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Leala Enfield, Director
Leala attended her first yoga class in New York City when she was nineteen. It was a gentle, meditative class that opened a tiny doorway into her heart, and catalyzed great changes in her life. Within a year, she had moved to the remote side of Maui where she met David Williams and began a three month intensive study of Ashtanga Yoga. She went on to develop a steady home practice.  Living in community on Maui and traveling, she taught whoever wanted to learn, including the Secoya indigenous people in the Amazon tributaries of Ecuador.

Her exploration of yoga led naturally into an interest in meditation, and in 1994, she attended her first silent ten day Vipassana meditation retreat, which deeply rekindled her sense of connection to the source. She continued to travel, attending meditation courses and at times living and working at retreat centers, practicing yoga all the while.
In 1997 she met her husband at a meditation center, and a few months later they had the grace of meeting their spiritual teacher, John DeRuiter of the College of Integrated Philosophy in Edmonton (www.collegeofintegratedphilosophy.com).

In 2000, Leala attended an Ashtanga Yoga teachers training course with renowned instructor David Swenson and in 2003 completed her level three training through Trinity Yoga. With Trinity she has explored many styles of yoga, branching out from her traditional Ashtanga training.  Most recently, she hosted and attended an additional 200 hour teacher training course with her beloved yoga teacher Yogi Vishvketu of Northern India (www.akhandayoga.com) at Prana Yoga Studio, further exploring the diverse and traditional aspects of yoga, including pranayama (breathwork), chanting, mantra and yoga philosophy.

Leala’s passions include practicing yoga outdoors, hiking in the Rockies, ocean swimming and quality time with her husband and their two vivacious daughters.

The benefits of yoga are precious and far-reaching. I feel that I am still learning and relearning the first step... to be profoundly gentle inside and to live and practice from that gentle open space.

Isabelle (Sakshi) Stahl
What can I possibly say about yoga?
Three words: Worthwhile. Transformative. Necessary.
Although I discovered asana practice in the mid-nineties, it was not until a few years ago that I dedicated myself to my practice. In the meantime I plunged heart (and head) first into an exploration of yogic philosophy – though non-dual teachings and satsangs as well as studying Kundalini Yoga and traditional Vedanta with some excellent teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area and Australia.
At age 40, through the kindness of life and Leala Enfield, I completed the 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training at Prana Yoga Studio. That month of intense sadhana catapulted me into total yet gentle change on all levels. I watched, from the sidelines, mystified, as my body, diet, lifestyle, priorities and relationships shifted. I used to roll my eyes when I would hear people quote Patabhi Jois saying “Practice yoga, all is coming!” Dude was right. That is how it works.
I completed my 500 hr Yoga Teacher Training in the fall of 2011 through Yogi Vishvketu and the World Conscious Yoga Family. I am so grateful for Vishvaji’s guidance and example, humor, softness and integrity. If you get a chance to meet and practice with him – take it.
I also sing regularly at kiirtans and offer the Work of Byron Katie (inquiry-based stress reduction) through my company KindMind - www.kindmind.ca  Come and join me on the mat! Let’s breathe, move, sit in silence, and transform side by side.

Kate's yoga journey began in 1998, at a point in her life when she was struggling with an eating disorder. From her first class, yoga opened doors that led her down the path of self-awareness. She became certified through the Gerda Kerbs Hatha Yoga Centre in 1999 and began her training as a Reiki Master and Thai Massage therapist. Kate teaches Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga and has had the pleasure of taking classes with esteemed teachers: Seane Corne, Shiva Rea, Judith Lasater and David Swenson. Through her gregarious personality, Kate has a natural gift of bringing out the best in people. One of her biggest joys is seeing the look in students' eyes when they move further into a pose than they ever thought that they could. Kate's unique style leads students to find softness within strength and activity within stillness. She also believes in living her yoga 'off the mat' and has taught yoga classes to young girls and women in-need and has led numerous drumming and chanting circles with all donations given to local charities. Kate feels honoured to share her love of yoga with the Prana community.

