ABOUT OUR TEACHERS

Carla Wainwright . . .

is one of the founders and owners of Chinook Yoga. She went to her first yoga class in 1995 not really knowing what to expect, but was instantly hooked! Not naturally flexible, Carla found early classes challenging but continued to persevere and began to feel a deeper connection between mind, spirit and body. Carla’s passion for yoga grew, and she began teaching in 1999. Today she teaches a wide range of classes - from Vinyasa Flow to Yin Yoga to Pre-Natal, and leads yearly yoga international yoga retreats and teacher trainings. As a mother with 3 children, yoga has become even more important in her life, as it has helped her stay flexible and grounded with a deep sense of well-being despite a much more busy life! Carla has completed a 500 hour yoga instructor certification program with a specialization in prenatal yoga. She continues to upgrade her training with retreats and workshops wherever possible and loves to bring some fabulous instructors up to Prince George for our community to enjoy. Carla is senior member of the SOYA Teacher Training Faculty, a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance (ERYT500) and a member with the International Yoga Teacher's Association.  Carla also works as a Doctor of Medical Heilkunst and Homeopathy and is also one of the creators of the Dharma Desk. Her personal website can be found at www.carlawainwright.com.


Jaylene Paivarinta . . .

first started practicing yoga in 2005 with her twin girls at Chinook Yoga's mom and baby class.  She soon recognized the benefits the practice of yoga brought into her life, as well as a way to get out of the house!  Motivated from a perspective of how to build a business while still spending time with her young girls she explored the SOYA teacher training.  After a 2 year journey she graduated in January 2010 as a 500 hour level yoga teacher and also had a new  perspective.....what had initially been a possibility for a business had become a way of life.  Jaylene was starting to tune in to the subtleties a regular yoga practice could bring to your life such as the accessibility to moments of peace amidst our days!  She also began to recognize that yoga would work well with her background as a Registered Kinesiologist and help people move in to better function from an injury or illness.  She began training with Susi Hately of Functional Synergy and started a year long yoga therapy teacher training program in 2009.  Yoga therapy is Jaylene's favourite class to teach at Chinook Yoga and she continues to learn from her students every class.  On a continuous yoga exploration Jaylene set off to Toronto in July 2010 for the month long Moksha teacher training.  She is excited to share the Moksha hot yoga series with the Prince George community!  As one of the owners of Chinook Yoga Jaylene is looking forward to being a part of the growth of yoga in the Prince George community.

Jeff Lutes . . .

is an enthusiastic teacher of Hatha yoga with a little vinyasa, power yoga, the yoke, and good times thrown in. He is also an owner of Chinook Yoga. Since his first experience of doing Yoga with a friend’s book on a cold winter’s night for five hours, his practice, with ebb and flow, has been a happy and fulfilling relationship in understanding himself and the world around him. He completed his 200hr SOYA teacher training in Mexico in February 2010 with Mugs McConnell and Carla Wainwright. Jeff is influenced by the teachings of Erich Schiffmann with whom he completed a ten day teacher training workshop in August 2010. His practice and classes are focused on exploring where one can go with body, mind and spirit.

Ken Gleeson . . .

has been practicing and teaching yoga since the mid 90's. He is one of the founders of Chinook Yoga. Ken initially started practicing yoga as a form of exercise and stretching. He later became aware that yoga not only stretched and toned his body, making it stronger and more flexible, but also relieved stress from both body and mind.During his studies with SOYA Ken quickly realized that yoga was a spiritual journey for him. The philosophy laid out in the ancient yoga texts answered many questions on life for him, as well as verifying some of his thoughts and ideas on life. Ken integrates this feeling of spirituality into his yoga classes.

In his yoga class Ken practices a flow style of yoga, moving from one pose to another, pausing briefly to experience each pose. He encourages students to work to their own level while respecting their body and any personal limitations they may have, but also provide the opportunity for personal challenge. Practicing yoga with these ideas in mind he guides, cautions and encourages students through the class.

Adene Rhoddy . . .

believes that yoga can be an important pursuit for anyone, and is committed to sharing the positive benefits of yoga with others. In a society where physical demands are outweighed by mental demands yoga offers well-being for both the body and mind. Students don’t have to be flexible to benefit from yoga – just a willingness to try. Adene is a certified SOYA instructor at the 500 hour level.

Vernaye Morgan...

yoga gives me a method for prayer, healing, and a way of loving others. Even after 20-plus years of teaching, I am still mystified by it. The common ground of our yoga mats seems to contain some magic beyond the sum of teacher and students. Yoga entered my life through a friend during my tumultuous teen years. I am now 53, and certified through SOYA. I first studied in Vancouver with Yogi Shree Kant and his disciple, Bushan. They were from India and didn’t label their discipline, other than Hatha Yoga. I then studied with Father Joe Perriera, a long-time BKS Iyengar teacher, eventually entering a five-year Iyengar certification program with Shirley Daventry-French and others in Victoria. I switched to SOYA in my fifth year of study. All my teachers have given me gifts that I revisit in each and every practice. My teaching is aging with my body, but it is not a bad thing. I tend to linger in poses now, but still enjoy playful flows.

Ken Bilski . . .

received massage certification several years ago as part of a late-life shift in careers that included graduating from the SOYA Teacher Training Program. Ken teaches several classes a week at the Prince George Correctional Facility, a class at the Y, a “warm room” yoga class (25C) at Chinook, and enjoys Bikram hot yoga whenever travels permit.

Carolyn Cummins...

first set foot on her mat in 1996, and she found home.  Self taught to begin, she went on to take Yoga teacher training through the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Victoria in 2005, followed by more extensive training through the SOYA graduate program at the Chinook Yoga Studio of Prince George in 2006.  In 2008 Carolyn became a Laughter Yoga Leader and made it her mission bring a new found lightness into all of her Yoga instruction.  Later that year she traveled to the birthplace of Yoga, India, where she trained with various Yoga Masters.  Inspired and driven to fulfill her dharma, in 2009 Carolyn opened up her own entrepreneurial Yoga business, Inner Creations Yoga, teaching at many locations all over Prince George.  In both 2009 and 2010, she attended the Vancouver International Yoga Conference and trained with various world renowned Yoga instructors including Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, and Natasha Rizopoulos.  With her background training in various different styles of Yoga, Carolyn has pulled the best of all her accumulated knowledge into her instruction.  She appreciates the alignment of Iyengar Yoga, the creative flow of Vinyasa Yoga, the energy of Kundalini Yoga, the power of Ashtanga Yoga, the internal connection of Raja Yoga, the silliness of Laughter Yoga, and the and the detoxification of Hot Yoga.  In the end, Carolyn believes, "it's ALL Yoga!  Yoga to try it!  It feels amazing!"

Denise McKinley...

originally began doing yoga for the physical practice, but quickly fell in love with the philosophy, meditation, and spiritual discipline that is yoga.  Denise is finishing her 500 hour SOYA teacher training program, but has also been influenced by the teachings of Michael Stone, and the many wonderful teachers whose classes she has participated in.  She believes that yoga can help people heal in many ways – emotionally, physically,  spiritually, and mentally.  Denise has begun a journey of discovering a deeper connection with her inner self, as well as others through her practice, and is constantly reminded of our connection with all things through breath.

Cindy Szekley...

has been practicing yoga for over ten years, is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT) and the International Yoga Teacher’s Association (IYTA). Cindy has also trained in Yoga Anatomy and Yoga Therapy with Susi Hately-Aldous.  She leads SOYA’s 200 and 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs in Prince George.  Cindy lives and teaches classes and workshops in Mackenzie, BC.