Click the links below to read the instructor bios.

Searching for a more meaningful and compassionate form of fitness, Marisa discovered yoga 7 years ago- and its impact has been incredible. After several years of practice, Marisa became a certified Moksha Yoga instructor in the summer of 2004, and has been teaching- and loving it- ever since. She is also trained in pre-natal yoga, and has worked privately with teenage girls. It is Marisa's strong belief that there is a yoga out there for everyone- and when you find the class that's right for you, it can truly be your ticket to finding the balance in life that we're all searching for- whether we're aware of it or not. Like life, the yoga journey is a gift, and so she encourages her students to savour that journey- one deep breath at a time.

Darcy began her yoga journey with an interest in meditation. After attending several Vipassana meditation retreats, Darcy was soon introduced to Ashtanga yoga.  Captivated and inspired by the idea of awareness through movement, she was hooked.  Two years later she stumbled upon her first hot and sweaty yoga class and knew she had found her thing, it just felt so good!  It was clear that she needed to credit yoga with the tremendous life transformations that she had experienced, and so began her journey as a yoga teacher.  She has since completed Moksha yoga’s teacher training, Judith Lasater’s Restorative yoga teacher training, and Baron Baptiste’s power yoga teacher training.  She is honoured to have had the opportunity to sit with many great teachers including, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Rodney Yee, Rolph Gates, and Paul Grilley.  She is motivated by the idea that awareness creates choice and that choice creates change.

She holds Moksha level 1 and 2 certifications and is a certified Yin instructor. She has completed the Level 1 Power Vinyasa Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste. 

Stephanie is dedicated to creating a space for students to feel challenged, cared for and connected in a healthy way.

She is grateful to her teachers,  Ted Grand for making her feel part of something really special,  Jess Robertson for teaching her how to breathe,  Michelle Corbeil for teaching her "JOY", Frank Jude Boccio for teaching her how to hug, Darcy Hagerman for giving her the confidence to teach and to Michael Stone for teaching her that she should only say something if it is more important than silence.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."

teacher

After completing the inaugural Moksha teacher training in 2004, Jess traveled to London, France, Trinidad, Halifax, and Las Vegas to teach and study, combining her passion for yoga and travel.  Along with Moksha Level 1, and 2 certification, Jess has also completed all three levels of the Baptiste Power Yoga training (level 1, assistant training, level 1) and has worked with David Robson and Judith Hansen Lasater in Ashtanga yoga and Restorative yoga respectively.

Jess's other deep love and life ambition is acting.  She is based out of Toronto but travels frequently for adventure and teaching opportunities.  She has an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in French language and literature from the University of Toronto.  And though her last name is Lemon she is actually pretty sweet.

In his teaching and in his life, Michael stands for honesty and truth - nothing more, nothing less. Yoga taught him that an unwavering commitment to the truth of this present moment is a universal, accessible path to freedom.

Although he loves the transformative physical, mental and emotional benefits of the practice, at the heart of it all, Michael sees yoga as a precious opportunity to practice deep devotion and gratitude for life. His enthusiasm has led him to continue to practice and train under a number of yoga traditions: Moksha, Baptiste Power Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar, Jivamukti. His classes draw from the rich heritage of all of these traditions, and the inspired experience and love of his teachers. In his classes, Michael strives to offer a practice that incorporates traditional practices and techniques as a strong support and guide. Ultimately, however, Michael believes in encouraging and supporting each person to start listening more carefully to their own intuition and inner teacher, to take full responsibility for their actions and experiences, so they can come into a way of being that is truly authentic and empowering for themselves.

Megan began her Yoga Journey 15 years ago by divine accident and has never looked back. Her insatiable curosity of the human body and her own restless mind has fueled her quest for knowledge and insight in the tradition of Yoga and Ayurveda. As a Registered Massage Therapist, she began using yoga postures as a form of selfcare during treatments. This sparked an intense study of yoga's forms and eventually her passion to teach. Drawing from multiple disiplines and styles of yoga, Megan focuses on a holistic approach to each posture, and to every class she leads.

Vikram finished a 400 hour teacher training certification with Moksha Yoga in Kerala, India in March 2008. Since then he has been actively teaching forty hours a month at various Moksha locations in the GTA and has also taught at Moksha studios in Winnipeg and Halifax. In December of ’08, Vikram also finished a 200 hour ashtanga yoga certification with David Robson of the Ashtanga Yoga Center of Toronto. Vikram has studied with Natasha Rizopolous, Rama Birch and Seane Corn at the Yoga Conference in Toronto. He has been practicing Moksha yoga for the last three years and has now incorporated a daily ashtanga Mysore style practice in his schedule. His classes are interactive, high energy and work on the simple belief that yoga goes beyond the asanas (physical postures) and flows into one’s daily life.

Amanda's yoga journey began in her mid-teens, as she stuggled with questions about who she was and what was her purpose in this life... Her discovery of yoga philosophy led her to cultivate a practise of svadhyaya and she spent the next several  years reading (a lot!) and wondering how on earth she was going to make sense of it all!

