Our Roots & History
A Sanctuary in Duluth: Over 25 Years at St. Michael’s
Yoga North began with a simple yet profound vision: to create a dedicated, quiet, and reflective sanctuary where students could explore the deeper practices of postures, breath, and meditation.
For 25 years, our home in the historic St. Michael’s School building in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood served as the heart of our community. Within those warm, sunlit studio walls, generations of students, seekers, and future teachers gathered on their mats. What began as a neighborhood gathering place organically grew into an internationally recognized hub for therapeutic yoga, while never losing its community warmth.
The Living Ethics of Yoga
Deborah Adele, Ann Maxwell, and The Yamas & Niyamas
The spirit of Yoga North has always been grounded in yoga’s ethical framework. Founded and guided in its early years by former owner Deborah Adele alongside Ann Maxwell, the studio was built consciously upon the foundation of the yamas and niyamas—yoga’s ten foundational ethical guidelines for skillful living.
Deborah and Ann didn't just study these ancient principles; they lived them daily in business partnership, studio governance, and community life. Their yearly community exploration and curriculum at Yoga North became the incubator and inspiration for Deborah Adele’s groundbreaking, internationally bestselling book. While Deborah’s name graces the book’s cover, Ann Maxwell’s presence is felt throughout its pages. Her tireless work guiding Yoga North through the years of inception are quite literally the foundation of its pages.
The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice.
Today, that same spirit of non-harming (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), self-study (svadhyaya), and surrender guide every class, training, and conversation throughout our programs and classes.
Deepening into Whole-Body Wisdom
Molly’s Ayurvedic Roots: From the Himalayan Institute to Hale Pule
As Yoga North broadened its holistic scope, yoga's sister science—Ayurveda—became an integral pillar of our philosophy and offerings through the dedicated studies of co-owner Molly McManus.
Molly deepened her path at the renowned Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, earning certification as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor / Coach. To bring the medicinal art of nourishment to life, she traveled to Kauai, Hawaii, studying under Hale Pule to train as an Ayurvedic Chef.
This immersion into constitutional balance, seasonal living (dinacharya), digestive fire (agni), and food as medicine infused Yoga North with an earth-grounded wisdom. It expanded our curriculum beyond movement and esoteric philosophy to guiding students to support their nervous systems, digestion, and daily vitality from the inside out.
The Birth of SomaYoga
The Somatic Catalyst: Ann Maxwell, Molly McManus, & the Thomas Hanna Tradition
As Yoga North evolved, Ann Maxwell and Molly McManus observed that even dedicated students often hit plateaus or reinjured themselves in traditional postures due to unconscious, habituated tension held deep in the body. The true turning point came when Ann and Molly undertook an intensive, rigorous three-year professional training in Somatics in the Thomas Hanna tradition. Immersing themselves in neuromuscular re-education, pandiculation, and the science of releasing Sensory Motor Amnesia, they unlocked the essential missing link in therapeutic movement.
Recognizing how seamlessly Somatics answered the limitations of classical asana, Ann and Molly pioneered the SomaYoga methodology. By weaving together:
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Hanna Somatics: Waking up the brain-to-muscle connection and releasing involuntary holding patterns,
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Therapeutic Yoga & Ayurvedic Alignment: Calming the nervous system, addressing individual body constitutions, and building joint stability, and
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Classic Asana: Safely integrating newfound freedom and functional strength back into traditional yoga postures,
"SomaYoga was born. Moving students from pain resolution to functional stability and optimal movement patterns, this proprietary methodology empowers students to become intuitive, active participants in their own lasting freedom and healing.
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A Somatic Path to Trauma Resolution & Nervous System Regulation
Over years of clinical and classroom application, SomaYoga has emerged as a powerful methodology for trauma recovery. Trauma and high chronic stress live not only in our stories, but in our physical tissues and autonomic nervous systems—manifesting as sensory motor amnesia, persistent bracing, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain cycles.
SomaYoga supports trauma healing by:
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Down-Regulating the Threat Response: Using micro-movements and voluntary pandiculation to gently signal safety to the brain and nervous system.
