Meet Lena
Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh, India, 2019 ↑
Let me start by saying that Yoga IS for everyone.
It is not ‘just stretching’, it is not just for white, skinny women who can afford lulu’s and let me tell you ….being able to touch your toes is certainly not a requirement to attend a yoga class.
Yoga can be so much more than physical movement, it can be a way of living your life, it can give you valuable tools to improve your life drastically and help you live with a calm mind and inner peace.
But this is not what drew me in in the first place…. Most of us fall in love with the postures first because the physical benefits are just so evident and that’s just fine. I was first introduced to Yoga when I was 15 at my aunt’s yoga studio in Berlin. But I got really hooked when I started practicing Yoga in a hot studio during a cold Montreal winter in 2014. I got a month unlimited pass and showed up on my mat daily.
Something shifted.
I never rushed to become a teacher & I am glad I didn’t. I believe that we first have to be dedicated students & embody the practice that we want to share with others before rushing out in the world and call ourselves ‘teachers’. It is important to me to have a dedicated personal Yoga practice and keep learning from master teachers. It is from that place of authenticity that I like to share Yoga with my students.
We are all students for life & I think that’s beautiful ♡
Before making the move to Canada, I was the true definition of a Vagabond traveler living in different parts of Europe, South East Asia, Hong Kong and Australia. I therefore was very fortunate to practice with many different teachers from around the globe & absorb their knowledge.
I have done several teacher trainings (TT’s) over the course of the years and am so grateful for all my beautiful teachers that shared their knowledge with me. The teachers with the most influence on my personal practice and teachings are Amelia Schrader (Axis Yoga), Sri Dharma Mittra (Dharma Yoga NYC), Jagjeet Singh, Dominique Salerno (Australian Yoga Academy) and my Aunt Sylvia Reschke who teaches in Berlin.
But really, every single teacher that crossed my path had a huge impact & I feel so incredibly blessed to have practiced with them all.
I bow in gratitude. My life today wouldn’t be the same without them.
Forever grateful for my first 200 HR training with Amelia Schrader, Melbourne 2019 ↑
My classes are allignment based and always sequenced with a purpose in mind but at the same time I like to think that there is no ‘right or wrong’ and invite students to find their own expression of a posture. My classes include Pranayama, Bandhas, Mudras & Mantras and besides physcial wellbeing, all have one main goal: to create a calm, undisturbed mind and lay the foundation for a peaceful meditiation.
My classes are deeply influced by Dharma Yoga. I have just finished an intense 300 HR teacher training with Sri Dharma Mittra in New York City and am in the process of qualifying to be a certified Dharma Yoga Teacher. Dharma Yoga is not just ‘a style of Yoga’ but rather a form of classical Eight-limbed Hatha-Raja Yoga that goes much further into other aspects of Yoga than just the physical. Sri Dharma Mittra is currently 85 years old and is still teaching Yoga. He is one of my biggest inspiration in Yoga & life.
With Sri Dharma Mittra Sep 2023, DYC New York City ↑
I am not a vagabond traveller anymore though ;) I call beautiful British Columbia, Canada my home and you can find me teaching Yoga at Gratitude Yoga & other places around Salmon Arm as well as practice with me at retreats internationally and here in Canada.
See you on the mat soon.
OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti ॐ
Teaching Yoga in Tangalle, Sri Lanka with Luci, 2019/2020 ↑
Here are some of the trainings I completed ↓
50 HR Applied Yogic Philosophy with Fanou (Studio Bliss), Montreal 2014
200 HR Hatha Yoga TT with Amelia Schrader (Axis Yoga), Melbourne 2019
25 HR Hands On Adjustments with Dominique Salerno (Australian Yoga Academy), Melbourne 2019
50 HR Aerial Yoga AAYAA Yoga, Rishikesh, India 2019
50 HR Dhyana Meditation TT with Ram Gupta (Shree Mahesh Heritage Meditation School), Rishikesh 2019
25 HR Yoga for Youth TT (VYFY) with Ryan Leier and Kristine Divall, Salmon Arm 2022
20 HR Yoga Anatomy with David Keil , Online 2023
20HR Yin Yoga TT with Laura Martini, Kamloops, 2023
500 HR LOAY Dharma TT with Sri Dharma Mittra, New York 2023 (ongoing)
& some other continuing learning courses I enjoyed ↓
Weekend Ashtanga Immersion with Kino McGregor Hong Kong, 2017
Navakarana Krama Mandala Yoga Intentsive with Dario Calvaruso, Barcelona, Spain, 2018
10-day Vipassana silent retreat, Dehradrun, India 2019
Ashtanga Vinyasa Immersion with Michael Gannon, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, 2022
Hands On Training with Tessa Murray, Kelowna, 2023
‘So You Want To Chant Om & Namaste’ with Tejal Yoga Workshop, Online, 2023
Fun facts you might not know about me ↓
The first yoga class I ever attended was a pre-natal class that my aunt was teaching when I was 15. I vividly remember being totally freaked out when all pregnant women chanted OM.
I grew up in Germany and Spain with German and Spanish both being my native languages. This sometimes messes with my brain.
I left Europe in 2016 with one-way ticket to Bangkok, a backpack, 1200€ to my name and just winged it.
I worked at a Pad Thai stand in Thailand with a local family on a market for a few days to master the Pad Thai art (It’s my signature dish to this date)
My most favourite memories ↓
I hitchhiked my way to the jungle (Chitwan National park) on the back of a pick up truck and a motorbike in Nepal and ended up seeing crocodiles in the wild on my way there
Definitely teaching Yoga on a rooftop facing the ocean in Sri Lanka for a few months (Take me back lol…)
Most favorite memory of ALL times: Sitting at the top of Kala Patthar (5,644 m) watching the sun set on Mt. Everest (2 week solo trekking trip in Nepal 2019)
Kala Patthar (5,644 m), Nepal, 2019
“Love my classes with Lena!! I was a beginner and not confident with Yoga. Lena took the care and attention to build my skills and flexibility where I wanted it at my own pace. Since starting with Lena my love for yoga has grown and grown! I couldn't recommended her highly enough, she is amazing!”
Josie Wood