Our instructors lead classes in the traditional practices of hatha yoga, as well as provide a variety of therapeutic yoga techniques.  Adaptive yoga, kids' yoga, yoga for special needs, trauma-sensitive yoga, yoga for recovery and Yoga Therapy are all modalities represented among our instructors.  Get to know the teachers at 5KY.

Karen Luciana

Rita Alviar

Community Engagement Director
Rita has been practicing yoga since 2004.  She completed her 200-hour teacher training with Rhonda Kantor, founder and director of The Global Yoga Center.  Rita is also trained in the Yoga for the Special Child method by its founder, Sonia Sumar.

​Rita's career serving children and adults with special needs spans twenty years.  She offered small group classes for students in a residential setting, as well as "care for the caregiver" practices for staff.  Rita integrated her yoga training with her special needs experience to create a practice specific to the residents' needs.  She brings a spirit of inclusion to her classes and can gently adapt a practice to each student's needs.  Yoga became a way for her residents to connect to their abilities, their gifts, and their light.

Rita believes in yoga as self-care - as a loving way to replenish energy and connect to your spirit.  She finds it an enjoyable way to quiet the mind and find peace amidst our busy lives.  She teaches all her students the simple beauty of slowing down and honoring our bodies.

Erin Haddock

Administrative Director
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, RCYT, YACEP, YSC Part 1 Trainer
Erin first found yoga while attending Northwestern University.  It was love at first pose!  She loves yoga for the relaxation and well being she feels after each session and for the self-confidence she has developed through her own practice.  The gift of peace she receives from yoga is what keeps her coming back and what she hopes to give to her students.  She is passionate about bringing yoga to those who experience barriers to their practice – including physical, intellectual, emotional, financial, or geographical.  Peace is accessible to all!  Her work has taken her to numerous Chicago-area schools, health centers, and medical clinics.

Erin is a certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is registered as E-RYT 500, RCYT, and YACEP with Yoga Alliance.  She completed her yoga teacher training with the creator of the Yoga for the Special Child® (YSC) method, Sonia Sumar, and is now a certified teacher trainer for Part 1 of the YSC program.  She is a certified Stress Management Specialist, and also holds certifications in Adaptive Yoga and Yoga for Teens. 

Erin is a member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association.  Her classes are a blend of traditional yoga techniques from the IY lineage (mantra chanting, pranayama practices, guided relaxations) and a modern sensibility for powerful and precise yoga pose flows.

Emma DeMilta
Emma likes to heat up & flow but also enjoys finding her moon in yin poses. She loves teaching yogis of all experience levels, including total beginners. (Guiding someone into their first savasana is such a gift for all participating!) She hails originally from Cleveland, Ohio. School brought her to New York state, where she earned her MFA in creative writing, studing fiction writing at a top program with amazing living writers including Chicago’s own George Saunders. She has been a Chicago resident for almost five years. She loves big city communities and big city amenities; however, it’s easy to get lost or drowned out in such a large place. Her creative yoga classes aim to calm the nervous system. They also entertain and center the mind! We can find the natural world within ourselves and find a frequency that connects us to the earth and to all that is at peace within ourselves. Strike up a conversation before or after class: She is a dog-mom with interests in bikepacking, nutrition, and health & wellness! 

Nichole Brown
Nichole (They/Them) is a Non-binary yoga teacher here in the city of Chicago.  Nichole completed their 200hr certifications with Tula Yoga Studio under the instruction and guidance of Giana Gambino and Rhiannon Kirby in the Spring of 2021.  They also completed an additional 65 hour specialty training in psychologically-sensitive yoga with Room To Breathe Chicago under Renee Zambo in the Fall of 2021. 

Nichole first discovered yoga 13 years ago on a VHS tape from the late 1980’s - many brightly colored unitards were involved.  Though it seemed silly at first Nichole quickly fell in love and began drawing the postures in notebooks to practice on their own.  Since then they have continued exploring various styles and approaches to yoga as it helped immensely with their anxiety, body image, and growth in self love and acceptance.
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Nichole aims to promote exploration in asanas (postures), appreciation of the present body and mind, and inner reflection throughout thoughtful, balanced classes.  Each practice is carefully curated to promote accessibility while also respecting and honoring yoga’s South Asian and Egyptian roots.

MJ Lounsberry
Originally from Vail, Colorado, MJ has been practicing yoga since she was a child. While in high school, she started developing her yoga practice more seriously. During her studies she deepened her love and passion for yoga and explored all types of yoga; Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, Restorative, and Yin. MJ has received her 200-hour teacher training from the Chicago Yoga Center. Her yoga mat has been a place of solace and a source of creativity. In her classes she combines different types of yoga to create a sequence designed for deepening ones awareness of the body and mind.

Karen Luciana
Hello!  I am Karen Luciana, and I have been practicing yoga for over ten years.  I am happy to join Five Keys Yoga to teach a gentle yoga class.  I have been fortunate to have had amazing teachers over the years.  It is my hope that I will be able to guide you through your journey as others have done for me.  I believe that the most powerful aspect of practicing yoga is to connect the breath to the poses.  A wise teacher once told me, “If you sat on your mat and breathed for the hour, then you have practiced yoga.”

Rachel Aseltine
Born in Carson City, Nevada, Rachel spent her formative years as a global nomad, spending six years in Bangkok, Thailand and eight years in Beijing, China, with brief stints in Donducheon, South Korea and Reno, Nevada. She took her first yoga class while attending college in North Carolina, and it opened her eyes for the first time to the power of movement, breath and mindfulness. She settled in Chicago in 2011 after spending a year living in the Champagne region of France. She completed her 200 Hour Teacher Training at Bloom Yoga Studio in Chicago in 2019.

Yoga transforms Rachel’s life every day by fostering the connection between the breath, body, and mind. She is especially interested in yoga as a tool for healing from trauma, and as a conduit for personal growth and empowerment. Her goal is to provide an inclusive experience of yoga that allows every person the space to feel safe and strong both on and off the mat.
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Rachel is a passionate aesthete, musician and songwriter. She enjoys spending time outside in the sunshine and curling up with a cup of tea and a board game on a rainy day.
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