Invivo Fitness

Biz Casmer, PYT, RYT, ACE-cGFI

Invivo Yoga & Fitness Director, Professional Yoga Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher

Biz has been teaching yoga for six years and practicing for over ten and enjoys dedicating her time and energy to sharing yoga with her students. Biz is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher (500 hour) through Integrative Yoga Therapy. She is also a certified Pre and Post Natal Yoga Instructor through Global Yoga Center in Chicago, a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the America Council on Exercise (ACE) and is currently pursuing her 1000 hour Professional Yoga Therapist certification through Integrative Yoga Therapy. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business, Advertising and Spanish from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN and recently let go of her corporate career to focus her energy on helping people get closer to their true self through the practice of yoga. In addition to practicing and teaching yoga, Biz enjoys running, spending time with her husband and two dogs and partaking in just about any activity outside when the weather is warm!
Biz specializes in Yoga Therapy for back care, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression, women’s health and pre/post-natal. If you are interested in working with Biz for private yoga therapy, please visit the front desk to schedule a consultation.biz@invivowellness.com.

Garrett Van Auken, MS, ACE-cPT, CSCS

Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor

Garrett is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is also an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer. He holds a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology-exercise science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master of science degree in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Garrett has been a personal trainer and CSCS since 2003. His work experience includes an internship with the Milwaukee Brewers as assistant to the strength and conditioning coordinator, group exercise leader at the University of Wisconsin Health Sports Medicine Fitness Center and recreational sports supervisor for the University of Wisconsin Intramural Department.

Paula Biasi, CYT

Certified Yoga Teacher, Certified Pilates Instructor

Paula is a certified yoga instructor through Kanyakumari. She has been practicing since 1997 and has studied Anusara, Iyengar and Ashtanga styles of yoga. She has been teaching full time since 2006 and shares her knowledge of this practice as an instructor at Invivo, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Danceworks, and Yama Yoga. Her classes are taught with an emphasis on mindful anatomical alignment, presence of mind, and humor so that all activities in life can be done with more awareness, energy and health.

Paula holds an BA in Dance and Performing Arts with a minor in Holistic Health from Prescott College and an MFA in Dance from UW-Milwaukee. For the past ten years she has worked as a professional modern dancer, teaching and performing for various companies, schools and choreographers. She currently performs with Your Mother Dances and Wildspace Dance Company.  Besides yoga and dance she enjoys riding her bike and spending as much time in nature as possible.

Shari Comstock, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

From gymnastics to dance, Shari has been a student of movement all her life. Her passion for mind-body harmony has led her to yoga. In January of 2005 she was certified and registered through the Yoga Alliance teacher training program at the Nosara Institute in Costa Rica. She is excited to continue her growth of the mind-body connection by teaching and exploring yoga.

Alicia Hitzler, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

Alicia has been practicing various forms of Hatha Yoga since 1999. She completed her Yoga teacher training at Kanyakumari Ayurveda Education & Retreat Center in 2007. She practices the integration of Yoga into all areas of her life to gain a deeper understanding of herself and the world. Alicia’s commitment to Yoga has been a life changing experience for her; a lifestyle. Because of the impact it has on her, she wants to share it, which is why she teaches. She also wants her students to have the best experience possible, making safety her priority. In her classes Alicia focuses on safety and alignment through sharing with her students her understanding and exploration of yoga and anatomy, breath awareness and breathing practices (pranayama), strength and stability, as well as relaxation. She believes that when the body is aligned—then we are aligned holistically through the mind and spirit.

Alicia accomodates her students by providing modifications for all levels, as appropriate. She enjoys integrating vinyasa sequencing into her classes, and adds various levels of pose exploration to challenge students at their diverse levels of practice. She also incorporates the singing bowl in her classes as an initial grounding to begin each session and releasing meditation to conclude the practice.

Alicia Hitzler is registered with Yoga Alliance

Nicole Eull, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

Nicole discovered yoga in 1998 in Washington, DC while in graduate school and has practiced various types of Hatha yoga including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anasaura, Sivananda, Vinyasa Flow, and American Power Yoga. She completed her 250-hour yoga teacher training and certification with Gaia Budai in Miami and taught classes in the Miami area until relocating to Milwaukee in the summer of 2008. Nicole is also a licensed health psychologist and founder of the HODI Center. She integrates yoga and meditation principles into her therapy sessions while bringing relaxation and stress management skills into her yoga classes.

