Briana
Bri came to us from Banff, Alberta and has been teaching since 2007. She has been practicing Yoga since age 11 and she completed her teacher training with the South Okanogan Yoga Association (SOYA). Bri moved to Toronto in 2012 to study Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. She received two undergraduate degrees in Kinesiology and Life Sciences at Queen’s University and is able to offer expert physical advice and alignment instruction. As an Ironman Triathlete and avid Crossfitter, Bri has experience with the benefits of yoga for any type of athlete. She studied with Sri Dharma Mittra in 2011 and hopes that her classes offer not only physical benefits, but also spiritual, mental and emotional benefits. She tries to include yogic philosophy throughout her classes to give people the opportunity to connect to their true selves and their deeper, inner being. Bri believes yoga is an integral part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and is eager to share her knowledge and expertise. She appreciates when students bring specific questions or postures they would like to work on to class and always tailors her classes to meet the group’s collective needs.
Carla
Carla completed her yoga teacher training at Downward Dog Yoga Centre in 2009 under the guidance of Diane Bruni and Ron Reid. Carla’s classes focus on strength, alignment and breath. She is not bound by one style of yoga but rather draws inspiration from many variations. Carla’s classes are challenging and dynamic. She approaches yoga from a methodical perspective as she firmly believes it is a life long practice…so what’s the rush! Carla is excited to share the magic of yoga with the students of the Yoga Lounge.
Chioma
Chioma loves yoga’s universal application. With energy and commitment to personal growth and evolution, the gifts of yoga are available to everyone, everywhere. Chioma has traveled and lived around the world, and has studied with teachers in India, Nepal, East Africa and North America. If you hit the road with her, there’s a 90% chance you’ll see her in a downward dog and 89.9% chance she’ll get you to join her!
A life-long learner, Chioma is committed to new ideas, experiences and personal evolution. Her natural curiosity leads her to continually seek ways to further her education and share knowledge with her students. Her teaching style is committed to creating a safe, thoughtful and challenging space to develop your yoga practice. When she is not climbing a mountain or sharing her love of yoga, Chioma is a college teacher, a lawyer specializing in international development and a freelance travel writer. Self-described as a lover of travelogues, downward dogs and dialogues, she’d love to see you at her next class!
Darcie
A student of yoga since 1995, Darcie sees yoga as a means to connect with the self through mindful movement and breath. After completing her teacher training at YogaSpace with Kathryn Beet and Patricia White in 2007, she has taught people of all levels, needs, and abilities, including beginners, athletes, and seniors.
Darcie’s goal is to make yoga accessible for everyone, regardless of flexibility, strength, weight, or age. In her classes, she invites you to slow down so you can develop greater awareness as you move through each pose. She guides you to move within your own comfortable range of motion to find ease rather than strain, fluidity instead of rigidity, and lightness in place of heaviness. Her teaching style is influenced by the Vanda Scaravelli lineage of yoga, in that she asks you to let the breath and the push-pull of the earth influence your whole body in each pose.
A caring and attentive yoga teacher, Darcie delights in watching her students develop increased confidence and awareness through simply practicing yoga. She offers clear and thorough instruction so you’ll never feel lost during a class, and provides guidance through gentle hands-on assisting. Her personal website can be found at http://www.darcieclark.com/
Duncan
Duncan’s classes are filled with smiles, dynamic, fun and challenging sequences and engaging philosophy. Depending on the class, challenge and power are explored in a vigorous way to truly connect with inner strength. Rest and relaxation are experienced in a way to promote deep release and healing. Duncan has been teaching for 5 years, with over 900 hours of training in Classical Ashtanga yoga, Anusara Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and Yoga Therapy. Duncan loves teaching and thanks his teachers for all their inspiration: David Earle, Nadia Potts, Baba Hari Dass, Desiree Rumbaugh, John Friend, Todd Norian and Ann Greene, Shasta Townsend, and his students.
Jackie
Jackie loves teaching yoga and is very passionate about helping you to discover the pose for your body. While using the breath as your guide, she will help you focus on the correct alignment and will provide alternatives to each posture based on your abilities. Exploring alternative postures is important particularly when one is new to yoga or may have flexibility or other limitations. Her ‘enjoy the journey’ philosophy will take you into the depth of each posture using your own body signals to feel the pose. Staying connected with your body will ensure you do not work beyond your compassionate edge. Andrea was certified in ten Body Yoga, which includes Hatha and Kundalini. The content of her classes provide breath work , floor standing and core work. There is always a meditative feel and thus we close with a balanced practice.
Jane
Jane teaches yoga from a desire to aid others in healing themselves and improving their quality of life. Jane likes to experiment with a variety of yoga styles and enjoys creating an environment of playfulness, trust and joy in her classes. Jane began her Yoga journey as a dance student at YorkUniversity. She found Yoga to be a wonderful way to heal, balance and relax the body. At York her studies included kinesiology and injury treatment and prevention which have given Jane a strong base of knowledge of the body.