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Restoring Agency & Interoception: Shifting away from external performance, prescribed posturing, or getting into a shape, and rather guiding students to tune into internal sensations and make choices based on their body's felt boundaries.
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Releasing Habituated Bracing: Safely unlocking somatic holding patterns without re-traumatizing or overwhelming the system, allowing students to gradually re-inhabit their bodies with trust, ease, and resilience.
Life Changing Teacher Training & Certifications
One of the World’s Leading Yoga Therapy Institutes
Yoga North is proud to be licensed as a private career school with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, and holds accreditation as both a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School and an International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) Accredited Yoga Therapy Training Program.
Over the decades, our professional certification programs have transformed countless lives:
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200-Hour Therapeutic Focus Yoga Teacher Training
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+350/500-Hour / Level I Yoga Therapy Certification
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1000-Hour (C-IAYT) Yoga Therapy Certification
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Embodied Living through the SomaYoga Immersion Program
Our graduates leave not just with teaching skills, but with a deep understanding of nervous system resilience, biomechanics, Ayurvedic wellness, and compassion. Whether going on to teach around the globe, work in clinical and therapeutic settings, or deepen their own personal journey, our alumni form a vibrant, worldwide network of healing leaders.
Community Beyond Duluth: Training at Our Sister Studios
Bringing SomaYoga into Regional Communities
While our home base is rooted in Duluth, the reach of the International SomaYoga Institute has grown through trusted partnerships with dedicated sister studios across the Midwest. We believe in meeting teachers and therapists where they live, cultivating strong local cohorts supported by our core faculty and accredited curriculum.
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Tula Yoga & Wellness (St. Paul, MN):
Our long-standing sister studio partnership with Ann and Dan Blackburn at Tula Yoga & Wellness has been an incredible gift to our institute and students. Through Ann and Dan’s warm vision, community leadership, and wonderful collaborative partnership, Tula has created a vibrant, welcoming Twin Cities home for our 200-Hour Therapeutic Focus Teacher Training and advanced studies. Together, we’ve nurtured and empowered a thriving regional sangha of teachers, therapists, and wellness professionals bringing neuromuscular re-education and therapeutic yoga into studios, healthcare clinics, and private practices.
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Our Roots in Iowa: Atha SomaYoga (Des Moines, IA):
Yoga North’s presence in Iowa was forged through many fruitful years of running 200-hour and 500-hour therapeutic trainings at Atha SomaYoga in West Des Moines. Led by dedicated graduates and trainers, Atha served as a pivotal training ground that introduced hundreds of students, physical therapists, and bodyworkers across Iowa to the life-changing benefits of neuromuscular re-education.
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The Next Chapter in Iowa: Yoga North’s Wild Ivy (Des Moines, IA):
Carrying that strong Iowa lineage forward, our Des Moines teacher trainings and therapeutic offerings have transitioned into their newest home at Wild IvyYoga & Wellness, founded by Yoga North faculty member and Business Manager Diana Hagge. Wild Ivy serves as our official Des Moines training hub, continuing to offer 200-hour therapeutic certification programs, specialized immersions, and private SomaYoga clinical sessions.
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Expanding into Wisconsin: Greater Madison Area:
In addition to Minnesota and Iowa, we are thrilled to bring advanced SomaYoga teacher training to the Greater Madison area in Wisconsin (in partnership with Main Street Yoga & Wellness in Oregon, WI). Offering hybrid formats of monthly in-person intensive weekends and live virtual study, our +350/500-hour and Level I Yoga Therapy cohorts allow regional practitioners to step into advanced therapeutic certification without relocating.
Through every sister studio partnership, our mission remains the same: ensuring our students receive the highest quality of accredited education while fostering a close-knit, supportive local sangha.
