Faculty

We love yoga and feel privileged to work together to present our ever-evolving understanding of yoga from an interdisciplinary perspective. We offer an unparalleled program that is both comprehensive and rigorous. Take a deep, life-affirming dive into your potential with our esteemed faculty of Octopus Garden alumni.

Core Faculty

Darcie Ladd, E-RYT 500, YACEP (she/her): Personal Practice, Asana, Teaching Skills
After fumbling through my first year as a yoga teacher, I was hungry to further develop my teaching skills and deepen my understanding of the practice. Before I ever set foot within its doors, I had heard about Octopus Garden, almost as a myth and I increasingly discovered, it was where all of the teachers I found most inspiring had practiced and trained.

OG eventually became a second home for me. A place to study yoga, and grow as a teacher, but also a place where warm, smiles were met with warm smiles. Where people said hello and made eye contact, where conversations would naturally strike up, and where there was always, always extra space to be made in a full room. A place that I could find a good laugh, helping hand, or a warm hug when I needed it. A place dedicated to doing better, however imperfectly, and where deep inner work could be done with a balance of compassion and hope.

Yoga lives in every action. It asks me to show up every day, even when I don’t want to, or feel like I can. Like any practice, it is not always perfect, and there is more always to be done. It means understanding, there is no end-goal, or point where you will have achieved mastery. The practice is in the learning, in the journey - in the moments of picking oneself up, in the moments of responding rather than reacting, in seeing yourself in patterns, in engaging with the world with openness and kindness, and in taking accountability when you trip up.

Oh, it’s an honour to be a part of this journey, among this deep wealth of knowledge in the OG teaching community. To dive deeper into the teachings of yoga philosophy, to help new teachers harness their passions into voice, and witness the shining of light into new corners of their potential. I’m so excited just thinking about it.

Jennifer Helland, E-RYT 500, YACEP, CNP (she/her): Personal Practice, Asana, Teaching Skills
Octopus Garden has been my community for 15 years. It is where I teach and mentor new yoga teachers. It is where I have made my biggest teaching mistakes (there have been many) and where I’ve been given space to take risks, fall flat, pick myself up, learn the uncomfortable lessons and grow. It is where I first welcomed a transgender person into my class, teach people of varying ages and support students with physical disabilities. Octopus Garden is where I show up fully and strive to find accessible ways to light up parts of this big vast world of “Yoga” so that we can all live lives where we treat ourselves and each other better.

Yoga to me right now means self-care and service. Teaching during this pandemic has given me purpose, direction and the tie to a community of people that I love. Yoga in 2020 has been me learning how to holding space for my sadness and grief. It is the year where I committed to learning more about meditation and the year I chose, with a tender heart, to challenge my shame. Yoga in 2020 has also been the window into my own white, cis-gendered privilege and the lifelong part I have taken in perpetuating a system that is oppressive for so many others. We, in wellness spaces, are being asked to make our spaces safe for all bodies. I spend much of my days learning, unlearning, questioning, noticing, planning, imagining and putting into action ways I can rise up to this challenge.

I believe one of my strengths is that I am forever excited to talk about foundation. The foundation of a structure is everything. A tree’s health and resiliency are directly related to the strength of its root system. A yoga teacher needs a strong root system too and a training program provides just that. I am passionate about sharing what I’ve learned over the years and honoured to be apart of the roots from which new yoga teachers grow.

Pat Harada Linfoot, E-RYT 500, YACEP (she/her): Restorative, Meditation, Personal Practice, Asana, Teaching Skills
What is your history / relationship to OG:

17 years ago Scott, JP, and I spent several days and many hours brainstorming names for our new studio. Scott wanted something that signified 8 limbs, namely "Octopus" which is Greek for eight-footed. I wanted a name that embraced community. And J-P? Well J-P is a Beatles fan and we laughed when he suggested Octopus Garden and said No! But we kept laughing everytime we considered it. The rest they say, is history.

What yoga means to me in 2022:

I am a slow learner! It took me years to ask “why?” and to begin the process of unlearning and learning. Thank you yoga for providing me with a method of inquiry in which to explore my body, breath, mind, and spirit with soft eyes. It is my firm belief that yoga is love and that we realize this through connection and intimacy with ourselves and others.

Why I'm passionate to be a part of teacher training:

I’ve been teaching classes, workshops, retreats, and TT programs for 24 years and I estimate that this will be my 53rd training! I am passionate about teaching in our yoga education programs because I’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by the very best teachers and students. I’m inspired by the rich, collaborative process of mentoring—of developing the sacredness and uniqueness of each person’s voice. It is such a privilege to present a constellation of our ever-evolving understanding of yoga from an interdisciplinary perspective. Belonging to a community of teachers and practitioners is the best way that I know to manifest transformation.

