Blue Door Yoga - About Us

Blue Door Yoga Room is a well-established yoga studio in the Vaughan area. We have been teaching yoga in the Vaughan area for over ten years. We are centrally located and easily accessible for the Woodbridge, Etobicoke, Brampton and Bolton areas.

We offer over 25 drop-in classes per week as well as specialty pre-registered classes. Our instructors are highly qualified and each teacher is chosen for their unique skills and the diversity they bring to our studio.

We welcome students of all levels and ages and we encourage you to take the courageous first step and visit our studio for a class today.

Karla Jacobsen: Owner/Founder Blue Door Yoga Room, BA (Honors) McGill'94, Synergy Teacher Training 1999, Pre-Post Natal 1999, Downward Dog Teacher Training 2003, NCCP Level II Coach, E-RYT 200 hrs

Karla has been practicing Yoga since 1995 and teaching since 1999. In 1994 she completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree from McGill University and worked in the Investment field for a number of years. Her love for Yoga lead her on a path to teach, and in 1999 she began her first yoga certification in California.

Blue Door Yoga Room opened in September 2000 and Karla has been teaching and studying yoga full-time ever since. In 2001, she completed a Pre/Post Natal Training with Monica Voss. In May 2003 and she completed her second yoga certification at Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, studying with Ron Reid, Diane Bruni, and Marla Joy. To date,she continues her studies on a regular basis with many amazing teachers. Karla is also a Level II Certified Figure Skating Coach and has a background in Figure Skating and fitness. Along with her love for Yoga, Karla enjoys road cycling, golf, dancing, travelling, cooking, reading, nutrition, the great outdoors, riding motorcycles, learning how to skydive, and enjoying time with her friends. Karla's brother-in-law has a yoga studio in Escondido, CA. Check out www.sattvafitness.com.

Carol Atkinson, Yoga Teacher, RYT 200

Carol discovered her first yoga experience in Vancouver in 1997 after many years of running and triathlons. In 2004 she started an earnest practice which lead her to obtaining her RYT-200 Hatha teacher certification. As she proudly passes into each new decade, she is living her mantra "keep the body moving" and wishes to transmit the joy of her yoga practice to others.
Carol also acts as a teacher training mentor and is the liaison for our family of Blue Door Yoga Room teachers organizing workshops, classes, and social events.

Theresa Fantin: Yoga Teacher, RYT200

Theresa has been practicing yoga regularly at Blue Door Yoga Room since opening in September 2000. She has experienced different styles of yoga including Synergy (Hot Yoga), Kripalu, Yin, and Iyengar although her main focus of study is Ashtanga. Yoga plays an important role in her daily life and has brought balance, openness and patience within her. In May 2007, she graduated from Blue Door Yoga Room's Teacher Training Program. She is blessed to have found yoga and wishes to share this ancient practice with all who are open and ready.

Fran Brunke, Senior Facilitator
M.Sc.Ed., Kripalu Certified 1998; Kripalu Mentor 2000; Certified iRest Teacher 2007

One of the senior teacher/ trainers at Blue Door Yoga Room, Fran is a lifelong educator and recognized as an innovative teacher. She has a special appreciation of all things evolutionary and unseen. Combining the quiet arts of Kripalu yoga, pranayama and yoga nidra, Fran’s teaching provides practical options to transform everyday life and work into occurrences of light and ease.
She is the author of the recently—published book, Open to Change: The Power of Reflection in your Yoga Practice. Visit her author website: www.powerofreflection.com

Her particular interest in the health benefits of yoga and travel has taken her to a variety of locations from community centres to corporate boardrooms and resorts in the US, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. Fran has broad experience in leading yoga retreats over the past 10 years.

