Instructors

Hasu is an intuitive and knowledgeable Yogi. For nearly 28 years, she has shared a flowing practice which creates self-alignment and attunement, based on teachings from her own life experience, Amrit Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. The focus is on exploring sensation through movement and stillness, while drawing on the breath as a tool for transformation, allowing you to explore your inner edges and thresholds with willful practice and mindfulness; learning how to trust, accept, experience peace with ourselves and life, by deepening the connection with the vital life force, and adding a sense of ease to one’s life. From here, we learn how to carry what is experienced on the mat into daily interactions. Life becomes a waking meditation.

Initiated into the Kripalu Lineage by Gurudev, Shri Amritji Desai, with the spiritual name Hasu, meaning Joyous One. She is serves as Senior Faculty and the 800 Yoga Therapy Program Director for the Amrit Yoga Institute and was recognized with the title, “Acharya” by Gurudev in October 2022.

She has trained over 100 teachers at Yoga by the Sea, in both the 200-hour YTT and the 300 hour Advanced Yoga Training.

C-IAYT Certified and Registered with International Association of Yoga Therapists, Hasu is the Director and Owner of Yoga by the Sea.

If you have any questions about the yoga centre, or are interested group or private bookings contact her directly at [email protected].

B.Ed., BFA, Registered Yoga Therapist, CYA-E-RYT 550, C-IYAT

I’m an experienced Yoga Therapist specializing in the therapeutic application of Yoga for people of all walks of life.

I have been teaching Yoga and meditation classes and offering private yoga therapy sessions for over 20 years.

Through my programs I have helped hundreds of people. I understand how to work with your body to alleviate pain and I endeavour to teach you the tools to understand how to do that for yourself.

Your life is written in your body. I help guide you in uncovering and honouring your body’s messages. The process moves from the physical to the subtler level of your mind and emotions. From your first session you will experience the benefits:  you will move with more ease, feel more emotionally and mentally calm and balanced, and enjoy a growing sense of self-mastery.

Other movement practices and areas of study that inform my teaching are Somatics, Feldenkrais, Tensegrity Repair, Qi Gong, Functional Anatomy (Anatomy Tains) applied to Yoga Therapy, Mindfulness practices, Meditation, Reiki (Certified Level 3 Practitioner), Energy and Sound Healing.

Contact: [email protected]

Melissa ‘Atma’ Lyons is a long-time Yogi who is passionate about supporting people as they explore the connections between their body, mind and life. She believes that embodiment practices and meditation are key to staying grounded and joyful during these chaotic times, and offers solutions for people looking for more peace through her yoga therapy sessions, 9-week group programs, and yoga asana classes.

She graduated from Yoga By The Sea’s first teacher training in 2012 and was completely drawn to the profound awarenesses that arose from yoga therapy practices. She became a certified yoga therapist in 2014 and a certified yoga therapy group facilitator in 2015.

Her presence and authentic way of be-ing and teaching have established her as a sought out practitioner, teacher and mentor. In addition to founding Body Mind Wisdom (2016), she teaches segments of 200hr yoga teacher trainings (YTT) locally, and is the Course Director of the Group Facilitation Program, at Phoenix Rising School of Yoga Therapy in Massachusetts. A school that is the oldest of its kind in North America, and accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is a modality that is holistic. It uses breath, movement and meditation practices to access one’s innate wisdom; facilitating healing and harmony in one’s life. Practitioners believe the body holds the answers to our questions if we just learn to listen to it. PRYT can be experienced in either a 1hr private session or through a 9-week theme-based group series. See www.bodymindwisdom.ca for testimonials and more information.

Expect your time with Melissa to be life-changing.

Certifications: C-IAYT800, RYT500, SMART-Ed Facilitator, Creative Relaxation Yoga Therapy for people with special needs

Roxanne feels that her life is always evolving and yoga has been a solid foundation which has helped her cultivate peace, clarity, and gratitude.

