The Lab Method

The Lab Method is our guiding formula–it’s our overall approach to physical, mental and social wellness. It is systematic, it happens at every level, and it infuses everything we do with care and integrity.

About The Lab

The Lab is a different kind of space for experimentation. Ours is a place for judgement-free exploration and discovery. We acknowledge that your movement practice is a journey, and it is ongoing. There is no destination, there is no finish line. It is about a constant state of evolving. And so, we will always evolve too.

Our Classes

This is your home to strong sequences and playful movement. We offer accessible yoga and rewarding mindful fitness classes, there is something for everyone. Come learn through movement, even when it’s messy, especially when it’s messy.

With our low commitment Intro Month, it’s easy to come try out our classes.

Instructor Team

The Lab instructors are the best in our communities. With a focus on alignment and safe practice, our dedicated, certified and amazing community of knowledgeable teachers will be there to support you.

Erin Keir team photo She/Her

Erin Keir

Westshore Instructor

Erin Keir, born and raised in Toronto landed in paradise Victoria B.C. 500Hr RYT + Reiki Energy Healer, Erin combines elements of breath, energetic movement and mindful relaxation to promote a deep sense of balance and freedom. Her approachable style is accessible to yoga veterans and rookies alike – you’ll leave her classes connected to joy and ready to ‘Let Shift Happen.’ With over 15 years of diverse experience teaching many forms of yoga & dance, Erin leads regular weekly classes, private sessions, workshops and retreats worldwide. She proudly has served on the faculty of the Ahimsa Yogayama Teacher Training program, where she herself studied and graduated. Always a student, she is deeply grateful for her teachers & mentors: Michelle & JP Tamblyn-Sabo, Danielle March, YuMee Chung, Simon Park, Rod Stryker & Theresa Marcotte.

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Rose Cortez team photo She/Her

Rose Cortez

Victoria + Westshore Instructor

My passion for Creative Expressions, Yoga and Healing Arts continue to bloom everyday. I’ve been a Yoga Teacher for a decade sharing my energy and experience through community building, art, poetry and innovative resilient props for on and off my Yoga mat. My recent projects are supporting, facilitating and gathering conscious minds as a Creative Director for Yoga, Art & Nature Retreats as visitors on unceded territory on Haida Gwaii + sharing my Reclaimed Cedar Bloom Yoga & Art Blocks.

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Tianna Andrews team photo She/Her

Tianna Andrews

Westshore Instructor

Tianna has always had a huge passion for movement. She’s been practicing & teaching different forms for years, ranging from yoga, acrobatics, mobility, inversions, and more. This experience has given her the skills & expertise to help you dive into deeper levels of awareness within your own body to help you reach your movement goals. Whether your goal is to build strength, range of motion, body awareness, get upside down, or to feel better physically & mentally, she’s here to guide and support you through your journey!

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Willow Hopper team photo She/her

Willow Hopper

Massage Therapist

Willow was born in Banff AB, Canada and raised in Ottawa ON. She first made a move westward in 2007 when she followed her roots back to Banff where she spent two years living and playing. Though she loved the seasonal adventures the mountains had to offer, she followed a pull towards the coast and has been living on Vancouver Island for over a decade where she now calls Metchosin home. When Willow was little, it was always a challenge to convince her to get out of the water–whether that was a lake in the Gatineau Park, a pool or a river–and not much has changed. A lover of all things water, she has found her happy place nearby the ocean with an abundance of varying coastline, rivers and lakes to explore. She even enjoys the rainy winters. Willow can often be found with a favourite mug in hand, enjoying local trails, snuggling something furry, laughing, engaged in good conversation, making soup or sitting at her piano. Willow is a recent graduate of the West Coast College of Massage Therapy located in the heart of Victoria. Over the course of her time as an intern therapist, Willow had the opportunity to work with a variety of populations and conditions including: chronic pain, mental health challenges, athletes, pre and post natal, central and peripheral nervous system disorders and various inflammatory conditions. Willow welcomes a wide variety of clientele: from those seeking to simply enjoy a relaxation massage to those in need of a more therapeutic focus. She is committed to creating a practice centred around facilitating relief, wellness, empowerment and resilience as directed by each individual client’s goals. Working with Willow, you can expect empathic active listening, a mindful treatment approach and plan, as well as tailored homecare. Willow strives to forge supportive therapeutic alliances with her clients as a means of inspiring hope, curiosity and confidence as they pursue and maintain their health goals.

