Laura Phelps
Namaste. Formerly a professional dancer and ice-skater, in 1995 Laura began to practice healing forms such as Qigong, Tai Chi, meditation, pranayama, yoga, and pilates in order to heal her body from a serious illness.
Practicing Qigong was a major breakthrough in the first phases of Laura’s recovery which opened her mind to other healing forms such as Yoga. She started teaching Qigong in 1998 and moved on to become a certified Yoga teacher. Laura specializes in Yogilates, a class that is a combination of strength training, yoga, and pilates. She also teaches Pilates, Therapeutic Yoga and Hatha flow.
Two years later, Laura completed a comprehensive Pilates certification through the PhysicalMind Institute. As a part of this training, Laura learned how to teach Pilates on the mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Barrels. This training involved a combination of classroom hours, practice, observation and assistant teaching which spanned over a two-year period. This training increased Laura’s knowledge of anatomy and ways of moving which strengthen postural muscles and promote healthy muscle recruitment patterns.
The combination of her Yoga and Pilates training has left are well-equipped to accommodate people with a wide range of illnesses and injuries in her classes.
Laura is a 500 hour registered yoga therapist and is certified through the Pilates Method Alliance (a governing body for Pilates instructors). These designations involve a rigorous study and examination process. She is also certified to certify other yoga and Pilates instructors. Laura is the studio owner and Director of all Feel Good Yoga and Pilates Teacher Training programs. For more information regarding our teacher training programs please see our yoga and pilates teacher training pages.
Are you suffering from an illness or injury that you are afraid you may be unable to overcome? Click here if you would like to read more about Laura’s Healing Journey and the obstacles that Yoga and Pilates has helped her overcome.
Jacquie Peterson
Jacquie grew up playing all kinds of team sports in Edmonton; soccer, hockey, rugby, water polo. In 2003, she began feeling extreme pain in her knees and soon to follow hips; she had to stop running. She discovered that she was hyper mobile and began taking physiotherapy to find balance within her body. This eventually led her to taking yoga classes, and she instantly fell in love with the balance and peacefulness that sprung into her life. Not only does yoga allow Jacquie to run again with ease and enjoyment, but it has inspired her into creative depths that she could never imagine.
Upon moving to Victoria in 2009, Jacquie discovered the Yoga Teacher Training program at Feel Good Yoga & Pilates. Jacquie quickly jumped on the opportunity to register, knowing that this was her path. She was extremely eager to heal others by sharing the gift of yoga. Throughout the Teacher Training course, Jacquie received so much more than she could ever have expected. She furthered her education with the Pilates Teacher Training program in the summer of 2010, and looks forward to the growth in her future. Jacquie has transformed into a Feel Good instructor, inspired by her students. She has developed a strong passion for Yoga for Runners, Yin Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, and is fortunate enough to be teaching these classes at the Feel Good Yoga studio, right where her heart lies.
Taryn Strong
At the age of three, Taryn started dancing and grew up dreaming about becoming a dance teacher ‘when she grew up’. Unfortunately, her body decided that it had had enough of the ‘no pain no gain’ mentality from dancing competitively and practicing for several hours a day. Taryn was heartbroken about the end of her dancing career but was drawn to yoga and wasn’t sure why, as she knew nothing about it except that it was ‘great for flexibility’. Taryn loved how she felt after an hour of yoga, and was very quickly learning that yoga is so much more than a physical exercise. Taryn was also learning how to drop her ego and competitive mindset, stay present, and LISTEN to your body’s limitations. Causing pain actually doesn’t gain! She was hooked! Taryn instantly fell in love with yogic philosophies and the power of transformation through the mind/body connection. Needing to share this passion with as many people as possible, She took a 300 hour teacher training program through Moksana Yoga Center in the spring of 2007.
Seeing a student before class (tired, stressed, worried, sore, sad, etc), and then the transformation AFTER class (relaxed, rejuvenated, smiling, body tension minimized or gone) is why Taryn LOVES what she does. Taryn is so grateful to have the opportunity to guide people through a journey of discovering one’s true self and mindfulness. Right now, Taryn specializes in teaching hatha, flow, restorative, kids and prenatal yoga. Taryn is also a makeup artist and has the opportunity to make people feel great about themselves from the outside-in. Anything related to assisting people to see their true, beautiful selves and feel great about themselves, is what Taryn is all about! Taryn’s ultimate goal is to become a Certified Yoga Therapist.
