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welcome
our team
Ida AlboCo-Owner of Yoga Public, Fort Garry Hotel & Ten Spa
Canada's largest yoga studio started with one small step, when Ida rolled out her first yoga mat and began practising with yoga videos at home.
Her passion for yoga grew when she ventured into a studio for her first hot yoga class. Soon, she was practising three to four times a week in a heated studio at Moksha. After about 18 months, she gave Ashtanga a shot at the Winnipeg Yoga Shala and found she loved the efficiency of the style.
With a busy schedule, Ida was looking for flexibility in a studio that offered a variety of classes and plenty of them, at convenient hours. And since she's a born entrepreneur, it wasn't long before that proverbial lightbulb clicked on over her head.
She heard opportunity knocking in the yoga community and knew it was just waiting for her to open the door. Turning things she loves into businesses, and improving on them in the process, is her way of sharing with others.
Ida enjoyed a 200-hour teacher training intensive with Saul David Raye in Venice Beach, Calif., at the Sacred Center for Yoga. She wanted to immerse herself in yoga culture and confirm that she loved it enough to devote her energy to the yoga business. It was the same immersive approach she took when she attended a school of esthetics in Chicago before she and her husband, Rick Bel, opened Ten Spa.
Ida loved the vibe and the yoga community in the Venice and Santa Monica areas. Within walking distance of the small cottage she was renting she was able to explore many styles of yoga: Forrest yoga with Brian Camble; Restorative yoga with Michelle Kronenberg; Hatha with Chad Hamrin, Power yoga with Brian Keste and Vinyasa and Kirtan with Andres Salcedo.
Before she found her calling as an entrepreneur, Ida earned her Master of Economics at Queen's University, and worked as an economist for various governmental departments. She has been self-employed since her mid-20s, and she and Rick have founded various businesses over the past 25 years. Starting in the food and beverage industry with Du Bon Gout, the Sandpiper and Prairie Oyster Restaurants, they moved into the hotel business when they bought the Fort Garry Hotel in 1993. The launched Ten Spa in 2006, and now they're bringing their unique vision to the yoga world.
To Ida, yoga is about calming the mind and feeling great after a class. No matter which style she practises on any given day, she feels it's like going to 'church for the body.' She believes yoga is the perfect complement to all other forms of physical and spiritual activity, and that philosophy is most present when she's finding complete release in savasana - by far her favourite pose.
Rick BelCo-Owner of Yoga Public, Fort Garry Hotel & Ten Spa
Rick's wife Ida Albo had been urging him to try a yoga class in Winnipeg for some time before serendipity led him to his first class in California.
During a tour of Napa Valley, he happened upon a vegetarian restaurant called Ubantu and since he follows a vegetable-heavy diet, he decided to drop in for lunch. The restaurant was closed, but a Hatha yoga class was about to begin. He bought shorts and a T-shirt at the onsite Lululemon store and took the class before lunch service began.
Rick had no idea at the time that he and Ida would open their own yoga centre a few years later. He's since taken a few more yoga classes and is looking forward to exploring meditation at Yoga Public.
Who knows? He may even come up with Winnipeg's version of Ubantu at the centre, in the bright front room with garage-door windows opening on to Fort Street.
Rick and Ida are old hands at the restaurant business, and business in general, as proprietors of the historic Fort Garry Hotel and luxury co-ed spa Ten Spa, on the hotel's 10th floor.
Rick studied economics at the London School of Economics for five years and taught at the University of Kobe in Japan for three years before settling in Winnipeg about 30 years ago.
He was a professor on a tenure track at the University of Manitoba when he gave up teaching to open their first restaurant. The entrepreneur track has had a few bumps, but Rick has never looked back. He enjoys the creative aspects of entrepreneurship and tackling the challenges of "building a better mousetrap."
