YOUR GYPSY INSTRUCTORS
Dee Schillinger
Owner & Operator
(479) 721-7645
Step out of the shadows and into the light! Dee has transformed her life by shifting into love and happiness. In 2012, overweight and battling anxiety & depression, Dee decided to take up yoga in the hopes of distracting herself from her current state of being, but what she discovered was something much more profound.
Instead of running or avoiding pain, she gained the courage to turn and face that which feared her most: her Self. As her practice evolved, she could feel her heart open, her mind become more aware, her body become stronger, and her spirit soar to new depths of existence.
Dee is current owner of YogaGypsy and has completed her 500-hour teacher certification. She has a degree from the University of Arkansas, with double majors in Criminal Justice and Sociology, and minors in Spanish and Social Work. With over 12 years of teaching experience, she is able to guide you safely on your mat, while challenging you to step outside your comfort zone!
When she is not on her mat or in the studio, you can find her outside hiking around in the woods on her 10-acre farm, in her kayak, or spending time with her family. Dee admits that her strong connection to nature, paired with regular yoga practice is the reason why she is here today to share this beautiful practice with the rest of the world!
Karlee Owens
Growing up, Karlee was never know as the "athletic type." She tried variations of workouts to realize none fit her just right, until she attended her first yoga class in 2014. What started out as a "fun workout" soon became a spiritual, mindful practice. Her practice evolved into one of feeling connected deeply to the Spirit within herself.
She started the journey of completing her yoga certification in January 2017 under Teri Honeysuckle & received her 200HR certification in May 2017. This experience has changed her life forever! Her class will leave you feeling refreshed & free. Her energetic teaching style will pump you up in mind & spirit! You'll be challenged to take what you learn on your mat to the real world, to help you grow in ways you've never experienced before. Karlee will lead you into a space of getting out of your mind & into the present moment in what she calls "practicing the present." When not on her mat, you can find her working on a hand embroidery project & hanging out with her husband & beloved pup, Lexi.
Kiersten Garibaldi
Kiersten began her yoga journey when her youngest child was in preschool. She was looking for a new exercise routine to get back in shape. After 10 years of gym yoga, she found YogaGypsy. Her life (and yoga practice) has not been the same since. The teachers there had something that she craved. In 2019, she took the leap of faith and completed her 200 hour training with no intention of teaching yoga.
A huge road block for her was the thinking that her hips weren't flexible enough and therefore, she couldn't do all those fancy poses. However, yoga helped her change her mindset to: "I am good enough right now, I felt the push to share my love of yoga with others." For Kiersten, yoga became a balance of mental and physical flexibility.
As a newly retired stay-at-home mom, she gets to continue to extend her caregiving to beginner students and guide them in a Vinyasa style class.
"My class is for everyone, and every level. We are all beginners in some way. Class starts with a gentle warm up and moves to general standing poses with time to feel each pose in your body. Class ends with floor stretching and a longer savasana. I like to place a physical challenge in there somewhere to not only stretch the students body but their mind as well. So instead of I can’t do it, at least they can try. We laugh a lot....maybe break down walls to start to love ourselves more where we are today." ~Kiersten G.
Toni Crowder
Toni has enjoyed the benefits of yoga for many decades, and in 2020 she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Circle Yoga Shala in Jaspar, Arkansas. In 2016, she also completed her training as a YogaVoice® instructor to enhance her work as a private voice teacher.
She has enjoyed numerous retreats and classes at Yogaville-Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia, workshops for Wim-Hof breathwork training, and seminars with Jamie Wheal in the study of peak performance and flow states.
When she is not on the mat, you will find her singing and speaking in Italian! She is co-author of the book, The Mindfulness of Singing. For more information visit mindfulnessofsinging.com She is excited to join the YogaGypsy team! Look for her on the weekly schedule!
Olivia Perry
Olivia Perry is an Arkansas native. Her first love of movement was dance! She received her B.F.A in Dance Performance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In 2015, She began her journey with yoga to rehabilitate a dance injury.
Olivia quickly became aware of the beauty and healing that is Yoga. She went on to deepen her practice and received her 200hr YTT with Rise Yoga Academy, in Little Rock - led by Barefoot Studio Owner Brezzy Osborne.
Olivia has been teaching yoga since 2018. She has taught many classes from garden meditation to heated power flows! This transformative lifestyle gave her a new passion and direction! Olivia wants to continue to develop her yoga teaching while being able to share Love and Light!