Meet The Team
Kaila Kaufmann
E-RYT 500, BCom
Susan Mercado
RYT-200
Justine Kaufmann
RYT-200, RTC, CLC
Ryan Kilpatrick
RYT-200
Hannah Devries
RYT-200
LA Narayan
RYT-200
Natasha Willness
E-RYT 500, RHN
Sophie Hitchman
RYT-200
Chance McCoshen
RYT-200
Kaila Kaufmann
Kaila is a knowledgeable and well-practised teacher who presents a calm and centred approach to instructing movement. In 2013 shortly before opening Bambu Hot Yoga, Kaila completed her YHot 200-Hour Teacher Training with one of BC first hot yoga innovators Kristin Campbell and Coco Finaldi of The YYoga Teachers College. A transformative journey involving the study of physical, mental and spiritual alignment. Kaila continued to study under Kristin Campbell to complete her 70hr Power Vinyasa Training and more recently completed a 20hr Redefining Mobility training with Matt Phippen.
Since 2017 Kaila has been studying The Maze Method under Noah Maze & Rocky Heron and has achieved her 500 hour Teacher Training Certificate ( graduate school for yogis— whoop whoop!) in Los Angeles, Calif. Kaila loves teaching alignment based Hot Hatha Yoga because of the accessibility it has to so many and the ability the practice has to transform and heal the practitioner. Kaila enjoys teaching to the meditative quality that aids in strengthening the mind. Her Vinyasa and core classes involve strength, cardio, balancing and conditioning to up beat worldly music. She loves sequencing fun new drills of dynamic movement & mobility in all planes to help get you out of your monkey mind and into the present moment aligning with your life force. Kaila invites you to come to your mat exactly as you are.
Susan Mercado
Susan is an intuitive yoga teacher who brings creative transitions, breathwork, and meditation into her classes. She took her 200 hr training with Bambu Hot Yoga in 2018 and has been teaching and continuing to study ever since. Susan’s background in art therapy and trauma-informed yoga infuses her classes with sensitivity, choice, and focus on regulating the nervous system. She is intentional with her cues to create modifications, alignment, and safety so students will leave the mat feeling strong, balanced and renewed. She is trained to teach hot yoga, vinyasa flow, yin, and restorative classes and she is driven to teach by her desire to share this powerful practice and bring transformation and healing to her community.
Justine Kaufmann
Yoga has been a rich part of Justine's life for the last 10 years. The practice has taught her the importance of cultivating awareness between the mind and body connection to cultivate greater harmony within.
Justine completed her 200hr YTT designation with Christopher Perkins and Nicolina Sandstelt at Yandara Yoga Institute in 2014. Since then, Justine has had the pleasure to learn from inspiring yogis to continue developing her skill set through completing trainings with Kristin Campbell-70hr Tapasaya Hot Yoga, Nicole Marica-Yoga Outreach/Trauma-Informed, Bernie Clark-50hr Yin, Jonah Kest-10hr Sequencing and Matt Phippen-20hr Mobility Redefined.
Justine is a registered therapeutic counsellor, wellness life coach and a trauma conscious yoga teacher. She is passionate about creating a nurturing and inclusive space for all folks and feels yoga is a practice for everyone. She loves to combine creative sequencing, body awareness and self-inquiry throughout her classes to encompass a practice that is playful and introspective.
Ryan Kilpatrick
Yoga found Ryan when he was upside-down in an otherwise routine downward dog. It happened when he had exhaled fully and deeply but hadn’t yet begun to inhale. In this little elusive moment between breaths, he found enough space to notice something small. He noticed, that unlike last year, his heels were now almost tickling his mat. It apparently happened incrementally and put one of those little yoga grins on his face. After missing the next two cues from his teacher Christi-an Slomka, he knew this yoga thing would last.
It’s been fourteen years since that slushy winter evening tucked away in a candle lit hot yoga studio, in a big city, on a busy street, above a bustling cafeteria bistro and Ryan’s asana practice continues to spark his curiosity, creativity, and sense of wonder.
