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 four times a week. She puts great ‘technique spin’ into her equally popular ‘Infrared Warm Flow’ classes in Shanti’s Infrared Studio downstairs. And her beloved ‘Firelight Yin’ classes in our breathtaking upstairs studio are not to miss.
Fostering a strong sense of community has been a tremendous delight for Joy, as she shares ‘all that is Shanti Yoga’ over her 20 years as Studio Owner & Director.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays ‘Rebalancing Yoga’ 10:00am
Friday 8:30 am ‘Infrared Warm Flow’
Thursday 7:00 pm ‘Firelight Yin’ in Fall & Winter seasons
Sarah Story
A strong, seasoned Yoga teacher, the stamina & balance students build in Sarah’s fitness style Power Yoga classes are 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 class.
Sarah has completed numerous advanced Trainings here at Shanti, after graduating from our esteemed 200 Hour Teachers course 12 years ago.
A veteran instructor with great diversity, Sarah teaches fantastic Heated Power Yoga, as well as soulful Yin classes, and is a Training & Workshop lead here at Shanti.
Monday & Thursday evenings ‘Power Flow’ 5:30 - 6:45 pm Infrared heat
Monday evening ‘Firelight Yin’ 7:00 - 8:15 pm In our spacious upstairs studio… by Candlelight and Firelight...
Will Guernon
Will is one of the kindest, most plugged in people we know….qualities that inform & influence his dynamic teaching style. A great asset to our teaching team at Shanti, Will just returned from a year spent teaching Yoga in Berlin.
We’re delighted to welcome him back and to highlight him once again as a Lead Instructor here.
You will see him lighting up the schedule again at Shanti soon!
Sianna Morningstar
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 into her career as a Social Worker.
Strength & flexibility are efficiently gained through the combination of fitness exercises and the Alignment based Yoga Sianna offers in her classes. Graduating our 200 Hour Training with High Honours, It is our pleasure to have her on staff here.
Wednesday & Friday evenings ‘Infrared Warm Flow’** 5:30 pm
Amber Walpole
Amber is wonderful. A kind, thoughtful person…qualities that translate beautifully into her teaching. Her Flow classes are thorough & elegantly curated. Her soothing voice is grounding & calming and her classes are really special.
Settling in Nelson from London, England, Amber is a delightful addition to our spectacular Teaching Staff here at Shanti.
Classes with Amber:
Mondays & Wednesdays 8:30 am ‘Infrared Warm Flow’ *
Avalon funk
Avalon holds numerous Advanced Degrees from ISSA as a Personal Trainer, degrees Nutrition for Athletes, and multiple 200 & 500 Hour Yoga Teachers Certifications. She’s taught Yoga for 16 years, logged 30,000 hours teaching classes & 12,000 hours as Lead Teacher Training Instructor here.
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 Kilauea Town on Kauai’s North Shore.
Traveling to Nelson to contribute her skills during our annual Teacher Training Seasons, she treats local students here to her fitness based Yoga Sculpt & Barre Intensives, as well as Vinyasa Master classes.
Watch the website for Avalon’s Graduate Training Modules when she travels back to Nelson.
Yoga Sculpt / Vinyasa Level II / Graduate Trainings in Group Fitness: HIIT, Sculpt, Mat Pilates, Barre
Jacqui Bohmer
A Registered Nurse with 25 years specializing in emergency care & Obstetrics, Jacqui teaches Yoga with tremendous grace & kindness, and her Alignment focused cuing is strong & effective.
Jacqui is off on a Nursing contract until Summer 2025, when we look forward to welcoming her back onto the Teaching team at Shanti.
Sharon Pol
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.
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.
Her personal practice is stunning, and the warmth with which she shares Yoga with students is lovely.
With a smile on her face, Sharon’s teaching style is technical & deeply alignment based.
‘New to Yoga’ Mini-Series for Beginners: coming up again in Fall.
“Ignite the Core’ Workshop Series: co-teaching these progressive, fun Workshops.
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 & 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 & 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