Roxanne began practicing yoga in 2002 with Sharon Tron (OmSweetOm, Sunshine Coast).  After completing her first teacher training (Kids Yoga) at Semperviva in 2014 she has continued to deepen her Yoga practice and expand the scope of her trainings.  Roxanne completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training (Yoga By The Sea, 2014), Yin Yoga Teacher Training (Semperviva, 2015), Yoga Outreach Training (2015), Yoga Nidra Training (Yoga By The Sea, 2017), and her 300 hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (Yoga By The Sea).

Roxanne’s goal is to help her students find and maintain a peaceful mind and body.  She emphasizes breathing and the power of being present to create connection with self and each moment.  Yoga is more than poses; her wish is that with practice and intention her students will unfold not just on their mats but into their everyday lives.

“Life is a Divine Leela (play); Let’s embrace our differences, support each other through challenges, learn how to laugh at ourselves, and have gratitude for the gift of life around us.”

Movement has always been sacred to me. I have danced my whole life, whether it’s been grooving to a good song in my living room, taking dance classes or flowing through a vinyasa. Through dance I discovered how truly wonderful it feels to be so deeply connected with the body and breath moving together as one, it feels as though I am communing with the Divine.

I dabbled in yoga as a way to stay fit and flexible as a dancer. The true depth of yoga was revealed to me during my 200 hour yoga teacher training at Yoga By the Sea on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, BC. I had a feeling of arriving home. We moved through postures seamlessly with an emphasis of body- breath connection. Which then led me to deepen my practice even more by taking my 300 hour advanced training as well as my Level 1 certification in Amrit Method Yoga Nidra.

Yoga has transformed my life in a variety of ways. It has allowed me to be more present in my daily life with a deep acceptance and inner knowing of my true self. Trusting my intuitions by living from my heart center and surrendering to the beautiful flow of energy that is life.

I teach from my own personal experience and from my Heart. I believe in a practice led by breath and the innate wisdom of the body. I teach Hatha based yoga classes with a focus on pranayama and energy releases. With a deep respect for safe alignment I encourage the student to turn inwards to observe the profound effects of the practice in the moment.

I truly believe in the transformative power of this beautiful practice and and look forward to many more years of falling deeply in love with the magic of yoga!

Neufeld invites us to see the minutiae in the heavens and the magnificence in a leaf, to ponder the (in)significance of humankind.  Each shot asks “What is our place in this?”  He succeeds in taking us beyond the binary “Us or Nature” stance to some place more overarching-maybe it’s immersing” 

• Nancy Pincombe, Zoom Magazine.

In the last 23 years I have lovingly explored natural beauty all around BC, particularly the Coastal areas.  Immersing myself in wilderness has healed and transformed me in so many ways. 

I have been sharing these journeys through reflections in the form of photos and writing.  I have displayed my work across Canada in art shows, markets, calendars and magazines.  Cards, fine art photographs on canvas, and HD Aluminum prints are available through my website up to 40X60 and larger.

 Completing my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Hasu, Marney Coulter in Spring, 2023 has helped me answer the question of how to bring the presence and beauty I experience while in wilderness areas, back into my regular daily life.   I look forward to helping others connect with their own body, Spirit, and the landscape. I am grateful to the Skwxwú7mesh and shíshálh Nations whose lands I now live on, and photograph.

www.shelneufeld.com

Elin  (Deg Sanjeet Kaur) is a local artist, producer and kundalini yoga teacher in Roberts Creek. She has been practicing different forms of yoga for the last 20 years. She moved from Sweden to Canada and came across Yoga West, a kundalini yoga studio that has been teaching Kundalini Yoga in Vancouver since 1973. 

She quickly experienced the effects of this powerful yoga and decided to become a teacher in 2020 and finished 200 h Kundalini Yoga teacher training in June 2021. She is currently working towards her lv 2 teacher training. Elin is trained by the well respected Kundalini Yoga teachers Guru Raj Kaur, Nirmal Kaur and Hari Sing. Elin follows 3HO’s traditional Kundalini Yoga format, and guidelines. 

