About Journey Within
Journey Within History
At Journey Within, we offer a diverse range of yoga classes, catering to practitioners of all levels. Our commitment to your overall wellness goes beyond the mat, with an array of additional offerings, including meditation, Mindful guidance, and holistic healing practices.
In challenging times, we recognize the importance of mental health. That’s why we provide grief counseling, holistic life coaching and other services to support those navigating difficult emotions. Our compassionate team is here to guide you on your journey to inner peace and healing.
Join us at Journey Within, where the past meets the future, and where your well-being is our utmost priority. Together, let’s discover balance, serenity, and renewal on your path to a healthier, happier life.
Our Mission
Why we do what we do:
At our studio, we offer yoga and holistic healing classes for every body because we believe in the power of inclusive wellness. Our mission is to create a welcoming space where individuals of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can experience the transformative benefits of these practices. By embracing diversity and promoting accessibility, we ensure that everyone can embark on their unique path to health and well-being.
What we see:
Science supports the health and mental health benefits of holistic practices. We find that our regular members report lower anxiety and depression, improved physical health and stamina, and feeling better overall.
We find that the variety of offerings from, gentle yoga, Tai Chi, and other holistic healing methods contribute to the overall healing journey of our members.
What we hope for you:
Regular practice of breathwork, mindfulness, and movement through yoga has been proven to reduce the impact of stress in everyday life, especially when we are grieving. We offer many options for individuals, families, and groups to practice stress relief and we hope you will find what works best for you. We are all on our own path, but we can journey together.
Meet Our Practitioners
Grief Support
Danielle McDonald-Bourbeau
Owner/Grief Counselor/Studio Manager
Danielle is a Yoga Teacher and Grief Counselor in Central Massachusetts. She began practicing yoga at age 16, after years of classical ballet and dance training. While healing from an injury she turned to yoga and found relief from pain, renewed strength, and a calling to reconnect with her spirituality and Self.
Through Yoga, breathwork, and meditation, Danielle began her own healing journey with Grief after experiencing multiple losses. She wished to bring this healing resource to the community and recently completed her certification as a Grief Counselor through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals and became a Certified Grief Informed Professional through PESI. Danielle takes a holistic approach to grief work, which often includes holding space for memories and emotions, creating keepsakes, and staying grounded through breathwork or guided meditation.
Danielle's yoga training includes various styles of yoga (Hatha, Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Restorative Yoga). She truly believes that "There is Yoga for Every Body" and has experience offering group and private sessions for prenatal, kids/family yoga, accessible/chair yoga, and yoga for grief & loss. In addition, Danielle is a Meditation teacher, Breathwork Practitioner, a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner trained through the Upledger Institute, and experienced in Thai Yoga Massage and Ball Rolling for self-massage.
Outside of work Danielle can often be found engaged with her children’s activities, enjoying a book, gardening, or being active outdoors with her family and their homeschool community.
Melanie Designas
Therapist & Yoga Instructor
Melanie, LICSW earned her MSW from Salem State University and A Post-Master's Certificate in The Clinical and Relational Treatment of Trauma from Simmons College. She has been trained in CBT and DBT. She has experience working in emergency mental health, child welfare agencies, outpatient therapy, forensic mental health, and in a school setting. She was trained by Children's Friend/The Carriage House in Grief and Loss with Children and facilitated a group there. She recently graduated from Frog Pond Yoga School with her 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training. She enjoys incorporating yoga and meditation into clinical practice. She is a parent of three and enjoys hiking in her free time.
Kelley Lynn Niemi
Grief Counselor/Life Coach
Kelley Lynn Niemi is a certified grief counselor, actor, comedian, viral TED talk speaker, and author of the book: "My Husband Is Not a Rainbow: The Brutally Awful, Hilarious Truth About Life, Love, Grief, and Loss." After earning her BFA in Performing Arts at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, Kelley lived in the NYC area for over 25 years, teaching as an Adjunct Professor for almost two decades, with courses in stand-up comedy, dramatics, improvisation, and creative writing. She has directed and written several shows for non-profits, and has shared the stage with such performers as Judy Gold, Elayne Boosler, and Jim Gaffigan.
