Meet Our Inspiring Yoga Instructors at Pure Yoga Studio
Experience Yoga Excellence with our Expert Teaching Team.
With our passionate, experienced, and dedicated instructors who are committed to your growth, we hope to help you discover the joy of Yoga and self-care.
Irene Bobocel
Something happens when we practice yoga. Whether we are in a room, in a field, on a beach, or on a mountain.... something shakes us and brings us to the understanding that yoga feels like 'home.' As my practice deepened, I became certified in Level 1 and 2 Baptiste Power Yoga and Art of Assisting ( June 2015). I softened the edges with Yin training, Sattva Kids yoga and as many workshops and festivals that I could sink into. I am also AFLCA certified and instruct many forms of fitness. I encourage you to take your practice to another level on and off the mat. Be brave. Be bold. Create Space and see that yoga is already in you.
Christina Mohr
I started yoga back in university after leaving competitive sports. I will never forget my first class and how a posture as simple as child's pose gave me relief from chronic pain I was experiencing. I practiced for many years gaining back mobility and freedom from pain. I decided that I wanted to help others to heal as well and decided to take my 200hr training with YogaWorks. After I started teaching I realized I wanted to take a step further and took my 500hr training in Yoga therapy. Using breath work, Thai massage, Asana, Ayurveda, and meditation to weave an individual practice to wellness. Yoga is just not an hour on the mat everyday, I am here to offer tools to extend your practice to your life.
Krystal Prout
Krystal's journey with yoga began as a physical practice but quickly evolved into something deeper and more meaningful. Drawn to the spiritual aspect and experiencing healing and inner strength, she found her passion in yoga. After two years of practice, encouraged by others, she completed her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Yogalife Studios in April 2018 and began teaching in October of the same year, specializing in Vinyasa flow. As an eternal student of the practice, Krystal remains dedicated to continuous learning as an instructor. Her teaching style is authentic, fun, and nurturing, creating a safe space for students of all levels to explore their body, mind, and spirit.
Alyssa Retzlaff
Alyssa's journey with yoga began as a complement to her technical dance training. After retiring from dance, she found solace and passion in yoga, recognizing it as much more than just postures. Yoga became a way of living and breathing, encompassing calmness, serenity, and fiery passion. Alyssa's love for healing led her to become a Registered Massage Therapist in 2015 and a 200hr Yoga Instructor with Empowered Yoga in December 2016. Her purpose now revolves around self-care and caring for others. She believes in making yoga accessible to everyone through modifications and variations, creating a safe space for all ages and levels to practice, cultivate self-love, and grow. Alyssa's mission is to empower others through self-care and bodywork, providing a platform for healing, growth, and transformation.
Nicole Oort
Nicole's yoga journey began as a challenge for her body but transformed into a healing force for her mind, body, and soul. She treasures the power of being fully present and the transformative effects of reconnecting with the breath. Witnessing these changes in others motivates her to pursue personal growth on and off the mat. As a yoga instructor, Nicole creates a calm and relaxed environment for others to reconnect with their present moments. She believes in the importance of being present in all experiences, on and off the mat, and encourages continuous learning and personal intentions in life. Nicole completed her 200 RYT teacher training with Michele Theroet through Empowered Yoga in 2015 and also received training in Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga in subsequent years. Her passion lies in Yin Yoga, which allows individuals to slow down and reconnect with their breath, body, and mind. Outside of yoga, Nicole enjoys photography and capturing raw moments of life. She is a busy mom of two boys and embraces the beauty of being human, making others laugh and finding adventure in everyday life.
Kayla Preville
Yoga is not just a work-out; it is a work-in.
I've spent the last six years on my yoga journey. First, it was a way to make time for myself and recover from being a fierce mother of three. Then it became something that brought me down when I was feeling overwhelmed and filled me up when I was feeling defeated. After that, it became a way for me to learn about myself in ways I didn't even know I was capable of Becoming a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher began a chapter of my life that has brought the most joy, authenticity and love to not only myself but the people I love most. Since becoming certified, my passion has been to give these same gifts to anybody and every body that wishes to receive them.I look forward to leading you through practice, whatever your reason for showing up on your mat.
Come and unleash your fire!
Brayanna Retzlaff
My yoga journey began like many others. I started attending hot yoga classes about 8 years ago, mainly as a workout. As a previous dancer, I felt as though the poses and alignment were something that came naturally. It wasn’t until I began a dedicated yoga practice that I realized that yoga is so much more than just the postures. I began to understand everything that yoga offered physically, mentally and emotionally. Instead of solely being led by my ego, I lead my yoga practice by listening to what my body needs each day, which varies so much. I have always felt a love of caring for others, leading me to a nursing career. Although I love my job, the long hours and shift work can be extremely mentally and physically draining. I needed something else to keep me grounded, which led me to take my 200 hr yoga teacher training with Empowered Yoga in the fall of 2016. As an instructor, I aim to guide you through a practice that allows you to play on your mat and step to your edge while still listening to your body. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my love of this practice with the Pure Yoga community!
