Susie Dias, B.A., FOYTC, RYT500, EWYT, YES
Founder and author of East to West Yoga Programs

Susie is a graduate of York University’s Dance /Movement Therapy Program and she also holds a Psychology degree from York. She conducted a thesis as part of her psychology degree on “The Effects of Meditation on Perceived Stress” with significant results. Susie has a passion for writing and research that she applies to the development of East to West Yoga teacher training manuals.

She has been studying yoga since 1984, both in India and North America. Susie is a certified and registered yoga teacher who has been teaching yoga since 1986. In 1994, she developed a Yoga teacher training course for fitness professionals and has presented this course for the YMCA, Goodlife and Sports Clubs of Canada instructors. this course became the 'Yoga Exercise Specialist Certification'. In 2003 she developed a comprehensive Yoga Teacher Certification (EWYT), registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level and in 2006 she developed the RYT500 hour program. She has had her own Yoga TV series on Cable TV and has taught Yoga internationally for studios, fitness clubs, spas, corporate training centres, retreats and conventions. She has taught new borns to 90 year olds and she continues to teach yoga at her studio in Toronto and teacher training across Canada. She has also been invited to offer teacher training at Corpus Pilates, in Brussels, Belgium and aims to launch that program in the summer of 2010.

Susie has been a STOTT PILATES trained instructor since 1989. As well, she is a certified Pilates Mat instructor, trained by Kelly McKinnon of Corpus Pilates, Brussels, Belgium. She has also held many past fitness certifications (OFC, CAIN, FOLP) as well as the Medical Exercise Specialist certification. She is a proud mother and has pursued a second career as a film & television actor and filmmaker. Susie applied her acting and filmmaking skills in the making of the Part II: YES workshop video,  the 'Balanced Yoga' DVD and the 'Pilates Mat Workout' DVD. She is currently working on a Prenatal Pilates and Vinyasa Yoga DVD and she plans to continue with online teacher training. She shares her passion for movement and the body, mind, spirit connection with all of her heart.

To contact Susie, use her email link on the left or phone East to West Yoga.

Click to view Susie's full resume in PDF format

Suzanne Hennig

Suzanne Hennig is the owner of Power of 3 Yoga & Wholeness Studio, located in Pickering, Ontario. Suzanne has a very welcoming, down-to-earth, yet realistic approach to her teaching.

Suzanne is an East to West Certified Yoga Teacher (EWYT), an East to West Yoga Exercise Specialist (YES), and is a Registered Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance (RYT200). She maintains an active membership with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), and is currently working towards obtaining her RYT500.

As a Can-Fit-Pro certified Personal Trainer and Mind-Body Fitness Specialist, Suzanne continues her fitness pursuits as a Fitness Kickboxing Canada Instructor and Course Conductor, and as an International Sport Kickboxing Associate Trainer. Suzanne has 18 years experience with training instructors and participants. Her fitness journey led her to yoga 8 years ago.

Suzanne specializes in Candlelight Restorative Yoga and Teen Yoga. She is also a Certified Victims Crisis Counselor, and volunteers her time and expertise to victims groups such as women’s shelters and teen organizations in hopes that Yoga will touch their lives as it has touched hers. Suzanne is extremely happy to be a part of Susie’s team offering YES Level I & II at Power of 3 Yoga & Wholeness Studio in Durham.

Contact Suzzanne at (905) 409-8861 or shennig@rogers.com.

Louyse Vigneault

Louyse's personal involvement with yoga began in the 60's, at the age of 15. Initially she was attracted to yoga mostly for meditation, chanting, and pranayama/breathing. Her daily practice was mostly Raja Yoga (yoga of the mind) until she moved to Toronto in 1994 and she began to regularly practice Hatha Yoga (physical yoga). At the time Louyse was involved in the fitness industry and a Reiki Practitioner. Louyse has always been thankful to yoga as it helped her to recover from a car accident, which occurred in 1989 and almost paralyzed her.

Louyse has many Yoga and fitness Certifications, including Can-Fit-Pro (Fitness Instructor, Personal Training, Nutrition and Wellness Specialist - www.canfitpro.com) and has attended many sessions with Rodney Yee, Desikachar, Bryan Kest and many others. She is a PRO Trainer for the Nutrition and Wellness Specialist (NWS) Certification course (Can-Fit-Pro) as well as RESIST-A-BALL Pilates with the Ball and Yoga with the Ball. She has recently joined the EAST TO WEST YOGA Certification team and will be conducting certification for their 350-hour Yoga Certification and their Pilates Mat Certificate. She is Pilates certified (Physical Mind Institute) and is a Certified Fitness Consultant (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and OASES). She is a Reiki Master, Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioner, and has several other wellness certificates.

