Meet The Teachers

Brooke began her yogic journey in the beginning of 2009 and immediately fell in love with the lifestyle. After just three short months of maintaining a daily yoga practice and experiencing all the benefits yoga has to offer both physically and mentally, she was approached by the studio owner who advised her to become certified and teach. Coming from an athletic background and on the verge of becoming a personal trainer, Brooke decided to leave the gym behind. Under the guidance of the renowned Hilaire Lockwood at Hilltop Yoga in Lansing, Brooke completed her 200-hour all-level power teacher training immediately followed by an extra 100-hour hands-on training . Brooke then felt very prepared to share the gift of yoga with everyone around her. She moved to Tempe, Arizona and received her Bachelor’s of Science in Dietetics while continuing to teach Yin, Slow Flow, Power and Ashtanga Yoga. She believes in a balanced, holistic lifestyle consisting of mental clarity through Yoga and healthy eating.

With years of travel and teaching under her belt along the west coast of the US, Brooke moved back to her hometown of St. Joseph, MI in 2013 and completed her 500-hour advanced teacher training. After teaching around St. Joseph in gyms and on beaches for two years, she decided the town needed somewhere people can come together and practice in a beautiful space dedicated to the Yoga tradition and a holistic approach to health and wellness; a place where community can grow and nurture its students by supporting and encouraging each other. Through this approach, Yoga Life was born.

At Yoga Life, Brooke teaches safe and alignment-based, Ashtanga-inspired, eclectic flows, linking breath to movement.  Each class is unique and geared toward the energy level of everyone present and their needs for the day, including her guided mediation classes. She loves incorporating yogic philosophy into her classes and holds strong interest in the chakras, or energy centers, of the body. In addition to teaching Yoga, she also offers nutritional consultation and healthy lifestyle coaching for many of her students privately or through workshops and series classes.

Since 2009, Cheryl has been on a personal journey of learning how yoga contributes to healing the body. Injuries from skiing, skating, running and years of sitting at a desk took their toll on ankles, knees, back and neck. From her first drop-in class, Cheryl has benefitted from the healing power of yoga. Cheryl went through Yoga Life’s first teacher training in 2016. In January of 2018, Cheryl retired after 33 years at Whirlpool and now considers studying and teaching yoga her ‘full time’ job. She has completed additional training in Yin, Insight Yoga, Yoga for Healthy Aging, Yoga Wellness, Somatics, and Yoga Anatomy. Cheryl has a BS in Education from Purdue, MA in Textiles from University of Wisconsin Stout, MBA from University of Phoenix, and a Master Black Belt certification in Six Sigma through Whirlpool. She enjoys paddle boarding and kayaking with her husband and daughter. She has more hobbies than time but always finds time to knit and bake. Cheryl and her husband Michael VandeZande live in Bridgman with a dog and 2 cats. Cheryl’s daughter Lilee graduated in May 2018 from Western Michigan University with a degree in Graphic Design.

Cheryl  moved to Saint Joseph in 1984 to begin her career in Nuclear Medicine. From her first visit to the area, she knew that this is where she was meant to be. She had that same feeling the first time she stepped on her mat. This is where she belongs. Her practice improved the more she attended classes at Yoga Life. Her passion for yoga grew as began to learn more about the philosophy of yoga. Cheryl began to fully embrace the goal of yoga and the complete integration of mind, body and soul. Her hope is to share this with the young and the aging.  After completing the 200-Hour RYTT right here at Yoga Life with Brooke, Cheryl also received her 96-Hour Children’s Yoga Teaching Certificate in Burlington, Canada under the Young Yoga Master’s Program. She is currently working on her 500-Hour RYT with Brooke at Yoga Life. She is furthering her knowledge of yoga and will be attending the Yoga for Healthy Aging Intensive/Teacher Training in Chicago. She believes that yoga is more than posture, Yoga is a way of life. Namaste!!

Lisa began practicing yoga in 2015. The physical practice of asana immediately resonated with her. However, she soon discovered that the deep spiritual connection she was experiencing within herself was what kept her coming back to her mat. The wholeness of the practice helped her remember the wholeness of herself. In 2016 Lisa began practicing yoga with Brooke Margherone and eventually entered the 200-hour teacher training program at Yoga Life. The experience was life changing. Lisa continued her training at Yoga Life, and in 2019 she completed the 500-hour teacher training. Lisa considers herself a life-long student of yoga, and since her journey began, she has completed a level 1 certification in Restorative Yoga, as well as becoming Pain Care Aware (PCA) certified. She is currently studying to become a Certified Yoga Therapist. Lisa approaches her classes with a commitment that yoga should be made accessible for everyone. With attention to safe alignment, her classes focus on sensation and presence rather than perfection, believing that as we honor our unique physical forms, we can begin to deepen into our unique spiritual forms.

