holistic practitioners, yoga teachers, karma yogis & the kirtaneers

The Holistic Practitioners and Yoga Teachers at Cave of the Heart are dedicated to providing the best care and guidance to all of our clients, students and members. With over a combined century of experience, each Practitioner and Teacher brings their education, training and wisdom to create a well-balanced atmosphere for healing to occur. Our Holistic Practitioners and Yoga Teachers may vary with respect to the form of treatment/teachings they provide, but each of them possesses the same unconditional love for their clients/students. For more information about each Holistic Practitioner and Yoga Teacher, please read each individual Biography.

Here at Cave of the Heart, we have a particular adoration for Sivananda Yoga. The lineage of Sivananda Yoga begins with Master Sivananda who was born in India in the 1800s and lived his life as a Saint and Guru. Sivananda Ashrams can be found all over the world, including Canada in Val-Morin, Quebec. This is where we found our most profound connection to Yoga, and where we continue to visit every year to polish her hearts a little brighter! We are deeply grateful for the experiences that we have shared with Living Sadhana (former Windsor Affiliate Sivananda Centre), House of Yoga (Berkley, MI), Sivananda Yoga Ashram (Val-Morin, QE) and Yoga Mahadevi (Windsor, ON). Thank You for sharing your teachings and your space with an open heart. Namaste’

Bhakti Yoga (Path of Devotion) is the core at Cave of the Heart. It is through weekly Satsang and monthly Kirtan that we are able to gather together and chant for Peace, Love and Happiness. Please join The Kirtaneers Bhakti Band at monthly Kirtan and help raise the good vibrations! Led by Nancy Dayā Drew (harmonium/lead vocals), Jessica Defoe (harmonium/vocals), David Pare (drum), Josie Burns (tambourine) and Kerrie Prema Riberdy (kartals/vocals), these Bhakti’s help to open hearts everywhere! Jai Ma!

JAI KRISHNA! JAI HANUMAN! JAI RAM!

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Kerrie Prema Riberdy
Cave of the Heart

Kerrie Prema Riberdy

Kerrie Prema Riberdy: Cave of the Heart

Kerrie Prema Riberdy (Owner Cave of the Heart) is a Licensed Holistic Practitioner offering over two decades of experience in Holistic Health Services. Her previous businesses include Sol Invictus (2000-2013) and Flower Power (2013-2018). Kerrie is a CFA (Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists) Health Practitioner and an RRCO (Reflexology Registration of Ontario) Reflexologist. Her other Certifications include Holistic Spa Facial, Hot Stone Massage, Indian Head Massage, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Tuning Fork Therapy and is currently working toward becoming a Certified Crystal Practitioner. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Certified Hand Mudra Yoga Teacher, member of The Kirtaneers Bhakti Band and has received the Munay-Ki Rites of Initiation into the Shamanic Practices of the Andean Path. The paths are many but the truth is One.

Kerrie’s Treatments and Yoga Classes are both loving and nurturing. She has been blessed with the spiritual name Prema which is Sanskrit for Love, chosen for her by Swami Shivabhaktananda of the Sivananda Yoga Lineage. She has a strong adoration for Hanuman-ji, Lord Krishna, Archangel Raphael, Mother Mary and is a devoted Crystal Skull Keeper. Her devotion to Bhakti Yoga has encouraged her to study the Hanuman Chalisa, a 40 verse poem written by the Indian Saint Tulsidas. Under the guidance of her teachers David Shiva Das and Abby Durga Devi, her Bhakti Soul Sister Nancy Daya Drew and her beloved harmonium Sukhi, she has been able to open her heart and sing the names of the Divine. Cave of the Heart is a small space with a big heart! Nestled in the heart of Olde Walkerville, it is a healing sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the stress of everyday life. Services and classes are created with the intention of pure love thus polishing the heart so that we can all shine our light brighter! Love is the key to the door deep inside the Cave of the Heart. Namaste’.