You can contact Louyse at louyse@hotmail.com, by phone at 416-931-3465

Sandra Maltby-Mills

Sandra Maltby-Mills is the owner and operator of ‘Let’s Get Fit' – centre for healthy living’, where she offers an non-intimidating environment for young and old alike to improve their health. She has been involved in the fitness industry for over 15 years. Her qualifications include B.A., Certified Personal Trainer with CPTN, Can-Fit-Pro (PTS, FIS, and NWS), and Reiki II. She is currently working on her Pilates certification with East to West.

Her most prized certificate is Certified Yoga Specialist with East to West Yoga (EWYT). Sandra enjoys introducing the benefits of yoga to any age and has taught in many different venues such as gyms, private studios, community halls, work places, schools, and senior centers. She uses it quite often to complement her personal training sessions and has conducted one-on-one yoga sessions as well. She loves to share her knowledge, experience and passion for the body and its health.

Anita Parker

Anita is the owner of Absolutely Fitness studio in Sherwood Park, Alberta, and has been inspiring fitness enthusiasts with a wide variety of classes, including step, spin, prenatal, learn-to-run, and outdoor fitness camps, for more than 15 years.  She is an AFLCA (Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association) trainer of group exercise leaders, delivering exercise theory and practical courses to instructors-in-training.  

Anita received silver and bronze metals in Aerobic Gymnastics at the national level from 1995 to 2000.  She has completed several half marathons, her favourite being along the scenic Red Deer River, Alberta.  Her distance of choice at the moment is a quick 5km, which she can run with her husband, and her boys can keep up on their bikes.

A need for physical and emotional equilibrium, personally and professionally, has led Anita to a personal yoga practice, and she has now added Hatha Yoga to her teaching repertoire.  She is an East to West Yoga certified Yoga Exercise Specialist and is currently enrolled in the ETWY200-RYT200 program.

Anita holds Bachelor degrees in Education and Science from the University of Alberta, as well as a Personal Fitness Trainer diploma from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.  She lives in Sherwood Park with her husband and two young boys, Zachary and Tyler.

Anita is honoured to be a part of Susie’s ETWY team, offering YES I in Edmonton, Alberta, as part of the AFLCA mind-body designation course for fitness instructors.

You can contact Anita by email at absolutelyfitness@shaw.ca or by phone at (780) 417-8823.

Derek Ralphs

"I discovered yoga, or perhaps yoga discovered me, at the age of ten. The first poses were halasana and headstands; I remember doing them all time in the summer and knew I was doing yoga. This led to watching an old black and white television program called "Karen's Yoga". Karen was a German lady with an accent who would go into bow poses and warriors and it all seemed so fascinating. Doing this outside led to the observances from an elderly neighbour from India who became my first mentor.

During my high school years, I remember being in aggressive-based physical education classes which just didn't mesh with my focus. Yet, when it came to the stretching components of the class I excelled. My path was leading me down a road to teaching myself the different asanas now.  

In my twenties, I started an aerobic instructor course with the YMCA which led to other opportunities at different clubs where again I used my self taught yoga in the stretching components of each class. Finally, I decided this was my path and had the opportunity to study for an entire summer in the Bahamas, followed by much more intense instruction in Southern California with Brian Kest and Santa Monica Power Yoga and Eric Schiffmann.

I started the East to West Yoga Teacher Training in 2005 and have found the perfect program to continue his love of sharing yoga with others."

Jennifer Bridge

Jen Bridge is a registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) with Yoga Alliance, an East to West Yoga Teacher (EWYT) and Yoga Exercise Specialist (YES), and former Can-Fit-Pro Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS). Jen is also a licensed Reiki Master Teacher (RMT) through IARP.
Jen has been involved in fitness of all sorts since 1988, and began on the yoga path in 2000. She's been teaching and studying yoga for 10yrs. Jen now lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and owns Energy Revived ( opening April 1st, 2010), where she offers yoga, reiki, tarot, and teacher training.
When she's not teaching, or busy with her beautiful daughter, Jen spends her time studying her passions; namely: pagan mysticism, anatomy & physiology, and all types of alternate healing and energetic practices.