Prana Warriors – a community to help you discover your inner warrior

Angie completed an RYT200 program at Kula studio in Oakville. Angie guides mindful movement with emphasis on breath and alignment, and encourages development of body-mind awareness, by drawing inwards during the practice and observing the activities of the mind and sensations in the body. Angie guides meditations inspired by eastern traditions, in particular Buddhism and Classical Tantra. May we practice yoga out of love of ourselves, in order to find the truth for the benefit of all beings!

Tommy started practicing yoga in the late 2000s as a complement to his triathlon training. He would eventually ascend to racing as a professional before a career-ending head injury in 2014. As a yoga teacher. Tommy combines his years of athletic training, coaching and meditation into all of his classes. He specializes in teaching vinyasa, hatha and yin for athletes for strength, performance efficiency, injury prevention, and recovery enhancement, as well as meditation to adjust their training and racing mindset. He enjoys teaching all levels and abilities and creates fun and dynamic asana sequences to challenge and help you deepen your personal practice.

Having a fascination for yoga since she was a young child, Margo finds the practice a powerful force that elevates physical and mental wellbeing. Completing her RYT 200 with the Indian Yoga and Meditation Centre opened many new facets of yoga beyond the physical practice, such as pranayama, yoga Nidra, and meditation.

Recent injuries became a learning opportunity for Margo to change the way she approached instructing her classes. Through this new perspective, she aims to create safe sequences that encourage mobility and strength, as well as providing physical and mental tension release.

Ginty finally listened to her doctors and started practicing yoga when a studio opened up just 100 steps from her home. Her aim was simple—to keep her body moving in spite of the natural effects of aging—but she fell in love with the discipline and opportunities for self discovery inherent in the practice. When an opportunity came to co-found Yoga Seven in 2014, she leaped at the chance of learning about the business of yoga as well. Coming late to the party (at the age of 63), she took her RYT-200 at the Jesse Barlow School of Yoga in Sri Lanka and continues to learn in both the practice and the business. Off the mat, she is involved in many ways with community theatre, and takes a strong interest in weird shoes, diet, and alternative medicine/therapies. In her “spare time” she enjoys gardening and cooking.

Stephanie DeBou is a Toronto/Mississauga based Yoga and Meditation Teacher. She has studied under a number of revered Toronto and International teachers, completing 500 hrs of yoga teacher training at Octopus Garden Yoga Studio. In addition, she has taken many specialized teacher trainings including Restorative Yoga and Functional Movement. Her studies have taken her from Vancouver to Thailand to India to deepen her yoga and meditation practice and knowledge. As a movement and a meditation teacher, she likes to explore the shifting spaces between stillness. Stephanie is passionate about teaching movement that can be a meditation unto itself, and meditations that identify the subtle shifts of the mind and body. She guides her sits and classes with lighthearted compassion and clarity, inviting all to explore the deeper aspects of their mind and body experience.

Yolande is quick to dispel the myth that yoga is only for the young, the strong and the flexible among us… she believes this couldn’t be further from the truth, and that the practice of yoga can provide a gentle and healing path to movement for anybody…or any body, no matter the age, shape or size.

Yolande believes our bodies deserve love and respect, no matter what shape they happen to be in!  Human beings were meant to move and yoga is a gentle and loving way to do just that.

Yolande personally discovered yoga after losing a loved one more than a decade ago; it was on her mat that she was able to process her grief, calm her mind, and strengthen her body.  She fell in love with the practice and decided to become a teacher.  Yoga has transformed her life and nothing makes her happier than sharing it with others!

Claudette has been practicing yoga since 2006 and has been a certified teacher since 2014.  She has always been passionate about fitness—an important part of her life that makes her feel better both physically and mentally.  Her love of yoga began when she discovered that fitness was not all about cardio and strength.  Her body was letting her know that it needed something else to balance things out, so she decided to try a yoga class to increase her flexibility.  At first, she I thought “Ok,  I enjoyed that but I’m not sure I was doing the poses right or breathing at the right time.” But as soon as she let go of the worry of doing it right, she shifted into just moving into what felt good and was hooked. Her training and certifications include Power Yoga Canada Teacher Training , Baptiste Level 1, Baptiste Level 2,  Art of Assisting,  Corporate and Private Teacher training,  and Restorative Teacher training. She loves to share the benefits that yoga has to offer, both on and off the mat.

