Who We Are
Actionable Items & Impact:
Since July 2022, Driftless Yoga Center’s Karma Yoga Project has redistributed $15,295 back into local, regional & global organizations that align with our core values: including SURJ - Des Moines Chapter, Helping Services, MomsDemand, Decorah High School Scholarship Fundraiser, Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. Lahaina residents, MedGlobal' and MORE!
DYC is also an annual AND proud sponsor of Decorah Pride, celebrating the creativity and diversity that lives in the driftless region.
A wall in the studio is dedicated to supporting artwork from underrepresented communities such as, but not limited to, LGTBQIA+, BIPOC and disabled artists.
Driftless Yoga Center Founder & Organizer:
Laree Schouweiler (she/her)
For someone who nearly got booted out of her first yoga class, the founder of Decorah’s own Driftless Yoga Festival and Yoga Center has certainly had a decade of sharp and subtle turns.
Laree Schouweiler now finds herself positioned squarely in the heart of Decorah’s wellness community. A 500hr Experience Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Laree has upwards of two-thousand hours of teaching experience on the mat, but is still adamant the true practice of yoga happens OFF THE MAT. Her classes are filled with dynamic movement that unites with breath and infused with the idea that yoga isn’t something we do - it is something we are.
Committed to creating more equitable wellness spaces as you will experience at the Driftless Yoga Center, you may also catch Laree leading thought provoking workshops across the midwest - including at the Quad CIties Yoga Foundation’s Conference, R.E.S.E.T Conference and Toppling & Goliath’s BossLady Series.
Beyond Laree’s yoga background, she also holds a Master’s of Leadership, alongside her movement-based certifications such as ACE Health coach, Schwinn Indoor Cycling and Skill in Action (Yoga for a more just world).
When Laree isn’t motivating folks to stretch their ideas of ‘what is yoga’, you can find her trying to keep up with her three kiddos, seeking a quiet moment to enjoy with her husband or escaping the madness to find movement for herself.
“Driftless Yoga Center is the most welcoming yoga studio I’ve ever stepped into.”
— E. C. DYC practitioner
Yin Yoga Teacher: Lea Lovelace (she/her)
Lea Lovelace has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and received her certification to teach Yin Yoga in the fall of 2022. After 16 years of dedicated study to alignment-based Iyengar Yoga, Lea was drawn to try the quieter practice of Yin Yoga and experienced both physical and emotional benefits. Lea is excited to merge her longtime background as an educator in the arts and culture sector with her passion for yoga and to share this practice with her community. She offers classes through Decorah Yin Yoga at both Driftless Yoga Center and The Yoga Studio in Decorah and a virtual class through Zoom as Decorah Yin Yoga. To attend Lea’s classes or confirm schedule, checkout DecorahYinYoga on Facebook/Instagram!
Vinyasa Teacher: Dillan Espeset (she/her)
Initially, Dillan was drawn to yoga as a way to build strength and flexibility that filled a hole dance used to hold. Yoga has been a method of connecting the body, mind, and breath through loving kindness towards oneself and others. Her mission is to cultivate movement practice to find health, love, and happiness within body and mind while emphasizing the power and balance of challenge and rest. Dillan is a mama, wife, stroller-jogger, and plant based baking & cooking enthusiast. You will probably see her around town pushing a stroller or chasing her boys on their bikes!