Shanèl (She/Her) is a 200 hour certified teacher with further trainings in accessibility, anti-oppression and the Detour Method. She currently teaches in the GTA and frequents Ottawa and Montreal. She is passionate about making wellness accessible to all communities. She teaches from a body positive, trauma informed and anti-colonial lens. Her favorite part about teaching is connecting through breath and sharing a laugh.

Workshop – Creating Brave Spaces in Yoga with Focus on Inclusion and Anti Oppression 

Explore how to create brave spaces for students to show up their most authentic selves and foster an environment of belonging.  Learn to recognize intersections of privilege and oppression within your yoga practice as well as the yoga industry and understand how you  can use your privilege(s) to create more space for inclusivity and accessibility. We will also talk about inclusive cueing and modifications for bigger bodies as well as disabled bodies.

Allison became a lifetime student and teacher of Yoga in 2001. She has a disciplined self practice and has been teaching alignment based Yoga and Yoga Teacher Trainings for 18 years. Allison has worked extensively in the field of health sciences and research and has had the opportunity to study with world renowned Yogi’s, all of which inspire and inform her ever evolving teachings. Drawing on her studies with Darren Rhodes, David Robson, Cameron Shayne, Fiona Stang and Mark Stephens, Allison brings alignment to the forefront of creatively sequenced Yoga classes that are physiologically nourishing and mentally challenging. In her trainings you’ll find Allison professing passionately about the potential of the Nervous System and how we have the real ability to use Yoga as a way to rewire the way we think, feel and act in the world. In her unique approach to teaching, Allison navigates the traditional and sometimes mystical parts of Yoga with clarity and perspective.

Workshop – The Science of Yoga

As Yoga teachers we have a responsibility to be knowledgeable in our field. In a day where Yoga teachers primarily guide a form of physical movement practice we must have a solid foundation in understanding Kinesiology and Physiology. Our students deserve that.

This unique workshop looks at the nature of our nature from the inside out. Through understanding our Nervous System and all of it’s functions we can truly begin to know ourselves. In fact, we can not talk about ‘the self’ without discussing the Nervous System as it is at the very core of our being. Through the uncovering of what “I” truly is we can tap into the vast potential of our Nervous System and use Yoga as a way to rewire our behaviour patterns on and off the Yoga mat.

Workshop – Budokon and Animal Locomotion

This workshop is one of a kind. Allison and Maegan team up to bring you a hybrid practice that is poetry in motion. Budokon is a flowing movement practice that blends Yoga, Martial Arts and Dance into a mind bending experience of the self.

As a former brewer, Jordan is coming from a profession that offers you paths to experience just about everything you can for personal enterprise and the physical world. Intrigued by traditional and monastic brewing practices, he would soon become aware of the deep history of meditation in a monastery setting that runs alongside the brewing and goods production to support the monastery itself.

Bringing this understanding into the world of yoga, Jordan hopes to give back to the community as an informed, compassionate teacher and mentor. Not only will you learn about yoga flows and meditation in his studio classes, but also many other meditative-like practices that allow us to have a little more agency over our body, mind, and experiences of consciousness.

Workshop – Mastering the Senses

The senses play an important role in how we interact with the world around us. When working as a brewer, Jordan would go through rigorous, daily sensory analysis practices to improve operational efficacy through sensory awareness and provide the best possible consumer experiences. As a meditation and yoga teacher, he has integrated this with the knowledge of traditional practices for honing our abilities through our senses. In this workshop, we’ll explore different techniques to gain mastery of the senses (Indriyas) as well as exploring the faculty of sense itself and further sensory withdrawal practices (Pratyahara).

Workshop – Understanding Consciousness for Yoga and Meditation Practitioners

You wake up late one morning not having time for your breakfast and coffee. During your commute, all your mind can think about is how much better you would feel if you woke up on time and did your ordinary morning routine. By all measures, your mindset is out of the ordinary compared to what you’re used to in the morning… So why is all this important for our understanding of consciousness?

Speaking from the perspective of a meditation guide and former brewer, Jordan will dive into many of the commonly asked questions in yoga/meditation spaces relating to consciousness. From something as seemingly simple as a morning out of the ordinary to modern views on enlightenment, this all-ages workshop explores the possibilities of the human experience and discusses them in an accessible, digestible way for anyone to understand.

The OMBuds are a close-knit group of friends dedicated to spreading love and consciousness through Bhakti yoga. Drawing inspiration from the Dharma Yoga Kirtan Band in New York City, they serve a similar mission across the USA/Canada border and beyond. As yogis, musicians, artists, visionaries, and seekers, they aim to share the profound benefits of Bhakti Yoga through the practice of kirtan. Primarily, they perform their own original bhajans and musical arrangements of mantras. However, they also enjoy presenting personal renditions of traditional chants and bhajans from contemporary kirtan wallahs. By exploring a broad range of music, they hope to resonate with every attendee, ensuring a safe and inviting space for participation at any comfort level. This musical and creative expression fosters deeply positive emotions, leading participants towards what can be described as divine bliss. They eagerly anticipate chanting with others and believe in the benefits derived from the high vibrations created during their gatherings and chants.

Workshop – Bhakti Yoga: The Path of Devotion

“Clap your hands and sing together with great enthusiasm… soon you will start to feel the bliss!” —Sri Dharma Mittra

This workshop is an exploration of Bhakti yoga through the practice of kirtan. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, of which we often hear is the easiest way to experience exceeding bliss.

Kirtan is a truly simple yet beautiful way to access the Divine Essence that resides within us. By chanting mantras and bhajans (spiritual songs) in a communal setting, powerful vibrations are produced and positive emotions are evoked that propel us to an elevated state. As a result, the mind becomes peaceful, magnanimous and content, and the heart is rendered pure. At the highest level of practice, kirtan can bring about spiritual purification and healing, and a deeper sense of connection with Divinity. It is a practice that paves a direct path to the heart.

Olivia Gilmer-Chekosky is a Clinical Social Worker (MSW. RSW) & 200 hour RYT, with further certifications in Trauma-Informed Yoga and Yoga Nidra. Through her work for the past 10 years in the field of mental health, and her many years of personal yoga practice, she has seen first hand how mind, body and spirit are inherently linked. She believes in a holistic approach to health and wellness and knows that individuals have an innate capacity to heal if given the tools, safety and time to do so. Yoga can be an incredibly powerful tool for growth and healing for individuals who have lived through traumatic experiences.

Workshop – Beyond Trauma: Yoga for Post-Traumatic Growth

This workshop will help you develop a better understanding of trauma, its effects, and how its symptomology can manifest physically, emotionally and psychologically in students. Furthermore, it will explore how yoga practices can be powerful tools for nervous system regulation and can contribute to post-traumatic growth in survivors. It will discuss the core elements of trauma-informed teaching and how to create a secure space for all students, regardless of their background and life experiences. Finally, it will explore some practical somatic and pranayama tools and techniques for trauma healing, as well as ethical considerations when developing asana sequences.