In 2004 Karen took her first ashtanga class off campus at the University of Iowa.  Having grown up with a background in gymnastics, the physical practice was satisfying but the clarity and commitment made it a lifestyle.  Over the years there have been many different methods of yoga she has practiced but ashtanga still stays nearest to her heart.  

Karen began teaching through out the western suburbs of Illinois followed by teaching at her two favored studios in Chicago, The Lab and Shiva Shack.  Her favored styles to teach include Progressive Hatha and Power.  Thanks to technology, Karen can study weekly with her teacher Rich Gonshak owner of Shiva Shack.  She respects the importance of remaining the student always but also loves sharing her knowledge with students.  Her teaching method is uplifting, lighthearted and deeply respectful of this powerful practice.

Upon moving to St. Joe this past summer, it felt like was destiny to teach at Yoga Life.  Karen had spent many summer mornings throughout the years racing to make Brooke’s Sunday power class after waterskiing on Paw Paw Lake.  She fell in love with her instruction and assists as well as the inviting community inside and out of the studio.  Karen and her family feel blessed to make St. Joe their home.

Jenny spends her time as a mediator and community development volunteer.  She began her Yoga teaching journey after several years in practice because she recognized the improvement of her own mental and physical health.  Finding the means to be heard and validated while feeling a part of something larger allows us to view the world through the eyes of many.  Jenny believes our Yoga practice enhances this with the combination of mindful breath, mindful movement, and the connection that deepens when you’re with community.

Utilizing her studies from MSU in Psychology in combination with over 25 years living with Crohn’s Disease and undergoing digestive surgeries, Jenny shares her yoga experience to help participants who may experience this too. Jenny’s classes will help students develop aligned movements to increase healthy digestion, reduce pain from chronic illness, and begin to recognize their connections between their mental health and physical health as well.

Ann is a Reiki Master, a 500 hour RYT from the Asheville Yoga Center and 200 hour RYT from Kundalini University where she worked with Guru Singh and Brett Larkin.
She discovered yoga towards the end of 25 years of training and competing in triathlons all over the country. Yoga was a great complement providing more flexibility and healing connections. Ann’s passion is kundalini yoga and she loves to share this spiritual and meditative practice.
Ann is a Level I Sound Practitioner from the Sound Healing Academy. She uses a variety of instruments such as gongs, crystal bowls, Tibetan bowls, chimes, tuning forks and various drums. Her passion for combining Sound, Yoga and Reiki has been developing over the last several years. She offers both individual and group sound sessions.

Linda first discovered yoga in 2009 when taking a class at a community college. She soon realized that yoga was more than a passing interest, so she began to develop a consistent practice at a studio in Chicago, a place she calls home. Linda and her husband moved to the St. Joseph area in 2020 and within weeks she began practicing at Yoga Life. She quickly felt like a part of the community and jumped right in to the 200-Hour All Level Power Vinyasa Teacher Training.

Now, as a teacher, Linda is grateful to be part of the Yoga Life family. At Yoga Life, she guides her classes based on her own experience of Yoga as a “moving meditation”, a way to quiet the mind. Linda’s classes challenge students to find their edge while honoring their limitations, and leave feeling relaxed in their minds, bodies and spirits.

Darren graduated from the local Catholic High School in 1989 and later, Indiana University in 1994. He loves the Hoosiers, the Cubs, and his dog, DD.

He discovered Yoga in 2012 by way of P90X, not practicing in-person until 2018. His practice was inconsistent until stepping in to Yoga Life for the first time in September of 2021. The more he learned about the 8 limbed path, the deeper he wanted go into the philosophy of Yoga. Darren then began to practice on a daily basis and dove into teacher training as soon as he could. Through his studies under Brooke Margherone and Yoga Life’s Teacher Training Program, Darren earned his 200 hour certification in May of 2022. Always the student, he plans to work towards attaining his 500 hour teaching certification and is enrolled for the Advanced Yin & Yang training for the Fall of 2023.

Darren is full of gratitude for how Yoga has impacted and improved his life. His goal as a teacher is to share that journey with his students. He aims for his classes to have the result of released tension and increased inner peace & harmony... and maybe some sweat.