Dan came to yoga 10 years ago for its healing benefits and fell in love with the practice. For the last few years Dan's focus has been on the heart-centered, dynamic and therapeutic practice of Anusara Yoga developed by John Friend in 1997. Dan currently lives on Gabriola Island and leads teacher trainings internationally, most recently in Shanghai. He also teaches the Yoga Studies component of the Spa Therapy Program at VSBM. His approach to teaching the art and science of Yoga is light-hearted - inclusive of everyone's limitations and strengths, and dynamic - offering encouragement to move beyond perceived boundaries.

Dan is the creator and primary instructor of the VSBM Yoga Teacher Training program.

www.indigoyoga.ca

Bernie Clark has been teaching yoga and meditation since 1998. He has a bachelor degree in Science from the University of Waterloo and combines his intense interest in yoga with an understanding of the scientific approach to investigating the nature of things. His ongoing studies have taken him deeply inside mythology, comparative religions and psychology. All of these avenues of exploration have clarified his understanding of the ancient Eastern practices of yoga and meditation. His teaching, workshops and books have helped many students broaden their own understanding of health, life and the source of true joy.

Bernie will be teaching history and philosophy of Yoga. Bernie's audio CDs on yoga history are a valuable reference, and his multi-media presentation brings this subject matter to life.

Colleen began her studies of massage therapy in 1984. She also studied pranic healing and ayurvedic herbal therapies and nutrition. This led Colleen to continue her studies in the United States with world-renowned ayurvedic physicians Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. Deepak Chopra.

As a registered massage therapist and co-founder of Vida Wellness Spa, formerly known as The Spa at Chateau Whistler, she has been practicing and teaching massage therapy in the Whistler area since 1985. Under Colleen's leadership, The Spa at Chateau Whistler now offers a variety of cleansing massage therapy treatments based on the simple ayurvedic principles of balance.

Her teaching style brings a calm presence, firmly rooted in mindfulness while she strives to adapt ayurveda into our western culture, psychology and environment.

She has a joy for the healing arts that is the propelling force behind her success and in her own process of self-discovery. She has a vibrant passion for her spa work.

Eoin Finn has been a disciple of yoga, Eastern and Western philosophy, martial arts and meditation since 1987 and has been teaching yoga for over a decade. Deemed one of Vancouver's best yoga instructors, Eoin's popularity has spun itself into a successful yoga and wellness portal-site, vancouveryoga.com. Over the years he has created multiple best-selling yoga DVDs.

A believer in the power of yoga as a catalyst for social change, Finn co-founded North America's largest yoga-focused fundraiser. The 5th annual Camp Moomba Yogathon & Blissfest brought together more than 1500 yogis to raise funds to send children impacted by HIV and AIDS to summer camp.

Eoin is also the founder of the "Positive Force Yoga System," a systematic, logical yoga alignment program that also presents a framework for a yogic lifestyle. The Positive Force System fuses the idea of traditional Yogic values, which emphasize energy and exploration of consciousness with Western evidence-based, scientific sensibilities. Yoga, when practiced with this awareness becomes fluid therapy, movement guided by the innate knowledge of our anatomy and evolution.

Eoin will be a guest lecturer for the VSBM Yoga Teacher Training, speaking on yoga and community.

www.eoinfinnyoga.com

Fiona is one of the most highly-regarded Ashtanga yoga teachers in Vancouver. She is one of only eight teachers in Canada who is personally authorized to teach Ashtanga yoga by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the Ashtanga tradition.

Fiona brings her passion for the practice and knowledge of integrating the energetic body into her Mysore-style classes (practitioners move through the series at their own pace). She is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga Vancouver and teaches several times a week in her Kitsilano studio, as well as travelling abroad to teach. Fiona travels to India regularly to further her studies. She is grateful for the teachings of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy, and Vijnana teacher, Gioia Irwin, of local fame.

www.ashtangayogavancouver.com

Lauren has a deep connection to the healing benefits of her Yoga practice. Many surgeries and complications resulting from being hit by a car led Lauren to seek out a practice to help her find her way through pain and back to herself. Much like Dan, Lauren teaches "Anusara-inspired" yoga and is registered with the Yoga Alliance.

"Through my practice I've learned to listen to my body - to search through every inhale and exhale, and examine my every thought. My breath connects me to my heart. I want to inspire people through yoga - inspire them to connect with their breath and look deep within their hearts."

Naomi is a certified personal trainer (ACE) and Pilates Instructor (Stott Pilates) with 13 years of teaching experience. As owner and proprietor of Island Wellness she is committed to a lifestyle of balance and optimal function. Through her signature lifestyle coaching course, Alive and Well, she has applied her ability to combine incisive motivational instruction, knowledge of nutrition, exercise science and biomechanics with a warm and engaging personal style to inspire her students.

Naomi will be teaching physical anatomy and applied anatomy, principles of diet and nutrition to support a yogic lifestyle.

Wade was born in Ottawa, Canada, just minutes before his twin sister Alanis. The twins took to music at an early age - Wade studied piano as a child and took on guitar and djembe in his teens - but their paths diverged when Wade began to study yoga.

With features in Yoga Journal and Macleans Magazine and appearances on Entertainment Tonight Canada, BCTV and Toronto's Yoga Series, CTV's E Talk Daily Canada, and CBC Radio in Canada, Wade has established himself as a sought-after yoga instructor and talented musician. He has also been covered by the Vancouver Courier, The Province, Globe and Mail, The Sun and Shared Vision in Vancouver, and his music is heard often on SacredSoundsRadio.com.

Wade will be teaching Chanting and Mantras for VSBM's Yoga training. We are pleased to have Wade as part of our team!