Toronto Yoga Leaders: Carmela Savoia

Carmela Savoia is the director of Yoga Plus, with locations in Toronto and Richmond Hill. Her 24 years of experience in the wellness industry, coupled with a deep understanding of yoga, place her at the forefront of personal wellness instructors in North America. Carmela has the expertise to blend many techniques into a single discipline, accommodating each individual she teaches. After many years of intensive aerobic workouts led to injury, Carmela knew that she needed to pursue a different discipline--yoga. In yoga, she found a great reservoir of knowledge and understanding of the mind/body connection. She applied her fitness discipline to yoga and quickly became one of its leading proponents in the mainstream media.

Carmela’s new path continued as she introduced yoga to professional athletes in the CFL, NBA and NHL and prima ballerinas in the National Ballet of Canada, as well as actors and business professionals. She created a program for Bally Total Fitness facilities, was a Reebok master trainer, and has been a regular presenter at the CAIN, CALA and CANFIT conferences. Carmela has appeared on numerous television series including 'Real Life' and 'Canadian Living Television' for Life Network, 'Breathing Space Yoga' for W Network and 'CP24' for Chum Television. Carmela continues to explore the vast landscape of yoga. She created two yoga DVDs as well as a Yoga Nidra meditation CD. Her enthusiasm for practice and study has led to several opportunities such as the rare privilege of studying with a vast array of teachers including Dharmanidhi Saraswati (Classical Hatha Yoga and Meditation) in California and Australia, Kit Laughlin in Australia (Stretch & Flexibility Therapist), David Life (Jivamukti), Dharma Mittra in NYC, Yogi Bharadwaj (Pranayama expert) as well as Ashtanga Yoga study with Chuck and Maty Ezraty in California, and Ron Reid (Downward Dog) in Toronto.

As the director of Yoga Plus... (Toronto and Richmond Hill locations) and teacher of both Ashtanga and Hatha Teacher Training Programs at the Toronto location, Carmela continues to share her love of yoga with yoga teachers of the future.