We’re grateful to be a part of this growing Moksha community and are honoured to be able to bring Moksha Yoga to Victoria. We can’t wait to meet you!
Be Well
Heather
& Lena
Please take a moment to become acquainted with our Moksha Team!
 While growing up, Heather was continually encouraged to follow her dreams and that she did. She was born and raised in Toronto and one early morning woke up physically and metaphorically with motivation to follow her dream to live on the west coast. She was drawn to the west for a few main reasons; the ocean, the mountains and the conscious and laid back lifestyle (sound familiar?). As an avid boarder, this is her playground. She recognizes the importance of balance on and off the board or mat; physical, emotional and spiritual. She continues to teach how the practice of mindful yoga can enhance one's life to a more full and balanced state and is committed to sharing this tool for transformation with others.
Her passion to teach yoga is complimented by 5 years in therapeutic and community based roles which lends itself to Heather’s strong belief that yoga is for everyone; size, ability, financial status..ect. In every class Heather encourages students to tap into the loving and playful aspects, as she feels are both essential to yoga. . For two years consecutively on the island, she's organized “Tricks R4 Chicks” an all girls backcountry snowboard and yoga camp. At the studio you can catch her fun yet challenging, fluid and uplifting Yoga for Surfers class. AND one more thing, more than anything she loves when people introduce themselves... don't be shy come say hi!
 Lena and her magic carpet mat have traveled far and wide and have been inspired by yoga communities across the globe. Her influences come from various traditions, teachers, and cultures. Taking a class with Lena is much like going on a mini journey. You never really can know what to expect however she tends to sprinkle points of mindfulness all over the experience. Weaving yoga asana classes with philosophy, pranayama, and meditation, her vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people by sharing the spirit of yoga in its many forms. She's often heard saying, "Less duhkha (suffering), more suhkha (sweetness)."
Dionne's yoga journey began with a high school independent study project for Phys Ed. She still remembers having the lights down low in the classroom and demonstrating Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (standing hand-to-toe pose)!
Yoga did not really re-appear in her life until years later while living in Toronto where she began practicing Ashtanga through Brian Kest video cassettes.
After going to the States twice to take his workshops, she experienced very full and very sweaty classes... something she quite liked. A friend then mentioned a new hot yoga place back in Oakville, ON and thus her Moksha journey began. She was an energy exchanger for a year, then three years later got certified in 2007 (with Lena and Heather).
Dionne also has a background of competitive running since the age of 10, a degree in Holistic Nutrition (hence the reason she always mentions the ascending, transverse and descending colon!) and has taken several body work courses for personal interest (swedish massage, reiki, aromatherapy massage and ear candling).
She loves that Moksha is a place that she can call home, no matter which province she happens to be in. Her approach is one of making yoga very accessible to all body types and levels of experience and from a viewpoint of keeping your practice safe and sustainable over the long-term, all-the-while providing a good challenge. She teaches Moksha, Hot Power Flow and Yang/Yin. Her biggest role model is her dog Bala (sanskrit for Child), who embodies the philosophy of yoga by always living in the moment, and who happens to do a great downward facing dog! You can meet Bala on Wednesdays at the studio.
Deane was introduced to Yoga ten years ago by a close friend, and almost immediately could sense the subtle but undeniable results. He had more energy, felt mentally sharper and lighter which grounded his belief that yoga is special. For the first seven years, the two primary styles he explored were Iyengar and Ashantga yoga, and then he was introduced to Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow. It was here that he found a style that resonated within and became the impetus for what eventually began the journey into teaching.
Deane successfully completed Baptiste Power Vinyasa teacher training level I in the Catskills mountains of New York State at Menla and II in Montana at the Feathered Pipe Ranch with Baron Baptiste during the summer and fall of 2006. He taught his first classes in Ucluelet in 2007, and currently teaches at the YMCA/YWCA and Moksha Yoga Victoria. He has also studied with multiple master teachers, including Anna Forrest, Rodney Yee, Theresa Elliott, and Felicity Green.
Deane is a Doctor of Chiropractic with his practice in the Cook Street Village Health Centre. Other areas of study include: Ayurvedic Medicine, The Four Agreements, and Non-Violent Communication. His hobbies include surfing, rock climbing, snow boarding, and hiking.
 Robert is certified with Yoga Alliance (RTY-200), having completed his teacher training at Moksana Yoga Studio and Yin Teacher Training. What brought him to Yoga was, at first, a way to heal and help repair his body from 30 plus years of distance running. He discovered that Yoga presented not only a physical practice, but one that enriched my spiritual awareness and connection with all aspect of life.
