About Me - Abby Leigh Hammes
My love affair with yoga started when I began to see it not just as an approach to physical health, but as a tool for my mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
I realized I always left a yoga class feeling stronger, lighter, more connected, more forgiving, and more capable, and I wanted to be able to share that with others. I love to teach yoga because it allows me to move my body, clear my mind, expand my heart, and nourish my spirit while helping others to do the same.
You'll find my classes to have a strong connection with breath and occasionally weave in somatics, mudra, mantra, and Himalayan Kundalini kriya into a physical practice that is accessible to all. My teaching focuses on present moment awareness and aims to have your body, mind, spirit, and breath moving together in harmony. I truly hope all my students leave my classes feeling like they have succeeded - like they have connected with their bodies in a way that feels both nourishing and expansive.
I received my 200hr teaching certification at Sattva Yoga Academy in Rishikesh, India and my 300hr certification at Yess Yoga in Minneapolis.
“Lokah samasta sukino bhavantu.”
“May all beings everywhere be happy and be free,
and my my thoughts, words, and actions
in some way contribute to the happiness and freedom of others.”
CERTIFICATIONS
CPR/AED/First Aid Certification ∙ March 2019
American Red Cross | Minneapolis, MN
200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certified by Yoga Alliance ∙ December 2018
Sattva Yoga Academy | Rishikesh, India
· Hatha asana: alignment principles, mindful transitions, intelligent sequencing
· Meditation: mindfulness, intentional movement toward silence and stillness, japa
· Himalayan Kundalini Kriya: breath-focused, mantra-focused, laya, chi, warrior
· Pranayama: breath exercises and understanding of prana vayus
· Chakras, koshas, deities, mudras, bandhas, naad (mantras)
· Karma yoga: purposeful living, conscious eating/consumption/relating/body awareness, etc.
300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certified by Yoga Alliance ∙ June 2021
Yess Yoga | Minneapolis, Minnesota
· Mantra & the Yoga of Sound: Exploring Nada Yoga as a Path for Transformation ∙ April 2020
· Ayurveda ∙ May 2020
· Astrology & Tarot ∙ July-August 2020
· In-Depth Vinyasa, Anatomy, and Voice ∙ August 2020
· Creative Sequencing & Mudras ∙ September 2020
· Trauma Informed Yoga (Firefly Yoga International) ∙ October 2020
· Inclusivity & Adaptations ∙ November 2020
· Yin & Energy Medicine ∙ upcoming: June 2021
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
750+ teaching hours
JMD Wellness (Brooklyn Park, MN) ∙ June 2021-present
Instructor: Flow
Live True Yoga (Buffalo, MN) ∙ June 2021-present
Instructor: Flow, Rise + Sculpt
River Yoga (Anoka, MN) ∙ November 2020-present
Instructor: Hatha+ Kundalini
Live True Yoga (Victoria, MN) ∙ September 2020-present (currently sub list only)
Instructor: Flow, Rise + Sculpt, Barre
Workshop Facilitator: Mudras (March 2021)
Balance Yoga and Wellness (Buffalo, MN) ∙ September 2020-April 2021
Instructor: Hatha, Vinyasa, Chair Yoga
Workshop Facilitator: Introduction to Kundalini (January 2021)
YogaFit (Roseville, MN) ∙ January 2020-present (inactive since March 2019 due to COVID-19)
Instructor: YogaFlow1
YogaSix (Maple Grove, MN) ∙ December 2019-July 2021
Instructor: 101, Restore, Slow Flow, Hot, Power, Sculpt
Wellness Advisor: member support, membership sales, studio maintenance
Workshop Facilitator: Spring Equinox-108 Sun Salutations, monthly Full Moon Circles
Anytime Fitness (Maple Grove, MN) ∙ October 2019-January 2021
Yoga Instructor
Northern Yoga Center (St. Paul, MN) ∙ August 2019-August 2020
Instructor: All-Levels Flow, Power Flow, Gentle Flow, Chair Yoga + Somatics
Healthwise Yoga & Wellness Studio (Maple Grove, MN) ∙ May 2019-August 2019
Substitute Instructor: Mindful Flow, Restorative, Yoga for Self-Care
WORKSHOPS/TRAININGS ATTENDED
Integral Sound Healing with Crystal Singing Bowls ∙ in progress
Academy of Sound Healing | Online
So You Want to Chant Om? ∙ May 2021 ∙ 1 hour
Tejal Yoga | Online
Tejal Patel
Strong Spirits: Mindfulness & Movement Program (Chair Yoga) ∙ July 2020 ∙ 8 hours
Northern Yoga Center | Online
Jessica Rosenberg, 500/E-RYT, YECEP, 200/500 RYS, MID, Reiki Master
Trauma Informed Cueing + Mental Health Awareness ∙ January 2020 ∙ 3 hours
Northern Yoga Center | St. Paul
Jessica Marie
YogaFit for Warriors ∙ May 2020 ∙ 16 hours
YogaFit | Online
Mary Elko (Comfort) Erteschik, RYT 500, ACE, C-IAYT
Yoga for Nervous System Disorders ∙ May 2019 ∙ 16 hours
YogaFit | Minneapolis, MN
SomaYoga and Somatics Intensive ∙ May 2019 ∙ 20 hours
Yoga North & Tula Yoga and Wellness | St. Paul, MN
Ann Maxwell, MAed, ERYT500, C-IAYT