Meet our Teachers
Kalia Kohut, owner
As a child, Kalia “Lynn” always enjoyed movement. She began studying dance at age 4.5 and was introduced to Hatha yoga at age 8 when her mother became a yoga instructor. Kalia has over 20 years of dance teaching experience and has been a practitioner of the healing arts for over 25 years. Her vast knowledge about the body’s alignment, injury recovery and disease prevention is openly shared with loving assistance. In her private practice, Kalia Healing LLC, she specializes in healing bodywork via CranioSacral Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage Therapy, Therapeutic Aromatherapy, and Prayerful Counsel.
When Kalia was introduced to Bella Kai in 2021, The Original Hot Yoga, 26+2 series, reminded her of ballet barre exercises with its consistent series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. The predictability of this yoga sequence allowed her to witness progress made with regular practice which increased self esteem, flexibility and strength. Kalia, mystified by the healing effects she experienced in her own body, couldn’t wait to introduce her clients to the series! She proceeded to complete her Hot Yoga 26+2 Teacher Certification with Evolation Yoga in February 2022 and immediately began teaching and managing Bella Kai Yoga when the doors re-opened to the public in April!
In May 2023, Kalia transitioned into Bella Kai’s new mama! She is thrilled to expand the core hot yoga classes with fitness classes and other complementary wellness offerings to grow this precious community!
Kalia, a 20-year resident of Kailua lives with her husband, Chris, and tuxedo kitty, Puka. When she is not in service at Bella Kai Hot Yoga, she loves to study the Bible, read, write, sunbathe, and swim in the ocean.
Gail Bursell
Gail, E-RYT 500, has been practicing hatha yoga off and on for over 40 years. In 2003, she was introduced to the 26&2 practice (Original Hot Yoga) and quickly discovered that practicing the challenging, hot, sweaty yoga series on a regular basis provided her with the emotional, physical, and mental relief she needed to successfully and gracefully handle her very stressful working-life. Her practice also gave her a renewed sense of joy in her life, in general, which led to her resolving to making it a life-long endeavor.
Realizing that she wanted to be able share her passion for this yoga with others, in Spring 2005, Gail went to Teacher Training in LA in and graduated from the Yoga College of India. Gail has since gone on to also become certified in Trauma Sensitive Yoga from Boston’s Trauma Center, Yin Yoga from Semperviva Yoga with Bernie Clark, Vinyasa Yoga from Maha Yoga Institute with Murti Hower, Adaptive and Trauma Sensitive Yoga specific to military populations from Warriors at Ease, iRest Yoga Nidra level 2, and Children’s Yoga from Kidding Around Yoga.
Gail has found witnessing the transformative effects of the Original Hot Yoga on people’s health and well-being awe-inspiring and feels privileged and appreciative to be able to join others on their yoga and mindfulness journeys. She is deeply grateful to her teachers, colleagues, and students for everything they have taught her, and continue to teach her, about the yoga.
Gail has taught in studios in Massachusetts, California, Hawaii, and Melbourne, Australia. She has been teaching on Oahu for over 17 years. Currently, she teaches on Oahu’s Windward side, where she also lives.
Naomi Lee
Naomi Lee has been practicing Hatha Yoga for 7 years with Bella Kai. She was a workaholic running her own business and found refuge and solace at Bella Kai. She fell in love with the practice as it enabled to heal her overworked body and to help her silence her mind. Being a creative being and artist at heart, she has also become the "in-house resident artist" at the studio.
She was born and raised in Panama City, Florida and has lived in Hawaii for 30 years. She is Lagree Certified and is currently teaching Lagree at Komo Studio.
In 2023, Naomi completed her 250hr hot yoga teacher certification with Evolation Yoga. Her favorite motto is "health is wealth". She is passionate about leading and guiding others to a healthier lifestyle through the practice of Hatha Yoga. She loves the mental and physical healing benefits of the practice.
Currently retired, she enjoys traveling around the world, drawing/painting, caring for her two fur babies, and decorating/designing store windows.
Daniel Phillips
At 17, Daniel’s father took him to his first hot yoga class. It was life changing. Practicing Bikram yoga for 15 years now, Daniel Phillips completed his Hot Yoga 26&2 teacher training in November 2023 with Evolation Yoga. Working in Construction for almost 2 years now, the benefits of practice are ever more evident to his lifestyle.
Daniel's background has been in Martial Arts. Trained and taught Western boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu jitsu, and Jeet Kune Do. Yoga has always been consistent in his training, practicing almost everyday for the last 5 years.
Daniel is continually discovering new styles of yoga such as Ghosh Bishnu 84 asanas to expand his practice and exploration of himself. He is passionate that people discover yoga and the myriad of benefits it holds for each and everybody.
