WHO WE ARE
Hot Yoga Escape opened on November 30, 2016, and has expanded over time to offer an assortment of classes- some hot, some warm, and some just warm. We aim to have a class for everyone's needs and desires.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and offers countless benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. At Hot Yoga Escape, our passionate, experienced instructors create a welcoming and supportive environment for every student, regardless of experience. We believe yoga is more than just a practice—it’s about connection, growth, and community. From the moment you walk through our doors, you’ll feel right at home!
New to HYE? Take advantage of our Intro Special—30 days of unlimited classes for just $49! Your 30 days begin on the day you purchase your package, giving you the opportunity to explore our classes and find what works best for you.
When your first month is over, we offer a variety of affordable membership and class options to help you continue your journey with us.
We like to say yoga, meditation, and movement are a lifestyle. Make that lifestyle change by joining us at HYE! We hope to see you soon!! Please email us at [email protected] or call the studio at 740.397.YOGA (9642) with any questions you might have today.
Be ready to transform your life when you choose to bring Hot Yoga Escape into your life.
Meet our TEam...
April Baker- Instructor
Movement has been a part of April’s LIFE for as long as she can remember. She became certified in group fitness in 2010 and deepened her qualifications in 2011 with certifications in HIIT, personal training, and Vinyasa yoga. She has developed a deep passion for Awakening Yoga, where she completed her 200-hour certification in 2020.
Her journey also includes certifications in Bikram (26&2) yoga in 2018, and YIN and Nidra yoga in 2020. April’s approach to teaching yoga is rooted in the belief that yoga is a pathway to feeling alive. She loves challenging her body to see what it is capable of, constantly asking herself, "What feels good today? What does my body need today?" She hopes her students feel this energy in her classes and ask themselves those same questions. Her goal is to create a practice that is both powerful and safe for everyone. One of the things April enjoys most about teaching is the creativity involved in designing classes—the sequencing, the music, the ups and downs, and the breath. She loves manipulating energy that comes up throughout the session, creating a dynamic and engaging experience for her students. April’s ultimate goal is to create an environment where both she and her students feel strong, confident, and safe, on and off the mat.
When she is not teaching, she loves spending time with her family—Her husband, four kids, and grandbabies. Whether it’s hiking, sitting by the fire, laughing, or sharing a meal, these moments mean the world to her. April is also an avid reader and sets a goal each year to beat her previous reading challenge. Additionally, she loves the challenge of competing in obstacle course races, combining her love for movement with her competitive spirit.
Michelle Blubaugh- Instructor
Michelle joined the HYE team in October 2017 as a HIIT instructor. She brings her high energy to every class. Michelle can also be found running a postal route and feeding treats to all the animals she encounters. She is also a proud mother to her adult son and her fur babies.
Bree DaVis- Instructor
Bree works full-time as a school-aged teacher at a local childcare center, and she also works as a server/bartender at an upscale local restaurant. She was introduced to HYE in 2017 to help bring balance to her busy life. Not only did she find balance, but she also found a love for yoga that helped her in more ways than she could have possibly imagined. She also found the best workout buddy evah!!! She loves being a part of such an awesome community. In February 2020, Bree completed the yoga nidra training so she can help others calm their mind and relax. Her passion has inspired her to train as a hot yoga (26&2) teacher too!
Brooke Divelbiss- Instructor
Brooke received her certification as a HIIT instructor through the American Sports & Fitness Association. She loves movement and sharing the experience with others. Brooke has been on an evolving fitness journey throughout her life, with experience in running, weight lifting, yoga and group fitness, Brooke brings an energetic approach to her practice, focusing on efficient movement, balanced practice, and awesome music!
Outside of HYE, Brooke enjoys spending time with her husband, children, dogs, and friends.
