Our Team

Sherri Zawada

Studio Manager & RMT

Bio

For the majority of my life, I had learned to manage chronic pain by simply taking regular pain killers and becoming desensitized to the constant discomfort I lived with. In 2012 I decided I wasn’t going to continue to live this way and that’s when I began my journey towards becoming an RMT. I graduated from the Professional Institute of Massage Therapy in 2015 and through getting regular treatments, and practicing yoga, my life has transformed. Overcoming my own chronic pain has made me passionate about helping people reduce, and often eliminate their pain & tension. Due to my life experience, I have a deep understanding and knowledge of chronic pain, rehabilitation, and sports injuries.

As an RMT I incorporate assessment/testing, Swedish and orthopedic massage, joint mobilization/traction, active release, and stretching; specializing in therapeutic and deep tissue, as well as myofascial cupping and heated bamboo stick massage. I have experience with youth to elderly, athletes, people going through rehabilitation, pregnancy; and those who simply want tension release and relaxation.

In my spare time I enjoy hiking, camping, being outdoors; as well as traveling and spending quality time with my family and friends. I love practicing yoga, and I am a certified Yin Yoga instructor.

Branden Crozier

Studio Owner/Director & Teacher

Bio

Branden’s journey into yoga began 7 years ago while he was playing competitive hockey. All the patterned exercising without adequate stretching had drastically limited his body’s mobility. This lack of functional movement created regular pain and led to various injuries. What started as a way to develop greater mobility has grown into a practice that integrates mindfulness and the values of yoga into everyday life. This is demonstrated through his actions and genuine care for others. Since the beginning he has maintained a consistent yoga practice, completed his first 200-hour yoga teacher training in Peru, a 50-hour yin training with Vincent Lu at ground yoga and a 200-hour Ashtanga yoga training at ashtanga yoga Victoria. Branden has always naturally enjoyed sharing his passions with others around him. When teaching and talking about yoga, his enthusiasm can be felt across the room. His intention as a teacher is to make yoga accessible, fun, challenging and transformative. With a light approach, he is sure that he and his students can learn to be more flexible both on and off the mat.

Renae Snyder

Front Desk & Teacher

Bio

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Amber Shmyr

Front Desk

Bio

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Shelby Anderson

Teacher

Bio

Yoga is the most potent medicine in Shelby’s life. It soothes anxiety and anger, relieves depression, quiets the mind, inspires her to follow her heart, and grants her a clear mind to make good choices and avoid negative thought patterns. It has given Shelby strength and flexibility, improved her health and taught her how to be aware of her body.

As a newly certified teacher, Shelby is excited to share the practice of yoga with people who want to reconnect with their bodies, improve their mental and physical health, and work to create their own peace of mind.

Shelby has been practising yoga since 2004, but it wasn’t until 2015 that her practise became more disciplined, and at that time she decided to work towards becoming a certified teacher. Shelby has experience teaching Hatha Yoga at two studios, and many private classes. She looks forward to expanding her experience, and to continue studying and training.

RYT Certified Yoga Instructor through Ground Yoga, Saskatoon, SK, Canada – 2017
RPYT Certified Prenatal and Post Partum Yoga Instructor through Mamata Yoga, Calgary, AB, Canada -2017
Certified Birth Doula through Birth Arts International, Reidsville, NC, USA -2017
Level 1&2 Certified Usui Reiki Practitioner through Melanie Morales, Saskatoon, SK, Canada -2017

Brenna Bath

Teacher

Bio

Brenna first discovered yoga in the mid ‘90s, but it wasn’t until 2007, while starting a PhD with 2 toddlers at home, that she turned to a regular practice to help her cope. She is a faculty member in the School of Physical Therapy, University of

Saskatchewan, and completed yoga teacher trainings with Ryan Leier in 2009 and Vincent Lu in 2014. She enjoys practicing many different styles of yoga and believes in encouraging students to customize their practice based on their varying physical, psychological, and emotional needs.