I wish to Acknowledge and Thank all of my Teachers, past and present: Advanced Aromatherapy & Reflexology (Sara Rankin/Aromatica 1998-2000), Therapeutic Touch I, I & III (Flo Hartleib & Sharron Parrott 2000), Ear Coning Therapy (Sandra Yemm 2000), Hot Stone Massage (Deborah Cottam-Burjaw/Body & Soul 2001), Indian Head Massage (Chris Carrothers/Balnea Institute 2003), Reiki I & II (David M. Broad 2010/2011), Tuning Fork Therapy I (Kyle Glassford 2015), Registered Yoga Teacher (Mary Farrell/Blossoming Lotus Yoga 2015-2016), Certified Prenatal Yoga (Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Val Morin QE 2017), Hand Mudra Yoga Teacher (Sabrina Mesko 2020), Certified Crystal Practitioner (Hibiscus Moon/HM Crystal Academy 2020-present) and Munay-Ki Andean Shamanism (Alice Soon/White Lotus Heart & Shaman Sisters 2020-present). Much Gratitude!

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Nancy Dayā Drew
Yoga Teacher

Nancy Dayā Drew

Nancy Dayā Drew: Cave of the Heart

bio

Nancy Daya Drew’s introduction to the benefits and healing powers of Yoga, Chant and Meditation began unfolding in 1997. After several years working as a busy hairstylist and involvement in the music industry, stress in the body and mind was beginning to take its toll.

A beginner yoga class at a local community center began to reveal the benefits of Yoga and meditation and a true seeker was born. Many wonderful and inspiring teachers laid the pathway and a visit to a Sivananda Ashram (in 2003) filled in all the missing pieces. This is known as a Gurukulam lineage of yoga with deep roots, steeped in science, tradition and endless benefits to the practitioner. It is more than “exercise,” reaching all levels of human experience and self-study. It stands the test of time, and Nancy Daya joyfully teaches and shares all she’s learned in yoga classes, workshops, Satsang and Kirtan.

A perfect accompaniment to Asana (physical aspect), meditation, Jnana (knowledge aspect) of Yoga and Bhakti (devotional aspect) keeps the balance. Nancy recognizes and humbly bows to her many great (Gurus) teachers, family, friends, clients and mentors on this path of yoga and life. Om Namah Sivaya!

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Jenny Shakti Alderdice
Yoga Teacher

Jenny Shakti Alderdice

Jenny Shakti Alderdice

After fifteen years of practicing various styles of yoga and learning from many gifted and caring instructors, a longing for a deeper spiritual practice led Jenny Shakti Alderdice to India, deep in the Himalayas. It was there where she studied the teachings of Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda at the Kutir Ashram. On the river banks of the great Maa Ganga she practiced daily meditation, studied Vedanta, and learned how to teach yoga. She has recently returned from India and is eager to share with the world the peace, love, and joy that has permeated her heart. She is certified to teach Sivananda yoga and outside of the studio she is employed as a nurse practitioner, striving to incorporate Eastern philosophies with Western medicine for a more holistic approach to not just health, but wellness!

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Jessica Defoe
Yoga Teacher

Jessica Defoe

Jessica Defoe, B.M.A, B.Ed, OCT. E-RYT (200); Level I Yoga-Nidrā Teacher; 300 hr Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.

Website: https://www.yogajjdefoe.com

As a life-long musician, music educator since 2003 and sincere student of yoga since 2005, Jessica’s practice began as a way to manage stress and anxiety. Over the years, she has the blessed fortune of sitting with many teachers in the Jivamukti Yoga Method.  She completed her first 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2014, and her Level I Yoga-Nidrā Teacher Training in 2020 with Brenda Feuerstein. When in October of 2020 the opportunity arose to complete her 300 hour Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training (Online/Italy 2020) with Olga Oskorbina, Camilla Veen, and mentor Jessica Stickler, it was indeed “perfect” timing. 

Jessica’s classes have a clear theme or focus based in yogic teachings and scriptures. She uses Nāda, music, chanting and sound at the core of her classes to uplift the practice, creating a space filled with love and compassion for all beings. 