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Eve Carty team photo She/Her

Eve Carty

Westshore Instructor

Eve has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and took her practice to the next level by completing her Yoga Teacher Training Program (RYT-200). From there, she has completed various other training programs to complement her yoga and aerial fitness classes. She completed her 300 hours Yoga Teacher Training in July 2020 and is designated as a RYT-500. She is currently a member of Yoga Alliance and also designated as a Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). She aims to make her classes fresh, uplifting and fun for all levels. She is friendly, approachable and takes great care with creating a safe and comfortable environment for all her students. She loves sharing the joy of yoga and fitness with each and every student that she meets along the way. She believes in yoga for life – taking every opportunity to weave the tools and practices of yoga that she has learned into her daily life. She is always looking for ways to deepen her practice and expand her study of yoga by continuously learning – not only from other teachers and colleagues, but also from students.

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Carrie-Ann Robinson team photo She/Her

Carrie-Ann Robinson

Victoria Instructor

Coming soon

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Dawn Bayers team photo She/Her

Dawn Bayers

Victoria + Westshore Instructor

Hi I’m Dawn, I believe yoga transforms us from the inside out. Whether you’re new to yoga or are looking to deepen your practice, I’m here to support you on your journey and offer you tools and experiences to feel more at ease in your body and mind. Yoga truly changed my life and teaching is my passion. I’ve been teaching full time for over 10 years, I teach a variety of styles from Hatha to Flow to Yin and Restorative Yoga, as well as Breathwork and Meditation. I have facilitated several Meditation and Pranayama workshops and created alongside my husband a Yoga and Sound experience - Immersion, Sound, Mind, Body which we have shared at local yoga studios as well as festivals in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. I’m known for mindful, grounding and balanced classes integrating breath and movement; using breath to calm the mind while working into and connecting with the physical body. I also blend music and meditation to create a serene experience.

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Eddy Bortzer team photo He/Him

Eddy Bortzer

Victoria Instructor

To me, it's all about awareness. Yoga encourages us to move with mindfulness, compassion, and intention and that transfers over to almost every aspect of our daily lives. It’s about learning and practicing on the mat so we can spread this joy, happiness, presence, and love to others off of the mat. My positive approach to teaching provides for a playful atmosphere where I weave together free-fluid movements with the sounds of the breath while always coming back to intuition. I enjoy flowing through funky transitions and settling deeply into a shape allowing the asana to fully encompass the body. Through these transitions and asanas, I will attempt to guide the class to discover these new depths, kind of like exploring the deep sea. My intention is to give students the feeling and experience of oneness, wholeness, connectedness and to cultivate a positive state of being. My professional background lies in nature and forest connection and I often bring these “natural” aspects into the class. Whether it’s placing our awareness on the elements within us or building a sequence like building a fire, it’s all connected.

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Studio Team

Heather Macleod team photo She/Her

Heather Macleod

Founder + Creative Director

The first time Heather connected with yoga she knew she had stepped onto a new path. Yoga became a practice that led her back home to herself. The focus she experienced when fully surrendering to movement brought her unexpected gifts of peace and presence. Over the last 12 years she has watched in awe as this community of students, teachers, staff and volunteers took shape. In 2014, Heather opened a second yoga studio in Westshore, with her business partner Darci Nyal. Over the course of the last decade Heather has grown her community and together they have created a culture of wellness (and fun!!) that continues to carry forward today. As an owner, Heather advocates for the needs of the students. She is passionate about building community and creating opportunities to link students together. Heather values acceptance and strives to create a space that is accessible for bodies of all different sizes and experience levels to explore movement and bridge connection between mind-body-spirit. Heather is a mother to her daughter and son! In this chapter of her life, she relies on the off-the-mat practice of yoga more than ever to support her in parenting with mindfulness. She loves to connect through nature and understands first hand the challenge of balancing family with work and self-care. Heather continues to be inspired by the leaders on her team that help to inspire our exceptional teaching faculty and ensure the studio is a warm and welcoming space for students. She appreciates that it takes a village to build two studios of this calibre and size! Heather is beyond grateful for the role every person plays to make Yoga Lab Victoria and Yoga Lab Westshore feel like home for so many people.