He and Ida often travel and when they do, they look for innovative ideas to bring back to Winnipeg. Rick had the travel bug early. He backpacked through Europe and Africa after high school, but some of his most memorable trips have been in more recent years - whitewater rafting with his oldest son in Patagonia, hiking Machu Picchu with his youngest daughter and deep sea fishing in B.C. with his youngest son.
Rick has two leonberger mountain dogs, Francesca, 5, and Georgio, 3. The dogs have joined one family business as mascots at the Fort Garry Hotel, but Yoga Public staff are lobbying to have one of them to move over to the new venture. Rick is thinking about it.
Sam Chisick | samchisick@yogapublic.comYoga Public Director/Yoga Instructor/Nutritionist
Sam was traveling abroad when she stumbled upon a Seane Corn yoga video more than 10 years ago. Drawn by its tranquil energy, style and relaxing qualities, she soon adopted yoga as her personal exercise regimen. And with encouragement from her own teacher, she eventually made a life-changing decision to become a yoga instructor.
Schooled in yoga hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and San Francisco, where she received her TRX training, Sam breathes depth into her classes from a solid foundation. She trained on the Great Yoga Wall and is adept in many styles, including Vinyasa, Power Flow, Yin, Moksha, Restorative and Yoga for Kids.
Sam has a strong background in the health and wellness industry. She has a Bachelor of Science in human nutritional sciences and been a nutritional counsellor, managed a personal training studio and worked at Moksha Yoga Winnipeg and Vita Health. She incorporates her passion for healthy living into her classes, focusing on releasing toxins and rejuvenating the body through the yoga practice.
A seasoned traveler, Sam embraces new cultures in the same way she embraces her teaching - with a warm heart and a sense of adventure. When she's not hanging off the Great Yoga Wall at Yoga Public, or on yoga excursions across the continent, Sam finds her happiness taking walks with her boyfriend Noah and their furry friends, Charley and Hazel.
Arlen Kasdorf | arlen@yogapublic.comAssistant Manager/Yoga Instructor/TRX Trainer
Arlen first found yoga when he was looking for relief from lower back pain. Initially content practising at home with yoga videos, he realized he wanted to take his practice further after his wife urged him to join her in a hot yoga class.
Arlen took his 200-hour certification in Vinyasa yoga with Ryan Leier, and is also trained in Yoga for Kids. His Vinyasa sequences draw students into a cohesive group and foster a feeling of connection until everyone in the class is thinking as one, breathing as one and moving as one. He encourages students to focus on controlling the breath, which naturally flows into controlling the body and mind.
Arlen has a Bachelor of Arts in rhetoric and communications and was executive chef and co-owner of a local catering company that focused on local and organic food.
Arlen's family is his life, and he spends every spare second enjoying crazy adventures with his wife, Tammy, and two kids, Xander and Zara. He likes to let loose by going to concerts and visiting exotic locales. He plans to take the family to Monterosso, Italy, where he and Tammy exchanged their marriage vows on the beach, to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
There are three things Arlen can't live without: His kids' laughter, his wife's kisses, and the rug they bought in Morocco on one of their travels.
Sandy Aguiar | sandy@yogapublic.comAssistant Manager/Yoga Instructor
Sandy took a circuitous route to yoga. Trained in human resource management and security management, her background is in the security industry. But she was hooked on yoga from her first Bikram class. She loved the way it made her feel and after practising for some time, Sandy knew she wanted to share yoga with others.
She went to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to train in the Barkan Method of hot yoga, which she appreciates for its well-balanced hot Hatha style. To her, the essence of yoga is all about balance and community. She believes that finding balance in the body and the breath will bring symmetry to other areas of life as well.
Sandy nurtures a supportive environment in and out of the classroom. She designs her classes to accommodate all levels, so sequences are attainable for beginners but still challenging for advanced students. As a manager at Yoga Public, she's excited to be a part of a traditional, yet state-of-the-art facility.
Outside the studio, Sandy loves to play ultimate frisbee and sponge hockey, and entertain family and friends. She lives with her fantastic husband Anton and their three cats, Twix, Snickers, and Big Turk. Her goals include traveling to Bali and chilling out with yoga on the beach. She is looking forward to expanding her yoga resume and learning to surf.