Yoga North Now: Rooted, Collaborative and Community-Centered
Our Duluth Homebase & Community Partnerships
As our institute has evolved, so has our physical footprint in Duluth. Today, Yoga North operates through intentional, like-minded community collaborations that allow us to deliver focused, specialized care across three distinct settings in town:
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Our Clinical Sanctuary at CF Design | LUM Studio (Downtown Duluth):
Our dedicated homebase for private yoga therapy is housed in an intimate, custom-built clinical space created in partnership with and inside the design studios of CF Design | LUM Studio in downtown Duluth. Thoughtfully crafted to feel grounding, serene, and restorative, this quiet clinic offers an ideal environment for 1-on-1 therapeutic consultations, somatic neuromuscular re-education, and individualized healing plans.
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Community Movement at In Motion Therapy (Duluth Heights):
For our live, in-person group classes and registration series, we partner with In Motion Therapy, a progressive physical therapy clinic led by Annita Winkels. Sharing a deep philosophical alignment with Annita and her team around whole-person rehabilitation, functional movement, and nervous system health, this bright and welcoming space provides our students with a nurturing home to practice, rebuild mobility, and connect.
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Teacher Trainings & Immersions at the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP):
Our professional certification programs, immersions, and advanced teacher training cohorts gather in dedicated training space at the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP) building. Renowned globally for originating the “Duluth Model,” DAIP has stood at the forefront of social justice, safety, and community wellbeing for decades. Hosting our professional students within a facility rooted in institutional change and restorative healing reflects our deepest yogic ethics—honoring service, justice, and the interconnectedness of individual and collective wellbeing.
Together, these three intentional spaces reflect who Yoga North is today: adaptable, community-woven, and deeply committed to accessible, trauma-informed healing.
Experience Yoga North
Classes, Series, & 1-on-1 Therapeutic Care
Whether you are stepping onto a mat for the very first time, recovering from injury, managing chronic pain, or seeking a supportive community, Yoga North meets you exactly where you are:
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Weekly Classes & Registered Series: From gentle SomaYoga, Somatics, and Restorative practices to Hatha, and Ayurveda-informed sessions—available in-person and online via livestream.
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Private Yoga Therapy, Somatic, and Ayurvedic Sessions: One-on-one sessions tailored directly to your body and being’s unique needs. We work directly with chronic pain patterns, nervous system dysregulation, mobility limitations, and habituated stress so you can move and live with sustainable ease. Come to learn daily practices that can help you support yourself to live your best life.
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Immersions, Workshops, & Retreats: Deepen your practice with three-day immersive trainings, seasonal cooking workshops, digestive health classes, wellness philosophy, and retreats near and far
Meet the Team
Ann Maxwell
MAed, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, Somatic Educator
A joyful practitioner of daily inspired living, Ann holds a master’s degree in education and brings decades of training, teaching, and expertise in Hatha Yoga, somatic education, and yoga therapy. Following her intensive 3-year certification in the Thomas Hanna tradition of Somatics, Ann co-founded the SomaYoga methodology to help students break free from sensory motor amnesia and chronic pain cycles. She specializes in peeling back the layers of fear and immobilization that limit freedom, meeting every student with curiosity, practical body wisdom, and joy.
Molly McManus
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, AHC, Somatic Educator,
Ayurvedic Chef
A dedicated student of yoga and Eastern philosophy throughout her life, Molly’s work bridges modern neuromuscular science with timeless healing arts. In addition to completing the intensive 3-year Somatics training in the Thomas Hanna tradition, she is a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor trained at the Himalayan Institute, an Ayurvedic Chef trained with Hale Pule in Kauai, and considers herself a lifelong learner, currently enrolled in a Sacred Arts Degree at the College of St Scholastica. Molly is renowned for her compassionate, practical work with chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma—creating an inviting, peaceful space for profound personal healing.
Diana Hagge
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, Somatic Educator
A cornerstone of our daily operations and training programs, Diana is a certified Yoga Therapist, educator and business leader. She combines strong organizational leadership with heart-centered therapeutic care—and a healthy respect for the fact that healing rarely happens in a perfectly straight line. Diana is happiest when life gets a little wild. She loves horses, hiking, adventure travel, and new experiences. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: people deserve to feel at home in their bodies and empowered in their lives. Yoga helps her bring compassion without fragility, structure without rigidity, and a willingness to meet people exactly where they are while helping them discover where they might go next.
Let’s Work Together
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