Veda

Yoga Instructor, Hypnosis Instructor, NLP Practitioner, Plant-based Chef, Health and Wellness Coach

Asana of Choice: Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Twist)

Yoga has been in my life since adolescence, when my parents took their YTT in Indonesia. However, being the stubborn little kid that I was, I resisted my own practice until multiple accidents and injuries happened in my twenties, which led me to a scoliosis diagnosis. I was devastated being looked after in bed while trying to recover. I took the Yoga Teacher Training to help heal myself, with no intention of ever teaching yoga. However, my journey is all about surrendering and being of service to the souls who have agreed to cross paths with me. Along the way, I also managed to develop anemia, arthritis, diabetes, endometriosis, PCOS, obesity, and signs of heart disease that slowly crept up year after year. After my third and final disc/spinal injury, coupled with a DDD diagnosis, I recommitted to loving myself in all areas, starting with wellness practices such as yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis, and eating a plant-based diet to help my body heal. And heal it did, and more! I became very passionate about rehabilitating others to reclaim their quality of life.

Thank you for agreeing to cross paths with me on this journey. Let us learn, grow, and heal together in the safety of unconditional love. You are so worth it.

Owner/Instructor

Asana of Choice: Adho Much Svasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

My yoga journey began at the age of 16 when I was diagnosed with scoliosis. Looking for something to ease my pain and discomfort, I took to the yoga asanas. Yoga quickly became my passion, and my escape from the busyness of life. My beautiful daughter changed my outlook on life, I decided to follow my passion and dedicate my life to helping others find health, wellness, and a life with a little less stress and worry.

I began my Yoga Teacher Training as a way to refine and improve my personal practice. During this time I was still experiencing a lot of back pain from my scoliosis. I learned how to change my practice to suit the needs of my body, not change my body to suit the needs of the practice. Once I started learning about Yoga I never looked back. I have taken many additional training courses over the past couple of years, and just added another core 200hr training, specializing in Vinyasa and Ashtanga. 

I teach a few different styles of yoga at the studio, reach out and send me an email if you would like me to help you choose the best practice for you. 

Yoga truly is for everybody and every body, drop by the studio and experience it for yourself. 

Sophie 

I began my yoga journey in 2015 when I moved to Auckland, New Zealand to pursue higher education. When I arrived, I was ultimately met by a severe depression that consumed my everyday experience. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a network of peers who valued holistic wellness and directed me to the neighbourhood hot yoga studio where I found my greatest escape. When I first stepped onto my yoga mat, I could tell that the practice of yoga would carry me through the rest of my life. Since 2015, my life has completely changed, and my yoga practice has been a hallmark of this shift.

Shortly after yoga became routine in my life, I knew that it was something that I wanted to share with everyone in my community. When I left Auckland, I moved to Vancouver, BC, and began working the front desk for YYOGA. There, I was able to network with the vibrant west coast teacher and student community and explore several modalities of yoga. I enrolled in my 200-hour teacher training in 2016 at Yogaspace Toronto during a summer home. Since then, I have taught for students at Queen’s University where I ended up completing my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology in 2019. I am additionally trained in Restorative Yoga (36-hour) and the practice of Pranayama and Meditation (15-hour). I am currently working toward completing my 300-hour teacher training certification.

I am a non-binary person using they/them/theirs pronouns. Yoga for me has been a process of liberation. I am free to move and exist in the ways I am meant to. I am free to explore new ideas and accept myself for who I am. My goal in life is to create safe spaces where people of all beings and experiences can express and explore themselves, just as yoga has allowed me to do. I hope to offer opportunities through many modalities of yoga for people to challenge pre-conceived notions of themselves and others, and work through physical and mental barriers. My teaching style is dynamic, though I aspire to teach through yoga what is right for my body, and the bodies of those I will guide. I am looking forward to sharing my yoga practice with you in my hometown.  

Nicola Shortt

Yoga Instructor

Asana of Choice: Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle)

The first time I stepped on my yoga mat I felt awkward and self-conscious – but curious. Curious as to what my body was capable of and curious of what it was that made me feel so much more connected and at ease all within a one hour practice. This curiosity kept pulling me back to my mat over and over again until it became a regular place for me to come to when I needed to slow down and tune into myself and my breath. 

Embarking on my 200 hour Hatha YTT has been an incredible journey and I am so glad to have this “tool” in my self-care tool kit that I can come back to anytime throughout my life. I can’t wait to share with you the practice that has given me so much. 

You don’t have to be flexible, you don’t have to be fit, you just have to choose to show up – and get curious. 

Namaste

Instructor

Yoga & Movement Enthusiast

500 hr RYT

Asana of Choice: Revolved Side Angle (Parivrtta Parsvokonasana)

My yoga journey began when I attended my first ever yoga class in Costa Rica at Blue Spirit retreat.  This experience ignited a fire that has kept burning fiercely inside of me, ever since. I came to yoga for relief of physical pain and I have stayed with it for the healing, growth in self-confidence, and self-care that I have received as gifts, with the years of practice.

Yoga helps provide me with the skills to manage a busy and often stressful job as a surgeon. I have learned skills that have improved my compassion toward me, others and the world.

My first 200 hour YTT training was with Yoga Detour in Toronto.  Their approach blends Hatha yoga, strength training and movement. More recently I have completed a Vinyasa YTT 200 hour training.  I have also undertaken yoga training in Prenatal, Yin, Restorative, Chair but also on Meditation, Thai Massage, Reiki and mindful strength.

Although I enjoy all forms of yoga I have a special love of teaching restorative yoga. In this busy world we need to take time to relax and recover from the effects of multitasking and rushing around. When we feel relaxed, we get an opportunity to turn inward and become more self-aware. This empowers us to become a better person for us and for others, possibly leading to greater happiness.

Each time I step on my mat I immediately feel my shoulders relax and my breath deepen. I look forward to seeing you on your mat and opportunities to pamper you with restoration and relaxation or making you sweat with movement.

Namaste

Shannon 

200hr RYT

Asana of Choice: Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

I initially started practicing yoga about ten years ago as a complement to other activities in my life: it helped me deepen my backbends in belly dance and stretched out my muscles during my half-marathon training. Over time I found that I was adding more and more yoga in to my routine and attending classes for the yoga itself. I liked how my mind and body felt after a practice and the philosophy shared by the instructors was starting to resonate. I was hooked.

Eventually I decided to deepen my practice and enrol in the 300+hr Vinyasa training at Breathe Yoga School in Toronto. I’ve also done trainings in pre- and post-natal yoga, as well as yin and Thai massage.

While my training and background is in the more intense styles of yoga, it is my hatha and restorative classes that my students seem to love the most. Above all else, I make student safety, both physical and emotional, my priority in all of my classes. I like to challenge my students to step outside of their comfort zone and explore all of the amazing things that their bodies can do.