Kundalini Yoga uplifts your body, mind, and spirit using a dynamic blend of postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayam), kriya, mantra, music & meditation.

Beata Barinbaum is a certified Practitioner and Educator of Meir Schneiderʼs School for Self- Healing method and has been blending this knowledge with an extensive range of other healing modalities since 1999.

She has trained in advanced Lymphatic Drainage therapy with Bruno Chikly, assisting the body in evacuating toxins from all body systems; has studied at the Canadian College of Osteopathy; has trained with Sam Berne and Joseph Shapiro in natural vision improvement; and is a graduate of Integrated Body Psychotherapy, Anthroposophical Psychology and Spacial Dynamics.

Beata is offering massage, bodywork, movement, self inquiry, and meditation. In her practice, Beata draws on exercises involving passive and active movement, coordination, breath and visualization. She helps clients experience their potential mobility, improved vision, balance, well being, and relief from pain. Her focus is to give people the tools to self sufficiently help their bodies create their own wellbeing.

Beata invites you to become present and connected within your body including the parts of self that could benefit from nourishment, rest, balance, compassion and vitality. After twenty years of working with patients with serious neuromuscular conditions, people in addiction recovery and rehabilitation, she is now supporting people in caretaking roles.

Lesley’s life changed in 2016 when she completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga By The Sea. In 2019 she continued her journey through the completion of her 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training with Hasu followed by Yoga Nidra and Meditation in Motion through the Amrit Institute. Expanding her teaching to Wake Up Yoga and then Restorative Yoga at Yoga By The Sea, as well as other classes in her community.

Lesley’s Testimonial

My life has had such a profound shift that I wish everyone can feel the benefits of yoga.

I love how yoga can bring in a sense of community during a class. Where strangers can become friends and neighbors become family.

In my classes I honor my students by meeting them where they are. My students are held with love, respect and compassion.

I never know what I will bring to the mat in any given class. I like to be just as surprised as my students as to where the class goes. I like to think I teach from the heart connecting to my students through meditation, mindful movement, or even dancing.

Life can be so serious I like to remind my students to laugh and have fun.

I’m looking forward to bringing what I learn into my classes. I’m also attempting to learn how to play the ukulele. For me it’s a challenge as I don’t have a musical bone in my body. And maybe just maybe I will bring that into my classes as well.

Light and Love,
Japa

Meghan has been a yoga student for nearly half her life and has been teaching since 2019.  The slower, meditative style of the Amrit Yoga Lineage has provided a balance to her habitual tendency to constantly be busy and on the go go go.  Her consistent practice is the tether back to the calm place inside that makes it easier to pause, rest, and be more calm, present, and loving in everyday interactions.  Meghan creates a space in her classes where students are invited to meet themselves where they are at in the moment, always.  Her classes are both light and soulful, both physical and meditative.  A spiritual seeker, Meghan is constantly exploring the spiritual side of the practice, bringing the spiritual teachings in through the lens of everyday life interactions.

Meghan is a graduate of the 200 Hour and Advanced 300 Hour YTT programs at Yoga by the Sea.  Of all the benefits of yoga and meditation, perhaps the most cherished is how this practice has deepened the experience of love with the people closest to her in her love, including her children, Carson and Harper, and her husband, Doug.  She is incredibly grateful to the many teachers who have handed down these teachings over the past several thousand years, so that we may receive them today, and also to share with her students what she has learned from her own teachers and through her experience.

Naad Yogi Gurnimit Singh is a third-generation kirtan singer, sound healer, and ceremonial guide born in Chandigarh, India. Rooted in the Sikh tradition of classical ragas and sacred poetry, he began his musical training at age 8 and studied under renowned masters including his father and guru, Pandit Yashpaul of the Agra Gharana.

