MEET OUR TEAM

Abigail Irlbeck - RYT-500

I found yoga and One Tree Yoga in 2012. I solely practiced the hot yoga Bikram series for several years. In 2016, I decided to explore other styles of yoga.

  • With the addition of Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin yoga as a part of my practice, I felt physically and emotionally well and my curiosity for yoga grew immensely. I decided to pursue teacher training in the fall of 2016 at One Tree Yoga and completed my RYT-200 in May of 2017 with Gabrielle Hopp, E-RYT 500 and Alison King Tigges, E-RYT 500. Since the completion of my training, I have taught yoga in a variety of settings, including yoga studios, corporate offices, and universities. I currently live in Rochester, MN and teach online for One Tree Yoga. I also teach at the Rochester Athletic Club. Wellness has been at the heart of my studies since 2011. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Public Health in 2015 and my Master of Arts in Health Behavior in 2018 from the University of Nebraska Omaha. I enjoy how my background in health behavior and public health education intertwines with the principles of yoga. Thus, my classes are rooted in the advancement of overall health and well-being. My classes are intentionally sequenced and provide students with many opportunities to develop greater awareness of the breath, body, and mind. I advanced my training in 2024, joining OTY's first ever 300-hour program and completed this training in August of 2025.

Cassie Mertz - 200 Hour

I began my yoga journey in 2014 practicing hot yoga at One Tree. I was in a transition stage of my life and wanted to work on my mental and physical wellness.

  • After showing up for a while and seeing my practice rapidly evolve, I noticed that something was happening within. I was hooked. I started taking other styles of yoga and fell in love with Alison and Gabe’s approach to the practice… no nonsense, practical and relatable. They taught me that the practice on the mat is directly related to our presence in the real world. Yoga has taught me so much about myself, my relationships, how to slow down and try to maintain balance. I just completed the 2020 OTY Teacher Training and I look forward to beginning my teaching journey. My other passions are my fur babies, running and training for races, and spending time outdoors in any fashion.

Alison Tigges— E-RYT-500, Co-Owner, Teacher Trainer

Alison started practicing yoga in 2002. As an athlete and dancer, it seemed like a smart progression and way to heal from years of

  • injuries. Under the direction of Theresa Murphy, Alison started teaching in 2008 at One Tree Yoga in Omaha, NE. Alison has been teaching a variety of styles there since: hot, hatha, vinyasa, yin, restorative…to name a few. Since 2013, Alison began to co-lead the studio’s 200-hour teacher training program. Alison has gone on to study with Tias Little and Prajna Yoga out of Santa Fe, NM, where she received her 500-hour certification in 2014. Currently Alison is studying regularly with Noah Maze and YogaMaze, out of Los Angeles, CA. Alison’s commitment to training, learning and practicing all types of yoga is evident in her teaching. All of her classes include smart sequencing, strong cues on form, anatomy and alignment, as well as weaving in various aspects of yogic philosophy. While Alison’s teaching style is rooted in traditional yoga, she also brings an element of fun and light-heartedness to her classes. She believes yoga is truly for everyone, and her goal is to help as many people incorporate it into their lives as possible.

Anne Marie Baines - 200 Hour

I completed my 200-hour teaching certification from One Tree Yoga in May of 2022. I was first introduced to Yoga in 2012 when a friend invited me to her Hot Yoga class.

  • Looking back, I honestly had no idea what to expect but quickly fell in love with the challenging series. Not gonna lie - I really wasn't prepared for the intense heat and sat down a few times, haha. I was so happy with this style of yoga, it took me a solid year or more to branch out. My yoga practice is more balanced now and has been the foundation for my health/fitness journey - from rock climbing, kayaking, to weight lifting - it has helped me grow stronger both on and off the mat. I look forward to sharing my passion with the community as I explore sequencing different styles of yoga!

Bernie Bresnahan - 200 Hour

I began my yoga practice nearly 20 years ago. I credit two good friends who had invited me to the hot yoga class at Bikram Yoga Omaha (eventually

  • renamed One Tree Yoga). I was pleasantly surprised by how invigorated I felt after that first 90 minute practice. I liked the challenge, I liked the heat, I liked the group effort and I loved my teachers. I was hooked. To be honest I really hadn’t planned on teaching hot yoga, but was invited to be a part of the teacher training. At first I declined, but was eventually talked into it and have been teaching the Bikram series since 2003. I stand on the shoulders of the many great teachers I have worked with and I credit them with helping build my knowledge of yoga and all its aspects. I have gone through One Tree Yoga’s teacher training with Gabe and Alison but I teach just the hot series. I think what I like most about teaching yoga is observing firsthand the fruits of the hard work and effort the students put into their practice. I’m uplifted at the changes I see in students; clearly the physical and mental benefits keep them coming to class week after week, year after year.

