Yoga Teacher Training Faculty - Vancouver School of Healing Arts

Faculty and Staff

The Vancouver School of Healing Arts (formerly the Vancouver School of Yoga) boasts a faculty of experienced and professional instructors who bring diverse skills, abilities and knowledge to the art and science of teaching yoga. Our instructors are highly respected in their fields of expertise, providing excellence in education and training.

They actively practice the work they teach, creating a learning environment that is current and practice-oriented. Our faculty has combined experience on every level in the yoga industry – not only as practitioners and teachers, but also in management, marketing, administration and training.

In sharing their knowledge, wisdom, enthusiasm and compassion, the staff and faculty of V SOHA endeavour to create an experience that is enriching, both professionally and personally. We are pleased to introduce our qualified staff and faculty to you.

Chantal Russell, E-RYT 500, RHN, Program Director

Chantal Russell is the esteemed director of yoga teacher training at V-SOHA. With an education that encompasses over 1,000 hours of teacher training, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. She’s taught in studios throughout Canada, festivals and retreats around the world, founded her own studio and has been a faculty member at V-SOHA since 2013, where she has had the pleasure of mentoring and training hundreds of yoga teachers over the past decade. Her trauma-informed approach highlights her dedication to creating a safe and supportive environment for all practitioners. Chantal is deeply passionate about sharing her wisdom on the nervous system, Ayurveda, and life-affirming tantric philosophy, enriching the lives of her students through these profound teachings. Learn more about Chantal on her website, wellwithchantal.com

Rebekka Walker, ERYT500, C-IAYT, YACEP, BA, MFA, Program Director

Rebekka Walker Yoga Program Director Rebekka is the Program Director for VSOHA’s Yoga Therapy Program. She has been working in groups and one on one as a Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher Trainer and meditation guide for over 20 years. She holds a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 certification, and is accredited as a C-IAYT with The International Association of Yoga Therapists, utilizing a background in Iyengar, Vinyasa, Restorative, Anusara Yoga, & over 2500 hours of teacher training in these methods.

Amanda Kingsmith, RYT 500

Amanda is a 500-hour RYT, a yoga business coach, the host of the Mastering the Business of Yoga (M.B.Om) podcast, and a world traveler. She blends her background in business with her love of yoga and is passionate about helping yoga teachers create careers that they are passionate about and that are sustainable.

Amanda is also the co-host of The World Wanderers, a podcast on travel. When she’s not practicing or teaching yoga, you can find Amanda traveling the world with her husband, Ryan, hiking mountains, or curling up with a cup of tea and a good book.

You can learn more about Amanda at www.amandakingsmith.com or at www.mbomyoga.com.

Emmy Chahal, BA, RYT

Emma is also a member of VSOHA’s Yoga Therapy faculty. To read her bio, please visit here.

Julia McCabe, B Ed Kin, E-RYT 500, RYS 200 & 300

Julia has been teaching full-time since 2003. Much of her learning occurred between 2005-2008 when she was recruited to teach in Hong Kong at Pure Yoga International.

Since 2008 she has held over twenty international trainings and retreats globally and graduated over three hundred students from her 200 and 300hr programs. Julia has also guest taught at Wanderlust and the Whistler Yoga Conference.

Her time studying has included time at McGill graduating with B.Ed in Kinesiology. As well as her years studying under the wings of Patrick Creelman, Paul Dallaghan, Ana Forrest and many other inspiring teachers.

You can find her locally in between travels between Squamish, Whistler and Vancouver.

www.juliamccabe.com

Muneera Wallace

Muneera is an Ayurveda health coach and educator with 20 years of experience in living and sharing Ayurveda. She is passionate about helping people reconnect with their innate body-wisdom to be empowered and resilient in their health. Muneera has a combination of traditional and accredited training in Ayurveda. She began her learning in 2001 with a clinical practitioner of Ayurveda at the Pacific institute of Wholistic Living Inc, in Vancouver BC who taught in the traditional Indian “gurukul” style. She then moved on to a formal certification as a Ayurvedic Health Counselor from Kerala Ayurveda Academy in Fremont, California in 2009. She acquired her coaching skills through Yoga Health Coaching in 2019. She is currently pursuing her Ayurveda Practitioner certification.

Muneera runs a coaching practice that blends Ayurvedic wisdom with habit-change science for cultivating better daily habits. She offers various programs to help people experience and live Ayurveda simply in their everyday lives. Muneera is a faculty member at Vancouver School of Healing Arts and Yoga Outreach for their Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapy Trainings. One of her passions is to share the Ayurvedic culinary arts through cooking classes via community workshops and partners such as UBC Farm. You can join her for an immersive Ayurveda Yoga experience at one of her weekend retreats.

Muneera lives and coaches on the unceded lands of the Coastal First Nations, on Salt Spring Island.

Prem Kaur

Prem Kaur loves sharing the magic of yoga, especially the deep stories and lessons behind it.

When Prem was just 6, she’d watch her parents do yoga from an old notebook. Before she knew it, every Sunday turned into a family yoga day. After their sessions, they’d sit, chat, and share stories about yoga’s history and wisdom. These Sundays left a lasting mark on Prem’s heart.

She’s spent 750 hours learning to be a yoga teacher, diving deep into ancient stories and lessons. With over 2500 hours of teaching under her belt, Prem’s classes are all about moving in a way that feels right for you and discovering your own inner strength.

Prem is always eager to share what she knows, helping her students find peace and purpose through yoga.

She teaches with a gentle touch, focusing on slow, meaningful yet powerful movements. Every class with Prem is a journey. Plus, she’s got a special touch with meditation and is a trained restorative yoga teacher.

Jai Singh

Jai grew up with yoga in India, where it’s more than just a workout – it’s a way of life. Some of his fondest memories are waking up early with his grandparents for meditation at their local Ashram.

He used to be a dentist, but in 2018, he decided to follow his heart and teach yoga full- time. Now, at Jai Yoga Studio, he loves helping others dive deep into yoga’s rich history and teachings. Jai has a special passion for the esoteric aspects of yoga. He teaches about chakras, pancha maya koshas, and other deep-rooted concepts, always from an authentic perspective.

Thanks to his medical background, Jai has a unique way of teaching about the body in his yoga classes. He’s spent a lot of time learning and teaching – over 520 hours training to be a teacher and 4000 hours teaching others.

Jai’s classes? They’re a mix of energetic Vinyasa, calming Hatha, and insightful lessons on yoga’s deeper teachings. And if you’re looking for some relaxation, his yin classes with music from his special drum are just the thing.

Katie Blecker, E-RYT 200 / RYT 500 / YACEP

Katie (she/her) is a yoga teacher, advocate, and visual artist. Her work as a trauma-informed, adaptive yoga facilitator centers supporting folks of all ages who live with chronic illness and pain, disability, and chronic stress using tools such as therapeutic asana, pranayama, and meditation, while enthusiastically emphasizing the importance of resting practices in our self- and community-care.

Katie is a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Her lived experience with complex chronic illness informs her worldview and inspires her passion for disability advocacy and accessibility in yoga. She is a graduate of the 500 hour Career Yoga Teacher Training Program at VSOHA. In her spare time, Katie loves to hang out in her studio creating nature-inspired artwork.

Learn more about Katie at www.katiebleckeryoga.com