If you're in class, chances are he is too!
Jasmen Iannone
Jasmen’s journey into healing began when her body asked her to slow down. After years of feeling unwell, she was introduced to mindful movement as a way to reduce stress and restore balance—an experience that shifted not only how she moved, but how she lived.
In 2020, Jasmen enrolled in a Restorative training as an act of self-care. What began as a personal reset quickly became a deeper calling to move with intention, honor the nervous system, and create space for true rest and renewal.
She holds certifications in Barre, Restorative Yoga, and Vinyasa, and is also a Reiki and Sound Healing practitioner. Jasmen’s teaching style blends strength, control, and softness, offering experiences that support both physical resilience and deep relaxation.
Her classes are thoughtfully curated and intuitively guided, meeting students where they are and encouraging a balance of effort and ease. Through mindful movement, intentional rest, and sound, Jasmen invites students to slow down, reconnect, and leave feeling grounded, supported, and restored.
Micaiah Ganz
Micaiah is a former professional ballet, jazz, and modern dancer. During her 15+ years dancing professionally, she also worked as a personal trainer, yoga teacher, fitness instructor, and dance teacher - and at this time has over 20 years of teaching and fitness experience.
She also created and taught the leading Barre method in Canada called “Barreworks”, as well as designing their teacher training manual and course for teacher certification.
Micaiah was also the Co-Artistic Director of DeviationDance and the humanitarian program, Healing Through Dance - a 503(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings dance and healing to communities at risk.
As well as being an accomplished dancer, teacher, and trainer, Micaiah earned an Honors BA in Psychology from York University graduating Summa Cum Laude. Micaiah’s background in dance, fitness, yoga, and psychology have all contributed to her striving to provide health, happiness, and the highest possible quality of life to all people.
She is now excited to bring all of these passions to this community at Bella Kai. See you all in class!
Madison Jasperson
Madison is a mom of three and a military spouse who believes in the power of movement to build both strength and connection. Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, she brings an inviting, community-focused energy to every class she leads.
She became an AFAA certified group fitness instructor in 2020 and specialized with a certification in Upbeat Barre in 2021. Her classes are thoughtfully designed, music-driven, and accessible to all levels—blending low-impact strength, intentional movement, and a steady burn that challenges both body and mind.
Madison is known for creating an uplifting, inclusive atmosphere where clients feel supported, energized, and fully present. Her goal is for every person to leave class feeling stronger, more confident, and deeply proud of what their body can do.
Pua Sablan-Lee
Meet Pua - a born-and-raised Kailua girl -raising her family nearby in Kāneʻohe for the past 13 years, Pua is a proud mama of four and has been married for over 21 years. By day, she anchors her community roots as the finance manager for a local non-profit dedicated to providing vital workforce development for youth and young adults in the justice system. Dedicated to leadership and local service, she also serves on the church council at Anchor Church in Kāneʻohe. While she loves managing numbers and serving her community, fitness has simply always been something Pua has enjoyed and found genuine joy in.
A natural encourager long before stepping into the professional arena, she spent years lifting up others in their health journeys before cementing her expertise as an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and Glute Specialist. With over three years of explosive experience commanding high-energy Strength & Conditioning and Boxing Fitness classes at Hibred House alongside targeted Group Sculpt sessions at Uplift, Pua is constantly sharpening her craft and is currently pursuing her professional Barre Certification to bring a truly comprehensive movement experience to Bella Kai.
Pua is the architect behind the Sanctuary Strength + Sculpt method—a signature, multi-generational format engineered to bridge the gap between high-performance fitness and deep, grounded intention. Driven by the philosophy that movement is about stewardship rather than vanity, her method empowers clients to shift away from superficial trends to build a resilient, powerful body primed for life's greater purposes. To serve every member of the community, Pua delivers her signature method through two distinct class formats:
Sunrise Grit: Built for the early morning group, this high-energy, efficient format masterfully fuses raw physical grit with heavy compound lifts and explosive bursts of boxing cardio set to the beats of R&B, hip-hop, and rap. It is a fast-paced, transformative safe haven designed to challenge the muscles and release external stress.
Sanctuary Grace: Utilizing her core strength and sculpt principles, this dedicated faith-and-fitness format transitions the room into a space of inner grace. Set entirely to contemporary worship music, it removes the heavy cardio bursts and slows down the pace, incorporating intentional, reflective pauses, praise, gratitude, and prayer to restore the mindset and honor the body.
Erin Cortez
Born and raised in Oregon, Erin moved to Oahu in 2017 and instantly fell in love with the community here on the windward side. She has always found working out as a positive outlet and place to go whenever challenges arise both mentally and physically.
