Our Instructors

Faith Chester

Faith Chester is a dance and fitness instructor with over 10 years of teaching experience. A North Georgia native, she has enjoyed dancing and working out since she was a young child. For most of her life, she has worked on expanding her knowledge by learning many varieties of dance and fitness, including trampoline fitness, barre, ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, pointe, heels, ballroom, and rhythm dance styles. In 2019, she was a semi-finalist for the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders and has taken classes from Dancing With The Stars champions Maksim & Val Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd. She actively works towards growing her knowledge in different styles and disciplines of dance and workouts to better serve her students in their own health and fitness journeys.

As an instructor, Faith loves the joy, strength, health, and friendships that dance and fitness can bring to her students’ lives. Her goal is to help her students become the best versions of themselves and strive in their personal life goals.

Emily Caviness

Emily Caviness is a Licensed Massage Therapist, 200-hour Certified Yoga Instructor, and fitness instructor devoted to helping people reconnect with their bodies in a way that feels supportive, approachable, and sustainable.

She trained locally at Cohutta School of Healing Arts Institute, graduating in 2020.  There she built a strong foundation in therapeutic bodywork, and later expanded her path through a 200 hour certification training at Awakening Balance in Blue Ridge. Her work blends intentional movement, restorative practices, and intuitive, results-driven touch.

Emily is passionate about creating spaces where people feel comfortable to slow down, tune in, and be met exactly as they are. She believes the body holds so much—stress, patterns, and lived experience—and that meaningful change begins not by forcing it, but by learning how to listen.

Whether you’re stepping into a fitness class, onto the yoga mat, or onto the massage table through The Holding Place – Massage & Bodywork, Emily’s approach is the same: grounded, attentive, and centered around you. Her goal is to help you move better, feel better, and build a more connected relationship with your body.

Denise Johnson

I began practicing Yoga when it was becoming trendy during the 80’s.  At that time what I knew about Yoga was I felt great afterward class and it was a fun place to meet cool people. After 30 years of fad exercise crazes, clumsiness, motorcycle and snow mobile adventures and sitting at a desk 10 hours a day resulted in spine and disk damage that eventually required surgery. Yoga was a key factor in rapid recovery. I’ve been hooked ever since.
 I began teaching Yoga In 2019 and Pilates in 2024. My hope is to bring a provide a positive experience where people can have fun while working towards improving their fitness and overall well-being

Melanie has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching since 2014, when she completed her 200-hour RYT at Spirit of Yoga in Tempe, Arizona — a program rooted deeply in anatomy, yoga philosophy, and using yoga as a path to spirit.

Her yoga journey began as a way to manage corporate stress and heal injuries from competitive horseback riding. But over time, it became much more — a global, soul-expanding practice that helped her find “home” wherever she unrolled her mat.

Melanie’s teaching is shaped by extensive travel and curiosity. She has practiced in countless styles and traditions. Traveling full time for two years allowed her to often take a new class in a new zip code almost daily. Her teaching path has taken her to retreats and studios across the U.S. and abroad, including Costa Rica and Guatemala. This constant immersion in varied lineages and experiences makes her classes dynamic and adaptive.

She offers a wide range of class styles including restorative, yin, hatha, power, chair yoga, and yoga for injury recovery.

At the heart of her teaching is the desire to help students reconnect to their breath, body, and inner voice. She doesn't "chat" during class instead guides the student inward to find their body in space getting out of the busy mind. She never comes to class with a hard set flow, which allows her to adjust to the energy each student brings to class that day. No class is ever the same because in her own class she seeks variety and embraces that the body isn't the same each day. Her biggest goal is to teach not only what is important on the mat during class, but how that practice can be applied when the class is over.

Each class is designed as a guided inner inquiry. Music volume and song selection is chosen intentionally to help transport students into a deeper state of connection and reflection.

Melanie’s hope is to make yoga more accessible and less intimidating — especially for those who think they need to “look” or “be” a certain way to begin. Through her own "nontraditional yoga body"she hopes to model yoga IS for everyone and invites everyone to find their own version of practicing— one that honors where they are today, not where they think they should be

Hi everyone! My name is Mati Teague. I am so excited to be joining the team.

I’ve had a love for movement for as long as I can remember, starting dance at just three years old and teaching dance for a number of years. Over time, that passion has grown into a love for Pilates and barre. In my free time, you can usually find me taking a new class, I love to keep moving!!

Pilates and barre have not only helped me build strength physically, but have also been a huge support for my mental health. Movement has become such an important part of my life, and I love being able to share that with others in a positive and encouraging space.

Outside of the studio, I am a third-year teacher at Ellijay Elementary School. I was born and raised in Ellijay, and I feel so grateful to be part of this community and to connect with others.

I spent many years being an elementary and preschool teacher as well as a fitness enthusiast.

On my journey to try new forms of exercise I tried a Pilates class five years ago and fell in love with the practice. Three years into being a Club Pilates member, I decided it was time to leave the classroom and become a certified Pilates instructor, combining my love for teaching and my passion for Pilates. Nine months later I completed the 250-hour program and became a mat and reformer certified teacher. Making the switch was the best thing.

I love working with clients, helping them to learn Pilates through instruction that helps them become stronger, more flexible, and balanced. I have been teaching at the Ascending Studio in Blue Ridge and Ellijay for the past year and a half.

When I’m not teaching, I spend time with my husband, two dogs, and one cat. I love calling my children who flew the nest several years ago. I enjoy sewing, hiking, volunteering at Project Chimps, and deepening my knowledge of Pilates through practice and continuing education.

Katalin has been a lifelong ballet and dance enthusiast starting at the age of 6 years old. It was a passion and a lifestyle at the same time, until she had an injury that heavily challenged her biggest dream of becoming a dancer. In the early 2000’s Katalin heard about Pilates. She completed her comprehensive training with STOTT Pilates Mat at the NY Training Center in 2004. Alongside that, a couple of years ago she decided to continue to educate herself at Club Pilates as a Teacher Trainee in Atlanta. This allowed her to transition from the classical Pilates to a more contemporary approach, as it fits into today’s needs.

Her goal is to help others feel and function at their best because she firmly believes the majority of groundwork of happiness is good health. Spending time outside, and soaking up sunshine is truly a part of her essence; cannot go with out it. Her dearest loved ones will always hold priority number 1 in her heart.