Meet The Team
Lyn Kirkman
ERYT 500, ERYT 200, YACEP, REIKI MASTER, CERTIFIED SOUND PRACTIONER, AERIALIST, FOUNDER
Lyn Kirkman is the founder & lead instructor of Atomic Lotus Yoga & Aerial Fitness. Lyn loves to share her knowledge & passion for aerial fitness & yoga with others. Lyn has been practicing & teaching aerials/yoga since 2013 in studio class settings, private class events, & group settings. More than anything, Lyn loves to share aerial arts with others & is most comfortable teaching her love for the art & practice with people from diverse backgrounds & fitness levels.
Lyn is inspired by her students & lives for the moments of achievement that only comes with the development of strength & mental clarity that aerial arts, fitness, & yoga provides. With a background in biological sciences/genetics & with a passion for anatomy, various forms of yoga, pilates, & aerial arts have been a natural continuation of her love for creative movement arts & restorative fitness. Lyn's drive & passion for helping others in her community by way of yoga, aerial arts, movement, & meditation continue to fill her heart daily.
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Lyn teaches:
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Monday Slow Flow Yoga 1015a, FLY Bungee Fitness 1130a, & Aerial Yoga Level 1/2 6p
Wednesday Yin Yoga 10a & Aerial Strength & Flexibility 1130a
Thursday- Aerial Strength & Flexibility 6p
Friday Yin/Yang Flow Yoga 1015a
Saturday- Rotation Aerial Yoga Level 1/2 930a & Hammock Level 1/2 1045a
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She also teaches private lessons, private group lessons, parties, & events.
Michael Knapp
Aerial Coach
Performer
Michael Knapp has been teaching aerial and performing in St. Pete for 5 years.
On stage, Michael combines strength and technique with theatraticallity, as a coach he focuses on these skills to create a challenging but fun and rewarding atmosphere where everyone can leave feeling accomplished and beautiful.
Michael specializes in fabric but loves all forms of aerial and circus arts.
Cassidy teaches:
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Friday Aerial Silks Level 2/4 & Hammock Level 3/4
Amber Young
RYT 200 Yoga Instructor
Aerialist Coach, Performer
Amber loved being active her whole life and wanted to know how the body moves and works but also struggled with health issues and fatigue. Exercise became an outlet to improve her health and strength. She tried hot yoga in 2009, falling in love with the heat, the physical aspect, and the emotional release.
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After having two girls 19 months apart, Amber was consumed by motherhood and struggled to get through each day. Remembering her love of yoga, she started again. Yoga helped her identify as someone other than a mom, improving her mental and physical life. She then was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders and chronic Lyme Disease. Again, yoga was there to keep her body and mind strong, while releasing the stress and emotions of chronic illnesses. She decided to further her practice by becoming an instructor, graduating Yoga Centric’s 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in April 2021.
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In addition to mat class, Amber tried an aerial yoga class in 2017 and again immediately fell in love. It was the perfect complement to mat practice. In September 2020, she graduated Aerial Teacher Training through AerialKim Aerial Yoga. She then began advancing her skills in October 2020, through aerial sling classes at Ascend Flow Arts and started teaching aerial privates in April 2021.
Amber’s passion is to share her journey and knowledge, so she may help people find their own healing paths, both on and off the mat or in the air if they choose to fly!
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Amber teaches:
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Tuesday Aerial Yoga Level 1-3 6p & Hammock Level 2/3 715p
Thursday Aerial Yoga Level 1/2 & Hammock Level 2/3 1130a
Rachel "Kittie" Howard
Aerial Coach
Performer
Rachel "Kittie" Howard is a Florida native that has been a performing aerialist for over five years, and a contortionist for over three years. She has studied under a number of the country's best coaches, including Womack and Bowman, an aerial duo based in L.A., and Katie Brier, who is a world-renowned contortion instructor.
She has performed at numerous local events, such as the city of St. Petersburg's "First Night" NYE event, Florida's Hulaween, Brainquility, and Sunset music festivals, and with Tampa Bay's premier burlesque troupe "Femmes and Follies". She also began teaching flexibility and aerial arts classes in 2019. Kittie specializes in aerial silks, but also performs on aerial hoop/lyra, rope, and hammock, as well as practicing contortion.
She has a BFA in photography, is a dog mom of four, and works by day in St. Petersburg as the manager of a fine wine retailer. She has a mind, body, and soul that's built for the circus.
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Kittie teaches:
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Monday Aerial Silks Level 1/2 715p
Thursday Lyra Level 1/2 730p
Friday Aerial Silks Level 1-3 1130a
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Jennifer "Jhenie" Rivera
Jennifer "Jhenie" Rivera
RYT 200 Yoga Instructor
Aerial Coach
Performer
Jennifer "Jhenie" is originally from Chicago. She relocated to Tampa, Florida to care for her sick father and continued her education at the University of Central Florida. She is currently a Speech Pathologist and is continuing her fulfill her path as a mother, healer, and Aerial Arts/Yoga teacher.
As she grieved for her father's passing, she sought healing and was guided by doing the Yoga Teacher Training at the Lotus Pond in Tampa, FL. She later graduated from the YTT in 2015 and later found her love for Aerial Arts. She continued to seek her passion and has trained and performed in Puerto Rico, Chicago, Tampa, and the Orlando area.
Her goal is to pass on the concept of mindfulness and healing throughout the practice of Aerial Arts and Yoga. She believes in the interconnectedness of the brain to the body and shares the love of Aerial Arts, Yoga, and mindfulness to help the average being and persons with Disabilities. She loves helping others find balance throughout chakras to become stronger spiritually, mentally, and physically to reach a state of enlightenment.
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Jhenie teaches:
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Tuesday Mixed Aerials Level 1/2 1130a
Sade Mendez
Aerial Coach
Sade Mendez is an aerial coach in training & specializes in aerial hammock!
Sade discovered aerial arts while she lived in Arizona back in 2019. You can say it was love at first flight. Aerial yoga was her gateway into finding hammock & other circus apparatuses.
Sade is passionate about helping others find the courage to experience the beauty, strength, & freedom of aerial arts. When she is not on the mat or in the air, you can always find her spending quality time with my dog, reading, or reconnecting with nature — even with something as simple as walking around.
Born & raised in Los Angeles, Sade has been fortunate enough to travel all over the country thanks to my background in event production & marketing. After visiting Florida during several business trips, I packed up my belongings & moved to Clearwater in 2021.
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Sade teaches:
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Wednesday Lyra Level 1/2 730p
Saturday Rotation Aerial Yoga Level 1/2 930a & Hammock Level 1/2 1045a
Lauren Smith
Aerial Coach
Lauren has been a nurse and hospital administrator for over 10 years, dedicated to patient care and serving my community.
She came to find her aerial practice after she realized she needed to start caring for not only her body, but also her mind and soul.
Over the last 3 years of continued practice, Lauren has been able to find mental clarity, internal peace, direction, and community; all while working her body safely to its limits and beyond.
Lauren hopes to be able to share the peace and community her aerial practice has given her, and she will remain dedicated to inclusion and creating a safe and inviting environment.
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Lauren teaches:
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Wednesday Kids Series (ages 9-13) 6p
Saturday rotation Aerial Yoga Level 1/2 930a & Hammock Level 1/2 1045a