Teachers

Clare Newman

'In 1999, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident that left me with a debilitating back injury.  After many other holistic attempts at relief, my physiotherapist recommended yoga. I lost all flexibility and strength due to the accident and was terrified at the idea of starting yoga. Once I stepped onto my mat, I was astonished at the natural way my body embraced the postures, even backbends. After several years of being a practitioner and focusing on regaining the strength in my back, I enrolled in a teacher training program to teach others that you can live without back pain. I'm a strong advocate of yoga as a therapy for physical ailments and focus strongly on proper alignment in all of my classes.  Yoga has brought me the most powerful of gifts; body awareness, calmness, rhythmic energy, inner peace, grace and freedom. Enjoy all that yoga has to offer and accept all of what yoga is...stillness.'

Clare has been a practitioner of yoga for over 13 years with experience in Hatha, Bikram, Anusara, Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Kid's yoga and Pre and Post Natal yoga. She studied Iyengar yoga intensively for over 4 years, attending the teacher training program at the Yoga Studio College of Alberta in 2005 (Certified). Clare holds certification through the Yoga Association of Alberta (YAA), Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT), 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (200 RYT) and a Pre-Natal Registered Yoga Teacher (PRYT) with the Yoga Alliance.

She created Mamata Yoga ( http://www.mamatayoga.com), a Yoga Alliance Pre-natal Yoga teacher training program in 2011 and travels all over Canada guiding other teachers the beauty of yoga during pregnancy and postpartum.

Collette Gasper

Collette comes from a vast background in fitness and formal dance - ball room, hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet, modern, bhangra and latin.

She is well known in Alberta as a talented and knowledgeable fitness professional with almost 20 years of experience. She is very approachable and down to earth. People are naturally drawn to Collette as she has such a passion for people, of all ages, and a unique flair for movement.

" 'Live Well, Be Inspired, Feel the Momentum' is not just a slogan to me, it is truly what I stand for. I live to help others thrive to their fullest through inspiring them to, be their very best. I do this best through fitness and dance. I have a strong belief that everyone has a primal need to dance all one needs is the right opportunity and encouragement. I am committed to energizing the world to move through dance!"

Jennifer Potocnik

Jennifer Potocnik is a loving and devoted wife and mother of three, who has been in the fitness industry for almost two decades. Jennifer's career path has taken her from a Group Exercise Instructor/Personal Trainer through to becoming a Trainer of Leaders, Fitness, Program and Business Director, and in late 2008 the Co-owner of Feel The Momentum Fitness. From the day FTM Fitness began, Jennifer has been passionately teaching and creating dance-based fitness classes as a integration of her formal dance training and fitness education.

"I believe that the ever increasing interest and participation in dance fitness classes stems from peoples' fundamental love to dance - even if they don't think they can. Dance can have exhilarating effects, and comes from a deep desire for personal expression, social connection, and it just overall feels fantastic! Historically people have danced for many reasons - to celebrate, to heal, to mourn, to give thanks, to preserve cultural heritage, to assert individuality, to demonstrate physical prowess, and to entertain. Once again dance is emerging at the forefront of fitness as a way for people of all ages to have fun, reduce stress, and maximize their health all at the same time, and I am proud to be part of it!"

Erik Hanzen (Yogi Bhakti Prakash)

Erik's love for Yoga began in 1995 when he was living in Boulder, Colorado and working for an Ayurveda herbal store. He began his basic Yoga practice to complement his active athletic lifestyle, which at the time included running, rock climbing, mountain biking and snowboarding. Erik now combines his formal education in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) with his athletic background and love for Truth to create a unique way to explore the depths of Self through the movement, breath and philosophy of Yoga.

In the summer of 2010 Erik was initiated by his guru, Yogi Vishvketu, into an ancient lineage of yogis. The system of self-realization taught by Yogi Vishvketu, called Akhanda Yoga, is classical Yoga that is based on the 2000-year old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This yogic system is a holistic form of yoga combining meditation, pranayama, mantra and the practice of asana (postures) which prepares the practitioner to return to their natural state of peace and simplicity.

In November of 2009 Erik travelled to Rishikesh, India and completed an additional 500-hour advanced teacher training to complement his previous 200-hour training from World Conscious Yoga Family with Yogi Vishvketu. He is a certified yoga instructor through the Yoga Alliance. This education has provided him with a solid foundation to continue his journey of self-discovery while assisting his students to deepen and expand their own. Erik is also a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, enabling him to provide students with a wide range of information to support a balanced lifestyle. Erik lives in St. Albert with his beautiful wife Debbie, son Jonah, three cats and a bearded dragon.

