Meet Your Guides!

Krissy S.

Krissy guides classes that are well balanced, fun, and most of all focused on self exploration, breath-body-connection, and moving well with softness. When not teaching yoga you can find her working in hospitality, slinging drinks and serving at a local restaurant. In her off time she enjoys connecting with nature, spending time with her cat Sweet Baby Nugget, and playing a variety of different games. She has a bachelors degree in studio arts and is hopelessly addicted to sparkling soda water.

Bill C.

Bill is retired from the airline industry after 24 years, plus a few additional years working at a design firm. He found himself looking for an activity to keep his body moving in retirement and started taking classes at Bend Yoga. After a short time, he was given the opportunity to work at the front desk and handle a few other odd jobs. He enjoys taking the noon-time meditation and yoga classes during the week, and is most often the person replying to your texts, emails, and last minute “I-can’t-make-it-to class-today!” messages. Bill recently completed the Teacher Training program mentored by our owner Caitlin and is now excited to teach classes at Bend Yoga. Bill enjoys chatting with studio regulars as well as meeting the new folks. He lives in Mishawaka with his dog Buddy.

Molly C.

Molly Carlisle has been teaching yoga since May 2024. She did her teacher training through Bend Yoga and loves the liberating benefits of yoga's movement both physically and mentally. Molly is passionate about communication, sustainability, movement, and community. Molly usually teaches communication at Ivy Tech and is currently taking some time off to spend with a light called Rowe (her 18 month old baby). She is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and has been lingering in the midwest with her husband, Jack, daughter, Rowe, and dog, Murphy for the past 8 years. Molly finds inspiration in art and community and hopes to share a sense of connection and peace through her yoga practice.

Sara M.

Originally from Apple Valley, CA, Sara has called South Bend home since 2003 when she moved here to attend Notre Dame. A librarian by day with SJCPL, Sara loves to spend her free time pole dancing and watching reality TV with her boyfriend and their two sets of cats. Sara likes her yoga stretchy and her food vegan! Her not-so-secret super power is making a midday quick-change by masquerading her yoga clothes as office wear, which involves a colorful collection of fun, thrifted clothing.

Delayna M.

Delayna has been with Bend since 2020, she enjoys teaching for the connection with others and perspective she gains from those around her. She is passionate about classes rooted in alignment that help people feel connected to their breath and body. Delayna moved to South Bend in 2016 and loves the community she's become a part of. She spends her days (and many of her nights and weekends) at Notre Dame sporting events as the head coach and program director for the Notre Dame Cheerleaders and Leprechaun. Delayna recently became a registered dietitian and looks forward to exploring the health and wellness space in new ways. In her free time she's probably at a Dave Matthews Band concert with her husband Jeff, watching the Detroit Lions playing, or snuggling with her daughter Campbell and mini goldendoodle Duncan.

Kayla J.

Kayla started at Bend Yoga working the front desk, then attended yoga teacher training, and is now a teacher at the studio. Her classes combine elements of sweat and stretch to create a balanced flow, but also leave room to make the practice your own. Born and raised in South Bend, Kayla works in her community as a Skills Coach to teach life skills to clients of all ages. Kayla is a proud homeowner with her twin sister Karissa and has two cats, Twilight and Eclipse. In her free time, you will find Kayla reading, meditating, eating Mexican food with her girlfriend, and spending time in nature.

Lisa O.

Lisa was extremely unathletic and clumsy growing up, preferring to read or sit in nature instead of actually exercising. As a young adult, she realized that she felt better when she created time to move and stretch, and when her sister-in-law gave her a yoga video, she thought, "Why not?" Thus, a new love was kindled. Yoga didn't feel like exercising but it made her feel good; Lisa discovered that she had always been an anxious person, and yoga and meditation gave her some handy tools for managing that anxiety.

In 2022, Lisa made a career change and suddenly found herself with a few months of free time. As a treat to herself, she signed up for Bend Yoga's unlimited intro offer starting on her first day off of work, and attended 20 yoga classes over the next 30 days. She completed her yoga teacher training at Bend in 2023 and teaches a wide range of yoga styles, from power flows that make you sweat to restorative practices to get you calm and sleepy. She incorporates meditative practices in each session and strives to make every class a chance to connect with your body, and foster love and acceptance for what you find.

Caitlin M.

Caitlin M. teaches yoga classes that are sweaty and strong, giving you the opportunity to go further than you thought you could. She mixes up her playlists with country music, Bruce Springsteen, and of course Taylor Swift. Outside of yoga, Caitlin works as an investment manager for Notre Dame, her alma mater. She loves to be in the kitchen and run. Like yoga, they both ground her and bring her back to the present. She makes excellent chocolate chip cookies, and her dream vacation destination is Hawaii.

Eric O.

Eric is a former university professor and cofounder of River Montessori High School in downtown South Bend. Having had back surgery at the age of 31 and struggling with flexibility his entire life, Eric never thought he would belong to a yoga studio, let alone train to become a teacher. All that changed 14 years later when he took his first class at Bend in July 2024. After experiencing the transformation of his body and spirit over the next year, he elected to complete teacher training in Summer 2025 as a way to grow in his practice and support others on their yoga journey. Eric gravitates toward upbeat, challenging – but accessible – flows that contain fun balances and transitions. His favorite pose is crow, and if you are practicing on a mat next to him when it is cued, you may hear a very quiet “caw caw.”

Steve K.

Aka “Krojo”, aka “Yoga Steve” owns True Balance Yoga and is a leading yoga sports coach in the Michiana area. He graduated from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Sage Rountree’s School Yoga for Athletes, and the Institute of Yoga Sports Science. Steve has led clinics nationally and internationally, has been a registered yoga teacher for over 20 years, and has over 15,000 hours of teaching experience. Outside the studio, Steve loves hiking, cycling, and traveling with his wife Amanda and their dog Fiona.

Susanne B.

Susanne has spent all of her professional life in the field of childhood education. Early into her teaching career, she saw firsthand the positive impact that a few minutes of daily yoga had on her students–and the classroom environment as a whole–and that motivated her to become certified in children’s yoga in 2016. Susanne's yoga classes for kids are a little bit of chaos mixed with a whole lot of silliness and laughter. She also teaches big kids and grown-ups as a professor of early childhood education at IUSB.Susanne lives in South Bend with her two kids, husband, and new puppy. She loves to take a quiet yoga class, play tennis, and cheer on her alma mater Wake Forest, or Notre Dame in all sports. Susanne finds inspiration in movement and hopes to share a sense of joy through her yoga practice!

Zana K.

Zana has been teaching yoga since the summer of 2025. Introduced to yoga in college, she was a yogi of convenience until 2023 when she committed to making it a daily practice. And that commitment reaps results: as someone struggling for years with chronic neck and back pain, daily yoga provides relief! It's a low-impact exercise that increases mobility while building strength. In addition to the transformative effect on her physical well-being, yoga has served as a built-in time to practice reflection and gratitude for what the mind-body connection can do for herself and for others. Outside of the studio, Zana enjoys reading, long walks, good coffee, and rescuing plants from the sale rack.

Meet Your Guides!

Krissy S.

Krissy S.

Bill C.

Bill C.

Molly C.

Molly C.

Sara M.

Sara M.

Delayna M.

Delayna M.

Kayla J.

Kayla J.

Lisa O.

Lisa O.

Caitlin M.

Caitlin M.

Eric O.

Eric O.

Steve K.

Steve K.

Susanne B.

Susanne B.

Zana K.

Zana K.

Veronica K.

Jamie W.