Club Mansfield Pointe-Claire/YMHA
Alex is passionate about fitness, training, and sport: being an avid fitness and yoga instructor, personal trainer, triathlete, competitive dragon boater with The Montreal Women’s Elite Team, dragon boat coach, and certified Kettlebell instructor. Alex loves training of all kinds. Alex started her fitness career as a volunteer instructor at the NDG YMCA, and soon became the Weight Room Coordinator at the West Island YMCA, and is currently the fitness and recreation Coordinator at the West Island JCC. Alex has been working, teaching, and personal training ever since, and loves every minute of it! Whether you’re searching for change in your program, postural analysis, corrective conditioning or general fitness, Alex can help you add some pep to your workout! See you at the... Read the profile >>
Bohdi Principle
Ariane has more than 15 years of training in dance, gymnastics, martial arts, yoga, and meditation practice. After completing her university degree in Eastern Religions, Ariane’s interest in Eastern medicine led her to complete a certification in traditional Ashtanga yoga and Chi Kung. For the past ten years, Ariane has extended her message of healing and wellbeing to people of all ages and capabilities including special needs, seniors and children. Her current project, BODHI Buds, is a program designed specifically for students and teachers to access ‘inner education’ through yoga and meditation courses. The purposes of the project are to empower youth and to create harmonious atmospheres in schools. Read the profile >>
BODHI founder, Bhaskar Goswami combines the ancient wisdom of yoga with modern lifestyle-improvement techniques to provide this unique perspective. From Assam, India, Bhaskar is a Yoga Consultant who has been deeply involved with the practice since the early 90’s. He is a certified teacher of traditional hatha yoga and a specialist in employing the principles of yoga in workplaces. Born into the yogic tradition, he comes from the lineage of Vasishtha, who is considered to be one of the founding fathers of this ancient practice. He has been trained at the Transcendental Meditation school of Assam in India, by Yogacharya Nandakumar in Kuwait and by Siromani Sriram and the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta in Canada. With a Masters degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Nottingham... Read the profile >>
Loving and living fitness from an early age, Brenda discovered yoga while becoming a certified personal trainer 8 years ago. Wanting to share her love for yoga with others she began teaching 5 years ago. Brenda has trained with Yasmin Fudakasko-Gow, Maureen Rae, Kate Potter among others and her style of teaching ranges from the dynamic flow of a power yoga class to the slow, calm meditative flow of a gentle yoga class. She has also studied pre-natal and mom & baby yoga. Through her personal practice she has found balance, peace and a better appreciation for each moment we have in this world .Brenda teaches in and around the West Island at the YMCA on Brunswick, Physical Park, Mansfield West Island and Energie Cardio. Read the profile >>
Mansfield Pointe-Claire/Energie-Cardio Kirkland/Pincourt Omnicentre
YMCA West Island/John Abbott College
Celine has always been passionate about teaching about living a healthy lifestyle. As a yoga, fitness and aquatics teacher at John Abbott College, she has seen the positive effects of healthy living in her students. Wanting to reach a broader population, Celine also teaches yoga at the West Island YMCA. She has a diverse practice, ranging from the more vigorous ashtanga to gentle or restorative yoga. Celine’s engaging personality and personalized approach to teaching has made her a favorite among students of all ages. Read the profile >>
Chelsea has always been passionate about sport. Growing up she played competitive soccer, hockey and rugby and continued to excel in rugby, playing both provincially and for McGill University. Her commitment to sport has cultivated her competitive drive and love for fitness. It was in cegep that Chelsea realized she wanted to pursue a career where she could be active and share her passion for physical activity with others. She has worked with students of all ages and is now a full time physical education teacher at John Abbott College. Chelsea thought her days of competitive sports were over after sustaining a serious knee injury, tearing her acl, but luckily she found crossfit, a sport she could avidly continue to participate in and channel her competitive spirit. It challenged her both... Read the profile >>
Chris Martin-Chang has been a lifelong athlete. Since childhood, he has enjoyed a variety of sports, ranging from martial arts to volleyball. He is currently a member of an amateur basketball and football team in Montreal. As a high school teacher, he also promotes the importance of being active through his teaching and coaching. However, in recent years Chris has developed a passion for running. In 2004, he ran his first long distance (30 km) race in Hamilton, Ontario. Local residents were able to follow his progress in a weekly article in the Hamilton Spectator as he chronicled his challenges in training for the Around the Bay Race. At the time, Chris only saw himself as a training partner for his wife. However, what began as part of a modest fitness regime has now grown into... Read the profile >>
