Meet Our Instructors

Founder/Director

Jen teaches Breathing Space Baby Yoga & Play classes, Tot, Toddler and Little Families Yoga, afterschool yoga, Baby Signing Time, and directs day-off and summer camps . . . in addition to lactation consulting and doing bunch of behind the scenes stuff to keep it all running.

Jen brings a sense of joy and playfulness to her classes – both the adult and kids classes – and hopes to offer her students freedom she finds in yoga. She founded Breathing Space to create hub for family yoga on Capitol Hill and share her enthusiasm for age- and developmentally-appropriate poses, games, and songs with yogis of all ages.

Why Breathing Space?

Like so many, Jen first came to the yoga mat because of an injury, seeking nothing more than to feel better and balance her body for running. She comes back to the mat because yoga invites her to embrace her body and mind with all its imperfections and then to look beyond them to the greater Self.

When she became a mother, her yoga practice became even more important: for building strength and flexibility, as relief for the discomforts of pregnancy and then the stresses of parenthood, as a reminder of the miracle of the human body and of her own resources and capabilities, and a regular connection to her breath and true Self during a time of significant identity changes. Her weekly baby yoga class during maternity leave encouraged her to embrace her daughter in the same loving, non-judgemental way that her own practice did for herself.

After thoroughly enjoying baby yoga classes with her daughter during maternity leave and being unable to find an Itsy Bitsy class that fit her schedule after going back to work, Jen stumbled on a listing for Itsy Bitsy Yoga facilitators training . . . and signed up. That turned out to be the first step on new path.

She has since trained with Budding Yogis, ChildLight Yoga, Yoga 4 Classrooms, and YoKid to offer classes to families and children of all ages. Jen’s work with children inspired her to complete adult yoga teacher training at Willow Street Yoga in 2010 and trained in Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield and Jennifer More of Dolphin Method Prenatal Yoga.

Jen is a Yoga Alliance® Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RTY 200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCTY).  She is also a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) through Infant Massage USA and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Beyond Breathing Space

You might also run into Jen over at the Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington DC, either as a consultant or in the twice-monthly Baby Care Basics class.

Other Experience

Before turning her attention to yoga full time, Jen spent more than a decade working with non- profit organizations in everything from daily operations, event and volunteer management, and finance to national policy advocacy and media relations. Jen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and a Master in Public Management degree from the University of Maryland. Her experience in social change movements and managing charitable organizations has been extremely helpful when working with schools and community organizations to implement yoga and mindfulness programs for children

Jessica LaGarde has been teaching creative movement in the metro area since 2005 and is passionate about helping children discover and explore their bodies and the world around them. She was trained by Joye Newman, MA to teach preschool creative movement for Kids’ Moving Company, a Bethesda-based creative movement studio. In 2017, she completed her Baby, Toddler, and Children’s Yoga Teacher Training through Childlight Yoga and has worked with Breathing Space Family Yoga ever since.  Jessica teaches classes for infants-adults, directs BSFY yoga camps, and does much of the behind the scenes business administration.

In addition to working with children, Jessica is a registered massage practitioner and is trained in infant massage instruction. She has practiced massage since 2006 and taught massage as part of Potomac Massage Training Institute’s professional training program.  She maintains a private massage practice through Shine Massage & Wellness in College Park, MD.

Outside of the movement space and massage room, she enjoys cooking, knitting, gardening, coffee, reading non-fiction, and exploring the outdoors with her daughter.

AJ Hiskey (RYT-200) is an enthusiastic and personable teacher. Born and raised in the DC area. AJ completed her Yoga-Alliance certified training in 2018 with plans to teach adults, but fell in love with teaching children young and old!

AJ teaches a variety of classes from tots to trapeze. Always a kid at heart, she connects easily with children and loves sharing her passions of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.

When she’s not on the mat, AJ loves being outdoors. She enjoys hiking, camping, swimming, or reading a good book in the sunshine. If she’s indoors, she’s probably rooting for a DC sports team (whether they’re winning or losing!) A life-long cheerleader for not only her favorite teams, but also her friends, family and students; she loves supporting others and helping them to be their best in body, mind and spirit.

Betsy Poos (E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP) is a lifelong student of movement and mindfulness. A DC yoga teacher since 2005, she’s honored to be a part of the Breathing Space Family Yoga community teaching preteens, teens and adults.

Betsy is known for her warm energy and informed alignment cues. Her true magic comes in making each practice equally accessible and challenging.

Betsy holds certifications in hatha yoga, Yogahour, pre/postnatal yoga, personal training, and sports nutrition. A consummate student, she is currently completing training to be a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher specializing in adolescents ages 11-18.

Betsy’s motivation to expand her teaching to teens has come as she’s begun navigating these waters within her own family. Always eager to expand and create, she is an avid dreamer (and doer), reader, and writer. She also makes a point of taking time to pause and believes the best days are nap days.

Betsy lives in Washington, D.C. with her incredibly patient husband, two strong willed daughters, and lovable boston terrier.

Irene Alexandra is a New York native who grew up as a competitive dancer. During her college years, she embarked on her yoga and mindfulness journey. During her journey, she received her BA in Ancient History, MA in Ancient History, MA in Education, and began a career teaching special needs students. Shortly after, she received her RYT-200 Certification and 95-Hour Special Needs and Children’s Yoga Certification. Irene is very enthusiastic about uniting mindfulness and yoga with traditional education, and works to educate others on tools and practices to bring mindfulness and awareness into the classroom and community.

