Toronto
Alison developed a passion for yoga 20 years ago when she lived in Los Angeles and had the privilege of taking regular classes with Bryan Kest. Her passion for movement truly began in the dance world. After many years of training and performing across North America (including completing an Honours BFA in Dance at York University) she found her way to the mat as a transition from the dance community. Years later, she completed her teacher training in Toronto with Duncan Parviainen. When she’s not finding peace and physical challenge on the mat she’s busy being a Mom to her son and daughter, teaching a weekly class in Toronto, running a business in Social Media Consulting/Strategy, maintaining The Monarch Mag, travelling and finding ways to work hard while playing hard. Despite all of the adversities that life has thrown her way, she’s grateful for her yoga practice that is always right there waiting for her.
www.themonarchmag.comMississauga, ON
As the founder of Yoga Beans Yoga, an approach to inspiring students of all ages to live a life of authenticity. In an ever-changing environment, my mat has always been a place that I can call home. In positive times, it allowed me to shine and grow. In negative times it gave me a chance to recover and reflect. What ever the life circumstance that was occurring, my practice was a safe place for me to express myself. It is where I make most of my decisions and has improved my mind, body and soul. Teaching is my way of sharing my love, respect and belief in the effects of the practice and lifestyle. www.yogabeansyoga.com
Toronto, Ontario
Movement has always been a source of joy and confidence for Kristina since she started dancing as a child. She found her connection to yoga after graduating from her undergraduate degree, when her anxiety was the worst it had ever been. During a friend's yoga class her mind found peace for the first time in years and from that moment yoga became a beautiful existence in her life. Yoga has reintroduced Kristina to her wild woman self, as she is reminded to find grounding in Mother Nature, try new things, embrace and love her body, mind and soul through every imperfection, and to laugh and play everyday. Kristina believes that movement is the window into our divine souls and is a powerful tool to connect with the the world around us. As a passionate yoga teacher to both adults and the magical children of the world, a reiki healer and dancer, she is passionate about using her skills and love for learning to create community for people to feel seen, inspired, love and safe to express themselves. So take a breath, dance, scream, roar, shake, laugh, cry, and love yourself through every moment.
Saint John, NB
I was born and raised in the wilderness of East Coast Canada. This provided for many active days and happy memories. During my first university degree I fell into a very dark place, where I struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety. My dad off handily mentioned that maybe I should try yoga to get some activity and peace of mind back into my life. That was over three years ago now and I haven’t looked back. Yoga allowed me to see the value of my own worth and how hard work can pay off.
Toronto
Hi, I’m Amira aka Yogiescape! I’m a certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher who enjoys practicing Hatha and Astanga yoga. Whether I’m on or off my yoga mat, I practice yoga daily. The goal for my practice is to follow the 8-limbed yoga path to calm mind chatter. I have suffered from major depression and anxiety and as a way of healing I like to incorporate what I love and what I need into my everyday life. I love to mesh my yoga practice with some of my other passions like nutrition, photography, and advocating for mental health!
Oakville, ON
Kiana is a yoga teacher and gymnastics coach serving the GTA. She transitioned from teaching gymnastics full time to teaching yoga full time as she felt that she could help more people this way. Yoga is her passion and she strives to live an active, healthy lifestyle and help people do the same with her teachings incorporating messages that can be kept both on and off the mat.
