meet your teachers
Joy Morrell
Joy’s warmth & candour encourages students to their personal best.
Seeking the most productive experience for every student, Joy emphasizes a deepened relationship between mind & breath, and the tremendous benefits this brings.
Expect a strong focus on functional anatomy in Joy’s classes, which combine deep stretch, powerful strengthening exercises & focused breath work.
Guiding students to tap into their full potential both on and off the mat, Joy teaches her wildly popular Rebalancing classes twice a week, and puts great ‘technique spin’ into her equally popular ‘Infrared Warm Flow’ classes in Shanti’s Infrared Studio downstairs.
Fostering a strong sense of community here has been a tremendous delight for Joy, as she shares ‘all that is Shanti Yoga’ over her 19 years as Studio Owner & Director.
Classes with Joy:
Saturday / Sunday ‘Rebalancing Yoga’ 10:00am
Monday / Wednesday / Friday ‘Infrared Warm Flow’ 8:30 am
Beau Fuller
A fantastic Yoga instructor and an all around great person, Beau has a natural sense for sequencing classes so students are both supported & accelerated in their practice. He makes every class challenging & fun.
A world traveler with great Heart & Soul, Beau is a proficient climber, an avid back country skier & has great passion for contact improv dance.
We’re extremely lucky to have Beau on Senior Staff here at Shanti. After months of high elevation Climbing in Mexico & Argentina, Beau is back with us for a great Fall & Winter of Yoga at Shanti.
Classes with Beau:
Beau’s classes are pausing while he recovers from a skiing injury. He’ll be back teaching asap
Sarah Story
A strong, inspiring Yoga teacher. The strength training Sarah incorporates into her Fitness style Yoga classes builds stamina & balance for students….keys to progressing any Yoga practice. Her technical skill is matched by her lovely personality. Students feel welcomed & encouraged from the moment they arrive, right through every class.
Sarah has completed numerous advanced Trainings here at Shanti, after graduating from our esteemed 200 Hour Teachers course 12 years ago.
A seasoned instructor with great diversity, Sarah teaches fantastic Heated Fitness based Yoga, as well as beautiful soulful Yin Yoga classes, and is a Workshop lead here at Shanti.
Classes with Sarah:
Monday evenings ‘Firelight Yin’ 7:00 - 8:15 pm Offered in our gorgeous warm upstairs studio… by Candlelight and Firelight...
Thursday evenings Power Flow 5:30 - 6:45 pm Infrared heat
Avalon funk
Lead Teacher Training Instructor here at Shanti, Avalon holds numerous Advanced Degrees from ISSA as a Personal Trainer, degrees in Fitness Nutrition for Athletes, and multiple 200 & 500 Hour Yoga Teachers Certifications. She has taught Yoga for 16 years, logging 30,000 hours teaching classes, and 12,000 Hours teaching Instructors Courses & Trainings.
An accomplished dancer, Avalon embodies grace, balance & strength. Encouraging an approach to Yoga with enthusiasm & lightness, students discover ease in even the most advanced poses & transitions…..and the arrival of effortlessness in the Practice.
Born & raised on the Island of Kauai, Avalon teaches at her beautiful Studio thriveyogakauai.com in the charming town of Kilauea on the North Shore.
Traveling to Nelson to offer her skills during our Teacher Trainings, she treats local students here to her popular Yoga Sculpt & Vinyasa Master classes.
Watch the website for Avalon’s Graduate Training Modules as she returns to Nelson in May 2025 for our Teacher Training season
Yoga Sculpt / Vinyasa Level II / Graduate Trainings in Group Fitness: HIIT, Sculpt, Mat Pilates, Barre
Jacqui Bohmer
We’re delighted to have Jacqui on our amazing teaching team. A Registered Nurse, Jacqui teaches Yoga with tremendous grace & kindness, and her Alignment focused cuing is strong & effective.
Jacqui teaches our popular Rebalancing Yoga classes twice a week on weekday mornings. These classes are a great place for beginners, as well as people wanting a gentle, safe approach to Yoga.
Classes with Jacqui:
Tuesdays & Thursdays Rebalancing Yoga 10:00 am
Sianna Morningstar
Students gain strength efficiently through the combination of fitness exercises and the Alignment based Yoga Sianna has studied here at Shanti. Graduating our 200 Hour Training with High Honours, It’s a pleasure to have her on staff here at the studio.
Sianna is in her third year of study at UVIC, working toward her Bachelors in Social Work. She sees Yoga as a wonderfully effective method of therapy, and plans to incorporate Yoga in her career as a Social Worker.
Classes with Sianna:
Wednesday evenings ‘Infrared Warm Flow’** 5:30 pm
Sharon Pol
Sharon has a deep love for family, community and the beauty of the Kootenays. Born and raised in Nelson, and raising her kids here too, Sharon’s a Kootenay girl with a Heart of gold.
25 years as a Paramedic with BC Emergency Health Services, helping others has always been in front. Continuing her career as a Paramedic, Sharon has added her love of teaching Yoga to the long list of things she does for others.
Her personal practice is stunning, and the warmth with which she shares Yoga with students is lovely.
Her teaching style is technical, deeply alignment based and focuses on the connection between mental & physical health……all done with a smile on her face.
Classes with Sharon:
‘Warm Flow’ and ‘Gentle Yoga’
“Ignite the Core’ Workshop Series: co-teaching these great, fun Workshops with Beau Fuller
ali wong
Ali has taught Yoga across Canada, in China, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Bali. Describing herself as an ‘effervescent nomad’, Ali is truly a global citizen. Wildly accomplished, she remains humble & kind, and deeply devoted to the greatest good.
A graduate of Brown University, where she played competitive collegiate Hockey, Ali teaches Yoga with enthusiasm and superb technical skill. Her sequences are imaginative & exciting, and her knowledge of joint alignment and bio mechanics produces a deeply enriching experience.
Students flow and harmonize with body, mind & breath in the supportive and deeply accessible environment Ali creates with her playful poise and spectacular personality.
We are delighted to have her on staff here at Shanti.
Watch for Ali’s return following her travels
