Mindful Movement Centre - Teachers
Leslie Parker is the director of the Mindful Movement Centre, Toronto. A former professional ballet dancer she has been teaching yoga, pilates and body-conditioning for over 10 years. She uses her extensive knowledge of different movement forms to teach fitness, increase flexibility and treat injury.
Throughout her dance career with leading ballet companies in the US and Europe she drew on Pilates to enhance her dance practice and rehabilitate a serious knee injury. She subsequently furthered her training as a Pilates teacher at the Stott International Certification Center in Toronto.
The experience of treating her own injuries inspired Leslie to specialise in injury rehabilitation. She brings real expertise and compassion to this work and collaborates with Doctors, Physiotherapists and Osteopaths to develop healing programs.
Her dance background and long career in bodywork has given her invaluable skills in reading and assessing people's bodies.
She believes the breath-work, relaxation and infinite kindness contained in the yoga teaching is an invaluable compliment to her Pilates and bodywork skills.
She was introduced to yoga at the Downward Dog in Toronto, and since then has had the opportunity to study with leading yoga teachers such as Shiva Rea, Maty Ezraty, David Swenson, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Diane Bruni and Danny Paradise. Leslie teaches restorative, vinyasa (flow) and astanga yoga.
In 2004 she founded Mindful Movement in London, a company that specialised in individual Pilates and Yoga programs. Her clientele (both male and female) included a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups. Athletes, executives, and artists came to Leslie to maintain fitness, re-shape their bodies, rehabilitate injuries and treat chronic pain and stress.
Leslie looks forwards to welcoming you to the Mindful Movement Centre where she hopes you will enjoy a teaching and practice atmosphere that is nurturing, friendly and focused on helping you reach optimal levels of fitness and flexibility.
Fahmida Bhabha is a Certified Pilates Mat, Reformer and IMT Instructor. She received her certification through Ms. Danielle Belec at Second Wind Pilates Plus®. Not only is the focus on Pilates but also a rehabilitative type of exercise called IMT (Integrated Movement Therapies). IMT focuses on correcting posture, educating clients on their own physical needs and restrictions, and helping them get into their bodies before tackling Pilates or any other type of training. It is a blend of Movement training, Yoga, Dance, and several other movement analysis techniques. She holds her CPR thru Heart & Stroke Foundation.
Fahmida has continued her training and education with courses such as Pilates for Pregnancy, Pilates with Therabands™ and Weighted Balls.
In continuing her journey of helping others to obtain optimum health and fitness, Fahmida is a Holistic Lifestyle Coach. The Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Program, focuses on effective techniques for attaining optimal health from the inside out, looking at all aspects of health and fitness, especially practical nutrition. This certification is offered through The CHEK Institute, in San Diego, CA.
In May 2007 Fahmida became a CHEK Exercise Coach. This is a personal coaching certification with the emphasis on assessment as a means of creating an exercise prescription.
Fahmida has been a freelance photographer working in Toronto and abroad for the over 15 years and knows first hand the affects of physically demanding work can have on the body, it is this that brought her to find a way of helping herself to stay healthy and well for the long term. And it is this understanding that will help people gain functional mobility and functional strength for everyday life.
As an avid recreational cyclist both on and off road, Fahmida helps people to use Pilates as a cross training tool for whatever sports they do. Having a strong, stable core improves performance in every sport.
Training with Fahmida leaves clients with an understanding of how their bodies move and function and with that knowledge and her contagious enthusiasm, the desire to attain their optimum physical health.
Angela Caliendo has been very interested in yoga and holistic alternative medicine and techniques for many years and has practiced a variety of yoga styles and traditions for over 10 years with a more intense focus over the past 5 years. Studying classical Hatha Yoga she became certified in 2005 at the Yoga Studio. She is so thankful to have studied with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced yoga teachers in Toronto. Her personal yoga practice continues to be a wonderful experience of exploration and transformation.
She continues to expand her knowledge, technique and ability, formally and informally by attending a variety of yoga classes, workshops, and lectures weekly. Her special interest and focus in yoga is from a 'woman's perspective' based on women's health, prenatal and postnatal yoga, hormonal balance and fertility issues. Angela completed prenatal and postnatal yoga training with Christine Reeves in 2006 and Restorative Yoga training with Hali Schwartz in the same year, these two amazing teachers continue to inspire her and influence her teachings.