Jeanette's passion and enthusiasm for teaching yoga is a delight to be a part of.  She began to experience the numerous positive benefits of practicing yoga in 1996 and started teaching in 2002.  With a background in Group Fitness (since 1988), Jeanette has discovered that bringing unity and balance to the mind, body and spirit, is just as important as keeping the physical body in shape. 
During her extended yoga teacher training in India (2009), Jeanette’s knowledge and understanding of yoga was deepened and enriched by her teacher, Yogi Vishvketu.  She considers it one of the most transformational experiences of her life, and is most grateful for the profound healing that she received.
Other teachers that Jeanette feels most fortunate to have studied with are:  Donna Farhi, TKV Desikachar, Mark Whitwell, Rodney Yee and Shiva Rea.

 Jeanette's awareness of the energetic aspect of the human body has been enhanced through the practice of yoga.  She has taken numerous courses in energetic anatomy, is a Reiki Practitioner and has experienced first hand, the power of hands on healing.  Jeanette is thrilled to be sharing the many gifts of yoga and energy healings on a full-time basis.

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.

Corinne McNally
Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher
Corinne’s yogic journey was sparked in a high school drama class, where everyday warm-up consisted of Asana and Pranayama. Her studies then took her to Montreal where she danced semi-professionally, a discipline which encouraged her to develop a deep home practice.  Corinne completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training through Trinity Yoga and she is a certified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance, providing her with a solid foundation to continue her journey of self-discovery while assisting students to deepen, open and “let go”.

Corinne’s friendly and joyful personality brings honesty, humor, and an open heart to her teaching. She balances and integrates her flowing classes with breath, alignment, strength, and ease. With a communications and performing arts background, Corinne incorporates a love of yoga in all aspects of her life, including her work as a Certified Doula (DONA) and Thai Yoga Massage practitioner (Lotus Palm).   Corinne is delighted to be teaching at Prana Yoga Studio and she feels blessed to be able to share the harmony and serenity that yoga brings to her life with others.  For more info on Doula care or Thai Yoga Massage please go to www.lotusmoonwellness.com

Elise shares a deep passion for therapeutic yoga with her students that stems from her own journey and experience with scoliosis. Diagnosed at the age of 13 and faced with the prognosis of eventual surgery to fuse her spine with rods, she found yoga changed her life. She is a 500 hour certified Yoga Alliance teacher with Yogi Vishvketu (World Conscious Yoga Family) and is deeply appreciative of the teachings she has received including Yoga Therapy with David McAmmond, Yoga for Scoliosis with Elise Browning Miller, Prenatal Yoga, as well as Yoga for Depression and Anxiety. She has recently returned from India where she was living and teaching at Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram and studying intensively with Yogi Vishvketu. Elise assisted the Yoga Teacher Training Programs in India with World Conscious Yoga Family and provides therapeutic back workshops for the teacher training programs internationally.  Elise believes that to live life fully with no physical pain is to live with an open heart and mind. She inspires students to release blockages in the mind and pranic body to ease constriction in the physical body.

Yogi Vishvketu has studied and practiced Hatha and Raja yoga and the Vedic healing arts in northern India since childhood. From the age of 8, he studied Vedic wisdom at Kanvashram in the foothills of the Himalayas. With its historic temple and Ayurvedic clinic, Kanvashram attracts many yogic saints and Ayurvedic masters and was an ideal place to absorb these ancient healing and consciousness-raising traditions.
Vishva went on to attain a Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Humanities with a specialization in yoga, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in Yoga Philosophy. While at the University of Haridwar, he also pursued courses in Naturopathy, Reike, Pranic Healing, and Yoga Therapy. In 1992 and 1995, he won the All India Inter-University Yoga Championships. He moved to Ottawa in 2001, where he continues to dedicate himself to teaching the arts of yoga and Ayurveda. Internationally, he offers holistic yoga workshops including asana, pranayama, cleansing kriyas, Ayurveda and Vedic chanting. He also offers yoga teacher training programs, and retreats for dedicated practitioners in Canada and in the foothills of the Himalayas. The teacher training programs are recognized by the Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level.

