Ashtanga yoga teacher, Mark Darby, was my first instructor. I was an awkward teenager—tall and clumsy. Darby was strict with me, and from him, I learned the importance of tapas (discipline and commitment) and became more coordinated.

In 2001, following two months of intensive study in British Columbia with a lovely kripalu yoga teacher named Claire MacDonald, I began leading kid yoga classes. I then started teaching hatha yoga to adults, and participated in David Swenson’s 40-hour Ashtanga Teacher Training in 2002. A few years later, I graduated from Concordia University in Journalism & Communication, and amassed more than 1500 hours of yoga workshops and teacher trainings with various senior instructors, including Mark Darby, Donna Farhi, Hart Lazer and Chuck Miller.

Yoga Career & Guinness World Record

I have taught yoga on five continents, presented at seven international yoga conferences, instructed professional athletes and released five yoga DVDs, plus an instructional audio guide. I bought, developed and sold a yoga studio— the one Ms. Cohen used to own—where I took my first yoga class with Darby. In 2010, I set out to explore the limits of my yoga practice. I practiced a yoga mala—108 surya namaskar or sun salutations—every day for 108 days. (See my blog.) It has been the most amazing journey of my life so far. I met incredible people in the yoga community who helped me raise more than $15,000 for three charities — Canadian Institute for the Blind, the David Suzuki Foundation, and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. At the end of these 108 days, my supporters even encouraged me through a 32-hour Guinness World Records™ setting marathon, an experience that has changed me forever.

Sustainable Yoga for Longterm Happiness Approach

Through the sometimes arduous practice of 108 daily sun salutations for 108 days in a row and the preparation and execution of 32 hours of consecutive yoga, I discovered that with every day and every practice, comes a new challenge and a new opportunity for exploration and growth. I now practice and advocate Sustainable Yoga for Long-Term Happiness (SuYoLoH), an approach to yoga that encourages adapting the practice according to the seasons, the body’s natural ebbs and flows as well as to our individual strengths and limitations. There are countless variations for even the most basic yoga postures. So, the work revolves around being creative. It’s about witnessing what’s happening in the present moment, assessing our state and then finding innovative and inspiring ways to respond to our observations. It has become my passion to guide students in this process, as it has allowed me to heal deep pains in my body and heart. (Read more about my teaching style)

Ayurveda

Expanding my knowledge of Ayurveda has also been a big part of this shift in perception for me, as it has deeply enriched my practice and health. A sister to yoga, Ayurveda is a healing science based on the five elements—earth, air, fire, water, and space. My teacher is Vaidya Anita Sharma. I am accredited as an Ayurvedic practitioner and I offer Ayurvedic consultations in Old Montreal at Loft108 and also online. My specialties include improving women’s health, digestion, sleep, and respiratory issues. (More about my ayurvedic services.)

Family

Being a wife and mother has definitely enriched my teaching. Never before have I been so inspired and creative. I feel like I am boiling over with experience and a deeper, calmer insight into the practice. It’s a pleasure for me to teach and share from this place because I know the information and wisdom that was passed down to me benefits others as much or more as it has benefitted me and my family.