Monica Angelatos | monica@yogapublic.comAssistant Manager/Yoga Instructor/Thai Massage Therapist
A friend introduced Monica to yoga more than 10 years ago, and she knew right from the start that she wanted to teach. When a studio opened up next to her home, she dedicated herself to a disciplined practice for three years, before taking her teacher training in India.
Trained in Moksha, Restorative yoga and Thai yoga massage, Monica has taken several workshops with celebrated instructors such as Seane Corn, Tod Norian and Rodney Yee to deepen her practice and strengthen her training.
She developed a unique style of teaching that focuses on alignment and body awareness. In her Vinyasa classes, she centers students by bringing them to a meditative state, continually linking breathing with movement. Her Restorative classes emphasize relaxing the nervous system through specific poses, so when the immune system kicks in it begins to relax and heal the body.
While traveling the world and living in Greece and East Africa, Monica has had many adventures, coming face-to-face with snakes and taking off-road safaris in the wild and untamed Sahara. Her father hails from the Greek island of Kephalonia and the island is her favourite vacation spot. She longs to head back there to practise yoga on the beach.
Monica's degree in classical studies and her love of yoga are a harmonious blend, since she draws many parallels between both ancient philosophies. As she follows the path of the yogi, she plans to continue her world travels and finish her Masters of Eastern Philosophy.
Stephanie (S.A.M.) Manchulenko | sammanchulenko@yogapublic.comMind & Body Coordinator/Yoga Instructor/TRX Trainer
Sam is passionate about movement and expression and is committed to lifelong learning. As a professional dancer she toured and performed in musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago and Guys and Dolls, and appeared in films including Shall We Dance and One Last Dance. She was drawn to yoga as a supplement to her dance training and fell in love with its fluid blend of breath, movement and meditation.
Sam's playful, open approach to life comes across in her classes. She completed her 500-hour Moksha Yoga teacher training in Kerala, India, where she spent time at the Sivananda ashram. She went on to study with Shiva Rea and completed her Fluid Vinyasa and Chakra Vinyasa training in Los Angeles and Trance Dance training at the Kripalu Centre. She also completed Part Two of the Ashtanga-inspired One Yoga Teacher training, as well as Stott Pilates Mat and Reformer programs.
Her interest in supporting human development inspired her to pursue life coach training with CoachU, enneagram studies with the Enneagram Institute and Healing Touch courses. This year, Sam received her TRX certification in San Francisco, and she's currently training in Anusara yoga.
Sam is also the creator of the Lifestyle Pass, a passport which encourages and supports healthy living in Winnipeg. In 2011, the Lifestyle Pass raised $15,000 for Free the Children's Adopt a Village program in Kenya.
Sam loves traveling and learning from different cultures. She recently spent time in Africa, teaching yoga in Morocco and volunteering in Ghana. She is passionate about discovering the beauty of meditation, the complexity of the spirit and all facets of yoga.
Serge Salvador | serge@yogapublic.comMind & Body Coordinator/Yoga Teacher/Thai Massage Therapist
Curiosity led Serge to yoga at a young age, and it opened up a whole new world to him - an inner world he had never known. Having experienced a profound shift in his own life through practising yoga, Serge wants to help others benefit from it as well.
Initially trained in India and Nepal in 1986, he has studied many forms of yoga, but his first love is Ashtanga. He is also trained in Thai Massage, Pranayama, Mantra, and yogic philosophy, to name just a few disciplines.
Serge helps his students gain a clearer sense of who they are, along with a greater sense of peace and self-empowerment. Pranayama is a major focus of his teaching. He believes it's the foundation of yoga and all life — the sound of our breath is our mantra. Serge is excited to be a master teacher at Yoga Public and relishes the prospect of designing yoga programs for students to enjoy.
