At Yoga Academy International, our faculty comes from a diverse array of backgrounds and yogic lineages. We believe in offering the best possible yoga education from seasoned experts. Our students have the opportunity to explore many different types of yoga from many different voices. We are respectful to all traditions of yoga.
Our highly qualified faculty provide an exceptionally rich curriculum. Each teacher is purposefully chosen to feed off strengths and knowledge of the others. Our faculty enables yoga teacher training students to learn a tremendous amount and integrate it fully into their own teaching styles. Students have an incredible opportunity to take in an extensive and well-rounded yoga training. We encourage our students to chose which yoga style or styles best fits their interests. Our attentive faculty are always available during trainings to encourage and facilitate learning from many yogic traditions. Each training hosts select faculty members to join the experience and create the most well-rounded trainings possible.
Yoga Academy International Faculty:
Lauren Rudick
Lead teacher and founder of Yoga Academy International, Lauren is a globally celebrated yoga instructor. She has been teaching yoga for over a decade and comes from a variety of lineages and traditions. Lauren’s appetite for yoga and travel are insatiable. She has lead yoga retreats and workshops in over 2-dozen countries and continues to study with world-class instructors whenever possible. Lauren has been featured in Women’s health Magazine, YogiTimes, Optymyz and get out there to name a few as well as on countless podcasts and newspaper articles. Lauren has solid roots in Iyengar based Hatha yoga with continued studies in Vinyasa flow, Anusara, Ashtanga, Restorative, Bhakti and Yin Yoga. She is inspired by teachers who tell stories. She has studied under Seane Corn, Chris Chavez, MC Yogi, Susan Cohen, Mercy Ananda, Nancy Goodfellow and many others. Lauren is passionate about sharing yoga from an authentic and soulful point of view. She believes that yoga practice can help uncover the veils that hide us from achieving our full potential.
Lauren Rudick
Kezia Tatton
Kezia began yoga at the age of 16, and after two years of delving into the practice, Kezia traveled to Baja, Mexico to complete the 200-hour yoga teacher training at Yandara Yoga Institute. Since then, Kezia has grown her appetite for travel and has continued her yoga education through conferences, workshops, weekend trainings and yoga festivals. Kezia’s classes focus on how to access poses with safety, then she encourages students to find their “edge”, working with their body’s ability. Kezia’s keen interest in biomechanics helps students to cultivate a balance between effort and ease, strength and flexibility, and to offer opportunities for challenge and growth. Her classes leave students feeling confident and energized in mind and body. Her informative yet lighthearted approach to yoga will help you explore this age-old practice of health and wellbeing.
Kezia Tatton
Max Smirnov
Max Smirnov is a Neurokinetic Therapist, Athletic Therapist and Personal Trainer. He has taught anatomy at the college level and regularly presents workshops on functional fitness in Canada. Max graduated with a B.Sc in Exercise Science from Concordia University and has over 15 certifications in fitness and manual therapy. He has helped dozens of high performance athletes achieve their goals. He is the co-owner of Xceed fitness in Montreal, Canada and one of the anatomy teachers at Yoga Academy International.
Max Smirnov
Nancy Goodfellow
Yoga director and co-owner of Pranamar Villas and Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica, Nancy is extremely well known for her inspiring and creative daily classes, workshops,and retreats, with students both locally and internationally. Her twenty years of committed practice, thousands of hours of trainings, and continual curiosity towards life’s most mysterious aspects are all part of why she has so many devoted students. She began her Yogic studies in the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition under the guidance of her first teachers, Dominic Corigliano, Tim Miller and Pattabhi Jois. Nancy has completed over 500 hours of Yoga Alliance teacher trainings and began teaching in 1998. Nancy dedicated many years of study to the Anusara method with its amazing principles of alignment, Tantric philosophy and Bhakti filled practice. She completed over 500 hours of certified Anusara teachings and traditional non-dualistic Tantra studies.
Nancy Goodfellow
Teresa Edmilao
Teresa has been practicing massage therapy since 2006. She has a 3000hr diploma in Massage Therapy from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in Vancouver, BC. Teresa has a passion for helping people connect with their bodies. She lives by example, inspiring people to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. Teresa spent 7 years practicing massage therapy in Canada to people from all walks of life; students, athletes, desk workers, labourers, youth, elderly, dancers, and accident victims. Teresa is also a fire dancer and hula hoop dancer. She has experienced numerous injuries has personally been through the rehabilitation process many times. It was these experiences that have lead her to delve deeply into the study and application of anatomy and movement. Teresa offers anatomy classes at Yoga Academy International. Her teachings are thorough, meticulous but fun, drawing on every day life experience to help yogis understand their bodies better.
Teresa Edmilao
Mark Diamond M.D.
Prior to training as a Physician specializing in Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine in the U.S., Mark grew up in Montreal, Canada and studied Exercise Science and Athletic Training. He subsequently practiced as a personal trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist before heading off to medical school. His love of travel has taken him all over the world and his passion for fitness and health has led him to a yoga and meditation practice which he currently incorporates into his busy daily life. His extensive knowledge of anatomy as well as the biomechanics of human movement and how it relates to yoga makes him an asset to our team. He believes a deep understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy is essential to any yogi’s training and success as a future practitioner. He will introduce the students to musculoskeletal and functional anatomy and deepen their understanding of how different muscle groups contract and relax in perfect succession to create the beautiful postures of yoga.