Jolene Festa

As a yoga educator, I teach to the whole person. My work is rooted in the belief that each individual carries an inner light and has the capacity to grow, heal, and thrive, both on and off the mat.

Influenced by my Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality, I guide restorative practice as a space for deep listening, nervous system support, and authentic connection.

With over 25 years in education and a background in early childhood and developmental support, I bring a whole-person, trauma-aware approach to teaching. My work integrates asana, meditation, mindfulness, and Thai massage, always with the intention of meeting each student exactly where they are, while nurturing both steadiness and play.

Kate Lieberman

Kate’s approach to guiding yoga is rooted in curiosity and exploration, creating space for students to discover doorways within themselves where there once may have been walls.

Based in Brooklyn, she has practiced yoga for over 20 years and taught for more than a decade. She works with youth (K–12) as a yoga and mindfulness facilitator in NYC public schools and serves adults of all bodies and abilities in studios, online, and in private sessions nationwide.

Her training includes extensive study in restorative yoga, anatomy, trauma-informed teaching, mindfulness meditation, restorative justice facilitation, and yoga therapeutics focused on grief and holistic mental health. Most recently, she completed a 200-hour yoga therapy training in somatic grief and trauma processing and is currently pursuing her 1,000-hour Yoga Therapy certification at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy.

An artist and musician, Kate weaves voice, breath, and authentic expression into her teaching. She has been teaching at Dou since 2014 and is honored to serve as co-lead of the Dou Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training.