Oh hello September, we didn’t see you there! Somewhere between last-call BBQ plans and checking off the final items on our summer bucket lists, September crept up on us with zero to no warning. As we desperately try to embrace the onset of fall, we take comfort in the promise of routine that usually comes with the start of this season. Back to class, back to studio and back to centre. We caught up with our West Edmonton Mall ambassador, Kenna K, to understand how she finds centredness with Sattva Yoga.

tell us a bit about yourself and your history
My physical yoga practice all started with a dare: "Betcha can't ever do the splits!" I am forever grateful for that person not because I can now do the splits but because yoga continues to transform my life. Back then it wasn't likely that I’d win the dare (my legs were incredibly tight due to years of competitive running) but I started practicing yoga anyways. At the time I was also going through a rough patch in my life. Pretty quickly it became apparent to me that, yes! I loved that my body was becoming more flexible and strong but what I loved even more were the affects yoga was having on my life off my mat. By connecting inwards it seemed like my outside world became clearer and it was easier to stay centred amongst the chaos around me. I had been connecting inwards since I was five, when my mom taught me Transcendental Meditation but the physical practice gave me a place to ground my meditative experiences.

why sattva yoga?
I was inspired to practice Sattva Yoga primarily because of the founder, Rameen Peyrow. When I moved back to Edmonton from San Diego, I felt that I had "lost" my ability to connect inwards because I left the studio I had grown attached to. It was in Edmonton that I found Sattva Yoga and was reminded that it didn't matter where I was, my centre is always with me.

what can we expect from a sattva yoga class?
You can expect a dynamic physical practice that promotes balance in the body, as well as breathing and mediation exercises. It is very unique to get all three practices in one, which makes this well-rounded style incredibly beneficial. The Sattva classes are designed to liberate you from the expired patterns found in the body and mind that are no longer serving you in the development and progression of your life. At The Yoga Loft in Edmonton, where I teach, we change our sequence monthly to keep the body balanced and the mind engaged.

you are crazy flexible – is that a result of sattva yoga working for you or do you come from a back-bending background?
Ha! I love this question! I am proud to say that the body I have is a reflection of my dedication to my yoga practice.

Describe your perfect day – a time where you feel ultimately ‘centred’
For me, feeling centred starts with how I feel on the inside. In my perfect day I feel super healthy, fit, vibrant, loved and I am living every moment with presence. I wake up to sunshine, practice yoga and am teaching and traveling. I’m in warm weather, by the ocean, eating fresh and delicious food. During the day I'm either wearing a bikini or yoga clothes and at night I get dressed up, go out for dinner with some amazing company and then off to watch a Cirque de Soleil show; they are so inspiring!

Rameen Peyrow was lululemon Whyte Avenue's very first yoga ambassador and 10 years ago opened the first yoga studio on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. This summer West Coasters can practice with Rameen at Wanderlust Whistler, where he'll be sharing the teachings of Sattva Yoga with festival-goers.

who are you?

I am the founder of Sattva Yoga and the Sattva School of Yoga.

yoga influences

My influence comes from the original root of where yoga began. From a very young age, I have had a meditation practice that has been influenced and inspired by the rishis of the east. I also had an opportunity in my early 20s to study with Sri K Patthabi Jois for seven years in my 20s, which was one of the most beautiful and most important times of my life.

In 2002, I was authorized to teach by the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI), a blessing given to very few individuals.

what is sattva yoga?

Sattva means purity, harmony, balance, joy, intelligence, wisdom. Sattva is the quality that yogis point their attention towards, making liberation possible. The practice was born out of one question, one seat and one mantra. The question is, Who am I?, the seat is meditation and the mantra is OM. The practice is dedicated to inspiring practitioners to attain a balanced state of being and live from a place of inspired potential.

how sattva evolved

Over the years, I combined the practice of postures and breathing, Hatha Yoga, with the meditative practices of Raja Yoga (concentration, meditation and absorption).

This self-inquiry style of teaching gives the practitioner a platform to learn the key tools that are necessary to becoming self reliant and confident on his or her spiritual path and path of self development.

Learn more about Rameen on his website or the Wanderlust Whistler website.

After high school, Angela moved from Ontario to Alberta for university and volleyball. While at school, she started practicing yoga to compliment her intensive volleyball training. She soon fell in love with hot yoga and made it one of her goals to open the first Moksha studio in Edmonton.

Once she graduated, Angela worked at lululemon athletica on the team that opened our Kingsway store in Edmonton. Her time in the store provided her with the opportunity to develop her leadership skills and discover another one of her passions: developing people. At the same time, her position allowed her the freedom to continue pursuing her yoga studio goals as she took a month off to get her Moksha teacher certification in Thailand.

Angela teaching an outdoor complimentary yoga class

BHAG accomplished

Soon enough, Angela was able to realize her dream and open the first Moksha Yoga studio in Edmonton. At the time, this was the only Moksha studio and she was the only Moksha instructor in the entire province. Her amazing ability to attract and develop people has clearly worked in her favour; two and a half years later, she has opened her second studio location and she now shares the teaching workload with 20 other Moksha certified yoga teachers!

Our Strategic Sales partner, Moksha Yoga Edmonton

Angela still works closely with the Edmonton stores and this past year she signed on for her second term as an ambassador with lululemon West Edmonton Mall. To check out her new studio and to learn more about Moksha Yoga visit Moksha Yoga Edmonton; to find a lululemon Strategic Sales partner in your community check out our partner listings under the Community tab.

It was 7:30 in the morning and we'd just arrived at Louise Mckinney Park. The space was empty and quiet - soon to be filled, we hoped, with hundreds of yogis and yoginis breathing and sweating together.

We had no idea what to expect. We had spent a lot of time in our community sharing our vision for this event, but would it come to fruition? No one could be sure. We thought about our lululemon counterparts across the prairies region in Calgary, Banff and Winnipeg, who were likely setting up for their event in that same moment. We vibed them some love and positive energy and then we got down to business!

In a flurry of lululemon madness, we buzzed around like bees in a hive laying down mats, colouring with chalk, hanging balloons, organizing registration and waiting with anticipation. Pete the DJ started spinning the tunes. And then it happened… like waves in the ocean, the people began to roll it. Just a few at first, and then a steady flow of guests known and unknown came to be and to breathe.

Our Earth Water friends arrived with water to share, inspiring us with their mandate, 'water for water'. Each Edmonton store donated to Earth Water, enough that one well will be built in a third world country for those people who do not have access to clean drinking water.

At Louise Mckinney park we drank as much fresh water was we could to flush unwanted toxins from our bodies and keep our brains sharp. Water for water – how cool is that?!

Our perfect moment arrived. Under the smiling sun and bright blue sky, Bob Marley let out his famous cry "one love…" and the class began. There was nothing else to do but breathe, stretch and be together.

Angela Zawada spoke powerfully about yoga, leading a beautiful class. We flowed through the asanas under an open sky, breathing together with one breath. It is not very often that one gets to do yoga surrounded by green trees, bumble bees and the North Saskatchewan River. As we lay in our final rest pose, a feeling of serenity descended over three hundred plus people, a perfect end to an amazing class. Namaste.