about me

Judy Hamilton

Kripalu (Krih-PAH-loo) Yoga has created a healing transformation within me that no other form of activity has been able to do. It has revitalized my body, calmed my mind and has deepened my self-awareness. It has reached beyond my body and mind right down to my soul, creating a state of harmony and balance within.

During the late1990s life bombarded me with several challenges - all at once of course! My usual method of dealing with these "bumps in the road" were to swim laps, walk, aerobics, weights, dance and garden, all of which I still enjoy doing today. During this particular challenging time however, none of these activities eased the stress that was increasing its hold on me. When an acute attack of sarcoidosis rendered me unable to walk, not being one to play the victim, I found a yoga video tape by Erich Schiffmann and rediscovered yoga.

This was one of those defining moments in life when you turn a corner and set out on a new path. The result was a newly discovered inner peace. It was a new way of doing, thinking and being! I was so excited by my discovery that I decided to share the video with my colleges of elementary school teachers. Most people know how much unwinding teachers need at the end of a busy day. Not only was I amazed at the excited responses from my teacher friends I realized how much of a need there was for yoga as a tool for de-stressing, calming and healing, that I decided to learn how to teach yoga as safely and correctly as possible.

As a result I enrolled in a wonderful yoga class led by Joanne Cusack who directed me to enroll in the Atlantic Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) in Halifax with Jody Myers and Isha Ward. In 2002 I graduated with my 200 hour certificate in Kripalu Yoga and have been teaching yoga ever since.

I also have teaching certificates in Yoga for Kids with Marsha Wenig, Seniors Yoga with Jean Short and Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield . I am also a Reiki Master Teacher in the Usui Shiki Ryoho method of natural healing.

Even though I have been teaching yoga to children and adults for several years now, I still consider myself a student for life. This is why I continue to take courses and workshops in order to provide the best possible instruction for my students.

At this point I must send out heartfelt gratitude to my late husband George for encouraging me to pursue this idea with so much enthusiasm and support. He was a witness to the positive transformation that yoga had created in me.

Some would say I managed to turn lemons into lemonade. That's what I call karma at its best!

I have recently retired from my teaching position with the Halifax Regional School Board and am offering more yoga classes to all ages and genders for beginners, intermediates and seniors in my yoga studio at Osprey Retreat on the tranquil shore of Lake Echo in Mineville, Nova Scotia.

Namaste,
Judy Hamilton