
Team
At Mat Collective, we believe that the teachers with the happiest students are those who get to teach what they love. That's why we pour love, passion, and compassion into every event, class, and workshop we do!

Zamir Dhanji
Teaches Holistic Hatha
My goal as a yoga teacher is to inspire others to embrace the depth of what yoga has to offer - integrating our potential in body, mind, emotions and spirit.”
Zamir completed his 500 hr Teacher Training with David Goulet in Chakra Yoga as taught by the late Swami Gitananda, founder of the Ananda Ashram and proponent of rishi culture asthanga yoga.
He is also an initiate of Ati-yoga under the guidance of Wisdom Master Maticintin, founder of HÜMÜH Clear-Mind Buddhism, with whom he has discipled for eight years in the practice and study of meditation and Buddhist logic.
He works as lead instructor for the Langara College Yoga Teacher Training program, as well as offering workshops and classes in Vancouver and beyond.

Monique Francis
Teaches Hatha and Therapeautic Yoga
Monique works with people who feel disconnected. She teaches from an intentional place where movements are slow and subtle because she believes that paying attention to what we’re feeling increases awareness of ourselves and those around us.
She has almost 40 years of contemplative practices, 18 years as a Third Order monastic, and more than three decades devoted to the eight limbs of yoga. She seeks to create a space where you are able to unfurl, sink into yourself, and recognize your thread in the greater tapestry of life.
She is an experienced retreat and workshop facilitator, as well as, a trauma-informed yoga teacher and narrative comatic therapist. She works in the community and privately with a focus on emotional and mental resilience. More importantly, she practices what she teaches.

Mackenzie Godard
Teaches Hatha and more!
Mackenzie has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. She always wanted to complete her teacher training but, for one reason or another, life kept getting in the way. Then, on a whim, she attended an info session at YYOGA in Vancouver. Finally, everything clicked together and there were no more excuses not to pursue her dream.
Mackenzie’s classes are best described as challenging, dynamic and accessible — students can expect to work but there will always be options for everyone. She focuses strongly on alignment to empower students to explore their practice in the safest way possible.
A creative writer by trade and a yoga teacher by passion, Mackenzie lives in False Creek with her husband aboard a 45-foot sailboat.

Lori Hurd
Teaches Hatha
Lori teaches Hatha Yoga to help students discover peace, strength and happiness from within. She is a pharmacist who believes in combining Eastern and Western health practices for a holistic experience for her patients and students. Lori believes yoga should be accessible to everyone and inspires students to reach personal goals, to use their breath, and to be present in their yoga practice for physical and mental health.
Born in Nova Scotia, Lori loves to get outside and be active in beautiful BC. She bikes, runs, sails, swims, hikes, snowboards, and does yoga to unwind.
“When I was first considering leaving my life and job on the East Coast to move to Vancouver in 2010 with my vacation fling from the Cayman Islands (my current husband:p), I remember seeing a picture of yoga outdoors at Kits Beach. It looked so beautiful - the sea, the mountains, everyone on their colourful yoga mats on the grass. I thought “I can’t wait to move and do yoga on the beach right there”. My excitement overcame any fear. Now I am so blessed to be able to actually TEACH at my dream spot this summer with Mat Collective. Dreams do come true!”

Judy Rom
Teaches Hatha and more!
"Letting go is the hardest asana."

Hadis Kiani
Teaches Hatha
Hadis is a creative yoga teacher from Iran. She infuses modern flow with classic tantric yoga practices to help busy people reconnect to their heart and soul through the wisdom of the body.
Her yoga classes are light-hearted invitations to practice on the mat what we preach to the world by stabilizing and harmonizing our inner and outer experiences.
Hadis has brought her light to yoga studios across the city since 2015 and is excited to offer her experiences and guidance under the beautiful skies of Vancouver this summer.

Corinne Impey
Teaches Hatha
"A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms."

Claire Hurley
Teaches Hatha & Mediation
"Inhale the future, exhale the past."

Beriah Chandoo
Teaches Flow, Hatha, Baby Friendly & More!
"It's not about being good at something. It's about being good to yourself."

Kinga Gorski
Hatha, Power Flow, etc
Kinga’s classes are vibrant and always have elements of play, optimism and laughter! She loves movement and her teachings often offer arm balances and other challenging opportunities to explore the body. Kinga always aims to leave her students feeling refreshed and inspired after each practice!
Bernadette Pacana
Teaches Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Restorative, and Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Yoga
Bernadette fell in love with yoga 7 years ago. She completed her first 200-HR Teacher Training in 2012 and started sharing her yoga right after. She got her 500-HR certification with YogaWorks in New York and is trained in Vinyasa, Restorative, and Yin Yoga. She is a Reiki practitioner and also teaches Stand-Up Paddle Yoga. She has assisted teacher trainings in Saigon and New York.
As an advocate for wellness, she co-founded Ubuntu Festival - a movement that promotes wellness and mindfulness. Her passion is to teach and believes in having a beginner's mind. Her classes are challenging but accessible, mindful, and intelligently sequenced.
She is currently the Studio Manager of Oxygen Yoga Kitsilano and West End and also teaches yoga classes there.
Teresa Prado
Teaches Hatha & Expressive Hatha Flow
Teresa is a Brazilian living in Vancouver. She has been a yoga instructor for the past five years, offering Hatha Yoga with influences of expressive movement, breath and somatic therapy. More recently, she has trained under Yoga Outreach to offer Trauma-informed classes and has incorporated some of the language and ideas into her Hatha practice as well.
Annie Becker
Teaches Hatha Flow Fusion, Hatha & Makes Music!
Annie comes from a background in ballet and singing, as she graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts with an Enriched Certificate. Bringing together her 300h Karma Yoga Certificate, 50h Yin Certificate, 50h Movement Training, Pranayama Training, Music and Dance, Annie brings something very special to the mat.
Christine Wu
Teaches Yin, Hatha, Flow & Sound Healing
Christine guides you to look inward and tune into your body through meditative breath work and gentle flows. She encourages you to move with fluidity and strength. She honors the body and mind’s ability to grow, adapt and heal with every new life experience.
Sandra Gin
Teaches Flow & High School English
Sandra grew up in Vancouver competing in gymnastics, dance and cheerleading. After tearing her Achilles' tendon in 2013, she found the healing & spiritual benefits of vinyasa yoga. Her classes are a combination of powerful strength building, creative sequencing and nourishing soul-seeking.