Julie Farmer-Instructor
Julie has been an avid exercise lover all of her life, enjoying running, golfing, walking, and strength training. She has been practicing a variety of yoga styles for the past 18 years and attended her first hot yoga class a few months before the HYE studio opened in 2016. She fell in love with the Bikram 26/2 style and has maintained a dedicated practice ever since. She loves
the healthy breathing, alignment of the body, and balanced energy that is all so good for your soul, mind, and body. She finished her hot yoga teacher training in April of 2025, as she wanted to share her love of the practice and hopefully provide others with the same sense of mindfulness, calmness, peace, flexibility, and energy that she acquires from her practice. She says that yoga is the recipe for staying young, especially in the hot room where you can release all your toxins, anxiety, fear, and focus on your breath, strength, and self-awareness. She loves that the hot room is a place with no judgement and with a strong supportive community.
Outside of yoga, Julie enjoys spending time with her husband, her family and her two dogs!
Lorraine Ferre-Instructor
Choose to ...
Breathe in peace & release fears that bind you.
Love yourself & others well
Live with Integrity
Laugh a lot
Trust your ability to learn & grow
Expand your heart & your happiness...
These are just some of the things Lorraine hopes to model & incorporate in her life walk.
Lorraine started her practice with Hot Yoga Escape in August 2016 & completed her Yin Yoga training in October 2017. She is happy to be back on her mat... Returning in May 2022 after a sabbatical of approximately two years to help with family members facing major health issues. Lorraine returned to teaching Yin yoga in September 2022 & is so grateful to Hot Yoga Escape for bringing quality yoga & wellness to the Mt. Vernon community.
Jamee Hershberger- Instructor
Jamee is a full-time legal assistant. She has a Master's in Psychology with a focus in forensics.
She is also a singer and songwriter. Jamee had been doing yoga at HYE for over two years and then decided to teach YIN yoga after much anticipation and practice! Her favorite classes include YIN, Vinyasa, and Hot Yoga. She found yoga at a time when her world was upside down and is an example of how a strong yoga practice can help heal, nourish the psyche, mind, body, and soul. Namaste!
Amanda Jedlinsky- Instructor
Amanda believes fitness should be both challenging and fun. After discovering HIIT in 2022, she quickly fell in love with its energy and variety. She enjoys the endless opportunities HIIT offers to build strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility while continually growing stronger.
Inspired by the positive impact HIIT had on her own life, Amanda became an instructor to help others experience those same benefits.
Outside the studio, Amanda works in communications for a national floral trade association. She enjoys paddle boarding, reading, practicing yoga, gardening and spending time with her husband, two daughters, and the many animals on their farm.
michelle kramp- Instructor
Michelle is a school teacher with over 20 years of experience in education. She is passionate about teaching and enjoys watching children transform as learners. Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time outside, hiking with her husband and their two daughters, riding horses, or being a 4-H advisor for a dog club. She looks forward to seeing you on your mat to further your growth and development.
Kendra Miller- Instructor
Kendra was initially drawn to yoga as a means of physical exercise but was soon captivated by the deeper benefits. Yoga helps her to de-stress, calm her mind, and allows her to be truly present in the moment on and off the mat. The sense of serenity and contentment yoga brings keeps her engaged and eager to continue learning and practicing. Kendra completed her 200-Hour yoga training with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee through their Studio, Yoga Shanti NY, in 2021 and since completed her 300-Hour advanced yoga training with Yoga Shanti NY in 2023. She continues to study under her teachers Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee. Kendra's goal when teaching is for her students to experience the peace, strength, and joy yoga has brought to her and, most of all, to have fun. Kendra loves that yoga is for all bodies and is excited to use her teaching to show how yoga is inclusive for everyone. She looks forward to continuing her yoga journey with the Hot Yoga Escape community. When she's not practicing yoga, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, painting, taking in the beauty of nature, and relaxing with her dog, Riley.
christina shupp- Instructor
Born and raised in Brazil, Christina moved to Florida in her late teens for school. After a decade, she met her husband, who is from Ohio, and that’s what led her to the town of Mount Vernon, OH.
