Our Instructors
Kimberleigh Funkey | Owner
Living and growing up in Palm Springs has gifted me an amazing community and unforgettable moments and connections that have molded me to be who I am today. Yoga has changed my life in many positive ways and I am honored and privileged to share the wonders of this practice with the individuals that make up this beautiful desert. I am eternally grateful for all the support I receive from all of Palm Springs, the mountains, palm trees and cactus to the lifetime family friends and those who I’ve met just once as they pass through. Palm Springs will never fail on offering beauty and connection, just like yoga.
I’ve put my heart and soul into creating a space that welcomes everyone, wherever they are on their journey, and make them feel the magic of this desert oasis. Come practice with us and give us the opportunity to share our passion for yoga and some of our local knowledge.
Annie Flores
Annie started her path in health and wellness 10 years ago in massage and bodywork healing. Her fascination in Mind Body Spirit connection led her to yoga. Annie is also a well-known DJ in the Coachella Valley and found that yoga provided balance and peace to her hectic lifestyle. She decided to deepen her practice and became a 200 hr Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher in 2018 and traveled to Thailand for a 50 hr Yin Yoga training. Since then, Annie continues to get stronger and loves the growth that develops through teaching and practicing daily. “I’m excited for this new journey in my life, not only growing in my practice as a yoga student but also adding new skills to my teaching abilities. Yoga isn’t just for balance now it’s beyond that, a much deeper connection that I’ve found and that I’ll continue to find.”
Carl Grant
I spent the first 32 years of my life attached to this idea that there are two types of people in the world. Naturally flexible people that can touch their toes in standing forward fold, and then people like me, who aren’t built that way and just do our best. Then one day, 10 months after showing up, class after class, I recall the precise moment when my fingertips touched the earth for the first time. I had this epiphany about the false narratives we tell ourselves. I wondered what else I had been lying to myself about. And I started to dream about what was possible. Over the last 6 years, this practice has helped me let go of self-limiting beliefs, strengthened my body and softened my heart. If I can share that experience when people come to class, what better way to honor the many inspiring teachers that I’ve learned from along this path
Shannon Dixon
Shannon is an athlete, actor, artist and RYT Certified Yoga Instructor, specializing in invigorating, powerful vinyasa, sculpt fusion and gentle flows. She is an elite figure skater who trained for the Olympics with Nancy Kerrigan’s coaching staff in her hometown on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After moving to California, one of her first acting roles was skating on ‘The Office!’ Yoga was always perfect supplement for skating, and she’s kept up a daily practice since her competitive skating days.
She completed her teacher training in Dana Point, CA at the amazing I Heart Yoga studio and loves to create innovative & challenging flows in her classes, incorporating breath-work, mantras, mudras, and of course — a rocking playlist!
In her free time, she loves to go on adventures with her son and family, go to the rink, roller skate, ride horses or motorcycles, travel, enjoy the arts, and practice yoga, of course!
Dawn Caldwell
Dawn believes yoga is for everyone. She brings a positive and uplifting energy that encourages self love and exploration on the mat. Beyond the physical practice she loves to teach ways to bring the mind body connection to everyday life. She is well versed in her teaching from power, hot, yin as well as Pilates!
Ashley Tiedeman
Ashley was born and raised in Palm Springs! She lives for backpacking adventures, and the Palm Springs mountains have become her second home. Sports and athletics are a huge part of her life. She started her yoga journey in 2014 hoping to gain strength and flexibility, but also found self-love and acceptance along the way! Ashley believes that yoga can change not only the mind, body and spirit to be kinder, more loving and accepting, but it will illuminate the world with more love and compassion for others and nature. Ashley cannot imagine her life without yoga and could not be more excited to bring the love and light to others as she guides her practices at Power Yoga Palm Springs!
Laurel Hargrave
Laurel earned her Massage Certification from Academy of Professional Careers in 2004 and has been practicing bodywork in the desert area for 18 years. She’s had the pleasure of working at beautiful resorts and private clubs and, as well as bringing bodywork and massage to people in their homes. As a massage therapist, she has called Power Yoga Palm Springs her home since 2016. In 2017, she received her yoga instructor certification.
She takes pride in her work and ability to design classes, as well as personalize massage sessions for every guest that comes in. She specializes in therapeutic/deep tissue techniques, as well as restorative bodywork on the mat or on the table. Laurel is always seeking new ways to help her guests achieve their goals in all aspects of their health.
Click here to learn more about her massages and how to book.
Hanna Namysl
Hanna's story reflects a deep connection to nature and a holistic approach to wellness. Growing up in the small town of Odolanów, Poland, she was immersed in the environment, cultivating a strong bond with the land and its elements. Her upbringing involved harvesting food from her family's land, fostering a natural connection with the Earth from an early age.
Hanna's dedication to wellness and yoga is evident through years of apprenticeship and teaching. She has embraced a holistic and nutritious lifestyle, embodying the principles she teaches. Through her practice, Hanna aims to bring out the best in each individual, emphasizing the importance of presence and compassion. Her mission extends beyond physical well-being, as she strives to heal and uncover the inherent strengths in everyone she encounters.
Whether through yoga instruction or her commitment to a wholesome lifestyle, Hanna's journey is characterized by a genuine desire to facilitate healing and personal growth in those around her. Her story is an inspiration for those seeking balance, connection, and the discovery of their best selves.