    You will find me at the East studio on Monday night and Saturday morning. Please join me if you can!

Crystal Parker - 200 Hour

Crystal began her yoga journey almost 10 years ago in Chicago. Her demanding job required lots of travel and long hours which was a wear on her mind, body,

  • and soul. She fell in love with the way yoga made her feel. Yoga empowered her to heal her body and mind. She continued practicing hot yoga for years and then came to understand her life’s purpose: “To share the practice of yoga healing with others.” She decided to quit her job and pursue her dreams of travel and the study of yoga. She studied in Bali with Evolation Yoga under her teachers Mark Drost, Elias Gaitan, Mine Taylan, and Julie K. Nail and received her 250 hour YTT. She is dedicated to exploring all that yoga has to offer by continuing to be student of different types of yoga. She feels yoga is a lifelong journey of discovery. Crystal’s goal in teaching is to encourage self-love, compassion and acceptance. When Crystal is not teaching and practicing yoga she spends her time helping people accomplish their real estate goals. She also loves traveling and you can find her and her fiancé always looking for their next adventure.

Dana Bartee - 500 Hour

I first tried yoga in 2002 when a friend took me to a class at her gym. I had no idea what to expect and no idea what I was doing. The only thing I clearly

  • remember about the class was feeling amazing when I left; I had never felt so energized and yet so calm at the same time. That was it. I was hooked. Soon after that, I signed up for a beginning yoga class with my mom, and yoga has been part of my life ever since. I started a regular yoga practice at age 23, the same year I began a job as a high school English teacher. Teaching has always been my passion, and as my yoga practice deepened and became a crucial part of my life, it seemed natural to learn to teach yoga. I got my 200-hour certification with Theresa Murphy at One Tree Yoga in 2009. When my older daughter was born in 2010, I stepped away from teaching high school, and a little over a year later, I started teaching yoga classes at One Tree. I’m currently finishing my 500-hour certification. When I first came to the mat, my focus was on the physical practice (asana); although I clearly felt the peace and calm yoga brings, it took time for my practice to grow to include the mental/emotional/philosophical aspects (yamas and niyamas, mediation, etc). These days, the majority of my practice takes place off the mat, but I will always love practicing and teaching asana because it provides the ground for everything else. Yoga has made me a better mom/wife/friend /daughter/sister/human, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to share this practice with others.

Gabe Hopp — E-RYT-500, Co-Owner, Teacher Trainer

Gabe started practicing yoga in the early 2000s while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in music therapy from the University of

  • Evansville. She continued that study in Omaha, under Theresa Murphy at One Tree Yoga while she completed her Master’s degree in musicology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gabe took her 200-hour yoga teacher training in Prague, Czech Republic in 2010. Since then, she has trained extensively with master teachers throughout the United States including Tias and Surya Little, Linda Spackman, Nicholai Bachman, Rod Stryker, Ben Vincent, Christina Sell, Noah Maze and Amy Matthews. In 2012-2013, Gabe twice traveled to India to study yoga therapy with Svastha yoga teachers the Mohan’s. In the fall of 2017, Gabe finished her 500-hour certification to become a Prajna Yoga teacher and in December 2024, she completed a second 300-hour training with Christina Sell yoga. Gabe’s philosophy is that yoga is a life practice. One should view yoga practice with a broad scope to include meditation, prayer, chanting, singing, compassion in action, and breathing, as well as physical postures. Through a practice of yoga, we have the opportunity to discover our true nature and our purpose for being here (dharma). Most recently, Gabe has been honing the practice of acceptance.

Lynsi Nauman - 200 Hour

Lynsi started practicing yoga consistently after she graduated from Creighton University. Drawn to the inclusive and intentional community fostered at

  • One Tree Yoga, she decided to pursue her RYT-200 with Gabrielle Hopp, E-RYT 500 and Alison King Tigges, E-RYT 500. Lynsi practices and appreciates all styles of yoga, from the grounding aspects of yin to the uniformity and solidarity experienced in a hot class. Her personal yoga practice is deeply intertwined with her meditation practice. Classes with Lynsi are grounding yet lively. One of her favorite parts of teaching yoga is watching students grow in their own practice and incorporate the lessons yoga teaches off the mat.