Claudine has always been fascinated by the body, health and well being in general. Passionate about dance, she graduated from L’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal in 2003. She then took a different road and completed a business degree at UQAM in 2010. During her studies Claudine needed to breathe and that is when she found and quickly became addicted to yoga! Eternal student, Claudine seizes every opportunity to learn and grow. Always deepening both her practice and her teaching, on top of completing the Moksha teacher training in 2009, she completed the Moksha level II teacher training and has studied with various senior teachers such as Hart Lazer and Baron Baptiste. Aside from her accomplishments, Claudine has always been an avid traveler. From Saudi Arabia to Bulgaria, from... Read the profile >>
YMCA Pointe-Claire, Le Club West Island, Vanakays Mouvement Santé
Y.M.C.A F.I.T. YMCA certified group cycle instructor. Experienced strength trainer for elite athletic sports teams as well as group circuit and boot camp trainer. She is an accomplished equestrian jumper and classical dressage rider with over 10 years competing experience.CPR certified. Crystal combines 10 years of competitive equestrian riding to her certifications as a personal and group trainer to inspire individuals in achieving their fitness objectives. As well, she enjoys working as a strength coach for elite athletic sports teams. On her free time she likes to meditate and adheres to a holistic lifestyle through proper diet, exercise and maintaining a positive attitude towards life. You can visit Crystal on line at www.montrealfashionbizvie.com/bzone/bfit where she continues... Read the profile >>
Darlene became hooked on fitness when she attended her first aerobics class with her mother in the early 1990’s garbed in bright purple tights. Her athleticism, combined with her dynamic and energetic personality made for an easy transition from participant to instructor. For the last 20 years she has enjoyed a very rewarding career in many different aspects of the fitness industry. Darlene is a certified Group Fitness and Stott Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer, Corrective Conditioning and Sports Conditioning Specialist. Darlene has taught a variety of classes throughout the years such as aerobics, step, kickboxing, bootcamp, indoor cycling, Pilates and muscular conditioning. She strives to motivate and educate her participants and clients to tackle their fitness challenges and... Read the profile >>
Diane Roseman, B.Ed. in Phys. Ed., has been a teacher in the fitness and wellness industry since 1983, when she received her first certification as an Aerobics Instructor from the YWCA in Montreal. She went on to teach and train other instructors as a Fitness Coordinator for 7 years, first at the Westmount YMCA, then the Snowdon YM-YWHA. After moving to the West Island in 1995, Diane continued teaching fitness at various gyms and studios, and even taught Jazz Ballet for elementary schools. In 2001, Diane found a new passion in Pilates, after suffering from a knee injury and subsequent surgery. She then became trained to teach Pilates, and since then hasn't looked back, teaching Pilates at community centers, Studio A, Core Basics, and presently at Centre Holistique Om West, McGill... Read the profile >>
Elysa Monk Fitness
I have been a certified fitness specialist for over 23 years working as a group instructor and personal trainer. My passion is teaching fun crazy energetic classes that leave the participants wanting more. I am certified in kickboxing, BOSU, spinning, yoga level 1, Gymstick and Zumba. I offer specialty classes including Mom and Baby programs/ kids' programs (Mommy and me Bootcamp/Mommy and me Zumba etc.). My Fitness Company is all about working hard, eating right and having fun!!!! I work one on one or I offer group personal training. I am very knowledgeable and I always find the time to keep on learning as fitness is always evolving. I worked for Club Med as a fitness instructor and choreographer for their Animation Team and choreographed dance shows. I received a certification to... Read the profile >>
Jocelyne Mahoney began her career in the fitness industry way back in l985 when she became a YMCA-certified Fitness Instructor. She started off teaching high-impact aerobic classes and quickly added low impact and The Step to her repertoire along with muscle conditioning classes to suit the ever-changing needs of her participants. In 1995 she started her personal training career and quickly added indoor cycling to her teaching abilities as well as taking on the challenge of participating in 5K, 10K, 15K and half-marathon road races and in Olympic-distance triathlon races in and around the Montreal area. After fulfilling many personal fitness goals, she decided to take her fitness career in another direction and began to teach yoga and pilates. She presently is the Strength and... Read the profile >>
