Christopher Lyons, R.M.T., C.L.Y.L., Certified Sivananda Yoga Instructor
Christopher has been passionately and actively studying the science of yoga for many years. He was first introduced to it by Chris Formagin at Jaya Yoga Studio in 2001. Here his love of Sivananda yoga began. A brief hiatus from the practice and he was back at it diligently studying a wide variety of yoga styles.
Chris began teaching yoga in 2011. His passion and love of yoga plus his extensive training as a Registered Massage Therapist gave him the knowledge and desire to want to share the practice with others. He is also a certified Laughter Yoga Leader and teaches classes in a variety of places around our community. He often incorporates aspects from all these skills into the classes that he teaches. You will learn the science of the body, yoga anatomy, the joy of laughter and how to slow your body and mind down. He is a passionate healer, a tender compassionate teacher and a fountain of knowledge on most and many subjects. His stories are legendary and you will always leave his practices refreshed and renewed.
His love of Sivananda yoga is what inspired his travel to Val Morin, Quebec in 2015 to study at Sivananda Yoga Camp Ashram. He returned after a full month long immersion and teacher training as an official Yoga Siromani (teacher of yoga). This has brought a new level of spirituality to his teaching and you are sure to enjoy his class.
As co-owner of Ganpati Om downtown Chris hopes to provide a space where all feel welcome and accepted. Join him in a class and see how all of these amazing skills he brings to the studio can provide a new level of relaxation in your life.
Susan first discovered her interest in yoga as a young girl; a paperback book of her Gram’s fascinated and intrigued her with it’s photos. Years later she found herself taking her first asana class in a local Windsor community center. She was hooked right from the first breath. Floating around town, trying different teachers, she eventually wound up in a dojo taking a class with local teacher Nicole Daignault.
Here, she knew she had found her teacher and began to immerse herself into more than just the physical practice. Inspired by her experiences and her teacher, Susan knew this was what she wanted to pursue on a deeper level. She knew she wanted to become a teacher and share this amazing science of yoga with others.
In 2003, Susan travelled to Varanasi, India to study with Nicole’s teacher Sunil Kumar. The four months spent with her laughing Guru were life altering and she came home a different person. She began teaching at the Downtown Yoga Studio shortly after her return in 2004 and it became like a second home. She has taught at various places in Windsor and Essex County but the downtown studio was where it all began. Now, 15 years later, she finds herself the co-owner of a studio in this same amazing space.
Her teaching is very alignment based and easily adaptable for all students, beginner to advanced. With influences from Iyengar, Bihar, Sivananda and Ashtanga Yoga, just to name a few, her classes are challenging and constantly changing. Her soothing voice, demanding classes and juicy shavasana will help you to feel lighter, more relaxed and definitely stronger in body and mind.
Her long battle with Crohn’s disease and multiple surgeries have helped make her a very compassionate, understanding and versatile teacher. She has come back onto her mat again and again as a beginner, so she knows that struggle all too well. Yoga has helped her through many dark and challenging times in her life. Through countless hospitalizations it has been a beacon of light. It is why she is able to be here now sharing her love of this ancient practice with her students.
Yoga is grounding, it helps alleviate the stress and tension from our day to day lives. Let it help you find peace, understanding, compassion and love for yourself, all beings and the world around you. Find strength and flexibility, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
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Kelly began her yoga journey nearly 20 years ago at Downtown Yoga Studio,
quickly learning the benefits on and off the mat. Attuning to the breath as the
connection between body, mind and spirit; yoga became a source of calm, strength and support.
To deepen her practice and share with others she completed the 200 hr Hatha CYT in 2007. Continually studying and expanding the scope of her training to include Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga.
Kelly’s goal is to help students find their edge and maintain a peaceful mind and body. Emphasizing breath and the power of being present to create a connection with self and each moment.
Kelly White has been a Yoga teacher for over 10 years.
She specializes in teaching balanced yet challenging classes, for all levels, that focus on the body and breath connection.
These classes combine elements of both Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga and always include pranayama for a balanced practice.
Kelly is a full time reflexologist with a holistic healing practice in Windsor called Heal ‘n Sole. Her services also include Reiki, SRT (Spiritual Response Therapy) and Akar Jantri Numerology.
She holds a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and is continuing her yogic studies in the Renaissance Mind: Healing Studies program
Michelle is an E-RYT500 Professional Yoga Teacher & Training School with 20 years’ experience teaching and studying around the world. She holds certifications from ashrams and schools in Canada, India, Indonesia, and Nepal.
Also an avid traveller and photographer, Michelle has spent time in many Asian countries exploring different cultural and spiritual landscapes. Most recently, after completing another 300 Hour Advanced Vinyasa Yoga training in Goa, India, she studied with the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya at The Buddha’s place of enlightenment.
Her classes, workshops, and trainings are a blend of traditional Hatha and modern Vinyasa, embracing concepts from both eastern and western philosophies and practices. Clients will experience intelligent and graceful sequences that refine the energies of the body to increase agility, strength, mobility, and balance. Breathing practices and meditation are always included to harmonize the mind, intellect, and nervous system for an integrated yoga practice.
Ganpati Om downtown 