Venessa Chalifoux

My discovery of yoga 17 years ago has led me on an incredible, priceless discovery. I first signed up for a yoga class to relieve stress as a beginning elementary teacher. I really had little knowledge of yoga and what it was. I learned later that the type of yoga I was doing was Kundalini yoga. It was strange and different, but I felt so connected to this practice. I even discovered I was pregnant with my son while on the mat. I knew everything felt different and realized why after heading straight to the store after practice to buy a pregnancy test. 

My practice continued to be inconsistent over the years of having my young family and being an elementary teacher. It would be something I returned to again and again because of the nature of how it made me feel. After attending a Women's Fitness Retreat in Banff, Alberta, Canada sometime around 2013, I experienced a yoga instructor that changed everything. The connection I felt between my mind, body and spirit was something that shifted me entirely. Coming back home, I discovered a yoga studio in my community and continued to practice more regularly. 

There has always been something that has drawn me to the practice of yoga. It was something more than a physical practice. I started to question taking a teacher training to further my knowledge of yoga, with no intention to teach. My practice of yoga carried me through 2020 and all that it entailed as being a teacher and pivoting many times. In 2021, the opportunity to take an online teacher presented itself. With the encouragement from my family, I enrolled and worked on this course with enthusiasm and passion. I knew I was headed in the right direction. Although my intent was to gain knowledge, nothing more, I found myself falling in love with the art of teaching this beautiful practice. 

As a school teacher for over 20 years, I found myself drawn to teaching others, which is what I am currently doing. I find so much joy in meeting my students every week and incorporating a theme for my signature Monday gentle flow classes. These classes weave together mindfulness, yoga philosophy, asana, meditation, breath-work and intention setting. I am proud of guiding other humans towards their best selves. 

It is the sanskrit mantra: "Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu" that guide me in my mission. "May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and my the thoughts, words and actions of my own life, contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all."