Who are we?
Catherine McFadden
Is proud to have created The Holistic Way in 2002. Upon completion of my B.A. at McGill University, I traveled extensively throughout Asia and credit this magical journey as the genesis for beginning my career in the field of wellness and holistic based practices. Starting The Holistic Way has fulfilled a desire I’ve always had to help people find a sense of calm and contentment in the face of life’s stresses, anxieties, and challenges. I am passionate about helping people promote a sense of well-being and balance, and providing a space for them to heal and grow.
The minute I stepped onto a Yoga mat I realized Yoga was a key to feeling balanced, vital, and keeping connected with my true self. As a teacher, I find much joy in sharing this practice with others and witnessing the healing and positive transformations it brings to people’s lives. I lead my Yoga classes, workshops, and retreats from the heart and allow my intuitive and compassionate nature to guide me in giving my students an experience that is healing and revitalizing.
The powerful warmth and strength of Reiki’s healing energy was undeniable after experiencing my first treatment. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, I take great pleasure in sharing this therapeutic energy with others, both through the treatments I offer and the trainings I lead. To this day, I still marvel at Reiki’s ability to soothe and empower individuals and bring healing to any and all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual ailments.
As an outgrowth of my love for both Yoga and Reiki, in 2004, I created Healing Yoga (previously called Prana Yoga). Healing Yoga is a modality that combines the healing touch of Reiki, massage, and the therapeutic benefits of Restorative Yoga. Along with deep healing, this modality brings about great clarity and release. This practice is a constant evolution, the latest of which can be experienced in a group workshop with a wonderful team of healers I’ve gathered together.
Emma Prendergast
I first became interested in physical fitness at a young age when I started participating in a wide variety of community recreation programs. This experience solidified my belief that physical fitness not only strengthens the body, it also has the power to enhance mental wellbeing, reduce stress, and foster new friendships
In 1998 I began practicing yoga. In yoga I found a form of movement that focuses on balancing the mind, body and spirit of each individual, according to their needs. In 2003 I obtained my certification as an Ashtanga and Hatha yoga instructor, after completing a 250-hour teacher-training program. In addition to studying with Cynthia Funk and Johnathan Austman, I have been honored to take workshops with Hart Lazer, Janine Woo and Janice Clarfield, among others.
In addition, I received my certification in pre-natal yoga in 2005 and in 2006 I became certified in Kids Yoga, allowing me to design yoga programs for children of various ages. I regularly attend workshops and advanced trainings to enhance my teaching. I have taught people of all ages and levels of ability. I have over three years of teaching experience and I have worked with groups and privately.
I believe that yoga is accessible to any body, providing relief from stress, illness and injury. It is my honor to be able to share my love of yoga with others, and I hope to help people discover the transformative, positive effects of yoga.
Jessica Vigars
After traveling in South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand for 18 months I felt like I needed a change in my life. I needed to bring that calm, peaceful, connected state of mind that I felt in South East Asia back to my homeland of Canada. When I found yoga it felt like I was coming “home” and that I had been doing it my entire life. I could physically feel the “anxious hum” in this city and knew I needed to use yoga to release stress in all areas of the body and mind.
Moving my body and combining breath with movement is not new to me. I have been dancing various dance forms since the age of four. Transitioning from dance to yoga has been such a natural progression and my dance background has influenced my yoga teaching style – creating a more vinyasa like flow quality.
Studying and achieving my master level of the Usui Reiki method has been a wonderful resource to draw upon for my yoga teaching. I see Reiki and yoga being so closely related. I like to help bring a continual awareness to the chakras in the body and help people feel their energy (prana) moving in their bodies. I have seen how empowering this ability to tune into your body and awareness is for people as they can use it to balance themselves in their daily lives.
I have studied classical Hatha yoga under Ananda Shakti (Xenia Splawinski) and graduated from the Sananda Devi Yoga teacher training program. This rich and all encompassing training deepened my awareness of how Ayurvedic medicine comes into play with yoga in designing healing programs for students suffering from illness, injury or emotional challenges.
I look forward to seeing you on your mat and breathing with you!
Monica Belyea
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – WALT DISNEY
I remember back in one of my first yoga classes, watching in awe, as my teacher demonstrated a challenging pose to the class. My response at the time was to laugh and think, “That’s impossible – I’ll never be able to do that!” Then one day, after a time of regular practice and much to my own surprise, I found myself in that very pose! Perhaps “impossible” was too strong a word
I believe that practicing yoga opens up a world of possibilities: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My classes are taught with the intention of helping people to realize their incredible potential and to let themselves be open to the “impossible”, both on and off the mat.
My teacher training was completed at The Yoga Sanctuary in Toronto, and I am fortunate to have studied with many inspiring teachers over the years, especially Jonathan Austman, Cynthia Funk, Hart Lazer, and Ron Reid. I am also a Reiki practitioner and continue to study yoga and energy work through various courses and workshops.
Anastasia Watson
Dana Chapman