Lori Lucas is a full time Yoga teacher in Vancouver. Lori teaches all levels of Hatha Yoga and specializes in Prenatal and Post natal (baby and me) Yoga. She holds certifications in Hatha, Yin, Prenatal and Kids yoga. She is a former Birth Doula and has a real love for working with moms, babies and families. 

Lori also has a passion for those with Post traumatic stress disorder and is looking forward to starting up a yoga program in early 2011 for people who are suffering with PTSD and stress related injuries.  

www.halakhouri.com

"Shanti Uganda’s work is exactly the kind of work I want to support.  They stand for empowerment and this is the most effective and sustainable way to support communities in need"

Hala Khouri, M.A., E-RYT,  has been teaching the movement arts for over 20 years. Hala earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Religion from Columbia University and has a Master's degree Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She wrote her thesis on using yoga and other complementary disciplines such as eco-psychology and somatics for self-empowerment to inspire a global shift towards peaceful and sustainable living.  Hala is one of the creators of Off the Mat, Into the World, along with Seane Corn and Suzanne Sterling.  This is a yoga and activism initiative that aims to get yogis to take their practice outside of the yoga studio and to touch the lives of others.  Hala is a mother of two children born at home. 

SARAH JULIUSSON
Ms.Sc Parent-Child Nursing, Certified Birthing From within Mentor

www.DancingStarBirth.ca & www.MamaRenew.ca

"As a mother and a birth professional, I believe it is essential to recognize and honour the connection between birthing women around the world.  While our realities and options are vastly different, we all share in the commitment to safe birth and a healthy family. Dancing Star Birth is proud to support the vital work of Shanti Uganda safeguarding healthy birth for families in need."

Dancing Star Birth and Mama Renew support hundreds of Vancouver families each year through pregnancy, birth and parenthood with innovative Birthing from Within prenatal classes, birth trauma & perinatal loss counseling, doula care & groups for new and seasoned mothers.  

Founder Sarah Juliusson, M.Sc. Parent-Child Nursing, has served in roles that include Childbirth Educator, Doula, and Maternity Nurse for 19 years, and is the mother of two boys.  She is a Certified Birthing From Within Mentor & serves as an Advisor for new teachers around the world.

RENO MUENZ 
Co-Founder of One Love Yoga

www.oneloveyoga.ca

"When I was asked if I would be interested in being involved with Shanti Uganda I jumped at the opportunity. My dream is to one day teach yoga in Africa and this is a beautiful way to serve humanity from right here in Vancouver."

Reno Muenz is an international yoga teacher, dj, and producer from Vancouver, BC. His popular classes incorporate music and the traditional teachings of Krishnamacharya’s Vinyasa Yoga. He can be found in Vancouver at Semperviva,YYOGA. and Yoga For The People, which is the home of the always irie One Love Yoga sessions. 

As a teacher I use music to inspire my students and African music has always been a major influence. One Love Yoga is about spreading the teachings of yoga through the power of Reggae & Dub music. The main message is to uplift and love all beings as One. Throughout the ages we have received these teachings from the great yoga sages, as well as the great Rastafarian teachers and Reggae singers. Since I was a child my heros have always sang songs about protecting and loving Mother Africa, and so as a man it is my mission to fulfill this. It is truly a blessing to serve the people of Uganda through the life changing power of yoga.

LOU LYNN 
Co-owner of Yoga Spirit & Little Tree Yoga

www.myyogaspirit.ca & www.littletreeyoga.com &  www.nurture-me.com

"I chose to support Shanti Uganda because as a western woman I know how fortunate I am to have the life I lead, the support I need and a voice that is heard.  Many women worldwide do not have this same privilege. This is why I wanted to be involved with Shanti Uganda because what they are doing is giving women an opportunity to better themselves and provide for their families as well as giving these women the support and empowerment that has often been lacking within their own communities. This organization works on so many levels to not only support them on the physical but also to support them on a holistic and spiritual level too. They show a wonderful sensitivity to the people they are helping and their environments and they are succeeding in uniting communities through peace and compassion so that they might heal and change their lives forever."

Lou, originally from the UK, moved to Vancouver in Feb 2007. She has been practicing yoga for over 11 years. A mother of two, she knows how important the family unit is and how difficult it can be to get a balance of things. She teaches adult classes but also specialises in kids, family, mom and baby, postnatal and prenatal yoga as well as infant massage courses throughout the city. She uses her creative skills to put fun and sparkle into her lesson plans to help kids build body awareness, parents to bond with their kids , moms to relax and build friendships and adults to find their true potential. 

Lou is a RYT and studied 200hrs with Prana College of Yoga, Vancouver and 300hrs with Sharon Gannon and David Life, in Jivamukti, in New York. She also trained with the ‘YogaKids’ Teacher Training Program, which is an extensive 310 hour children’s specialism and is a certified Infant Massage Instructor and a certified  prenatal yoga teacher. 

Her hopes are that more people will follow her lead and open yoga up to the whole community, young or old because “its never to early or late to start your yoga practice.” 

PADMA

" Yoga practice builds individual's health and confidence as it connects people to their own power. I support Shanti Uganda's yoga programs in Ugandan communities and I pray for their happiness."

