Yoga began teaching me long before I stepped on the mat or became a certified instructor. As a little girl, I enjoyed doing “that bridge pose” quite effortlessly without the realization of having completely surrendered to a deep, heart opening back bend. My childhood friends and I would bend our legs into full Lotus, shifting forward on to our hands and bent knees and have races across lush, green grass to an imaginary finish line.
Several years and another province later, I took my first yoga class at NeoAlpine studio with Kristin Campbell. That bridge pose soon became known as Urdhva Dhanurasana while the pretzel legs made their comeback now to be known as Padmasana. This would be the first of many affirmations no longer viewed as coincidences and of several profound inner reflections and extraordinary growth along a path that was determined to come to light. I cannot help but feel as though I truly was born for yoga, both as teacher and practitioner.
I have practiced Bikram, Hatha, Flow, Yin, Power, Restorative, Hot, Ashtanga, and Kundalini styles of yoga since January 2006 but it was the Anusara classes that sparked the fire within and imparted a heightened level of awareness, and the ability to move with grace both on and off the yoga mat.
I traveled to Nasik, India to take my first teacher training at Yoga Point Academy. I graduated in November 2010 with 250 hours of Classical Hatha Yoga training. Upon my return to Vancouver, B.C., I continued learning by diving headlong and heart forward into a second teacher training under the powerful tutelage of Chris Chavez, graduating in January 2012 as an Anusara Inspired instructor with RYT-200 Hatha designation through the Yoga Alliance.
My classes are describes as warm and welcoming, making it easy for a newcomer to feel comfortable. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. I am known for a fun yet strong and personalized approach. Expect to have a few laughs, be encouraged to try a few new things and most importantly, to not take it all too seriously. After all, it is just yoga!
Yoga with Jaimie-Leigh Bourne 