Our Instructors
Jill first discovered Yoga 45 years ago as a child but only began to deepen her practice after moving to Indiana from Pittsburgh in 1996. After finishing a Ph.D. program in Literature and Criticism at IUP in 2003, she completed two 200-hour yoga teacher training programs, the first with Kathy Elder at Kalani on the Big Island of Hawaii, and the following year at the Living Yoga Program in Austin, TX. Jill began teaching Yoga in 2005 and has since worked with yoga and meditation teachers from a variety of traditions and styles. She completed a training in teaching Trauma Sensitive Yoga with the Heart of Gold Therapy Project in Pittsburgh and has also earned certificates specializing in Ashtanga Yoga, the primary series (with David Swenson), Kundalini Yoga (with both Gurmukh and Shakta Kaur Khalsa), Pre-Natal Yoga (Yoga Matrika, Pittsburgh) and Children’s Yoga (YogaKids® International). Additionally, she earned a certificate as a Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in 2021. With the vision of bringing teachers and students of Yoga and related practices together to create a Yoga community in Indiana, Jill opened Sunflower Yoga Studio in February of 2008. It is her intention to continue sharing the life-transforming benefits of Yoga, mindful movement and exercise, and inspiring new and experienced students alike through Sunflower Yoga & Fitness!
Natasha Jo Koszarek became curious about others, the universe, and togetherness early in life in her hometown of Omaha, NE at her parents’ BBQ restaurant. Her journey leading groups began as she studied art, counseling, and psychotherapy in Philadelphia. Natasha graduated with her Master’s in Professional Counseling and Art Therapy in 2016. In 2015 while completing her thesis, which considered the emotional experience of primary caregivers for those in end of life, she also studied to become a reiki shoden. She is now a wife, mother, 15+ year avid yogi, and homemaker in Indiana, PA. When she’s not helping others get their own homes clean and organized or guiding others in their yoga practice, she enjoys tending the garden, wandering and sometimes getting lost, and experimenting in the kitchen. Although Tasha does not professionally practice as a therapist, she has always been and will always be listening and learning.
Chris has been teaching Dance Fitness at SYF since Spring 2019. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and after 15+ years serving the community at Walmart Pharmacy is now employed at Diamond Pharmacy Services. Chris has been active in sports & fitness since she was a teen, including running a half marathon in 2013 & lifting after having children. What started out as covering classes turned into something too enjoyable to stop. Come dance with her and share the enjoyment of exercise while dancing. Classes are choreographed and simple enough to dance along to.
The Lauryn Osborne Memorial Fund
Sunflower Yoga lost our dear friend and instructor Lauryn Osborne suddenly in January. Please consider contributing to the memorial fund to help her husband Corey care for their 5-year-old son Jackson.
Katie discovered the powerful benefits of yoga over 20 years ago. She has used yoga to reverse the curvature of her spine, develop strength and manage stress throughout her life. Katie earned her yoga certification in 2022 through Breathe for Change, a yoga teacher training geared toward educators. She is currently being trained to teach yoga to children and teens through the Santosha Yoga Institute. Katie is a first grade teacher in the community and has two children of her own. She enjoys animals, nature, and sharing her love of yoga and wellness with others.
Roxann discovered Dance Fitness classes at Sunflower in 2012 and hasn’t stopped coming since. In 2019 she obtained her certification in Dance Fitness through the American Sports & Fitness Association. Her classes feature cardio workouts that are fun and easy-to-follow for any fitness level. She has provided classes in the community and joined Sunflower as an instructor in 2022. In 2023, Roxann obtained her certification as a Barre instructor in the American Barre Technique and teaches this low-impact full-body workout with higher intensity movements.
Outside of Sunflower, Roxann works in executive management, volunteers with the Red Cross as a Disaster Responder, is an amateur potter, and an outdoor enthusiast. She loves helping others push themselves to reach their fitness goals and feel more confident.
After teaching locally for 35 years, Deborah retired and has become a student of yoga. She always had a keen interest in physical fitness, even winning a bench press contest at the age of 25! Now, however, she finds greater satisfaction in her yoga practice. For her, yoga offers the best combination of spiritual and physical practice, along with proving to be of maximum benefit in serving and aiding the body through life’s journey. There is a soothing sense of peacefulness and harmony that mixes well with the awareness of the body’s posture, movement, and alignment. Deborah completed her Yoga Fit teacher certification in December 2012 and has been teaching at the studio since then. She hopes to bring to “boomers” like herself that same sense of peacefulness, harmony and energy while developing a more flexible and fluid body.