Julie Beaumont M.A. Child Study, CanFitPro, BOSU Balance Trainer, Spinning®, Boxing Fitness – The Boxing Fitness Institute, Level 1 Dragon Boat Coach (Dragon Boat Canada), CPR certified Julie Beaumont has been working as a fitness professional for the past 5 years. As a three time member of the Canadian National Premier Woman's Dragon Boat Team (2005, 2007, & 2009), she shares her passion for sport, fitness, & paddling with others by coaching amateur and competitive dragon boat teams throughout the year. Julie’s experience in the fitness industry is based on a wide range of sport and training related fields; group fitness, personal training, coaching and teaching. Julie is enthusiastic, passionate, knowledgeable, and, most importantly, loves what she does. In order to... Read the profile >>
We began our journey on May 24th 2003, with entry into the Early Bird Sprint Triathlon as a team – ‘The Killer B’s’. Kat was the swimmer, Kev the cyclist and runner. We were excited to try something new for fun and fitness, but had no idea at the time that this simple step would set us in motion and initiate a series of worldwide adventures. Our first race was so much fun we signed up for 4 more events that same year, and continued with five more the following year. The Killer B’s were hooked! In 2005, we decided it was time for us to ramp things up and race as age group individuals, enjoying each event experience along the way. Then, what once seemed impossible soon became a reality – we entered our first Ironman event in 2006 and raced Ironman Canada! Since... Read the profile >>
Energie Cardio/Club Mansfield Pointe-Claire/GoodLife Fitness
Kirstin Schell B.Comm. Personal Training Specialist PTS Nutrition and Wellness Specialist NWS Sport Strength Specialist Canadian School of Natural Nutrition-Holistic Nutritionist candidate Group Exercise: certified spinning instructor, Bosu, resist-a-ball, bodypump, bodystep, RPM My passion for fitness started young as a competitive athlete. During my time in the US on athletic scholarships (softball and volleyball), it became clear that I enjoyed helping others achieve their fitness goals and I loved to watch how doing so affected their lives in so many ways. Upon my return to Montreal, I pursued a job in Personal Training while I completed my education. My “job” during university became my career. I have held many positions in the fitness industry including personal... Read the profile >>
Lana Armstrong is a part of the Moksha Yoga family here in Montreal for the past 8 years. She is co-owner of Moksha Yoga NDG and also the mama here at Moksha Yoga West Island. She came to Montreal for her Masters at McGill, fell in love with the Montreal charm and has happily settled down in the West Island with her amazing husband and 2 beautiful kids. Always interested in learning and growing as a yoga student and as a teacher, she has studied with Hart Lazar, Frank Jude Boccio, Baron Baptiste, Sarah Powers & Paul Grilley. As much as learning is important, the best teacher is our time on our mat recognizing that we are the source where wisdom flows. So in her classes she strives for a balance between finding stillness and space while keeping a sense of fun exploration. Read the profile >>
For Linda, fitness is a way of life – almost a religion! Her philosophy is “what will not kill you will only make you stronger”. She uses this mantra as her inspiration to continually renew her skills through education and experimentation. Linda loves what she does, and loves the people that she is fortunate enough to help and to meet. Linda’s varied career in fitness began at the tender age of 5, when she began her illustrious career as a ballet dancer. It came to an abrupt end however when she refused to wear a tutu and leotards. She needed to work on her physique before that would happen! During her formative years Linda participated in a variety of sports and activities including: gymnastics, volleyball, badminton, track and field and cheerleading. Linda studied... Read the profile >>
Having grown up on the West Coast I have always lead an active lifestyle. I've tried most sports but my passion as a youngster was track and field where I competed as a sprinter for 10 years. It wasn't until my late 30's after having cancer did I attempt to re-kindle my love/hate relationship with long distance running. It was difficult at first as I ran through pain in my right leg caused by the surgery. I was told by Doctors that I might only be able to run up to 15km or that maybe I should consider finding another sport. Well, I didn't listen because my Mother always said that " What doesn't kill us makes us stronger " and she was right. I never gave up and have now run as far as 42.2 km and I continue to set new goals for the future. My running and teaching Pilates is an avenue for... Read the profile >>
- Level 2 Certified Natural Trainer - WKC Certified Kettlebell Trainer - Suspension Trainer Specialist, MBG - Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate - CPR, First aid, AED Louise has been a competitive swimmer, competitive triathlete and currently participates in trail running races, Spartan-style races, kettlebell training and practices Yoga. She has over 10 years of experience teaching karate and fitness and over 30 years of competitive sports experience. Louise is passionate about a holistic approach to health that balances natural training with restorative yoga, and plant-based nutrition. Read the profile >>
