ZEN Guides
O’Livia Kennedy, MSc Psy, CCHt, CMI, CECP, Reiki II, RYT-200 She/Her/Hers
O’Livia is the C0-Founder/Owner. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis, with a range of certificates in alternative and complementary modalities to effectively deliver a truly holistic approach. She is a trauma-informed, heart-centered practitioner and leads with deep compassion. She practices through a client-centered, holistic framework, meeting her clients where they're at.
O’Livia delivers individual and group programming and services that are integrative and holistic. Her favorite work is teaching clients the effectiveness of a bottom-up approach for healing trauma wounds, utilizing behavior modification strategies, as well as energy, somatic, and yogic techniques and mind-body skills. Her approach combines Energy Work, Intuitive Healing, and Mind-Body skills. These interventions include Yogic Techniques, Somatic Work, EFT, Mindfulness, Meditative Practices, Progressive Relaxation Techniques, Hypnosis, and Therapeutic Imagery.
O’Livia is a RYT, Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Guide, Certified Emotion Code Practitioner, Coach, Brainspotting Practitioner, Reiki Level II Practitioner, Somatic Therapist, and Certified Clinical Hypnotherpist. In her Hypotherapeutic work, she specializes in teaching relaxation techniques, pain management for childbirth and labor, and hypnosis for trauma, anxiety, and phobias.
Idris Kabir Syed, MEd, RYT-200 He/Him/His
Idris Kabir Syed has been practicing Buddhism, Yoga, and meditation in Kent (and elsewhere) since 1990 with various teachers. He has been in 200 Yoga Teacher Training since January 2022 and currently has Yoga Alliance certification in Chair, Wall, Yoga Nidra, and Meditation practices. In the practice of teaching Yoga, he sets the intention of meeting students where they are, giving them space and permission to discover, explore, play, and let go while inviting them to go deeper, at their own pace, into the examination of both challenges and opportunities which life brings and ultimately find some sense of peace and clarity in mind, body, and spirit.
Patty Flaherty, RYT-200, CMI She/Her/Hers
Patty is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and also a Certified Meditation + Mindfulness Instructor. She began practicing yoga in 2017 while looking for ways to manage her anxiety and panic attacks. Breath work and moving the body helped to calm her mind, and, as a delightful bonus, also showed her how to start loving herself. Her goal in teaching yoga is to give hope and a lighted pathway to others who struggle with anxiety by honoring where they are, accepting and breathing into that space, and loving themselves through movement and mindfulness.
Michelle Gibbner, LMT She/Her/Hers
Michelle has been a licensed massage therapist in Ohio since 2009. She specializes in Relaxation, Precision Neuromuscular Therapy (PNMT), and Myofascial Release. She studied at The Ohio College of Massage Therapy and received a two-year associate degree in Applied Science. She has practiced in different settings, including chiropractor clinics, wellness centers, and spas. Michelle lives in Brady Lake with her husband and their always-present rescue dogs, whom they love and adore.
Vicki Osborne, ERYT-500, Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki Master She/Her/Hers
Vicki Has been instructing yoga classes since 2010 when she received certification from Brahmishi Yoga Teacher Training.. Her studies did not end there having completed her ERYT-500 level, Chair Certification, and Wall Training. Vicki wants her classes to be filled with body/breath awareness and for the clients to have a deeper understanding of themselves through movement and relaxation.
Vicki also is a Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki Master under the lineage of Sensei Usui and William Lee Rand. Having completed all certifications she offers reiki sessions and also teaches online and in person to those willing to join in a healing journey.
Whether teaching from the mat or the chair, Vicki Osborne believes in connecting our mind, body, and spirit to a healthy life. We have choices, and for her, those include sharing yoga in a community where she has lived for over 50 years and learned from other local yoga teachers. All levels of practitioners will feel refreshed by her gentle but challenging practice.
Jamie Hottensmith, RYT-200 She/Her/Hers
Jamie is a trauma-informed certified yoga instructor. Adept at fostering community and using stories to weave hearts together, she masterfully employs the power of rite and ritual to empower humans to manifest the best in themselves and others.
She has a passion to guide people back into their bodies, greeting themselves with tenderness and acceptance. Teaching functional fitness for longevity is of great importance and emanates from her core.
As a homesteader and mother of 4, Jamie uses her earthy, grounding energies to create and hold sacred space for others to get curious to explore their internal landscape, bringing them closer to their own spirit, truths, and desires. Allowing them to channel their divinity and authentic power to show up in the world as they are meant to.
Angela Shafer, RYT-200, CMI, INHC, Reiki II She/Her/Hers
Angela Shafer is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, a Reiki Level II Practitioner, and a Certified Meditation Instructor. She believes in the healing power of whole foods, nature, movement, and self-love. She teaches a wide variety of self-care modalities with humor, an open heart, and the belief that connection and community are what sustains us. Helping others better their lives through subtle shifts is what inspires her offerings.
Niara Miller, BScN, RYT-200, CMI, Reiki Master She/Her/Hers
Niara was born and raised in Akron, OH, but attended Kent City schools which opened her eyes to the disparities in health, education, economy, and opportunities in life. This drove her passion to close those gaps not only in the two different communities she was a part of, but also in cultural gaps around the world. She started practicing nonphysical aspects of yoga (the niyamas, sensory withdrawal, pranayama, and meditation) in 2013 and started physical yoga in 2016.
She spent all of her time during the pandemic (2020-2021) traveling across the US and Central and South America. In Central and South America, she studied indigenous plant medicine and trained in shamanism. Niara is trained and certified in the following modalities and practices: 200 YTT(2022), Reiki Master(2020), Herbalist(2018), Breathwork Guide(2020), CMI-Meditation Guide(2020), Shaman/Plant Medicine Guide(2021), Cook(2017), B.S.N Public Health: health Promotion and Education (2016). She also infuses the following intentions into her practice and teachings: intentions with teaching: Self-awareness, Mindfulness, Accountability, Autonomy, Discipline, Holistic Living.
Melissa Celko, MBA, CYT-200, CMI She/Her/Hers
Melissa has been teaching yoga since she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2003. Trained in multiple styles of yoga her grounding is in traditional hatha yoga and the eight limb path. She has taught yoga in a variety of settings including corporations, municipalities, higher education, preschools, gyms, art centers and for private clients. She has done advanced training at The Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA in breathing techniques, yoga nidra, meditation and ayurveda. She is a certified meditation instructor with Koru/MIEA having trained over 800 students, teachers, and administrators in a higher education setting. She is trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and her personal practice is Transcendental Meditation. Melissa has taught meditation and mindfulness since 2012 and integrates this important practice into every class. Melissa is also a strategic wellness consultant, educator and coach supporting corporations, nonprofits, municipalities, and educational organizations across the country. She is mom to two adult sons, a passionate gardener and cook, living in Kent with her partner Jim, two bonus children and a dog named Boo.
Deanna Jackson, CMI, Reiki II She/Her/Hers
Deanna brings a balanced and grounded approach to reiki, mindfulness & meditation. Her goal is to meet clients in a safe space without pressure or judgment, where one can receive the physical & energetic benefits of reiki and learn easy-to-implement techniques so you can incorporate mindfulness & meditative practices into your daily life. With the addition of a positive psychology mindset, you'll be able to nurture & heal your body, mind & spirit while recognizing & reprogramming limiting beliefs that may be holding you back.