Julia Tompkins, founder and owner of Light and Liv. She is a mother of two and has been working in the health and fitness industry for nearly two decades. She is not only a certified Yoga teacher, but also holds national licenses for personal training and group exercise instructor.
Julia's mission is to create a space for people to find their Yoga. A place where people can rest in themselves and find peace in their hearts.
about the founder - Julia Tompkins
Yoga has deepened her perspective of life and has allowed her to find peace amongst the noise. Julia believes Yoga is unique to everyone, that there isn’t one way or one particular right way. Yoga is acknowledging all parts of self and finding the path that serves you. She believes in the power of the push and challenge all while embracing the essence of Yoga allowing yourself to sit, rest and be with what is. She looks forward to meeting, flowing, and laughing with you.
"Yoga is embedded in my being."
more about julia
Julia Tompkins, founder and owner of Light and Liv. She is a mother of two and has been working in the health and fitness industry for nearly two decades. She is not only a certified Yoga teacher, but also holds national licenses for personal training and group exercise instructor. With her plethora of certifications and studies it allows Julia to have great diversity and knowledge in many facets of movement, accompanied with a strong passion to help others find their wholeness.
Julia
Jordan is a Florida native who has chosen Fort Collins as her home for the last five years. She began teaching three years ago and has found a second home in the fitness industry. Jordan is an energetic teacher who thrives to push her students to recognize their full potential physically, mentally, and spiritually. Jordan leads with a foundation of faith and the belief that every human is uniquely and beautifully made, and that yoga serves as an all-encompassing way of celebrating our individuality and our collective humanity. She holds two, 200-hour certifications, and has been trained in multiple yoga lineages, as well as Pilates! You can expect to leave her classes feeling energized and encouraged to go after whatever it is in life that makes your soul sing!
Jordan
Keenan has been taking yoga since she was 12 years old when her mom brought her to her first class. From there, her love for the practice of yoga got stronger with each class. In 2016 she started her teacher training journey and began teaching in 2017. Originally her main format of class was Heated Vinyasa, and then expanded her skills by getting certified in Traditional Hot Yoga as well as Sculpt Yoga. Her favorite part of teaching is connecting with students and watching their practice evolve.
Keenan
A native of Boulder, Colorado, Alli loves all things outdoors and anything that gets her body moving. Alli found yoga after breaking her back in a rock-climbing accident when she was 21 and was immediately enamored with how the movement and poses changed both her body and mind for the better. She has now been teaching for over seven years and finds teaching yoga a rewarding outlet. Alli believes yoga is for everyone and loves to see her students grow by both challenging themselves, as well as listening to their own bodies throughout their practice. When not teaching yoga, Alli can be found working with children at her private music therapy practice in Fort Collins, playing violin in the local symphonies, or adventuring outdoors with her husband and three giant dogs.
Alli
Stuart found yoga in 2018 when he was looking for something “new” around the time his children were finishing up high school. Thinking yoga was just stretching, to complement running and biking, he ended up being amazed at the physical awareness gained through the practice and discovering that there was a whole lot more than just movement. It also provided him a space for reflection and mindfulness – the ability to be present, aware, and not overwhelmed. Being a lifelong learner, this piqued his interest so he decided to discover more and completed his 200hr Vinyasa certification in 2021, somewhat unaware that would make him a teacher. This wasn’t sufficient to satiate his desire to learn, so he also completed a 200hr Hot certification in 2022. His intention is to be a constant student of yoga. His practice is deliberate and intentional with a focus on alignment and mind/body awareness – in his classes you can often expect similar instruction. He is humbled to be able to enable others on their journey with yoga, wherever they may be at, all with an ever so slight Aussie accent. When not on his mat you might find him paddleboarding, biking, at a concert, or enjoying time with his two awesome children.
Stuart
Gina took her first yoga class in 2012 and was instantly hooked after experiencing the profound effects yoga had on her life. The transformation yoga had on her physically, emotionally, and spiritually created a fire to share this gift with others. The desire to share yoga and its benefits inspired her to become a yoga teacher. In 2014 she completed a 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga teacher training program with Mindstream Yoga. Gina brings her heart to each class she teaches. She creates an environment where each student feels welcome, no matter where they are on their journey. She inspires people to find their authenticity, courage, and strength to create their own experience on and off the mat. Gina pulls insight from books, podcasts, workshops, trainings, and her own spiritual path to weave into her classes. Her classes are inspiring, nurturing, and authentic. Gina leads people on the journey to their true potential. She is a mother to three children. A Chicago native who now calls Colorado home. She loves to spend time in nature, hiking, paddle boarding, traveling, and reading.
Gina
Gretchen is a dedicated and spirited 800-hour teacher, bringing yoga to all practitioners. She believes yoga is a lifelong companion, allowing us to seek and peel away layers of our true self to live our lives with clear intention.
