Eastside Yoga Studio Teachers

	Dianne Bondy RYT - Owner Dianne’s first exposure to yoga was by her mother’s side at the age of ten. After many years of studying and working in the personal training and group fitness field, she returned to her first love, yoga. With Dianne's thirst for knowledge and her nature of "Wanting to get the most out of every experience," she is a true student of yoga. Dianne has received her RYT training with Linda Makowski at Namaste Yoga Center in Royal Oak, Michigan and is grateful for her treasured teachings and unwavering support. In addition to completing her E-RYT as recognized by the Yoga Alliance, she has studied with many different teachers including Anusara founder John Friend, Anusara certified teachers Katherine Schaefer, Todd Norian, Anne Green, Desiree Rumbaugh, Jamie Allison and Betsey Downing. During a difficult time in her life she stopped teaching and took an office job. She gained weight and suffered from anxiety and depression. She used her background in fitness to lose the weight and get back in shape. (Read about these parts of her journey in Fitness and Oxygen magazines.) After completing the Detroit Marathon in 2003 and being in the best shape of her life she still didn't feel fulfilled. She needed balance and clarity in her life. This is when the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga began to speak to her. Her path into yoga appeared and she has been passionately studying, practicing and living yoga ever since. Most recently Dianne has completed a year long immersion in Anusara Yoga and will soon be certified Anusara Inspired. Anusara Yoga is a hatha yoga system created by John Friend. With Iyengar as his primary influence John has an exhaustive grasp of "The Universal Principles of Alignment." This attention to alignment, coupled with Anusara's uplifting life-affirming message, has helped make Anusara Yoga become the fastest growing yoga in the world. More on Anusara Yoga Dianne's teaching experience and training show in her ability to connect with, inspire, guide and challenge students of all levels. BizX magazine honoured Dianne's teaching in 2008 when they awarded her the "Oscar" for "Yoga Teacher That Always Bends Over Backwards For You."
	Mary Farrell Mary's search for happiness led her to a high paying, very stressful job, one for which she was generously compensated but completely unfulfilled. She mistakenly thought a MBA and money would give her happiness. In an effort to combat the job and life stress, she began attending yoga classes, hoping to get some relief, completely unprepared for the way it would turn her life upside down. She immersed herself into the practice and although she loved the physical practice, she yearned for something more, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. In January of 2003 she traveled to Toronto to attend a workshop with David Life and nothing has been the same since. She knew she had found her teacher. He articulated everything she felt about the practice but couldn't find the words for. She was home. She left that awful job and in September 2003, surrounded by beautiful Austrian Mountains, became one of the first Canadians certified in the Jivamukti School of Yoga. Since then she has taught Jivamukti Yoga at various studios, including Jivamukti Detroit, until she embarked upon another adventure in early 2006 -motherhood. She strives to make her classes playful fun and always challenging. She believes in every student's potential for liberation and reminds them to always take their yoga off the mat. She is humbled by the great honour of being able to share this beautiful practice and is eternally grateful to my teachers Shri Sharon Gannon and Shri David Life.
	Benjamin Lesperance Benjamin was first introduced to the practice of Hatha yoga in 2000, and has been teaching since 2006. He has studied and participated in workshop and teacher training clinics across North America and Europe. Benjamin continues to develop a deeper understanding and respect for the art and science of yoga. His enthusiasm serves to both motivate and challenge students. When not practicing or teaching, Benjamin operates a design and painting business and enjoys travel and the arts.
	Kelly Little Kelly has studied at the Jonny Kest Center for Yoga. Kelly's incorporation of yogic philosophies and lessons into her daily life aid her in being a compassionate and inspired teacher. "Through the asanas and breath there is strength and calmness that can be translated to all aspects of existence." A class with Kelly will heat you up and make you realize how strong and graceful you can be.
	Susan Marcaccini Susan Marcaccini began studying the ancient science of yoga in 2000 and promptly fell in love with the practice. It was the only thing that seemed to keep her Crohn’s symptoms at bay, a disease she had been plagued with since she was a teenager. She found hope and thus her yoga adventure began. Susan has studied with many different teachers in the area but her time with Nicole Daignault was truly inspirational. So much so, that she decided to go to India and spend time with Nicole’s teacher, Sunil Kumar, for her own yoga teacher training. In September 2003 she traveled to Varanasi, India to complete a 250hr teacher training program at The Yoga Training Center. Four months later she was back in Windsor ready to share some of her knowledge and begin teaching. Gina at The Downtown Yoga Studio gave her that opportunity and she has been teaching ever since. A setback with her Crohn’s put her in the hospital in 2006 and she was off work and away from yoga for more than a year. In November 2006 she underwent major surgery and was able to come back to teaching a couple months later. For that she is so very grateful. Susan's struggles allow her to understand students and their limitations in the practice of yoga. She is better able to adjust her classes for the particular students involved and whatever their special needs might be. Her compassion and laughter are contagious. Her goal is to make every student feel welcome and at ease in every practice
	Stacey Marion Stacey began practicing yoga in 2004 and discovered that this ancient art of movement and breath offers a place of stillness amid the frenzy of the world, in which she found enough quiet to hear the voice of her true self and enough courage listen to that voice. In that place, there is also honest effort, health, balance, focus, and friends. This is the ground where her dreams took root and happiness flourished! During humble times as a student, she learned that she is also a teacher. After four years of deepening her own practice, she studied to be a yoga teacher. She continues to learn and grow along this yogic path through various personal and professional development opportunities. Her favourite yoga classes combine the elements of working hard and feeling peaceful, breath and flow. During challenging times of healing, she discovered that she is also a healer. In 2004, she earned a Chartered Herbalist designation. She uses all-natural and organic products to create teas and balms that promote health and balance. It is her aspiration to offer people the resources necessary to enhance their health and well being through yoga and natural healing, from the inside out. Namasté
	Juliana Schewe Juliana is studying Anusara Yoga and the Universal Principles of Alignment with Todd Norian and Ann Greene. She is a multi-discipline artist with a Masters in Fine Art. She is also an accomplished Belly Dancer. Her classes are warm and genuine. With an emphasis on proper alignment, and being kind to oneself, her classes are a great experience.
	Renee Trepanier Renee Trepanier recently spent time in Baja California, Mexico, where she practiced at the Yandara Yoga Institute and became a registered yoga instructor through the Yoga Alliance. Having studied yoga since 2002, she is drawn to the healing and transformational aspects of yoga through physical fitness and mental well-being. More succinctly, her practice has brought her focus toward incorporating the notion of metta into her classes and daily life, the philosophy of practicing loving kindness to all beings, including one's self. Renee is also a raw food chef and the owner of Nude Food. Renee's classes are sure to warm your body and heart, to make you sweat, to leave you invigorated, and to inspire you toward being a more compassionate and loving individual.