our soul family
Soul House Creator, Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher & Intuitive Coach
Cara Kalnow
Cara Kalnow is the Creator of Soul House. While traveling in Bali in 2017, she birthed the vision to offer a "retreat center" in Chicago, to create a safe space to center and heal and apply that integration into everyday life.
Cara is a teacher of the Healing Arts, offering Reiki healing and Reiki certification courses, yoga and meditation classes.
Cara's classes are mindful and soulful in nature. They invite you on a journey within to connect to the simple truths of life and your most authentic self. She believes each living person has a specific purpose to their life, designed by their soul. Her goal is to assist in establishing a deeper connection to that purpose and soul identity.
Cara is first and foremost a student of metaphysics with a Masters in Philosophy from University of St. Andrews (hello Prince William, a fellow classmate!). She's a 200hr yoga alliance certified Yoga & Meditation instructor through YogaSix. Cara received her Reiki Master & Teacher certification in both Usui & Karuna® Reiki from Atma Biolfield Therapuetics and Holy Fire® Reiki for World Peace from William Rand, the Founder of The International Reiki Alliance. All Reiki courses guided by Cara are part of The Reiki Professional Program certified by The International Reiki Alliance. Cara often sprinkles Reiki into to her yoga classes and most enjoys connecting with the true essence of the lovely yogis, students and Reiki receivers coming through Soul House :). Sat Nam!
Aja Rhodes
Yoga Teacher & Sound Healer
Aja considers space-holding to be both an honor and an art, and strives to create a sacred container for others to feel held and supported in their healing journey.
Aja began her yoga practice 12 years ago in an effort to cope with childhood trauma, substance abuse, and undiagnosed ADHD. Aja has since completed 500hrs of yoga training with the Zen Den Yoga Yoga School and Sacred Paths Yoga, as well as additional training in trauma-informed yoga therapy and is a Level II practitioner of the Usui Reiki lineage. Her goal is to encourage students to practice from a place of curiosity and compassion while investigating the power of breath-work, movement, mindfulness, and stillness. She is dedicated to helping others cultivate self-awareness and learn to alchemize life in ways that support personal growth, intentional living, and the continued evolution of our collective consciousness. She strongly believes yoga can help us take radical responsibility for ourselves so we can become more effective agents of positive change in our immediate and global communities.
Aja’s classes vary from long restorative meditations and gentle flows to challenging vinyasas, and are introspective, light hearted, and balanced. She enjoys continual learning and is currently receiving her license as a Ganja Yoga facilitator and training with Zen Shiatsu Chicago Massage School for her shiatsu massage license. In 2020 she was thrilled to be accepted into the restorative justice movement by joining Prison Yoga Chicago. She is currently the lead teacher for Division 6 of Cook County Jail and serves on the Board as the Fundraising Chair.
Julia Sutton
Assistant Manager
Juj (like good juju) is a local witch, Reiki practitioner, published illustrator, & collaborative artist who dabbles in tarot. Her path to these practices was not linear and came about by trusting in the ether completely.
After 9 years in project manager land for various rise & grind industries, everything came to a halt when she was diagnosed with a rare disease in late 2022, on 11/11 serendipitously. Diving right into healing headfirst, over the course of a year and a half, the harsh reality was that 15 surgeries were necessary to survive, regain full health, & begin to thrive again.
Since then, her priorities quickly evolved into more of a healing and wellness focus, divinely accepting that here and now, she is to bring the experience of conquered challenges of healing to those that cross her path.
Amy Chasse
Yoga Teacher & Healer (Reiki & Inner Child)
Amy is honored to be part of the Soul House family, where her love of soulful movement, music, and meditation can fully shine. A seeker at heart, her spiritual curiosity was sparked early—thanks to her grandmother, who introduced her to astrology as a child. Over the years, that spark evolved into a deep and devoted practice rooted in yoga, energy work, and intuitive healing.
Since discovering yoga in 2002, Amy has been drawn to the way it harmonizes body, mind, and spirit. Her classes are known for their vibrant energy, heartfelt presence, and seamless sequencing that invites students into a moving meditation. Whether guiding a dynamic flow or a more grounding experience, she weaves music and intention through every practice to create space for inner connection and transformation.
A Reiki Master Teacher Trainer, Amy trained right here at Soul House and has studied a wide range of healing modalities across the U.S., New Zealand, and Canada—including inner child and womb regressions, past life and between-life work, and future self meditation. Her passion is helping others connect with their own magic through movement, stillness, and spiritual exploration.
