Gozo - Yoga Teacher

Michelle Bartolo

My name is Michelle and I was born in Malta and raised in Canada. I took a keen interest in the Fitness Industry from the age of 17. I certified throught the YMCA as a Fitnees Instructor and have been travelling and teaching various types of classes for many years in various countries including Toronto, Ireland, Australia, Costa Rica and now, Malta.

I was first introduced to  Yoga in 2002 and there was no turning back, I realised it was much more than just fitness you attained from doing Yoga, it intrigued me the way it brought the mind and body together, it taught me to read myself from the inside out and helped me move thru the problems in my life very fluidly.

There was no doubt in my mind that Yoga was what I wanted to pursue next, and so I did. I practised under the guidance of Geoffrey Wiebe who teaches in many popular locations in Toronto. I also completed a Beginner Hatha Yoga Foundation Course and an Intermediate Hatha Yoga Foundation Course with Zoya Lu in Malta.

Then one of my biggest dreams became fulfilled, I travelled to Rishikesh, India (Yoga capital of India) and completed a 500hr Teacher Training Course in Transformational Yoga with Swami Vidyanand, a Yoga Alliance Certified course, this course focused on chakra cleansing through chanting.

My classes are a blend of Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Hatha and Transformational Yoga Techniques to give every student a full bodied class.

My classes begin with breathing techniques to help you neutralize your hormones and glands, cleanse and balance your respitory system,  clear the liver and kidneys and heat up the digestive system. Throughout the lessons emphasis is always placed on breathing, reminding students to notice their breath in each pose along with how they feel in each pose. I also incorporate lots of physical yoga(aimed at all levels) to build heat in the body, which in turn burns toxins and speeds up digestion. I will help you detox your body with specific poses aimed at doing so. You will feel stronger, healthier, calmer and clearer by the end of the week.
 

I also like to emphasis that Yoga is an individual practice, we don't always have to be synchronized, we all move to different rhythms and hold different strengths and weaknesses. YOGA IS LIKE A SKYSCRAPER WITH MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS, AND  DIFFERENT ROOMS ON EACH LEVEL, you must find what best suits you! My aim is to teach you how to individualize your practice to best suit YOU! So at the end of your Yoga Week  you will feel confident enough to continue your own self practice.

I've always had an interest in helping people and to improve the quality of their lives and this is why Yoga is what I want to be doing. I truly believe in all it stands for and seeing that it is a 5000 year old art gives it much more substance and truth. After each class I teach I feel so great, I never want the class to come to an end and this feeling passes onto my students.

I truly believe Yoga teaches us to observe ourselves as opposed to judging others. Lastly, it's all you need. You can learn to heal yourself with everything you've got from head to toe, becoming completley self reliant, this is the aspect of Yoga that is absolutley priceless.

Inhale Freely, Exhale Forever!