Yoga
Yoga Classes ~ all levels are welcome!
- Single class: $20 (includes HST). Cash accepted or e-transfer bookings@risingspirit.ca before class (we have auto-deposit enabled)
- 10-class pass: $175 (includes HST). Purchase a 10-class pass online here ~ Passes valid for 12 months after purchase date.
- PLUS use your 10-class pass for a drop-in 40 minute Shiastu massage chair session!
Weekly Schedule
Wednesday, 10:00–11:15 am ~ Gentle Yoga for Strength, Stability & Flexibility ~ with Marci Tordiff
- A comfortably paced class with approachable postures but increasing the ability to move from the core to align, strengthen and promote flexibility on the floor and in standing postures. Clear cueing, creative sequencing and props are used to energize and melt tension. In this gentle class, we don’t spend a lot of time on our hands, and there are minimal up-and-down transitions. Breathing techniques are also integrated. This is an accessible, all-level class.
Wednesday, 12:30–1:30 pm ~ Chair Yoga ~ with Marci Tordiff
- Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that can be practiced while sitting on a chair or using a chair for support. It’s particularly beneficial for individuals who may have difficulty with traditional yoga poses due to mobility issues, physical limitations, or age. Chair yoga typically includes modified yoga poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques that are accessible. It is gentle, supportive, and easeful. Improve your breathing, and digestion, manage your stress, build strength and coordination, support your heart health and joint mobility, and give your spirit a lift!!
Sunday, 9:00–10:15 pm ~ Vinyasa Flow ~ with Jennine VanSchepen
Vinyasa is a fluid style of yoga practice that emphasizes synchronizing breath with movement to create an active moving meditation. This class incorporates sun salutations and other flowing sequences and creative transitions that will vary in pace and intensity. The intention of this practice is to develop the relationship with the breath, fine tune the instrument of the body and regulate the nervous system. The benefits of this practice include improved flexibility and strength, enhanced cardiovascular health and increased body-mind awareness and coordination.This is a dynamic class that supports the flow, with moments of stillness for integration and reflection. This class is suitable for all levels, with modifications offered to support beginners and options to challenge more experienced practitioners.
Sunday, 1:30–2:45 pm ~ Sunday Surrender ~ with a medley of beautiful instructors!
- This 75-minute Sunday practice blends the best of both worlds – a gentle, flowing sequence to ease the body into motion and steady the breath, followed by nourishing yin postures to invite stillness and release. Yin yoga gently stretches and targets deep connective tissues, promoting flexibility, joint mobility, and relaxation throughout the body. All levels of practice are welcome, with space to meet you wherever you’re at each week. Together, we’ll honour the body we call home, and find a compassionate return to presence.
Jennine
Jennine Heidele VanSchepen (Das Amritdayv Kaur) is a multi-disciplinary yoga teacher, musician and visual artist based in Bowmanville, Ontario. She has completed over 1000 hours of training in yogic modalities including Kundalini, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Vipassana, Mindfulness Meditation, Holistic Gong Resonance and Beyond Addiction: The Yogic Path to Recovery. Jennine has 13 years of teaching experience and her classes have evolved to become both improvisational and premeditated. Her classes are heavily influenced by the musical sound-scapes she curates to drive the flow of breath, movement, posture and stillness that she weaves together. “I really enjoy the creativity involved in teaching yoga. It often feels like a colourful, dynamic conversation, or intentional, expressive choreography.”
Marci
"A passionate and committed student of both Yoga and Ayurveda (ECYT-500), Marci's offerings include Vinyasa, Chair yoga, Yin, Restorative yoga, Yoga Nidra and Pranayama peppered with influences of Ayurveda and Vedic Astrology. She believes Yoga doesn't have to be fancy to be meaningful. We can all learn together how to inhabit our bodies with compassion and presence, aging with grace and gratitude. Yoga is so much more than what happens on the mat."
Tara
Tara’s teaching style is grounded in embodiment and intentional spaciousness, guiding students into an inner exploration that uses the physical body as a gateway to the deeper layers of self. With over 500 hours of comprehensive teacher training, plus an additional 100 hours of specialized Yin training, Tara has both deepened her personal practice and co-led multiple teacher trainings in Baja, Mexico and Orono. A perpetual student, she is currently completing her degree in cognitive neuroscience, enriching her understanding of the mind-body connection. While her path has included the devotional practices of Bhakti yoga, her primary focus lies in creating spaces where movement and stillness meet, and where kindness to the body, and the self within it, is paramount. Her personal journey working with anxiety, PTSD, and arthritis led her to yoga as a source of healing, radical self-love, and reverence for the body’s wisdom. She is passionate about helping others connect to their own great teachers within!