On an ordinary Wednesday on July 13, 2011, Kelley woke up to a new life as a widow at age 39, after learning that her 46 year old husband Don had gone into sudden cardiac arrest and died about one hour after arriving at work. Since that day, it has been Kelley's mission to help others survive and thrive through their losses, and to change the conversations we have as a society surrounding grief and loss. Kelley's TEDx talk: "There is no such thing as Moving On" has reached viral status at almost 3 million views and counting. Kelley speaks globally about death and life with a twist of comedy thrown in, and is a featured speaker at the annual Soaring Spirits Event "Camp Widow", where she finds the funny inside of the pain with her comedic presentation. Kelley runs a weekly virtual peer support group for widowed people on the Circles app, and co-leads several widowed support groups locally.
She is thrilled to be joining Journey Within as a Grief Counselor, and is hopeful to be a factor in the tricky process of healing. A native of Groton, Kelley currently resides in Westminster, MA, with her husband Nick, and their moody old lady cat Autumn.
Yoga Teachers
Danielle McDonald-Bourbeau
Owner/Grief Counselor/Studio Manager
Danielle is a Yoga Teacher and Grief Counselor in Central Massachusetts. She began practicing yoga at age 16, after years of classical ballet and dance training. While healing from an injury she turned to yoga and found relief from pain, renewed strength, and a calling to reconnect with her spirituality and Self.
Through Yoga, breathwork, and meditation, Danielle began her own healing journey with Grief after experiencing multiple losses. She wished to bring this healing resource to the community and recently completed her certification as a Grief Counselor through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals and became a Certified Grief Informed Professional through PESI. Danielle takes a holistic approach to grief work, which often includes holding space for memories and emotions, creating keepsakes, and staying grounded through breathwork or guided meditation.
Danielle's yoga training includes various styles of yoga (Hatha, Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Restorative Yoga). She truly believes that "There is Yoga for Every Body" and has experience offering group and private sessions for prenatal, kids/family yoga, accessible/chair yoga, and yoga for grief & loss. In addition, Danielle is a Meditation teacher, Breathwork Practitioner, a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner trained through the Upledger Institute, and experienced in Thai Yoga Massage and Ball Rolling for self-massage.
Outside of work Danielle can often be found engaged with her children’s activities, enjoying a book, gardening, or being active outdoors with her family and their homeschool community.
Denise Cerrati
Yoga Teacher
Denise received training and certification through Trillium Yoga and Ayurveda in North Orange, MA, and is a practitioner of yoga for over 20 years. Her styles of yoga include Hatha, Yin, and a Spiritually based practice. Denise is also a Hairstylist and Educator in Cosmetology for 40 years. Her personal interests include gardening, travel, continuing her education in spirituality, yoga, holistic and natural studies, and in being a forever student in the school of life.
Denise’s hope is to help people to know that yoga is much more than an exercise program. It is an integrative practice of the whole person which can yield restorative results.
Katarina Kohberger
Yoga Teacher
Katarina Kohberger is an inspiring Yoga Instructor. She got her 200-hour RYT through Frog Pond Yoga of Princeton MA., where she currently lives with her partner and beloved cat. Katarina found Yoga when she needed it most. When mental health came to the forefront of her life, Yoga and mindful meditation saved her and continue to save her every day. She has experience teaching Hatha, Restorative, Vinyasa, and aromatherapy classes. Katarina wears a lot of hats - as well as Yoga, she's a Reiki Practitioner, Prenatal Yoga Instructor, and most recently a Postpartum Doula. In her free time, you can find Katarina on hikes around central mass, or tending to her garden. Katarina hopes to bring you peace of mind through Yoga practice, so you can enjoy life more!
Jared McDonald-Bourbeau
Yoga Teacher
Jared trained under David Vendetti of Yoga Liberation Front and formally South Boston Yoga for his 200 hour CYT. He has enjoyed studying mindfulness and the different unique practices since being introduced to yoga in 2010. He is always interested in exploring different practices and learning from others. When he is not on the mat you can find him doing different actives with his children such as coaching baseball, playing chess or a fun game of magic the gathering.
