YOUR TEAM

The team at Stafford Street Hot Yoga welcomes you to our Winnipeg yoga studio! If you have any questions about Bikram hot yoga, don't hesitate to ask. We look forward to seeing you soon...

Amanda Ing - Director, Certified Bikram Hatha Yoga Instructor, Reflexologist R.A.C., Registered Holistic Nutritionist R.H.N., Outdoor enthusiast 

Hello everybody, and welcome to Bikram's torture chamber! It's only 90 minutes, and it's always up to you how you decide to handle it! 

I say this with humility and love for all of us, as it is never easy to face our fears, but it is absolutely exhilirating when you do!

The energy it took to create this space was conceived from a passion to offer everyone who wants it an opportunity to experience the original hot yoga in Winnipeg.  It is my belief this room is like a modern day sweat lodge, allowing us the chance to break down right to our cell level then to build up again with newer, healthier and more whole selves/cells!  Always come back to the breath, and you will never leave a class!

You will learn that your vulnerabilities are your strengths, that there is no room for your ego here, so leave it at the door!  May you all find renewed health and vitality through your practice of hatha yoga.

xo Amanda  

For info about PRIVATE CLASSES please click here

Bikram Teachers

Alexis - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

I completed my Bikram teacher training Spring 2010 in Las Vegas. I enjoy hot yoga of course, along with fishing, snowboarding, soccer, and traveling. My fav destinations are New Zealand and Greece. Currently, I’m finishing off my last year in Business at Asper School of Business. In the future, I hope to travel the USA and teach yoga with the ultimate goal of one day being a studio owner myself!

Vicky - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

I have been practicing Bikram yoga since 2008 and fell in love  instantly.  It has proven to be a great stress reliever from my busy  schedule as a student. Chances are you will see my smiling happy face at  the studio, either at the front desk or in the hot room!

Outside of the SSHY world I am currently working towards a degree in  Nursing. My passions in life are Bikram yoga, travelling, my family and  my friends. Would you rather suffer 90 minutes or 90 years? ;) 

Jenn - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

My name is Jenn Marr and I recently graduated from Teacher Training in November 2011 in LA. I started practicing Bikram Yoga about 2 years before that. My friend and I had decided that we wanted to try out hot yoga not knowing anything about it. Stafford Street just happened to be the studio closest to our homes and once I finally got myself into a class (the hardest part is getting there..) I knew that this yoga was going to be a huge part of my life.

This yoga helps you find the power within yourself to move forward in your life no matter what's in your past. I personally have overcome fear, anxiety, bad habits and sickness because the yoga made me realize that I'm capable of doing anything I want. You learn to communicate with your body and know yourself, possibly for the first time.

It's an honour to be able to lead you through Bikram's Beginning Yoga class. Hope to see you all in the hot room!

Namaste.

Glenn - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

Hello my name is Glenn and I am your yoga teacher! Wow, what a feeling to be able to say that after completing 9 weeks training to become a Bikram certified instructor. At the encouragement of Amanda ( my daughter/guru ) and my whole family, I went off on another one of my adventures. This was unlike any other and at times I thought "Are you crazy?" The yoga bubble allowed for some serious introspection. Earlier in my life, I was going to be an educator, graduating with a Bachelor in Education with a major in Sociology and minor in Physical Education. But I opted for a career in sales instead. I feel like a circle has been completed as I guide and encourage our yogis and yoginis to "never underestimate themselves" as they progress at their own pace through Bikram's beginner yoga class.

The best advice that I heard in training is to leave your ego at the door. Give it your best effort in any given class and you will feel better about yourself, which in turn improves your whole outlook on life.

On a physical note, I have been trying to build strength everywhere but concentrating on more flexibility for my lower back and hamstrings. Hence, postures like "standing head to knee & camel" are the most challenging and the ones I have to work hardest at. Everyone has their own "challenges" and they can be overcome with hard work and the right attitude. Good luck with yours :) Namaste  

Heather - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

My Bikram yoga journey began when I moved to Winnipeg in 2010. Walking into SSHY I was terrified, self conscious, and unable to touch my toes. The first 90 minutes was like nothing I had ever experienced, and I walked out of the studio feeling absolutely fantastic. I couldn't get enough!!

