TEACHING TEAM


Marie-pier turgeon

VERY FIRST CONTACT WITH YOGA WAS TRANSFORMATIVE. 

 

A full-time teacher since 2011, yoga provides a solid pillar in Marie-Pier’s life. The spiritual aspect is what first attracted her to the practice. Having always been interested in understanding human beings on many levels, it is the richness of yoga and the science that supports it, the world beyond the postures, that keeps her so enthusiastic in her process. 

 

Marie-Pier’s first training was in Hatha yoga, with a strong emphasis on Iyengar style alignment. She then dove into the world of Vinyasa in 2013 and most recently Ashtanga in 2016. 

 

Nurturing her practice is the foundation of her teaching, through daily practice and ongoing trainings. She has been fortunate to teach a wide variety of classes to a multitude of students, local and international retreats, and many different workshops. It is with great honor that she has been co-teaching the STUDIO MILE END Teacher Training since 2018. 

 

Through the practice of yoga, her mission is to help people access their potential, enabling them to align with their unique truth. 

 

WEBSITE: WWW.MARIEPIERTURGEONYOGA.COM


4 questions FOR Marie-pier



What are you most passionate about when it comes to YOGA?

Philosophy and physical practice. These aspects allow us to have a better understanding of our present state. Through the awareness that yoga asks us to develop, we are able to observe how our mind, our perspective of the world and our physical state are ever changing, evolving and full of infinite potential. 

 

What has been most transformative for you? 

So many things, but I can sum it up as, when I started to realize that my mind is the result of thoughts that are rolling around in my head, consciously or unconsciously, and that I always have a choice, despite circumstances that are beyond my control.  Putting myself in the role of a teacher was and still is highly transformative on two levels: by accepting that I am imperfect and on a journey, just like everyone else (hello imposter syndrome!) and accepting that despite our desire to be our best selves, some people resonate with us, others do not and that’s okay. 

 

What is your YOGA routine?

I’ll start by saying that it’s really personal to each person, and that one person’s approach can be therapeutic for them and harmful for someone else.  Personally, I practice every day, or almost every day, it’s like my research lab.  I like my physical practice to be sustained and rigorous because it allows me to channel my energy and give it direction.  I have learned a lot by pushing my body and I continue my research while respecting my physical and mental limits, which are always evolving.

 

What do you enjoy teaching the most?

I really enjoy teaching retreats, teacher trainings and workshops. These settings allow me to share more deeply and get to the heart of the practice by offering techniques and teachings that have helped me to grow.  The more intensive settings  also give space and time to offer a different perspective than what is permitted within the frame of a regular 60 minute class.


patricia saraswati

Patricia began teaching yoga in 2010.  She has over 1000 hours of training and over 15 years of personal practice.  She is also certified in Swedish massage (435hrs, 2015) and in Thai yoga massage (level 1 to 4 / 355 hrs, 2014). 

 

She has taken a number of continuing education courses: Yoga and Helping Relationships, Chakra Awakening and Yoga for Scoliosis with Hervé Blondon.  Anatomy & Posture, Yoga & Depression and Pranayama with François Raoult. 

 

ANCHORED IN HER PASSION FOR THE HUMAN BODY AND HER THERAPEUTIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE BODY, PATRICIA HAS THE GIFT OF TRANSMITTING A HEIGHTENED SENSE OF  AWARENESS AND A MASTERY OF MOVEMENT AND BREATH THAT ALLOW A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCRETE EFFECTS YOGA CAN HAVE ON  GLOBAL HEALTH. 

 

She has taught many different styles of yoga, Hatha Yoga, Hatha Yoga Flow, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Therapeutic Yoga and Restorative Yoga.  Over the past 5 years, she has focused her teaching on Vinyasa Yoga and on guiding teacher trainings. Patricia has been invited as a specialist to a number of studios in Montreal to teach anatomy to future yoga teachers.  

 

She has been a part of the teacher training faculty at STUDIO MILE END since 2018. In 2017 Patricia co-created a 75 hour Biomechanics course for yoga teachers with Jean-Paul Raphael – Certified Sports Therapist.

 

 

WEBSITE: PATRICIALETENDREYOGA.COM


4 questions for patricia

 
What are you most passionate about when it comes to YOGA?

The fact that even after 20 years of practice and 10 years of teaching I am far from having discovered even the tip of the iceberg. Yoga is so many things; a philosophy, a physical, mental and energetic activity, it is a practice that inhabits my daily life and one in which I am in constant evolution. 

 
What has been most transformative for you?  

My first teacher training.I got pregnant at the beginning of the training and I was afraid the pregnancy would prevent me from being able to continue, but I think it actually allowed me to live the training in the way I needed to, in a way that was very gentle and intimate. My first training provided me with a toolbox for my life as a mother and also as a human being… 


What is your YOGA routine?

I’m not someone who is very good with routines.  I would like to be, but it’s always been kind of counterintuitive. I really admire people who have the rigor to hold a routine. Yoga practice is built into my daily life.  I feel I am practicing when I am interacting with my family, friends and people I meet. I meditate when I feel I need to, sometimes short guided meditations, sometimes long silent meditations.  I like to practice with teachers at the studio.   I enjoy being guided and surprised by their sequences.  The foundation of my practice is trying to listen to what I need, and what I need is constantly changing and evolving, so my practice is too.  In my experience yoga is a very effective therapeutic tool, and that is how I like to use it. 


What do you enjoy teaching the most?

I have a love of anatomy. The human body and movement fascinate me; their complexity, potential and individuality. That being said, I am passionate about many aspects of teaching, I feel energized when I am sharing and engaging with an individual or a group.  It doesn’t matter if I’m guiding a class, teaching a workshop or leading a teacher training, what makes me feel most on my X and most in my happy place is teaching, witnessing the “AH HA MOMENTS” light up people’s faces.  Seeing people actively questioning, reflecting and developing their critical thinking. Every time I teach I learn something  and I absolutely love being a lifetime student.