Honey Hogan
Yoga Teacher
Honey Hogan is a dedicated yoga practitioner, teacher, and advocate with a passion for making the healing power of yoga obtainable for every body. She completed her 200-hour Raja yoga training under the guidance of Diane Featherstone at Frog Pond Yoga Centre in Princeton, MA. Beyond her foundational training, Honey embarked on a transformative journey in adaptive yoga. Guided by Matthew Sanford at Mind Body Solutions in Minneapolis, MN, she earned her certification as an adaptive yoga teacher. She obtained her Opening Yoga I & II certifications, followed by her Opening Yoga Instructor certification, demonstrating her commitment to a deeper understanding of adaptive yoga.
Despite living with multiple chronic illnesses and disability, Honey has turned her challenges into strengths, offering a truly inclusive and compassionate approach to yoga. Specializing in trauma, loss, and disability, Honey's teachings are marked by her personal experiences and her desire to help others find healing and empowerment through yoga.
Outside of her yoga practice, Honey finds solace and joy living amongst the trees in North Central MA with her husband, children, and dogs
Yee Leng Tan-Whittall
Yoga Teacher
Yee Leng is a two-time cancer survivor. After being diagnosed at age 24, she began her quest to
discover the mind-body-spirit connection. Her very first yoga class was in 2005 that eventually
brought her to Frog Pond Yoga Centre in Princeton where she received her 200-hour yoga
teacher training in 2011. Her second news of cancer came at age 48. She was very grateful and
thankful to have yoga with her through treatment and recovery. She credits her practice not only
for getting her through the rigors and side effects of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but
also the emotional ups and downs of the disease. Because of her experience with cancer, Yee
Leng is drawn to the therapeutic and healing aspects of yoga and meditation that are accessible
to everyone. She believes that we all can come “home” to our bodies, in any condition; quietly
listening to the wisdom within.
Kristen Lizotte
Yoga Teacher
Kristen is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher and level 2 Reiki practitioner. She received her yoga certification from Yoga Farm, a non-profit yoga education center in Ithaca, NY. Kristen also holds a certification in Trauma Informed Yoga for teens. She has found yoga and energy healing, along with its many benefits, to be life changing and she enjoys sharing these gifts with others.
Rev. Phyllis Pomerleau
Yoga Teacher - Expressions Unlimited – moving toward wholiness
At Expressions Unlimited we believe that ‘ the place where we began’, where all Creation
began, was a place where we knew only wholeness and holiness ; Sacred Beings , living in
complete balance and accord with one another and with all aspects of Creation. We aspire to
strive by every available means to arrive there once more and to know it purely.
Phyllis is passionate about this exploration of Divine Creation, Love, Life and Self. As she learns
she teaches…and as she teaches she learns, seeing herself as both teacher and student at all
times.
As an ordained Interfaith/Inter-spiritual Minister Phyllis views all of her services as Vocational
Ministry, whether offering group work, classes or working one on one in personalized program
or process.
Current offerings include the areas of Spiritual Companioning , Grief and Loss Counseling,
Therapeutic Yoga teaching and Whole Health Education.
Phyllis feels truly blessed in so many aspects of life. She lives in Princeton, with her husband
and enjoys spending time with her adult children and all of her grandchildren, near and far.
She loves being out in nature ( and learning from the natural world!), feels a true kinship with
animals of all kinds. She reads, refers to and collects enough books to qualify it as a true
addiction, and really loves meeting and getting to know new people!
Phyllis is not a big fan of travel but her son, who lives in Australia , and her grandchildren , who
are scattered throughout the USA have insured that she will see the world one way or the
other because she definitely won’t miss out on their lives!
Lisa McKee
Yoga Teacher
Lisa is a practicing Occupational Therapist. She first became interested in yoga to address her back pain and poor posture. After practicing for many years and seeing the improvements yoga provided in her own life, she felt compelled to share what she had learned with others. It was at this point that she decided to become an instructor. She is a graduate of Frog Pond Yoga, receiving her RYT200 in January of 2013, and is currently pursuing her RYT500. Lisa has taught hot yoga, all-levels yoga, and prenatal yoga.
Lisa brings her own blend of yoga styles, focusing on a combination of strength, flexibility, breathing techniques, and mindfulness. Yoga is a practice that provides benefits for the mind, body, and soul. It allows the discovery of one’s connection to the universe. In her own practice, she found that yoga has allowed healing to her body and calming to her mind. Her particular teaching style helps to guide others who seek the same goal. As an instructor, she believes “The teacher in me honors the student in you, and the student in me honors the teacher in you.”
