OUR YOGA FAMILY

AMANDA DASS, Yoga Instructor, Reiki Level 3 Practitioner

Amanda Dass is a certified Hatha, Restorative, and Yin Yoga teacher and Reiki Level 3 practitioner, with 250+ hours of yoga teacher training through the Canadian Yoga Alliance. She is committed to ongoing education and professional development, continuing her training each year to expand her knowledge and ensure her teaching remains current, relevant, and responsive to the evolving needs of her students.

Amanda has a passion for helping people reconnect with themselves through movement, breath, self-awareness, and intentional living.

Her approach to wellness is holistic, compassionate, and accessible. Amanda believes that yoga is for everyone—regardless of age, experience, ability, or background. Her classes and workshops create a safe and welcoming space where participants can slow down, become more present, and cultivate a deeper connection between the mind, body, and spirit.

Through gentle yoga practices, breathwork, meditation, positive affirmations, gratitude, and intention setting, Amanda offers practical tools to help manage stress, cultivate self-awareness, and build emotional resilience.

Her teaching is rooted in the belief that wellness is not about perfection—it is about creating meaningful moments of connection, self-care, and balance. Whether through a grounding Hatha practice, a deeply restorative or calming Yin session, Reiki, or a wellness workshop, Amanda encourages each person to meet themselves exactly where they are.

Her intention is simple: to create space for people to pause, reconnect, and leave feeling more grounded, empowered, and connected to themselves.

RAMONA GELLEL, Yoga Instructor

Ramona is a very dedicated marathon runner, but several years ago she discovered and fell in love with yoga as a way to stay injury-free and to strengthen her running muscles. Because she comes from a teaching background (specializing in Physical Education), it was a natural progression for her to attain her yoga teaching certification in 2010 and she’s been teaching yoga ever since.

Ramona’s classes incorporate balance, flexibility, strength, and mental focus with dynamic movement in order to enhance communication between mind and muscle. Being sensitive to the needs of her students, Ramona will help you appreciate where you are in your practice and help to foster your growth.

TARA WILLOUGHBY, Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master

AUDREY THOMPSON-SINGER, Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master

As a young adult, Audrey taught popular forms of group exercise classes such as aerobics, step, and stretch.  However, when she discovered how yoga combines the joy of expressive movement with mindful focus and spiritual grounding, it was natural for her to practice and eventually learn how to teach it.

Her yoga journey over the past decade has taken her from weekly classes to daily classes in order to help keep her limber, and release the tensions and stresses of her demanding management position in the corporate world and “life in general”.  As her practice deepened and increased, she studied yoga philosophy and meditation and after 3 years of dedicated pursuit, she attained her Teaching certificate (RYT200). She is also certified in further Yin YTT studies with Danielle March and is a Reiki Master.

Knowing yoga to be universally beneficial, Audrey is particularly interested in the interface of feminine energy in today’s masculine world, and how breath unites the unique movement of the body with our divine spirit, multifaceted strengths and soulful intuition.  Her classes are truly unique and very enjoyable for all.

REIZA JOHNSTON, FIS, Group Fitness Instructor, Zumba

Rieza fell in love with dance fitness when she took her first Zumba class. Her musical background (from teaching piano & theory for 20 years) greatly helped in transitioning to a new career. In 2012, Rieza obtained her Fitness Instructor Specialist certification from CanFitPro and her first Zumba license. She has been teaching Zumba Fitness with ITSY since 2013. Over the years, she has earned over 12 additional Zumba licenses, as well as Masala Bhangra, WaterART Aquatic Fitness and SGT Ken's Boot Camp certifications.

Rieza's fitness philosophy is to provide fun and enjoyable classes that are easy to follow and accessible to all ages and abilities. When she's not in the studio, she actively shares her passion with the community through team teaching events for local schools and hosting weekend trainings for current and future instructors.

STEPHANIE HUTCHINSON, Yin Yoga Instructor

Stephanie began yoga in the 90s and more in-depth in the early 2000s. After studying under Bikram Yoga in LA 500 hour, Moksha Yoga Toronto 500 hour 2004 Stephanie was introduced to Yin yoga in 2005. After recognizing how much it benefitted joint mobility and releasing pain, being more relaxed, Stephanie studied more in depth with Paul Grilley, Kathy Keenan, Paulie Zink and Bernie Clark.