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Kamila Nowak team photo She/Her

Kamila Nowak

Westshore Director + Instructor

Kamila, Teacher and Director of Operations at Lab Westshore, is the one behind the scenes working with our incredible Westshore faculty and facility, and teaching a variety of class offerings at both Lab Westshore and Victoria. She grew up on Vancouver island, and keeps very active exploring within BC’s bountiful nature. Dance was a huge part of Kamila’s yoga journey and active lifestyle growing up; she fell in love with graceful mobility, and learned much about stretching and movement anatomy. Yoga came into Kamila’s life over 13 years ago, the physical/spiritual restorative functions and power of breath latched onto her heart and mind. The ever learning world of yoga and mindful fitness is humbling and exciting for Kamila, with several trainings, workshops, and years of experience in management and business she hopes to meet and move with you very soon! 

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Sheena Naidu team photo She/Her

Sheena Naidu

Victoria Director + Instructor

Born in Toronto and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Sheena moved to the west coast and has embraced the change of pace. Following a 15 year tenure in restaurant operations, she resigned and set out on a self guided pilgrimage of India staying in ashrams and meditation centres to study the science of Ayurveda and art of yoga. The intention being to better understand the intricacies of her culture, fostering spiritual growth. Her time abroad allowed her to absorb the nuances and traditions of Eastern hospitality which taught her to bring empathy and sincerity to her everyday interactions. Her formal education and natural compassion for helping people from different demographics has been her greatest asset and has allowed for seamless transfer of skills to the wellness industry. She was mentored and trained to redefine hospitality for guests, going above and beyond for colleagues and the business. She prides herself on her ability to connect authentically as well as a willingness to adapt to the needs of a business and its people. Having the knowledge and experience of a yoga teacher, as well as studio operator, she possesses an understanding of both sides of the Yoga Lab operation. She aspires to educate that the practice of yoga extends beyond being in class moving your body, manipulating your breath, relaxing and meditating. Empowering yogis to surrender inwards, and illuminate the positive qualities of life, exploring one’s own luminosity. If not dancing in the kitchen, you can find her with a camera in hand. She’s happiest in the sun, by the sea or flowing on her yoga mat.

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Marisha Schaefer team photo She/Her

Marisha Schaefer

Victoria Instructor/ Studio Support

Yoga has been a consistent light in my life. Sustaining multiple kickboxing injuries, I turned to yoga. My practice then transcended the physical, and became my gateway to more embody the divine. No more playing small - yoga allows my light to shine bright! I have complex ptsd, and have struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction. After a complete life burn out I left Vancouver on an embarkment of my heart’s true path. I lived in Toronto, New Zealand, and Thailand. In 2014 I got sober, and took my first 200hr YTT. Several Vipassana retreats later, meditation is another consistent light in my life. My other passion is sailing. I have sailed to many far flung tropical islands. Upon discovering our magical island, I have settled down on the Peninsula, and I teach sailing for our Royal Navy. I studied Mindful Yin Yoga with Jennifer Raye. In 2020 I took another 200hr YTT at Hemma. I am now living my heart’s true path - an intrepid warrior. Sailing by day, yoga by night. The Yin to my Yang. I’m honoured to share space with you. May we all find more ease - one breath at a time.

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Jill Sartorio team photo She/her

Jill Sartorio

Studio Coordinator, Instructor

Bio Coming soon!

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Become an Ambassador

With more than 40+ volunteers representing our community, we are able to support the growth of practice with the integration of new friends and community.

Lineage Acknowledgement

We owe a debt of gratitude to the yoga teachers who have come before us. We are beneficiaries of Eastern wisdom traditions that include Vedic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Tantric and Daoist lineages as well as modern postural yoga schools from the West, including Hot Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, and Yin.

How are we connected?

We are two independently owned movement studios, proudly connected at the roots. We offer familiar, grounding yoga sequences in a heated room, and a thoughtful schedule of yoga & mindful fitness classes with varying heat settings. We celebrate the uniqueness of each studio, and have customized it to meet the needs of each community. Both carrying forward our shared values to ensure you feel at home at both!!

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