Guest Faculty

Anne Cloutier: Yoga is not magic: people getting together to practice and better their lives with yoga is. Octopus Garden has always gotten this and continues to do so with offerings like this training. Some aspect of my having participated in the OG community enriches my life daily - after practicing all over Toronto and wherever my feet would land on this planet, I chose to do my 500 and restorative YTTs at Octopus because it has the most thorough curriculum and supportive environment for learning. I discovered new streams of yoga knowledge, met some of the best friends I've ever had and learned through being mentored and assisting there how to "know in the now", and teach the 8 limbs to students where they are.

Yoga has made me a freer and braver person. With almost 20 years of practice, it is a constant companion, a soft place to land, an inclination to constantly learn, a fine gold thread running along my spine: it moves through me and I move through it, asking that i remain open and choose intention overreaction.

If you are keen on learning more about yoga, a setting where insights and challenges are openly experienced is essential. Group YTT is the best opportunity to learn this way, and only if it also encourages the diversity working with your multi-faceted future students requires. I'm excited about how yoga training is changing right now and grateful to be able to contribute learnings from my many teachers.

Athena Lamarre: Athena is an actor, aerial coach, clown and yoga practitioner who has had the great privilege of teaching children and adults these same modalities for the last two decades.

Upon graduating from George Brown Theatre School in 2003, Athena found an affinity for circus arts and the dynamic practice of Ashtanga yoga. Eventually living and teaching in NYC for five years which had a deep impact on the scope of her teaching and continues to do so to this day.

After moving back to Toronto in 2017 she completed her 500 hour training at Downward dog Yoga Centre, joining the teacher training faculty in 2020, and is thrilled to be part of the esteemed faculty at Octopus Garden. What excites her about teaching trainings is the opportunity to share the insights that have developed her own skills. Dissecting information in a way that sheds light on perhaps a new perspective. The possibility of a different view through a new lens, so that practitioners can gain and utilize the tools to guide themselves and those in front of them with a fresh and personal approach.

She has had the great fortune of studying yoga asana with influential teachers such as David Regelin, Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, Ron Reid, Diane Bruni and Simon Park.

Athena brings humor and generosity into her teaching, allowing students to openly express who they are in a safe, honest, and supportive environment.

J-P Tamblyn-Sabo: Pat Harada Linfoot, Scott Davis and I founded Octopus Garden in 2005. In the 5 years co-directing Octopus and its teacher training program, I learned invaluable lessons about community, connection, positive leadership, and teaching yoga in ways that put students’ needs first, over dogma or ideology. These lessons were integral to the creation of Ahimsa Yoga in 2010, where I have been teaching ever since.

As I see it, Yoga in 2022 is, in essence, if not exactly in practice, the same for me as it has been for several years now. It presents the path to greater health, clarity, and balance, and with it, greater sustainability. What we specifically need to move towards those ends this year may be different than in years past, but that principle trajectory still remains the same. Yoga has been a tool of vital importance for me to not just survive the pandemic-era, but to continue to grow within it.

I am excited to be a part of the Octopus teacher training for a couple of reasons. First, I just think it’s a really fun idea to reconnect with the Octopus community this way, 15 years after we launched the first one, and 10 years after my last involvement with the OG YTT. Pat and I have been friends for so long that when she first brought the idea up, it felt like such a beautiful way to come full circle and reconnect to these roots. Also, it feels as though my time immersed in the principles and practice of Ahimsa (and the other Yamas and Niyamas) has equipped me to share some highly relevant and practical insights into these aspects of yoga in any time and situation, but especially for people navigating the myriad challenges we are confronting in 2022.

Kelly Sullivan, BFA, M.Ed, RYT-500 (she/her): I was serendipitously introduced to yoga over 15 years ago by a studio across the hall from my dance studio – a place I spent most of my waking hours from the ages of 4-18. While dance was my first introduction to an embodied practice, yoga changed the game for me – it allowed me to deepen my connection to self through not solely movement, but also meditation, stillness, and philosophy. As I aged out (and injury-ed out) of my dance career, practicing yoga quickly became the place where I found solace. Showing up on the mat taught me how to show up for myself, and when regular meditation became a non-negotiable in my life, it provided me with an opportunity to work through transformative change that would challenge and uproot parts of self that most needed to be unearthed.

As a movement practitioner, I have been leading educational movement and creative spaces for over 15 years, so it was a natural progression to complete my 200 and 300-hour trainings at Octopus Garden. In between these two trainings, I also completed a Master of Education with a focus on bringing a holistic and anti-oppressive lens to curriculum and pedagogy. Professionally, I seek to find ways to bring these two worlds together – to enmesh the worlds of yoga and academia – and being involved in teaching teachers is a perfect union of these two seemingly disparate parts. As an educator at heart, I strive to hold space in a way that empowers, while promoting self-advocacy, both on and off the mat. As a multi-faceted professional who is often wearing multiple hats, my work outside of yoga – particularly around equity and belonging in my 2SLGBTQ+ soccer league – greatly informs my work in yoga, and vice versa. Rather than leaving parts of myself at the door as a yoga facilitator and teacher trainer, I hope to bring all of myself, so that it might empower others to do the same, truly bringing the eight-limbed practice of yoga to life.

