She is a certified yoga (200 RYT) and fitness instructor with an added specialty in pre and postnatal fitness. She is currently working on her 500-hr Teacher Certification. Her vast knowledge of pre and postnatal care was gained while practicing as a Midwife and serving as a preceptor and mentor for Midwife students for 15 years in Toronto. It was during that time that her passion for pre and postnatal fitness began.
Due to her experience in a variety of fitness activities, she has a layered and complex repertoire that is evident when you take a class with her. During her career she has taught prenatal and postnatal classes, fitness instruction specializing in pre and postnatal fitness and Pilates both on the mat and on the reformer machine. She now focuses on teaching the gift of yoga in Portland, Oregon. She teaches group classes at several Portland Studios (see her class schedule) and offers one on one sessions to help her students personalize their yoga practice and transform yoga into yoga therapy.
She is also the Director of Teacher Training at Yoga Pearl where she assist Tiffany Cruikshank in the 200-Hour and 500-Hour yoga teacher trainings.
Dena’s love and knowledge of the body is woven into her classes and teaching style. She invites all her students to experience the power of yoga through mindful movement, breath, awareness and self discovery of one’s true potential. In her classes you will explore a balance of cultivating strength as well as flexibility, in an effort to encourage the movement towards that fine balance of both.
