Maria Whittaker (Authorized Level I)
Hello!
Thank you for visiting this page!
My hope is after reading it you will have garnered a little bit of who I am before meeting and connecting with me through the practice (in person or online). My dedication to my own yoga sadhana, devotion to family and community, and passion for sharing the healing benefits of Ashtanga Yoga have all played an equally important role in what has led me to return to Vancouver Island and build a traditional Ashtanga Yoga Shala in the beautiful city of Victoria.
I was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada at a young age. I was raised in Comox and then moved to and lived in Vancouver for nearly 20 years. Vancouver was my homebase during university, time spent abroad, and almost a decade at Ashtanga Yoga Vancouver. I studied Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of British Columbia and also balanced that time training for Ironman Canada Triathlons. I always felt a strong pull towards movement and the healing quality it had for mental health. My first early meditation experiences was actually not on a yoga mat or meditation pillow but happened mostly in my running shoes during Sunday long run workouts. I recall falling in love to the rhythm and sound of the breath and learning just how powerful of a muscle the mind really is.
The breath (affectionately referred to as free breathing with sound) in Ashtanga Yoga is what influenced my choice to take it up as a daily asana practice. The metronome of movements linked with breath came to form an invisible anchor for me during periods of challenges, triumphs and transitions. To this day, my yoga practice serves as a reflection of my own patterns, reactions and attachments. Dedicating time on my yoga mat always gave me a feeling of home, no matter what part of the world I was in, and always made me feel resourced. I practiced in bus stations, rainforest valleys, beachside rooftops, airports and even on a plane once! For me, all those practices was really the planting of seeds for where I was heading to and where I genuinely feel I am now.
I am inspired by my family, time in nature with my puppy, and all the profound relationships and connections I have had because of the Ashtanga practice.
During my time at Ashtanga Yoga Vancouver I had the privilege of learning, sharing knowledge, building community, and contributing to the greater good through yoga. I feel my teaching approach draws from my time studying in Mysore, India at KPJAYI / Sharath Yoga Center and under the mentorship of incredible female Ashtanga senior-level teachers (Fiona Stang. Tanya Salas, and Sharmila Desai). I received the blessing to teach Ashtanga Yoga from Sharath Jois in 2016 and from then on I have devoted to sharing the tradition and evolution of the practice to those seeking a spiritual and healing practice.
My teaching approach comes from both patience and compassion. You can often hear me say: things take time. I often do more listening and observing, and in doing so I feel helps facilitate holding a focused practice space, virtually online or in person. I am deeply curious and fascinated by the power of self-healers, both mentally and physically. I have had the privilege of working with new moms and expecting mothers. I provide encouragement, support and guidance to both novice and seasoned yoga practitioners.
I am the primary teacher at the yoga Shala and being so allows me the time to connect with each yoga practitioner in an unhurried way. I am devoted to sharing the healing and therapeutic benefits of the practice, cultivating community, and encouraging diversity within the broader yoga community. I consider myself first and foremost: a student, nature enthusiast, and devoted householder; and secondary: a teacher, a terrible baker, and a coffee fanatic.
I look forward to meeting you soon!
Blessings,
Maria