Jessica’s endless and boundless gratitude to her holy teachers Sharonji (Gannon) and Davidji (Life) for the beautiful lens to view and move through life that is Jivamukti Yoga: joyful devotion opening her heart, endeavouring the absolute best she can to elevate the lives of all (human, animal and plant) Holy Beings.  As a teacher of both yoga and high school instrumental music, she humbly offers the many teachings she has been blessed with from her dearest teachers. Endless and boundless gratitude to the teachers who have come before us and who have so lovingly laid this path at our feet, for their teachings, friendship, love and mentorship.

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Jason Defoe (Love Bree Photography)
Jason Defoe
Yoga Teacher

Jason Defoe

Jason Defoe, B.A, B.Ed, OCT, E-RYT (200). 300 hr Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.

Website: yogajjdefoe.com

A high school English teacher since 2003, Jason has been practicing Yoga since 2006. Though at first drawn to the practice through the healing benefits of asana, he later became interested in Yoga philosophy and meditation, and soon became deeply drawn to the Jivamukti method and its integrative approach to Yoga. He is grateful to have been part of the first online JYTT in 2020.

Jason’s classes and workshops are intellectually and physically stimulating, and present the asana practice as a metaphor for life: a place to dissolve illusions and master the skills that we can employ in every moment in order to live more mindfully and freely.

Jason extends immense gratitude to his gurus across time and space, who speak through their classes, their books, and their sheer generosity of spirit.

Jason also shares his writing from time to time at jasondefoe.com

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Stacey Eason-Bondy
Yoga Teacher

Stacey Eason-Bondy

Stacey Eason-Bondy, 200 RYT, Chair Yoga for healing, strength and mobility, Reiki Practitioner, Access Bars, Vision and Body Processes Practitioner.

Stacey began practicing yoga in 2001 initially to help relieve chronic neck and shoulder pain. She soon realized that yoga was much more magical than just a physical practice. In 2013 Stacey trained with Dianne Bondy who revealed the importance of Yoga is for ‘EveryBody’. Stacey began to teach at Hospice Windsor in 2014 and soon realized the magic of yoga continues to present itself with the assistance of a chair which made it accessible for EveryOne.

Learning from her personal struggles and injuries she realized this practice is essential in our community and began to make it her main focus. Stacey believes that her  struggles are what lead her onto her healing path of chair yoga, gentle yoga and energy work. Blessed to teach all ages from our youth (8yrs old) to the age of Wisdom (90yrs young) she returned to Hospice in 2015 and since has been guided to teach to the aging community, teachers, students, arthritis support group and  CMHA. Stacey has been inspired by many wonderful local teachers; Mary Farrell, Josie Burns, Susan Marcaccini and Tammy Blaze as well as online teacher Jai Dev where Stacey has had a regular Kundalini yoga practice now turning to Bani Prem (Cortney Crewe) for this beautiful devine practice which has become essential for her own spiritual growth and well being. Stacey is very grateful to her students who have become some of her most important teachers, they have assisted in this amazing learning path by sharing their own stories and experiences. As our community ages and changes with the rise of technology, Stacey was inspired to share her experiences with other yoga teachers through workshops where she can assist in preparing others to teach this essential practice.

Stacey is a devoted Mother and Wife and a Sister of Nature. She is often seen walking through
Ojibway Park or kayaking along the waters in LaSalle, if so lucky her son and husband along with her.

With compassion and gentleness Stacey offers a safe space to begin ones yoga practice. Bringing focus to the breath allows the minds to calm. Through this calm, clarity emerges allowing intuition to be the guide through this healing journey. Practicing slow gentle movements to help the body regain mobility and strength as well as improving balance in the body, mind and spirit. Stacey’s classes offer a gentle introduction to mudras, mantras, breathing techniques, meditation and the foundation of yoga postures with the assistance of a chair. Stacey is thorough and clear with her instruction to guide you safely
through your yoga practice. These classes are for everyone, all are welcome!!

