our teachers

shannon

director

Nominated as a Shared Vision's Yoga Visionary

Shannon attained her teacher's certification through Serenity Yoga and Carolyn McManus and has completed two years of apprenticeship under Kelly Colleen and Jason Hagermeister from YYoga Flow Wellness. She has been teaching in the Dunbar Village community for 7 years and opened Sanga Yoga Studio in January of 2006 .Shannon also mentors and trains teachers within the first five years of their careers, helping them to expand their knowledge and attain work through the Teacher's Integration Program. She is currently creating a 200 hour Power and Hatha Yoga Teacher Training which will be making it's debut in the fall of this year (2010). Please check back on April 1st for complete details.

melanie

Melanie returned to Canada last year after living and teaching abroad for ten years. She holds teaching certificates from India, Australia and Canada and has graduated for the Teacher's Integration program at Sanga Yoga. She continues to study and teach Yoga Therapy under the tutelage of her teachers in Australia. Melanie has a deep faith in the radical healing power of a daily, disciplined yoga practice.Her emphasis is on teaching people first and asana second. Her message is that there is yoga for every body. Melanie helps her students to open their bodies and let the asanas (poses) grow from the inside, rather than impose or force them from the outside. The atmosphere in each class is one of strength, flexibility and deep release. Melanie encourages students to use their own inner resources, such as their breathing and internal awareness to make each class fully enjoyable and productive. Melanie has oceans of gratitude for all her teachers and students, past, present and future. Japanese speaking students welcome!

angie I.

A student of yoga for more than 13 years, Angie has studied Yoga and Ayurveda in both India and Vancouver. Angie took her first yoga class in 1995 to fulfill a need for self-nourishment; to deepen her understanding of herself in mind and body. In her yoga classes, she aims create an environment that fosters self-inquiry, generating that vitality and clarity which are born of moment-by-moment awareness. Angie currently teaches Hatha, Yin and Prenatal yoga at studios, community centres and other locations in Vancouver. Spanish speaking students welcome!

bethany

Bethany holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, a 200 hour teacher's certification from Open Door Yoga and is a graduate of The Teacher's Integration Program at Sanga Yoga. She specializes in teaching the key priciples of Hatha yoga. Students love Bethany's classes for her down-to-earth, beginner friendly approach to yoga. Bethany teaches yoga as a catapult for change, evolution, as a way to make the world a more compassionate place to live. She finds inspiration in her grandmother, her loving partner Johnny and the many teachers who have influenced her.

jodie

Jodie is a certifed yoga teacher and also a certified Thai Yoga Massage Therapist. With the combination of teaching yoga and giving massage, you will find her to be a "Hands On" teacher. She has studied yoga both in Canada and in the States and has graduated from The Teacher's Integration Program at Sanga Yoga. She invites you to discover a powerful moment in stillness, to take yourself away from the hustle and bustle of life and to explore your peace with a clear mind and an open heart.

ale

studio assistant

Alejandra (Ale) was introduced to yoga while studying dance in New York city. She has been certified through Open Door Yoga Studio and has also taught salsa and latin dance. Ale is also a graduate of the Teacher's Integration Program at Sanga Yoga.. Her teaching style and personal practice is influenced by Ashtanga, Classical Hatha, Pilates as well as her love for dance. As a dancer Ale has learned how to control the body's movements and as a yogi she has spread that awareness to her mind and heart. Her classes have a strong emphasis on alignment and body awareness. Originally from Mexico, her classes have a warm, friendliness to them. She believes that each yoga posture is an expression of the soul. She is very grateful to find herself walking in this path and has all the gratitude in this world for her teachers. Spanish speaking students welcome!

lisa

Lisa looks at yoga as a way to learn about life, ourselves, and our relationships to each other. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of Victoria and received her teacher's certification from Prana Yoga College and Shakt Mhi. She is also a graduate of The Teacher's Integration Program at Sanga Yoga. As a trained actor and young person's acting instructor she uses yoga to break down her own personal boundaries so she can share her craft with others, on camera as well as with students. She teaches yoga as a way helping people to expose their true selves, the bright light and love that resides within all of us.

crista

Crista loves yoga! She loves the peace and happiness that it brings her, and loves helping others to discover these feelings. She has found that yoga addresses all aspects of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Crista holds a B.A. in Psychology, and has taken additional training in counseling and social work. She has been studying yoga for over a decade and teaching yoga for six years. She has completed trainings in Thailand and India, including an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training . She has also completed numerous meditation and yogic breathing intensives.

rachelle

Rachelle’s passions are rooted in nurturing the natural elements. She is educated in the Environmental realm and studies Homeopathic medicine. After completing her teachers training with the Sivananda Teachers Training in Kerala , India , she delved into a steady practice of Vinyasa yoga in Beijing , China . She is a graduate of The Teacher's Integration program at Sanga Yoga. Her classes have a strong emphasis on breathing and she hopes to bring out the healing, balancing effects of yoga to our minds, bodies and spirits. She believes that yoga is a dynamic form of preventative and curative healing, and when practiced regularly can bring positive change into our everyday lives, improving our relationships with ourselves and others.

marla

Marla Waal has been teaching yoga for 11 years. Her first career as a professional dancer had her living in Montreal and later Chicago, performing on stages all over the world. Having grown up on the West Coast it felt right to return here with her husband in 1998, when she began to study, practice and teach yoga. Initially attracted to a very gentle and therapeutic style of hatha yoga, she later studied Ashtanga, restorative yoga, yin yoga and many styles of meditation. The journey of study, investigation and practice through yoga is a life long passion for Marla. Marla is grateful to many teachers, colleagues and students who have been a part of her yoga and her life. Currently her greatest teacher is her son Felix, who was born last October. Marla is very excited to become part of the Sanga Yoga family.

violetta

Violetta has had a first hand experience with the dramatic healing power of yoga. After injuring herself in a dance class she used a consistent vinyasa flow practise to re-balance her mind and re-habilitate her body. As a dedicated practitioner she has found her own sense of purpose in guiding others towards the same goal. With the compassion, knowledge and confidence that comes from falling down she encourages her students to stand grounded in their dedication to yoga and to press on towards a higher quality of life. She acknowledges YYoga for her teacher certification and experienced teachers Chris Chavez and Patrick Creelman for her inspiration as a teacher.

angie D.

Angie's began practising yoga at the age of sixteen using a Hatha yoga video. She has been an athlete throughout her life and always found herself returning to yoga for its unique body-mind-spirit approach to well being. Angie also holds of Bachelor of Commerce from UBC, and a Diploma of Human Kinetics through Langara College. She is a certified BCRPA Yoga Fit instructor and has also completed her 200 hour training through YYOGA Flow Wellness. Angie is grateful to the many amazing teachers she has studied with and she is excited to be part of the Sanga family!

natalie

As much as there is to experience in life, there is no life without breath. This is what Nathalie hopes to bring into each of her classes, using her own experiences to draw students back to the simplicity and ease of yoga. Having practiced herself for nine years she has found great reward in channeling her knowledge and experience to others. She has completed a Level one Vinyasa teacher training with YYoga Flow Wellness as well as a Hatha teacher training with Prana Yoga. She believes no yoga is unaccesible to the willing student for within each of us is a most willing teacher. Natalie aims to encourage and inspire others in practice so that yoga can be brought to life.