Nicole Cuhney
Nicole grew up in our beautiful Coachella Valley, where she began her yoga training, here at PYPS. As she continued with her training in Australia, as both a teacher and student, Nicole’s love and passion for yoga never stopped growing. Nicole believes yoga is a journey into finding a beautiful connection that opens up our bodies, physically and mentally. She is always grateful for the opportunity to share her knowledge on the mat with students. Bringing to light the benefits of strength, balance and breath in each yoga pose, Nicole will guide you through carefully crafted and thoughtful sequences. Teaching both Power and Yin Yoga classes, join Nicole to balance out both your yin and yang energy.
Maile Vreeken
Born and raised in Hawai’i, Maile grew up dancing and hiking on the island of Maui, discovering yoga only as an adult through prenatal yoga classes.
Maile, her husband, and children have lived in Palm Springs since 2010. With a palpable passion for the yogic path, Maile fell in love with the Power Yoga Palm Springs studio when she began taking classes in 2016.
Maile completed her 200-hour teacher training program in 2018 at Power Yoga Palm Springs, and she couldn’t be more thrilled to share the love and light that yoga brings each day.
Maile can’t wait to see you on the mat… Aloha & Namaste!
Janet Cook
Janet has always been fascinated by the human body and how to move, heal, and nurture the vessel in which we experience life. Her own yoga journey started in her 20s when she was recovering from an injury and needed to find a different relationship with her own body. Through her yoga practice, Janet learned to foster a stronger connection between her mind and body and be present in the moment. After achieving a doctorate in physical therapy and stroke rehabilitation, she has sought to share her intimate knowledge of the body with others through yoga practice. A Coachella Valley native, Janet hopes to help people learn and strengthen the connection between their mind and body, prevent injuries, and explore variations of poses to allow anyone to practice yoga and feel successful.
Marcelo Martinez
For Marcelo, Yoga means discipline, determination, dedication, and devotion. To show up and practice takes effort, invokes focus, and requires our willingness. A Rocket Yoga mentor level II, with experience in Ashtanga Vinyasa, Marcelo’s classes are curated to improve strength, increase endurance, and flexibility. Marcelo is currently working towards a degree in Exercise Science while still being a student of yoga. If you are seeking to reach new goals, allow the journey of yoga to get you there.
Katie Porter
Katie is a 200-hour certified Yoga teacher who loves to create an experience in her classes for her students. Incorporating various holistic techniques like safe movement, meditation, sound, aromatherapy, music and breath-work, she encourages a deeper connection to the “self” while she holds space for her students on their yoga journey. She loves this amazing yoga community and specifically working with individuals on strengthening self-love to help transform their lives. Since her yoga teacher training, she has loved every part of her own journey and shares the lessons she has learned along the way with those around her.
Daisy Meyer
From San Francisco originally, Daisy has lived in the Palm Springs area since 2016, where she met her husband, becoming a mom to their son in 2021. She has lived in several intentional communities, which each offered a unique alternative lifestyle for almost 30 years and those experiences have shaped her varied interests and her love of people. Community life also exposed her to many spiritual practices, some of my favorites being yoga, Japanese Tea Ceremony, meditation, Kirtan singing and much more. She also loves to garden and grow her own food, though she hasn’t mastered that art here in the desert, YET. Being outdoors feeds her soul! She likes to think of her morning walks on the desert floor as "mountain bathing," as she takes in the views of the San Jacintos and surrounding ranges. Daisy loves to sing, lately it’s mostly kids songs; however she loves the blues, as well as singing along to bhajans with Krishna Das. She is grateful for her healthy body and life.
Sigi Kellberg
Sigi grew up in El Segundo, California and began practicing yoga at 16, after years of dance and gymnastics training. After living in New York City for 8 years where she attended NYU, she moved to Palm Springs where she completed her 200-hour teacher training at Power Yoga Palm Springs. She teaches Power Yoga which is a mixture of vinyasa flows and strength-building poses. Inspired by the Baptiste style of yoga, Sigi loves to encourage students to utilize the breath to stimulate focus and discipline in their practice. Namaste!
Tatiana Nesello
Tatiana was born in the United States, and grew up in Brazil where she attended dance schools from an early age, creating and cultivating a love for body movements. Later she starting including breathing practice by aligning innovative energy flow sequences when attending vinyasa classes. Arising more and more interest in the benefits of yoga and its practice, upon returning to the United States obtained her teaching certificate in Power Yoga, at the yoga studio “Power Yoga Power Spring”. Always seeking to innovate practices, with creative movements and themes, in a class that benefits the body, mind and spirit. She believes that self-knowledge is the key to happiness and that yoga is one of the best ways to connect with our true essence, without judgment or comparisons and thus knowing ourselves inwardly, bringing peace of mind to our lives.
Tracy “Coach” Burwell
Tracy, better known as “Coach Burwell” to her students, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology and holds both Physical Education and Adapted PE Specialist credentials. She has spent over 20 years working with students with disabilities providing authentic and equitable physical education opportunities that are fun, unique and highly individualized. She feels her success is due to her beliefs that her role is to simply give opportunity to another human being to play, respond, smile and interact with their world and to be valued. Her experiences have given her the ability to teach, assist and adapt yoga for all body types, abilities and skill levels.
Tracy’s philosophy is: As we age, it is important to remain active and appreciates a good physical challenge! She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training with the first group of students at Power Yoga Palm Springs in 2019. Maybe its her ADHD, but Tracy is most comfortable outside, teaching and practicing yoga under the wide open skies! Her energetic spirit and graceful attitude is what makes her classes relaxed, fun and accepting to ALL. You can find her in Ruth Hardy Park teaching Power on Saturday, or request her for an individual or private event for any age, level, or theme!!