Bonnie Bomock-Fuller

Teacher

Bio

Bonnie’s yoga journey began 15 years ago. From a young age Bonnie suffered with chronic neck and back pain. Visits to chiropractors and massage therapists were a common occurrence to help deal with the pain. Although frustrated, she resided to the fact that it was simply something she had to live with and try to maintain. Although sometimes life seems to direct one in a certain direction.

Bonnie began receiving multiply suggestions,that she should try yoga to aid with her neck and back

issues. After finally succumbing to what seemed like fate leading her, she walked into my first Iyengar yoga class. She recalls clearly the first time she did supported bridge with a block under her sacrum. She remembers how painful it was for her and could barely do it for 10 seconds and would continuously have to come off. But she kept with it and slowly but surely she began to strengthen her back and neck while also gaining flexibility. She stuck with it, she had to set an intention to do the work. Bonnie strongly believes this is the beauty of yoga.

It is not always easy, it can be heart work, it can be hard work. BUT if you stick with it, it can be the

greatest work of all – the more one learns about themselves the more connected and resilient one

becomes. So when the opportunity came to become a yoga teacher it was a natural and welcomed progression for her. Bonnie took her 200 RYT with Vicent Lu at Ground. She loves being a yoga teacher. For her it is an opportunity to connect with others and share joy.

Bonnie’s wish is that we are all able to honour our own journey in some way and come to realize our true potential. To celebrate the small things even though it can be difficult at times. To come to know that it is not the end result nor the goal but the moments in between that really matter. That one day we will all believe that we are so much stronger then we give ourselves credit for. Bonnie is honoured to see the growth within her fellow yogis. For on one level we are separate unique beings and on another we are apart of something that connects us.

Yoga-union.

Chad Crozier

Teacher

Bio

As a student of the breath, Chad is passionate about the inward journey. Pranayama and Asana practice has provided a gateway in his personal journey to new insight and ways of being. Yoga practice creates the space in life to cultivate balance, peace and authentic expression.

Honoring the Lineage passed on by Krishnamacharya, Sequencing in class is based on the Ashtanga Primary Series. Modified and adjusted for the accessibility of all practitioners, class will be both be vigorous and rejuvenating to the senses. Weaving together Asana, Pranayama and Meditation, Vinyasa Yoga is an art of both physical and spiritual development.

Using the body and breath in a graceful and mindful manner, creates a unified state of alignment in body, mind and spirit. Chad is inspired to share with his students the great joy yoga has given him through dedicated practice and study. Chad believes that through yoga, each practitioner can find a new vitality and quality in life.

As Pattabhi Jois liked to say… “99% practice, 1% Theory”

Alexa Garside

Teacher

Bio

Alexa is a Yoga teacher from Brighton UK, has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching for 12. She is a Yoga alliance certified senior teacher and teacher trainer and absolutely loves to teach! She likes to bring fun into her classes & believe we should not take ourselves too seriously. She also enjoys adding science and philosophy into her teaching style so the students can learn as they practice which creates an environment that helps you to feel free to speak, ask questions and have fun! Alexa like uniqueness found in techniques from various styles and lineages as well as theming her classes so one can go deeper into various subjects and aspects of Yoga. She is warm and approachable and enjoys giving hugs.

Sandie Irvine

Teacher

Bio

A student of yoga since 1993, teaching since 2002; Sandie first certified as an Iyengar Yoga Teacher and in 2017 certified with Yoga Alliance so to include more styles of yoga in her classes. With more than 25 years intensive training (Iyengar, Yin, Restorative, Scaravelli, Kundalini, Bhakti, Anusara, and Nada Yoga – the yoga of sound) she creates a unique experience for students with an alignment-based asana practice that weaves together multiple disciplines of yoga, precise sequencing, pranayama, philosophy, and modern meditations. Her teaching style is intimate and difficult; strong foundations for beginners, depth & refinement for continuing students.

“Let’s practice together; ask questions, get messy, frequently be humbled, and ever grateful” -Sandie

Jackie Lai

Teacher

Bio

After the race was over, I was lost. I dedicated a few years of my life for this Ironman and now that it was over, I didn’t know what to do. Remembering how much I loved yoga, I decided it is time to get back at it again and I have been practicing yoga ever since.