While I began practising yoga to keep me active while I was in university, I quickly realized how much my broken mind, as well as my body, needed this yoga. This new obsession helped me better understand my constant struggle with anxiety, helped me to eliminate the occurrence of panic attacks, and eventually, gave me the strength to remove the prescription medications from my life that I had become dependent on.

I flew to Los Angeles in the Spring of 2012 for Bikram Yoga Teacher Training, where I developed an even deeper appreciation and love for Bikram yoga, and also for myself. Aside from learning the ropes up on the podium, I am currently studying Sociology and English at the University of Manitoba, and spending as much time as I can at the cabin with friends and family.

And that is only just the beginning of my Bikram yoga journey! Every day offers something new to learn, a challenge to experience, a fear to face, and a new mantra to repeat. I hope to see your happy smiling faces at the studio, toes and heals touching each other, toes on the line! :)

Ivanka - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

I’m a homegrown (Winni)peggar who grew up with the love of music and movement. Violin and dance became a huge part of my life somewhere around the age of 6 and have ruled me from that point on. Nurtured by cultural influences of Winnipeg, I’m fluent in Ukrainian and grew up heavily involved in the community. The dance I studied ranged from classical ballet, tap and jazz to character, Ukrainian and other types of folk. Musically, I spent time in northern Saskatchewan every summer where I studied under fiddle icons such as Patti Kusturok, Calvin Vollrath, John Arcand, and Jerry Holland in Emma Lake Fiddle Camp. When I turned 18, I decided to move to Calgary to pursue music and ballet further. After circumstances led to the end of a dance-heavy focus, I moved back to Winnipeg and was reluctantly dragged to a yoga class. In April 2010, I set off to Las Vegas for Bikram's Teacher Training until June. Immediately after that, I set off to go on tour for the second summer in a row - 4 months of travel and music! Now I’m home and ready to help you kill yourself, with LOVE :)

Ali - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

Hi, my name is Ali! I completed my teacher training in fall of 2010. What an amazing experience. Not only has this yoga helped me so much, I have also witnessed exponential changes in others as well, that I can’t help but be inspired every time I teach.  Bikram says this yoga helps those with screw loose brain, junk body, and lost soul. I had all of the above. I was in a car accident a few years ago...and it helped me to get out of bed in the morning (literally I had to be helped out of bed until I started this yoga). I had some addiction issues; it helped me to overcome those as well. I had no idea who I was or where I was going in life, or if I would ever find the right path. This yoga opened up many doors for me and ultimately brought me to my healthiest body, mind then spirit ☺... 2 years ago I became pregnant and gave birth to my beautiful baby girl Lily. I call her my angel; she really makes my heart sing!  What a grounding force in my life to remind me what is really important.  My best advice to you would be to practice as much as possible until you feel better from anything and everything, then take Sundays off! I know it’s hard to hear sometimes, but believe me you'll be so happy and rewarded beyond your wildest dreams...

And don't forget to smile and have a little or a lot of fun!  Always your choice!

Love Ali

Visiting Bikram Yoga Teachers

Miranda - Bikram Hatha Yoga Certified Instructor

Miranda Gatti comes to us from Montreal and yes, she can teach in French too!  She has been training since she was 14 years old.  At the age of 18 she knew she wanted to be a teacher and attended Teacher Training with Amanda in 2005.  With much personal experience under her belt (she has healed herself from 2 bike/car accidents as well as her hypo glycemia and so much more).  She teaches with  knowing and compassion, she believes less is more, that healing takes time and effort but that it is always worth the investment.  She can inspire you on even the cloudiest day, and we at SSHY love having her visit!  

YOGA TEACHERS

Tamara  - Nia Brown Belt Instructor, Yoga meets Dance Facilitator, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Shiatsu Practitioner

My name is Tamara Hajsky and I have been passionate about dance and singing my entire life. After a period of traveling from BC (where I'm from) and being a student of many movement forms including hatha yoga, bikram yoga, qigong, bellydance, salsa, and more, I became certified in Holistic Health in 2006. I opened up a one on one acupressure massage practice, and began training in Iyengar yoga, yet with a twist of events I eventually moved away landing in Winnipeg. I have lived here since 2011, and have been sharing Nia, ever since I took the White Belt Training in 2011. I am developing many ways of healing with groups, and still my largest passion is movement and sound. I also lead other expressive healing arts, and women's circles.