Jen’s yoga journey began in 2007 when she was looking for a space to slow down, breathe, and move. One hot yoga class later and she was hooked! Teaching since 2010, yoga has unlocked her power not only in her physical life but in her personal life as well, giving her the self-confidence to walk through life’s ups and downs. As a high school teacher, it has always been her passion to motivate and encourage others, and when she found yoga, she found exactly what she was looking for. Not only does she love the natural endorphins gained from the practice, she also loves the revived sense of happiness, peace, and strength she feels after every class. Through a combination or movement, intention, and music, Jen will create an experience that will leave you feeling strong, motivated and ready to take on the world!

Dave Grohl of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters once said “One of the great things about music is that you can sing a song to 85,000 people and they’ll sing it back for 85,000 different reasons.” It’s no less true for yoga…

All of us find our mats for a reason — or reasons — uniquely our own and those reasons are just as likely to change and grow as our practice does the same. That’s the beauty of yoga for me in a nutshell. I found my mat through injury, but as my practice evolved, so did the reason that I wanted to practice and then, eventually, teach. If I can find a daily practice after fourteen knee surgeries and an ankle reconstruction, then anyone can too.

I honestly believe that there is a yoga practice for everyone no matter your physical challenges or abilities. Let’s work on finding a practice that meets your needs and allows you to grow into greater challenge at your own pace, with a practice that is led, but still uniquely your own.

Katelynn is passionate about teaching and sharing her knowledge of body movement, alignment and anatomy. After dancing professionally on resorts and cruise ships for over 5 years, she travelled to Brazil in 2012 to train and become a Certified Yoga Instructor with David Lee Lurey.

Since then she has completed:

• 500+ hours of Yoga Teacher Training with world renowned teachers such as Pat Harada Linfoot, Scott Davis, and Hali Schwartz at Octopus Garden.
• Pilates Mat Instructor Certification with Susie Dias from East to West Yoga & Pilates.
• 85 hours of Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Sasha Padron at Yoga Space.
• 75 hours of Yoga Tune Up Level 1 Teacher Training with Amanda Tripp in St.Catharines.
• Certification as an advanced Thai Massage Practitioner, studying at Thai Massage Toronto and abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Katelynn has also travelled to the homeland to study Yoga in Goa, India in 2017 with Lisa Messina. Since 2011, she has taught all over the City of Toronto, including Mount Sinai, Toronto General, and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, and Yoga studios such as Mosaic and Octopus Garden. Her experience is immediately recognized through her clear and concise cueing, seamless transitions, relevant modifications, and thoughtfully challenging exercises. She welcomes all levels and body types, while maintaining a safe space for everyone to participate at their own pace.

Her playful spirit and joy for life are so evident that you immediately feel welcomed, at ease, and ready for a great workout!

Sara empowers people to improve their physical & spiritual health. Her fluid classes focus on connecting breath and movement. Sara has a strong focus on alignment and functional core integration. She developed a keen interest in food & health as a teenager and has been eager to learn ever since. In 2006 Sara began teaching high school level nutrition. Next she took her 70 hour Pilates teacher training in 2008. After developing some severe allergies, Sara turned to yoga to help manage stress and her condition. To deepen her practice, she completed her 200 hour Hatha Yoga teacher certification in 2017 and began teaching yoga that summer. Sara is a life-long learner and continues to build her repertoire of exercises, modifications and therapeutics. She is a creative & enthusiastic teacher who loves wellness and nature!

The secret for Joanne, in getting through some really tough times, dealing with stress, and staying healthy, has been yoga. The studio became a saving grace for her – it gave her a place to go every day and that sense of community and belonging that she was missing – it became her home away from home. In addition to challenging her body and the fitness benefits, it was the sense of community and friendships, and the sense of mindfulness that allowed her to focus and brought her back to life. Inspired by what she had experienced and with the encouragement of her teachers, Joanne completed her RYT-200 certification in 2013. Joanne is grateful to her teachers who have influenced her attention to proper alignment, playfulness and honouring your own body. She has a devoted practice and passion for yoga that continues to grow and expand. Yoga had the power to transform Joanne’s life and beliefs and sharing yoga has become one of her greatest joys.

Joanne realized her life-long dream of becoming an entrepreneur when she co-founded Yoga Seven in March 2014. Prior to embarking on her first entrepreneurial venture, Joanne enjoyed a successful career in working in the finance, media, and entertainment industries. A long-time health and wellness enthusiast, she graduated with a Kinesiology degree from the University of Western. Joanne achieved another life-long dream when she completed her MBA in 2015 at the Kellogg-Schulich School of Business where she had the opportunity to study in Toronto, Chicago, Brazil, Germany and China. Off the mat, she can be found spending time with her family, swimming, and baking … pies are her specialty!