our soul family
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!
Soul House Creator, Yoga Teacher, and Reiki Guide
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.
Aja Rhodes
Yoga Teacher
Nicole Belica
Nicole's journey to yoga did not take a linear path. Her love for fitness and movement started at a very young age and evolved over the years.
Some of Nicole's phases and cycles included tennis, running, weight training, biking … basically anything to keep her heart pumping and body strong. While working and living abroad in Southeast Asia for three years, Nicole discovered the beautiful practice of yoga. She was hooked! That is where the certifications, workshops and learning began. Upon returning to the United States, Nicole transitioned into a corporate role for some time, but was committed to her study of yoga. In 2014, she decided to leave the corporate setting to teach yoga full time. Since then she has pursued areas of speciality in prenatal yoga, doula/birth work, nidra, trauma-informed practices, inclusivity, mindfulness and breath work. She has the honor of facilitating Yoga Teacher Training programs, along with mentoring new teachers.
Nicole offers a decade of teaching experience. All these areas have influenced and impacted her teachings and offerings. For Nicole, the yoking of the body, mind and spirit is the most profound element to the practice of yoga. Because of the link that yoga promotes, it has become a source of stability during the constant changes that are a part of life. Nicole is so passionate about sharing this practice with others as her hope is individuals feel the same integration and presence as they navigate their lives and the human experience.
Yoga Teacher
Kayla Lehman
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.
Reiki Healer and Astrology Reader
Mariah Guzman
Tarot Reader, Yoga Teacher, and Community Manager
Mariah is a trained Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, Tarot Reader, and Psychic Medium with a mission to cultivate community and a deep sense of belonging.
As a Leo Sun and Rising with a Scorpio Moon, her fiery intuition is woven into her very being—reading tarot feels like a calling written in the stars.
As a yoga teacher, Mariah approaches movement as a gateway to presence. Her classes offer space for self-exploration, encouraging a deeper connection to intuition through mindful movement.
One-on-one readings with Mariah are designed to help you heal, grieve and see the Magic within you. These readings connect you more deeply to your intuition, find clarity on your life’s path, and receive heartfelt messages from your spirit team.
Through a blend of intuitive downloads and mediumship, Mariah creates a space for exploring insights, healing, and spiritual connection. Whether you’re at a crossroads, seeking clarity, or simply, spiritually curious, a reading with Mariah provides an opportunity to receive guidance and reconnect with your highest, soul-led path.
Emily Kiefer
Emily is a yoga and pilates teacher in Chicago facilitating a modern approach to ancient practices. She began practicing yoga in 2011 after being diagnosed with a chronic disease.
Emily turned to yoga as a way to not only build strength and flexibility, but to provide a sense of calm and inner peace that she was missing. Emily spent a decade focusing on vinyasa yoga and completing her 200-hour hatha/vinyasa yoga teacher training. During training, it was recommended to try all styles of yoga. It was then that she tried kundalini yoga for the first time. Emily admits that she wasn't sure what to think about her first kundalini yoga class. While today it is her truest yoga love, it took time to get there. Kundalini yoga encouraged her to confront her innermost feelings and emotions that she had been holding in since being diagnosed with a chronic disease, so it was emotionally challenging. But class by class, she has become her most empowered, confident, and strong self from the inside-out. After discovering the transformative effect of kundalini yoga herself, it was a no-brainer to get trained to teach it to others.
Emily's approach to teaching kundalini yoga honors the traditions while incorporating modern techniques inspired by vinyasa yoga and pilates. Her approach to teaching yoga is grounded in the belief that everyone can use the lessons learned on the mat as a microcosm for navigating life's challenges. Off the mat, Emily is a traveling homebody. You'll either find her at a local brewery with her husband and pittie baby, or exploring a new place around the world. She always has her next trip planned, so ask her where she's headed next when you see her in the studio!
Yoga Teacher
Amy Chasse
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.
Yoga Teacher
Julia Sutton
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.
Front Desk
Carrie McGrath
Carrie first found yoga shortly after moving to Chicago in 2012; she took a class at a gym out of curiosity and it's been a love story ever since. She firmly believes yoga is about discovery and incremental self-improvement rather than perfection.
In late 2020, Carrie had hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. At first devastated, she thought her yoga practice would never be the same. Instead it helped her expand her practice, refocusing on safe recovery, form, and letting go of ego rather than just getting a good sweat. This refocus also led her to pursue 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
She enjoys weaving elements of functional movement and somatic healing into every class to help students progress to the next stage in their journey, whether it be physical, spiritual, or some combination of both. Her goal is to curate classes that are fun, accessible to a wide variety of people, and give students something to connect with or strive for after class.
Yoga Teacher
Hayley Anderson
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.
Yoga Teacher
Zoraida Magana
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.
Yoga Teacher
Hannah Frey
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.
Yoga Teacher
Ela Mordarska
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.
Massage Therapist
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