I Breathe Deep and Peace Washes Over Me
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Please Register by texting 519-817-1418
sece2022@yahoo.ca

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Jaylyn Bernachi
Yoga Teacher​

Jaylyn Bernachi

Jaylyn Bernachi , 500 Hour RYT in Jivamukti Yoga & Hatha Yoga // 20 Hour RYT in Yin Yoga

Om! My name is Jaylyn & I’m a full time Yoginī, practicing herbalist (at Sun Powered Soap Co.) & Womb Menstrual Doula (at innerswim). Over my years of devoted yoga practice I have been blessed to cross paths with some of the most respected spiritual leaders of today: Sharon Gannon & David Life (founders of Jivamukti Yoga), Dr. Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (author of Yoni Shakti and founder of Womb Yoga & The Yoga Nidra Network) and Krishna Das, to name a few. I’ve had the blessed opportunity to spend hours both training and immersing myself deeply in the teachings of these holy beings, and also in the wisdom of my own inner teacher. And it is from this place of embodied experience that I offer you my heart & my humble knowledge of this very sacred and ancient practice of Yoga.

Yoga – specifically Yoga that honours the naturally shifting energies of the earth & the cycle within my own body – has been the greatest healing modality & catalyst for inner transformation. My classes tend to focus on reconnecting to this wisdom of the body as Nature, and to the mind as inherently spacious and receptive. This re-membranceuncovers an innate sense of joy & harmony within us – the joy of uniting with life.

Sound (nada), devotion (bhakti), meditation (dhyana), postures (asana) & spiritual community (satsang) are all equally important aspects to a complete yoga practice - a practice that re-minds us just how whole, how powerful and how free we are.

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Bani Prem Kaur​
Yoga Teacher

Bani Prem Kaur (Cortney Crewe)

Bani Prem Kaur (Cortney Crewe), Artist at CreweCreations
200 RYT, 500 hr KRI certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, Universal Rays Therapist, Access Bars Practitioner

In 2014 the teachings of Swami Sivananda Radha in “Kundalini Yoga for the West” shifted my direction from Museum Curator to Spiritual Aspirant. I joined a Kundalini Yoga sanghat in London, UK and trained with Amrit Nam Sarovar in France where I learned the transformational technology of Kundalini Yoga, Shamanism and Tantra and I never looked back.

My personal practice bridges my passion for art and nature with Spirit and is all about trust and surrender as I incorporate meditation, Shamanic vision quests, drumming and ecstatic dance as part of my creative process as a Visionary Artist. My classes and workshops have incorporated sound healing with Tibetan and crystal singing bowls as well as overtone singing to open the subtle body and tune into our vibrational field.

I teach that the technology of yoga can help us face the challenges of the transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age by giving us the tools to develop the Neutral mind and the Self Sensory System. It is my mission to share these timeless teachings so that others may empower themselves towards a path of creative living, and to realize their infinite potential as human beings.

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Maureen Devaki Schiller
Yoga Teacher

Maureen Devaki Schiller

Maureen Devaki Schiller, Yoga Teacher.

After a career in teaching elementary school, which began here in Windsor where she was born, Devaki claims to be a Born Again Yogi which she believes is her calling. It's only taken a lifetime to get there. "Every time we start over, is when Yoga begins" is a mantra she lives by, even if that happens several times in a day or within a lifetime. But rest assured, it's all good.

Maureen Schiller's last eight years of teaching in Ottawa led her to Sivananda Ashram in Val Morin, outside of Montreal where she completed her Yoga Training and was given the sacred name of Devaki (mother to Krishna). Shortly after Val Morin, she completed a second Teacher Training in Bali, this one being a modern vinyasa flow style.

Along came Covid, isolation and then quarantine. Devaki gravitated daily to her traditional Hatha, Sivananda Training to which she still practices today. She is delighted to join in here at The Cave of the Heart meshing her local growing up in Windsor to her Yoga spiritual awakening.

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Rebecca Reagan
Rebecca Reagan
Yoga Teacher​

Rebecca Reagan

Rebecca Reagan, 200hr RYT/95hr RCYT

My path in yoga and spirituality began in my teen years after I learned about Eastern philosophy and was drawn to the practice of yoga and meditation. Yoga has since become a sacred practice to bring me in closer unity with my Divine self and with others, and I have witnessed the transformative effects of the practice over the past 10 years.

