Our Community
Founder | 200 RYT Yoga Teacher
Joanna Cooper
Passion for yoga.
Love of yoga.
For the past 15 years yoga has been a foundational and vital part of Joanna’s life. Helpful in virtually all aspects of life; she has witnessed first-hand its profound physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
Joanna felt deeply compelled to create a space of healing and health for all. Her hope was to help others who find themselves struggling, and provide a safe space for self-care and nurturing. As her inspiration bloomed, she envisioned a collaborative studio, where instructors from diverse modalities could be empowered to grow and share their offerings with community.
Finally, in 2021 Joanna opened the doors to Joshua Tree Studio & Spa. Offering a space to the Alpena community and beyond founded in the spirit health, healing, and peace; welcoming all. In harmony with this growth, Joanna joined the Light Guardians Yoga school to fine-tune and share her personal practice at Joshua Tree.
Here are just a few of classes Joanna will be personally offering:
Teen Yoga
Pre-Natal Yoga
Hot 26
Restorative Yoga with Sound
Now in full stride, Joshua Tree continues to grow from the seeds of Joanna’s vision. Offering barre, men’s yoga, sound baths, Qigong, groove, a Himalayan salt room, and more.
Join us!
Aesthetician | Artist | Sound Healer | Shamanic Drummer
Jamey | Sol Rah Spirit
Jamey is an artist, shamanic drummer, sound healer, and light language channeler with 19 years of experience as an Aesthetician. By weaving together her many gifts, she has created a truly one-of-a-kind Light Activation Facial, incorporating handmade instruments, sound healing, and intuitive channeling.
​
With a deep understanding of color and sound frequencies, Jamey also offers art-based experiences and paint classes that explore healing through creative expression.
​
Join her for a sound journey unlike anything you’ve experienced — one that invites you to activate your soul, expand your awareness, and reconnect with the stars. ✨
​
200 HR Yoga Teacher
Nicolle Rene
Nicolle Rene brings care and calm to every connection she makes.
​
As a certified elementary school and yoga teacher—and an active mom of three—she knows firsthand the power of patience and compassion.
​
Driven by purpose and passion, Nicolle is excited to begin serving both the Alpena and Rogers City communities, spreading wellness, balance, and kindness one mindful moment at a time.
​
Reiki & Energy Practitioner | Life Coach | Herbalist
Ce Lumina
Ce has spent a lifetime walking between worlds, tending to what is seen and what is felt and paired that with over 20 years of facilitating the growth of women in spiritual spaces.
Her practice weaves reiki, energy healing, sacred meditation, herbalism and life coaching, into experiences that meet people exactly where they are.
Not here to perform the sacred but to remind you that you already know it. You are divine!
​
She strives for those who come to her classes to feel something shifts, not just in the room but in themselves, in ways that stay long after they leave.
Yoga Instructor | Licensed Massage Therapist
Taylor Lino
My roots began in southern Georgia, and then grew to Alpena, in June of 2018.
My interests then were in pre-nursing. In 2018, I became a certified nurses aide, and worked in that field for five years. I attended Alpena Community College, where I graduated in May of 2022, with my associates degree in the General Sciences.
When Covid-19 consumed our community, I realized that pre-nursing was not the route my heart truly desired. After experiencing yoga and several healthcare therapy classes, my passion shifted to alternative healing and Holistic Healthcare.
​
In May of 2023, I graduated from Light Guardians School of Yoga, where I now hold my 200 credit hour certification.
In October 2025, I am newly certified in Level 1 Aerial Yoga.
On August 17, 2025, I graduated from Alpena Institute of Massage Therapy.
I am currently practicing at Better Living Massage and Wellness, and McAnsh Life Energy Institute. I have a passion for health science and holistic healing. As my roots have grown, I have found peace in what I practice. It is vitally important to me to share this knowledge and light with others. I welcome all walks of life to peace and healing.
200 RYT | NASM-Certified Personal Trainer | Functional Medicine Health Coach.
Mackenzie Totten
Mackenzie Totten is a 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (200 RYT), an NASM-Certified Personal Trainer, and a Functional Medicine Health Coach.
​
​Originally from Portland, Oregon, Mackenzie brings a holistic and personalized approach to movement and well-being.
​
Her passion is guiding students to connect their mental, physical, and cellular health.
​
​Alongside her family, Mackenzie moved to Alpena to establish Brighter Moons Apple and Lavender Farm, a peaceful sanctuary featuring over 600 fruit trees.
It is here that she distills her own therapeutic-grade lavender, infusing her classes and studio environment with natural calm and aromatherapy. Join her on the mat to cultivate strength, balance, and sustainable health.
​
200 RYT Yoga Teacher | Restorative Yoga Certified |
Aerial Yoga Level 1 | ECC Certified |
Mobility & Longevity Practitioner
Punky Mahle Simpson
I am passionate about all types of movement and here to guide you on your wellness and longevity journey.
In my classes I incorporate mobility and strength with traditional yogic breath work, mindfulness and asanas. I am a huge proponent of progress, not perfection so that we can take what we discovery and learn about ourselves on the mat, into our every day, busy lives.
Mobility as my ethos allows me to create a dynamic and supportive environment for all, whether you're a life long yogini or brand new to the practice allowing you to easily find more joy in your health journey. When I am not guiding movement classes, you will find me in the garden or painting (watercolor is my preferred medium). Finding beauty in the everyday helps me to maintain a balance between helping others in my community and leading classes from Restorative to Vinyasa and everything in between.
