About Us
At HeartYoga every class is a breathing class first! What makes our studio unique is the tremendous emphasis we put on your breath. We don’t have levels because no one should ever feel excluded from a yoga class. Paying attention and breathing deeply are all that’s required for you to be successful and get the many benefits of yoga.
We chose the name HeartYoga because yoga is a path of learning to love yourself and others more authentically. We are a community that is striving to embody that kind of love. Also there is something magic that happens when you pour your heart into your practice, when you really give it your all. You’ll have the chance to do that here. And finally, yoga takes us past superficialities. It gets us to the “heart” of things. Your practice will help you see yourself and the world around you more clearly.
Meet OUR TEACHERS
Jason Hulshof
Jason has been teaching yoga since 1998 and has had the good fortune to teach thousands of yoga students over the years, and to see it change their lives for the better.
Originally self-taught, he found his teacher, Jonny Kest, in the year 2000. He worked with and trained under him for 16 years at the Center For Yoga in MI and on a national level with Life Time Fitness. In those roles he helped to train and mentor hundreds of yoga teachers and teacher training facilitators across the country.
Jason founded HeartYoga with his wife Lisa in Minneapolis in early 2016. Their goal was to create a yoga community where people could pour their hearts into their practice and feel the healing and renewal that comes from that effort. After 6 years leading a vibrant yoga community in MN, they moved HeartYoga to the shores of the Pacific Ocean in beautiful Mission Beach San Diego.
His teaching stems from the understanding that healing, peace and awakening are always available within—We just have to follow our breathing and trust our experience.
Kirstin Benish
Kirstin is originally from Minnesota, but has called San Diego home since 2020. As a former gymnast, Kirstin dabbled in yoga spaces throughout her life, but discovered the depth of the practice–that yoga is beyond asana–at HeartYoga in Minneapolis in 2018. Curious by nature and a forever student to the world around her, Kirstin completed her 500-hour training in 2021 and the opportunity to teach presented itself shortly after. Her passion for the practice comes from her love of building community and interest in mental health/healing modalities. She’s honored to be able to share it: whether it is a powerful hot vinyasa class, a slow and meditative yin class, or a style in-between.
Allison Aldridge
Hi, I’m Allison aka Ali aka Rallycat 🙂 After practicing yoga on and off for 15+ years, in 2021 my love of world travel brought me to a retreat in Mexico where I discovered the lineage of yoga that profoundly changed my life for the better – propelling me to complete my RYT 200 so I can share this magic with others. I’m passionate about bringing a balance of casual, fun vibes + deep, purposeful energy to my classes, and holding space for you to come unapologetically as you are. No frills, no expectations, so you can drop in and connect with yourself, in order to better connect with this beautiful world around us. Life’s a journey and we’re all just figuring it out together – I’m excited to connect with you, both on and off the mat!