An outdoor enthusiast at heart, you can often find Lisa with her family enjoying the seacoast, hiking in the mountains, listening to live music, or taking longs walks on various trail systems. She also enjoys meditation, continuing education, and researching holistic lifestyle options.
Justine Pulaski, RYT200
Yoga Teacher
Justine's journey with Yoga started over twenty-five years ago with her personal practice of self care and healing. During her practice she was encouraged to take her 200 hour teacher training to deepen her understanding of her own practice and share her love of yoga with others. Fostering her personal beliefs and desire to give back to others, Justine loves sharing a gentle, meditative practice, encouraging self-awareness and that Yoga is truly for every body.
Energy Healers
Danielle McDonald-Bourbeau
Owner/Grief Counselor/Studio Manager
Sound Healer and Craniosacral Therapist and Reiki Practitioner
Danielle is a Yoga Teacher and Grief Counselor in Central Massachusetts. She began practicing yoga at age 16, after years of classical ballet and dance training. While healing from an injury she turned to yoga and found relief from pain, renewed strength, and a calling to reconnect with her spirituality and Self.
Through Yoga, breathwork, and meditation, Danielle began her own healing journey with Grief after experiencing multiple losses. She wished to bring this healing resource to the community and recently completed her certification as a Grief Counselor through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals and became a Certified Grief Informed Professional through PESI. Danielle takes a holistic approach to grief work, which often includes holding space for memories and emotions, creating keepsakes, and staying grounded through breathwork or guided meditation.
Danielle's yoga training includes various styles of yoga (Hatha, Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Restorative Yoga). She truly believes that "There is Yoga for Every Body" and has experience offering group and private sessions for prenatal, kids/family yoga, accessible/chair yoga, and yoga for grief & loss. In addition, Danielle is a Meditation teacher, Breathwork Practitioner, a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner trained through the Upledger Institute, and experienced in Thai Yoga Massage and Ball Rolling for self-massage.
Outside of work Danielle can often be found engaged with her children’s activities, enjoying a book, gardening, or being active outdoors with her family and their homeschool community.
Katarina Kohberger
Yoga Teacher - Reiki Master
Katarina Kohberger is an inspiring Yoga Instructor. She got her 200-hour RYT through Frog Pond Yoga of Princeton MA., where she currently lives with her partner and beloved cat. Katarina found Yoga when she needed it most. When mental health came to the forefront of her life, Yoga and mindful meditation saved her and continue to save her every day. She has experience teaching Hatha, Restorative, Vinyasa, and aromatherapy classes. Katarina wears a lot of hats - as well as Yoga, she's a Reiki Practitioner, Prenatal Yoga Instructor, and most recently a Postpartum Doula. In her free time, you can find Katarina on hikes around central mass, or tending to her garden. Katarina hopes to bring you peace of mind through Yoga practice, so you can enjoy life more!
Justine Pulaski, RYT200
Yoga Teacher and Reiki Practitioner
Justine's journey with Yoga started over twenty-five years ago with her personal practice of self care and healing. During her practice she was encouraged to take her 200 hour teacher training to deepen her understanding of her own practice and share her love of yoga with others. Fostering her personal beliefs and desire to give back to others, Justine loves sharing a gentle, meditative practice, encouraging self-awareness and that Yoga is truly for every body.
Tai Chi Instructors
Chris Zarza - Tai Chi Instructor
Chris has been practicing Tai Chi and other martial arts for 35 years. He started teaching a few years before the pandemic and just began teaching again in 2024. He was the first Boston student of Dr. Peter Wayne, who founded the Tree of Life Tai Chi School in Somerville, MA. Chris is a dedicated lifelong learner and have attended many workshops and classes at various Tai Chi schools and continues to do so today.
Chris likes to keep the practice simple. Each class is designed based on the level of the students. The principles taught can be applied to any style of Tai Chi, martial art or daily life.
Entry level Yang style short form, qigong and martial arts exercises to promote health and flexibility. The class is based on a Yang style short form of Tai Chi created by Chen Man Ching. Qigong and Tai: Chi ancient tools for modern living.
