Breathing Space Family Yoga instructors incorporate training from many different styles and schools of yoga but all share a love for the practice and passion for sharing it with yogis of all ages.
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.
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.
Jen has 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).
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.
Jessica LaGarde, RYT-200, RMP, CPMT 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. She completed her Baby, Toddler, and Children’s and Teens Yoga Teacher Trainings through Childlight Yoga and her 200 hour yoga certification through Ignite Yoga Institute, led by Susanna Barkataki. Jessica teaches classes for infants-adults, directs BSFY yoga camps, and does much of the behind-the-scenes business administration. She has taught with Breathing Space since 2017.
In addition to working with children, Jessica is a registered massage practitioner, certified pediatric massage therapist, 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.
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.
Candace Glover is a yoga teacher with the Breathing Space DC. Drawn to the mission of promoting positive community and holistic knowledge, this Washingtonian dedicated her life to helping those in her community achieve overall well-being when she started teaching in 2017. With a 200-accredited hour certification, a 300 CYT and a passion for all things yoga, she flexes her yogic muscles every day by empowering others through versatile mindfulness practices while stimulating the hearts and minds of the DMV’s youth. This former flight attendant uses her worldly influence and desire for mixing things up to engage students as they explore the 8 limbs of yoga. Candace seeks to provide an authentic outlook on the holistic approach by leading by example. Having known the struggle of acceptance and identity growing up, it became very important for Ms.Glover to share the empowering tools she uses every day with herself to provide an embrace of individuality with today’s youth. Understanding that true love starts with self and with it we can accomplish anything, she has made it a top priority to make sure all students she interacts with know the importance of self-love and appreciation. Candace studied human services and general studies at Stevenson University.
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.
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.