With a goal to share this passion with others, she received her NASM Certified Personal Trainer certification in September 2023 and her Barre Fitness Alliance certified Barre training in February 2024. Her Barre training includes pelvic floor health and hands-on adjustments. She has received continued training in sculpt and cardio Barre.
Her healthcare background, love of fitness, and mission to help others with their overall wellness has created a passion in her to not only teach, but inspire and encourage others in all walks of life through her classes. Erin strives to bring energy, love, and aloha to all of her classes and create a safe and fun community for her students.
Erin feels closest to faith in God through fitness. Physical challenges remind her of life’s obstacles and provides opportunities for prayer reflection and growth. Through movement , she seeks to strengthen not only her body but also her mind and faith. Check out her pop-up class “Sanctuary Barre” which blends faith, fitness and restoration.
When she is not in the office or at the barre, you can find Erin on a mountain somewhere!
Wolf Purnananda
After 14 years of practice in the field of Sports Medicine, Wolf felt the call towards the ancient teachings of yoga, the art of Natural Holistic Healing and Shamanic Practices. While attending school for Naturopathic studies, Wolf discovered that teaching the physical practice of yoga (asana) was the way to merge his background of Sports Medicine and Spiritual Healing. Then in 2013, Wolf graduated from Loyola Marymount University with their "Yoga and Healing Sciences” accredited program.
Along the journey, Wolf has been blessed with many teachers. For three years, he studied with an Abbot of the Rinzaiji Buddhist Monastery located in Los Angeles where he advanced his personal spiritual practice by taking residence there. During this time, Wolf also began working with two unique shamans who helped him to connect deeper to his native indigenous roots. In 2015, Wolf ventured to the Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville for their “Living Yoga" Internship Program located Virginia, furthering his personal spiritual journey.
In 2022, Wolf was invited to study the Teachings of Kundulini Yoga under the guidance of Guru Singh. Alongside this study, he became a level 1 Teacher of Qigong in the RenXue Lineage.
Wolf’s enthusiasm for healing infuses his yoga teachings. At Bella Kai, he teaches restorative fusion yoga & Qigong classes focused on foundational alignment and connection within. Wolf prefers to complete his classes with sound healings and meditation techniques. His classes have been described as, “Healings… sprinkled with yoga”.
Rachel Stone
Rachel was born in Kailua and raised in Kaneohe, Hawai'i. Classically trained in ballet for 10 years, she has always had a passion for dance and movement since she was 2 years old. The Dragon Tales theme song was and (probably still is) her jam.
She has been a licensed and practicing board-certifiedclinical pharmacist since 2020. In July 2024, after being away from home for 10 years, Rachel was finally able to move back home and currently works as a cardiology pharmacist on island.
Rachel became barre certified in March of 2025. Her journey from barre enthusiast to barre-instructor started by attending barre, yoga, and sculpt classes to improve her mental health and increase her physical activity throughout the week. She believes in a holistic approach to wellness by addressing not only one's physical wellbeing but also mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.
Her personal goal is to inspire others to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, and she is so happy she can perpetuate this as a pharmacist and now as a barre instructor.
When she is not in the clinic or at the barre, you can find Rachel spending time with family and friends, taking her shih tzu Lucky Boy to the dog park, or you can find her at the beach!
Hannah Smith
Hannah brings over a decade of experience in movement, rooted in a personal weight loss journey of 100 pounds that reshaped not just her body, but her relationship with it.
She holds an ACE Group Fitness certification and has spent years building her teaching foundation; volunteering to teach kickboxing to youth through a local non-profit, and most recently assisting with kickbox cardio instruction here at Bella Kai. Her classes draw on a strong background in kickboxing and strength training, weaving together functional core work, compound movements, and cardio bursts that challenge you without leaving you behind.
A dedicated student herself, Hannah has been practicing hot yoga at Bella Kai for the past year and a half. This practice has continued to deepen her understanding of breath, body awareness, and showing up consistently.
She teaches from a belief that movement should feel like coming home. In a world full of noise and distraction, her goal is simple: to create a space where you can show up exactly as you are, connect to your body, and find joy in what it can do.
Lynn Hudorovich
Lynn is a 500-hour certified yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator, and intuitive guide passionate about helping students reconnect to themselves through mindful movement, breath, and presence.
Her classes blend intelligent alignment, soulful flow, nervous system regulation, and deep restoration to create an experience that is both grounding and transformative.
Drawing from her background in trauma-informed healing, meditation, and holistic wellness, Lynn creates a welcoming space where students can strengthen the body, calm the mind, and cultivate inner connection.