Toronto
My mother and my sister have been a big influence for my interest in yoga. My practice has helped me to grow stronger, be more flexible and more thoughtful on and off the mat. Yoga inspires me to live each moment mindfully. I continuously cultivate my passion for yoga through learning and teaching. In my classes I love watching my students' reaction to their own progress. As a Yogi, I embrace every opportunity to improve someone's health and make a positive change in their daily life. I will always be a student and I am deeply grateful to my teachers that shared their wisdom with me. - Samantha, RYT 200 hrs
Toronto
April Miranda loves exploring the physical and spiritual world. She loves to playfully go on new adventures and hopes to empower, inspire, and energize those who cross her path. Living by the motto "Be the light and share your light," she aspires to contribute to the higher good! Growing up as a competitive dancer, April completed her Kinesiology degree at The University of Calgary majoring in Pedagogy. After moving to Toronto, Ontario she continued to learn and grow by completing the Yogayama Teacher Training at the Ahimsa Yoga Centre. April's classes combine the art of movement and human anatomy, while staying true to the integrity of sacred yoga traditions, with a playful touch! April intends to joyfully share her love of yoga and inspire others to live happy, healthy lives full of growth, balance and fun! Come play! www.aprilmirandayoga.com
Photo Credit - JaycrewsphotographyHalifax, NS
Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, Canada, Celia found her love for the ancient and magical practice of yoga while going through a difficult emotional period in high school. Struggling to remember her voice and authenticity, yoga has been the most powerful tool and medicine in her life. She is passionate about sharing the importance of a healthy active lifestyle with others, and in the power of nourishing through whole, plant based foods. The sun, the moon, the ocean, the forest; everything alive has something to teach us. Yoga is one of the greatest tools to help open ourselves up, to remember who we are, and to plug in to all of the love in and around us. When in doubt, move freely, create art, go outside, read, travel, explore. Be a little kid for life.
Toronto, ON
I’m a twenty something girl living in Toronto who likes to travel to new places, doing yoga in beautiful spaces and who’s figuring out how to live a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been growing my yoga practice since 2008 and received my 200h Yoga Teacher Certification in December 2016. Yoga makes me happy: I think its fun, challenging and a way to love and learn more about yourself. It has helped me commit to be healthier, better and stronger and I want to share this joy with everyone around me.
http://www.yoga.clarasc.comLondon, Ontario
Yoga brings pure joy and peace to Emily’s life. Her lifelong passion for movement started with her love of dance. Upon discovering yoga, she had no idea she would become a teacher, but it turned out to be the perfect fit. Completing her Yoga Teacher Training in India, she deepened her appreciation for the practice. Teaching allows her to share this sense of peace and gratitude with her students. Often setting an intention for practice both as a student and a teacher, she aims to live a healthy life in her mind, body, and soul, on and off her mat.
Auburndale,Florida
In my family, yoga runs deep. I came to my practice through my sister, who was teaching Ashtanga at the time. She and my mom (another RYT) have always been inspirations to me, and what started out as a way to be more like them has since developed into a genuine passion of mine. I completed my training in 2015, shortly after giving birth to my daughter. Since then, my love of yoga has only grown, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share that passion with my not only my daughter, but everyone I meet.
Renfrew, ON
I’m big on travel, pie and people. That being said I’m also a firm believer of being wild and loud no matter where you are and try to communicate that through my actions, on my mat and with my students. Movement and yoga can turn and be seen in so many things. It can shape the atmosphere within an instant but can also help someone to understand their body in ways that aren’t always explained to us. Understanding the importance of breath and structure within traditional yoga, I love to take an inner lightness that allows my students to find creativity, playfulness and cultivate honest self-discovery in today's world. If you can’t be you then who can you be?
Mississauga, ON
Christina is a Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master. She is passionate about sharing the healing benefits of aligning oneself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually with wholeness. In her experience she has come to believe that through commitment to oneself, a willingness to work at one's growing edge, and trust in the process, a wildly beautiful and fulfilling life is available NOW. Being of service has been part the fabric of her being since she was a young girl. It especially developed as a teen when she co-founded her family’s non-profit and charity, Kids' Health Links Foundation. In 2015, Christina began living her life from a new, enlivening and empowered perspective. One that was based in spirituality and that eventually led her to realize that 'being of service' to others was not only something she enjoyed, but it was her life's purpose. She finds joy in the simple pleasures of connecting and engaging with others, and continually seeks for opportunities to serve and share the power of yoga within her communities.
https://coyogacanada.com/Mississauga, ON
Nancy Reid Oldridge is passionate about community building through yoga. As co-founder of CoYoga Canada - a ‘no-studio yoga studio’ that aims to bring the powerful practice of yoga to communities and shared or public spaces - she aims to teach yoga in more accessible and equitable ways. Nancy brings fire to the yoga mat with a self-practice that has vision, discipline, and compassion. As a professional urban planner and mother of two young boys, Nancy brings the tools and practices of yoga to her daily routines and work life in order to live with more ease and contentment. Trained through the Baptiste Institute and Power Yoga Canada, Nancy brings a focus on alignment and integration to her classes and offers a powerful practice to her students.