Erik Hanzen
Erik’s love for Yoga started in 1995 when he was living in Boulder, Colorado and working for an Ayur-Vedic 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 Ayur-Vedic Medicine 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. 
Erik received his traditional Yoga training from Yogi Vishvketu of Rishikesh, India.  The system taught by Yogi Vishvketu is classical Raja Yoga that is based on the 2000 year old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  This yogic system is a very balanced form of yoga combining meditation, pranayama, chanting and the practice of asana (postures) which opens the practitioner to return to our natural state of peace.  During his training, Erik was given the name Bhakti Prakash meaning “light of devotion”.  This devotion can be seen in his love for spreading the light of yoga to others.  Erik has also completed an additional 200 hour yoga training through Trinity Yoga and is a certified yoga instructor through the Yoga Alliance, an internationally recognized Yoga certification board.  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 his students with a wide range of information to support a balanced lifestyle.

Tyler is Prana Yoga Studio’s resident writer.  His workshops explore the origins of creativity, encouraging self-discovery through the use of language, meditation, and visualization.  Writing opened for him at the age of twenty-one when he chronicled his adventures in Asia: teaching English in Cambodia, sneaking into Tibet, and hitchhiking to Mt. Kailas disguised as a Buddhist monk. His work has been awarded the Writer’s Federation Of New Brunswick Literary Prize, the New Times Fiction Prize, the Feathertale Micro Fiction Prize, and others, appearing in numerous journals throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.  His children’s book, Wrush: The Secret Worlds Of Tabetha Bright (Greenleaf Book Group) is due out in 2010. Keep your eyes open for The Tinderbox: A Creativity Workshop, as it tours Alberta’s art venues, hospitals, and elementary schools this fall. For more information, please visit www.thetinderbox.ca

Jana Derges

Lane Edwards

Lane started practicing yoga in 2001 while living in Grand Cayman. It was love at first try. Soon after, Lane and her husband travelled to Costa Rica where they both got certified at the world renowned Nosara Yoga Institute, located in the prana-charged jungle. Together, Lane and her husband practiced vigorously in the beautiful rainforest on the Pacific Coast. It was an experience Lane will treasure and draw from forever. Since that time, Lane has been busy teaching yoga at Prana, and then departed for a year to work and live in Sydney, Australia. Now she's thrilled to be back teaching at Prana, and busy being a new mommy to her daughter Morgan. Students often describe Lane's class as a deep exploration into the self. She creates a nurturing intimacy right off the get go, and loves to have fun during her classes. Her warmth, intuition and sense of humour leaves you feeling calm and clear- a mantra she often uses. Her style of yoga is a delicious fusion based on the fundamentals of Hatha. Oh, and be prepared to enjoy some of her heavenly oil in savasana. Check out Lane's jewelry collection, Zenplicity, sold at our studio. To learn more about Lane, you can visit Lane's super cute mommy blog at www.lanedwards.blogspot.com.

Kushok’s biography: Kushok Lobsang Dhamchöe was born in the remote valley of Kyirong, Tibet in 1957. This valley is mentioned in the famous book Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer, who wrote: "I shall never cease thinking of this place with yearning, and if I can choose where to pass the evening of my life, it will be in Kyirong."
Kushok became an orphan at a young age after the death of his mother and the murder of his father who was killed by Tibetan officials who had formed an allegiance with the Chinese Communist army. He lived with his Aunt until his escape from Tibet in 1963 when the political situation in Tibet became dangerous. His uncle helped him make the eight-day journey over the Himalayas to Kathmandu, Nepal. From there Kushok traveled alone to India as a nine-year-old boy.
Kushok enrolled at Kalimpong Centre School for Tibetans and it was there that he received his monk’s vows by Kyapje Song Rinpoche, a great Tibetan master.  Shortly after, the school closed from lack of funding and Kushok was once again homeless. After traveling a great distance, he arrived in Dharamsala and was accepted at Namgyal Monastery, the personal non-sectarian monastery of His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. He spent 30 years there and became a master of Buddhist sutra and tantra. He received his 13-year degree from the Council of Religious and Cultural Affairs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1992. Kushok became an expert in Buddhist scripture, ritual, philosophy, chanting, meditation, ritual dance, and the intricate arts of sand mandala and butter sculpture. Kushok’s primary teacher was the Ganden Tri Rinpoche, Lobsang Nyima.
www.gasamling.ca
http://www.mandalamagazine.org/2010/january/over_the_mountains.asp

