Loretta Iris

CURRENT CLASSES
The winter term of Thursday evening yoga classes hosted by the Varsity View Community Association is now in session.
Contact Loretta for more information.

Through her practice of yoga, Loretta works to offer a safe and sustaining environment that supports health and wellbeing mind/body practice through movement and focus. Her intent is also to introduce and support yoga integration in all ages of people.
Loretta thinks of herself as a gate-keeper of yoga knowledge and she enjoys sharing her knowledge of yoga as well as recognizing the knowledge and learning that she has gained from every student she has had the gift of sharing a class with. She recognizes that the ideas of ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ are fluid and she enters every yoga practice with the intent of recognizing and being present to both roles.
When Loretta first encountered yoga she was curious and amazed. Her first experience was as a teen, in a book she encountered while sitting in the Religions reference section at the library. An image in the book showed a man with his legs crossed all the way to his neck and she recalls thinking “he must have something to do with the circus!” The first yoga class Loretta attended brought up feelings of awe and elation. She enjoyed the flexible and playful aspect of yoga and was reminded of childhood play in after school gymnastics.
Loretta attended yoga classes at the (then) only studio with Jo-Ann Sutherland. Loretta was one of the youngest participants for some time back in the early 90’s. She was torn between yoga and socializing as all her friends went to $2.50 Tuesdays at the movies and yoga was hardly known about within her age group. Tuesday was the only evening Loretta had childcare available for her two preschoolers and Jo-Ann had a class to offer that fit that time. As a single parent Loretta struggled to have the energy to be present to yoga on top of the land fitness classes she taught and she often fell asleep during Savasana! Once Loretta decided to dedicate her time to yoga, she loved it and thrived.

Loretta remembers feeling so joyous and free exploring various poses. She recalls one day, about 9 months after she first began attending Jo-Ann's Tuesday evening class, asking other participants about their families and their work. One at a time each participant revealed that they were yoga teachers and with each revelation Loretta became stunned and wide eyed! She asked a classmate what the name of the yoga class was and she was told they were in a master’s yoga practice class! She thought she was in a random beginner class and she had dismissed the level of her classmates as having exploratory fun with their bodies! Her eyes welled up and the deepest gratitude flushed through her. In that moment, Loretta was both clear and resolute to pass on the instruction of Yoga at the community level. She learned a divine grace, generosity and mastery that day through her experience with Jo-Ann.

Loretta’s teaching of yoga was also deeply influenced by Faye Katzman who supported Loretta’s land fitness certification at her local YWCA. Faye’s clarification, that fitness was a lifelong experience that Loretta would prepare for and practice, resonated with Loretta. Faye also clarified that teaching is not a performance, that the priority is safety and care of the students who hold the instructor with their trust in every class that is exchanged with them. These lessons have served as guidepost for Loretta’s path of practicing and teaching yoga.

More than 20 years later, Loretta shares this learning and practice with participants ranging from teens to elderly. She has also enjoyed facilitating outdoor classes and classes at the lake in the summer for campers. Yoga opportunities have been vast and meaningful and she is grateful for all participants who have shaped her teaching.
Loretta’s yoga teaching is recognised through Yoga Alliance Canada and her teaching is form a mix of her years of accumulated personal practice, learning and training. She utilizes live guided meditation that supports neural ease. Loretta is also conscious of taking time to practice her own healing and honour for others to healing. She is grateful that her classes can connect with students who wish to understand and experience fundamentals of yoga to introduce them to a way of life that creates more peace in the mind and body.

To follow one of Loretta's Beginner Yoga classes open/download this PDF to enjoy your own Yoga class!

loretta-iris-beginner-yoga-and-meditations.pdf

Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-E-RYT 500

   ~A yoga teacher previously registered as a CYA-RYT500 now with 1,000 hours of teaching experience.
    Experience must be logged within the Continuing Education Log.
   We welcome and grandfather senior yoga teachers with over 15 years experience with or without original certifications.
   ~ May be a Director and/or Primary Faculty of a Yoga Teacher Training program