My advice for you when you come to one of my classes: Let go of your assumptions and have fun being a beginner - enjoy learning to BE and express YOU!

Nancy - Certified Shiva Raja and Hatha yoga teacher

It was a yoga video someone popped in at a friend’s house in Australia in 2000 that sparked Nancy’s interest in this ancient practice.  She has since been on a journey that has taken her to fascinating places and she continues to learn more about herself and others every day.  Nancy completed her Shiva Raja yoga teacher training in India in 2008 and her Hatha yoga teacher training in Mexico in 2007.  Nancy’s intuitive sensibility allows for a strong connection between her and her class.  She loves the breathing, the movement, and the attention to self.  Nancy thinks it would be nice if everyone is able to experience that feeling of connection whether through yoga or not.

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS/TRAINING:
BEnvSc Honors University of Manitoba, 2006
Certified Massage Therapist, Long Beach California, 2002
Yandara Yoga 200hr teacher training, Mexico, 2007
School of Shanti 200hr teacher training, India, 2008

Nancy teaches Vinyasa Yoga.  In these challenging and athletic classes, poses are linked together and synced with the breath.   We flow through the asanas to keep the body warm and engaged throughout the practice.  This is beautiful, dynamic style of flow Yoga that maintains a playful and dance-like quality. There is no set sequence and each class has it’s own style. Many of the classes incorporate music to support the energy of the flow.

Gillian - Anusara teacher

Gillian’s yoga journey began over twelve years ago while she was in high school.  She attended weekly classes with her Mom at the local yoga studio, and fell immediately in love with the practice.  Although her formal training and teaching did not begin until five years later, the magic of the practice was (and still is) a gateway in to her true and authentic Self.  According to yoga philosophy, that true Self is actually the same in all of us!  There is no separation at the level of our souls; it is only the small self (often referred to as the ego or shadow) that sees things as separate.  The yogic journey is about remembering our big Self, and it is only through our limited self that this can happen.  The term Yoga literally means “to yoke” or “to unite” all the various aspects of our being~ physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.  When we engage all parts equally, true peace and harmony emerge.

Gillian’s main school of study is with Anusara Yoga, an alignment-based practice of yoga that focuses on spiritual as well as physical opening.  Her classes always focus on the heart-mind-body connection and every practice is a unique experience.  Remember, yoga is a practice - something we can do every day until the day we die.  The journey never ends, so enjoy each step of the way!  May your yoga journey be filled with positive transformation; for this is the promise of yoga. 

Melissa - Advanced Remedial Massage Therapist, Sivananda Certified Yoga Teacher

I first encountered the practice of yoga through a theatre mentorship at the age of fourteen and I became fascinated, reading everything I could get my hands on of the subject. Over the next twenty years, I nurtured a deeply transformative and life affirming practice, often sharing it with friends, and later massage therapy clients.

In my work as a massage therapist, I bear witness to the need for facilitating reconnection with our bodies, reclaiming proper posture and biomechanical function, and reviving our minds and spirits all too often besieged by stress and anxieties. I began to sense a deep calling to share the remarkable benefits of yoga, a system that develops not only the body, but broadens the mental faculties and spiritual capacities as well.

In 2013, I left on the journey I had always hoped I would take to India.  There, I was able to travel and experience many significant spiritual practices and rituals, culminating in the completion of the 200 hour RYT certification offered by the Sivananda tradition in the Himalayas.

Serve-Love-Give-Purify-Meditate-Realize

Niki Trosky - Certified Tantra Yoga Teacher

Niki Trosky is an artist creating global change through sacred healing retreats, innovative school curriculums & transformation consultations. She has a Bachelor of Human Ecology degree, a Bachelor of Education degree and is a certified Tantra Yoga instructor.

Niki actively uses her talents as a photographer, writer and yoga instructor to promote and share her genuine love of life.

SUPPORT NETWORK

Sarah - "Receptionist Extraordinair"

I was born and raised in Winnipeg, and though I have lived in a few other places, I have always felt a strong pull to come back to the city of my roots. Some of my interests include sewing, knitting, jewellery design, spending time with my family, hiking, swimming, dancing, and of course Bikram Yoga! 