Blending Eastern and Western vocal practices, Gurnimit developed a unique approach to sound healing, weaving mantra, raga, and energy work into transformational experiences. His English-translated mantras and heart-centered kirtan gained global recognition, leading him to perform at festivals, pilgrimages, and spiritual gatherings worldwide.

After facing exclusion in 2017 due to his queer identity, Gurnimit began a healing journey rooted in yoga, therapy, and deep self-inquiry. From this transformation, his voice reemerged—not as performance, but as medicine.

Now based in Vancouver, he travels internationally offering kirtan ceremonies, retreats, throat chakra activations, and sacred sound journeys. Through his work, he invites others to reclaim their voice, live their truth, and rise in devotion.

Join the movement. Awaken your voice. Sing your soul.

Christina is a lifelong learner. An introduction of yoga over 25 years ago created a curiosity about slow movement and tuning into our bodies.

Exploring many different yoga modalities over the years, Christina has found a sacred place in Hatha Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Meditation, through her YTT 200 and YTT 300 advanced training.

The heart opening teachings aligned with her seeking ways and has created a beautiful harmony of calm, strength and ease in her practice, on and off the mat.

Christina looks forward to her ongoing practice and evolving into a way of Being as she dives deeper as a teacher.

Judy Swens discovered yoga in 2006 during her college years in Vancouver, where she studied Kinesiology and performed as a figure skater with the Canada Ice Dance Theatre. As a trained figure skater, Judy viewed yoga as a natural extension of her passion for movement and body awareness. Her journey deepened after attending the inaugural Wanderlust Festival in Whistler, where she felt inspired to share the transformative power of yoga with others.

In 2012, Judy took her first step toward teaching by completing a foundational yoga teacher training at the Vancouver School of Bodywork and Massage. What began as a personal exploration quickly evolved into a lifelong commitment to helping others find balance, healing, and strength through yoga. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes self-awareness, growth, and cultivating a supportive space for practitioners of all levels.

An E-RYT 200 certified yoga instructor, Judy blends her diverse training and experiences to offer classes that are both accessible and transformative. Over the years, she has expanded her expertise through specialized trainings, including:

• 2013: 240-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with Daniel Clement
• 2013: Level 1 Yoga Tune Up Teacher Training with Jill Miller
• 2014: 8-Day Vinyasa Teacher Training with Tina James
• 2015: 300-hour Shanti Seva Hridya Teacher Training with Tina James
• 2016: Therapeutic Ashtanga Yoga Training with Manju Pattabhi Jois
• 2017: Thai Fire Cupping Therapy with Kristin Nutall
• 2020: Natural Health Fundamentals with Alive Academy of Natural Health
• 2020: Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Janet Stone

When she’s not teaching, Judy channels her passion for connection and learning through her MA in Communications and volunteer work with IABC/BC. She also draws inspiration from outdoor adventures—whether climbing, biking, or skiing/boarding with friends—bringing fresh energy and creativity into her practice and teaching.

Chelsey began cultivating her yoga practice while living in Whistler. The mountain lifestyle – coupled with pushing past her edge on the ski hills and bike trails – led her to seek a more compassionate relationship with her body.

Yoga became a source of calm, fluidity, healing, support and meditation in motion. In the beginning, she felt yoga was a chance to “catch” her breath. Now it is a time to listen generously to the body through attuning to the breath.

She has a deep appreciation for the natural world and connecting to the body’s inner rhythms. She believes yoga has the capacity to transform patterns and tap into our true essence.

She encourages fellow students to get curious and practice flexibility in mind and body. Synchronizing movement with breath to nurture the spirit.

Based in a tiny forest cabin on the Sunshine Coast, she is grateful for access to fresh air, ocean dips, loved ones and the YBTS community.

She is a graduate of the 200 Hour YTT program under Amrit Institute Senior Teacher Hasu Marney Coulter, an initiate of the Kripalu Lineage, at Yoga by the Sea.