How Sangha Yoga Collective Came to Be
By: Lisa Greenbaum, Founder + Lead Trainer.
Growing up a competitive dancer taught me very early on the importance of movement for my physical health, but more importantly my mental health. As our dance group disbanded and we all went off to university, I tried adult dance classes, tai chi and doing aerobic classes at the gym – it was something, but it wasn’t quite me.
Moving back to Toronto, I continued to workout. I joined GoodLife and that summer they launched BodyFlow (now called BodyBalance). I fell in love, and before I knew what was happening I had been convinced to attend a training so I could learn more about it. At the time, I thought there was no way I could teach a fitness class, then in walked our trainer and I immediately knew – I wanted to do that. Before I even taught a single class, I knew in my heart that was where I was heading.
When I started to teach BodyFlow, it felt like coming home. I deepened my studies in pilates and personal training, started to learn more about the business side of the industry, and then I discovered Yoga. With Yoga, I found my heart.
They say: “Yoga finds you when you need it most.” Just as I began my 200-hour YTT journey, my father became ill and my foundation as I knew it started to crumble beneath me. My Yoga studies became a lifeline for me during this time, helping me re-direct my thoughts to the present, and to process the moments as they came. I learned a new level of gratitude and trust within these dark hours.
In the same time, this new world of Yoga started to open doors for me in my career. In 2009, I began to lead Yoga Teacher Trainings across Canada for the company I had studied with. In 2011, I partnered with the founder and we opened a Canadian division. I oversaw and grew the brand across the country, formed important partnerships (and friendships) that eventually had me managing the Australian/NZ division as well.
It was a whirlwind of long hours, constant travel, constant meetings, constant teaching. It was incredible, until it wasn’t. We had started with the same vision, to bring Yoga to as many people as possible, to share this incredible gift with the world. And then a few years in, the cracks appeared.
The division between this beautiful heart centred practice we were sharing, and the profit first mentality of the corporate office grew. I was running on burn out and becoming increasingly disconnected. I was losing my passion for teaching which was scaring me. It was time to move on.
After I left, I travelled and took a lot of time for healing and replenishment. I didn’t have anything tying me down, and I wanted to explore the world. I started a retreat business – Sangha Wellness Retreats. I wrote my business plan, learned about the travel industry and started planning events. It was all going to kick off spring of 2020. Well we know what happened with that don’t we..
I was still holding out though, while trying to occupy myself and come up with new strategies to bring in some money. I started running “home retreat” workshop style practices to help connect with my community. I then decided to run a mini 4-hour virtual training on becoming trauma-aware.
I woke up the morning of that training so happy and excited, I surprised myself! It was the first time in a very long time that I had felt that same excitement. It was shortly after that, deep in a meditation, when my own voice spoke to me – you are an educator. This is what you always wanted to do. Why are you letting one experience change this for you, this is who you are.
I remember sharing this with my husband and he gave me this look, I’ve been trying to tell you this the whole time… A lot of conversations with him and my mentor and friend, Tracy Jennings-Hill, began to unfold. What would this look like? Could I do this again…
The curriculum began to pour out. I led my first trainings in the fall of 2022. That first group will forever hold a special place in my heart. As much as I gave to them, they filled me right back up. I knew I wanted to expand and re-connect with my friends across Canada. I started to share my vision and quickly brought Tracy Glennon on board to build out an Ottawa community. I opened up the presenter program to connect with more friends, and soon to be friends, to help in the mission. I re-connected with friends at canfitpro and GoodLife (where I have continued to teach my entire career) and the momentum began to grow.
When the writing happened for the 200-hour training manuals it just happened. There was no clear plan, just that it needed to come forward. I used Lisa Greenbaum Yoga+Wellness, as a default because that’s what I was teaching my classes under. After a powerfully intense year of growth, ideas coming to fruition, partnerships solidified and a mission that has become clearer than anything else, it’s time for this Yoga Education School to get the name it deserves – Sangha Yoga Collective.
Sangha means community in Sanskrit.
In the last five years I have watched this industry I love go through tremendous trials and tribulations, but one thing is clear – there is a passion out there for those that love teaching and sharing health and fitness and we are going to continue to spread this message.
On the other side, Yoga has become so diluted for how it is practiced in North America and most of the world outside of India. There is a gross misunderstanding that it is something you do, and fitting yourself into complex poses is how you do it better.
Yoga is a state of mind.
In addition, the lack of diversity among teachers and those teaching teachers in a country (Canada at least) that prides itself in multiculturalism doesn’t make sense. This narrative has to be changed now.
And so this is a community effort. This is a collective of passionate, heart centred people that want to share the gift of Yoga that has impacted them so deeply with others. I hope you will join us in sharing our vision and mission of honouring the culture and practice of Yoga and sharing this with everyone.
We are.. Sangha Yoga Collective.
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