About Us
Trinity Yoga Centre: A tranquil, harmonious environment conducive to your health and sense of well being. We are an environmentally friendly studio using only natural yoga mat disinfectants and plant based and biodegradable cleaning products.
Trinity Yoga Centre's directors, Jeff and Sonya bring a wealth of experience to every session. Trinity Yoga Centre offers a wide selection of instructional series and drop-in yoga classes to fit your schedule. Choose from a variety of exceptional health services to meet your personal needs.
Sonya Thomlinson, E-RYT 500
As co-director of Trinity Yoga Centre in Kelowna, BC, Sonya has taken her passion for yoga and wellness to create classes and health programs which promote lasting change. Sonya is known for her compassionate, strong, yet graceful style of teaching which includes a deep appreciation for both the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga.
A former resident and director of program operations at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, MA, Sonya is a professional-level Kripalu Yoga Teacher and Kripalu DansKinetics® Teacher. She has studied with many of the master teachers within the field of yoga including; Erich Schiffman, Donna Farhi, Rodney Yee, Angela Farmer, also earning a Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Certification with Shiva Rea. Sonya is currently studying with Richard Miller and is in the process of obtaining certification in Integrative Restoration (iRest), also known as the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra.
Sonya is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, certified as a Holistic Health Counselor. She is trained in Eastern and Western dietary theory. Sonya supports her clients in restoring their inner and outer balance, increasing energy levels and overall well-being.
Through Sonya's completion of Landmark Education's Curriculum for Living, she was inspired to create Berkshire County's (Massachussetts) first ever 'Compassion in Action', a fundraising Yogathon to benefit the Berkshire Humane Society. Sonya brought 'Compassion in Action' to Kelowna in 2006 with the Okanagan's first fundraising Yogathon to support the new Neonatal Unit at KGH. Visit www.kelownayogathon.com for 2007 event information.
Sonya lives in Kelowna, British Columbia with her husband Harshad Jeff Thomlinson, daughters Ananda Grace and Leela Kiran and her cat Ella.
Jeff Thomlinson, E-RYT 500
Jeff Thomlinson (Harshad) first explored yoga in 1980, and began teaching at the YMCA in Bellingham, WA, in 1991. During the early 90's he studied with Yogi Amrit Desai at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, MA, and later opened his own yoga studio in Aberdeen, Washington.
Jeff graduated from Alexandar School of Natural Therapeutics for massage, in 1996, and has been a Nationally Certified Massage Board member, and a senior staff member of the acclaimed Healing Arts Department of Kripalu Center. When Jeff returned to Kripalu Center in 1998 for a 1 year resident program he began focusing on advanced yoga practices and philosophy. Consequently, in 2001, he received his Kripalu Yoga Advanced Certification and went on to become a Kripalu Center staff guest yoga teacher, serving over 23,000 students annually.
In the spring of 2003, Jeff graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, a vanguard in the field of holistic nutrition and health. With the commitment to continue the study of yoga, in all its forms, Jeff assists and/or trains with many international yoga teachers and scholars, including; Erich Schiffman, Donna Farhi, Richard Miller, Richard Freeman, Stephen Cope, Angela Farmer, and many others. Jeff is currently studying with Richard Miller and is in the process of obtaining certification in Integrative Restoration (iRest), also known as the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra. Jeff, originally from Washington State, now resides in Kelowna, BC.
Ron King (Naresh)
Naresh Ron King has been a dedicated Yoga student and practitioner since the late 80s.
A chance trip to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health brought a positive shift in direction and energy to his life: from professional photographer living in Toronto, he moved to Kripalu in the north-eastern USA in 1992, staying for over 13 years. After doing photography and creative direction for the Kripalu magazines, he was invited to teach yoga classes, then trained for many years as a program director, culminating in being senior teacher and a Yoga Teacher Training director. "Truly, it has been a wonderful, challenging journey of self-revelation, healing, celebration, and awakening."
Naresh has had the opportunity and great fortune to train with Amrit Desai, Yoganand Michael Carroll, Shiva Rea (becoming a certified Vinyasa teacher), Ana Forrest, Rama Jyoti Vernon, John Friend, Lama Surya Das, (even Bikram Choudhury!) and many others, all so inspiring and wonderfully generous in their presence and knowledge.
With his foundation in the holistic Kripalu Yoga tradition, Naresh integrates the myriad influences into his classes, offering an eclectic flow based on alignment, breath, and a deep focus on the spirit of relaxation and letting go of held patterns that lead to unhappiness (pain, fear, tension, limiting beliefs, self-judgment).