After graduation from York Jane had the fortune to travel to India and study Yoga at an ashram with Yoga Vidya Gurukul in 2006. Since returning home to Toronto she has continued to train with various masters such as Rodney Yee, Francois Raoult, Ramanand Patal, Hali Schwartz and Michael Siddal. She currently teaches yoga, creative movement, swing dance, and ballet to children and adults of all ages.
Julie
As a student of yoga for more than 10 years Julie obtained her first Hatha Yoga certification while living in London, UK. She is also certified to teach the Bikram hot yoga method and has studied yoga in India, Turkey, England and Vancouver. She incorporates both hatha and vinyasa styles into her class to create a challenging and unique style. Julie is the founder and Director of The Corporate Yogi™ an integrated wellness consultancy that offers a fresh approach to corporate coaching and high performance training but integrating yoga and yogic principles. Early in her career, Julie discovered that yoga helped her to cope with daily stresses, enabling her to better manage her workload while leading a healthy life. Now she helps companies grow and educates professionals using a combination of business training methods and traditional yoga practices. She is also a Co-Active Coach and a Certified Ayurveda Therapist.
Karen
Karen teaches a traditional Hatha class that focuses on alignment and breath. Attention is also brought to meditation and philosophy. Her classes encourage you take a step away from the external world and work from the inside encouraging peace and balance. She has studied with teachers such as Yogi Vishvketu and Margot Kitchen. Karen continues to study with senior Iyengar teacher Mahyar Raz in Toronto.
Katrine
Start your journey into Yoga right! These classes are perfect for beginners, or for those who want to return to the fundamentals.
Kristina
Working in the corporate world during the day, Kristina has first-hand knowledge of the importance of maintaining a balanced life. Initially seeking yoga to relieve the stress of university, she has now been practicing yoga for over 8 years. Kristina has discovered both the spiritual and physical benefits a regular yoga practice has to offer. She is a graduate of the YogaSpace Teacher Training program under the guidance of Kathryn Beet, Patricia White and Hali Schwartz. Her background and training is in Vinyasa and Hatha yoga.
Kristina’s classes are playful and energetic, connecting breath with movement while focusing on alignment, flexibility and core strength. She incorporates yoga philosophy and meditation, playing a variety of music to accompany the flow of each class sequence.
Her love for yoga and teaching continues to grow as she is inspired by her students and teachers alike. Kristina is excited to be a part of The Yoga Lounge teaching team. She is thrilled to share her knowledge, experience and passion for yoga with her new and seasoned students.
Kristen
Kristen’s love for yoga started in 2004. She was surprised at how wonderful she felt after….blissful, confident, energized but calm and giggly are just some of these feelings. Completing her Hatha and Vinyasa training in 2011, she was then able to start sharing these wonderful qualities that Yoga offers. Creating awareness in the body to maintain correct alignment and awakening our inner beauty. She enjoys moving at a controlled, gentle pace to relieve tension, build strength, clear the mind and just flow with grace. Kristen’s classes focus on staying present, giving you a space to focus on yourself while the outside world fades away. Her classes have a slow, steady pace with a subtle challenge.
Lisa
Lisa first discovered yoga in 2000 and loved how it complemented and grounded her dance practice. She completed her first teacher training course at Tula Yoga in Toronto in 2009 and her second in India in 2010. She is constantly expanding her knowledge and her own practice to bring more variation and awareness to every class. Focusing on the breath and combining it with movement to create a moving meditation is the heart of her classes. She teaches a variety of styles from gentle Hatha to Power Flow, as well as dance conditioning and aerial yoga classes.
Marah
Marah is a corporate lawyer by day and thus she is a yogi who understands the pressures and stress of sustaining a balanced life…and how yoga can contribute to alleviating those stressors. She discovered yoga in 2001 while studying at university and she continued to return to her mat over the past ten years to breathe through her tensions and reap the many health and spiritual benefits of a regular yoga practice. Marah strives everyday to live a purposeful, positive and well-balanced life, and this shines through in her teaching. Marah completed her hatha and vinyasa flow teacher training at Tula Yoga Studios. Her teaching style is light and humorous yet shaped by the hope that she may be able to impact those yogis whose hearts may be breaking, whose minds may be racing or whose muscles are aching. Because after all, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” ~B.K.S. Iyengar
Marnie
Marnie began her yoga journey while living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Upon her return to Canada she continued to develop her yoga practice and has participated in various teacher trainings in the GTA and Montréal.She is currently completing a degree in Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto.
Marnie views yoga as tool to feel good in our bodies and clear our minds. When we’re comfortable and calm we approach life in a mindful and curious way. Her classes begin with grounding meditation exercises followed by a fluid and energizing sequence that links breath and movement. Focus is placed on dynamic postures cultivate strength, flexibility and balance.