CHANTAL EMOND, Monthly Restorative Yoga Instructor

Committed to health and wellness, Chantal has been practicing yoga for over 25 years. Teaching yoga privately and in corporate settings for over 10 years, she strives to help her clients improve their overall wellbeing, while encouraging to move and breath with ease. Chantal's style of teaching is slow paced, gentle, and accessible to all. She is a skillful communicator and gifted at providing modifications while respecting important yogic alignment principles. She completed her Teacher Training through East to West Yoga in Pickering, Ontario, including Restorative Yoga.

FLORENCE LAU, Yoga Instructor, Registered Massage Therapist, Thai Yoga Massage Practitioner

Yoga has brought healing, strength, spirituality and joy into Florence's life and in turn, she strives to offer the benefits of yoga to you through her teachings. Florence’s classes embody the diversity of her own experience drawn from the disciplines of yoga, fitness, martial arts, Thai yoga massage and massage therapy. Her teachings honour the ancient yogic traditions while refining the practice with modern knowledge and sensibilities.

Florence wants to make yoga accessible to everyone by helping them to see that yoga is not about being bendy but more about self-awareness, growth and balance. She creates a safe, fun, welcoming, and non-judgmental environment for your practice. Through her guidance, you will create greater comfort and ease in your body, mind and spirit.

Her experience includes designing and leading classes and workshops for a broad range of people from children to seniors, in the private, studio and corporate settings. She teaches many forms of yoga including Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Flow, Chair and Family yoga.

LINDA DUDAS, Yoga Instructor, RYT500

As a yoga teacher I design, promote, and implement joyful, lighthearted yoga classes in a safe, and inclusive environment, either online or in person. Classes involve the use of clear cueing and set up of yoga props and poses.

After class, I enjoy interacting with participants to promote a sense of community and answer any questions and/or concerns. 

My key strengths are communication, humour, dedication and a strong knowledge of yoga, fitness, and wellness. 

Specialty Certifications include: Chakra Yoga; Yoga Nidra; Yin Yoga; Meditation; Engineering Health: Introduction to Yoga and Physiology; Yoga Philosophy; Hot Stone Restorative Yoga and Myofascial Release Techniques. 

ZOË MIDDLETON, Yoga Instructor
Zoë is excited to share her joy and love of yoga with the community. She began her wellness journey as a group fitness instructor in the late ‘90s, leading a variety of cardio, strength, and stretch classes with community and workplace-based groups. She has been practicing yoga for the past 10 years and earned her 200-hour yoga teacher certificate with YogaFit in 2023. Zoe’s students tell her that her welcoming approach to teaching helps them feel included, supported, and safe.

Zoë’s classes focus on strength and functional movement, blending mindfulness, breathwork, and a lot of fun. She brings a welcoming calm and grounding energy to each practice. Whether you’re new to yoga or looking to deepen your practice, she is here to support you every step of the way. Zoë believes that yoga is a journey that goes beyond the mat, and encourages her students to move, breathe, and be present in
everything they do!

Susie is passionate about creating spaces where people can slow down, reconnect, and simply be. Her journey in movement and wellness spans more than three decades, beginning with her personal yoga practice over 35 years ago.

With 15 years of experience as a Les Mills fitness instructor at GoodLife Fitness, teaching RPM, BODYFLOW, and BODYPUMP, Susie brings a deep understanding of movement, breath, and the mind-body connection to her work. She is also an elementary school teacher, bringing a natural sense of warmth, encouragement, and inclusivity to everything she does.

Susie completed her yoga teacher training through Maureen Rae’s Yoga Studio and is a certified Sound Meditation Facilitator through the Sound Healing Academy. In 2025/26, she had the joy of leading her own yoga and sound meditation practice at First Step Yoga.

Her sound baths are an invitation to pause, breathe, listen, and let go — creating a peaceful space for rest, reflection, and restoration. Susie believes that sound and vibration can offer a beautiful way to quiet the mind, settle the nervous system, and reconnect with ourselves.

A lifelong lover of nature, Susie is especially drawn to the grounding and restorative qualities of being outdoors and is considering forest therapy training as the next step in her journey. She is also beginning her Reiki journey with Level 1 training this November.

When she’s not teaching or creating space for others to rest and reconnect, Susie loves spending time in nature and with her favourite four-legged companions — especially dogs!