In 2011, Gretchen took a 200-hour teacher training at Elan Yoga, with an emphasis on vinyasa and hot. Shortly thereafter, she began teaching Bikram style hot yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa classes. Hungry to take her teaching and practice to the next level, Gretchen took a 300-hour level training with Gina Caputo and the Colorado School of Yoga in 2014. This training launched Gretchen into strategically planning and implementing vinyasa flow classes. In addition to her advanced vinyasa training, Gretchen took a second 300-hour training though Inner Peace Yoga Therapy in Colorado Springs. Gretchen was able to dive deeper into the subtle body aspects of yoga and its therapeutic benefits.
Gretchen’s classes are prepared with a powerful balance of creativity and purpose. There is a strong focus on breathwork, alignment, and discovering inner strength.
When Gretchen is not on her mat, she is spending time with family, or taking advantage of all the wonderful things Colorado life has to offer.
Gretchen
Heather has been teaching yoga for over eight years and hopes to instill a sense of peace and encouragement as students move through their yoga practice and navigate their way through life. She believes everyone needs an opportunity to just be. Without knowing what each person is experiencing on their mat or in their life, Heather is grateful to have the opportunity to connect with people through teaching yoga. Heather likes to share thoughts and experiences that may resonate and hopefully impact others being mindful of the struggles and challenges we all face each day. If she could share one thing with anyone who has never tried yoga, she would say, “give it a chance because it can mentally, spiritually and physically transform your life.” Heather believes anyone can benefit greatly from a yoga and meditation practice.
Outside of the yoga studio Heather focuses on spending time with her husband, two daughters and friends. She also enjoys continuing her personal yoga journey, and thoughtfully preparing for her yoga classes. Heather is grateful to all the yoga teachers and students who continue to challenge and inspire her.
Heather
Anna was introduced to Bikram yoga at the age of 16 and quickly became a regular hot practitioner. She realized at a young age that yoga was more than a physical practice, it was a place to find peace and stillness within herself. Anna later tried vinyasa yoga at CorePower in Denver, Colorado. She fell in love with the flow and wanted to dive in deeper. After completing a Power Yoga Teacher Training, she found her voice as a teacher and began her journey as a yoga instructor. On the mat is where Anna feels her most authentic self. She loves sharing the practice of yoga and this beautiful journey with others. Anna values connection, vulnerability, and community. When not on her mat, Anna is a self-proclaimed fitness fanatic and a mom of two wonderful little ones.
Anna
Justine began her yoga journey in the summer of 2013 and immediately fell in love with the mind-body connection and self-awareness that consistent practicing brought to the table. She decided to pursue her 200-hour Power Teacher Training a year later, which sparked her love for teaching. She quickly followed this with Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training and began teaching professionally March 2015. Since then, her love and compassion for teaching yoga has blossomed into a lifelong passion. She loves sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with her students and constantly strives to spread the joy, happiness, and healing that yoga has brought her to others. Outside of the studio Justine spends as much time as she can outside either enjoying the great outdoors or riding horses.
Justine
Katie was brought to yoga and meditation over 15 years ago during a health crisis. It was her place of solace and calm, and from that place is where she shares her love for movement and stillness. Katie is inspired by the movement of our bodies that can guide us to stillness of our minds. Through her own journey of healing, yoga brought her to pain relief and wellness. With a 200-hour yoga certificate and a 200-hour mindfulness meditation teacher certificate, Katie invites students to use their physical experience to go deeper in their head space practice. Mental health is the greatest crisis of our time and as a person who has fought for every joyful experience, Katie hopes to inspire every student to fight for their one precious life. As human beings, not human doings, she hopes to guide you to the present moment through breath, movement, and learning to quiet the chatter of your mind.
When not teaching you can find Katie with her precious boys and husband camping, hiking, and enjoying concerts. Katie works at Rocky Mountain High School in the front office and is one of the coaches of the girls’ basketball team. She loves the community of Fort Collins and growing her circle of connection.
Katie
Caroline’s journey on her yoga mat began at a time in her life when she needed it the most and the connection to the practice has continued to grow and evolve over the years. The mat has become her safe space to move, breathe, be and heal. In 2018, Caroline completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training to help others find their own safe space to be themselves while connecting with their mind, body, and heart. In addition to being a yoga teacher, Caroline is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer, and owner of Mind Body You. Her business supports and educates women and girls on the importance of movement, nourishment, self-love, and mindfulness. Caroline is a Colorado native and lives in Fort Collins with her husband and furry companions. In her spare time Caroline loves to garden, cook, and spend time with friends and family while traveling places near and far.
