, has been teaching barre since 2016, and practicing since 2014. Kakes' mission is to help empower her students to move safely and freely within their own bodies, while challenging their minds and muscles. Her classes can be described as energetic, welcoming, and educational.
In addition to teaching barre, Kakes has a doctorate of physical therapy and has her own practice, Kos Physiotherapy and Wellness, a practice dedicated to providing high quality, patient-centered care.
She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Steve. Together, they enjoy cooking a new dish, trying out a new restaurant, and visiting family. When she's not teaching or working with patients/clients, she can be found trying out group classes at various local gyms, walking around the lakes, or grabbing a coffee (shout out to FRGMNT and Jones!)
Lydia SMith
Lydia has always been drawn to movement. She has experienced movement in various activities throughout her life; yoga gradually took a gentle but intentional path that invoked a new sense of introspection and expansion. Yoga has inspired a fierce, ever growing love of body, self and practice that are core values in her practice today.
Lydia deepened her knowledge of the practice through teacher training, and found an intense love of yin yoga. She weaves together music, instruments, and subtle expressions in the body to invite a mindful and individual practice. Her classes are focused on holding space for all, exploring movement and stillness, and always leading with the heart.
Reeve Klatt
she/her
Reeve began practicing yoga in 2012 when she needed a way to slow her mind down and reconnect with her body. Over the years, her practice became a steady place of grounding, which eventually led her to complete her 200-Hour Teacher Certification and 100-Hour Trauma-Sensitive Training through YogaFit in 2023. She teaches gentle and restorative classes with an emphasis on accessibility and support, offering space for students to move in ways that feel safe and nourishing. Her classes are designed to feel calm, spacious, and welcoming to anyone, regardless of experience or ability.
Outside the studio, Reeve can be found baking, playing the cello, and chasing after her toddler in North Minneapolis. Otherwise, she's lost in a book, cuddling her kitties, and trying to keep her garden alive.
Ashley Vasas
she/her
Ashley earned her 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga certification in 2020 and completed a 500-hour certification in 2022. She’s taught more than 1,000 hours of classes, workshops, and special events, and has studied a wide range of yoga modalities to support students with varying needs and experience levels.
Her yoga journey began after a car accident in 2013 left her in chronic pain, and her corporate career led to burnout. What started as a gentle, low-impact practice became a powerful tool for rebuilding strength, restoring mobility, and finding greater ease in her body and life. This experience shapes her teaching, emphasizing accessibility, self-compassion, and sustainable movement.
Ashley strives to create a supportive, welcoming environment where students can reconnect with their strength and experience movement and stillness as self-care.
When she’s not teaching, Ashley enjoys snuggling her cats, traveling, relaxing with her husband, and spending time outdoors gardening and connecting with nature. She loves finding small moments of joy and nourishment in everyday life.
