Staff/Instructors/Certification:

Instructor Curt Sesto began practicing yoga in the mid 1990's, and became a certified instructor in 2004. “I’ve always kept active, mixing running, biking, strength training and aerobics into my routine. Even this variety bored me and I’d lose my focus. Additionally, as I aged, the impact of running and aerobic workouts wore down my body and joints. I discovered yoga and instantly became impressed with the results. I found yoga to be physically challenging, yet the byproducts of my practice were even more satisfying. Stress from work became more manageable, I slept more soundly, chronic back pain disappeared, I had more energy; I just felt better.”

Curt’s class style is Vinyasa Flow or Power Yoga. A little unorthodox in style, you’ll flow quickly thru an accelerated succession of yoga postures, enjoy loud, funky music, have fun and laugh with fellow students and leave class feeling energized. Suitable for all levels.

Curt received his Yoga Teaching Certification from the National Exercise & Sport Training Association (NESTA) of Southern California. Since 1992 NESTA has been training and certifying instructors in Yoga, Pilates, Nutrition, Fitness and Personal Training. He is also enrolled in the Energyoga sponsored Daren Friesen Moksha RYT 200 Training beginning in February 2012.

Instructor Sarah began practicing yoga in 2008 and has developed a devoted practice since then. She is very excited about inspiring others in their personal practice and the chance to share her passion of yoga with others.

“I’ve always been very big into fitness, and when I found yoga it was a natural process for me. Yoga gives me an inner peace that I don’t get from other programs. I believe yoga is not only a way to be fit; it’s a balance between the mind and body, it’s something you can take off the mat in your daily life. Yoga has changed the way I act, the way I eat, and the way I see life and its daily challenges.”

Sarah’s class will bring the heat. She presents a class that includes high energy flows and time holding positions. You will breathe, you will sweat, you will burn, and at the end smile. With a calming voice and always changing musical playlist, expect your mind and body to be surprised each time.

Sarah graduated from the White Lotus Foundation, Yoga Alliance RYT 200 Hour certification in teacher training. While spending two and a half weeks in California, she learned yoga is not just about the practice itself. It’s about a total life transformation. It is very personal and different for each individual.

Instructor Roslyn Sesto began practicing yoga in the mid 1990’s and a certified instructor in 2005. She and husband Curt, eager to share their joy of yoga and longing for a local studio dedicated solely to the practice of yoga, took the initiative and opened Energyoga in the fall of 2005. While introducing the Ottawa community to yoga, they are also proud to have inspired former students to continue their own training and venture out on their own opening their own studios.

“After many years of trying to obtain what society deemed the “perfect” physical body through many forms of exercise, I realized that my healthy body was perfect as it was. I learned to accept, and to stop judging myself. Real health and vitality comes when we stop competing and comparing with each other and listen to voice inside that tells us what we need. Each of us is our own best teacher; we just need to trust and listen to the voice within. Through the practice of yoga I have learned patience, flexibility, strength, commitment and compassion. I have also learned to take the gifts of my yoga practice off the mat and out into my relationships and world around me, I encourage others to practice in life what they practice on their mat”

Roslyn’s style is dynamic, non-dogmatic and playful. Her yoga will give you an opportunity to heal your heart, laugh, cry, and dance and let go. Some classes will flow connecting movement and breathe, while others will explore holding postures. Playing an eclectic mix of music and accepting the flow of energy in the room, no two classes are ever the same. She encourages her students to become in tune with their bodies, and modify the practice to do what they need to do while they strengthen, align, connect and most importantly, have fun. She brings imagination, gentle understanding, humor and love to her students.

Roslyn received her Yoga Teaching Certificate from the National Exercise & Sport Training Association (NESTA) of Southern California, and is also a graduate of the White Lotus Foundation of Santa Barbara California and is Yoga Alliance RYT 200 Hour Certified. Roslyn will begin additional training towards her RYT 500 Hour Certification under the study of Darren Friesen of Moksha Yoga beginning in February 2012. Additionally, Roslyn is a graduate of SOMA Institute and is a licensed Clinical Massage Therapist and Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. She is available for appointments by contacting her at Energyoga.

Instructor Julie Allen has been practicing yoga since the mid 1990’s, and is a Yoga Alliance RYT 200 Hour Certified Instructor. Julie’s certification came via the Pranakriya style of yoga, developed by Yoganand Michael Carroll.

Julie was drawn to Pranakriya by the body awareness and intuitive elements of the style, and was delighted to find that yoga improved her quality of life in many ways. Pranakriya Yoga places more emphasis on Pranayama, or “Breath Control”. Pranakriya Yoga teaches us to build a charge of energy, and instead of releasing it in a posture or flow experience, to carry that energy internally in the form of a greater level of aliveness.

Julie’s Gentle Yoga Class has a strong emphasis on breath work, stretching, and meditation. Her class is perfect for beginners, those seeking a less physically demanding practice, or as a way to increase mindfulness and decrease stress thru meditation. As a Registered Nurse, Julie has an excellent knowledge of anatomy, and therefore provides a wonderful class for those with chronic health issues. Join her as you learn to relax, unwind, and listen to your body.

Instructor Andrée-Marie Koban has been practicing yoga in the late 1990’s, and began instructing at Energyoga in 2009. Before yoga she was an avid runner, biker and lifted weights. "I've moved through many different physical activity phases in my life. While I still enjoy all forms of exercise, I discovered yoga became my foundation, and will be with me forever. With yoga, it becomes your practice, at your pace, and depth, and your way of living. For me, yoga has become much more than just a physical activity."
Andrée-Marie's style is based on Yin Yoga, the practice of holding long, passively held poses geared toward strengthening specific energy channels. Her music contains a variety of worldwide artists with songs that are soothing and peaceful to complement the sounds of her student’s breath.

She is currently enrolled in the Energyoga sponsored Darien Friesen Moksha RYT 200 Training beginning in February 2012. She has attended many yoga conferences honing her instructional skills, and her day job as an International Senior Flight Attendant & Purser for American Airlines allows her to practice at yoga studios globally.