Meet Our Instructors
Kristin Venema
Kristin is the owner of Black Coral Yoga. She has been a student of Yoga for over 20 years and teacher of Yoga on Kaua’i since 2015. She holds over 600 Hours of Yoga Education and Certification through studies and trainings on Kaua’i and in San Francisco, CA. Additionally, Kristin is a student of Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of her teacher S.N. Goenka.
Kristin was initially attracted to the practice as it lent itself to her natural inclination towards physicality and movement and acted as a release from the fast paced and high stress environment she had become accustomed to throughout her 20’s. As she delved deeper into Yoga study she began to notice subtle shifts in how she was able to tap into her deepest intuition through this newfound awareness and expand her capacity to feel and experience life. In 2014 Kristin completed a 200 Hour Teacher Training through Yoga Tree in San Francisco and soon after moved to Kaua’i out of a deep desire to direct her life more in line with her soul's true calling. It was on Kaua’i where she completed an additional 300 hours of Yoga Education with Bhavani Maki through Yoga Hanalei in the studio space Black Coral Yoga occupies today. The training and studies through Bhavani and Yoga Hanalei transformed her physical practice and unlocked a passion for the philosophy and psychology of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra. Soon after she sat her first Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of her Meditation teacher S.N Goenka. She began teaching Yoga in 2015 and considers it to be the greatest privilege of her life.
Kristin’s classes are supportive and grounding, focused on alignment, breath, and the freedom found through fluidity of movement. She brings a sense of calm, wisdom and authenticity and will challenge you physically while weaving dharma and the principals and passion she has for yogic philosophy throughout. Her classes invite you to delve deep and expand your awareness of self through an unwavering and compassionate inquiry. Kristin feels deeply honored to share her love of Yoga as a teacher with the beautiful community of residents and visitors to Black Coral on Kaua’i.
Carolyn Price
Raised on Kaua’i, Carolyn first found Yoga in 2014 as a compliment to her active lifestyle. As a long distance runner and swimmer, Yoga allowed her to practice mindfulness, gratitude, and active meditation. Her practice has since evolved to support connection to self, community, and spirit. Carolyn has practiced in various styles of Yoga including Vinyasa, Bikram, Anusara, and Yin. Her style of teaching is a blend of various forms of Yoga and functional fitness. Carolyn is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher, 50 hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher, and dedicated student to yoga. She has been fortunate to learn from teachers in Boston, New York, San Diego, and Kauai. Teachers, students, family, and friends continue to shape her relationship with yoga.
Through teaching, Carolyn strives to give back to the generous and nurturing Kaua’i community. She believes Yoga is a lifelong practice and remains curious about new ways to move and express.
Claire Ragozzino
Claire is a certified yoga instructor and Ayurvedic practitioner with a background in natural cooking. She is the author of Living Ayurveda, a comprehensive Ayurvedic cookbook and lifestyle guide that has been translated into three languages. Her work is dedicated to bringing the wisdom of the Vedas to a modern lifestyle.
Claire has been a lifelong student of yoga. Her mother was a Hatha yoga teacher in the mid-90s, and remembers her first yoga class giggling alongside her mom at the closing OM! As she grew into her own practice in her late teens, it was a natural progression to embark down this path. Claire began teaching in 2009 after completing her first 200-hour training with Kathy McNames of Yoga Vermont.
Her yoga lineage is in the traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa system, studying with Saraswathi and R. Sharath Jois in Mysore, and later BNS Iyengar and Srivatsa Ramaswamy. Following a series of injuries, she expanded her practice with additional training in Functional Yoga Therapy, yin yoga, yoga nidra and prenatal/postpartum.
She now teaches alignment-focused vinyasa yoga classes, weaving together asana, pranayama, mudra and meditation. She remains a passionate student and practitioner of the Vedic sciences and nondual philosophies.
Off the mat, you’ll find her in the kitchen testing recipes, cooking for friends, teaching Ayurveda cooking classes and workshops, or playing in the garden in Ha’ena.
Dylan Roman
Dylan was trained in Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga in New York City. Her classes sync movement, music and breath to stimulate deep focus through playful and challenging sequences. Her steadily-paced vinyasa flow always includes elements of restorative, yin and meditation, emphasizing the importance both effort and ease. Dylan aims to hold a space to uplift, strengthen and connect students to themselves and each other. Outside of teaching yoga Dylan is a tattoo artist who works with her clients to reconnect with their bodies through art and creativity.
Jaime Schrack
Jaime is a nurturer, yogini, and reverent lover of nature. The wisdom of many teachers and paths has been integral to her journey. She has been exploring, practicing, and teaching yoga for 20 years. Her background includes Anatomy, Physiology, Yoga, Ayurveda, Massage, and Craniosacral Therapy.
The foundation of her teaching is rooted in the hatha yoga practices of asana, pranayama, and meditation, blended with her knowledge of human anatomy, myofascial pathways, and somatic practices. Her classes are slow-moving, meditative, therapeutic, and accompanied by gentle, skilled touch.
Along with teaching yoga Jaime is also currently in apprenticeship as a student midwife and in practice a massage therapist and doula.
Jenny Zoberg
Jenny completed her first 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2019. after 10 years of dedicated practice around the world. Soon after, she received her certifications in Yin, Prenatal, Sculpt+Sweat Yoga, and most recently attended courses in Vipassana Meditation and Sound Healing. She is currently studying with Bhavani Makai on Kaua’i and embarking on a 300 hour teacher training and studentship.