Join Taryn in class and leave the studio feeling balanced, strong and at ease in your body and mind.
Laura Barnes
Born and raised in Victoria, Laura had a very active childhood and adolescence and took part in everything from rowing and field hockey to gymnastics and dance. Her passion for sports lead her to a degree and career in physical education. she now teaches PE and coaches at the middle school level in Sooke where she lives.
About six years ago Laura decided to go to her first yoga class with a friend. She immediately fell in love with yoga and began practicing regularly as she noticed all the physical benefits right away. Yoga was at that point to her the same thing that all her other sports were: exercise and health benefits. After the first year of her practice she began to notice many other changes and benefits arising from the practice at a much deeper level than that of the body.
After benefiting so greatly from yoga she began to wish that she could safely and effectively bring the practice of yoga into the schools where she teaches. Almost by miraculous event she was driving home from work one day and thinking about becoming a yoga teacher when she drove by a sign on the road which said “Coming soon: Yoga Teacher Training”.
That is when Laura met Laura Phelps who very soon became her teacher, mentor, colleague, and most importantly, friend. Studying with Laura Phelps was a true gift to Laura as she was encouraged not only to practice all the yoga that she traditionally loved, but to explore many other styles and create that special personal style that all yoga teachers strive to achieve. Over the course of Feel Good Yoga Teacher Training, Laura became pregnant for the first time which led her to begin teaching prenatal yoga and Baby and Me yoga.
Laura also has a great love of practicing and teaching Hatha, Ashtanga, and Power Yoga while she continues to explore and practice many other styles of yoga. True to her positive and open hearted nature, Laura has never encountered a style of yoga that she did not enjoy. Although Laura started her serious study of yoga during the Feel Good Yoga Teacher Training Program, she now knows that the study of yoga is a lifelong pursuit which allows us to become deeply aware of our true selves. Laura currently lives in Sooke with her ever so supportive husband Josh, her beautiful daughter Abigail, and her beloved horses Ben and Nicki. She loves to meet fellow people from the Westshore and welcomes everybody to her classes with an open and truly gracious heart. Namaste.
Paula Hosking
Paula was raised in Victoria and has been involved in sports and recreation all her life. A love of the outdoors was established early with many camping trips to Sooke. Growing up, her experiences of sports and recreation began to develop her identity: getting her first bike, roller-skating, playing fast pitch by grade 2, and joining almost any sport after that (basketball, soccer, volleyball, track & field). Her passion was always fast pitch, which she continued to play while living in the lower mainland, where she also became a Recreation Therapist.
During her 14 years in the lower mainland; Paula frequented the gym, rollerbladed, skied, biked, ran, and golfed. In May of 2005, Paula gave birth to a beautiful, inspiring little boy, Tyson. During her pregnancy, she was introduced to yoga and loved the way it made her feel. After Tyson was born; Paula took occasional yoga classes through recreation centers. Boot camps infused with Yoga and Pilates helped to balance and tone Paula’s body after pregnancy.
Upon moving back to Vancouver Island in 2009; Paula was inspired to take both the Yoga and Pilates Teacher Training programs at Feel Good Yoga & Pilates studio. Initially, she planned to focus on strengthening her own practice; however, the training was such an amazing experience, she felt comfortable and excited to share this beautiful, grounding and calming practice with others. Paula now teaches a variety of amazing classes at the Feel Good Yoga studio.
Kimberly Loeb
www.innercirclehealingarts.com Kimberly Loeb is a certified Yoga instructor, Yoga therapist and Ayurveda practitioner who has been practicing and teaching Ayurveda and Yoga since 2001. She holds a minor in the philosophy and practice of Ayurveda and Yoga and is currently studying Ayurvedic massage and Marmatherapy locally.
Kimberly’s classes are rooted in the concept of "sadhana" or "the cultivation of self-realization through wholesome activities practiced in harmony with nature". She views the human body as a temple, the breath as a gateway and the practice of sadhana as a path leading to the development of one’s own intuitive ability to heal from the inside-out.
Sadhana is a philosophy of living that teaches how to bring body, mind and spirit into balance with the natural world and it is through this practice that Kimberly believes it is possible to weave the ancient philosophy of Yoga into everyday life.