Meg
Meg Watkins is a slow-food enthusiast, daydreamer, life lover, heart follower, and an eternal optimist. Meg started out dabbling in yoga in her teens, in various rec centre classes, loving the way breathing through a yoga class cleared her head, and how the poses made her feel lighter and more grounded at the same time. For Meg, yoga got serious in 2009 when she took a class with a teacher whose wisdom, confidence, and light were infinitely inspiring, and she resolved to be the same type of teacher for others. Meg completed her 200hr yoga teacher training in June 2012 at Tula Central in Toronto, and has been happily spreading the love and playfulness of yoga through her Vinyasa, Hatha flow, and Prenatal classes ever since!
Megan Marie
Megan Marie is a graduate from OctopusGarden’s 500hr Teacher training program, and is a passionate yoga teacher and creative artist. Her vinyasa classes create space for students to find the dynamic play of breath and movement, find the unique dance of their own body, and get more curious, joyful and playful while practicing yoga.
Michelle
Michelle is a certified 200 Hour Yoga Instructor, and she continues to deepen her study and practice with devotion. Grateful for the influence practicing Yoga has had on her own life, Michelle is passionate about sharing her experience through teaching. Michelle leads a class that engages optimal alignment, strength, and an open mind. She encourages her students to test their boundaries and guide them to try new things while honouring their limitations. Michelle draws from the traditions of Hatha, Anusara Yoga and Prana Vinyasa, which she weaves through her teachings.
Lesley
Lesley took her first yoga class in 1998. She didn’t fall in love right away – the honest truth is that she felt very awkward and self conscious throughout the entire experience. Thankfully a voice within convinced her to stick with it. By 2007, Lesley knew she had found a “home” in yoga, on the mat, and in her body – so she completed her yoga teacher training in Toronto. It was a magical decision for her. She guides people to find their own healing path and witnesses the transformation that is possible when time is spend on the yoga mat, with the breath, and in a community with other like-minded people. “I am passionate in my belief that yoga truly is for every body – no matter what our shape, size, or physical ability. Because the real beauty of yoga comes when we focus on our body and breath – with the love and compassion that we truly deserve to bestow upon ourselves. That’s when the real magic happens! Namaste”
In addition to teaching yoga, Lesley is also a registered homeopath; you can learn more about her at: www.lesleyhomeopathy.com
Rebecca
Rebecca Kranias is a certified Kripalu yoga instructor. She trained at Kripalu Centre for Yoga and Health, in Massachusets, 12 years ago. Rebecca has taught yoga classes and workshops in London, England and Toronto, Ontario. She is also trained in Danskinetics, a unique combination of yoga and creative dance.
Simone
Part of Canada’s Pre-Olympic gymnastic team from the age of five to nine; health, fitness and well-being are strongly engrained valves within Simone. Not competitive by nature, her interest faded in gymnastics and turned towards yoga. Health challenges nurtured her love of yoga, with that love came her daily practice. That practice was the motivation to give back what she had discovered to be so helpful in her own life. A practitioner of yoga for ten years before her certification in 2005. Certified to teach Hatha, Vinyasa, Pre-and Post-natal, kids, seniors and her passion Restorative yoga!
Sofie
Sofie has recently joined our team here at the studio. Previously a member of Team Canada Volleyball and Arizona State UniversityVolleyball, Sofie brings an athletic, high energy approach to her classes. Yoga found its way into her life as a perfect balance to the highly competitive, stressful nature of her sporting career and academic endeavors. As a medical student and hot yoga instructor, she strives to use both the teachings of yoga and her medical knowledge to benefit body and mind. She completed her Hot Yoga certification in Thailand during 2012 and loves having the ability to share her passion and promote healthy living. Sofie can always be found with a big smile and promotes a fun loving atmosphere in her classes. Take the opportunity to be physically and mentally challenged or even succumb to the ultimate holy grail, a hot, double header on Sundays!
Susan – Iyengar Elements, Back Care Basics and Restorative
Truc
As a student at the University of Toronto, Yoga has helped Truc calm the mind and reduce stress and anxiety. Recently completing teacher training with Power Yoga Canada in Oakville, she is excited to open more possibility into her life and experience new and exciting things. Classes are based on possibility and opportunity, creating space for new experiences in yoga and in life.
Yoga
The Iyengar method Yoga was developed by Yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar. This practice is transformative for body and mind: the extended holding of poses strenthens, lengthens and alligns the body while clearing and calming the thoughts. Susan is an advanced teacher of Yoga whose personalized attention will evolve your practice. Suitable for beginners and more advanced practitioners.
Relax, renew, and rejuvenate with the peace inducing poses of Restorative Yoga. Stess melts away as these extended poses support your body. Body and mind will drop all tension under Susan’s expert hands-on guidance.