Serge has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Studio Bercot and Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and is an artist and illustrator of children's books that promote peace and community. He lives with his partner and two cats and loves to paint, Latino dance, hike, bike and engage in any activity involving the great outdoors. He looks forward to traveling to Brazil for Carnival one day.
Serge believes yoga is all about balance, connecting with the spirit inside each one of us, and connecting with the universal oneness to create peaceful, joyful living.
Jonathan Austman | jonathan@yogapublic.comAshtanga Yoga Instructor
Jonathan has practised yoga for more than thirty years and he's been teaching for more than sixteen years. He began meditating in his teens and discovered yoga soon afterward.
He trained with Richard Freeman and is inspired by the directness of the Ashtanga yoga method. As he continues on his yoga journey he approaches teaching as an act of service; working patiently, compassionately and respectfully with each student to meet their needs.
Jonathan seeks to make the methods of Ashtanga yoga accessible to all people, and he believes a disciplined and focused yoga practice is integral to robust health and a well balanced, happy life. Students find his well-informed and direct method of teaching both challenging and rewarding.
To Jonathan, yoga is all about life itself - coming into the studio as you are, accepting yourself and using practice to take you where you want to go. Bringing his insight, experience and heartfelt compassion into classes, Jonathan wants his students to find the truth at the core of their lives.
Over the years, Jonathan has studied intensively with many of North America's most experienced teachers. He lived and worked at the Kripalu Center for Yoga for almost three years. He is particularly thankful for the time he spent practising under the guidance of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sri R. Sharath Jois in Mysore, India.
Leslee Watt | leslee@yogapublic.comPhysiotherapist/Yoga Instructor/Yoga Therapist
At the age of 19, Leslee tried yoga for the first time and swore she would never do it again. But during a trip to Germany a few years later, a teacher friend convinced her to give it another shot. Needless to say, she fell in love with yoga, thanks in large part to her friend's passionate, creative and eloquent teaching.
Leslee has degrees in psychology and medical rehabilitation-physiotherapy and is certified in Moksha yoga. As a physiotherapist, she saw many people struggling within the conventional medical framework, so she created her own style of therapeutic yoga, called "PhysioLogic" yoga. Her self-designed classes include Yoga for Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia, Neck and Shoulder Tension, and Low Back Pain. She also enjoys teaching many other styles of yoga including Restorative, Relaxation and Gentle Hatha. Click here for her website.
Leslee feels that yoga is the key to preventing and treating epidemics of modern society, especially stress, pain and depression. And since she knows people love to learn about their bodies, she incorporates education about anatomy into her classes.
She lives in South Winnipeg with her common-law spouse, Brent, and a chihuahua/Boston terrier, Nanda, who has a little bit of attitude.
Narda Singh | narda@yogapublic.comPsychotherapist/Yoga Instructor
Narda first got into yoga as a kid and after practising on and off for more than 20 years, she finally took the plunge and became a certified yoga instructor.
She went to Semperviva Yoga College in Vancouver, where she trained in Hatha, Yin, Vinyasa Flow and Kundalini yoga. She loves the meditative and mindful approach of Yin, the fluidity of Hatha, the athleticism of Vinyasa and the dynamic quality of Kundalini.
Narda is a psychotherapist and registered clinical counsellor with a master's degree in counselling psychology. She infuses a natural blend of yoga, mindfulness and meditation into her therapy sessions and, conversely, she incorporates her therapy and psychology background into her yoga classes. She continues to focus on blending both disciplines to encourage people to feel well in their minds, hearts and bodies.
Narda is continuing her training as a mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher. She also looks forward to completing her yoga therapy training in the near future.
In her classes, Narda focuses on meeting people where they are now and making sure they are heard. She enjoys using specific poses to promote deep relaxation that helps students learn to let go.
She enjoys being with people she loves and has fun cooking, reading, dancing and taking to the hills for a little snowboarding. Narda's dream vacation is to unwind and soak up the countryside in an Italian farmhouse.