Maria Papadopoulos was born and raised in Montreal. She has been professionally involved in the fitness and recreation field for over 5 years. Certified Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer teaching a variety of fitness classes at different locations. Teaching is her outlet, she loves to motivate others to get fit and she loves the feeling that comes with helping others start reaching their fitness goals. Maria has dedicated herself to her class participants, helping them achieve personal health and their goals, by providing programs that are motivational, supportive and fun. Zumba, being one of her favorite classes to teach, Maria invites you to come and stay for the music, the dance and most of all the GREAT FUN! Maria is now working, on a new project with Studio Idolem in Laval... Read the profile >>
Marianne Thorborg has a life-long passion for movement that has expressed itself in various ways. After her graduation from the Gothenburg Ballet Academy in Sweden and her studies at the Dramatic Arts Department at UC Berkeley in the US she worked as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher in Sweden, Denmark and Canada. Among the choreographers she has worked with in Montreal are Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio (MAPS) and Mariko Tanabe. After having her second child, Marianne decided to pursue her 10 -year old passion for yoga and to become a yoga teacher. She completed her yoga teacher certification with Karen Claffey, Heaven on Earth Studio, in June 2007 after having taught yoga and group fitness at GoodLife and the Y for a few years. As a response to a growing need for a... Read the profile >>
Marie-Christine Bourgeois, (a.k.a MC) has always been a passionate and dedicated person. At a young age, she was inspired by various pop icons such as Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul and begged her parents to enrol her in hip hop dance classes. After 15 years of dancing, 10 years of which was teaching and 2 Hip Hop World championships under her belt, MC thought it was time to move towards a completely different career path. She left the dancing world behind and pursued a career in Fashion Marketing. She earned a bachelors degree in this field from UQAM University in Montreal, Canada and moved on to what would have been a very lucrative career in the fashion world. However, for MC this wasn’t enough. She knew that there was still something missing. After several months of soul searching,... Read the profile >>
Marlene has a strong desire to guide others out of their comfort zone and into a place of self-discovery. Marlene has been an adrenaline seeker since a young age, working as a rafting guide and snowboard instructor since the age of 16 and spending a year sailing on open seas. Her deep desire to explore her boundaries and move beyond limitations brought her to the practice of yoga. A practice that would offer more than just flexibility and fun; it was a necessary part of her healing journey. Her practice enables her to live from a place of acceptance; to accept life as it is, where she has come from, and to become her true self. Marlène has applied her background in Architecture to her passion of yoga, relating her knowledge of structure and space to the body and dynamics of movement... Read the profile >>
Michelle is a certified Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. She has been teaching Fitness classes in Montreal and especially the West Island for the past 17 years. Her goal is to get people excited about fitness and inspire them to create positive changes in their lives. She believes in providing safe and challenging classes while having fun! Michelle began teaching Yoga after practicing and studying with great teachers such as Darby and Hart Lazer. She feels it is a great honor to teach Yoga. Her emphasis is always on alignment and she encourages her participants to remain focused on breath and to stay within the experience of their practice. Last year, Michelle rekindled her passion for cycling and has since begun competing for the VCOM (Vélo Club de l'Ouest de Montréal)... Read the profile >>
With a passion for movement and communication, Nadia was naturally drawn to teaching and adventure guiding at a young age. Her time spent with her family exploring the outdoors fostered her desire to share how amazing the connection to mother nature can be. Blending yoga with self-propelled sports such as skiing and surfing has become a natural evolution of her practice and guides her heart into finding balance and joy. Constantly inspired by her students and the ever changing elements around her, Nadia teaches with an intuitive style, guiding students to explore their practice within their own physical and emotional boundaries. She believes in the invigorating force of collective practice and feels blessed to be walking down the path of yoga. In her heart, everyday offers an... Read the profile >>