Charlene Smith
Charlene Smith is a woman determined to inspire a love for the self in mind, body and spirit. After living through a coming-of-age story filled with self-doubt, and a strict upbringing filled with expectations resulting in a breakdown of mind and body at the age of 21, yoga became the outlet to find strength, self-love and grace. A dancer by nature and academic by trade, Charlene's quest for self-discovery and actualization has come full circle by becoming a yoga teacher. Charlene has been practicing yoga, diving into meditation and discovering the brilliance of harmonizing the body's energetic system through dance for several years. Since she began teaching yoga in 2013, her love and passion for creating a healthy world has grown profoundly. Understanding the power of the breath, building a body of confidence, and of course, always returning back to the spiritual center lays the foundation of Charlene's approach. Join her for a practice filled with love, challenge and mindful movement.
Ian Mactavish
Ian’s yoga journey began back in 2015, shortly after pure yoga started. After getting his butt totally kicked in one of Irene Bobocels hot flow classes, a light bulb went off. Shortly after, he completed his first 200-hour Teacher Training @Yogalife studios in YEG 2016, then continued on to complete a 500 Hour Training in Ecuador @ Durgas Tiger School of Yoga, Tantra & Shamanism 2017 and another 200-hour training @World Peace Yoga School in Rishikesh, India 2018. He’s continued on after doing modules through Empowered Yoga, including yin level 1, applied biomechanics, the art of sequencing, anatomy of flow, trauma-informed yoga, and somatic experiencing level 1. In 2019 he began a two-year program with the contemplative psychotherapist Dr. Miles Neales that features a deep dive into Tibetan Buddhism and modern trauma theory and finishes in 2021. Through his journey, he’s overcome chronic hip pain that ended his martial arts career and major depressive disorder. Currently, he teaches part-time at Pure while working full-time as a power engineer and is completing his undergrad in psychology through Athabasca University. His classes are known to be heavy in alignment and work in concert with modern yoga theory & biomechanics. He tries to keep his classes upbeat, challenging and fun! If you don’t see him on the schedule, you’ll probably run into him in a hot flow sometime soon. His driving mantra is “Discipline is freedom & Community is freedom. Both discipline and community support and inform one another. We train hard, do our work to become contributing members of society, and simultaneously reap the benefits of the support and connection we all need and crave. Yoga is this: the union of personal responsibility and honouring the principles of interconnectivity and interbeing"
Melanie Giggs
Power yoga is my jam!! I started a power practice after hurting my knee and could not be happier. I practiced ashtanga for 8 years before my shift to hot yoga and within months, I signed up for teacher training. Off I went to Sedona Az for an intense empowering week of Baptiste Power Yoga teacher training. Levels 1 and 2, Art of Assisting and Advanced Art of Assisting, were completed through Baptiste. Baron is my teacher, but Paige Elenson is my mentor, she and Baron co-created the Africa Yoga Project, and I was so amazed by the work this community did that I knew I had to be a part of it. In April 2017, I jetted off to Nairobi, Kenya, to be on the Assisting team for their 200 hour teacher training, and I was changed forever. AYP empowers marginalized youth in and around Africa changing lives one breath at a time. My son, husband and two chihuahuas are my life, yoga is my passion. I love to be of service and share this wonderful practice of yoga.
Meghan Gillis
My yoga journey began in 2016 when I attended a hot yin class at a local studio. I had been dealing with postpartum depression and immediately felt a shift in my soul after that first yin class. I knew that yoga was something I needed in my life to support my mental health. As time went on, I continued to attend more and more classes and workshops. Starting with yin and then adding beginner, warm, hot, and inversion workshops. In 2021 I decided I wanted to dig even deeper. I signed up for my 200-hour yoga teacher's training in Edmonton. I completed that session in July
2022. I am no stranger to pushing my physical body. As a national-level swimmer in my younger years- I enjoy pushing myself physically with yoga, but more importantly, I feel it is so beneficial for mental health, and I love sharing that experience with my students. When I'm not doing hot flow, I'm spending time with my husband, John, my three kids, Ella, Hanna and Johnny, and my orange cat, Fritz.
Brittney Brophy - Studio Owner
Meet the passionate owner of our hot yoga studio! With a deep love for wellness and a strong commitment to promoting a balanced lifestyle, she embarked on a journey to create a space where individuals could experience the transformative power of hot yoga. Her vision is to inspire and empower practitioners of all levels to embrace the benefits of this rejuvenating practice.