Nicola Francis (she/her):  My relationship with yoga started 15 years ago, as a way to bring movement into my past corporate professional life. It wasn’t until years later, through the weight of life’s obstacles, that I realized the profound impact yoga had on my heart, mind and overall well being. Yoga has been a way for me to slow down, connect inward and begin the process of choosing to live fully. Gratefully embracing all of the joy and challenge in this life, learning and unlearning as I go.

As a professional Life:Work Wellness Coach, I offer the practices of yoga to cultivate inner stillness, for humans to connect with their all knowing selves. I believe that this deeper connection allows purpose to be enlightened. When we move, breathe and choose, in alignment with our purpose, the world becomes a brighter place for all. 

Octopus Garden has been a space where the roots of my personal and teaching yoga practice have flourished, having completing over 600+ hours of training all in this beautiful community. I am forever thankful to the many mentors, teachers and friends that I have had the opportunity to study with and learn from. I’m passionate about being a part of the faculty for this YTT program because when like-minded humans gather in a teacher training, choosing to deepen learning, magic happens. The lines of student, teacher, new-to-practice and those with more experience become blurred - this excites me! The opportunity to both, share my experiences and take in all the unique perspectives of those in the space, ignites my passion for being on this path and sharing yoga to support the lives of all humans, on and off the mat.

Nya Daley (she/her): Nya is an Atlanta-based yoga facilitator, social worker, and equity, diversity, and inclusion educator. Her relationship with yoga began 9 years ago after years of competitive sports. Nya earned her 200hr Yoga certification in 2017 and continues to study and share the gifts and applications of yoga on and off the mat.

In 2019, Nya founded Soulga Yoga & Wellness, a wellness collective that nurtures the growth and thriving of BIPOC wellness facilitators through movement, education, and mentorship. She is committed to centering the voices and experiences of racialized people in the wellness industry.

Nya's teachings are informed by years of serving marginalized communities. Her inclusive approach to yoga empowers anyone to practice—regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, or level of ability. Nya is passionate about teaching yoga facilitators how to create safer spaces by critically examining their values, identity, social position, and power.

Phil Jacobs: Phil is a Musician, Sound Healer, Integrative Vibrational Therapist, Medical Qi-Gong  Practitioner, Plant Medicine Guide and retired (13 Years practice) Traditional Chinese Medicine  practitioner and Acupuncturist based in Toronto. Phil is the Founder of Toronto Sound Therapy. 

He has been therapeutically using Vibro-Acoustic therapy (VAT), Sound and Song for many  years in his private practice for Mental Health, Addictions and Chronic Illness, offering in  person and online virtual Healing, Integrated Yoga and Meditation sessions.  

Integrating multi-disciplinary training from Schools, Institutions, Universities and Life  experience throughout UK, Canada, Guatemala, and China, his Training includes Intensive  Experience in Plant Medicine in Yelapa, Mexico and Toronto, Canada with Dr. Gabor Maté. 

Phil combines his University Level Training in Music and Mathematics his first real Love and Relationship is with Music, Sound, and Vibration. He brings together 40 years love of Music with his intensive training in Integrative Health, Eastern Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Medical Qi Gong, Mindfulness Meditation & Contemplative Therapy, Relational Psycho-Somatic Therapy and Sound Therapy to create a safe space for you to attain your mind and body connection, and is deeply committed to guiding you to draw from your own inner wisdom to facilitate self healing.

At the core, magick is birthed in co-collaboration and co-creation, Phil is extremely grateful to share and stoke the fires of Creativity, Embodiment, Transformation, Transcendence, and Interdependence in this year’s YTT Training.

Ron Reid: Ron Reid has been practicing Yoga for over 40 years and teaching since 1988. He is the former co-owner and Director of Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, Canada. 

Ron has studied in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath both in India and North America beginning in 1995 and was one of the first Canadian teachers to be authorized by Pattabhi Jois. Ron has also studied classical hatha yoga for many years prior with Yogi Krishan Siddhu. Ron has completed an “Advanced Pranayama” training with Sri O.P. Tiwari from the Kaivalyadhama Institute in Pune, India and continues his advanced pranayama study with Sri Sudhir Tiwari. 

In addition to regular online classes and trainings, he conducts workshops and teacher trainings in Canada, the U.S., Europe, the U.K. Asia, and various conferences around the world (since 2000).

