KARIN KRONSTAL (she/her)
GROUP FITNESS CERTIFIED, KEISER + SCHWINN INDOOR CYCLING CERTIFIED, BARRE INSTRUCTOR CERTIFIED
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: July 2021
Music: I always provide a range for target speed, but I often time the drills to the music (speeding up during the chorus, for example, or adding resistance every time a lyric is repeated.)
Genre: Lots of pop and old-school hip-hop. I love a good theme class too (who doesn't love Dolly Parton??)
Fave Spin Songs: So many! Honestly my favourite part of teaching is the playlists. I'm a huge Lizzo fan so she makes regular appearances (as well as having her own theme class).
Philosophy: My goal is to provide a safe, fun workout that also has opportunities to push yourself a little further than you would on your own. We work harder together.
Mantras: "Come get what you came for." People come to class for different reasons...stress relief, a serious sweat, or just to relax and forget about everything else for an hour! Time is diamonds, and you chose to be here - so we want to make sure you get what you need out of it.
Favourite Spin Drill: I like to alternate between interval/speed work and climbing - my favourite drill has both back to back (moving straight from a sprint into a standing climb with added resistance).
ABOUT KARIN:
A lifelong cardio enthusiast, Karin became a certified group fitness and spinning instructor in 2005. Quickly, she became an evangelist for the benefits of indoor cycling for everyone from the serious cyclist to the complete novice.
Karin has taught bootcamp, dance and cycling fitness classes in Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax, and is pleased to be part of the awesome team at Zen Revolution.
She loves bringing her positive and energetic teaching style to the studio, and yelling things like, "That's not sweat on your brow, it's the fountain of youth!"
Karin and her partner have a new addition to the family, a baby girl who recently turned one year old.
You can catch Karin on the bike on Saturdays at 9:00 am!
TAYLOR OSWALD (she/her)
SCHWINN INDOOR CYCLING CERTIFIED + NATIONAL COACHING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM COACH
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: JUNE 2022
To the Beat of the Music or RPM-based?: To the beat for sure - which is hard enough to count, let alone figuring out the exact BPM to match your RPM. Sometimes, though, I go off-piste and ride as my heart guides us...which is to say, off beat...
Spin Genre: Most classes we go on a Pop Journey - songs from the 70's to a few modern gems. I do love a few sneaky country songs interspersed in a ride.
Favourite Spin Songs: Proud Mary - Tina Turner, Wake Me Up - Avicii, Bills - Lunchmoney Lewis and The Distance - Cake.
Spin Style or Philosophy: Leave it all on the bike - all of your angst and energy. Come as you are, and push your own limits - swear in your head ... and keep going. We're pushing together.
Spin Mantras: Time to dig deep and feel the burn. Don't let yourself off the hook - push your comfort zone.
Favourite spin drill: Who doesn't love a climb that makes you grunt with exertion?? All about that endurance climb, followed by another endurance climb and perhaps just one more cheeky climb.
ABOUT TAYLOR:
After sweating through 100's of hours on the spin bike, Taylor decided to undertake instructor training in 2014 - it was time to bring her own flair to the grunting and grinding of a good class.
Taylor wanted to extol the mental and physical benefits of spin to a wide and diverse audience. Having played sports her whole life and coached Special Olympics most of her adult life, Spin instructor seemed like an excellent addition to her repertoire.
Taylor brings a lot of fun and quick wit to her classes, she brings good enthusiasm (and a few country songs) to the studio.
As a new mom to baby Beau, Taylor has kindly agreed to come back for a class - you can catch her in the saddle on the regular on Mondays at 5:30 pm!
ALICIA MEEK (she/her)
GROUP FITNESS CERTIFIED, BARRE INSTRUCTOR CERTIFIED,
500-HR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
Alicia recently moved from Vancouver, where she taught fitness classes for over a decade. She is a dynamic instructor, always creating high-energy, fun classes with music to get you moving. Alicia brings a burst of enthusiasm to every class, with her own methods of keeping you motivated and feeling successful.
Alicia has completed Yoga Teacher Trainings in Costa Rica, Australia, and Canada. In her Vinyasa classes, she focuses on strengthening each muscle group with an invigorating flow, while deeply stretching and opening the joints. Her goal is to help you regain mobility while creating a foundation of endurance and strength. Alicia also teaches calming and meditative Yin and Yoga Nidra classes.