In leading classes, whether it be Yin or Hatha, Robert tries to integrate pranayama, meditation along with challenging poses in a fun dynamic class that it suitable for all levels. His teachers include Bernie Clark, Elizabeth Peckham, Padma Nair and Vishvi Ji. He traveled to India to deepen his personal practice, comparing the Eastern vs. Western approach to yoga, which has expanded his teaching abilities. Robert hopes to return one day to further those studies. Robert teaching is infused with aspects of Yin, Sivananada (Hatha) and Akhanda.
 Lucy has just arrived via her Moksha Yoga Teacher Training in Toronto, from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Prior to moving to Victoria, Lucy taught Kripalu yoga and coordinated Health Promotion activities for the nonprofit sector.
 Maria Filippone's life-long passion for movement led Maria to train and become certified in many disciplines and philosophies from aerobics to Pilates, dance to yoga, personal training to Thai massage. She brings an open heart and mind to the mysteries and wisdoms of all these disciplines, and has found over time a perfect marriage of Yoga, Pilates, and Thai Massage. The deeper she delves into these practices, the less she understands them as separate, but rather as unique expressions of the same essences. The combination, Maria explains, makes the heart soar, and inspires every part of her life. She is honored to have the opportunity to bring the challenges and wonders of this trinity to her group classes, private sessions, and workshops at any level. Namaste.
Giancarlo came all the way from Italy to discover his true passion: yoga. He qualified as a yoga instructor at Moksana Yoga Centre and teaches throughout Victoria. His teachers and inspirations are all the people who have shared yoga with him. His background is in the field of body/mind education (Alexander Technique), where he has acquired an extensive experience in helping people get rid of excessive tension by improving their own sensory awareness. Giancarlo has found this type of approach very complementary to the principles and the practice of yoga.
Grayson began practicing meditation in 1987. In 2000 he ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. His greatest joys are in sharing the Dharma with others and spending time with his family.
In 2009 he took his passion for meditation, adventure, and self-transformation and founded, “Cowabunga Life!,” which is a Meditation & Spiritual Adventure company. The key focus to this business is to bring people together in community & awareness for the purpose of supporting each other in transformationally fun experiences; such as Cowabunga Meditations, Coaching, and community events. He facilitates a unique style of meditation that will have you blissfully buzzing and stay tuned for his Cowabunga Kids meditations this summer!
Brad is also the co-founder of “The GratiDudes,” an empowerment company, where he and his business partner Matthew Ashdown have empowered thousands of people across the globe through speaking tours, their humorous webisode series, workshops and one-on-one coaching. His enthusiasm for life, authenticity and sense of humor has empowered and inspired many. Brad's teaching methods guide people to shift how they see their challenges and the world around them, so they can create permanent, positive change within themselves. Brad enthusiastically shares his gifts to inspire others to experience the magic of life through living in a constant state of gratitude, Self Awareness, and purposeful passion.
Catherine entered her first yoga class in 2000 and was immediately transformed by a simple lesson in how to breathe. The physical, emotional, and spiritual lessons that have come about since then range from subtle to profound, but the foundation of yoga, for her, remains with the breath.
Since then, Catherine’s yoga journey has included Kundalini, Bikram, Hatha, Nidra, Restorative, Yin, Moksha, and Vijnana styles of yoga, complemented by her interest in Reiki and Vipassana meditation. She undertook her first yoga teacher training with MokSana and then went on to specialize in the Yin practice with Bernie Clark. She is currently completing her 500 hour certification as a Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga with Ajna Yoga in Victoria. A formal and informal educator for over fifteen years, she also draws upon her experience in Theatre for Living to understand the symbolism embedded in the way each one of us practices yoga. In addition to teaching yoga, she is an Instructor at the University of Victoria and an Educational Consultant in the Greater Victoria Area.
 Whit discovered yoga as a result of an injury during his last year of a five year career playing basketball for the University of Calgary. The tearing of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee was, at the time, a devastating end to a successful career as one of the schools all time leading scorers and a blow to a potential future of playing professionally overseas in Europe. Whit was devastated by this setback - his hopes of playing professional basketball had been dashed. But unbeknownst at the time this disappointing turn of events were to open up a three year journey of self-inquiry and introspection.
For twenty-two months with surfboards, a guitar and a small backpack, Whit ventured off to travel through Central and South America, Australia and Indonesia. Yoga became his refuge and his mat his home (and bed for that matter). Inhabiting a physical body riddled with injury he would return daily to his mat as his yogic self-inquiry and healing continued. Through the acceptance and teachings of his suffering, his mind, body and soul began to coalesce, returning to their natural and harmonious temperament.
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