Padma has hosted and produced four nationally-syndicated television series on yoga and meditation: Padma Yoga: Blissful Living,
Modern Meditations, The Elemental Series and Living Yoga with Padma. She has produced two educational DVDs, and hosted a meditation series on CBC radio. Her guided recordings are heard on Air Canada flights. Since 2000 she has taught professionals, government agencies and Hollywood celebrities.Padma, B.Sc., is certified to teach ‘Advanced Yogic Sciences and Meditation’ and ‘Hatha Yoga’ (1000-hour Senior Level) by the International Meditation Institute of India. She is a unique educator specializing in a practical, holistic and spiritual approach to wellness. Padma is respected as one of Canada’s senior meditation teachers and is highly regarded for her vast knowledge of  classical yogic studies.

Since 2003, she has been involved in getting TYS's distance-learning program off the ground. She now serves as director of Traditional Yoga Studies and also teaches Yoga classes, workshops, and retreats.

She coauthored Green Yoga and Green Dharma with her husband, Georg Feuerstein, and contributed to his book entitled The Bhagavad-Gītā: A New Translation. She is the author of The Yoga-Sutra from a Woman’s Perspective (forthcoming) and an audio entitled Yoga Nidra/Yoga Sleep (forthcoming).

In 2010 Brenda founded a spiritually based heart-centered philanthropy project called The Journey of 108. The project’s aim is to encourage people to connect more deeply while raising awareness for social and environmental causes.

DAVID NEWMAN & MIRA
Kirtan Troubadours
www.davidnewmanmusic.com

“It brings us great joy to be a part of the Shanti Uganda family. Their commitment to sharing the benefits of Yoga with communities in need is in alignment with our dharma of offering Kirtan, which brings people together in song, celebration, and prayer! We also feel deeply passionate about the importance of supporting women in natural, traditional ways of childbirth and are grateful for the Shanti Uganda projects, which empower women in this way.”

David Newman and Mira have devoted their lives to the upliftment of humanity through Love. They travel extensively singing Kirtan (devotional chanting) and sharing the spiritual, devotional, meditative and musical aspects of yoga. Their music embodies a devotional mysticism, distinctive musicality, and a deep respect for India’s ancient chant tradition. David’s sublime melodies and soothing voice combined with Mira’s ethereal vocals and rhythmic percussion create an atmosphere for healing, joy, and openness of heart.

GLORIA LATHAM
Founder of Semperviva Yoga and Director of Yoga Teacher Training
www.semperviva.com

“I am inspired by this organization as it honours the traditional wisdom of its communities and strives to improve health conditions and employment opportunities. I also appreciate getting to know the people involved and honouring their dedication to this great work.”

Gloria Latham is the founder of Semperviva Yoga, and Director of Semperviva Yoga Teacher Training College. She is known for her dynamic classes that inspire her students to both find their inner strength, and their inner peace. You can study with Gloria both in Vancouver, and on the island of Kythira, Greece.

Gloria has been inspired by the work of her fellow yoginis and friends, Gurmukh, Shiva Rea, and Seane Corn, to work through her yoga community to reach out and give back.

“As yogis, it is our responsibility to spread the peace that we have achieved through our yoga practice.”

Fundraisers at Semperviva Yoga have supported many local organizations and charities; including RainCity (RainCity Housing provides innovative, specialized housing and support services for people living with mental illness, addictions and other challenges), as well as international organizations such as War Child (dedicated to providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to war-affected children around the world)

SALLY BROWN BASSETT, Ph.D.
President – Women Like Us Foundation
www.womenlikeusfoundation.org

“I was fortunate to have visited the women that Shanti Uganda supports in that country and to see the type of sustainable projects being offered. It is incredible! It proves that a few dedicated people can truly make a difference. My goal now is to truly support Shanti Uganda’s efforts with the Birthing Center long-term. There will be trips offered to Uganda to work at the Birthing Center through Women Like Us Foundation in the future. We are glad to be involved.”

Dr. Sally Brown Bassett is a social entrepreneur, world traveler, and yogi. She has traveled to over 130 countries and has held numerous positions from airline stewardess to C.E.O. Sally went from the galley to the boardroom in 30 years in the travel industry.

Sally is president and co-founder of a non-profit called Women Like Us Foundation, dedicated to empowering and inspiring women and girls to make a difference globally and locally. This foundation has evolved with Sally’s desire to make more of an impact with global sustainable projects.

In 2003 Sally founded an organization, Peace through Yoga, which supports trips mixed with yoga, humanitarian work, and adventure. Sally enjoys teaching yoga to children as she travels around the world.

 

NIKIAH SEEDS
Woman’s Spiritual Rites Activist and Mother
www.redmoonkeeper.com

“As a woman and mother who has spent the last 10 years supporting Birth as a Rite of Passage for both myself and for other woman I know that there are some pretty simple basics that need to be in place for a woman to give birth with respect and dignity. Supporting Shanti Uganda with the birth program is an honor."

“The importance of working with Traditional Birth attendants in Uganda can not be underestimated, nor can the putting in place of basic needs such as sterile gloves, clean drinking water and support for the families waiting. Shanti Uganda is doing all of these things and more! My question is “What else can I do?”

Nikiah Seeds has been working with pregnant mothers for over a decade through teaching, doula work, and as the founder of Mama Goddess Birth Shop.

Nikiah’s newest venture is Red Moon Keeper, a website and Blog dedicated to inspiring and awakening women’s mysteries through Workshops, her Moon Blog, the creation of Sacred tools, medicine jewelry and ceremonies.

Nikiah is also a mother of two spirited and wonderful children who think that her work with Shanti Uganda is great-Partly because they are proud of their mama, but also because they have family through their dad there…