Yoga in Brampton

Instructor Linda Summers strives to instill within each of her students the important life lessons that yoga has taught her—to slow down, celebrate each day, and embrace the goodness in every living thing. Linda has been carving out a healthy lifestyle for two decades through her work as a personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and spin instructor, but it's been her decade of yoga practice that has truly shaped her outlook on life. Over the years, Linda has studied under many notable yogis, including Baron Baptiste and Twee Merrigan.

Now she shepherds aspiring yogis of all levels along the path of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline—which leads the traveller toward wisdom and away from the lies crooned by late-night infomercials—through small Vinyasa and Hatha yoga classes. During these classes, Linda teaches her students to marry controlled breath with a flow of athletic and remedial postures as she gently adjusts their forms. Her studio's earthy walls surround students in tranquility as she inspires them to feel the strength and vibrancy that yoga has taught her to realize within herself.

Having led hundreds of clients down a custom-paved road to physical health, certified fitness trainers Christopher and Stephanie Williams founded Destiny Fitness as a home base for both in-studio and mobile personal-training services. The team helps locals achieve wholesome lifestyle shifts, manning group fitness classes at their Mississauga studio when they aren't bringing personal training regimens, equipment, and inflatable Olympic-size pools to area homes. Their programs, which can include nutritional guidance as well as frequent progress assessments, are part of a step-by-step system intended to become a guide to lifelong fitness success. More specialized therapies are available under the pair's Destiny Wellness umbrella, a mobile facet of the company that travels to those with rehabilitative needs.

The path to health and happiness is often built from scratch, according to yoga master Bikram Choudhury and the stretchy sages at Bikram Yoga Red Tree. Filled with triathletes, engineers, and social workers, the studio’s teaching staff illustrates yoga’s ability to inspire and transform people from diverse walks of life. Between bright windows and mirror-lined walls, students of all skill levels reflect upon wellness while practicing 26 poses designed to pump oxygen through the blood. Tight muscles loosen as bodies absorb heated air, which seeps into pores during twists, balances, and forward bends. Coupled with deep-breathing exercises, the heat helps to oust toxins and tension through sweat beads and focused exhalations. When fatigue sets in, students draw inspiration from one of Bikram’s loftiest challenges: a knee injury that threatened his ability to walk. With hard work and the support of a caring yoga teacher, he regained his ability to stroll, sprint, and perform the hokey-pokey.

Bikram Hot Yoga is a melting pot of good vibes—almost literally, as the high temperatures required for Bikram yoga encourage muscle tension and toxins to melt away, allowing students to move deeper into each stretch. The 90-minute Bikram yoga series thus hones mental and physical stamina, activating the body's entire muscular system with its carefully ordered sequence of 26 poses and two breathing exercises. However, the venue also deserves to be labeled a melting pot because it serves as a hub where wellsprings of positivity coalesce.

One such spring is the supportive staff, helmed by owner David Tiviluk and comprised of such devotees as Denis D., whose Bikram-yoga journey helped him to regain movement after a devastating motorcycle crash. The teaching team helps newcomers and advanced yogis alike achieve the benefits of a long-term Bikram practice. They pose challenges—take four classes a week for one month, for example—that create an encouraging, communal atmosphere. They also schedule special events, welcoming visitors to seminars by guest instructors and candlelit cello performances.

Another agent of good vibes is the studio itself, which was built according to the advice of a feng shui consultant. Warm red and orange tiles line the desks in a lobby hung with paintings and pendulous lights. Signs of an eco-friendly attitude abound: the floor is recycled vinyl, the insulation in the walls is recycled denim, and there are no plastic water bottles; instead, students can purchase chilled water in glass jars or store water in their cheeks until they are thirsty.