Director Bios

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 (Harshad), 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.