Julia Petrisor

My mission is to help people reduce stress, release tension, attune to their bodies and take life a little more lightly.  I aim to do this through yoga and Zumba.  As a yoga teacher, I bring reverence and humour to my classes and allow people to ease into discovering their own bodies and what works for them.  As a Zumba teacher, I bring energy, spirit and playfulness to each class, emphasizing getting out of our heads, into our bodies and putting smiles on our faces.

My background is rich and varied.  I completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of British Columbia, majoring in Political Science.  I spent many years traveling and lived for a year in the UK, and then for a year and a half in Indonesia.  By the late 1990's, I discovered yoga and my path changed significantly.  I simplified my life and fell into working with youth in the outdoors.  I was an outdoor educator and youth leader for several years, and continue to work with at-risk youth to this day.  In between gigs, I continued to travel and spent a year in California studying yoga and enjoying many retreats.  For the last five years I have been settled in Ontario, where I work at a therapeutic boarding school for teens with addictions called the Pine River Institute.  In addition to teaching yoga and Zumba to the students there, I have worked as a Wilderness Counselor, Residential Counselor, Kitchen Relief Staff and Admissions Support.  

I have a deep love of yoga and am a seeker on the spiritual path.  I am able to infuse my classes with yoga teachings while keeping my classes accessible to everyone.  I deliver well-rounded classes that are evenly paced and I am able to attune to the needs of the student to ensure they have a positive experience.  I have a goal to attain my 500-hour certification before the end of 2014, with an eye to becoming an E-RYT 500 certified teacher by the beginning of 2015 (as titled by the Yoga Alliance).

I am drawn to Bella Luna and the idea of teaching yoga abroad because I want to expand my teaching abilities and explore a new horizon.  I also will be totally honest and share that the winter in Ontario is a bit long and cold, and I am always looking for a warm adventure!  I am outgoing, independent, well-traveled and love what I do.  To be able to share that love with people from all around the world, in an environment that allows guests to focus on relaxing and reducing stress, would be a true delight for me.