I came to the path of yoga the long way around. It began as part of training I took in Traditional Thai Massage in Thailand. Each morning we rose at 5 to sit for meditation, pranayama and asana practice. After my initial misgivings of practicing surrounded by roosters, it began to feel quite natural and now more than 10 years later is an important part of my life. –the yoga I mean, not the roosters.
I left Thailand with the beginnings of a steady practice but living in Whitehorse at the time, I turned to video tapes of Rodney Yee to keep my connection. (yes, -video tapes) After this, I had the opportunity to study yoga with Darby and Alison Ulan in Montreal for a number of years and took my first teacher’s training with Dr. Bali –then 84 years old and teaching yoga for many of them. He taught me about the body’s incredible capacity to heal itself when we give it the opportunity through daily yoga practice. I have also taken both my 200 and 500 hour teacher training with Yogi Vishvekatu in Rishikesh who taught me much about the spirit and heart of yoga. I have been influenced by friends in Germany who are committed yogis and yoga teachers with Yoga Vidya. I have learned a lot about devotion and service to others through them.
I’m continually inspired by yoga and it’s ability to bring about changes at the deepest level. It works because it develops that which is already within us. As a certified Thai massage therapist and yoga therapist, I am interested in giving people the opportunity to explore the patterns of movement within themselves and then working with breath and asana to develop healthier movement, flexibility and strength.
I now happily make my home in Edmonton with my partner Elise. We are both committed to the study and practice of yoga in our lives and within our community.

From the age of 19 I have been involved with health, fitness and movement. For 22 years I taught group exercise at numerous places in Edmonton; it was during those years I went back to school to become a personal fitness trainer. For 12 years I enjoyed mentoring my clients on their journey to better health. I was asked by one of my clients to develop the Remedial Exercise program for her massage college; this was to lead me down another path. I worked for the school in this capacity for a few years, eventually took the two year massage program myself and have continued on with the school as an instructor for the last 5 years.

It was four years ago that I took my 1st "real" yoga class at Prana. Leala was teaching ... and I was learning!! In yoga I felt all the threads coming together. I immediately realized yoga's nourishing effect on my body tissues, my awareness of alignment and expansion, the freedom from my mind's distractions and a deep sense of God's presence. I feel that everything I have been learning and practicing up to now has been preparing me to teach yoga. As Fra Giovanni wrote in 1513 AD," Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty ... that you will find earth that cloaks heaven. Courage then to claim it, that is all! But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are all pilgrims together, wending our way through unknown country, home." I will always be a student and a seeker most of all, but I humbly offer my guidance as we wend our way down this path together.

Soledad Agosto
I was born on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.  I lived and danced there for the first 24 years of my life. My yoga journey started in 1998 when I was a dancer. In the beginning it just felt like a good warm-up, but one day during Savasana my body started to surrender.  My mind followed and I experienced a new openness that set the pattern to further investigate the real meaning of what was happening.  In 2004 I started a long trip to South America, and was introduced to Vipassana Meditation. During the following years I attended and worked in several retreats. These silent ten-day meditation retreats were an amazing tool that deepened my stillness and self-discovery. In 2006 I attended my first Yoga Teacher Training (Iyengar tradition) at Anandayoga, Buenos Aires, Argentina. I practiced Iyengar for the following years and then started to combine the practice with Ashtanga. Using the combination of alignment and body awareness of dance and Pilates, I started teaching yoga two years ago to my massage therapy clients.    
I'm very blessed to have had the opportunity to attend the Yoga Teachers Training with the big-hearted Yogi Vishvketu. I feel very inspired to share with my students the deep meaning of yoga, a beautiful tool to realize the wholeness of what we really are.
I'm enormously grateful to my spiritual teacher John de Ruiter for the light he sheds on the meaning of life and the beyond. 

