
Beth Diehl
Co- Owner & Sister to Leigh
I am very thankful I had the opportunity to study under Sumit Banerjee and receive my 200 RYT certification from his school. I continue to evolve and grow in my yoga practice. I learn almost daily something new about myself and my body. Hot yoga started out as a great cardio, strength workout for me, then the flexibility and balance component became more of a focus. I will never do "pretty" yoga---but it keeps getting a little better and I have a little more flexibility. As I deepen my practice, I finally understand the mind, breath and body connection. This is yoga that I love, that I am so excited to introduce to those who have never tried yoga, and those that already have a love.

Leigh Granada
Co- Owner & Sister to Beth
I have never been an athletic person. I took an occasional step class when my kids were young, but nothing ever stuck with me for long. Then, about 10 years ago, my sister dragged me into running with her, then lifting weights, this time it stuck. However stretching was still not something I took time to do.
Eventually I found yoga, I practiced yoga off and on for a long time, even teaching it for a couple of years. But when Beth brought me to a Hot Yoga class, I became seriously hooked! I loved the warmth of the room and the incredible stretching. I felt completely relaxed after the class. My favorite part of the yoga is the flow sequences, I'm excited every time we get to that part!
I received my 200 hour RYT in 2012 in California with Sumit Banjaree. Since then I have expanded my training, earning my 300 RYT in 2020 I have taught over 2500 classes earning the certification of 500 E-RYT and am still excited to to introduce and/or help you along your yoga journey.
Sending Love, Peace and Light!
Instructors

Bobbi Luttjohann
Ten years later, in the summer of 2014, my daughter took a class at Lava Yoga and she absolutely loved it. She asked if I wanted to go with her. I hesitated, but my other daughters and my husband thought I should give yoga another chance, so I did. That first class I took was amazing! Difficult and challenging, but amazing! I have never felt so welcomed, accomplished, and connected to a community as I did after that first class. That time I vowed to go back, many times, and I did.
I began to transition from running to weight lifting and found that yoga, especially in a heated room, was the key to reducing muscle soreness, increasing flexibility, and keeping me from sustaining serious injuries. I also found the mental and emotional release of yoga was imperative to staying sane with the everyday stresses that affect us all.
As I grew to love yoga, I began to look at training courses. As I sought out courses, I found there were yoga training paths to learn how to teach children the beautiful art of yoga. That was the moment I knew I wanted to teach yoga! I thought if I could get just one child to appreciate (and maybe even love) yoga, that would be a success!
In 2018 I completed my personal training certification and I am currently working on completing my 200 hour RYT certification training to teach yoga, with additional classes to focus on teaching children. Lava Yoga has given me the opportunity to work with children and be a part of a yoga community. I can’t think of anything more wonderful than that!

Hal Humes
I began with Lava in 2017, looking for a lower impact workout that would help maintain my flexibility, balance and core strength. I found that I really enjoyed the classes along with the music. I love the community at the studio and have met many wonderful students and instructors. After practicing for several years, yoga has become more than workout. The classes leave me refreshed and relaxed.
I completed the 200 hour RYT certification from Lava Yoga Teacher Training. I look forward to sharing my passion for yoga.

Nick Lobb
I’ve been coming religiously since February 2021. I find a steady practice helps me maintain focus throughout the day and I feel lighter and at peace. I encourage everyone to come try it for yourself. Who doesn’t need a good savasana?
Be awesome!

Mohri Exline
I have never been athletic. I like to joke that my siblings got all the athletic genes, so when a friend of mine asked if I would want to try out Lava Yoga, I assumed I would not be a fan. As it turns out, I fell in love at first sweat and never turned back.
I wound up in Topeka entirely by accident. My Peace Corps journey was cut short from Covid-19, and Topeka was where I landed out of that hectic moment in my life. Yoga has brought so much joy, peace, and steadiness to my life in many ways, but I think beyond that, Lava has given me a community to call home here in Topeka.
I hope to see you in the studio soon, and hey... stay warm out there.

Maddie Berger
Like everyone else living this life, I’ve been through things that should have broken me. As a child, I found strength somehow and kept on keepin’ on. In 2017, I endured something that, in that moment, I thought would be the thing that succeeded in breaking me.
I knew I had to find a way out, and remembered my childhood friend and sweetest boy I’ve ever known, David-Leigh’s son. I knew from David that his mom owned her own Yoga studio, and I pleaded for her to let me clean the studio in exchange for yoga classes. This was the beginning.
As time went on, I understood why I had all of this anger and weakness, and it was my own mind telling me things should be one way, even though they never would be, which helped me to realize that I am the only one suffering from wanting things to be other than exactly what they are.
Not only did yoga help my body heal from years of trauma, yoga helped heal my mind from a lifetime of emptiness I didn’t know could be so easily filled with self-love. Yoga saved me. I have never stopped insisting to anybody who will listen, that yoga will solve any and all problems. Lava yoga can save you too. Try it out and see what you’ve been needing to release!