Her classes are friendly and fun with a focus on awareness of the body and the breath. She encourages her students to create a dynamic practice and work towards progressively more challenging poses. She believes that yoga teaches discipline, patience, self-acceptance, physical awareness and mental clarity which translates to a healthier happier life. Nicole enjoys travel, cooking, organic gardening, reading, SCUBA diving, watching movies, singing in the car, and talking with friends across the country. Nicole has also received a speciality certification for Prenatal Yoga through Global Yoga in Chicago, IL.

Maria Bello, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

Maria is a certified and registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance. She also has formal training and certification for Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga. Maria regularly attends workshops and teacher intensives to continually enhance her knowledge and teaching. She emphasizes the linking breath with movement. Her teaching style builds strength, flexibility and self-awareness. She encourages her students to listen to their bodies and attend to proper alignment during her challenging, but fun-filled classes.

Maria has dedicated herself to a life of balance, awareness and compassion. She has a tremendous amount of gratitude for this practice and has devoted herself to learning how to use the practice of Yoga to heal, empower and inspire others!

Jaimi Patterson, CYT

Certified Yoga Teacher

Jaimi Patterson is a certified yoga instructor through CorePower Yoga in Boulder, CO.  She holds a B.F.A. in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she now teaches classes within the dance department. Jaimi came to yoga searching for a raw physicality that led her to fall in love with the dynamic Vinyasa Flow classes.  It wasn’t long before she noticed the strength, stability, curiosity and calmness that was happening in her life both on and off the mat.

Jaimi builds an atmosphere where her students can work hard and push their limits while still maintaining a sense of humor and playfulness.  She encourages her students to listen to their body and bring more awareness onto the mat, leading them to make more conscious decisions off the mat.

Tina Romenesko, PYT, RYT

Professional Yoga Therapist & Registered Yoga Teacher

Tina Romenesko is a Professional Yoga Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher and has been studying and practicing yoga for over 30 years. Her focus is on the therapeutic potential of yoga to heal body, mind, and spirit.

Tina is a certified YogaMotion instructor and completed her second 200-hour certification with Tias Little at Prajna Yoga, in Santa Fe New Mexico in 2006. Both of these trainings, along with a strong and dedicated personal practice, have provided a deep foundational study of yoga alignment, philosophy, and meditation technique that are the basis for Tina’s classes.

In 2007, Tina completed her yoga therapy certification (500 hours), with Joseph and Lillian LePage of Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT). She has assisted at IYT Teacher Trainings and specializes in the study of mudras, or hand gestures used in meditation and practice.

Tina owned and was the primary instructor at Trillium Yoga Studio in Appleton, Wisconsin for the past 7 years and has recently moved to Milwaukee to deepen her commitment to the value of Yoga Therapy as a Complimentary and Alternative Healing Modality. She looks forward to working with individuals and groups, helping clients look past their diagnosis and symptoms, by learning to release stress and open to relaxation, acceptance, and balance in their lives.

I drew on what I had learned from Tina constantly throughout the 18 months since my diagnosis with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. I truly felt the connection between body, mind and spirit and I’m convinced there is no better guide and mentor than Tina for a journey such as this. – Carol S. Appleton, WI.

Heather Burkart, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

Heather had been practicing yoga for several years before she was introduced to Kripalu yoga in 2007, drawn to its message of compassion and consciousness. In 2008, she completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training at the Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, MA. Heather began training in 2009 at Kanyakumari Ayurveda (Milwaukee, WI) and will graduate a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner in 2011. She has already completed their Certified Ayurvedic Educator training and is currently enrolled in their Panchakarma Technician training.

Kripalu-inspired Hatha yoga is Heather’s passion. Her gentle approach focuses on awareness and honors individual uniqueness. Emphasis is on intuitive sequences that stretch, strengthen, and open the body. Ayurveda informs her instruction by addressing seasonal observances and different body types. Her goal as a teacher and healer is to help her students access infinite wisdom within, and as a result, their true selves.

Heather is also available for private yoga sessions, ayurvedic body work, and ayurvedic consultations.

