Ajna Yoga

Yoga has been a part of Michelle's life since early childhood. Helping guide her through life with a soft focused path.

Michelle completed her certification through the Chakra yoga center in July 2000 and has been teaching ever since. She has taught many styles of yoga from Hatha, Flow, Power, Pre-natal, Post-natal and Kids yoga. In the last 5 years, Michelle has been drawn to a style of yoga called Vijnana yoga, working from a place of within. She currently is completing her 800 hour Vijnana Yoga Certification with Gioia Irwin. Her other inspirational teachers are Orit Sen-Gupta and Elizabeth Peckman. “The path of yoga leads us to the sacred connection of our true self and the divine energy of the unvierse. May you stay true to your path and follow your heart. Namaste”

Jules has been training teachers of yoga since 2004 and co-founded Ajna Yoga with Michelle in 2008. Her own training is in Vijnana, Anusara, Ashtanga and Integrative Yoga Therapy. Jules is most interested in connecting people with the therapeutic aspects of yoga - guiding people to their own internal source of calm through movement, breath and meditation. Her classes combine awareness of alignment, breath and a sense of play.

Corinne is certified as an Advanced Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga through Ajna Yoga, and a Certified Somatic Sex Educator. She shares her knowledge as an embodiment coach and trauma sensitive yoga teacher working one on one or with small groups for several years in her private practice.

Elham Ansari, BFA, CAP, RYT, is a practitioner and educator of Ayurveda, the Indian medical system literally translating as “the science (or knowing) or life”.

She focuses on taking the mystery out of our health and primarily uses our food as treatment. Elham specializes in nutrition and digestive disorders.

Elham provides Ayurvedic assessments and group classes. She educates clients to understand their inherent constitution and current imbalances, in order to address their complete health. She practices at and co-directs the Awakening Wellness Centre in Victoria, BC.

Elham studied in New Mexico and India at the Ayurvedic Institute with her teacher Dr. Vasant Lad. She also completed her Yoga Teacher Training at the Ayurvedic Institute. Elham has studied Chinese Medicine and has a Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr University.

Jacqueline is a trained Yoga Therapist who graduated from Ajna’s Yoga Therapy school. She also certified in Zen meditation practices based on the teachings of global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh through the Gross National Happiness Center in Bhutan. Jacqueline is an Anglo-Indian woman whose yoga practice and spiritual philosophies are inspired by her children and the strong connection she has to her Indian family and culture. She is the founder of Mind in Motion: The West Coast Children’s Yoga and Mindfulness program that has been designed from a holistic approach to enhance children’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. She loves working with children in a playful and heart directed way to co-create a “child centric” approach to meditation and yoga.

Janis completed her initial yoga teacher training in 2007 in the Sivananda tradition. Through Ajna Yoga, she completed the 800-hour accredited Yoga Therapy Program. She has additional training in pain care yoga and yoga for depression and anxiety. Sharing her love for yoga, Janis teaches with gentleness and compassion, encouraging each student to approach each practice as their own personal exploration.

Laura Benson has always been interested in movement. She studied dance and gymnastics as a child; fitness and strength training as a teen; and in her twenties was a Personal Trainer. A decade after being introduced to yoga, it became an essential life practice that helped her heal a chronic illness. From appreciation of yoga's profound impact, Laura shares this ancient wisdom as a way to connect back to the Self. She honours the teacher in everyone and encourages a safe, supportive and accepting environment. Certified at Moksana Yoga Centre in 2012, she is currently enrolled in Ajna Yoga’s 500 hour Advanced Yoga Therapy program. Laura guides yoga classes with a mix of dynamic flow and strong long holds to enable mindfulness; empowering you to Be where you are.

Neala first began studying at Ajna in 2014, and relocated from Newfoundland in 2017 completing her 800hr Yoga Therapist Certification. As she was first drawn to yoga as a way to manage chronic pain, she quickly learned that addressing the emotional response to pain was as important as treating the pain itself. Through yoga therapy she was able to find ease in the body and mind while developing tools to effectively manage chronic pain. Her gentle approach offers clients a safe space to explore relaxation techniques, breath work and functional movements – empowering individuals to take their health and healing into their own hands. With the goal of making yoga more accessible to all, Neala also offers in home private yoga therapy sessions.

Sarah Holmes de Castro, M.A., ERYT-200, RYT-500, TCTSY-F

Sarah has been teaching yoga in therapeutic settings since 2004. Her own practice these days is geared to amplifying the steadiness, energy, presence & humour required to be mother to 2 small children. She is Program Director at Yoga Outreach and a yoga therapist at Fine Balance Yoga, offering training and mentorship to yoga teachers offering trauma-informed programs in diverse settings as well as healthcare professionals and support workers. Over the past 12 years she has delivered yoga programs in diverse settings including yoga studios, corporate boardrooms, prisons, detox facilities, mental health teams, art galleries, women’s transition houses, mothers’ support groups and more. Sarah is a certified Trauma Centre Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator (TCTSY-F), a certified Professional Yoga Therapist with Integrative Yoga Therapy and holds certifications in Functional Yoga Therapy and restorative yoga. She has also completed trainings in Pain Care Yoga is interested in yoga as a path to recovery from both emotional and physical pain. She believes a yoga practice should be accessible, sustainable, and bring greater ease, joy and resilience in everyday life.