Alison Soco

Alison fell in love with yoga the first time she stepped on her mat in 2004. She began practicing at first for the physical benefits but as her practice grew, her passion for yoga began to deepen. Now yoga has become more than her exercise routine and more of her life style.

After years of practicing and exploring other types of yoga she decided to take a local teacher training. Excited about the completion of this course, Alison started to teach shortly after and was amazed at how much joy it brought her.

She is currently continuing her teacher training in ashtanga yoga and feels grateful to be able to share her passion with others.

Bonnie Harvey

Bonnie has been a competitive martial artist with the International Chang Hon Taekwon-Do Federation for the past eight years; achieving the title of City, Provincial, Canadian, and World Cup Champion in both patterns and sparring. Upon being selected as a Team Canada member for the Intercontinental Mixed Martial Arts Tournament in Puerto Rico, Bonnie began looking for new fitness programs that would improve balance, strength, and flexibility; that is when she discovered yoga. She describes her first yoga experience as a life changing moment. What started out as a quest to improve her physical abilities, ended up being an “extreme makeover” not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually too; completely changing her life path.

It was on Bonnie’s mat where she found the astonishing truth that our body and soul can speak to us; and if we practice listening, we can bring about true healing on all levels. This realization drove Bonnie to explore the path of intuitive healing and holistic medicine. Bonnie is a certified Reiki Therapist and her true passion lies with studies of the Chakra System, and teaching people from all walks of life, that by combining pranayama (breath control), asana (physical posture), and dhyana (meditation), we can “recharge” our Chakra system; assisting us in achieving perfect equilibrium and optimal health.

Bonnie enrolled in the Yoga Works Teacher Training as a way to deepen her own practice, and shortly after completion, began teaching. It is Bonnie’s deepest desire to share the precious gift of yoga and teach the world that by quieting the mind you can hear your soul, by listening to our soul, we can acquire absolute serenity from within.

Bonnie recently completed her Personal Fitness Trainer course, and plans to continue her studies in Reiki and Vibration Therapy. When she is not on her yoga mat, you can find Bonnie teaching Taekwon-Do at the Chestermere Recreation Center and would she would like to extend an invitation to everyone to come and try a free class! Please visit www.focustkd.info for more information.

Curran Watts

Like many others, Curran left a life he had laid out ahead of him to further explore the practice of yoga and the world which is right now front of him. He approaches the practice, in all of its manifestations, as a method for investigating the complex question of consciousness that seems to be at the root of all other questions. In his short time with the practice, he has been especially captivated by its transformative capacity for rendering even the boldest complexities of life into subtle truisms of being. He understands teaching not as the passing on of practical knowledge; but rather, as the coming together of people to learn and share in the value of spiritual experience.

Kate Mak

Kate left her life in science behind and has not looked back because yoga is something that makes her genuinely happy. She started practicing yoga out of curiosity and to add to her healthy lifestyle. However, what she found was a beautiful moving meditation that gives an insightful look into yourself and a way of life. She fell in love with the practice, the people and the positive energy that surrounds the practice. In order to broaden her practice and to understand herself better, she dedicates herself to yoga and schedules her social life around it (much to the chagrin of her friends). It is her greatest honour to teach and humbly hopes to pass on the infectious love for yoga.

Kristen Ingram

As a yoga practitioner for over 8 years and a developing teacher, Kristen has come to cherish her yogic experiences as means for connection, not only with those around her but with her mind, body and spirit. It is from this passion for connection that her teaching has developed.

Inspired by her growing yoga family and beautiful teachers she followed her path to earn a 200hr teacher training certification in India under the guidance of Yogi Vishvketu in the Akhanda principles in 2009.

With a belief that good teaching is rooted in a strong personal practice her aim is to bring a yoga experience to the students that engages the body, enlivens the spirit and calms the mind through asana, breath work, chanting and meditation.

Maya Sanya

Maya is a certified Trinity (now Gaiatri) Yoga Instructor and a member of the Yoga Alliance. Maya began her teaching career in 2005 and has been cultivating her own personal practice since the birth of her daughter in 2003.Maya offers an inspiring approach to yoga which is suitable for the beginner and advanced student alike. Her unique teaching style encompasses a broad spectrum of knowledge. She often pulls on her extensive experience in dance and martial arts to fuse movement mindfully together to heighten awareness. She focuses on breathing techniques and weaves her classes with fundamental Anusara based alignment cues. These fundamental principles develop a cognizant foundation upon which a strong practice can grow. Maya always honours the breath and often uses creative visualization as a method to pull on the healing powers of the mind.