I have taught children’s yoga for two years and received my certification in 2020 with Young Yoga Masters led by Aruna Kathy Humphreys. I then went on to complete my 200 hour yoga teacher training at the Ashiatsu Training Centre with Dr. Son Nguyen in 2021 after many years of ‘waiting for the right time’, and finally feeling in my heart and spirit that I was ready to devote myself to deepening my yoga practice.

In the summer of 2021, I launched my small family yoga business called Lumina Family Yoga – where I teach mindfulness-based yoga classes to children and families. Helping others feel empowered to express the fullest version of themselves is why I love to teach yoga, and I believe that being in community and breathing with others has enormous healing power.

I am eternally grateful to my mentors and teachers in this practice as well as the wonderful Cave community. In my classes, I work to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for my students to look inward and listen to the words of the Divine that lives within them through heart-centered yoga and meditation. Looking forward to sharing in this space and community with you, both on and off the mat.

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Hannah Bound
Spiritual Comfort

Hannah Bound

Hannah Bound - Spiritual Comfort

My desire and purpose for creating my healing Malas and Bracelets is to offer comfort to you on your life's journey and for those on the spiritual and awakening path.

Gemstone Malas and Bracelets can offer us comfort by bringing us into the present moment by using them for mantras (Japa), affirmations, prayers or for healing by attuning ourselves to the energetic properties or symbolic concepts of the Earth's ancient gemstones📿.

Malas and Bracelets can also offer an opportunity to express parts of our personality and style. Deities and Spiritual Masters can offer us comfort by showing us the light. They remind us who we really are 🙏 and ultimately help us tune in to and resonate with our own self-compassion, healing, comfort, wisdom and love♥️.

Through my own challenging experiences of breaking away from familiar conditioning and healing repressed pain, I learned how to be compassionate to myself and understand the importance of providing comfort for myself and embracing things that brought me hope and encouragement. I hope to mirror some of this wisdom to others and offer malas that will facilitate ones own self empowerment, healing and transcendence.

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Karma Yogis
Cave of the Heart

Karma Yogis

Karma Yogis

Meet our Beloved Karma Yogis from Cave of the Heart! These Beautiful Devis help us immensely with the care of our Holistic Centre and Yoga Studio. Out of the pure kindness of their hearts, these Lovely Ladies serve our space to assist in maintaining positive vibrations. They also help with baking Prasad (blessed Vegan sweets served after Satsang & Kirtan) and hand-crafting Spiritual Jewelry for our Front Reception area. Boundless Gratitude to our Karma Yogis: Rina Arcanā Antinucci, Cheryl Carpenter, Janice Beemer, Christina Bombardier, Maureen Devaki Schiller, Annie Bison, Barbara Jean Lam, Hannah Bound, Christine Hamel and Rebecca Reagan. Namaste’ Sweet Sisters!

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The Kirtaneers
Cave of the Heart

The Kirtaneers

The Kirtaneers

Meet The Kirtaneers, our in-house Bhakti Band consisting of Nancy Dayā Drew (Harmonium/Lead Vocals), Jessica Defoe (Harmonium/Vocals), David Pare (Drum), Josie Burns (Tambourine) and Kerrie Prema Riberdy (Kartals/Vocals). These Beautiful Bhaktis help ignite the spark in your heart through devotional chanting and live musical instruments. This is called Kirtan, a form of Bhakti Yoga (Path of Love and Devotion). By chanting the many names of the Divine, we unite our true Self with a Higher Power, God. It is said that when people come together and chant, their hearts beat as one. No experience is required, just come with an open heart! Kirtan is held the last Sunday of each month from 7-9pm and is by donation. This is done in the service of Seva, to help all beings (animal, plant and human) in need. OM NAMO NARAYANAYA!

The Bhakti Path has allowed us to be in the company of so many extraordinary Kirtan artists and we are forever grateful for their Love and Devotion. Boundless Gratitude to Vishnu Blue, Naren K. Schreiner and LopaMudra Bose, Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, Girish, David Newman, MC Yogi, Michael H. Cohen and our Canadian Kirtan Soul Sister Brenda McMorrow. May our hearts beat as one, may we serve all and may we love all. As our Dear Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba once said: “All One”. There are many paths but there is one truth. RAM RAM

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