Ryan is inspired by dynamic movement and how it effects his coordination and overall control. He craves exploring his range of motion and challenging his strength. He’s a graduate of Bambu’s yoga teacher training and his approach is to show up, try, and see (or notice). Without judgment and without pressure.
Hannah Devries
Hannah first found yoga in 2011 when she was diagnosed with severe Scoliosis in her spine. After going through a spinal fusion surgery at the age of 15, she followed the path of yoga for physical, mental and emotional healing. The self love, patience and compassion she began to develop in her own practice was beautifully overwhelming, this then led her to take her 200 hour YTT certification in Vancouver BC in 2015 with Christina Raskin. She is trained specifically in Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Mat Pilates, Shaking Medicine Yoga and both the Chakra System and Ayurvedic Yoga. Hannah's true passion lies in witnessing people slow down and move their body organically. She continues to fall in love with teaching yoga because she gets to witness her students blossom into a state of deep presence, open-hearted curiosity and playfulness on the mat. Her teaching style supports and encourages these aspects of movement. Hannah is in continuous awe of the way the breath can impact and guide us gracefully yet powerfully into surrender, release and the parasympathetic nervous system; rest and digest. Her classes will centre you, challenge you, slow you down, and gift you with a feeling of 'landing home' into your body.
LA Narayan
LA's Yoga journey began with traditional Hatha, branching off into Bikram and Ashtanga with mentorship from Sharath Jois. LA is also a long time Vipassana student and brings a meditation component into her classes. LA takes a biopsychosocial approach to teaching, connecting the physical and spiritual through linking pranayama with asana. Her classes will leave you feeling happy and refreshed!
Natasha Willness
Natasha began her practice eleven years ago. Within her daily yoga practice, she developed a deep sense of self-awareness, clarity, focus and an outlet to release stagnant energy, emotions, or thoughts that did not serve her. Throughout this time, she recognized her purpose to connect with people through yoga and mindfulness and share the practice and teaching methods with as many people as possible and to pass the torch to those who are ready to embody the practice of yoga, reap its benefits and share it with others on and off the mat.
Her belief is based on her own experience with yoga's transformative abilities that lead her to expand her knowledge through Absolute Yoga School of Yoga Thailand where she received her RYT 200hr in 2013. Since then she received further training with Noah Maze in Los Angeles and Jonah Kest in Nelson BC and is currently on her path to completion of her 500hr training. Natasha has completed a Vipassana sitting in Java, Indonesia and incorporates what she learnt into her classes as well as into her own practice.
Natasha teaches Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Restorative, Power Yoga, and Reformer Pilates, and is a Yoga Alliance certified as E-RYT.
Sophie Hitchman
Sophie believes in celebrating yoga for every body and is passionate about creating an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming space for the community, while honouring yoga’s roots - going beyond solely the physical practice. She teaches with calm intention and enjoys weaving mindfulness and breath throughout practice, holding space for presence and introspection.
Sophie completed her 200hr Yoga Alliance certified training under the guidance of Kaila Kaufmann and Stacey Arseneau at Bambu Hot Yoga in 2020, focusing on their Hot Hatha series, Vinyasa, and Core Mobility for functional movement. Sophie has since certified in Yin with Arhanta Yoga Ashrams and has followed her passion in perinatal health: studying prenatal and postnatal yoga, Lamaze childbirth education, and DONA doula training with Julia Forest and Stephanie Antunes at Awakened Spirit Yoga. She continues to be a curious and dedicated student in the study and development of her yogic practice and education.
Sophie is thrilled to be currently teaching Hot Hatha, Flow, and Yin at Bambu; whether you’re brand new to yoga or practice regularly, you’ll feel welcomed and safe to arrive on the mat exactly as you are.
Chance McCoshen
Chance’s yoga journey began about five years ago when she was introduced to the practice by her mother and mentor, LA Narayan.
Chance finds yoga and meditation to be immensely grounding and gratifying.
This past July (2021) chance completed her 200 hour hot yoga teacher training at BAMBU HOT YOGA, under the guidance of Kaila Kaufmann and Natasha Kaur. Chance’s teaching approach includes, self discovery, and focus on breath work, through intuitive moving meditation and introspection.