Alicia is also a Nutritionist, Herbalist, and foraging guide. She can create a salad using the greens and flowers from your backyard while sharing their nutritional value and how they can support your health. She is also a professional Tarot reader, using the cards to offer spiritual guidance for life's decisions, big and small.
For Alicia's Barre class, each class is taught to the beat - every movement is in rhythm to the music - keeping your mind and body connected. This builds a slow heat and works muscles you forgot you had. She makes the moves easy to follow and the class fun for everyone - and for her spin classes, she spins like she dances!
With popular latin songs, plus an infusion of top 40, reggae and dancehall, students often ask Alicia for her playlists. In certain songs, she provides the choice of incorporating weights to achieve a full-body workout. This class is beginner-friendly, with easy-to-follow movements. Song requests are welcomed!
CARA DENNEY (she/her)
PERSONAL TRAINER, SPIN CERTIFIED
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: MARCH 18, 2024
ABOUT CARA:
Cara cares deeply about helping somebody go through an experience that makes them happy, confident and strong! She has been a personal trainer and spin instructor since 2005.
She's committed to helping you on your fitness journey whether you're new and intimidated, tired and fed up or eager and looking for that next PB - she want to help you discover the benefits of spin for your body and the joys of training in a fun technical class.
She loves to mountain bike; snowboard and train and teach Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
As a mother of 2 girls, and a business owner, I understand the importance of finding that fitness health balance in your life and I am excited to inspire your spin ride and help you meet your milestone and goals!
ALEX WALKER (she/her)
500-HOUR RED DOOR YOGA CERTIFIED
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: OCTOBER, 2024
ABOUT ALEX:
Alex completed her 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Kavita Maharaj at Red Door Yoga (RDY) in 2013, and has had the privilege of teaching at RDY for the last 15 years. She had previously taught Yoga at VI Fitness and Studio 108.
Alex was initially drawn to the philosophy of Yoga as she sought to articulate the framework of values and beliefs that underpinned my work as a counselor. As she learned about the 8-limbed path and other aspects of Yoga, she realized that she would be a life-long student.
As a teacher and practitioner, she resonates with Vinyasa flow-style classes. She loves the process of inviting the body to open through thoughtful movement that is aligned with breath. She is also drawn to Yin as a practice that cultivates feminine-energetic qualities of softness and receptivity, and invites deep stillness.
We are all in constant evolution and need to give ourselves permission to find our balance between challenge and ease. As her body ages, her teaching and personal practice have become more moderate. She encourages students to develop the capacity to sense into their bodies and make choices that serve their bodies well.
In all of her classes, she likes to craft interesting sequences coupled with internal focus. Each class is a journey on the mat and a journey within. She hopes you’ll join her.
SARAH ELSON-HAUGAN (she/her)
YOGA INSTRUCTOR
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: SEPTEMBER 2024
ABOUT SARAH: Sarah comes to the ZEN Community with many years experience practicing yoga, teaching yoga and being a part of yogi-centric events. Sarah's full-time work is with SD69, as the VP of Kwalikum Secondary. She teaches a super lovely Restorative Yoga on Friday nights!
More info coming soon!
SUZANNE BATEMAN (she/her)
SPIN INSTRUCTOR
INSTRUCTOR START DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2024
ABOUT SUZANNE: INFO COMING SOON!
SARAH LANE (she/her)
GROUP FITNESS CERTIFIED, SCHWINN INDOOR CYCLING CERTIFIED, BARRE Above CERTIFIED, 500-HR RED DOOR YOGA TEACHER CERTIFIED + STUDIO OPERATOR
OPENING DAY, JULY 17, 2018
To the Beat of the Music or RPM-based?: Mine is definitely to the beat of the music (some is just really high energy music done with different speeds)
Spin Genre: I play a lot of EDM and pop that is beat-heavy - but also love high energy indie and rock that inspires some good movement
Favourite Spin Songs: Anything beat-heavy and energizing - including Eminem - running at 85 RPM or maybe some fun sprint drills to Mumford and Son's I WILL WAIT, but lots from many genres starting in the 80s (very little disco and country in my repertoire!)