William Tucker

William (Aarvo) Tucker grew up in California, went to Taiwan at the age of twenty to study Chinese and Tai Chi. During his fifteen years living there and in China he studied the Internal Martial Arts of Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Xing Yi, Qi Gong and the principles of Chinese health maintenance, medicine,  and Tuina body work. Over that time he became a senior student to two highly regarded teachers, Liu Hsi-heng and Luo Dexiu, eventually assisting them in their classes and travelling with them as assistant  and translator on international seminar tours. Later he also studied Chen style Tai Chi with Wang Haijun, a top student of the eminent Chen Zhenglei.

William moved to England and spent ten years teaching classes and workshops around the U.K. and Europe. During that time he translated and wrote articles for several journals in Europe and North America. Since moving to Alberta six years ago, William established Gravity and Grace Tai Chi and Ba Gua, teaching classes in Edmonton and St Albert, and is one of the founders of The Water Garden Spa and Wellness Retreat. 

“I learned the martial, health and internal cultivation aspects, and try to have in every class a balance between the three.  From my Ba Gua teacher I got an appreciation of being systematic and yet creative – giving a clear structure to the learning, and also feeling free to develop new ways of getting across the essential concepts. As an instructor, this keeps it fresh – the Chinese word `teaching-learning’ refers to the learning that is inherent in teaching. For learners it helps to see the process as being alive and evolving rather than a set bunch of movements and practices. Much of the Tai Chi that is available here is divorced from its martial roots, which makes the movements unfocussed and ungrounded. The current trend towards Mixed Martial Arts is of fighting as a sport, without an emphasis on balanced development of the whole person, which traditional martial arts can provide.  My teachers transmitted that depth, naturally incorporating Chinese philosophy. `Gravity and Grace ‘ for me encapsulates what I especially value in these practices – in movement strong, grounded and aligned with gravity, and with an ease and flow; inwardly, still and connected to one’s centre .”

Jackie Schoenberger

Jackie is a St. Albert girl at heart. She has been living, working and "yoga-ing" in this vibrant community for many years. She received her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification in 2009 and quickly realized that teaching is an integral part of her life's path. What's Jackie's teaching philosophy? Well, just like life itself, it grows, evolves and changes – but at its core is a desire to promote connection and body awareness through movement, breath work and stillness of mind.

Yoga's ancient wisdom is perfectly suited to bringing peace and health to today's busy, over-scheduled lives. Teaching is her way of giving back – inspiring others to embrace yoga and experience how its "lessons" reach far beyond the mat, and into everyday life. Connecting to the body and breath opens up a whole new world. You feel stronger, healthier, more grounded. You make better choices to live a life full of awareness, intention and vitality! She is big fan of continuing education in order to keep her classes fresh and relevant.

Variations are given to challenge both the beginner and the more experienced yogi. But this yoga business isn't all serious stuff so be prepared to smile, laugh and have a great time discovering the strength of your body and the incredible uniqueness of you. Namaste.

Debbie Hanzen

Debbie teaches yoga as a practice of reconnecting with our wholeness. She warmly welcomes the uniqueness of every yogi's experience and supports students in their exploration for meaning and balance in their lives. She loves to share the passion and awareness she has for yoga by teaching and guiding others. Taking yoga off the mat, into everyday life is a primary inspiration of her teaching. She emphasizes loving-kindness, patience and compassion as keys to a beautiful practice both on the mat and everywhere we walk. She is eternally grateful to all of her teachers.

Debbie completed her Yoga Teaching Training with Yogi Vishvketu of Northern India (www.worldyogafamily.com) in August 2009. Aside from teaching yoga, she is also a Mathematics professor at NAIT. She holds a Masters degree in Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Debbie is passionate about yoga, hiking, reading, kirtan, travel, and mostly her son Jonah and husband Erik.

Lisanne Watchell

Yoga has been a part of Lisanne's life for several years and has been an integral tool for her to maintain balance through life's challenges. She has completed a 200-hour Teacher Training with Gaiatri Yoga, 200-hour Teacher Training through the International Kundalini Teachers Yoga Association (IKYTA) and is studying to become a Certified Yoga Therapist through Mount Royal University (300 hours).

Lisanne's classes help students of all levels to create positive change through the practice of Hatha, Kundalini and Therapeutic Yoga. Her passions in yoga include Mantra (chanting), Pranayam (breath practice), explorative Asana (postures) and Yogic Philosophy. Lisanne is very grateful to have studied with renowned teachers such as Nischala Joy Devi, Robin Rothenberg, Trevor Yelich and Sat Dharam Kaur.

