Revi Frydman: BA, Criminal Justice and Philosophy; Teaching Certification, English and Linguistics; RYT 200
Revi grew up and was raised in Israel. A lover of nature and movement, hiking and alternative dance were her tools to deepen and explore her inner curiosity of subjects such as religion, personal identity, ethics, freedom and philosophy.
After her army service of two years, she moved to live in a kibbutz; an Israeli concept of cooperative living, where she was the informal education director for kids 1st – 8th grade.
There she met her future husband and instead of heading to law school in Hebrew university, Jerusalem as planned, she moved to Chicago in the name of love, arriving on July 3rd, 1997, enrolling in the University of Illinois at Chicago, studying criminal justice and philosophy.
During her second year in Chicago, Revi found yoga, or it has found her, as she sometimes feels. Her relationship with yoga has evolved and continues to evolve since then.
From HATHA to power yoga to Ashtanga to Vinyasa, Revi loved every breath and every movement, cultivating every piece of self info she found with it.
She and her family moved around from Chicago to Madison, Wisconsin to Tampa, Florida to Israel and back for good, on July 3rd 2015 (freedom seems to be a natural theme for this stubborn Sagittarius).
In October 2016 she got her Yoga Teacher training completed and has earned her ability to pass the love for it to as many as possible.
On January 2017, she opened Neshama and has built it one breath, and one SOUL at a time.
She loves how it expanded and attracted people to the vision of community, growth, a hard-at-times self work … an evolution.
Ash Carlson: RYT 200
Ash discovered yoga when she needed it the most – shortly after her dad passed away in 2015. Yoga touched the deep grief that she didn’t allow anyone else to access (not even herself). Through the breath and the postures (and tears), she let go. Yoga has been a way for her to tap into other dimensions and THRIVE.
Ash loves that there is always room to grow in yoga and, at the same time, complete acceptance of exactly where you’re at. She loves how you can be strong and surrendered, grounded and lifted, and silent but so connected. Ash has been 200-hr certified and teaching since 2017. She finds so much joy in guiding and getting to know her students through the sacred practice of yoga.
In Ash’s classes, you will feel FREE to have fun and explore. You will feel loved, supported, challenged, and humbled. Ash is inspired by her teachers – past and present – Lara Devine taught her to be gentle, Brandon Cleek taught her to be strong, Laura Merlo helped to unlock her creativity, and, of course, Revi Frydman taught her to BE WILD.
Kevin FitzPatrick: MSW; LCSW; RYT 200
During his almost 4 decades as a psychotherapist in private practice, the body-mind connection has always been an area of interest for Kevin. Over 25 years ago, that was part of what brought him to a daily meditation practice, and subsequently to yoga. He started a “casual” relationship with yoga in the early 90’s, but a desire to get more serious about it and to deepen his own practice led him to a 200 hour yoga teacher training program in 2016, where he and Revi were classmates. He has been teaching yoga and Introduction to Meditation courses at Neshama since it opened and is known for his patience, humor and supportive nature. He is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.
Sholo:
Namaste and thank you for giving my story space to read. My name is Sholo which means fire in Sanyasin. I was given this name almost twelve years ago, and have fully embraced the name. I assume I was given this name because I love dancing by big outdoor fires with friends💛. As a child my father was a man of God and a healer for many humans being a drug and alcohol psychotherapist for the Great Lakes Naval Base. He was very adamant that as a family, meditation and yoga were important for bonding, self reflection, and peace of mind. We were made to practice yoga twice a week or more if he was in the mood in the evenings before bed. I can still see the album cover with the light blues & pink with a woman sitting in lotus position. I can’t say I loved yoga at the young age of nine, but I did enjoy falling asleep and being able to dream without interruption. I have always been a daydreamer with a vivid imagination. So long story short, at the young age of sixteen I took my first out of the house yoga class. It was in a church in Rogers Park in a large second floor room. The teacher was a beautiful black woman who introduced herself as a fifty year old yogi and she was happy to meet us all. I knew right there that yoga was to become a huge part of my life and so it began. I continued with this teacher for a few years before moving on.
Since this time I have practiced many yogas. Bikram was my favorite when I was young. When I turned 26 I was ready for a more grounding practice. From Vinyasa to Hatha and now to a Kundalini/chanting/dancing practice with gentle flowing movements is my focus.
I guess I should mention that I am a full time fine art artist, and I paint murals full time as well. Life is full and I am grateful. Currently after thirty five years owning one daycare center & an in home daycare in Deerfield, I have retired and can now dedicate my journey to art & living yoga. In my daycare, having a daily practice of yoga with my kiddies was a passion & priority. I always wanted my kids to feel safe, grounded, and able to become their authentic selves, and guess what from ages 2-5 these kids loved practicing yoga! Being a single mother of two wonderful children, the practice of living yoga made for a beautiful home for raising my children.
So to present, I teach art to 3rd & 4th graders in Chicago. Last winter I started a certification program yoga for trauma which I love and hope to use with teenagers at some point. I am always in training to stay connected to the yoga community.
I love all music, and I absolutely love dancing with children. I am looking forward to this experience at Neshama Yoga and being able to share the gifts of yoga mixed with the magic of art.
Thank you Revi for opening your heart and space for children to experience the world of yoga. Oceans of Love.
She offers Classes, one on one sessions, sound healing and reiki. Audrey is thrilled and grateful to be part of the Neshama community.
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