Om Teachers
We are inspired by the feel good and transformative power of yoga!
Elizabeth Range Kiely, E-RYT500
My college friends brought me to my first class 24 years ago while on vacation in South Beach. I left with a tingling sense of being centered & connected. Returning to Chicago, that yoga magic always kicked in while taking classes around town. And it had impact on my job as a professional fundraiser by enhancing my clarity, productivity and sanity. My husband Terry was experiencing the same thing (albeit in his own way) so we got busy, continued our studies, certifications, and personal practice and opened Om in 2002. I count those studies and certifications right up there with my undergrad degree from University of Illinois and MBA from Northwestern University. Today, my life is integrated and I teach from a foundation of love for my family, community and possibility. My hope is to plant the yoga seed that blossoms into more peace and personal strength for anyone who comes to Om. That way, this mindfulness gift keeps on giving. Now and forever.
Anne Range Barclay
I took my first yoga class with my sister Beth in 2000; that night I had the best night’s sleep ever! It wasn't long before I became a Certified Baptiste Vinyasa Teacher, completing Baron Baptiste's Level I and II Teacher Trainings. Each and every time I get onto my mat to practice, I clear the clutter of my mind and start fresh. I love sharing this sense of freedom, one breath at a time, with all the students at Om. Outside of the yoga studio, you can find me enjoying life around the neighborhood...making ceramics, biking and walking the family dog Sadie with my husband Buck and 3 grown kids. BTW, I hope you sleep great after your yoga class too!
Terry Kiely, E-RYT500
Out of desperation, I started practicing yoga in 1992 to try to cure my "bad back" - the result of many years of riding airplanes, working too late, and getting little exercise. It worked! Yoga quickly became a "must have" for me...the thing I needed that made all the other things better. Eventually, I chucked my consulting career to become a certified Bikram and Baptiste Vinyasa yoga teacher. We opened Om on the Range and now I use my University of Illinois engineering degree and my Booth MBA a bit differently. I grew up on the southside and I get great joy out of bringing Chicago’s “regular guys” along on this journey.
Liz foley
My love for yoga began in 2002 when I walked into my first class at a local YMCA in Boston. Not long after, I discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga in Cambridge, MA. At first, I was drawn to the practice because it served as a great counterbalance to my love of running. Then I began to notice improvement in my posture, increasing flexibility & strength and a greater sense of fulfillment, peace and purpose that deepened each time I returned to my mat. In 2007, I began teaching at Om on the Range after completing Baptiste Level 1 and 2 training and becoming an Associate Baptiste Vinyasa teacher. Yoga continues to reveal truth and love in my life. I'm thankful and humbled to share my love of yoga through teaching. As a teacher, a student and a human being, my intention is to shine light on the power and beauty that exists within each of us.
Nina helgeson
I discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga on a retreat in Mexico in 2009. The invigorating physical practice was the initial draw, but later, the meditative elements, self inquiry and community that comprise this style of yoga took hold. They inspired me to dig deeper into my practice, become a teacher and express my love of yoga with others in a more profound way. I completed the Baptiste 200-hour teacher training and achieved my certification in late 2010 and have been teaching weekly ever since. In 2011, my husband and I moved to Oak Park to start a family. I have since been inspired to share my love of yoga with our two children, Lucas and Elsie. In 2017, I became certified in children’s yoga through Kidding Around Yoga and have begun to develop and share family and children’s yoga programs among the communities I’ve grown to love.
Liz Vitell
I began my yoga journey several decades ago when I lived in South America. While in Chile, I had the amazing opportunity to take hatha classes taught in the center of a fragrant eucalyptus grove!
After practicing different styles of yoga over the years, I discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga at Om on the Range and felt an immediate connection. Once I'd completed my Baptiste and other training programs, I joined the teaching staff at Om and embarked upon a new leg of my journey. I find that sharing yoga with others brings amazing rewards that promote personal transformation and growth for instructor and student alike. I look forward to continuing along my path with open heart and mind and to seeing what lies ahead.
Jeanne Century
When I'm assisting or teaching a yoga class, I'm fascinated by the unique process of giving and receiving...of making connections with people, unencumbered by the expectations, worries and hopes that often cloud our interactions with one another. I love how yoga blends the concepts of growth and constant change while staying grounded in acceptance. While yoga has been a great source of physical benefit for me, the practice continually teaches me to bring empathy, commitment, strength and kindness to all the diverse aspects of my life.
grace kirkpatrick
I am proud to be Om on the Range’s freshest desert transplant, having lived in Arizona my whole life prior to moving to Chicago. My first yoga class was at a Lifetime Fitness with my mom having just retired from dancing competitively for 12 years. While studying for my BFA in Acting at the University of Arizona, I was fortunate enough to find a studio near campus that I loved. It was at Session Yoga where I deepened my practice over 4 years, and just two weeks after graduating from my undergrad, I began my 200-hour teacher training at the Session School of Yoga. Focused primarily on the Baptiste style and guided by amazing teachers, I began to find my voice as a yoga teacher. After teaching at Session for a year, my acting career and the charming Chicago winters called me to the Midwest. I’m so grateful to now be connected with the Om community! I hope to see you all sweaty and smiling in the studio.