Hayley Anderson
Yoga Teacher
With over 5 years of teaching vinyasa, Hayley learned that yoga isn’t about nailing the perfect pose or wearing fancy leggings. Yoga is about showing up as you are, embracing the wobble, breathing through the mess, and laughing a little along the way. Hayley's classes are playful, accessible, and rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to feel strong, grounded, and empowered in their body. She wants students to feel centered, confident, and curious taking the practice both on and off the mat.
Hayley is passionate about creating space for people to connect, not only with themselves, but with their breath, their movement, and each other. Life can be a lot (an understatement), but she's endlessly grateful for this practice that continues to keep her, and students, grounded and growing.
Lyric Swedenhjelm
Yoga Teacher
Lyric comes to Soul House with a passion for the mind-body-soul connection, holistic healing, and a deep love for community. She encourages yoga as a tool to not only support physical wellness but to nurture wholeness in every aspect of life. In her classes, Lyric embraces each student’s individuality with kindness, respect, and compassion, creating a space for intuitive movement, mindful awareness, and emotional exploration.
Through eclectic music, breathwork, and intentional theming and sequencing, she crafts an environment where students feel safe to move, breathe, learn, grow, and release. Her classes feel lighthearted and fun, yet deeply mindful and intuitive — inviting you to come home to yourself in a joyful, authentic way.
Rhiannon Kirby
Yoga Teacher
Rhiannon has been practicing yoga for 23 years, teaching full time for 17 years and continues to study multiple styles of yoga including; Ashtanga, Iyengar, Sivananda, Anusara, Vinyasa, Restorative, Hatha, Meditation & Pranayama practices. Rhiannon has had the pleasure of leading yoga retreats/workshops internationally since 2008, privately & publicly taught multiple yoga teacher training programs & is currently honored to be the lead teacher/curator for Tula’s Yoga Teacher Training Programs.
With a BA in modern dance performance/choreography & an in-depth anatomy background, Rhiannon has always had a boundless understanding & appreciation for investigating the mind/body while remaining dedicated to accessing new approaches that bring the mind/body towards strength, fluidity, connection, healing & presence.
Inspired by the true meaning of ‘vinyasa’, ‘in a special way to place’, breath is the guiding force to Rhiannon’s classes, which integrate traditional approaches to asana, well thought-out explorative sequencing, stepping stones towards more challenging asana & the willingness to embrace the subtle moments of the practice in order to highlight the beautiful nuances yoga reveals.
All are welcome, for Rhiannon’s classes offer a great starting point for beginners as well as numerous variations on each posture for those looking to get a bit more funky. For more information on Rhiannon and her offerings, check out her instagram rhiannonkyoga or send her an email at Rhiannonkirbyoga@gmail.com
A shout out to some of the teachers Rhiannon has had the honor of training/studying with; Larry Schultz, Manju Jois, David Swenson, Mark Whitwell, Tim Miller, Tom Quinn, Quinn Kearney, Claire Mark.to name a handful.
Kayla Lehman
Reiki Healer & Astrologer
Embodying both an etheric and grounded personality, Kayla uses her connection to the wisdom of the Universe to ground in the mind, body, and soul.
Kayla found meditation in 2016 which became the catalyst for her own growth journey. Eager to help others tune into the power of healing for growth, she began her Reiki education in 2022 through Soul House and later opened Centered Soul offering Reiki and intuitive guidance. She completed her Holy Fire® Reiki Master Teacher Certification in early 2024. Kayla is also featured as a Meditation Guide in the StressLess With Jess App. Today, Kayla offers private Reiki sessions at Soul House and helps to guide people in feeling empowered to shift into their most authentic self.
Olga Steele
Yoga Teacher & Healer (Reiki, Tarot & Akashic Records)
Olga Steele is a Reiki Master, Tarot and Akashic Records reader, Ayurvedic Health Counselor, yoga teacher, and intuitive guide devoted to creating spaces where people feel safe enough to slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with their innate wisdom. She weaves together ancient healing traditions and modern embodiment practices to support soul-deep transformation. Her work is informed by her own cycle-breaking journey of recovery and her commitment to bringing more light into the world.
Through one-on-one sessions, group classes, and community circles, Olga weaves together ancient healing traditions and modern embodiment practices—always honoring the client’s inner knowing first. Guided by compassion, mindfulness, and a deep respect for the sacred, she invites clients to cultivate peaceful self-connection, awaken their gifts, and move toward healing, transformation, and authentic alignment.
Aileen McGraw
Yoga Teacher
Aileen (she/they) believes in yoga as collective liberation that we co-create as lifelong students and teachers. Her classes challenge both the physical and mental body through insightful dharma talks and creative sequences.
