About Me
Hi, I'm Liza. I am a yogi since 2001; youngest sister of three daughters; and lover of truth, honesty, and laughter. I was introduced to yoga initially by my yogi mother, Ruth Anne. She loved yoga and thought her children would as well. My first yoga classes were in college in the US, and after graduating, my yoga practice expanded as a young professional working in Baltimore, MD.
I had some great teachers at an independent studio called The Healing Path (at the time), who helped guide me in my practice and helped me to experience my first purely blissful moments in yoga. Can you recall that time for YOU that you experienced a true savasana? Can YOU? Those minutes of your life, that particular day, when a yoga practice moved and changed your body through poses and mindful breath, to the moment when you let your body release fully into the pure, restful, still, peaceful place that is savasana. Do you recall that time for YOU? Have you had that time for YOU?
I hope the answer is YES, and if the answer is NO, please come join me for an Embrace Yoga & Wellness class soon!
After finding my love of yoga in Baltimore, I later moved to Vancouver in 2009 -- home to plenty o' yoga -- and within a few years, concluded it was time for me to do my own yoga training. I landed myself on the sandy beaches of Mexico for a one month intensive yoga teacher training (YTT) at the Yandara Yoga Institute on the Baja. I began by teaching traditional Hatha yoga back in Vancouver, and then focusing on Prenatal and Baby&Me yoga classes. I started to grow a great fondness for teaching yoga to birthers-to-be, and found myself becoming quite the a parent-to-be supporter. Naturally, my next step was to take a birth doula training, with the amazing Jessica Austin, through Gloria Lemay’s Wise Women Way of Birth doula training.
Now, in addition to teaching yoga to wonderful parents-to-be and new parents, I also welcome the amazing opportunity to fully support families through their life-changing transformational chapter of life -- labor and birth. If you want to know more about my birth doula offerings, please read on in DOULA SERVICES or email me to arrange a free consult. I'm also part of a doula collective called Doulas of Vancouver, about which you can read much more on us here.
I look forward to seeing you on the mat, or at your birth, soon.
Namaste.
Liza's Trainings + Certificates:
2012: 200hr Yoga Teacher Training (YTT)
Yandara Yoga Institute (http://www.yandara.com/)
2013: Prenatal Yoga Certificate
Lori Lucas w/ Langara College (https://yogawithlorilucas.com/)
2016: Birth Doula Training
Gloria Lemay's Wise Women Way of Birth
with Jessica Austin (http://www.birthtakesavillage.com/)
Continuing Education:
2017: Birth and Beyond Conference - Breastfeeding (6hrs)
Speaker: Dr. Jack Newman, MD
2018: ADVANCED SKILLS (including rebozo) for Doulas Workshop (18hrs) &
Lamaze - Updating Practices for Birth Support (18hrs)
Instructor: Guadalupe Trueba and Patricia Ochoa
2020: Evidence Based Birth, Live in BC! (6hrs)
Instructor: Rebecca Dekker, PhD (founder of EBB)
2021: BIRTH of my own baby -- at home, in water, into my arms
...and with the support of my own birth & postpartum doulas!
(ask me for timeframe :) )
Yoga Class Schedule
PRENATAL YOGA & MEDITATION
Thursdays (6:30pm - 7:45pm)
Fall I: Sept. 12 - Oct. 24 (6wks)
Fall II: Nov. 7 - Dec. 19 (7wks)
Registration opens Aug. 15, 7pm
Currents Pregnancy Retreats ~~ Nov. 2, 2024 ~~ More details here!
Ideal for those due November 2024 onward
YouTube classes - My 75min. & 20min. pre-recorded classes continue to be available to you here.
BABY&ME YOGA
Thursdays (11:30am - 12:30pm)
Fall I: Sept. 12 - Oct. 24 (6wks)
Fall II: Nov. 7 - Dec. 19 (7wks)
Registration opens Aug. 15, 7pm
$$$
If you are using my Prenatal Yoga classes on YouTube,
thank you kindly for making a contribution using the links below.
