Canada
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Canada
United States* includes international guests
Australia
Please note: You will lose the contents of your shopping bag when you change regions.
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www.yogalifestudios.com
My yoga practice began 11 years ago as a must, not as a want. I was a typical “gym junkie” that never took time to stretch even though I knew I should. I was a competitive gymnast from the ages of 2-16 and when I retired from that I lost all my flexibility. I always felt so tight and misaligned that I decided I would make myself stretch in a yoga class once a week. I will be honest, I didn’t fall in love with yoga on day one. In fact I made my once a week class mandatory for a full body stretch but really didn’t buy into any other benefits that I always heard and read about yoga. I had a closed mind and simply went through the motions not wanting to learn or dive deeper into my practice. Luckily for me, I came across a fantastic teacher that opened my eyes. My simple “stretching” class took me to a place that is indescribable. She took me on a journey that quieted my mind and opened my soul. I suffer from a very busy mind like most people do. For the very first time my thoughts shut off for that hour. I was able to breathe, hear and feel again. All things that we take for granted until we have that full sense of freedom in our lives. From that day on I dove further into my yoga practice. I began to see it as a way to free my mind and give myself a break. The more I practiced, the more I noticed the physical changes in my body and the difference my practice made in my thoughts and decisions. Yoga reconnected me back to my body. Without trying or forcing practicing more, it became a deep need and want that left me fulfilled every day.
After many years of enjoying my own personal practice I decided to take my yoga journey to the next step by learning to teach. I took off on a life altering journey to India to learn yoga. I completed a 500 hour teacher training course and came back filled with a passion and desire to share my love of yoga with others. I will always see myself as a student rather than a teacher. Yoga knowledge is endless and that’s why I love soaking up every bit I can. My goal is to be a leader and role model for others and to make sure that yoga is accessible to all ages and abilities. I am a human just like you. I am not a perfect pretzel that never falls down. I will teach you to fall and more importantly get back up!! I hope to unleash the inner potential of anyone I can and transcend any limitations that they face in their lives.
My favourite quote from the lululemon manifesto is “breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.” Bringing yoga into my life has opened my eyes to a whole new world. Yoga put me more in touch with my body, it heightened my senses to allow me to truly see, hear, touch, taste and feel. I feel so blessed to be able to find something beautiful in my day. My first major car accident years ago was a wakeup call to say “hey, this might be your last day so start living”. Since that day I have never looked back, only forward and up. If we all took a moment, even on the worst day, to look for one beautiful thing we would appreciate life a lot more. It can be over in the blink of an eye so we better start living now!! It is so frustrating when I hear people say “I’ll start tomorrow”, what’s wrong with today??
My passion is hot yoga but I do incorporate other physical activities into my life. I am a strong believer of variety of activity for the body and mind. I love lifting weights, going for a good run, hiking stairs, rollerblading, wakeboarding and walking my dog. Anytime I can get outside I take it, I’m a huge sun lover and nothing feels better than some exercise and fresh air on a beautiful day! I am up for participating in pretty much anything that gets my heart racing and sweat pouring!!
Yoga for me is happiness, freedom and peace Yoga has brought me awareness, compassion, and love for myself and others. I really do not know where my life would be without it. It brings a sense of balance to every aspect of my life. There is so much more beyond the mat. In one of my trainings, a wise lady told us “when you see someone happy, be happy, when you see someone sad, be compassionate, when you see someone lucky be delightful and when you see someone wicked be indifferent”. That has been a quote that I try to live my life by. I think the biggest joy of yoga is learning that it is so much more than physical exercise. Lyengar quoted something along the lines of “my body is my temple and my asanas are my prayers”. There is so much beauty in using our bodies as vehicles for expression of something so much bigger and greater than simply doing the best headstand or tree pose possible. I hope to continue to let my love and compassion for yoga touch as many people as I can throughout my life. I know that the world is already a much better place with yoga and will only continue to change lives in a positive healthy way as awareness grows. I would be lost without my practice. It is as easy as closing my eyes, stilling my thoughts and feeling my breath - that is truly living in the moment.
