About Us
Stephanie Thurm
Owner & Yoga Instructor
Stephanie’s journey with yoga began during one of the most challenging chapters of her life. In 2011, her mother, Twila, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. During those years, yoga became a lifeline for both of them. What started as a way to ease anxiety and find physical relief grew into a deeply grounding and spiritual practice. Through faith, holistic wellness, medical care, and Twila’s resilient spirit, her mother lived five meaningful years before passing in October 2016.
Yoga continued to support Stephanie through her grief. Her practice ebbed and flowed—but the mat was always there when she needed it. The global shift in 2020, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, became another turning point. With a renewed focus on mental and physical wellness, she recommitted to her practice and completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
Today, Stephanie is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher specializing in yin yoga, sound, and functional movement. She remains devoted to exploring yoga in all its dimensions—on and off the mat. Her mission is to share the healing and transformative power of the practice, helping others discover their own unique path to connection, presence, and peace.
Ann Pallasch
Yoga Instructor
Ann brings with her over 10 years of devoted yoga practice rooted in the 26×2 postures and the Bishnu Ghosh lineage, supported by 200 hours of foundational HRT training, 100 hours of advanced HRT, and specialized trauma-informed yoga instruction.
Her approach to both yoga is grounded in steady presence, intentionality, and an unwavering commitment to meeting people exactly where they are.
She was first drawn to yoga as a physical practice but quickly discovered its deeper capacity to heal, regulate, and reconnect.
She continues to deepen her education in mindful movement, restorative yoga, and somatic practices. Ann’s classes are designed to be welcoming and supportive, with a focus on breath, body awareness, and the healing power of presence.
Emma Heinrich
Yoga Instructor
Emma Heinrich’s classes blend breath, movement, and creative expression—anchored in the belief that yoga is both a practice and a path to presence. Her ideal style is a breath-led vinyasa flow, layered with imaginative transitions, purposeful sequencing, and intentional use of props (especially blocks, bolsters, and straps) to support deeper exploration within the practice.
Drawn to yoga through the intersection of meditation and movement, Emma found the mat during a time of mental and emotional struggle. With a lifelong passion for physical activity and a deep curiosity for the inner world, yoga quickly became more than exercise—it became a refuge, a mirror, and a tool for transformation.
Through breathwork and movement, she discovered a sense of grounding and presence that softened anxiety’s grip and opened space for self-awareness, compassion, and joy. That clarity now informs her life both on and off the mat. Emma finds yoga not only in postures, but in writing, in relationships, and in the quiet, in-between moments of daily life.
Emma currently teaches at Yoga Soullective in downtown Raleigh and The Yoga Loft in Wake Forest, and leads monthly pop-ups with Umbrella Dry Bar at the North Carolina Museum of Art. She teaches vinyasa, yin, meditation, sound bath healing, and breathwork, and continues to evolve her teaching through each class and every student interaction.
Embrace the Shift: Autumn Reset Yoga Retreat
September 20–21, 2025 | Day Retreat with Overnight Option
With the fire of summer still glowing and the calm of fall on the horizon, this is the perfect moment to let go, reflect, reset, and rest