Amy Kerley, RYT

Registered Yoga Teacher

Amy Kerley found and fell in love with yoga while living in Maui, Hawaii many years ago. In 2000, Amy completed an intensive yoga teacher training at The Yoga Tree in San Francisco, and she has been teaching ever since. Her classes, and her personal practice, draw on many different styles & influences including yin yoga, restorative, vinyasa flow & mindfulness meditation, to create a unique, and deeply relaxing experience for the students. Her true passion is offering students an opportunity to slow down, to learn how to relax in the midst of discomfort, and to unplug from the fast pace of life that we all experience. She continues to study with her favorite teachers, attending a number of silent yoga & meditation retreats each year, as well as numerous classes & workshops.

Ben Van Male, ACE-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer, Running Coach

Ben is a certified personal trainer through American Council on Exercise. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in business where he also competed on the Track and Cross Country teams.

Ben loves to share his passion for fitness with clients and help them increase their energy, become more fit, and reach their personal goals. He enjoys the variety of working with a diverse group of clients. He challenges them with balance, coordination, and strength exercises that meet their specific fitness needs. His philosophy is to work smarter, not harder; maximizing the valuable time exercising and staying balanced through appropriate rest.

Ben has over 10 years of experience coaching high school and collegiate athletes in Cross Country and Track & Field. He is an avid runner and cyclist, competing in a variety of competitive events since he was a youngster and holds personal records of 4:29 for the mile, 16:00 for the 5K and 2:50 for the marathon. He personally enjoys anything active and outdoors, especially yoga, kayaking, snowboarding, fishing and travel.

Luke Laga, ACE-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer, Natural Running Coach

Luke comes to Invivo as a personal trainer, seasoned endurance runner and ultra-marathon competitor. He has raced everything from 5k to 100 miles. Luke is a very active advocate and coach of natural running. With a Master of Science in Education from the University of WI- Madison, Luke decided to explore his driving passion of the intricacies of the human body and the constant push and pull to optimize the health of the body.

Under the mentorship of Doug Bertram, founder of Structural Elements, and a student of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine at Midwest College of Oriental Medicine, Luke continues to explore how the body can best align, strengthen and perform most efficiently and injury free.

Luke offers detailed video analysis of biomechanics and run form, coupled with natural run coaching and personal training in order to assist you in recovery after an injury, get you running for the first time, or set that allusive personal best you have been chasing. Most importantly, Luke will instruct you in ways to run that can offer years of injury-free running and total body health.

Luke is available for personal training, as a private running coach and he will also be leading Invivo’s 5k and ½ marathon run clubs.

If you’re interested in training with Luke, please visit the front desk and schedule a consultation today.

Jennifer Hawkins

Group Fitness Instructor

Jennifer is a group fitness instructor for both the Core and Circuit classes at Invivo. She embarked on her studies of Exercise Science through her experience as a collegiate swimmer, cyclist, and triathlete for Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana during which time she completed a B.S. in Exercise Science. Through her studies at IU she explored various areas of physiology, biomechanics, functional exercise training, pilates, and yoga.

Jennifer has experience teaching spinning, core training, and personal training as well as coaching swim teams and teaching swim lessons. After leaving competitive athletics she changed careers to Education, completing a Masters Degree in Education as well as AMI Montessori certification. She currently works as a Montessori teacher in the public schools. Outside of teaching children, Jennifer is passionate about various forms of exercise to help bring physical balance, reduce stress, enhance well-being, and correct postural alignment.

Jonathan Ferris, L.Ac.

Certified Qi Gong Instructor and Acupuncturist

Jonathan Ferris L.Ac., MTCM, is a Licensed Acupuncturist and certified Qi Gong and Fit-150 instructor. He has been studying and practicing Qi Gong for the past eight years and has been teaching for the past five. He is a direct student of Dr. Don X. Zhang, head of Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong and Fit 150. The Jingui school is headquartered in Austin, TX where Jonathan travels three times a year to continue his training. Jonathan sees Qi Gong as a powerful tool in taking a more active role in shaping one’s health and longevity.

Jonathan has learned and practiced a variety of styles of Qi Gong through the years. He is offering several classes that fit different levels of interest. Five Element Qi Gong is designed to be a great introduction to some basic Qi Gong exercises, visualizations and theory.  Golden Shield Qi Gong is a structured and formal training that requires a focused practice that leads to deep levels of energy growth, improved health and personal development. Fit 150 is taught in seminars and is a blend of Tai Chi, Qi Gong and modern scientific research focused on health, wellness and longevity.