Lisa Veronese

Foundations Program Graduate
Yoga Teacher & Yoga Therapist
Toronto, Ontario
www.instagram.com/lisavyoga

So much has changed for me in the two years since I started the program! I’m now teaching my group classes with more sensitivity and attention to the inner koshas, have developed a more nuanced personal meditation practice, and have gained more confidence in my ability to be helpful when working one-on-one with others.

When I applied to the program, things were just beginning to open up after the Covid restrictions, and my work life had changed drastically as a result. I felt the need to develop my knowledge base in a way that could enhance my offerings and allow me to be of service to others in yoga beyond the typical class setting. Yoga therapy aligned with my desire to help others, to find meaningful work, and to keep learning more about the body and mind.

I have worked with the doshas to balance my own Vikruti for years, but I found the way this program overlaid the koshic system upon it to be very helpful. It has expanded my approach to self-management and my understanding of how to help others.

In part due to my increased knowledge and in part due to the confidence I’ve gained as a result, I have experienced a deepening trust from my clients, which is something I value and take very seriously. I have seen my clients become more open to trying new things in part due to this relationship of growing trust.

One of the most useful things about the program was learning how to take yoga’s philosophical concepts, which I had long understood as abstract, and apply them in concrete, therapeutic ways. I also found the muscle testing practice to be very useful over time. I expected that this training would provide me with a sufficiently solid knowledge base to begin working therapeutically with individual clients, and I feel that it has met those expectations!

Currently, after a brief hiatus due to another work contract, I am now returning to teaching yoga classes and am just beginning to take on private clients. I wanted to complete the program before opening the gates, so to speak. I find that I have many more practical tools and techniques at my fingertips, which enriches both group and private sessions.

I would say to someone considering this program to be prepared to commit fully. This is a self-directed pathway, which can be helpful in allowing for the rest of life to happen while also being engaged with the program, but it also requires diligence and dedication to stay on track. I highly recommend tuning in to the Q and A sessions as much as possible and coming prepared to discuss various topics of interest, as it offers an important interpersonal dimension.