After travelling across Canada and pursuing her studies in holistic bodywork and energy therapies, Amanda settled back in Toronto and began to dream about the day when she would meet a teacher to assist her on her yogic path.  She found one in the most unlikely spot - right upstairs from her!  (she still thanks her lucky stars that Moksha Yoga Danforth opened its doors where it did).

During her first years of motherhood Amanda was supported by the Moksha community in ways that extended far off the mat, and is grateful for the opportunities that teaching now presents for her to offer the same support to her students, especially through her volunteer work with children and marginalized women.

Through yoga Amanda has found peace in her heart, joy in her life and love in the world. She continues to pursue her passion through studying philosophy with Georg Feuerstein and Michael Stone and finds time for reflection while teaching and practising yin + moksha yoga. Amanda is inspired by all of her teachers, but especially Tracey Soghrati, Michelle Corbeil and Jess + Deena Robertson ~ women who embody a practise of dedication, honesty and fun!

When she isn't teaching, Amanda is a mom, wife, business owner and shiatsu therapist. It isn't without a great deal of support from a great many people that Amanda has been able to pursue her dreams. Mostly she is indebted to her mother, whose unwavering love is astonishing.

Hayley was hooked on yoga the day she learned to breathe and find calmness through a difficult posture. Through repetitive practice, this idea of breathing through difficulty became easier and started to evolve into her everyday life.  She has learned that linking the breath with the movement of an asana is a practice that connects people to their bodies and the sensations that arise from each movement.

This mind-body link has helped Hayley develop awareness of herself and her environment and it has also taught her that you do not have to react to every stimuli life presents- Breathing and finding calmness is an option!

From her days as a gymnast, Hayley has always loved to challenge herself physically and mentally. Yoga has allowed her to continue this challenge but with the addition of awareness, breath and calmness.

Hayley is currently studying to be a Chiropractor at CMCC.  She loves finding connections between her studies at school and her studies of the yoga practice.  She also loves reading, her friends, meeting new people, good food, music and trying new things.

Nikki Batthany has been  studying yoga asana for the last nine years and is currently focused on a traditional ashtanga practice.  "Teach what you know", is Nikki's teaching philosophy and her approach is compassionate but disciplined.  Breath, meeting the self  in each moment with unshakable honesty and unconditional love, unlearning, relearning, letting go, laughter:  this is Nikki's yoga right now.   Nicole believes that yoga is a moving meditation that is accesible to everyone.  

Sarah Lambersky has been teaching yoga for three years and practicing yoga for seven. Her teaching style is a blend of Ashtanga, Iyengar and Vini Yoga with a focus on alignment and injury reduction through the use of props. Her love of yoga has led her to to study under teachers in Toronto, New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai and in 2007, Sarah completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certificate with Jean Marie Paolillo and Jenny Arthur at Yoga Works in New York. In 2009, Sarah returned to Yoga Works to complete her prenatal yoga teacher training certificate under Carrie Parker and is currently teaching prenatal and postnatal yoga for private clients and at studios around Toronto. Outside of teaching yoga, Sarah is an entrepreneur and an avid blogger on events and design.

Jeff first stumbled into yoga through a friend, and immediately knew he had discovered something profound. Years of strength training and running had created physical imbalances in his body, which he was able to start balancing out through a steady practice. The mental, emotional and spiritual benefits unearthed by a regular asana practice soon followed. Jeff completed the Moksha teacher training program in July of 2009. In addition to teaching, Jeff is exploring a traditional Mysore-style Ashtanga practice and works as a broadcast operator for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He graduated from Ryerson with a BA in Radio and Television Arts in 2007 and is passionate about music, books, film, photography, mythology and creative expression in general. In his spare time he usually has a book in hand, wants to travel as much as possible and is determined to learn as much as he can from everyone around him. He is honored to be part of the Moksha community and is incredibly grateful to all of his teachers, particularly David Robson, David Bruni, Darcy Hagerman and his parents.

Following more than two decades in varying corporate administrative positions within the winemaking industry, Danny’s growing penchant for wellness and physical conditioning eventually lead him to pursue a career in health and fitness. Shortly before attaining certifications in fitness assessment and personal training, Danny was introduced to yoga while traveling abroad on the island of Kauai. This initial introduction to Hatha yoga piqued Danny’s interest. However, it wasn’t until shortly afterwards, upon his return to Canada, while attending his first Hot Yoga class that Danny experienced a truly cathartic revelation. From the outset, it was clearly evident that the awareness and inter-connectivity that yoga cultivates was an ideal complement to the rigors of conventional fitness. In the summer of 2004, Danny registered and subsequently graduated from the inaugural Moksha Teacher Training certification program consisting of over 800 hours of study. Danny has since studied with many highly accredited teachers including David Life, Paul Grilley, Judith Lasater, Baron Baptiste and John Friend. Danny’s love and passion for yoga grows with every passing day. Danny credits his teachers, students and family for helping him to attain a greater understanding and appreciation of connection, compassion and awareness.

TEACHERS:

More teacher bios and pictures are on their way, so stay tuned!