our soul family
Cara Kalnow
Cara Kalnow is the Creator of Soul House. While traveling in Bali in 2017, she birthed the vision to offer a "retreat center" in Chicago, to create a safe space to center and heal and apply that integration into everyday life.
Cara is a teacher of the Healing Arts, offering Reiki healing and Reiki certification courses, yoga and meditation classes.
Cara's classes are mindful and soulful in nature. They invite you on a journey within to connect to the simple truths of life and your most authentic self. She believes each living person has a specific purpose to their life, designed by their soul. Her goal is to assist in establishing a deeper connection to that purpose and soul identity.
Cara is first and foremost a student of metaphysics with a Masters in Philosophy from University of St. Andrews (hello Prince William, a fellow classmate!). She's a 200hr yoga alliance certified Yoga & Meditation instructor through YogaSix. Cara received her Reiki Master & Teacher certification in both Usui & Karuna® Reiki from Atma Biolfield Therapuetics and Holy Fire® Reiki for World Peace from William Rand, the Founder of The International Reiki Alliance. All Reiki courses guided by Cara are part of The Reiki Professional Program certified by The International Reiki Alliance. Cara often sprinkles Reiki into to her yoga classes and most enjoys connecting with the true essence of the lovely yogis, students and Reiki receivers coming through Soul House :). Sat Nam!
Ali Phillips
Ali is a vinyasa and yin yoga teacher & energy practitioner passionate about mending the relationships between mind, body, and soul.
Ali's physical practice aims to find the balance between movement (yang) and stillness (yin). Offering modifications for all levels, she welcomes students to explore and challenge themselves while listening to their bodies without judgment. Whether it is through physical or energetic practices, she believes everybody has the power to heal themselves with the right support, resources, and guidance. She aims to make health, wellness, and holistic modalities more accessible and approachable for all
Mariah Guzman
Mariah is a trained Yoga Teacher, Reiki Healer, Tarot Reader and Intuitive Guide. Her mission is to create a sense of community and belonging for others.
After receiving an intuitive download to get her own tarot deck, Mariah walked into a Barnes and Noble, picked up a Tarot Deck that called to her and never looked back. Mariah firmly believes that she was divinely called to become a reader. She is a Leo sun/rising and Scorpio moon after all - her fiery intuition is written in the charts!
Tarot reading messages from Mariah come through the form of self-care guidance and sharing perspectives that will help guide and align to your highest soul-led path. If you are seeking guidance, feel like you're at a crossroads, or need clarity -- a reading is perfect for you. While the cards can speak for themselves, during the session, Mariah will also receive intuitively downloaded messages that I will share with you if it feels aligned. These messages can come through visions (Clairvoyance) or simply knowing (Claircognizance). However the messages come through, when you are in a reading with Mariah, you are in for a treat!
Emily Kiefer
Emily is a yoga and pilates teacher in Chicago facilitating a modern approach to ancient practices. She began practicing yoga in 2011 after being diagnosed with a chronic disease.
Emily turned to yoga as a way to not only build strength and flexibility, but to provide a sense of calm and inner peace that she was missing. Emily spent a decade focusing on vinyasa yoga and completing her 200-hour hatha/vinyasa yoga teacher training. During training, it was recommended to try all styles of yoga. It was then that she tried kundalini yoga for the first time. Emily admits that she wasn't sure what to think about her first kundalini yoga class. While today it is her truest yoga love, it took time to get there. Kundalini yoga encouraged her to confront her innermost feelings and emotions that she had been holding in since being diagnosed with a chronic disease, so it was emotionally challenging. But class by class, she has become her most empowered, confident, and strong self from the inside-out. After discovering the transformative effect of kundalini yoga herself, it was a no-brainer to get trained to teach it to others.
Emily's approach to teaching kundalini yoga honors the traditions while incorporating modern techniques inspired by vinyasa yoga and pilates. Her approach to teaching yoga is grounded in the belief that everyone can use the lessons learned on the mat as a microcosm for navigating life's challenges. Off the mat, Emily is a traveling homebody. You'll either find her at a local brewery with her husband and pittie baby, or exploring a new place around the world. She always has her next trip planned, so ask her where she's headed next when you see her in the studio!
Aja Rhodes
Aja considers space-holding to be both an honor and an art, and strives to create a sacred container for others to feel held and supported in their healing journey.
Aja began her yoga practice 12 years ago in an effort to cope with childhood trauma, substance abuse, and undiagnosed ADHD. Aja has since completed 500hrs of yoga training with the Zen Den Yoga Yoga School and Sacred Paths Yoga, as well as additional training in trauma-informed yoga therapy and is a Level II practitioner of the Usui Reiki lineage. Her goal is to encourage students to practice from a place of curiosity and compassion while investigating the power of breath-work, movement, mindfulness, and stillness. She is dedicated to helping others cultivate self-awareness and learn to alchemize life in ways that support personal growth, intentional living, and the continued evolution of our collective consciousness. She strongly believes yoga can help us take radical responsibility for ourselves so we can become more effective agents of positive change in our immediate and global communities.