Spin Philosophy: I do get bored being in the saddle too long, so we are up out of our seats moving to a variety of drills to distract you from the work. We are all here to move our bodies - meet your body where you are at - and do what you can - slowly you will see your spin capacity increase, which builds confidence. Challenge yourself, and you will surprise yourself. No challenge, no progress. Push your personal envelope just a little each class and you will see change - guaranteed! But YOU have to do the work (add tension) and put in the time (consistency). It is really all up to you!
Spin Mantras: Know your limit and spin within it! Close your eyes, breathe and find your flow - dig deep - YOU'VE GOT THIS! I like to encourage mindfulness, a calm confidence and powerful execution in class and love to encourage with 'strong legs, strong minds'!
Favourite spin drill: I love a good seated climb, standing climb, standing sprint three move combo, repeated two or three times!
ABOUT SARAH + THE STORY BEHIND ZEN:
Sarah is a CanfitPro Group Fitness Instructor Specialist, certified Schwinn Indoor Cycling instructor, certified BARREabove instructor and certified 500-HR Red Door Yoga Teacher.
Born in Port Alberni and growing up in Victoria, Sarah carries Vancouver Island culture in her heart. Having travelled extensively and having had the experience of living abroad, in Australia twice, Taiwan for three years and Thailand for a year, she is globally conscious.
With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Sarah ran a conference planning business for a decade, planning and executing conferences across Canada and obtained her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2017. Spin helped her overcome the pressures of one of the top five most stressful jobs (Forbes, 2017). Realizing the pressures, and unwanted stress of this profession while raising a family, Sarah felt it was important to re-evaluate careers.
Opportunities moved her in to health, wanting to chase spin, the tool that had helped her maintain a healthy mind set during a decade of high-pressure work. Being a fitness instructor has ensured exercise is party of her daily life! She wanted to help others get exercised and feeling good doing their daily activities.
Sarah has always been active and had just completed her first marathon before moving to Taiwan in 2001, where she discovered SPINNING classes at the first World Gym in Taichung. She fell in love with this great, high-energy, cardio-pumping, low-impact workout immediately. She was lucky to find a community of like-minded spinthusiasts who used SPINNING to train for their epic Sunday road biking journeys throughout Taiwan's countryside.
During the pandemic, yoga presented itself to Sarah and Sarah pursued yoga, earning her 200-hr training, and then her 500-hr teacher level through the Red Door Yoga Teacher Training program with founder, Kavita Maharaj.
She is a lifetime learner and has enjoyed discovering the structures of poses, the different kids of yoga -and most beautifully, Ayurvedic philosophy and teachings. She has found solace in the physical, mental and spiritual benefits to doing asanas (held poses) and meditation, as a great antidote to the hustle of maintaining a busy schedule and a nice compliment to the intensity of spin and barre.
In her time away from the studio, she enjoys spending time at their cabin in the woods on Spider Lake, growing food, playing records, sudoku and games with her hubby, three kids and fur baby, Jazzy. Follow what you love to love what you do. Let's roll!
GUEST TEACHER: JULIE HORWOOD
YOGA THERAPIST + YOGA NIDRA GUIDE
Julie is inspired to support others to find more balance, joy and peace through her teachings. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from over 30 years as a registered nurse, and 12 years as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. Over the past 6 years, exploring mindfulness through stillness and gentle movement has led Julie to develop a Restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra practice.
Yoga Nidra is an amazingly restful, healing practice. A guided meditation exploring layers of the body (Koshas) leads to a state similar to deep sleep. A 30-minute practice is said to be equivalent to 3 hours of deep sleep. Yoga Nidra can improve the quality of sleep, providing a much needed tool for many of us. Restorative Yoga is the perfect avenue for developing a mindfulness practice and preparing the body for yoga Nidra through breath, body and thought awareness. Yoga Nidra following a Restorative practice is like the icing on a cake, offering a truly deep rest before heading back into the daily routine.
We would like to welcome Julie to our community, and thank her for sharing her knowledge with our community. Julie runs her own yoga studio - Six Persimmons - if you don't catch her for a Yoga Nidra at ZEN, her doors are open to our community, there, too!