Lindsay Hounslow
From a young age Lindsay was curious about religion and spirituality. She began to study eastern philosophy in her late teens and explored meditation as a way to find contentment and peace in life. After many years of dance and sports she decided to seek instruction in Yoga asana and soon found herself deeply enchanted with the physical, emotional, energetic and mental benefits of Yoga. She completed her Yoga teacher training at the Ashtanga Yoga Shala in 2006.
Since then she has taught in Invermere and in Clearwater, where she formerly worked in an integrative wellness centre. There she had the experience of teaching a wide variety of students, including loggers, grandmas, toddlers, young moms, and people recovering from injury. She is now happy to be part of the island community again and looks forward to sharing her passion with her students as they discover the nourishment, bliss, balance, and calmness that Yoga brings. When not teaching she is studying herbology, energetics and oriental medicine, guiding wilderness trips.
Carlie Graham
Carlie has spent most of her life on the West shore. Her first introduction into mind/body movement and awareness was during her intense study of the most physical of all musical families, percussion. It was during her percussion career that she suffered a serious ankle injury, eliminating all fitness options or so she thought.
Mat Pilates offered the benefits of strength, tone, and focus that helped the rest of her body, while the support of the mat allowed her ankle to heal. She came back to percussion stronger, both mentally and physically. As Carlie's percussion practice grew to a Master's so did her waistline as a result of the sedintary lifestyle of academic study. She again turned to Pilates to regain her physical health, and through her own practice decided to pursue her instructor certification.
Carlie enjoys sharing the benefits of Pilates with her students, appreciates that fitness can be found in all shapes, sizes, and ages, and strives to create an open, welcoming, and cheerful atmosphere where people want to return not only to get fit but to have fun.
Tara Meyer
Tara started training in dance at the age of nine and became a professional dancer at sixteen. For many years she has performed in various disciplines in a variety of stage shows, TV and film work. Her training includes: Princess Grace Ballet School, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Ecole Superieure de Danse, Montreal, Quebec and The Edge, Hollywood, California.
Tara began teaching in 1999 when she became an instructor and choreographer in ballet, lyrical, jazz, hip hop and belly dancing. She also taught Strength, Stretch, Flexibility and Muscle Conditioning to dancers, skaters, hockey players and women of all ages. In 2003, she was chosen by Kelly Kono (Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Dancer) as Canadian Female Dancer of the Year and offered a position with Princess Cruises where she worked as a Lead Dancer in production shows until 2008.
Having the opportunity to travel and perform abroad, Tara used her free time to expand her experience by becoming a Registered Pilates Instructor and also enrolling in an extensive Personal Fitness Trainer diploma program through NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology).
Her goal is to create a very comfortable environment so her clients get a great workout, relieve stress, gain fulfillment, feel stimulated and have fun while doing it. Her hope is to inspire people to better themselves, to enhance their self-image, and self-confidence.
Piia Jernberg-Swift
Piia fell in love with Yoga while rehabilitating after an unfortunate car accident in 2001. She had just graduated as a Practical Nurse and was studying Nursing Sciences, but unfortunately was forced to quit her studies. Piia was suffering with disc problems, muscle pain, strain, nerve impingement, and her scoliosis was making things even worse. Piia tried different healing modalities during that time; many of them relieved the pain temporarily. In 2006, her first son was born. She also discovered Pilates at this time and once again fell in love. Through her own exploration of movement; she became pain free within a year. Piia had to work on a neutral spine; as she kept all movements small, simple and cautious. She gained better understanding of body mechanics, practicing Pilates almost every day. Piia has now been pain free 4 years.
When Piia was teaching Pilates in Europe, she started naturally implementing yoga into her classes, focusing on the lymph nodes. She was very keen on all of the benefits that Yoga added to her Pilates. Meeting Laura Phelps was very inspiring for Piia. She was welcomed into the Yoga Teacher Training program at the Feel Good Studio and is truly thankful for the experience!
Piia received her Practical Nurse diploma, and Massage Therapy training in Europe. She also became a (Stott Certified) Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor and a Certified Yoga Teacher in Canada. Piia loves helping people and finds extreme joy in teaching Pilates and Yoga! She wants to spread the message of Love, and the importance of accepting people just the way they are.
