Core Faculty

Darcie Ladd, ERYT-500, YACEP

Darcie's own yoga practice has been a powerful centering force in her life. In connecting to her body through breath and movement she found solace, connection to self and purpose. Her passion for yoga continued to deepen over the course of several years, eventually leading her to leave her career as a corporate executive to fully immerse herself in studying and teaching yoga. 

Since then, Darcie’s passion for teaching yoga has only grown – after completing her initial 200-hour teacher training, she was driven to pursue further knowledge including an additional over 500 hours of training including a 300-hour Advanced Teacher Training, 50-hour Restorative Yoga as well as multiple 30+ Pre/Postnatal Yoga teacher trainings. As a mother of two who practiced and taught during and after pregnancies, she has a special love for supporting new parents at all stages of the journey and creating a sense of community through movement classes.

Darcie has a distinct passion for anatomy and biomechanics and continues to dive deeply into her own studies in these fields. Recently she has participated in a number of 3-day dissection lab with Jules Mitchell, as well as various other Continuing Education courses. Her curiosity and love for the human body drives her creative and explorative perspective to teaching asana. Her classes are often infused with a balance of fluidity, mobility and strength, while deeply respecting the meditative aspects of the yoga tradition.

Darcie has previously served as Core Faculty in the 200-hour, 300-hour and Restorative Teacher Trainings at Octopus Garden, and has held positions as assistant faculty in numerous other trainings. Darcie also holds an Hons Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, which is where she first encountered some of the history and philosophy tied to yoga and it’s lineages.



Nicola Francis, RYT-500, ACC

Nicola’s relationship with yoga started over 15 years ago, as a way to bring movement into her corporate professional life. It wasn’t until years later, through the weight of life’s obstacles, that she realized the profound impact yoga had on her heart, mind and overall well-being. Yoga has been both the practice and the process for her to slow down and begin choosing to live courageously. 

After completing the 200-Hour Fundamentals teacher training at Octopus Garden, Nicola completed the 300-Hour Advanced, Restorative, Pranayama and Pre/Post Natal and Yoga Tune Up® teacher trainings. She is a certified Life & Wellness coach with the International Coaching Federation where she applies the practice and process of yoga off the mat, in partnership with clients.

As a Wellness Coach, yoga teacher and mother of two little ones, Nicola values truth, courage, connection and time and is passionate about offering practices that cultivate inner stillness. She knows the vast change that can come from parenthood and is dedicated to empowering those on the journey, to move, breathe and live in alignment with their intention and purpose.

 

Guest Faculty

Shelley-Anne Castro, Certified Prenatal Barre Teacher & RYT500 Yoga Teacher

Shelley-Anne Castro (she/her) is a certified RYT500, Barre and Pilates instructor. After a professional career as a dancer and singer and decade long venture in the cruise line industry abroad, she has travelled to over 150 countries and performed on various stages across the globe behind amazing musicians, entertainers, including televised performances like the Juno’s, Canadian Urban Music Awards, and iHeart Radio Much Music Video Awards.

Owner of The Toronto Barre Collective, she is also working as a movement coach in artist development and programming dance education with the Harbourfront Centre and TDCSB. Her passion is in educating performing artists about health and wellness to prolong the physical demands of their careers. During her yoga certification, Shelley-Anne fell in love with meditation and aims to ignite the conversation and connection between the mind and body. She is proud to be practicing at Octopus Garden and excited to engage in community with you!

https://www.barrecollectiveto.com

 

Dr. Lara Jacob, Naturopathic Doctor

Dr. Lara graduated from CCNM in 2013 and has been serving as a naturopathic doctor for ten years in Toronto. She has a heart centered practice and appreciates her role in complementing and filling gaps in conventional care for people seeking to optimize their health. She has a clinical focus in fertility and reproductive health and enjoys seeing her patients go from preconception to becoming parents.

She loves to help people:

  • Regulate their cycles

  • Feel energetic and sleep well

  • Break a cycle of frequent colds/flus/infections

  • Get their digestion running smoothly

  • Nourish their bodies

  • Find pleasure in their lives and relationships

  • Feel grounded and comfortable in their own skin

Lara has had the privilege of supporting over forty women in birthing their babies in her role as a birth doula. She is a passionate birth advocate and is also a mom of two now teenaged boys.

http://www.larajacobnd.com

 

Trang Bùi MSc PT, Orthopaedic & Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Certified Pilates & Yoga Teacher

Trang’s personal experience with pelvic pain inspired her to pursue post-graduate training in pelvic health rehabilitation. She understands the challenge most people have with getting in touch with the pelvic floor, and knows how difficult it is to find the right advice and guidance. Using evidence-based knowledge and techniques, she can help all genders to recover from pelvic floor dysfunction caused by various life events such as pregnancy, post-partum, post-menopause, post-urological or post-gynaecological surgery. She is a proud member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and Global Pelvic Health Alliance.

Trang believes that each person, even those with the same condition, require a unique and holistic treatment plan, so she is continually learning from and consulting with other experts on best practices.

Her diverse skill set including manual therapy, neurofunctional acupuncture, soft tissue release, and visceral mobilization technique gives her the versatility to tailor treatments to meet specific needs. With a background as a certified Pilates and yoga instructor, Trang can help you get in touch with your body and move better!

https://www.invigophysio.com