Caroline
Yoga has been a part of Brookes life for over 20 years. She first stepped on her mat at
the age of 21 after a health challenge that encouraged her to slow down, listen to her body, and to live each moment more mindfully. In the summer of 2006, Brooke completed a 200-hour Kripalu Yoga certification with
Discovery Yoga in St. Augustine, Florida. She is forever a student on and off her mat and is grateful for the teachers who have inspired her and shared their wisdom and expertise to deepen her understanding of the beautiful practice of yoga. In Brookes classes, she combines creative sequencing and an inspirational intention to help you deepen your practice physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Brooke’s hope is that you walk off your mat feeling balanced, nourished, and free. Brooke would love for you to come share your light with her. Om Shanti, shanti, shanti-Namaste.
Brooke
Hannah started practicing yoga after moving to Colorado from Chicago in 2014. Her interest in yoga as a healing offering was sparked after Hannah received a double foot surgery and she was searching for any form of physical relief. She immediately fell in love with the vinyasa practice and now has her 200-hour Vinyasa and 30-hour Yoga Sculpt certifications. Hannah also has certifications in aerobics for seniors and HIIT. Hannah recently completed her master’s in occupational therapy from CSU and hopes to one day incorporate yoga with her degree to become an adaptive yoga instructor for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. She believes in creating a holistic yoga environment dedicated to alignment, modifications and overcoming barriers to promote a space of comfort, safety and optimum wellness. Hannah also strives to encourage others of individual patience, self-compassion and embracing their own unique yoga journey.
Hannah
Christina started practicing yoga after tragically losing her brother. Desperate to find peace she turned to yoga for healing. After taking her first yoga class in January of
2018, she knew she truly found something extraordinary. Christina took her first 30-hour Sculpt training in May of 2019 to simply dive deeper into her own personal practice, then decided to accept the challenge of 200-hour vinyasa training in September of 2019. Before these training, Christina had no interest in teaching because she had a crippling fear of speaking in public. Not only did Christina deepen her practice, but more importantly, she discovered her voice and the value it held. From that moment on a passion grew to encourage people to be the best version of themselves through movement. Christina believes that falling in love with the journey of movement is the foundation to becoming your best self. Smile, dance, laugh, cry; embrace all the feelings and emotions because that’s yoga, and if there’s a dope beat in the background, so be it.
Christina
Nicole is a 500-hour yoga teacher with 5 years of teaching experience. Her love of yoga came to her while living in Chicago. It was there that she found the ability to move, breathe and grow as a unit, which brought a feeling of community that could be so hard to find in a big city. After landing back in Fort Collins in 2017, she became passionate about sharing the gift of yoga and decided to venture on her teaching journey. She holds a 200-hour power yoga certification, a 300-hour yoga certification, and a yoga sculpt certification. Nicole loves that yoga is a lifelong journey and continues to seek growth both as a practitioner and a teacher. In Nicole’s class you will find a powerful and playful flow with intentional movement designed to offer ample opportunities to find your ahh-ha moments. You will be encouraged to move and breath exactly as you are, without judgement or expectations. A Fort Collins Native, Nicole loves all things outdoors. When not on her mat, you will find her mountain biking, skiing, or hanging outside with her husband and two teenage daughters.
Nicole
Kaylen was born and raised in Northern Colorado and has grown to love everything about the community. She loves helping the people of Northern Colorado fall in love with movement. Kaylen has always wanted to make an impact on the world around her and after leaving a full-time teaching position she has committed her life to impact through fitness and movement. The spark of guiding movement began with yoga in 2015 and she’s never looked back. Yoga allowed Kaylen to be mindful, powerful, and creative all at once. A yoga class with Kaylen is guaranteed to be focused, intentional, challenging, fun and have an amazing soundtrack to support it. Kaylen is always eager to expand her knowledge of the body and movement and is trained in yoga, sculpt, spin, lagree, climb, and Pilates. Her mission in life is to remind people that they are strong and capable, all while building a community of compassionate and supportive people. Outside of movement she is a new mom to the most amazing now six-month-old and is rejuvenated with time with family, you may see her dad pop into a yoga class from time to time. She runs a small photography business, Rooted Studios, that is focused on reminding people of their beauty and strength. She is eager to join the Light and Liv community that shares all her values and is stoked to see people come together and feel the power of yoga and movement.
Kaylen
From a very young age, Jen was passionate about discovering the vast capabilities of her physical body. She was always involved in competitive sports such as soccer, dance, and track. In her teenage years she came across Yoga and fell in love. She expanded her personal practice at home after extracurriculars - enjoying the added flexibility and strength. As life goes, she got busy and fell away for a few years. In 2007, she reignited her practice in studio, finding a community that she craved. Beyond complementing her running, she found that the benefits touched many different aspects of her life off the mat. In 2011, she completed her 200-hour Power Yoga certification at Corepower Yoga in Minnesota. The joy she experiences by sharing this practice with others inspires her to keep showing up, to keep growing. She seeks to cultivate a fun, welcoming environment to support wherever you are on your mat - right here, right now. Through the ups and downs of life, she always finds home on her mat. She hopes that you will join her in this beautiful light!
Jen