After a decade of practicing and growing through yoga, Aileen completed her 200-hour teacher training at Mother Yoga in Seattle's Chinatown-International District in 2023. Their vinyāsa classes are intentional and approachable experiences that balance energizing and restorative movements, strength and flexibility, effort and ease.
As a chronically-ill yoga practitioner, she loves shaping each class to meet students' mental, emotional, and physical needs, and offering yoga as a way to reclaim space and grace for our bodies.
Molly Rian
Astrologer
Molly is an astrologer, artist, and designer (and quadruple Libra) in Chicago, working at the intersection of intuitive practice and creative expression. After turning to astrology, yoga, and tarot as supportive tools in healing from C-PTSD, she discovered a language that could hold both her shadows and her strengths— one that helped her reconnect with her own magic. With a background in art and design across theatre, fashion, and music, Molly brings a creative, deeply empathetic lens to her readings, approaching each chart like a unique puzzle waiting to be explored.
With over five years of dedicated study, Molly specializes in natal chart interpretation and tracking transits. Her style is warm, playful, and conversational, offering clients grounded insight and actionable guidance while cultivating a space of curiosity and connection. Committed to continually expanding her craft, she aims to offer readings that feel validating, empowering, and full of possibility, guiding others as they uncover their own personal magic while learning to honor every chapter of their cosmic story.
When she’s not giving readings, Molly can be found experimenting with overly ambitious recipes, hoarding colorful marketplace furniture finds, solving NYT crossword puzzles, or cuddling with her siamese kitten, Vivienne Westwood.
Ela Mordarska
Massage Therapist
Ela is a licensed massage therapist with over a decade of experience, beginning her journey in 2013. Specializing in Thai Massage, Ela takes a highly personalized approach to each session, blending techniques such as deep tissue, hot stone therapy, reflexology, and sports massage. With her intuitive touch and alignment expertise, Ela creates a customized experience that not only eases physical tension but also reconnects you with your highest self, nurturing balance across all layers of your being.
Zoraida Magana
Yoga Teacher
Zoraida was born and raised in Mexico City and is still relatively new to the Windy City, having lived in Chicago for just three years after moving from Germany. Her yoga journey began over a decade ago in Miami, where she sought healing and solace from injuries and chronic pain through Bikram Yoga. Since then, yoga has remained her steady companion through every transition, grounding her amidst change and nurturing a deep connection to herself and the world around her.
She is a certified yoga teacher with a 200-hour training from Yoga Plus in Germany, Therapeutic Yoga certifications (Yin, Restorative, and Nidra) from The House of Wellness and Barefeet Power Yoga in Chicago, and is also a Reiki Master through Soul House Chicago. Drawing from her diverse trainings and life experiences, Zoraida’s teaching style mindfully weaves Vinyasa, Yin, Gentle, and Restorative practices — always guided by the rhythmic flow of breath and energy.
Fluent in Spanish, English, and German, Zoraida warmly welcomes students from diverse backgrounds into her classes, creating inclusive, supportive spaces for growth and connection. She is currently pursuing her 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training and a certification in Circles and Ceremonies, remaining deeply connected to the magic of her ancestral roots and traditions. Through her teaching, Zoraida is committed to sharing the transformative power of yoga, helping others find balance, healing, and a deeper sense of self.
Chelsea Gannage
Yoga Teacher
Chelsea is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, certified holistic nutritionist, and wellness business owner. She believes deeply in the mind-body-soul connection and sees yoga as a path that gently brings us back home to ourselves.
Chelsea's own yoga journey began in college, and over the years, her practice has evolved into a grounding ritual of self-discovery and healing. In her classes, she intuitively blends movement with energy work, sometimes incorporating the calming touch of Reiki to help students deepen their connection and release stuck energy.
Her intention is always for students to leave feeling lighter, more open and grounded, at peace, and proud of themselves; physically, mentally, and energetically.
When she’s not teaching, you can find Chelsea walking her adorable pug through the city, making pottery, listening to a good podcast, or recharging in nature.
Hannah Frey
Yoga Teacher
Hannah is a Chicago-based yoga teacher and musician, drawing inspiration from community and breath-to-movement practices. She thoughtfully guides students inward through a balanced blend of active and restorative poses, creating a mindful and creative flow. Off the mat, she channels her voice into songwriting, often performing acoustic and playful tunes. She is grateful to ground, create, and connect with the Soul House community.
Ziggy Kalnow
Meet Ziggy “Namastay” Kalnow!
Our house dog, soul pup and down dog model.Ziggy provides cuddles, kisses, and big smiles. She loves pets and hugs from the Soul Fam community!
Professional Snuggler