During the summer of 2020, Irene was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma, which she has been in remission from since the summer of 2021. While those who undergo chemotherapy and cancer treatment do experience a wide range of grueling physical, mental, and emotional side-effects, she credits yoga and mindfulness to helping to ease those side effects (including neuropathy, and emotional and mental well-being).

In her spare time, Irene loves to spend time with her puppies (Bacchus and Circe), read, travel, enjoy nature and the beach, and create new plant-based recipes.

Lauren Mae works with yogis of all ages to encourage self-connection, compassion, and confidence. She earned her 200 HR YTT certification in December 2022 and has experience teaching yoga to Pre-K and Kindergartners. She hopes to help students discover and grow their innate mindfulness superpowers.

Having survived childhood trauma, Lauren is passionate about providing kids with a safe and empowering yoga experience. She helps her students get to know their unique inner strength and cultivate it to carry off the mat and into life. Lauren is a yoga universalist and takes particular influence from vinyasa, yin, kundalini, and restorative yoga.

Camille Cobbs began her yoga journey in San Francisco in 2013. She stumbled into a level 3 Baptiste Power Flow class not knowing exactly what she’d signed up for, but the sweat, challenge, and positive affirmations inspired her to return week after week. In 2020, yoga became a refuge during one of the most difficult years of our generation. Her practice became a daily requirement, helping her to prioritize mental health, self-care, and healthy movement. 

In 2021, she was inspired to complete her yoga teacher training and gained certification in early 2022. Since the completion of her 200 hours, Camille has returned to her power flow roots as an instructor, teaching adult classes around the DC area. She has also been able to reconnect with her passion for early childhood education by teaching a wide range of yoga classes for kids, from Pre-K to middle school. All of Camille’s classes are upbeat, full of music, and focused on self-love and self-study.

Carly Aull has been teaching at Breathing Space Family Yoga since 2021. After practicing yoga for about a decade, she decided to become a certified teacher during lockdown. With little outside distraction at that time, she practiced yoga all day every day and developed a much deeper connection and passion for both learning about it and teaching it. Previously, Carly had been a swim coach and one of the families she taught suggested teaching yoga to kids in addition to adults. She absolutely loves working with kids, and her main focus in class is meditation and developing greater self-awareness.  She loves to see students progress by learning to sit in stillness with themselves a little bit longer each class. 

Jacque Souza (RYT-500) was born and raised in Brazil. She loves dancing, traveling and studying the healing process through the body-mind. Jacque has been practicing yoga since 2011, and graduated from the Sarasvati Yoga School of Medellin teacher training program in 2015.

Jacque has taught yoga since 2016 and specializes in prenatal yoga, yoga for family, kids and teenagers and Thai Body Work. Her classes offer students an alignment based yoga practice designed to create spaciousness in the body, mind, and spirit. Jacque shares with students methods for reducing stress, enhancing well-being, and bringing peace into their daily lives.

Lili Wilson is a native Washingtonian and product of DC public schools. Lili graduated with a BA in Sociology from Spelman College in 2000. She went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

In April 2015, Lili initiated The Beautiful Dawn LLC, a lifestyle brand that primarily inspires young ladies and women to live genuine, bold, passionate lives. In 2016, Lili was trained in children’s yoga and mindfulness at Circle Yoga. For the past several years, she’s taught yoga and mindfulness to children. In Summer of 2020, Lili completed 200 (RYT) hours with Be Here Now Yoga and Wellness. In Spring 2021, Lili received a certificate in teaching mindfulness to children with the Interdependence Project. 

In addition to self-care, Lili’s passion is singing and songwriting. She has been touring and recording with gospel, pop, and RnB artists since the age of 15. In Fall 2019, Lili’s talents landed her the tour of her life, Hans Zimmer Live, with movie composer Hans Zimmer.

Lili’s desire is to encourage self-care and self-love, by incorporating her gifts of music, intuitive mediumship, and healing. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Alaia Mary. 

Kathy Foltin teaches All Levels Yoga (Adults) at Breathing Space Family Yoga.  What Kathy loves about yoga is that there is a practice for everyone. Since 2000, she has been exploring yoga’s rich traditions, from vigorous to restorative, discovering that in yoga we can find what we need and uncover our best selves. Kathy shares her love of yoga with others in encouraging, playful alignment-based vinyasa classes that allow students to gain confidence and feel comfortable exploring poses, mindfulness, and linking breath with movement in a safe, inviting environment. She received her 200 hour certification in 2012, and her 500 hour certification in 2018.

Tamar Lewkowitz received her RYT 200 Vinyasa Certificate in 2015 after graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree in special education. Tamar spent a year abroad teaching English and volunteering at a special education school to teach yoga to students. Upon returning to the U.S., Tamar moved to the DMV area teaching K-3 special education at The Katherine Thomas School.

Tamar went on to receive her Budding Yogis Certificate and Kids with Special Needs Yoga Certificate from Circle Yoga in 2017, and she received her Chair Yoga Certificate from YogaVista Academy in 2019.

Tamar has brought yoga and movement into the classroom, and has seen firsthand how yoga and mindfulness can directly impact students’ regulation, self-image, and connection to the world around them.

In her spare time, Tamar loves being outdoors in nature hiking, cooking, and spending time with her two young nieces.