https://coyogacanada.com/Mississauga, ON
If I’d have to describe Yoga with just one word, it would be TRANSFORMATIONAL. In more than one word, for me, the practice of Yoga is much like the process of hatching, because as we practice with the guidance of loving and compassionate teachers, we begin to break down the shell of fear, guilt, denial, insecurities, shame, false beliefs and physical ailments that prevent us from being in the present moment, living and enjoying a full life. Of Argentinian background, I discovered the practice of yoga shortly after I moved to Canada with my young family in 2002. Leaving behind a hectic career in IT and facing an incredible amount of stress as a new immigrant, yoga not only helped me to cope with that transition, but also to overcome an eating disorder that I suffered from for many years making me feel fractured and disconnected from myself. My first contact with the practice was through the practice of mindfulness and meditation, and that led me to the discovery of the physical practice. I was powerfully drawn to yoga from the very first time I sat to meditate and had a glimpse of peace and acceptance; and slowly, I began to feel whole for the first time in my life. I wouldn’t have been able to walk that path alone. I had amazing teachers who guided me. And that realization awoke in me the passion for teaching. After taking two teacher trainings and countless hours of courses and workshops; I started teaching various styles of yoga and meditation at several studios and fitness clubs. Through my process of hatching, I discovered my passion for running, and became an avid one, running 20 km every morning with my dog before dawn, just to catch the sun rising by the lake; and running several marathons every year. Practicing yoga allowed me to sustain this discipline injury free for the past 9 years. I truly enjoy helping fellow runners and athletes keeping their body safe and healthy by finding a balance between strength and flexibility. Eventually I found myself teaching the 200 hs. Yoga Teacher Training at another Yoga Studio, and found the opportunity to form new teachers immensely fulfilling. But as yoga never ceases to make you growth, I found that my dharma, my calling, was to create my own studio, a sacred place in where I could create space to nurture and inspire a community. A space of safety and acceptance, of unconditional love, in which every single member of our staff shares the same passion. and that’s how Hatch Yoga came to life. In our western society, the practice of yoga took all kind of shapes and forms; different studios and different teachers offer different experiences. At one end of the spectrum it can be just a physical workout, and at the other, a doctrine full of rituals and traditions that are difficult for us to relate to in modern society At Hatch, we capture the essence of yoga with a unique holistic approach. Every single member of our staff shares this philosophy; we start from the premise that you are already perfect and everything you need is in you. You just need to “hatch”, and our job is to guide you with compassion and care.
Mississauga, ON
Annu Gaidhu is an international yoga teacher, Miss India Canada'14, youth worker and speaker based out of Toronto, Canada. Yoga is a part of Annu’s culture and heritage of India. Founder of The Healing Hearts Project Poverty Relief Initiative, a non-profit organization, Annu is best-known for her role in the documentary feature, Finding Spirit. An official selection at the Canadian Diversity Film Festival, Love International Film Festival and winner of Accolade Global Film Competition. Her works feature on many international media outlets including ZeeTV Canada, The India Times and more. Her mission is to serve and empower communities by making yoga accessible to people of all ages, abilities and body types.
Mississauga, ON
Katie is the co-founder of Yoga Service and Accessibility Canada and also teaches yoga to National Mens Para Soccer team. She believes yoga is for everyone, regardless of age, size, gender, ability, or economic background, and aims to cultivate that mindset in all yoga teachers. Katie is determined to help build a sustainable and accessible future for yoga in Canada. She thinks that yoga is for everyone & together we can build inclusive community through yoga.
Toronto
Olivia teaches Yoga, Meditation, Pilates, and Reiki in Toronto, with a degree in Philosophy and Eastern Religion. Her personal journey with yoga has taught her how to help heal her scoliosis (curvature of the spine) with holistic movement. More than a physical practice, yoga is deeply rooted in philosophical wisdom, which is what keeps Olivia coming back to her mat. When one finds something beautiful in life, one wants to share it with everyone! Like all things beautiful in life, Olivia wants to share the wonders of yoga to anyone with a curious heart