Natasha Lenon | natasha@yogapublic.comYoga Instructor/Yoga Therapist/Massage Therapist
Natasha first picked up yoga to help heal dancing injuries. After years of practising yoga, she felt compelled to teach. Training at the Prana Yoga College in Vancouver in 2002 brought her deeper into her practice. Since then, she has completed a multitude of workshops and recently finished her first year of Yoga Therapy from the International School of Yoga Therapy, Vancouver. She is trained in Hatha, Restorative, Flow, Power, Pre-natal, Kids and Therapeutics.
Natasha is amazed by the magical, powerful shift that everyone who maintains a regular practice in yoga finds in all areas of life. She wants students to leave her classes physically and mentally renewed, with a sense they've learned something about themselves.
Natasha likes to swim, read a good book, garden and surf - all while hanging out with the family. When she gets away from it all she likes a quiet beach, away from the hustle and bustle, with cool gentle waves to surf.
Natasha is married to an amazing husband, and they have beautiful boy, but it's their crazy cat that keeps them all together. Transplanted from Vancouver, Natasha enjoys living in the Wolseley area and meeting all the friendly people in Winnipeg.
Jillian Einarson | jillian@yogapublic.comYoga Instructor/Nutritionist
Jillian discovered yoga at the gym about 10 years ago, when she was looking for a way to calm herself that didn't involve more high aerobic activity. Her first impression of yoga class was that it was too slow-paced, but she left with a calm, peaceful feeling that kept her coming back week after week, and eventually yoga became a daily practice in her life.
Jillian took her Moksha teacher training in 2009 and went on to complete Vinyasa training with Erich Schiffmann. She also trained in the Source yoga, Power Flow, Prana Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin and Restorative yoga. She has a master's degree in human nutritional sciences and enjoys weaving her knowledge of nutrition into her yoga classes. Jillian also works with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives as a rural leadership specialist in Consumer Agriculture Awareness, promoting local farms and local foods to the general public.
Jillian believes that yoga is a way of living, staying grounded and supported, and finding an inner connection in a chaotic world. Her classes focus on connecting to the self by directing attention inward instead of outward, a practice she hopes her students will take off the mat and use in their everyday lives.
The Princess Bride is one of her favourite movies, because it is a reminder that we should never lose touch with our internal child.
Adrienne Shum | adrienne@yogapublic.comYoga Instructor
At the age of eleven, Adrienne picked up a video from the library and tried yoga for the first time. After years of practising a variety of yoga styles, she completed her Moksha yoga training and her Ashtanga training with Jonathan Austman at the Winnipeg Yoga Shala. The challenging and introspective practice of Ashtanga gave Adrienne the roots from which to cultivate a more simple and honest way of being.
Adrienne has a master's degree in food science and is soon to be certified as an Ayurvedic lifestyle counsellor. Along with practising yoga, she relaxes by baking, reading and lollygagging.
Adrienne's practice is rooted in the Yoga Sutra 2.46 (sthira sukham asanam) which dictates that postures should be steady and performed with ease. Calling on lessons from her own life, she encourages students to cultivate an authentic and dedicated practice on and off the mat. She believes yoga is a way of creating greater awareness in order to cultivate qualities that are beneficial to her and others.
Lorna Parashin | lorna@yogapublic.comYoga Instructor & Assistant
Trained in Vinyasa Flow with Ryan Leier, Lorna appreciates the style for the way the energy moves and opens the body and soul. She enjoys sequencing her classes to open specific body parts and sees yoga as a path to finding the centre of one's core and maintaining that connection for sustained periods of time.
Lorna loves to teach about the vayus, or winds of the body. Having students breathe deeply into their bodies, she encourages them to dig down and search for hidden unknowns. She likes to emphasize body awareness in her classes and use it to empower students' practice. With body awareness, one slowly starts to become the silent witness. Becoming conscious of what the body is doing, but feeling from outside the head, one can find that which is True for them.
