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KASSANDRA PRUS
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Kassandra Prus (they/them) is a Tkaronto (Toronto)-based accessible yoga teacher, yoga educator, yoga therapist, and tarot reader of Ukrainian heritage. It is important to Kassandra to conduct their coaching practice in a way that works to decolonize yoga, challenges capitalism and ableism, values intersectional feminism and anti-racism, and upholds body sovereignty. 

Kassandra’s ongoing yoga studies are primarily in the lineage of TKV Desikachar, son of T. Krishnamacharya and founder of Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Kassandra works to uphold and respect these powerful classical Vedic teachings through rigorous ongoing personal practice and study. These classical teachings come directed through Kassandra’s lived experience of navigating the modern world as a queer and non-binary, chronically ill survivor on the autistic spectrum, and all of the systemic barriers that this entails. For Kassandra, working with yoga as a somatic mano śastra (science of the mind) mirrors newly proven western understandings in psychotherapy and neuroscience, somatic psychotherapies, our understanding of trauma and more. It is of great interest to Kassandra to see how these deep indigenous knowledge systems built to heal all the layers of ourselves from the inside out (body, physiology, mind, emotions, spirit) will co-mingle with modern allopathic medical research into the future.
​Kassandra’s life experiences and lineage of teaching has brought them to working with students and clients of myriad abilities and conditions–those living with disabilities, chronic pain, trauma, autoimmune issues, physical and mental health concerns, and more. While facilitating the health of heart, mind, breath, and body through Yoga Therapy, Kassandra may also turn to Tarot reading in a practical way to illuminate the way forward for students when the path seems obscured. Kassandra also specializes in teaching chair yoga group classes, especially for seniors, as well as group classes for practitioners where the focus is on integrating the subtler practices of yoga (prāṇāyāma, stages of meditation, bhāvanam/visualization, and mantra) within an āsana practice to create a therapeutic effect for all the layers of the self. 
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As an educator, Kassandra develops and facilitates trainings to support others looking for ways to make yoga practices and medicines more accessible to their target populations. Since 2018 they have run multiple 25-40hour Therapeutic and Chair Yoga Trainings, as well as a Subtle Anatomy module in Union Yoga + Wellness’ 225hr YTT. With yoga therapist colleagues, Kassandra is currently working towards the launch of The Yoga Therapist Collective of Canada–a place for education, collaboration, advocacy and more. Kassandra’s hope is that one day people of all abilities, ages, races, genders, religions, financial statuses, and health statuses will have places to engage safely with the deeply healing practices that yoga has to offer the world, through diverse teachers and practitioners with lived understanding of the practices.
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Curriculum Vitae

Yoga Therapy, Yoga + Exercise Education
- Secrets of the Pulse w/ Vasant Lad AyurPrana (24hr webinar) 2022

– IAYT Accredited Yoga Therapist Training 
(800 hours) 2019-2021

- Pratiāhara w/ Dr N Chandrasekaran @ 
Yoga Vaidya Śālā (8hr Webinar) 2021

- Prāṇāyāma, Bandha, and Mantra as applicable to Yoga Therapy w/ Dr N Chandrasekaran @ Yoga Vaidya Śālā (8hr Webinar) 2020

– Prāṇa Saṁyama (Fundamentals of Prāṇāyāma followed by Practice) w/ Śrī V Srinivasan @ Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (8hr Webinar) 2020

- Yoga Sūtra Sangha w/ Dr N Chandrasekaran @ Yoga Vaidya Śālā (36hr Study) 2020-21

- Tattva-s according to Saṁkhya, Yoga and Śaiva Siddhantham w/ Dr N Chandrasekaran @ Yoga Vaidya Śālā (8hr Webinar) 2020

- Śabda Bramhan (Exploring How and Why Chants Work and the Integration of Chants in Practices of Yoga) w/ Nrithya Jagannathan @ Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (15hr Webinar) 2020

- Yoga Therapy for Malignancy w/ Dr N Chandrasekaran @ Yoga Vaidya Śālā (8hr Webinar) 2020

- Accessible Yoga w/ Accessible Yoga Training (22hr Teacher Training) Oct 2019

- Anatomy in Motion w/ Margot McKinnon @ Body Harmonics (16hr Teacher Training) Sept 2018

- BoneFit™ Basics w/ Osteoperosis Canada (9.5hr Teacher Training) May 2018

- Yoga for Traumatic Brain Injury w/ Kyla Pearce + Love Your Brain Foundation (16hr Teacher Training) Oct 2017

- Roll Model Method w/ Jill Miller (12hr Teacher Training) 2017

​- Seniors on the Move w/ Margot McKinnon @ Body Harmonics (6hr Teacher Training) 2017

- Move SMART w/ Alison Crouch @ Boomerang Pilates (16hr Teacher Training) 2016-18

- Biomechanics of Yoga w/ Jules Mitchell (12hr Teacher Training) 2016

- "Reaching Out, Reaching In" Yoga for Youth w/ New Leaf Yoga Foundation (15hr Teacher Training) 2016

- Trauma Sensitive Yoga w/ Sarah Kinsley (8hr Teacher Training) 2015 

- Yin Yoga w/ Tracey Soghrati (50+ hour Teacher Training) 2015

- Yoga Teacher Training @ Yoga Therapy Toronto (300+ hour Teacher Training) 2014-2015