Ron is one of Canada’s top teachers, approaching teaching in an inspired, informed and non-dogmatic way. He places the needs of the students ahead of the demands of the practice. While continuing to teach and practice the ashtanga vinyasa system as a foundation, he endeavors to blend tradition with innovation, and to balance precision with grace. Students will find his refined approach to the practice of asana and pranayama both challenging and rewarding.

Ron is also an accomplished musician and composer and performs with his partner Marla  Meenakshi Joy under their group name “Swaha” www.swaha.ca.

Salma Oomer:  Yoga is my soulmate.Since leaving my post as a high school world issues teacher I have been on a magical yoga journey through over a thousand hours of yoga teacher training in different pockets of the world. I am forever a student of the practice and I am deeply grateful for the loving wisdom my teachers have shared with me.

For me, yoga is nothing short of a magic, bringing us out of our heads and into our bodies where we are free to breathe and be. My classes incorporate gentle breath work and flowing vinyassas rooted in the ancient wisdom of yoga philosophy. I consider it a great honour to hold safe space for students to calm their minds, grow their physical strength, and connect to the spiritual self.

Bring your magic carpet and let’s move, breathe and connect."

Peer Mentors

Bryn Jennings (she/her): I came to yoga through a twisty and winding path. For about a decade I would drop into a group class here and there, but then seven years ago I showed up and I stayed. From there hundreds of hours of study, practice, teaching, and inquiry have unfolded. 

I have completed two 200-hour Teacher Trainings (Kula Yoga, Return Yoga), 50-hour Yin Teacher Training (Bernie Clarke), and 40-hour Restorative Teacher Training (Octopus Garden), as well as countless workshops and trainings in subjects from anatomy to philosophy to the intersections of yoga and social justice. While asana, pranayama, and chant all play a significant role in my practice, Jnana Yoga (the “path of knowledge”) is what truly calls to my heart and leads me deeper on the yogic path. I am currently engaged in a deep study of the Yoga Sutras under the guidance of my primary teacher, Karin Carlson, a process that will take about five years to complete. 

It is such a privilege to join the Octopus Garden YTT team as a peer mentor. I look forward to supporting you as you embark on this incredible journey!

Eileen Leung: Eileen was introduced to this beautiful practice as a student in New York, and it has offered her community, constancy, and bliss in her years living in Hong Kong and finally back in her hometown of Toronto. Her approach to yoga centres on stability, the grace in breath, and the joy of movement. She continues to be inspired by the wisdom and clarity of her many teachers and is honoured to share this practice with others.

Erica Connolly: Erica began to practice yoga and meditation while struggling to find balance in a world moving seemingly too quickly. After a few years of practice her curiosity of "what is yoga?" sent her into a 200-hour YTT. Since then, she has continued to expand her education in movement completing a Yin Yoga Teacher training, Inclusive and Trauma informed Training with New Leaf Foundation, Yoga Detour with Cecily Milne and most recently her 300-hour YTT with Downward Dog Yoga. Sometimes a teacher and always a student - Erica can often be found attending workshops, intensives and taking classes with her mentors throughout Toronto.

Erica is passionate about making yoga accessible and creates classes focused on slowing down to notice your breath, connecting with your body, and meeting yourself exactly where you are that day.

Joan Cordoba: Joan discovered yoga when she was a busy mom of 2 young children. It was the solitude she needed for mind & body recalibration & fitness and it offered a sense of calm & strength. Yoga became a source of wisdom, physically & emotionally, that she carries with her today. Fast forward 19 years, she obtained her 200hr yoga teaching certificate in June 2019 and her 50hr Restorative teaching certificate in March 2019 under the guidance of Pat Harada-Linfoot, YuMee Chung, and Nicky Poole at Octopus Garden Yoga in Toronto. At the end of 2020, she completed the 300hr yoga teacher training at Downward Dog Yoga Centre under Pat Harada-Linfoot, Ron Reid, and Marla Joy with areas of concentration in Modern Day Asana & Yoga Detour under Cecily Milne. Joan encourages her students to have integrity in their practice, listen to the wisdom of their bodies, challenge themselves, find their compassionate edge, and to emulate this in their daily life.

Leen-Jan van 't Hof: Originally from The Netherlands, Leen-Jan (aka L-J) is a Toronto-based educator who combines a passion for teaching history in elementary and high school settings, sailing on Lake Ontario and -most recently- movement and stillness through yoga and meditation. After moving from Amsterdam to Toronto he found his yoga community at Octopus Garden and completed 500 hours of teacher training here to deepen his practice. Teaching turned out to be the way towards a deeper understanding of body and mind through movement and breath.

For L-J, ultimately, all teaching is a way of supporting people to fulfill their potential: he loves to spark curiosity and to invite people to take what they find in his classroom, on the water or on the mat, into the world.