I was first drawn to yoga in 2006 as a way to complement more fast-paced fitness activities, and as a way to truly experience my inner peace while attending university. I realized my unwavering passion for yoga asana and philosophy while sharing what I had been learning with friends and family. I feel incredibly blessed to have had my journey lead to Prana Yoga Studio, where the holistic practice of mantra, pranayama, meditation, and asana continually brings me closer to my true, blissful, and fearless self. Most recently, the beautiful teachings of Yogi Vishvketu have shone light on so many aspects of my life, guiding me to live fully and with an open heart. It is so exciting that through sharing this path with others, I am continually learning in the presence of compassion, uniqueness, and devotion. As I am currently completing an After-Degree in Education, I also look forward to sharing the path of yoga with children and youth in communities around the world. My passions include travel, reading, learning, teaching, Kiirtan, community, and yoga. 

I am a STOTT certified pilates instructor.  I have been teaching pilates for 7 years at various places in Edmonton. I am also a ymca certified personal trainer and group instructor and work at the Y part-time. I also hold a BA in German and French. Apart from my love of teaching, I have three challenging teenagers, a wonderful husband and two loyal dogs at home. 

Heidy Ashlin-Mayo
I have been practicing yoga for over a decade and I always felt so incredible during and after each practice. A huge transformation occurred in my personal yoga practice while I was living overseas. I was blessed with more time in my schedule to learn from some amazing international teachers. I experienced many styles of yoga during that time and as I began to dive deeper into my own practice, more amazing opportunities and experiences continued to unfold in my life.
Implementing yogic principles on and off my mat really transformed me physically, spiritually as well as emotionally. When I returned to Canada I continued to explore yoga with other amazing teachers in and around Vancouver. At that time I decided to take my yoga teacher training at Prana Yoga College. Upon completion of my training I returned to my prairie roots.

I have been teaching yoga in and around Edmonton the last few years and am very excited to be teaching at Prana Yoga Studio. I look forward to passing on what I’ve learned and continue to learn from so many of my amazing teachers worldwide. Come on out and lets play!
For more info check out my website: www.bountifulbliss.ca

Angela Dechaine
Before yoga, beloved animal mentors supported me to discover conscious breathing, present moment awareness, universal consciousness, unconditional love and connection to who I am at my core. I found that yoga was sharing the same messages and it became a weekly practice for me in 2004 as I attended classes in my community. Through the years yoga became an increasingly large part of my life as I felt it was supporting my cultivation of a deeper sensitivity to energy and communion with nature and animals, as well as a deeper understanding and acceptance of myself.

In 2009 I was feeling a call to explore a new career that would align with my passion for conscious communion with Life and inspiring others to do the same. Soon friends and family, even people I did not know very well, were encouraging me to explore the yoga teacher training. At that time I felt that I was more a student then a teacher, but the message was coming in loud and clear to explore teaching, so I trusted it and gave myself a year to explore different styles of yoga. Two blessings came from this exploration, I found Akhanda Yoga and Kundalini Dance. As I attended these classes I found that the practices powerfully complimented each other and my journey to reconnection, self realization and evolution was accelerating! In both practices I was feeling expansion in every cell of my being and a deep connection with all Life. These practices also supported a deeper awareness of the samskaras (deep impressions in the mind or belief patterns) that were holding me back from complete union with my True Self. Yoga and Kundalini Dance gave me the tools to be who I am meant be and the insight that I desire to share this information with others to support them on their own journey.

In August 2010 I completed the intensive YTT program with Prana and Yogi Vishvaketu and in October 2011 completed the Kundalini Dance Facilitator training with Leyolah Antaraʼs blessing. I am thrilled to be able to share Akhanda Yoga and Kundalini Dance with others as it is my deepest desire to inspire others to connect deeply with the Truth of who they are, be who they are meant to be and honor the Divine spark of Life in all beings.

I feel my time with animals has taught me much about what it means to be a teacher. A teacher builds a relationship with her students and she learns about them through observation and interaction. She learns what motivates and encourages the student so that they may succeed and she sets the student up for success by creating achievable steps. She understands the importance of play and joy in teaching and has patience and the ability to listen to what the student has to share. She understands that teaching is a co-creative process and that the student is also sharing information that is valuable. Although I teach, I know I am also forever the student... Letʼs learn together and cocreate new ways of being that are in alignment with the Truth of who we are!

Although I teach, I know I am also forever the student... Letʼs learn together and cocreate new ways of being that are in alignment with the Truth of who we are!

“If you want to master something, teach it” - Yogi Bhajan