In August 2007 Angela became certified in Thai Yoga Massage, an ancient therapeutic healing system, which can be gentle, sedative and therapeutic. In a Thai massage session the client remains fully clothed and is led through a series of stretching, joint mobility, massage and assisted yoga postures according to their individual flexibility and needs. She continues to study Thai Massage with her teacher and friend Deanna Villa from Thai Massage Toronto School and Clinic!
Angela believes that challenge is very important; it stimulates the mind and works areas of the body that are chronically sore and tense. In her yoga class she strives to always be creative and challenging, yet teaching students to stay within their personal limits. She hopes to help students find their inner awareness, strength, balance and leave class with an overall sense of peace.
Having taught Pilates for eight years, Suzy takes a live it, not just teach it approach to everything she does. Movement and Holism has been a major theme throughout her life. A Stott-Certified Instructor and fourth year student of the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, her passion for teaching and knowledge has led her to the Healing Arts.
Her commitment to maintain and update her skills as an Instructor has led Suzy to workshops such as muscle re-patterning with Karen Carlson, Cranio sacral Therapy, Ashtanga Yoga and Activating the Pelvic Floor. In her spare time Suzy cycles, rock climbs, reads, writes and works on creating Gestalt workshops and discovers new and exciting ways to challenge her clients.
Her philosophy is that Pilates complements every other form of exercise as well as creates ease in everyday movement and a sense of confidence in the body and expression of one's being.
Tracey Currie is a certified yoga teacher who has led creative and inspiring vinyasa flow classes in Toronto for many years now. She is also a trained and experienced prenatal yoga teacher having initiated and taught the very successful prenatal and post natal program of classes at Breathe Yoga Studio in Toronto’s west end. The body can heal itself and with this strong belief, Tracey began creating and teaching a unique restorative yoga class that blends restorative poses with the ancient eastern modality of Thai Yoga Massage. This fusion has proven very popular with her students and she shares this special class at studios and through workshops in the city.
In all her classes, Tracey encourages each participant to work at a level and pace that reflects their trueness each time they arrive at the mat. She brings to her work a keen awareness of the body, its alignment and the breath-body connection which has been developed through many years of training in figure skating then later in theatre and various movement classes. A part of the inaugural teacher training at the Yoga Space under the tutelage of Kathryn Beet, Tracey went on to study with many different teachers over the years. She is very thankful for the knowledge and metta her many teachers and students have imparted and looks forward to being blessed and enriched by many more along her journey.
Alongside her yoga teaching endeavours, Tracey has also worked as a Certified Practitioner of Thai Yoga Massage over the past seven years. As well, she teaches certification level courses and Prenatal Thai Yoga Massage for the internationally acclaimed Lotus Palm School in both Montreal and Toronto areas.
With 12 years of dance training behind her, Sophie began practicing yoga with passion and vigour seven years ago. Since graduating from the YogaSpace teacher training program (Toronto) in 2005, Sophie has been teaching group Vinyasa yoga classes, with an emphasis on the breath guiding movement.
She also teaches private and semi-private sessions, geared to an individuals unique and individual needs. Sophie brings soothing, compassionate and gentle guidance, the precision and grace of dance and a touch of humour to every class.
For Sophie, finding comfort within in her own skin from the inside out has been the greatest ever-evolving gift from her yoga practice.
Born and raised in New York City, lifetime athlete, fitness enthusiast and international competitor Jamal Pender began martial arts training at age six as a member of the Jackie Robinson YMCA in Harlem, NY under Shihan Lamar Thorton (Instructor of actor Wesley Snipes). Jamal received his first Black belt in Shotokan Karate at age ten under Mr. Thorton.
As a teenager Jamal's passion for maintaining a healthy body and mind continued to grow as he discovered weight training and successfully participated in varsity football and varsity wrestling. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Jamal continued his martial arts education and began training with Kwan Jang Nim David Sgro in 1994 in the art of Tang Soo Do where he has attained the rank of Sa Bom Nim (Master Instructor).
In 2005 after relocating to Montreal, Canada Jamal discovered the art of Budokon by Cameron Shayne and became the first Budokon Instructor in the Province of Ontario. Jamal has been sharing his learning experiences since 1994 and has fathered various martial arts and fitness programs for adults and children in Canada and the United States.