Laura Schabloske - RYT 200

Yoga is a part of the fabric of my life. I began practicing in 1991 and fulfilled a bucket list item when I completed by RYT-200 teacher training at One Tree Yoga in

  • 2024. Yoga fills me with joy each and every time I am on my mat and has been my lifeline to recovering from an unexpected pelvic floor injury in 2017. I discovered OTY and worked with Alison individually at that time and have not looked back. In the early days of my practice, I was all about Vinyasa and challenging flows. Over time, my appreciation for all styles of hatha practices has grown and today, I love flow and slow, yinyasa, yin, and hatha styles. Yoga is truly something one can do for life! Aging with grace, mobility, flexibility, strength and balance is my personal goal and one that I wish for all of those that join my classes. I own a sustainability and strategy consulting firm, run a nonprofit organization and am a certified strengths coach in addition to teaching yoga. My husband and I have four amazing adult children. We love time around water, live music, and spending time with our kids!

April Billingsley - 200 Hour

I received my 200-hour teaching certification from One Tree Yoga in 2017. As I got deeper into training I knew teaching was for me. I had been practicing mainly hot yoga for

  • years but immediately fell in love with the vinyasa style as soon as I tried it. My life at the time involved a lot of running and Crossfit, so I really needed the balance and grounding that this style of yoga offered. I wanted to share this with others and dedicate more time to it. I taught online and in studio at OTY as well as some corporate classes and at my Crossfit gym. I took a break from teaching when I had my daughter in 2022 but have continued practicing. I am happy to be returning to One Tree now that my girl is a bit older. She is the love of my life, and a dream come true. I also have a loving husband and 2 spoiled German shepherds at home. I am grateful to yoga for helping me slow down and get to know myself better. I wish this for everyone and am convinced that if we all practiced yoga the world would be a better place!

Kim Delsenno - RYT 500

In 2006, A dear friend and running partner dragged me to my first Bikram Yoga class in Seattle, WA. I remember questioning the sanity of all the

  • people in the room, including the friend who brought me. However, the more I practiced, the more my mind and body and spirit were strengthened. It has become my fountain of youth! In fall 2010, when I graduated from Bikram YogaTeacher Training in San Diego, a whole new world opened up. My greatest joy as a teacher is to see students falling in love with Bikram yoga just like I did. My advice to students, both brand new and especially long-term practitioners: Keep it simple. Just show up and try the right way and do the postures as prescribed. Trust the yoga, trust the process, trust the teacher. I love Bikram Yoga and am grateful for the opportunity to offer it to you!

Mary Pat Paul - 200 Hour

Maintaining health had always been important for Mary Pat. This was made even more so after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer and the ensuing

  • treatment in the late 90s. Mary Pat was drawn to yoga in 2001 while dealing with a herniated disc in her lower back. Intent on finding the best way to deal with the residual pain after physical therapy and avoiding surgery long term, she began practicing the hot yoga series. In the process, Mary Pat learned the importance of maintaining not only a healthy body incorporating balance, flexibility and openness, but a healthy mind as well. Mary Pat added vinyasa style yoga to her practice in 2010 and yin, hatha, and other styles of yoga in the years since. In 2011, Mary Pat completed her teacher training at OTY with Theresa Murphy and is certified at the 200 hour level through Yoga Alliance. She continues the journey to the 500 hour level through Prajna Yoga and their teachers Tias & Surya Little and Linda Spackman. She is most grateful for the knowledge the teachers shared, their patience, and their example of being humble yogis with a joy filled practice. Her teaching style emphasizes gratitude in the fact that our bodies can bend, stretch, move and breathe in the way that is required for yoga. She is honored to share this practice with others through teaching. Mary Pat founded ‘Yoga for Uganda’ in 2011 to help support children, mostly girls, attend school and attain a college degree in the Kampala, Uganda vicinity. As of the end of 2013, this effort has raised over $5000!

Natasha Gromak - RYT 200

I first started yoga in 2006.  I had been a runner, but it was wearing me down and didn’t provide a community for me.  I was introduced to yoga at the Omaha

  • Yoga and Bodywork Center in Benson. For the first 6 years, I practiced a very gentle style once a week. With one of my best friends, I decided to try something more challenging and took a hot class at One Tree Yoga. I was hooked from the first class I took. I love the series, the dialog, the sweat and how I feel after class. I’ve been practicing Hot ever since 3-5 times a week, the majority of the time at One Tree. In 2024, I decided I wanted to do Yoga Teacher Training to further my practice and give back to the Hot community. I completed a 200-hour Evolation Hot Teacher Training with Zefea Samson and Mark Drost. I am excited to serve my students by offering high quality student focused teaching and appreciate Alison and Gabe for allowing me the opportunity to teach and give back to the wonderful One Tree community!

