Curiosity is what brought Suzanne into her first yoga class… Loving the exhilarated feeling after class, the freedom, focus, and positive energy in her everyday life (to mention a few) is what this practice brings to her! After a year of practicing, she knew she needed to share this experience – she wanted to deepen her practice and she wanted to teach! Packing her bags, she headed to her first yoga teacher training: Baron Baptiste Power Yoga Level One. Since then, Suzanne has continued to grow through teaching and community. Now part of the Oxygen Yoga and Fitness team, she thrives in the uplifting environment, surrounded by like-minded, energetic individuals. Teaching at Oxygen Yoga and Fitness allows Suzanne to share her passion and help others find the same empowerment and joy that yoga has brought to her. She is happy to be part of the amazing team bringing Oxygen Yoga and Fitness to Charlottetown and building a vibrant, supportive community.

Monelli is an Iranian-born dancer whose joyful spirit and playful energy shine through in every performance. As a teacher, she creates a supportive space for students to explore movement, grow, and find joy, inspiring freedom and healing.

Her journey is one of resilience and joy. Separated from her family at age 7 and relocating to Canada, Monelli used dance, music, and yoga to navigate emotional challenges. Her vibrant energy continues to uplift and inspire all those she meets.

For the last 18 months, Monelli has been teaching Kundalini Yoga, sharing the teachings from her International School of Yoga in the French Alps. She has been teaching Persian dance for over 5 years, empowering others to heal, grow, and celebrate life through yoga, dance, and mindfulness.

Erika again joins the Island Tides Festival as Program Coordinator! This is her 21th year as a full-time yoga instructor and studio manager. She is the founder of 3eYoga and co-owner of Charlottetown Yoga Space and The Space at Blackbush in Tracadie. She is a lead trainer with Maritime Yoga College, having helped certify many PEI yoga teachers. Her mission as a yoga instructor is to inspire new “a-ha” moments for the seasoned practitioner and crush any misconceptions a new yoga student might have about yoga being “boring”!

Following a severe car accident 33 years ago, Anita tried yoga to manage her chronic pain. She found not only physical relief, but an inner peace, sense of purpose, meaning, and spiritual connection. Once she began, “I felt like yoga would always be in my life,” Anita says. 

In 2021, Anita became a yoga teacher, with the intention to share the blessing yoga has been in her own life with others. Fascinated by healing, she has studied Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and also completed Energy Medicine Yoga teacher training.

Anita’s classes are rich with compassion, kindness and infectious joy. She especially wants to teach those who yearn to try yoga but feel it’s out of reach, perhaps because they are self-conscious of their body, feel they lack flexibility and balance, or they’re shy about taking a class. “I always saw myself that way too,” Anita says. “But I pushed past the fear, and yoga changed my life.”

Julie Pellissier-Lush is a Mi’kmaq storyteller, photographer, actor, drummer, best-selling author, and the first Indigenous Poet Laureate for PEI.

Through her books, songs, poetry, and other creative pursuits, Julie celebrates and shares the powerful stories of the Mi’kmaq on PEI. Amongst her many accomplishments, Julie helped script the play ‘Mi’kmaq Legends’, which has been performed countless times over the past 12 years across the Island.

At her essence, Julie is a cultural teacher and knowledge keeper. She finds inspiration from her elders, as they bravely share their stories, and from today’s courageous youth who are embracing and celebrating their rich culture. Her five children serve as her greatest inspiration and enduring reason for getting up each day to teach, sing, and create in celebration of her Mi’kmaw roots.

The multi-talented, heart-centred artist’s contributions to the Mi’kmaw community and PEI have not gone unnoticed. She is the recipient of the Queens Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Senators 150 Medal.

Her plays continue to grow in popularity and are featured in various festivals and stand-alone productions across Atlantic Canada. Julie is currently writing a new ghost storybook with the Elders of PEI as well as two children’s books.

Triona Harrop is the Owner-Operator of Infrared Fitness. She has been teaching all forms of movement from dance, Pilates, yoga, spin, and track & field to rehab and mindfulness movement. Her passion for movement comes across in her style of teaching as she incorporates over 30 years of teaching experience to students of all levels. Triona will help you to tap into your true potential on the Mat and leave you feeling challenged, invigorated and inspired.

Steff Sullivan (she/hers), founder of Steff Sullivan Collective, blends over a decade of experience as a women’s health nurse, movement practitioner and her own spiritual curiosity into a deep rooted passion for self-care and mental wellbeing. As a Certified Human Design Guide, she supports individuals in understanding their unique energy, fostering self-acceptance and finding inner peace through personalized self-care practices. With a strong commitment to community, Steff creates intentional group experiences that bring people together to connect, share, and support one another. Her offerings include movement classes, self-care workshops, personalized one-on-one sessions, group programs, and wellness retreats — both virtually and locally on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Learn more about Steff’s journey and her current offerings at www.steffsullivan.co