freedom yoga team
Kimberly Ky
Founder & Instructor
I am a newly single mother, artist, community member, and a natural born teacher (coming from an ancestral lineage of teachers). Through my personal experience, I’ve discovered how yoga can be a sacred self-healing practice and I encourage everyone to claim this power for themselves. These transformative practices can be accessible and comprehensive for all, and I strive to share it that way. My yogic offering is a dance between mindful movement and deep introspection. The most important aspect of my classes is integration- understanding how yoga relates to life OFF of the mat. Currently, my purpose is supporting whole families on the path and reaching people who are seeking a spiritual home. Students can expect to feel embraced by our Freedom Yoga community.
Megumi Burr-Tolliver
Energy Healer, Mindful Mamas Facilitator
Megumi Burr-Tolliver's passion is sharing inner wellbeing. Her practice, Compassion Tree Mama Care, has supported mamas over the past ten years with massage, yoga, energy healing, and doula support. She loves guiding women into deeper connection, whether they are just discovering or seasoned explorers. Megumi's classes offer compassionate and attuned support.
Leah Mercado
Instructor, Everyday Dharma
Leah Mercado is a spiritual teacher and a practitioner of the healing arts for over 20 years. Her commitment as a teacher is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that facilitates communication and acceptance. In her classes, there will be a presentation of an aspect of a truth or reality. The participants in the class will be invited to discuss, practice, and integrate this “dharma” in their everyday lives.
Erin Serrano
Instructor
Erin started her yoga journey looking for a new physical exercise. Instead, she found a deeper connection with herself and a greater awareness of her mind, body, and spirit. Erin aims to show her students that yoga is accessible to any person who is open to the experience. Her classes are structured to promote overall wellness and the confidence to explore the yoga practice.
Rhea Mallari
Instructor
Rhea Mallari guides an artistic healing approach in her yoga practice. Her background in street dance and oriental acupressure influences artistic poses that benefit both the mind and body. She provides a space that celebrates the participants' body postures with one another. Her experience teaching at gyms helped her create variations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced movers.
Monica Rae Cortez
Instructor
Monica Rae Cortez is an RYT® 500, Mindfulness Teacher, and space holder. She serves as a gentle and compassionate guide for her students. Her practice is slow and mindful, yet dynamic, to invite depth and subtlety into the body. With thoughtful intention, Monica’s goal is to create safe spaces to foster exploration, connection, and self care.
Fe Lindquist
Instructor
Fe is a mindful teacher who honors her body by prioritizing longevity. She has been practicing for over 11 years and her passion for this practice has grown as she got older. She has always been close to her children, and more so now that she is able to share her practice with them as well as her grandchildren. Fe strives to make yoga accessible for all. In the future, she wants to teach yoga for aging gracefully. (She will retire next year and is feeling better than ever!)
Valerie Rucker-Bussie
Instructor
Teaching classes that are both challenging and centering, Valerie values collective wellness above all. She is passionate about interlinking Eastern and Western medicine through her practices as a yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, and board certified neurologic physical therapist. She completed her 200 YTT with Embrace in July 2019 and her Reiki I attunement the following December. Valerie believes this glimpse into her spiritual journey is only the beginning and she embraces the concept of being a “forever student” seeking information for the purposes of dissemination, growth, and awakening.
The Freedom Yoga Story
My Wake Up Call
DING DING DING
I wish it was an alarm clock, but it was the sound of my car’s safety system notifying 911.
I fell asleep at the wheel and drove up a curb. My chest already felt sore from the seatbelt and I winced as I unbuckled my seatbelt.
Freedom started bellowing in the backseat. I had to get to him, but i was moving so slow. Weakly pushing my driver side door open, I made my way to the back door. It felt like the longest journey of my life….
I looked him in the eyes and he immediately stopped crying. As I undid his harness, I checked his body for any injuries. Not even a scratch. My heart sank to my knees in deep gratitude for the Universe truly looking out for us.
I took a walk around the car and knew it was unsalvageable. At that moment, I knew I hit rock bottom.
Freedom was 9 months old and I was in the pits of severe postpartum depression and anxiety. Without a doubt, I loved my baby, AND i was beyond tired of and from EVERYTHING. It was time to slowly climb my way out. Through intentional choices, active self healing, professional therapy, and leaning on community, I became more strong, balanced, and flexible- just like my physical yoga practice.
I began to let go and entertain the visions I had of starting my own yoga business. And so I did it- I started a yoga business from nothing and named it after my son, my guiding light, Freedom.
Originally, I started Freedom Yoga to support new mothers. If there had been more postpartum healing readily available, I believe I would not have fallen so low into my suffering. Through way of evolution, I arrived at the mission to support whole families on the path. This is because it truly takes a village. When I say family, I mean family in ANY format.
That was the past and right now is the present. Building the Freedom Yoga community is the present I give myself everyday. I am living a dream that fills me with much joy. I am building the community that is raising my son. Will you build this community with me, for our families?
- Kimberly
Founder Kimberly Ky with her son, Freedom Sage.