Aja’s classes vary from long restorative meditations and gentle flows to challenging vinyasas, and are introspective, light hearted, and balanced. She enjoys continual learning and is currently receiving her license as a Ganja Yoga facilitator and training with Zen Shiatsu Chicago Massage School for her shiatsu massage license. In 2020 she was thrilled to be accepted into the restorative justice movement by joining Prison Yoga Chicago. She is currently the lead teacher for Division 6 of Cook County Jail and serves on the Board as the Fundraising Chair.
Kayla Lehman
Embodying both an etheric and grounded personality, Kayla uses her connection to the wisdom of the Universe to ground in the mind, body, and soul.
Kayla found meditation in 2016 which became the catalyst for her own growth journey. Eager to help others tune into the power of healing for growth, she began her Reiki education in 2022 through Soul House and later opened Centered Soul offering Reiki and intuitive guidance. She completed her Holy Fire® Reiki Master Teacher Certification in early 2024. Kayla is also featured as a Meditation Guide in the StressLess With Jess App. Today, Kayla offers private Reiki sessions at Soul House and helps to guide people in feeling empowered to shift into their most authentic self.
Kristen Wojhan
Kristen embarked on her yoga journey in 2005, when she was first drawn to the practice as another path to movement having grown up a competitive dancer.
Kristen quickly discovered the many benefits of the practice both on and off the mat and has evolved into committing her energy to guiding students of all levels in studios, on retreats and in public spaces through well-rounded and balanced Vinyasa classes. Kristen guides and inspires people to step onto their mat, look within, let go of their expectations and reach their soul and body's full potential by enriching the connection between the two. Kristen is RYT-200, Prenatal 85 hour certified and Trauma Informed trained.
Nicole Belica
Nicole's journey to yoga did not take a linear path. Her love for fitness and movement started at a very young age and evolved over the years.
Some of Nicole's phases and cycles included tennis, running, weight training, biking … basically anything to keep her heart pumping and body strong. While working and living abroad in Southeast Asia for three years, Nicole discovered the beautiful practice of yoga. She was hooked! That is where the certifications, workshops and learning began. Upon returning to the United States, Nicole transitioned into a corporate role for some time, but was committed to her study of yoga. In 2014, she decided to leave the corporate setting to teach yoga full time. Since then she has pursued areas of speciality in prenatal yoga, doula/birth work, nidra, trauma-informed practices, inclusivity, mindfulness and breath work. She has the honor of facilitating Yoga Teacher Training programs, along with mentoring new teachers.
Nicole offers a decade of teaching experience. All these areas have influenced and impacted her teachings and offerings. For Nicole, the yoking of the body, mind and spirit is the most profound element to the practice of yoga. Because of the link that yoga promotes, it has become a source of stability during the constant changes that are a part of life. Nicole is so passionate about sharing this practice with others as her hope is individuals feel the same integration and presence as they navigate their lives and the human experience.
Elena Katsulis
Elena teaches with a focus on energetic alignment and intentional sequencing, influenced by her practice in multiple forms of the yoga discipline. Her hope is to create a unique, sustainable practice for her students; through intentional movement, breath work, and simple meditation, a space to be curious and more deeply rooted in the evolution of themselves.
Aly Morris
Aly Morris is a yoga and meditation instructor. As a movement coach, Aly is passionate about helping students cultivate their mind-body connection. She loves creating sequences that challenge your muscles, strengthen your mind and spark growth in your practice.
Carrie McGrath
Carrie first found yoga shortly after moving to Chicago in 2012; she took a class at a gym out of curiosity and it's been a love story ever since. She firmly believes yoga is about discovery and incremental self-improvement rather than perfection.
In late 2020, Carrie had hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. At first devastated, she thought her yoga practice would never be the same. Instead it helped her expand her practice, refocusing on safe recovery, form, and letting go of ego rather than just getting a good sweat. This refocus also led her to pursue 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
She enjoys weaving elements of functional movement and somatic healing into every class to help students progress to the next stage in their journey, whether it be physical, spiritual, or some combination of both. Her goal is to curate classes that are fun, accessible to a wide variety of people, and give students something to connect with or strive for after class.
Ziggy Kalnow
Meet Ziggy “Namastay” Kalnow!
Our house dog, soul pup and down dog model.Ziggy provides cuddles, kisses, and big smiles. She loves pets and hugs from the Soul Fam community!
