Bringing warmth, expertise, and clarity to every class.

Meet our Team

A woman with red hair and fairy wings, smiling and reaching out, with children dressed as fairies in pastel-colored costumes.

Rachael Gage

Founder of Starlight Studio | Certified Kids Yoga Teacher | Waldorf Movement Educator | Mindfulness Advocate

Rachael Gage is a highly trained and culturally attuned educator who brings together movement, mindfulness, and heart-centered teaching to support children and families in meaningful ways.

Qualifications:

  • E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Teacher

  • Rainbow Kids Yoga Instructor

  • NASP Certified Archery Coach

  • Waldorf Games and Movement Teacher

  • As the founder of Starlight Studio, Rachael designs and leads enriching programs that help young people build emotional resilience, physical awareness, and self-confidence through yoga, mindful movement, and play-based learning.

    With certifications as an E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance teacher and Rainbow Kids Yoga instructor, Rachael offers a unique blend of professional training and lived experience. Her teaching is deeply informed by a life-changing sabbatical in Mysore, India, where she immersed herself in traditional yogic practices and cultural studies. This foundation continues to shape her grounded, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate approach to teaching.

    Rachael currently serves as a Games and Movement teacher at a Waldorf Grade School and actively collaborates with a wide range of local park districts to bring her mindfulness and kids yoga programming to diverse communities across Illinois. From school classrooms to community centers, she creates accessible environments where children feel safe, engaged, and empowered to thrive—physically, emotionally, and socially.

    As both a mother and an educator, Rachael understands the emotional complexity of childhood and the daily challenges families face. Her classes are playful, nurturing, and thoughtfully designed to support self-regulation, emotional awareness, and joyful connection—for both children and their caregivers.

A woman with short black hair holding rolled-up black yoga mats, wearing a white long-sleeve top, smiling at the camera.

Jude Alhourani

Yoga Teacher | Mindfulness Advocate

Jude is a compassionate and visionary yoga educator who blends movement, mindfulness, and emotional awareness to help children and young adults navigate life with clarity, calm, and confidence.

Qualifications:

  • Certified 300-hour Yoga Teacher

  • Jude Alhourani is a certified 300-hour yoga teacher with a joyful, compassionate approach. She holds a strong vision for the new generation: to equip them with the tools they need to slow down, breathe, and make considered decisions.

    By thoughtfully weaving music and playful movement into her kids' yoga classes, Jude helps children explore their bodies and emotions. This builds self-awareness and teaches them to pause, breathe, and find calm in a fun, accessible way. For young adults, she emphasizes the power of slowing down and being fully present through restorative sessions and mindfulness guidance. Her warm, inclusive teaching style provides a much-needed sanctuary for emotional regulation and resilience.

    In a world of constant stimulation, Jude’s work is an accessible, human-centered response. She offers a path for younger generations to turn inward, cultivate inner peace, and approach life with a sense of calm confidence. Her teaching echoes the ancient wisdom that is more relevant than ever.

    As Patanjali reminds us, "When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive] ones should be thought of. This is pratipaksha bhavana". Jude's classes help students cultivate the mental clarity to choose their thoughts, empowering them to make better choices on and off the mat.

A woman with long blonde hair, wearing black workout clothes, is sitting on a yoga mat indoors, holding a small black and tan puppy with floppy ears. She is smiling and looking at the camera, with a textured white brick wall and a wooden floor in the background.

Jacqueline Demay

Starlight Studio Yoga Teacher| Certified Yoga Teacher

Jacqueline is a highly trained and culturally attuned educator who brings together movement, mindfulness, and heart-centered teaching to support children and families in meaningful ways.

Qualifications:

  • RYS 200 Core Power Yoga Training

  • As a dedicated kids yoga teacher, Jacqueline brings warmth, creativity, and a deep sense of purpose to her work with children. Her journey into teaching began with a lifelong love for yoga and a desire to share its transformative benefits with young people. She was inspired by the way yoga empowers kids to build confidence, focus, and mindfulness—while having fun and expressing themselves freely.

    Jacqueline is a RYS 200-hour certified yoga teacher through CorePower Yoga and has completed a hands-on apprenticeship under the mentorship of Rachael, founder of Starlight Studio. This combination of formal training and immersive mentorship has shaped Jacqueline’s grounded, playful, and heart-centered teaching style.

    Since July 2024, Jacqueline has been teaching at Puppysphere Yoga and leading after-school programs through Starlight Studio, where she helps children discover calm and strength within themselves. Her classes blend movement, mindfulness, and imaginative play to create spaces where kids feel safe, supported, and inspired to explore.

    What motivates Jacqueline most is the joy and openness that each child brings to class. She believes that yoga offers more than just physical movement—it nurtures self-awareness, resilience, and emotional well-being. Through her teaching, Jacqueline hopes to continue cultivating communities where children can move freely, connect deeply, and shine brightly.