I decided to become a yoga instructor after realizing how beneficial it is for athletes. My mind got used to being on the go all the time that I forgot how to relax and be still. Yoga has helped balance my mental state, while building strength and increase flexibility. The more I learn about yoga, the more I realized anyone from any walk of life can benefit from practicing yoga. We are all busy with our lives and we forget to take time to take care of our bodies and our mind. Yoga is a full body and mind workout. It increases strength and flexibility while calming the mind.

I believe everyone can practice yoga and I want to share the benefits of yoga in a safe and inclusive environment while having a bit of fun!

Donna Leggott

Teacher

Bio

Donna is a humble yogini, she began her practice, like many others, by chance. After her first few classes, she was amazed by the physical relief felt from back pain and anxiety. After a few years of practicing at Yoga Central (a Saskatoon studio run by Patrica Dewar), she decided to take a Yoga Teacher Training, with Jan Henrikson (2007). Donna has been humbled by the amazing experiences yoga has brought to her on and off the mat. “Looking back on my life, I can credit most of the best experiences and choices in my life to yoga and to the people I have met because of yoga”. In 2012, Donna resided at Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas immersing herself in yoga philosophy, asana, and culture. She has enriched her practice with workshops in many styles of yoga and meditation. Some of her favourite teachers and styles are Iyengar from Patricia Dewar and Father Joe Pereira; Jivamukti and Hatha from Jan Henrikson, Ashtanga from Manu Jois; Yin from Joe Barnett; in addition to Arco-Yoga from Jessie Goldberg, Eugene Poku, and Lux Stern. Donna infuses her classes with love and laughter just as her many teachers have taught her to.

Samantha Marcoux

Teacher

Bio

Samantha offers slow and fluid vinyasa, yin and prenatal style practices. Her attention
to the breath and invitation to move more mindfully and intuitively, asks students to slow
down and drop into their bodies and their minds. She is known for her calming, relaxing
tone and the ability to have you leaving class feeling refreshed and restored. She
enjoys creating an environment that is soothing and supportive for students. Her
teaching style is inspired by a dance background, her teachers, and her own direct
experience. Samantha intentionally weaves Kundalini, pranayama and meditation
practices into her offerings; inviting students to explore the power of their breath,
internal strength and the stilling of the mind.
Samantha has been practicing yoga for 12 years, and teaching for the last 3. She is an
RYT and completed her 200hr with Uplifted Yoga. She is certified in prenatal and
postnal yoga and completed her 85hr with Mommy Moves Yoga. Other certifications
include – 50hr Yin Yoga training with Vincent Lu, 25hr Meditation Training with Judith
Hanson Lasater, 20hr Pregnant and Powerful with Brett Larkin and 20hr Yoga
Philosophy with Kevin Naidoo Yoga.
You will feel restored and energized after attending one of Samantha’s classes –
cultivating the opposite to your busy days by moving slowly and deeply from a place of strength and surrender.

Lauren Scruton

Teacher

Bio

Lauren Scruton embraces a variety of Yoga practices both on and off the mat. She first came to Yoga as a teenager in 2001 with hopes to get fit (at the time struggling with disordered eating and body image infatuations). She discovered teaching in 2010 with the aim to earn money (to support her art practice). Like in most relationships, her initial attractions to the subject and career did change and deepen to reveal quite quickly that there was more to life than the façades of the “perfect body” and dollar bills. Studying traditional texts and practicing Yoga, breath and meditation with Srivatsa Ramaswami (in the Vinyasa Krama tradition), Father Joe Pereira (in the Iyengar tradition) and with Ryan Leier (and the community of One Yoga) have greatly guided the compass of Lauren’s practice; so too have smaller numbers of hours spent with teachers such as Diane Long (a student of Vanda Scaravelli’s). Lauren is so grateful to have practiced and taught with the Modo Yoga, One Yoga, and Vinyasa Yoga for Youth (VYFY) communities. The youth she has spent countless hours with on the mat have kept her heart young and she is forever in awe of the inherent wisdom that they hold and quite often blurt out. Since 2013 Lauren has focused to teaching youth through various integrated programs in schools, community and addiction centres. She has served as faculty for both One Yoga and VYFY teacher trainings.