He enjoys music, hand drumming, is an art photographer, and loves to bicycle in the wild and wonderful outdoors. He is a certified bodyworker, has studied Positional Release therapy, Vipassana Meditation, and cooking. Living again where he grew up, here in BC, Naresh is happy to be living with his sweetheart in Kelowna, offering yoga classes in Vernon and Kelowna, and Yoga Teacher Training with his friends Sonya and Harshad at Trinity Yoga Centre. Namaste.
Lise Dallien
Lise was born and raised on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. She followed her passion for physical activity and became a fitness Leader in 1989. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University in 1992 and moved into the field of Pedorthics in 1993. Lise learned that there is great satisfaction being able to help others whether it be to improve their mind body connection or to recover from pain or injury.
Lise's partner in business and life, Sean, introduced Lise to the Okanagan in 2007. Currently, Lise continues to teach Stott Pilates, fitness classes, as well as being co-owner of Orthoquest Pedorthics in Kelowna (a company providing postural and gait analysis and custom foot orthotics).
Lise was first introduced to Kripalu Yoga many years ago from a veteran teacher in the East, Jody Myers. She immediately fell in love with the physical yet gentle and compassionate discipline. After practicing yoga for several years, Lise discovered the deeper benefits of the practice which resonated for her on and off the mat. Yoga is not simply a form of exercise but a way of life. Lise found Trinity online while still living in Halifax. Following a few classes at Trinity Lise felt Jeff and Sonya offered an approach to Yoga and life that complimented her experience, skills and path for the future. Upon graduating from the 300 hour teacher training in May of 2008, Lise is thrilled and honored to be a part of this yogic community. "Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." Carl Jung
Bill Eager
Bill Eager is a Kelowna based entrepreneur visibly active on many levels in the community.
Bill has spent the past 2 years in focused yoga practice and obtained his Interdisciplinary Yoga Teacher Training Certification in December 2005 at the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica with Directors Don and Amba Stapleton, who have a long and highly regarded history with the teacher training programs at Kripalu Center.
Bill is as much a dedicated student as he is a teacher and brings a dynamic blend of high energy, intention and lively spirit of inquiry to his class. Bill is wholly committed to the possibility of revealing our own true nature through yoga practice and invites everyone to attend his class and start the weekend off with refreshed and relaxed energy.
Karen Smith
Karen's yoga journey began about 15 years ago with her first teacher, Barbara Boettcher. She was struck by the beauty of movement, the exploration of self and the depth of what the practice could bring. Karen has been blessed to have studied with some wonderfully diverse teachers since then including Trinity Yoga, Richard Miller, Doreen Virtue and Tom Kenyon. Karen brings her love of yoga into her family life where she shares it with her husband and 3 great kids. The gift of Yoga is to be brought into our daily living and assist us in allowing joy to permeate our entire lives. Hari Om Tat Sat
Elaine Stamcoff
After many years of practicing yoga to support my physical body, I found Trinity Yoga Centre and knew right from the first class I attended that I had found myself in a special place...a place where I have been able to discover ways to nourish and nurture my whole being...body, mind and spirit.
I completed the 300 hour Integrative Yoga and Health Teacher Training Program
in May 2007. I visited the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts that summer for a retreat program and an in depth teacher training in Yoga Nidra with Richard Miller. I returned home from Kripalu with the desire to share my passion for yoga and began teaching at Trinity in January 2008. I have also studied Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield and Yin Yoga with Bernie Clark. I continue to deepen my personal yoga practice on the mat and in advanced teacher training programs with Trinity towards my 500 hour certification.
This has been a life changing experience for me....I am truly blessed with the practice of yoga and its many gifts.
Cathie Williamson
Cathie first discovered yoga several years ago in Vancouver while working as an Occupational therapist. She graduated from the University of Toronto in the field of Rehabilitation, specializing in O.T. She worked several years as an OT in Vancouver and overseas,launching her travels to many countries around the world. Combining a personal yoga practice with occupational therapy cultivated an approach to life which complimented and embodied her work: that of restoring and integrating the physical, psychological, and spiritual components of health. Off the mat, Cathie feels the essence of yoga in her love of paddling. There is a meditative quality and serenity on the water that keeps her connected to nature. Cathie is inspired by the Kripalu tradition of yoga and in the spring of 2007, completed the 300 hr. teacher training and health counselling program at Trinity Yoga Center. She has also completed yoga workshops with Judith Lasater. She is excited to share the gift of yoga, empowering each of us to embrace and connect to our own well-being. She brings a skilled and nurturing presence to her classes. Cathie lives in Kelowna with her husband Dave and two young children.
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