All be it, that last interest took some getting used to. It also took Amanda a long time to warm me up to the idea, mostly because I fight with the heat, which has been the greatest challenge for me with this practice.  Of course now that I have been practicing Bikram Yoga for a while, I could not imagine my life without it. I am so happy, and consider myself blessed to be involved with this wonderful studio and the people who staff it!

Kate - Receptionista muy adorables!

I’m Kate. I believe that if you believe something will work out, it  will. I love friends and hugs, and especially hugs from yogi friends.  Jackie once told me that yogis have strong backs, and as a result - they  give the greatest hugs. I like to believe that too. Yoga to me is love,  and it simply makes me love more.

Sweat the bad out with us at  the studio because it’s too hot for anything but love to survive. You’ll  get a hug at the very least.

Lydia - "Receptionista Suprema"

My first Bikram yoga class was one of the scariest experiences of my life.  My brother Caleb, along with my friend Natasha, convinced me and dragged me over to Stafford Street Hot Yoga.  My fears vanished after just one class - not only was I alive, but I was ALIVE!  I felt really good after, and decided to keep doing the yoga.  There were good classes and bad classes, laughter and tears.  In a 6-month stretch, without changing anything else in my life (diet, exercise, etc.), I lost 50 pounds.  Soon after I did a 60-day challenge, and continue to rock the hot room (but sometimes it still rocks me)!

I never knew how much I needed Bikram yoga.  I also don't think i could have done it without the love and support of the good folks at Stafford Street, from the teachers and my co-workers, and from the community as well.  If you are ever in doubt about your ability to start this up in your life, come talk to me...I will lend you the strength that was once lent to me. 

Jackie - "Receptionista Magnifica"

I fell in love with Bikram Yoga in China. While teaching English in Jilin, one of my amazing students asked me if I would like to go with her and her mom to yoga…with a bit of a language barrier I said “sure”. Off I went to start a journey of a life time, at 1st wondering what I was doing killing myself there 2 or 3 times a week for 90mins, but loving it - how kind, caring, nice and compassionate everyone one was there! Also loving how great I felt after class and each week how my skin, hair and diet improved. After about a year, came back to western society and fell back into the rat race... trying to find the peace at home that I had found so far away. Then Stafford Street Hot Yoga came into my life. My 1st class in the studio, by about halfmoon pose, I was so excited - this was it! This is what I did a million miles away. Once my own business is fully functioning and can do without me for 9 weeks, I will be off to Bikram teacher training…

Brenda - "Receptionist Internationalist"

Being physically active in any way possible has always brought me happiness, and although my yoga career is relatively fresh, I know that this is something that must always be in my life. I love a challenge and without a doubt, Bikram is intense, but the amazing feeling after is the best reward and keeps us all coming back for more. I love my life and yoga is my way of honouring and giving thanks to my body. I've been a receptionist at Stafford Street Hot Yoga almost since they opened and I could not ask for a better environment to work in. It really is a community here and I get to experience the amazing warmth and welcoming energy of both the teachers and students that practice here.  Besides exercise, I have a love of travel and have this strong draw to explore the world (my Sagittarian nature taking over?). I want to go anywhere and everywhere. SSHY has always welcomed me back when I return from my travels and I am so thankful for that. In the near future I will be leaving again, but look forward to returning to everyone's smiling happy faces :)

 ~Not all those who wander are lost~

Kevin - Tinkerer / Front Desk Guru / Comic Relief

When I first started helping in the building of the studio in 2008, I had more thumbs on my hands than hot yoga classes to my name.   I had that common misconception about yoga (in general) that so many westerners still do:  "Yoga is a low-energy fitness trend for yuppies."  How foolish was I!  Well, if you know me at all, my ability for foolishness is unmatched, so maybe it's believable.

At any rate, that's all in the past.  l haven't felt this good, this alive, since I was a teenager.  Not only have old injuries subsided and new strength been found, but my mind is more disciplined as well.  I never would have thought to be here in my life, and I couldn't be happier.  Maybe someday I'll find the time and, more importantly, the courage to attend the Bikram teacher training.  Until then, you only have 90 seconds of suffering as you check into class with me, not 90 minutes of suffering in the hot room (which might feel like 90 years...HA!)

Eyvi - Bikram yogi in training