Publications:
Open to Change: The Power of Reflection in your Yoga Practice (2009) SOL: Salutations to the Sun (CD released 2005)

Rita
After dabbing in yoga off and on over many years, it wasn't until practicing pre-natal yoga with both her pregnancies that she became serious about yoga. Rita began attending classes at Blue Door Yoga Room in 2004, and graduated from the Teacher Training Program in Spring 2008. Rita loves to spend time with her family, reading, and learning about yoga. Rita is grateful and honored to be teaching something she loves to her Blue Door students.

Michelle Michelle has been practicing Yoga since 2001 beginning at Uni-Yoga, while living in Brazil. Several years later she moved to Milan, Italy where she discovered and fell in love with Hatha Yoga. Upon returning to Canada in 2005 Michelle felt the welcoming warmth of the teachers at Blue Door Yoga Room. Continuing her calling into Yoga, she took the next step by graduating from the teacher training program at BDYR in May 2007. Michelle practices Hatha, Kripalu and Kundalini Yoga but her main teaching focus is Hatha Yoga. Michelle also enjoys spending time with her family, reading, going to the gym and meditating. After Michelle’s classes you will feel refreshed with an increased sense of calmness.

Valerie
Valerie was introduced to yoga in 2001 and began practicing as an alternative method of exercise.
After experiencing several yoga retreats in eastern Ontario and Mexico, she realized that she felt very at home with this practice, its community and was drawn to delve deeper.
After successfully completing the 200 RYT program through the teacher training at Blue Door, she continues to expand her knowledge with courses, travel and self-study.
Her diverse personal practice includes Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Meditation. Valerie’s teaching is based on alignment, mind and body awareness. She encourages students to find safety while challenging their unique personal edge.

Ladan
I found Yoga in 1998 at a time when my life needed direction and purpose. Yoga gave me a sense of accomplishment and started to bring physical and mental awareness to my life. I feel and see the changes in me as I continue my Yoga practice and if I ever stray due to circumstances beyond my control, the strong sense of loss within me brings me back and I feel one again. As I go through the ups and downs of my life's roller coaster ride, I find the only thing that is constant is the way I feel when I practice Yoga. I hope to share my knowledge with those who have a passion to learn more about this wonderful spiritual practice and I look forward to learning from each and every one of my students and fellow teachers as I continue my teaching.

Val S.
Val S. was first introduced to yoga in her teens and developed a self-practice from Rachel Carr's children book: "Be a Frog, A Bird or a Tree". Her practice deepened when she joined Blue Door Yoga Room in 2004 and developed breath work with her asanas. She is interested in yoga, creativity and narrative writing. The current style she practices is Ashtanga Yoga.

Jeannette K.

Jeannette first became interested in Yoga as a young woman while traveling in India after graduating from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Intrigued by the intense spirituality she felt and observed in such a poor country she subsequently was drawn over the years to know more about the ancient practice and philosophy of yoga.

Looking for more balance, grounding and peace in her life as a senior marketing executive for a large consumer packaged goods company led her to a consistent yoga practice prior to enrolling in Blue Door Yoga Room’s teacher training program in the Fall of 2008.

Having earned her RYT-200 Certificate from BDYR in the Spring of 2009 she is grateful to Karla, Fran and Mary for helping her discover her calling as a yoga teacher. As a student of yoga Jeannette is interested in and practices a variety of yoga styles and teaches Ashtanga and Hatha yoga.

Mary P. started Yoga in 2001 and her first experience was at Blue Door Yoga room with Karla Jacobsen. Her interest in Yoga was initially an emotional/spiritual search for inner peace; which then brought the physical aspect into play. Her first Yoga class inspired her to start practicing 2 to 3 times a week which then over time, slowly evolved into 6 to 7 times a week; becoming an everyday part of her life. Mary decided to become a Yoga teacher so she could share her love and passion of Yoga with others. Mary received her teacher training at Blue Door Yoga Room and her main focus is Ashtanga Yoga. Mary is very thankful to her teachers and students who inspire her everyday and is grateful for the opportunity to grow with them on her journey.

For more information, please contact us: 905-265-2400