Lorna has her Master of Architecture from the University of Manitoba. In the future, she would like to both teach yoga and own an architectural firm geared toward designing yoga studios.
She lives in the beautiful Bird's Hill area, where she feels close to nature and her family. She looks forward to traveling anywhere in Europe where there are great cafes: Paris, Rome and Venice will do, for starters.
Yoga Public students will recognize Lorna as the teacher trying to get her class to pike up into a handstand by showing them how easy it looks.
Jaclyn Hopper | jaclyn@yogapublic.comYoga Instructor & Assistant
After Jaclyn started practising yoga five years ago, she found that no matter what your background, who you are, or what stage of life you're in, yoga will always meet you where you are in the moment. That philosophy is reflected in Jaclyn's teaching - she always brings a warm heart into the room, accepting everyone wherever they are in their practice and guiding them along the path they choose.
As a graduate of business administration and marketing, with a long history in the hospitality industry, Jaclyn always makes sure she takes care of people and she looks forward to one day opening a yoga studio of her own.
Jaclyn trained in Ashtanga yoga in Goa, India, through the Himalaya Yoga Valley. Vinyasa Flow is her favourite style to teach because she loves the freedom of creating her own sequences for students to enjoy. Jaclyn believes pranayama (breathing) is essential while doing the yoga asanas (poses). She strongly encourages her students to practise focused breathing in order to control the body. She is also one of the most creative and enthusiastic teachers, constantly urging her students to let go and grow.
When she is not at Yoga Public, Jaclyn likes planning trips with her husband, Ben, and dancing - whether at a crowded music festival or alone in her living room with her cat Gizmo. She looks forward to more adventures like the one she had climbing Mount Bromo, a live volcano in Indonesia.
Giulia De Leo | giulia@yogapublic.comTRX Instructor/Strength & Conditioning Specialist/Cheer Coach
Giulia first encountered the TRX suspension system at First Choice Fitness, assisting and training National Hockey League athletes three years ago. She fell in love with its versatility and flexibility, and she gets a kick out of creating engaging exercises for her clients in a challenging and fun environment. She continues to use TRX in all her training programs, whether her students are athletes or lifestyle clients.
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ont., Giulia always knew she wanted to make a career of helping people in the health and wellness field. After obtaining her Bachelor of Kinesiology, she wanted to teach people of all ages about the amazing benefits of healthy living and nutrition, so she decided to teach and train full-time.
Giulia has been a personal trainer for four years and she's a certified strength and conditioning specialist, with plans to obtain her yoga certification in the near future. Passionate about helping athletes reach their physical and mental potential, Giulia strives to help keep people of all stripes out of hospitals and enjoying long, healthy and fulfilling lives.
A part-time human nutritional sciences student who passes on her knowledge to all her clients, Giulia is also the event director of The Manitoba Cheer Federation and head coach of the Tec Voc Hornets Cheerleading Program.
She loves cooking for family and friends and enjoys traveling around the world and heading to Italy on occasion to visit family.
Kathryn (Kate) McKenzie | kate@yogapublic.comTRX Instructor/Personal Trainer/Sport Conditioning Specialist
With a true love of competition, Kate is something of a sports fiend. A few winters ago, she went to Texas to learn to play golf at an elite level. While there, she discovered TRX suspension training. It piqued her interest and it wasn't long before she was hooked.
She has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics and Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia, which she attended on a volleyball scholarship. Kate is also certified as a personal trainer specialist (Can-Fit-Pro), sport conditioning specialist (Twist Conditioning) and owns a training company called Surefire Fitness. She is devoted to learning new techniques and is always trying to bring new ideas into her classes.
Kate got her TRX instructor certification in Florida, and incorporated it into her group fitness classes and personal training sessions. She felt TRX training was just too good not to share, because it provides such a novel, challenging and fun workout.
She loves a range of activities from Yin yoga to bungee jumping and riding roller coasters - some to relax and others to get the heart pounding and adrenaline flowing. She also enjoys working out, playing hockey and golfing.
