Both Monica and Jennifer are certified Senior Critical Alignment Yoga Therapists with extensive training and experience working with students in the therapeutic yoga setting.
Monica and Jennifer teach yoga classes in Calgary and throughout Alberta in a group class setting, semi private class setting and also in privately booked classes. Jennifer and Monica additionally facilitate intensives, workshops, training modules as well as North America’s only annual C.A.T. yoga retreat. Monica and Jennifer are widely recognized for their extensive experience and knowledge in C.A.T.
Their approach as yoga therapists is to create an environment conducive to healing body and mind. Monica and Jennifer are committed to helping students release tension, find freedom from pain and create healthy movement patterns, with the intention that the benefits from practice become accessible in life off the yoga mat.
Monica and Jennifer teach yoga classes in Calgary and throughout Alberta in a group class setting, semi private class setting and also in privately booked classes. Jennifer and Monica additionally facilitate intensives, workshops, training modules as well as North America’s only annual C.A.T. yoga retreat. Monica and Jennifer are widely recognized for their extensive experience and knowledge in C.A.T.
Their approach as yoga therapists is to create an environment conducive to healing body and mind. Monica and Jennifer are committed to helping students release tension, find freedom from pain and create healthy movement patterns, with the intention that the benefits from practice become accessible in life off the yoga mat.
JENNIFER
For Jennifer's first Mother's Day after the birth of her son Ivan in 2005, her husband bought her a spot at an Ashtanga yoga workshop hosted by Jeff and Harmony Lichty. This was different than any practice she had attended before: they practiced the familiar asanas, but they were placed in a greater spiritual context that included breathing techniques, some philosophical discourse, and even Sanskrit chanting! This workshop changed her life. These new experiences galvanized her commitment to her own practice, to help others to have that same coming-home feeling, and has provided a deep fulfillment she wouldn’t expect to experience from any other career. Jennifer is always on the lookout for more opportunities to learn—while she became certified to teach yoga in the summer of 2009, she is also a pre-natal yoga teacher, certified to guide Yoga Nidra and has completed all four levels of the Critical Alignment Therapy instructor’s course. Jennifer has participated in workshops by Mark Darby, David Swenson and Kino MacGregor, among others, in the pursuit of knowledge, experience, and happiness, and looks forward to sharing all these things with you. Jennifer would like students to walk away from her classes with a smile on their faces and a new awareness in their bodies. She hopes that they feel a strong connection to the Light in their heart and have created stillness of the mind. |
MONICA
In 2002 I made the commitment to live a mindful life. I left my job in the corporate world and moved to Canada seeking a deeper connection. My first yoga class was shortly after the birth of my youngest daughter, and something profound clicked for me during that first practice. The connection of the breath and body allowed me to quiet my chattering mind and find a sense of peace. As my practice deepened I began to notice subtle changes in life off my mat. I found it easier to breathe. I found myself living in the present moment, better equipped to handle the challenges of life and being a mother. I found stillness. I offer my deepest gratitude to all my teachers, especially to Jeff and Harmony Lichty, who generously continue to share their wisdom, and am grateful for all the opportunities to learn which come my way. I completed my initial 250hr Ashtanga teacher training at Yogadotcalm in 2009. I became certified as a Critical Alignment Yoga Therapist by Gert Van Leeuwen of Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2010 and have also completed the Critical Alignment Yoga Asana training with Gert. I studied with Janice Clarfield and Marina Locke to teach Prenatal Yoga and Postnatal Yoga. I am also a DONA International trained birth doula. My approach as a teacher in the therapeutic setting is to create an environment conducive to healing body and mind; a space where students can explore their yoga practice in a safe, welcoming atmosphere. The foundation of my classes is relaxation, linking intentions with breath. Connecting breath to movement, a new awareness can be created, effective movement patterns can develop, and asana can be experienced with a new ease and lightness, while creating stability and strength. My hope is that students leave class feeling a new connection of the body and mind - maybe even noticing the benefits of their yoga practice off the mat in their daily lives. My intention when teaching prenatal yoga is connection to mothers’ intuition. I remind students that even if they haven’t given birth before, they are already a mother. Our yoga practice provides the perfect setting to connect with the intuitive wisdom that resides within, via the breath. My prenatal yoga classes are designed to leave women feeling empowered, confident and strong, with the intention that the sense of calm found in practice becomes accessible anywhere, including the day they give birth, a day they will remember forever. Working with mothers has been one of my greatest joys, and I am honored to be a part of such an exciting time in their life. “Nothing in the world can purify as powerfully as wisdom: practiced in yoga. You will find this wisdom within yourself.” Bhagavad Gita 4:38 |
