CORE CONNECTIONS
Pilates, Yoga & Barre Wellness Studio
815 St. Joseph Street (lower level) Rapid City, South Dakota
Michelle was born and raised in South Dakota, is married to her best friend and has 2 amazing and fun loving boys. I fill most of my day with school activities and taxing my kids to their sporting events. My family is my whole world, but my one selfish thing I allow myself is to enjoy an hour of mat time a day. Practicing at Core Connections has truly helped me center myself so I can be a better wife and mom for my family. I am so excited to be able to share what I have learned with others and hope they love the mat time as much as I do.
Karise has lived most of her life in the Black Hills. She began practicing at Core Connections in 2014 when a coworker mentioned she was going to Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga. Since then, she has been hooked! Not only are the leaders great, but the other members are so supportive and non-judgmental. Everyone has a place at Core! Join a practice with Karise for Pilates, Barre, or a high-energy Cardio Blast class.
Tuula is a native of South Dakota and has lived in Rapid City since 1996. She began her yoga journey in 2002. Being an athlete all of her life, she immediately fell in love with the way Yoga complimented her active lifestyle. She began leading yoga & Pilates in 2005 & with much passion, opened Core Connections Pilates, Yoga & Barre Wellness Studio in 2011. Currently the studio has 13 dedicated leaders and offers over 150 open practices per month along with Fit Camps, workshops, retreats & private sessions throughout the year.
RHYI-225, she takes practice to a whole new level accessible for everyBODY. She loves a strenuous, upbeat, practice but also enjoys to just breathe & be on her mat. Leading practice for the very beginner to advanced practitioner, you will find her practices to be light hearted, energetic, invigorating and above all else…FUN!
Jennifer is a South Dakota native and has lived in Rapid City since 2011. In 2014, after much hesitation (Am I flexible enough? Will I truly get a good enough workout? Can I really do this?!) Jennifer attended her first Pilates, barre and yoga classes at Core Connections. Immediately she was hooked! She fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere and the wide range of practices available. She also began to see a change in her body that she didn’t expect. While not being the type to rely on a scale to tell her how healthy she was, she noticed that her clothes fit different and she had toning in places she had never seen before! Jennifer wholeheartedly believes that loving the person you are on the outside begins with loving the person you are on the inside, and Core Connections has helped her get to that point and live it out on a daily basis.
Lynn Brown is a Montana native and a SD resident since 1977. She took her first yoga class at college and has been a fitness buff for most of her adult life focusing mostly on strength training and cardio when raising her children. However, as her children grew and left home, she began to notice changes in her body brought on by aging, and once again began to focus on yoga as her exercise lifestyle of choice in 2010. The balance, flexibility, mindfulness, and strength gained through her yoga practice served her well in her treatment and recovery from breast cancer in 2014 and recovery from a heart valve replacement surgery in 2016 due to congenital condition.
Lynn has been a member of Core Connections since 2012 and earned her RHYT-225 in 2014. Her slow-flow vinyasa-style classes focus on proper alignment and breath. She believes that yoga is accessible and beneficial to everyone. She encourages all her students to focus on self-acceptance and what they can do on any particular day as self-condemnation and judgement have no place on the mat. She is convinced that yoga, in conjuction with proper nutrition and a strong faith, make it possible to age well and be healthy throughout your life.
Anne has been a member of Core Connections since August of 2015. She lives a very active life style and enjoys ballroom and country dancing as well as outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. She has exercised for several years on her own, but enjoys the regularity and support found at Core Connections. Core Connections fits right in with this active and healthy lifestyle by providing stretching and strengthening exercises. Through regular exercise and healthy eating, Anne is able to focus on her work in her home office. She looks forward to leading practices and sharing
with the other Core practitioners.
Tammy joined Core Connections to promote mind, body, and spiritual wellness for herself. I have become more relaxed, centered and I have muscles that I never knew existed. The way Pilates, Yoga & Barre made me feel connected has always stayed with me. I became a leader because I wanted to share with others how Pilates/Barre can make you healthier, happier and a better stronger version of themselves. I say in my class or when sharing Core Connections with others that it is like Burger King, no matter size, age, shape ~ YOU can have it your WAY! Although balancing family and a career may be tough sometimes I believe that finding time for yourself and your health is very important, and can help with focus, stress & LIFE! If you haven’t tried Pilates yet, what are you waiting for? I hope that Core can help you as much as it helped me!
I love spending time with my husband Dean and 2 children Madison & Evan. My husband and I believe in the importance of giving back to the community & we love & are active in the Cornerstone Rescue Mission and other charitable organizations.
In my free time, I enjoy camping, hiking, my workouts at Core , traveling, time with family & friends, cheering on the kid’s at their soccer games, going for walks with our 2 dogs (Venn & Zehn), cuddling with my cat Pumpkin, cooking, attending South Canyon Lutheran Church, reading, search a word, movies, game night with family and online shopping.