Kate is counting the days until she reaches her goal of becoming a scratch golfer. With her dedicated approach to training and life, she'll be on the green in no time.
Bonnie Schroeder | bonnie@yogapublic.comMeditation Instructor / Healing Arts Practitioner / Life Coach
Bonnie loves to explore diverse cultures and perspectives, so she grabbed her camera and began globetrotting in her teens. She saw children living in extreme poverty who radiated joy and contentment and realized that special radiance is within us all, regardless of our environment. That epiphany drove her to explore her own inner dimensions more fully and, in the process, she awakened her gifts in the healing arts.
Bonnie spent 15 years as a professional in the medical system before following a more profound path into broader perspectives of health and healing. Her first deep dive into meditation was in northern India 20 years ago, and her curiosity about how people heal has not diminished.
After 30 years of training with numerous world-class teachers, she continues to share her integral approach through private healing sessions, workshops and life coaching for health and wellness. .
With a brain for science and a heart for healing, Bonnie offers a compassionate bridge between the perceived polarities of our lives; science and spirit, our inner and outer worlds, the medical and metaphysical models, our head and our heart.
At Yoga Public, Bonnie offers mindfulness and meditation classes to help students experience more joy and a new depth of peace, balance and meaning in their lives. She says many people think it is a complicated journey but it is really quite simple - as simple as breathing.
Bonnie continues to travel the world with her camera and enjoys a good belly laugh as often as possible.
Lori Neufeld | lori@yogapublic.comAshtanga Yoga Instructor
Lori attended her first Hatha yoga classes at an art college in Halifax in 1999, and practiced Bikram, Kundalini and Power Vinyasa Flow yoga during her travels in Britain, South Africa and the United States. Upon returning to Winnipeg, she began teaching friends and acquaintances, but it was not until 2006 that Lori made her way to the Winnipeg Yoga Shala to find the practice she calls home, Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. In her understanding, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' tradition is a comprehensive science of yoga based on continued practice and faith.
Lori earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University of Manitoba and a diploma in commercial photography at the Nova Scotia Community College. She's logged more than 500 hours of teacher training, most notably with Jonathan Austman of Winnipeg Yoga Shala. She believes yoga develops balance and a grounded way of being in the world. The study of yoga is a never-ending form of learning and a constant source of both challenge and acceptance.
Lori is dedicated to her practice and career as an instructor. At the heart of her teaching lies the humility and patience that have emerged through the challenges of focused, daily practice. She understands that yoga is hard work and she has respect and compassion for every student who shows up willing to do this work. She is grateful to influential teachers Jonathan Austman and Robert Webber.
Shivaun Berg | shivaun@yogapublic.comAshtanga Yoga Instructor
Originally from Saskatchewan, it was while living in North Carolina that Shivaun first ventured into an Ashtanga Vinyasa class. Drawn to the logic and discipline of the Ashtanga series, she kept going back seeing yoga as a path towards health and balance. Teaching eventually emerged as a natural next step as the challenges she faced in her daily practice provided insight and patience to guide others.
Shivaun's initial career began in Human Resources where she worked for 10 years before pursuing her side interests in art and literature leading to a Master's degree in Liberal Studies. After moving to Winnipeg she became a student of Jonathan Austman at the Winnipeg Yoga Shala. Her evolving practice magnified the role of yoga in her life motivating her to enroll in teacher training. Since completing her training in 2008, Shivaun continues to study yoga through workshops and courses, further developing her teaching skills and immersion into yoga science and philosophy.
In her teaching, Shivaun emphasizes breath and awareness, encouraging students to cultivate these qualities in their practice. She enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities including active older adults, children and pregnant women, deepening her faith in the accessibility and adaptability of the Ashtanga system. The strength of her instruction is rooted in the discipline of her personal practice and in the lineage of her teachers, particularly Jonathan Austman, to whom she is sincerely grateful.