200 RYT Yoga Teacher
Chrissy
Chrissy is a financial experience coach at a local Credit Union and a certified 200-hour yoga instructor, proud to call Northern Michigan home.
I enjoy life with my partner and our pom pup, Jezzie Jo here in the beautiful mitten!
​
Life Coach | Meditation Instructor
Eric Peterson
Life poet, mind mystic, paradigm shapeshifter, foundational cultural community challenger, internal seeker, external adventurer, entrepreneur, master life coach, human potential enthusiast, nature conservationist, evolutionary motivator, life loving spiritual being enjoying the human experience.
500 RYT | Pilates Teacher | Sound Practitioner | Physical Therapist Assistant | Belly Dancer
Sarah Light
​Sarah believes in the practice of Yoga on and off the mat. That love and kindness is the answer to the foundation of all issues. She has been teaching yoga and pilates for 29 years her lifetime and has immersed herself in Yogic principles and philosophies. Sarah is the owner and founder of Light Guardians School of Yoga. Passing the lineage of Yoga from teacher to student is a calling for her. Just as the ancient Upanishads once did.
​
Sarah is also a busy Mom of four beautiful children and a Physical Therapist Assistant. She loves time with her family and being in nature
Certified Yoga Teacher | Herbalist | Sound Practitioner | Psychotherapist
Emily Weir
Emily is a certified yoga instructor, herbalist, sound healer, and psychotherapist who has a passion for integrative and holistic mental health and healing.
She is also in the process of receiving her reiki practitioner training. Her yoga classes aim to address the mind-body-spirit during every class, leaving you feeling more balanced, calm, connected, and inspired.
If you attend Emily's class, you can expect a vinyasa style class, which includes breath to movement, static postures, and also some slow flow, which can be accessible for any level of yogi.
​
Each class is tailored to be well-rounded and address the whole body, mind, and spirit.
NASM CPT
Kingsli Kraft
Kingsli is an NASM CPT certified in September 2024.
Kingsli is passionate about making fitness and movement fun and approachable for folks of all experience levels.
Her personal fitness journey has led her through several different eras, including long-distance running, yoga, weight lifting, and powerlifting.
She believes the best kind of exercise is the fun one AND you can stick with.
Find her on socials at @coachingbykingsli
​
200 RYT Yoga Teacher | Level II Reiki Practitioner | Holsitic Health Coach
Lindsey Randall
Lindsey Randall is a certified Level II Reiki practitioner, yoga teacher, and sound healing practitioner who believes that healing begins from within. She currently co-facilitates Restore & Recharge at Joshua Tree Studio & Spa with Punky, offering Reiki during restorative yoga to support deep relaxation, energetic balance, and nervous system healing.
​
Lindsey’s path into the healing arts is deeply personal. Her training through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition opened the door to holistic health, spirituality, and the profound mind-body connection — a journey that transformed the course of her life. From that foundation, she continued her studies in Reiki, yoga, and sound healing, guided by a desire to both live and share the practices that helped her reconnect with herself.
​
She believes yoga is more than movement — it is a way of living with awareness, compassion, and self-trust. In the space she holds, Lindsey encourages others to reconnect to their inner wisdom, believe in themselves, and remember that we are all our own healers.
​
Her intention is simple: to create safe, supportive spaces where people can soften, feel, and come home to who they truly are.
Yoga & Sound Bath Instructor
Taryn Bates
Taryn is a guide of gentle movement, intentional stillness, and deep inner nourishment. Her classes invite you to pause, soften, and reconnect with the quiet wisdom within. Blending restorative shapes, grounding standing sequences, and moments of mindful meditation, Taryn creates a space where the body can unwind, and the breath can lead the way home.
Each practice closes with a calming sound bath, allowing vibration and frequency to wash over you—melting tension, settling the nervous system, and encouraging spaciousness in both body and mind.
With a warm, intuitive presence, Taryn holds her classes as a sanctuary: a place to slow down, listen inward, and remember your own capacity for ease. Whether you’re brand new to yoga or seeking a deeper, more nurturing practice, Taryn welcomes you exactly as you are.
YTT 200 Yoga teacher | Sound Bath Practitioner | Thai Yoga |
Guided meditation certified
Melinda Morgan
I am a 200-hour RYT Yoga Teacher and a certified Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner.
I am passionate about creating safe, nurturing spaces for others to reconnect, restore, and heal. My favorite yoga styles include restorative/yin, Nidra, sound, and even laughter yoga.
​
I am the founder of Stillwater & Sage, where I craft body products, bringing my love of natural wellness into everyday life.
​
When I’m not teaching or creating, I can be found tending to my indoor and outdoor plants, or adventuring outdoors: endurance hiking, forest bathing (my fav), and road biking. I am always inspired by the healing energy of nature. ✨
Taiji Instructor | reWilding Mentor/Educator
Julie Gandulla
Since the age of 13 Julie has been a student of various hard style martial arts, including Kenpo, Taekwondo, Karate, and Mixed Martial Arts. It has been in studying Taiji that Julie enjoys a truly holistic practice of moving meditation. Blending soft style martial movements with breathwork and Taoism, Taiji has become one of the great loves of her life and one that she enjoys sharing with others.
In addition to a Taiji instructor, Julie is an author, philosopher, writer, and reWild mentor and educator. In reWilding, Julie works with individuals and groups to reframe and rehabilitate life-styles and awareness, moving from living in disconnect to living in connection. Guiding students into deep listening to body, mind, and spirit; and ultimately reclaiming living from original Chi, living in authenticity.