Among the many benefits of the practice, Jenny cherishes the way Yoga creates space; - to move, to breathe, and space between thoughts. Growing up an athlete Jenny was accustomed to solely focusing on external achievements. Yoga has shown her the available peace, ease and vitality when that effort is redirected to begin from within. The human body is magnificent and Jenny’s goal is to have you feeling that way about your own while exploring and connecting to the other non physical aspects of yourself.
Jess Chirco
Yoga first found Jess in a high school gym class in 2007. She was instantly taken in by the effects the practice had on her mental and emotional body, waking up early to sneak in sessions before school.Jess later went on to study psychology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, choosing to make yoga the focus of her studies whenever the opportunity presented itself.
After years of snowboarding and backpacking, it became apparent that Jess needed to slow down and tend to her physical body. In 2016 she began practicing and studying under Bhavani Maki in Hanalei and by 2018 she had completed over 300 hours of vinyasa and yoga sutras based trainings. Shortly after Jess started teaching yoga in Hanalei.
In the fall of 2018 she was introduced to Eddie Modestini & Kristin Bosteels on Maui, her present day teachers. Under their guidance, Jess began nurturing her injuries in a way she never had, opening the doors to experience the therapeutic benefits of yoga in a whole new light. She started training with them immediately and since then has completed an additional 200 hours of Iyengar based intensives.
More than a series of physical postures, Jess believes in the power of yoga to transform the inner and outer workings of one’s life. Her classes are detail oriented, weaving alignment and breath awareness, with a strong emphasis on the individual. It is her deepest passion and joy to share yoga as a modality of self-healing and embodied inquiry.
Jessie Austin
Jessie grew up on the beautiful island of Kaua’i and has been a student of yoga since 2005 when she took her first Hatha Yoga class in high school. She immediately fell in love. In her early 20’s she found the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice and was a vigilant ashtangi for about seven years. Ashtanga guided Jessie more deeply into proper alignment, and helped her with the steadiness of effort and the consistency of her practice. She was subsequently inspired to dive deeper into other modalities of Yoga asana including vinyasa, hatha, yin, and restorative. In 2019 she started studying Yoga and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra with Bhavani Maki on Kaua’i and in 2022 she finished her 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Bhavani.
Each class with Jessie is inspired by her own practice and experiences with asana, pranayama, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. Classes are centered around alignment and breath. Focused on foundations, isolating & using specific muscles, observing your own patterns, the subtleties of your body, and entering into poses safely and correctly. Jessie is honored and grateful to be a part of such a rich lineage, and to share her love & passion for yoga with others. To her it is the greatest gift to get to guide others to learn & discover more about themselves through Yoga Asana and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra.
Malia Manuel
Malia is Hawaiian born & raised World Champion surfer, 200 hour certified Yoga Teacher and co-founder of the sclpt co - makers of our favorite fitness bands and accessories to enhance your workout leave you drenched in sweat! Her power and grace in the water shines through in the yoga studio - her signature Athletic Sculpt class is not to be missed!
Mary Maiholt
Mary is a Kundalini and Bhakti Yogi, an artist devoted to unifying hearts with their highest frequency through sound and movement. A trained contemporary dancer with a BA in Dance and Literature, she is passionate supporting others in their search for radical authenticity. Her classes integrate the quest for self-knowledge through ancient mantra technology and soulful creativity. Yoga Trainings include: 300 hour - Kripalu Yoga, 100 hour Anusara Advanced Hatha Training, and 220 hour Kundalini Yoga. Mary is a self-taught musician and has produced 3 albums, with an upcoming mantra album “Angels and Space.” She is also a Reiki Master, facilitating private and group healings. Her yoga classes activate the part of us that wants to remember pure soulful devoted self-loving artistry.
Mary Robbins
Mary is a Yoga Teacher (RYT 200hr), certified Reiki Master, and Meditation Guide. Yoga, Reiki, and Meditation have transformed Mary’s life, and continue to bring her closer to her true essence on a daily basis. Having experienced deep and lasting transformation, she aims to share her tools and help others find peace, serenity, and joy as they move closer toward the life of their dreams.
Michelle Minor
Michelle’s journey with yoga began in 2008 during her studies at college in Santa Cruz, CA. She became instantly hooked on the physical elements of the Vinyasa style of yoga, and the dance-like grace she felt she was able to embody on her mat. She would later become aware of how much more the practice was than just physical movement; how calming and centering it was to her nervous system and overall, how healing it was during challenging situations in life. It became a salve for her in times of intense anxiety, heartbreak, and moments of seeking clarity and surrender.
Michelle’s strives to make all who come to class feel comfortable and welcome in the space. To her, yoga is a compassionate, introspective practice of remembering and coming back home to truth and ultimately, to love.
Michelle’s classes are creatively fluid and rooted in conscious and safe alignment. She is deeply grateful to all of her teachers she has been able to train with over the last 10 years including Mark Stephens, Eoin Finn, Stephanie Snyder, Hannah Muse, Kenny Graham, Seane Corn, as well as her students who she considers her teachers as well. She feels immense gratitude to be able to share her love of this practice with the community on the North Shore of Kauai- her favorite place to BE.
Samantha Nordstrom
Sam’s teaching style is intuitive and heart led. Her mission and vision stem from having been through her own healing journey— she strives to bring all beings an embodied experience of inner peace through the body’s intellect. Sam is inspired by the power of each unique individual and their ability to access joy, empowerment, and wholeness through ancient practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, reiki, and mindfulness. Her offerings are a blend of nourishing movement and soothing sounds. She uses the power of sound to bring people into a deeply healing, restorative, meditative state of being. She has found using crystal sound bowls to be an incredible tool to bring stillness, inner peace, and harmony in our lives. Each class is a loving prayer and an invitation to joy.