Pamela Chase - RYT 500

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah where my personal yoga practice began in the mid-90’s. I have been an adventurer most of my life and always

  • sought out “the experience” of each event, encounter or moment. Before ever stepping foot on a yoga mat, I spent most of my time on various athletic fields, ski slopes, gym floors and even on stage for theater and in front a movie camera. However, once I found my way to a yoga mat everything shifted. Movement became more embodied, breath began to flow with new found energy and each time on that yoga mat I found a new and irreplaceable experience.

    I am a scientist at heart with an understanding that there are things that science just has not been able to explain; these are the areas that intrigue me. I bring my love of science as well as that “unknown” to my teaching. I believe that everyone has their reasons for stepping onto their yoga mat and I encourage each person to dive deeper and explore those reasons, challenge those reasons, accept then let go of those reasons and open their minds and hearts to other reasons. I bring a bit of education, some questions, challenges and just the right amount of brevity to my teaching. We have to find moments to laugh; they keep us grounded and real!

    I completed my 200 hour at Sound Method Yoga in 2015 and my 300 hour with Pranam Yoga Shala in 2021; both in Omaha, Nebraska.

Veronica Rodriguez - 200 Hour

Veronica received her 200-hour teaching certification from One Tree Yoga in 2015.  She is honored to have received foundational instruction and insight into the  

  • teachings of yoga from both Alison King Tigges and Gabe Hopp.

    Veronica has been a practitioner and lifelong student of the traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga method. She was introduced to Ashtanga by her friend and guide, Jenny Bindrum. She feels a deep sense of gratitude towards this practice that has shown her how to follow the ‘thread of breath’ in walking through life’s unpleasant hardships in order to discover just how strong one can truly be. This particular method of yoga and its many lessons have enabled her to more deeply connect to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of herself. Through the teachings of yoga she has learned to surrender and accept everything that life has to offer with openness and grace.

    In her spare time, Veronica enjoys spending time with her family and is a mother of three children. Professionally, she works as an interior designer and is a small business owner of a carpentry, architectural millwork, and digital fabrication studio in Omaha, NE.

Ryan Andersen - 500 Hour

My name is Ryan Andersen I was born and raised in Omaha Nebraska. I’m loving awareness. I am a husband, father, brother, uncle, son, nephew and cousin.

  • I became a yoga teacher in 2021. I enjoy a daily practice of many forms of yoga which continues to be the foundation of my physical practice. My favorite posture in hatha based yoga is handstand. It took me so long to accomplish just the simplest of asana forms. However this is a great metaphor for life that I truly live by. Today, we practice with the bodies we have. Today, be here and now and love your physical form today. Touching your toes is stretching; yoga is union with everything. I hope to see you in class with a smiling happy face as we become one in this crazy world we live in. Namaste.

Sarah Cavric - 200 Hour

I started practicing yoga in 2018. I had experienced many life changes in a short amount of time and needed a way to release my anxiety and stress. I was an

  • athlete in high school but I wasn’t interested in “typical” exercise or pushing my body beyond its capability to meet some arbitrary standard. I had explored other yoga studios in Omaha and finally settled into OTY. I felt welcome. As a person who has struggled with their weight their entire life, there was no expectation that I was here to lose weight or change anything about myself to please others.

    I completed my YTT at OTY in May of 2023. I am a new yoga teacher, however, not new to yoga. I have practiced several different types of yoga including vinyasa, yinyasa, and hatha. My current favorite practice in yinyasa. I love being able to get into a deep stretch and spend time with my breath allowing my body to settle in. As a larger bodied person, props are my best friend! I look forward to teaching new yogis of all different body types how to use props in a way that will help them feel empowered and strong.

Tracy Astorino - 200 Hour

I enjoy life and all it has to offer. I am a wife, a mother of four, and a business owner. I love to travel and spend time in nature. I was born and raised in Omaha,

  • Nebraska. I have spent the last twenty five years in healthcare. With that knowledge, I understand overall health, fitness, and body awareness.

    I began practicing yoga in 2019 to regain clarity in life and restore my health from the inside out. It was yoga that sparked the fire of transformation within and as a desire to deepen my practice. I completed my yoga teacher training in 2021 with One Tree Yoga. It is now my passion to teach and share the gift of yoga with others. My teaching style is inclusive for all, with a goal of creating a safe space that allows each student to show up exactly as they are and where they are. I want to promote space for self discovery and encouragement to grow both physically and spiritually. My desire is teaching others to conquer their inner chaos and boldly step into the healthiest, most fulfilled version of themselves. True freedom lies in having the awareness and becoming the observer of our own thoughts, ultimately gifting us the power of choice to navigate each day with conscious appreciation.