Mina Khan-Lee

Mina first saw yoga being practiced on a backpacking trip in India in 2001. She was so intrigued by this moving meditative practice that upon returning she began her own ashtanga practice. At first it was a way to compliment her active lifestyle as an avid runner, hiker and mountain biker. It didn't take long for her to realize that yoga had so much more to offer than just stretching. Practicing and studying this ancient tradition has made her realize that every day is an opportunity to watch the inner journey unfold. Mina believes that yoga is a philosophy that goes far beyond the physical practice. For Mina, yoga has truly become a moving meditation, where the mind, body and spirit become one in order to freely explore and heal. In that meditative process, she is able to quiet the mind and enjoy the silence that comes with focusing on the breath.

Mina has always been drawn to share her passions with others and her friends call her a natural born teacher. She has taught everything from preschool dance classes, ESL for children and adults to Spanish at the U of C. After completing her Masters degree in Spanish and enrolling in the Master of Teaching program at the U of C, she decided to share her passion of yoga with others. Mina completed the teacher training program at Yoga Passage with Tracy Mann and Lerrita Rubinoff in March of 2005 and has been teaching ever since. Mina returned to India in 2009 to stay at the Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh to further her teaching and practice.

Mina feels blessed to have a strong yoga community, a supportive husband and a beautiful baby boy who teach her more about yoga and the inner journey everyday. Her teaching focuses on proper alignment and body awareness. Mina’s goal as a teacher is to guide students to be present by calming the mind, building strength and breathing.

"Nothing in the world can purify as powerfully as wisdom; practiced in yoga, you find this wisdom within yourself" ~Bhagavad Gita

Heather Ulrichsen

Heather fell in love with the grace and joy of yoga 10 years ago and followed her growing inspiration to complete the Moksha Yoga Teacher training with Ted Grand and Jessica Robertson. Her additional training includes modern dance, Chiropractic therapy, and Acupuncture. She practices Chiropractic out of Embody Wellness Center and would be thrilled to help you improve your health and function to reach your potential(www.myembody.ca).

Heather’s love and fascination of the healing power within the human body helps her teach the physical practice of yoga from a therapeutic perspective. Her enthusiasm for life however, fuels her classes with positivity, selfexploration and playfulness.

Heather is so honored to share the practice of yoga with you and looks forward to meeting you at the studio!

~ Namaste~

Kimberley Horng

Kimberley Horng is a part-time Certified Yoga Teacher/Certified Reiki II Practioner and full-time lucid dreamer. Certification was guided under the inspiration of gurus Tracy Mann, Lerrita Rubinoff and Tanis Fishman of Yoga Passage

Kimberley has been practicing yoga for 7 years. Her journey became most significant when her daughter and newly profound guru was born 4 years ago. "She taught me self-realization, as I watched her as if I was looking at myself through a mirror, as she copied my every move. Her innocence opened my heart to trust in looking at everything through new eyes. Her attack on life taught me to live with no fear. The motivation she instilled in me to be a great role-model has pushed me into doing things I wouldn't have done otherwise. And her craziness has driven me to meditation for some sanity."

On the side, Kimberley loves being with nature outdoors, as she snowboards, swims, and hikes. While indoors she enjoys writing poetry, singing, and dancing. "I believe every experience in life is worth the ride and is neither good nor bad. I feel the biggest regret one can have in life is having the regret of not knowing. So, I choose to try as much as I can get my hands on and set no limits. As Maya Angelou once said, "Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away." As a Yoga Teacher, I teach my students how to breath continuously. I do this for one reason, and that is so you can live moments that take your breath away. These drops of small precious moments can build an ocean of joy for a lifetime. This is what Yoga is about...simply living."

Tara Simonton

A native Calgarian, Tara recently moved home after spending a decade living and travelling abroad. Her yoga journey began during that time as a way of bringing clarity and calm to a somewhat nomadic life. She spent her last year overseas in the UK earning a masters degree in Marketing. Once complete, Tara happily returned to Calgary and began working at an advertising agency. It didn’t take long to realize that her passion was not in selling the latest energy drink, but rather in the pursuit of developing and sharing a deeper yoga practice. Tara is truly thankful for Reid, her family, and friends and for their continued love and support. She now embraces yoga as a life compass and true path, feeling forever grateful to be able to learn and grow from its guidance.

When not on her mat Tara likes to spend time at her family cottage, working on her waterskiing, crosswords, or just hanging in the hammock. A lover of the mountains; Tara tries to head west, hiking, biking, and skiing whenever possible. Down time in Calgary is most often spent with family and friends lingering in coffee shops or catching the latest blockbuster.

Love, laughter, health and happiness.

Tara