Jeni Jeffrey
The warm, open hearted owners of Lava Yoga, Leigh and Beth have created a truly unique, special place on this Earth. I feel taller every single time I walk out of the studio having enjoyed my practice in the cleansing heat while sharing safe space with other like minded peeps. United we stand sweating it out. It’s my honor and truly a pleasure to guide classes at Lava Yoga. I hope you will come shine your light with us soon. Namaste

Kielyn Smith

Susan Thomas
I began my yoga journey 20+ years ago at the Bikram studio in Lawrence. I had never tried any type of yoga before my first hot Bikram class. But that was it - I was hooked!! The heat and humidity was perfect for me, as well as community with the amazing instructors and fellow students. Over the years, I’ve added other types of yoga to my practice, finding joy in each of them.
I completed Yoga Teacher Training in the Fall of 2021 and started teaching in the Spring of 2022. The connection experienced in practicing and teaching yoga is like no other. It’s wonderful to interact with yogis of all shapes, sizes, experience level, motivation, etc. Whether practicing or teaching, the delightful coming together of breath, movement, and spirit is profound and has been incredibly impactful on my life. My favorite aspect of teaching is providing some insight into the poses and how to breathe through the movements to achieve the tranquility that yoga offers. I love watching and listening to my students and guiding them through a thoughtful yoga experience.
Yoga is truly an extension of my life. I recently “mostly” retired from a hectic consulting career, and teaching yoga has provided the ability for me to interact with others in the most positive way. When I’m not in the studio, I love spending time with my sweet husband, Zach, our cranky dog, Trooper, and our boys. I volunteer at a farm sanctuary weekly and serve on a local board for a community healthcare clinic, and I am a huge Prince fan. Life is definitely good.
Peace, and be wild.

Torrell Nickerson
I actually thought about doing yoga but never really went through with it until one day I was in the sauna at the gym and I saw something on social media about hot yoga and the benefits of it. So I googled to see if Topeka has a hot yoga studio and sure enough I found out about lava yoga. I’ve been obsessed with it and fell in love with it ever since. My flexibility and mobility has improved so much and the start of this journey has been amazing. I feel at peace and my body feels very good afterwards. I encourage you to come to lava yoga for yourself and see the amazing benefits it can have for you. It really has saved me and my body. Hope to see you on the mat soon!

Greg Fox

Kirby Richard
As a wife and mother of four children, I struggled to know who I was. Then one day in 2019, I was asked by a friend to come to a yoga class with her. I knew nothing about yoga or what to expect. After my first class I was hooked. I love the heat, the meditation, the practice of challenging myself, but also practicing being kind to myself when things don’t go as I want it to or think it should. It’s one place where I can go and truly be myself, and it continues to help me find acceptance within myself. In addition, it is a place full of people who are kind, accepting and loving of one another.
I have never been an athlete, but I’ve always enjoy being active. I participated in running sports in high school but only because I was never focused, coordinated, or athletic enough to do other activities competitively. Being a person with ADHD, anxiety, and a lot of childhood trauma, I struggled to focus or attend to anything for very long. For me, Lava Yoga was what I needed. It has allowed me to be active, as the yoga flows are challenging, but also mindful in slowing down. It has helped me find myself- the person I want to be and strive to be - a more loving, kind, coordinated and confident me. My hope for all that come to one of my classes, is that you will find peace and begin to see all the beautiful things about yourself, through your yoga practice.

Monica Fowler
I have always known I wanted to be a healer. I was born and raised in Laramie, WY and came here to Topeka in 1997 to attend the Kansas Massage Institute. I graduated in 1998 and went back to Wyoming and practiced massage for 12 years. In 2009, I relocated back to Topeka. I spent 11 years working with the elderly population and in the mental health field. During the pandemic I found myself looking at other opportunities, and enrolled in The Institute of Healing Arts and gained my certificate as an Integrated Process Technique Facilitator. I opened Life's Healing Journey in 2020. In November of 2023 I had the pleasure of graduating with my Usui/Holy Fire lll World Peace Reiki Shoden First Degree and graduated in June 2024 Okuden Level ll under Angelica Roth. In December, I completed the Sound Healing Course and found an absolute passion for Sound.
I am a firm believer in the connection of mind, body and spirit and look forward to sharing these passions and gifts with the community.