Fitness and healthy living have always been her passions, but she never imagined she would become a yoga instructor. Even after taking several yoga classes, she still didn’t feel like yoga was her style of workout. That changed about ten years ago when she was invited to try a hot yoga class. The benefits she felt after just one session were undeniable, and she kept coming back. Over time, her practice deepened, and she eventually became an instructor.
Christina believes yoga is about embracing the process rather than striving for perfection. Each time you step onto your mat, you have the opportunity to accept and appreciate where you are in that moment.
In her spare time, she loves water activities, working with kids, helping the elderly, traveling, and spending time with her amazing husband, family, and pets.
Christina teaches Hot Yoga 26/2 and YIN Yoga, and she would love to guide you through your practice. Come join us!
“Yoga is a practice, not perfection. You see the progression every time you return to your mat, and that’s the beauty of yoga—you learn to love and embrace yourself just as you are.”
khara strum- Instructor
Khara has been practicing yoga for nearly two decades and uses yoga to reconnect body, mind, and spirit to live more fully from the heart space and in the present. While living in California, she deepened her practice with a 200-hr Vinyasa teacher training and a 30-hr Classic YIN training with Devi Daly that she enjoyed so much that she repeated it. Khara studied Kirtan at the Kirtan Leader Institute, sang with a kirtan band, and led her own kirtan events online and in person. She enjoys winding down on Sunday evenings with YIN and leading yoga workshops and groups as she has time.
Outside of the studio, Khara leads a food and farm non-profit and enjoys exploring nature and digging into house projects with her partner, Ryan.
Sherry Maharg- Instructor
Sherry has been on her health and fitness journey for about 9 years. She was introduced to HYE in early 2017 and has enjoyed it ever since. She completed the Inferno Hot Pilates (HIIT) teacher training in February 2020. Sherry is looking forward to sharing what she has learned in her HIIT classes. Sherry is excited to continue with more training in the future.
Sarah Murnen- Instructor
Sarah has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years. She first started practicing with a friend, adding it to other forms of exercise. She learned that yoga had many more benefits than just improved fitness. Whereas she tended to be “type A” and somewhat anxious, that has changed much through the practice of yoga. She has much better focus and concentration, as well as better balance and strength. She started “hot yoga” soon after Hot Yoga Escape (HYE) opened and has become addicted to the hot room, which has improved her flexibility like no other yoga experience. She enjoys all of the classes that are offered at HYE, including vinyasa-style yoga (in a warm rather than hot environment) and HIIT.
Emily Vonck- Instructor
Emily is a certified HIIT instructor through the American Sports & Fitness Association and was trained in-house at Hot Yoga Escape. She believes strongly in the connection between mental and physical wellness, and is passionate about helping others discover how exercise can enhance every aspect of their lives. Emily believes working out should be fun, and creates dynamic, engaging classes that challenge the body while strengthening the mind.
When she’s not teaching, Emily works at the American Heart Association and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and spending time with her family.
TERRI LEWIS, Owner/instructor
Hello and welcome to Hot Yoga Escape! I am so happy you are here. My name is Terri Lewis, and I am proud to be the owner of Hot Yoga Escape.
My love for yoga began during college, and when I discovered hot yoga in 2007, I was hooked! Becoming a hot yoga instructor felt like a natural next step. I truly believe yoga is for everyone, and I love sharing the many physical and mental benefits of the practice with others.
I was born and raised right here in Knox County, but spent many years traveling and living in different parts of the country before returning home in 2017 to be closer to family.
When I'm not at the studio, you'll likely find me spending time with my daughters, traveling, enjoying the outdoors, or tending to our little zoo of animals—including dogs, a cat, goats, and bunnies!
One of my favorite things about Hot Yoga Escape is the amazing community we've built. I look forward to meeting you, welcoming you into our studio, and sharing this special place with you!
THE STUDIO
812 Coshocton Ave
Bldg 2, Unit 1
Mt Vernon, OH 43050
THE STUDIO
Escape from your day to day and find yourself in a place for you to just be you.
Copyright ©2026 All rights reserved