When not in the studio, Lisanne can be found blending Aromatherapy products, gardening and spending time with her daughter, Lily, and husband, Tyrel. Lisanne's other career passions include reflexology, manual lymphatic drainage, clinical aromatherapy and wholistic aesthetics. She has been a member of the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC) for several years. Sutra 1.2: Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhahah – Yoga is the uniting of consciousness in the heart.

Krista Reid

 Krista's practice began as a self study for her first 2 years until studying the primary ashtanga sequence privately with her first teacher. She attributes her Sattvic grounding during these important first two years to creative inspirations , meditative mindfulness from her practices and gardening , a 6 -7 day a week asana practice including pranayama, sattvic diet and spiritual studies. Working from that grounding she was able to create space in the body for prana to flow, assisting in nature's constant playfulness of moving in and out of balance.

Teaching as a registered yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance, Krista is very grateful to have had the blessings of studying with many recognized and internationally renowned teachers. Krista's practice and studies are deeply rooted in the teachings of Krishnamacharya, with a newfound study of Ayurveda. It's through Krista's rhythmical vinyasa flow that she has created an element of water to her practice, often being referred to as "moving like a cat" by her yoga students. Moving through the obstacles of life.

Krista's years of Tapas practice, meditation and studying the long holds of Iyengar and Okido bring about a dynamic character to Krista's teachings. Recently, Krista started the company "Yoga on the Go" catering to corporate, sports teams and private practices. The goal of Yoga on the Go is to cut down on car emissions by having one teacher come to a group of students rather than several students travelling to her/him and to create a more conscious and healthy environment for teams to flourish.

Jaya (Cheryl Amy)

Jaya began practicing yoga in a tiny bedroom in 1997, learning from the pages of a discount book. She was immediately enamored by the embodied freedom she found from moving through the poses and connecting to the breath. Jaya moved on from that book to study ashtanga, power, hatha, and kundalini but ultimately fell in love with the art of intuitive flow, tapping deeply into the body's innate intelligence and utilizing yoga as a profound tool of life exploration.

Jaya was honored to train with Yogi Vishvketu in the classical Raja system of yoga and was deeply moved to receive the spiritual name Jaya Devi which means "goddess of victory". She endeavors to inspire her students to feel victorious in their inspirations through challenging the ways in which they believe themselves to be restricted.

As a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Reiki Master/Teacher Jaya approaches the body as an incredible metaphor that dramatically reveals the secrets of the head and heart. Her intention for all of her students is to fall in love with exploring the vast freedom that can be found within any apparent set of limitations, mind/body/spirit. Her classes are a combination of philosophy and fun, challenge and rejuvenation. Mostly she hopes others are inspired to have fun keeping it real. Hari Om.

Donna Freeman

It was love at first pose for Donna Freeman when she was introduced to yoga while expecting her first child in Cape Town, South Africa. She fully believes yoga is for anyone, anywhere at anytime and often practices tadasana (mountain pose) while pumping gas and navasana (boat pose) while sitting in meetings. A spirit of playful exploration and the joy of discovery are the hallmarks of her classes. Donna is the author of Once Upon a Pose: A Guide to Yoga Adventure Stories for Children, the host of a yoga radio show, and the founder of Yogainmyschool.com. http://www.yogainmyschool.com

Nicole Hughes

Nicole walked into her first yoga class hoping to get some relief from chronic back pain she was experiencing at the time. With time not only did she experience this relief, but along the way she also fell in love with yoga and the peace, love and hope it brings into people's lives. Yoga became a time for Nicole to slow down and simply be with herself. To treat herself to nourishing personal time. And it did not take long for her to realize that the space yoga was creating within was affecting all aspects of her life. It opened her eyes to a new sense of contentment and gratitude for day-to-day living.

Nicole believes yoga has so much to offer everyone, whether it is balance, healing, relaxation, community, or simply motivation to get moving. No matter what brings people to their mats, she feels blessed to share her knowledge and help people discover the endless beauty and possibilities yoga has to offer. Namaste!

Cole Williston

Cole is home to Edmonton and has been instructing Yoga for over 7 years. His teacher training was in Chakra Yoga and his style of guidance reflects aspects of Iyengar, Hatha, Vinyasa and Pranayama. Cole is passionate about building community and creating evolutionary group experiences. He also organizes yoga adventures through his company PLANit Adventure. www.planitadventure.com

Dallas Stainthorp - bio coming soon