Through both self-led and group Yoga practice she recognizes her individual power as well as interdependence; in them both she finds her responsibilities. Her aim in sharing Yoga is to support others to find their place; where they stand – in relation to this land (what we now call Treaty Six Territory), to find a place in relationship to the body and its various layers, as well as a place of kinship with one another. In a class with Lauren you can depend on a respectful space to be held for your starting point, creative expressions, revolutions and resistances. She holds space for a meeting place for all of the above as well as all that lies beneath waiting to move from concealed to revealed.

Jonathon Perry

Teacher & Registered Massage Therapist

Bio

Fred brings a passion for building wisdom through connecting with our body. He trains in Iyengar, yin, and hatha yoga, bringing a holistic approach to class. Fred is an Ayurvedic practitioner, studying under Yogirishi Vishvktu of Anand Prikash. In class, you can expect a light hearted journey into the body, mind, and breath – open to all skill levels.

Nina Zettl

Teacher

Bio

Nina began her yoga journey as a young child, introduced to asanas, meditation and pranayama by her mother at the age of 8. Throughout her teens she attended several yoga classes in the style of hatha yoga and feel in love with the practice. On her travels to Europe in 2008/2009 she discovered Vinyasa Flow yoga which ignited her passion to study yoga and deepen her practice. She felt called to share this gift with others and in 012 enrolled in her 200 hour teacher training program with Namaskar Yoga in Saskatoon. Nina has been teaching yoga since September 2012 and has taught over 700 hours throughout the community of Saskatoon. Nina’s style of teaching is a fluid and dynamic practice that focuses on alignment, conscious movement, breathwork and intention, based on the teachings of Namaskar Yoga, Prana Flow and Lila Vinyasa Flow yoga. She designs her class in an intelligent and creative way that considers the entire being – breath, body and soul and encourages her students to be playful in their practice.

Nina’s education includes:
200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (Namaskar Yoga, Yoga Alliance)
85 Hour Registered Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga Teacher (Namaskar Yoga, Yoga Alliance)
30 Hour Prana Flow Teacher Training (Adri Kyser, Yoga Alliance)
30 Hour Lila Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training (Clara Roberts, Yoga Alliance)

Fred Reibin

Teacher

Bio

Rachel Piggelen

Counsellor

Bio

I’m a counsellor with both education and lived experience to back my services. I’m realistic and in touch with the realities of the every day struggles and mental health concerns, this allows me to offer counselling that is productive and flexible to the needs of each clients busy lifestyle. When you leave your session, you’ll always do so with skills and tasks that fit into your schedule and keep you focused on your mental health in between our meetings.

My lived experience has given me a unique insight into a lot of topics such as childhood trauma, poverty, anxiety, depression, substance use within the home dynamic, inter generational trauma, healing from sexual assault, and adjusting to Motherhood.

I utilize many different theories and approaches in my practice to make counselling relatable to each client and their needs. Some of the approaches I utilize are humanistic, systemic, DBT, CBT & play therapy.

I am currently accepting clients age 8 and up, I also welcome couples and families.

Not sure I’m the right fit, please feel free to contact me about a free 10 minute consultation.

Chat soon!

Kristy Robichaud

Teacher

Bio

Kristy first began regularly practicing yoga in 2017 as a form of exercise and in search of a solution to her chronic neck and back pain. She soon found the practice to be very supportive of both her physical and mental health and it became a focal point in her life. Kristy has a strong love for ashtanga yoga but enjoys practicing a variety of styles and ultimately believes in balance and adaptability. She aims to make yoga accessible for all bodies and emphasizes the basics and alignment.
The primary influence on Kristy’s current practice and style has been her teacher, Nicki Doane, with whom she has completed 300hrs of teacher training. Kristy believes in the power of the beginner’s mind and is always striving to learn something and hopes to inspire this in her students.