- Chair Yoga Certificate w/ Michael Hutkins (8hr Teacher Training) 2015


Yoga Facilitation Experience

- Yoga Therapy Series – Arthritis, Blood Pressure, Fall Prevention, Anxiety (36hrs) @ Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre – 2021-2022
​
- 
Trainer and Content Development for 9hr Subtle Anatomy Module in 225hr Yoga Teacher Training Program @ Union Yoga — 2020

- Trainer and Content Development for 40hr Therapeutic and Chair Yoga Training @ Union Yoga — 2020 // 20hr version – 2018, 2019

- Mentor teacher for yoga teacher trainees (approx. 15hrs) @ Union Yoga -- 2017, 2019, 2021

- Mindfulness and Chair Yoga @ Ministry of Government and Consumer Resources Wellness day 
— 2016

- Tree of Your Life, Self Affirming Yoga, and Metta/Maitri:Loving Kindness: Platform A grant project w/ Essence @ Supporting Our Youth — 2015
Dance, Tarot + Arts Education
- Intermediate Tarot ​w/ Jayne Marie (24hr course) 2020

- Beginners Tarot w/ Jayne Marie (36hr course) 2020

- Smart Start™ Teacher Training at Royal Conservatory of Music (30hr Early Childhood Education cognitive skills through multi-arts) 2015

- Certificate Royal Conservatory of Music (30hr Learning Through the Arts Artist Educator Course–Level 2 "Lead Artist") 2015

- ​Yes! World Jam (weekend changemakers retreat) 2015

- ArtReach and NIA Centre for the Arts (35hr Art of Facilitation series) 2014

- Certificate Royal Conservatory of Music (30hr Learning Through the Arts Artist Educator Course–Level 1 "Artist Educator") 2013

- Ukrainian, Slavic, and Balkan traditional folk singing training, various teachers 20012-2015

- Certificate Royal Conservatory of Music (30hr Learning Through the Arts Artist Educator Foundations Course) 2012

- B.F.A. Hons. Toronto Metropolitain University (Photography) 2005-2010

- Diploma Hons. Etobicoke School of the Arts (Dance) 2001-2005

- Contemporary and Modern dance training 2001-2008, 2019

- Ukrainian folk dance training 1991-2012 // Serbian folk dance training 2006-2009 
​

Arts Facilitation Experience

- For Those Too Shy to Speak: Arts Informed Group Facilitation​ w/ Toronto Regional Groupworkers’ Network Mini Group Camp @ Faculty of Social Work U of T — 2016
​
- 
Mentor artist w/ tdsbCreates (12 hrs)  — 2015

- Creative dance education K-8 (11 full school days) w/ TCDSB Artists in the Schools — 2013-15

- History, media literacy, & science exploration through dance & photography (7 full school days) K-8 w/ Learning Through the Arts — 2013-15

- Creative Movement facilitator (1 hr) @ Alzheimer's Society — 2015
Dance instructor at March Break camp (8hrs) @ Victoria Village Arena — 2015

- Creative movement and visual art explorations for “BREATHE–Building Resilient Emerging Artists Through Health Education” w/ Arts for Children and Youth — 2015

- Movement-Based Empathy Building w/ Toronto Regional Groupworkers’ Network Mini Group Camp @ Faculty of Social Work U of T — 2014

- Dance instructor, co-script writer, and co-play director @ Pokrova Arts Network Summer Camp, Ottawa ON — 2014

-  Ukrainian Village Voice // Art of the Vinok masterclass facilitator  @ Pokrova Arts Network, Ottawa ON — 2014

- Movement-Based Empathy Building // Honouring Your Body’s Wisdom w/ Essence @ Supporting Our Youth — 2014

- How Organic Agriculture Supports your Mind-Body Education @ Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph ON — 2014

- Creative Dance Education K-8  (25 full school days) w/ bodymind ConfiDance— 2010-14

- Folk Dance Company Tour director w/ Ukrainian Academy of Dance @ St. Petersburg, FL — 2007
Teaching Experience
​
- Private client sessions (approx. 700hrs in person & online) — 2015-present

- Chair Yoga, Mindfulness, Barre Fitness, and Socials (approx. 550hrs in person & online) @ Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre — 2018-present

- Chair Yoga sessions with residents (approx. 150hrs) @ Ivan Franko Long Term Care Home — 2018-present
- Yoga sessions for staff (approx. 100hrs) @ Ivan Franko Long Term Care Home — 2018-present

- Chair Yoga & Meditation sessions for Dixon Hall Seniors Program (36 x 1hr classes in person & online) 
 — 2019-2021

- Yin, Meditation, Hatha, Restorative Yoga classes (approx. 200hrs in person & online) @ Union Yoga & Wellness — 2016-2021

- Community Chair & Accessible Yoga classes (approx. 200hrs) Independent — 2016-2020

- Chair Yoga classes (approx. 200hrs) @ Yoga Village — 2016-2020


- Hatha, Yin/Yang Yoga classes (approx. 200hrs) @ Yoga Sanctuary — 2016-2019

- Hatha, Yoga & Meditation classes (approx. 100hrs) @ Studio Blue Yoga & Fitness — 2016-2018


- Dance teacher (Ukrainian folk dance, jazz, ballet, creative movement) @ Stefura Dance Studios and Ukrainian Academy of Dance, Toronto ON — 2002-2010
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yogawithkassandra@gmail.com
www.kassandraprus.com
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