Penka Apostolov was born in Bulgaria where she developed an interest in chess and track and field during her formative years. Whilst at school studying to become an accountant, she competed in numerous chess tournaments. In Canada, she obtained a position on the Canadian Women's Olympic Chess Team. Penka was later certified as a Shiatsu Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor. Today, she combines her passions for health and excellence through a thriving Shiatsu massage practice and teaching Yoga & Chess to adults and children. Read the profile >>
MISSION: To make people shine with happiness from the inside out through a passion for fitness. Rozel Gonzales is the owner of Energie EnCorps, a fitness company whose mission is to "Make people shine with happiness from the inside out through a passion for fitness". Rozel Gonzales, a certified Group Fitness, Yoga, Zumba, Gymstick and Spinning instructor with over 12 years of experience. Over the years, Rozel has worked at numerous fitness facilities all over the island of Montreal. Finally, in May 2010, she decided to branch out and open up her own Zumba and Yoga program out of the Sino Kung Fu Academy in Pierrefonds, Quebec. Sharing a love for dance, yoga and fitness is Rozel's way of giving back and sending out good karma into the world. Teaching is Rozel's passion and it is also... Read the profile >>
Shawn got into Pilates at the early age of 15 thanks to his mother Grace. He believed in the method so much that he decided he should teach it. Grace and Shawn opened the first Pilates studio on the north shore of Montreal, in Saint-Eustache. They called it Pilates et plus and created small groups so that everyone could enjoy the benefits of the great method. He wanted to explore other methods to offer more the his clients. This naturally brought him to yoga, he completed a 200 hour teacher training at Ashtanga yoga Montreal. In 2008, the studio began offering health seminars to it’s clients, in subjects such as back care and pelvic floor exercices. Always wanting to learn more he went to McGill and completed a Bachelors in kinesiology. He keeps up to date with certifications in... Read the profile >>
Island Gym/Physical Park Vaudreuil/Muscle Up Canada
Steve Maier is a certified personal trainer, group fitness and yoga instructor, through McGill University, the YMCA and Can-Fit-Pro with 25 years of training experience. He has won numerous body building and fitness model competitions and is currently working as a personal trainer, group fitness-yoga instructor and as a fitness director at many fitness centres and gyms within the West Island community. Read the profile >>
My name is Suzanne Labonté. I am 46 years old, and I live in Kirkland with my husband and my 2 children. I grew up in the West Island and have lived here for over 30 years. After high school, I attended John Abbott College and obtained a degree in Business Administration. During my last year in college, I began taking evening classes at McGill in order to speed up my education. Upon graduating at John Abbott, I began to work full time and completed my studies at university throughout the evenings in order to obtain my accounting license. I continued to work full time, as an accountant for another 10 years, until the birth of my daughter. My son arrived 13 months later! I chose to stay home with my children and never returned back to work. I feel as a mother, that this was the... Read the profile >>
Jazzercise Instructor at Boys and Girls club in Lasalle
Tami Smith Tami has been teaching Jazzercise since 1985 and is National Manager for Jazzercise Canada. Tami's certifications also include ACE Group Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer as well as Can-Fit Pro's Group Exercise Specialist. She teaches both adult and children's Jazzercise classes. Her high energy, bilingual, fun filled classes will definitely leave you smiling. Tami has been a proud supporter of “The Missing Children's Network” for over 10 years and was recently awarded the Roy Kemp Spirit of Humanitarian Award by the organization. Read the profile >>
Velcia has always had a continual commitment to being physical which started in her preteen years. Sticking true to what she believed in, she followed a path that led her to fitness. She started her personal training venture at the YMCA where she volunteered and later worked on staff. She fell in love with the community concept and the energy derived from being part of a group. She branched out and worked at the DDO Civic Center and the YM-YWHA for many years while establishing her own business, West Island Pilates, and pursuing channels by which to increase her knowledge. As a personal trainer for 19 years, Velcia has now gained the experience to understand that setting up the right environments where clients can engage in activities as well as uncover and amplify their feelings of... Read the profile >>
Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow is one of Canada’s premier yoga teachers and an accredited ayurvedic practitioner. She is the Guinness World Records™ Record Holder for the longest yoga marathon lasting 32 hours. Also a writer, speaker, and artist, Yasmin has toured Canada with David Suzuki, instructed professional athletes, raised thousands of dollars for charity and produced an acclaimed yoga dvd series. Read the profile >>