E-transfer to EmbraceYogaWellness@gmail.com
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Yoga Class Descriptions
PRENATAL YOGA
currently offered at MPCC
Incorporate yoga into your pregnancy journey with me -- a yogi, birth doula, and mother (birthed at home in 2021)! Come dedicate time in your day to you and your baby. Find the ability to go into your body on a deeper level, to connect to its oh so necessary inner strength for childbirth. Stretch and move your body intuitively to ease aches and pains, connect with your breath and baby, all while meeting other birthers-to-be! All trimesters welcome, all yoga levels welcome.
BABY&ME YOGA
returning in 2024! (at MPCC)
Regain strength, flexibility and bond with your baby on the outside, by incorporating infant massage, all while connecting with other parents, in this gentle Hatha class. Ease your way into parenthood; ease your way back into your new postpartum body. Suitable for pre-crawling babies. Distractions by the babies are expected during this unique yoga class -- breaks for feedings or soothing are completely encouraged! All yoga levels welcome. Any caregiver welcome to attend with their baby.
Location
YOGA STUDENT FEEDBACK:
"I can’t thank you enough for what an encouragement and support your class has been. Your Prenatal yoga class has been one of the very best things in my pregnancy." :-)
- Katie
"Liza's prenatal yoga class was the highlight of my week. I joined in my second trimester when I was facing a lot of work-related stress on top of preparing for my first little one. Liza guided us through meditation and movement that left me at peace. The pace and length of the class was ideal with a good mix of challenging and relaxation poses. Her personal attention made me feel supported and strong in my pregnancy."
- Lyse
"I began going to prenatal yoga with Liza around 9 weeks and throughout my whole pregnancy, I have looked forward to my yoga nights when I would have nothing else to do but focus on myself and the baby. Liza created a calm atmosphere, offered helpful tips and was a wonderful guide to work with through yoga poses. She welcomes you to class with a cheerful smile and sends you home filled up and relaxed. I can’t recommend Liza’s prenatal yoga class enough."
- Jane
"I started going to Liza's prenatal yoga classes when I was 8 weeks pregnant, and carried on right through to the end of my pregnancy. The gentle movement and breathing really helped me push through my morning sickness, and made my body feel relaxed. I found the breathing especially helpful in those first few weeks when I had so many anxieties about my pregnancy. It gave me an hour a week where I could deal with those feelings in a positive way, let those thoughts go, and breathe through it all. I can't say enough about how wonderful Liza's practice was, how positive and helpful she is if you have any questions, and how great this class will make you feel!"
- Stephanie
"As a new mum to an 8 week old baby girl, I rolled into Liza's Baby&Me yoga class exhausted, possibly covered in baby excrement and not quite sure I liked my daughter all too much. Over the next 4 months of classes, not only did I find my core again (yay!), I was able to bond with my daughter and become a more confident mother. Liza cultivates an environment of support and acceptance in her classes - come as you are, take time for what you and your baby need, and learn to accept and respect the amazing body which brought your child into the world. I am sad our time in her classes has come to an end but am so grateful for the yoga and community I found through classes with Liza. I highly recommend this class for all new mums and will most certainly seek out Liza if we are lucky enough to have another baby."
- Lindsey
(baby & me yoga)
"Liza's classes are like none other. The grounding experience she provides, and how she creates an amazing opportunity to connect with baby is like nothing else I’ve experienced in any other prenatal class.”
- Almira
"Liza is a great yoga teacher, who takes time to adapt to all students and their level. She offers a calm and positive presence every class, and her nice warm energy is lovely and so appreciated. I would be back for any future pregnancies, if we weren't moving away!"
-Natasha (on pregnancy #2)
"I really benefited from Liza's prenatal yoga classes. I hadn't done much yoga previously, but every time I arrived to class, Liza created a space for my baby and me to connect through movements that made me appreciate all the truly enormous changes that pregnancy brings. Liza drew my attention to my breath throughout the class, which helped me to relax a great deal during my labor. This focus on attention to breath alone made Liza's classes indispensable. I look forward to attending her prenatal yoga classes during my next pregnancy and have recommended her to all my mama friends."
-Carly
“I’ve yet to take a class with anyone that come close to the quality of yours.”
- Carly (on pregnancy #2)