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Mindful Moments

Mindful Moments support students’ holistic wellbeing: body, mind, spirit and heart. Through mindfulness meditation and mindful yoga classes, we aim to provide programming where students can learn new skills, develop life-long healthy habits and learn about themselves. These classes are also a great way to find a quiet space during busy days.

Each instructor’s class is shaped by their unique academic and personal experience with mindfulness and yoga. Read about each of our Mindful Moments instructors.

If you’re interested in learning how to facilitate mindfulness for your peers visit MindFIT Training Program.

Sign up for the Multi-Faith Centre newsletter to receive information about mindfulness, meditation and yoga programs!

All undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff are eligible to attend where space permits. All levels of fitness are welcome to our yoga classes.

Types of Mindful Moments Classes

We aim to create a warm, welcoming, joyful, yoga class where everyone can feel comfortable in their bodies and with one another. We know yoga and fitness classes can sometimes feel intimidating. Here, we want to help dismantle contemporary notions of yoga as hierarchical spaces demanding perfection that are hyper-focused on the physical form of the body. Instead we emphasize moving at your own pace and developing a practice that works for you. Your instructor will offer options in class that you can choose to make the practice more or less physically challenging.

Good things to know about these classes:

  • Beginners are welcome. Remember, your instructor was a beginner once too.
  • This is not a competitive yoga environment. Everyone should feel free to do as much or as little of the physical components of class as they feel comfortable doing.
  • Listen to your body. It is your best guide on your yoga journey.
  • No special clothing is required but you should wear something you can move comfortably in.
  • We usually practice barefoot to reduce the risk of slipping.
  • Your instructor is happy to chat after class if you have questions about the practice.

When we get quiet in mindfulness meditation, we start to notice all kinds of things: our mental chatter or self-talk, our physical habits (e.g. clenching our teeth) and we can even become more aware of our mood and feelings. This awareness is empowering because it allows us to question or contemplate whatever we start to notice. Agency and autonomy can grow from this awareness and reflection.

Good things to know about these classes:

  • Your facilitator is trained and they welcome your questions.
  • You facilitator might be a graduate student, a staff member or even faculty.
  • Mindfulness is challenging—that’s why practicing together can really help!
  • Mindfulness is never about being perfect. It’s about noticing when our minds wander and learning about ourselves from that wandering.
  • There is no right, singular mindfulness practice for everyone. Your facilitator will offer a variety of meditations including breath meditations, body scans, visualization meditations, walking meditation, self-compassion and kindness meditations.

Search and register for Mindful Moments sessions

Some sessions require registration via Folio, others are drop-in style. Search for Mindful Moments on Folio to register.

Mindful Moments Instructors & Facilitators

Hannah Athanasisdis, MDiv/MPS student, RYT

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Session:
Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

Hannah is a third-year Master of Psychospiritual Studies and Master of Divinity student at Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. She has been practicing yoga for over a decade and completed her yoga teacher training in Brisbane, Australia in 2022. Drawing inspiration from diverse spiritual traditions, she brings a thoughtful, inclusive approach to her classes. Hannah’s teaching style combines fluid, gentle movement with strength-building poses, offering accessible options for both newcomers and seasoned practitioners. Her classes aim to create a grounding, welcoming space that invites mindful awareness, curiosity, and a touch of playfulness.

Lauren Brown, PhD, MEd, E-RYT, AMMS

Program Coordinator, Yoga Instructor and Mindfulness Facilitator (On Secondment)

Lauren is the Mindfulness, Meditation & Yoga Program Coordinator for the Division of Student Life. She was introduced to mindfulness as a teen athlete and has practised yoga for over 20 years. Her recently completed PhD research is a call to leverage formal education, such as credit bearing university courses, as a preventative measure in the fight for student mental health and wellbeing. Through her research she identified that undergraduates learn about wellbeing through experiential learning, contemplation and critical thinking.

Headshot of Melissa

Melissa Campagnolo

Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation Instructor
Session:
Mondays, Yoga: 12 – 12:45 p.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport
Tuesdays, Yoga: 1:10 – 1:35 p.m. immediately followed by Meditation: 1:40 – 2 p.m. at Hart House

Melissa is an experienced yoga teacher & certified yoga therapist. She has completed Foundations of Applied Mindfulness Meditation at U of T’s School of Continuing Studies. She encourages you to personalize yoga and meditation and bring these teachings into daily life. Melissa’s classes involve a reflection topic/intention, gentle yoga practice, relaxation, breathing practice and seated/lying down mindfulness meditation. All of her classes are beginner friendly with modifications available.

Headshot of Kirsty smiling.

Kirsty Clarke

Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport
Wednesdays, 3:10 – 3:55 p.m. at Athletic Centre

Kirsty is on staff in Marketing and Communications at Hart House. She has been teaching yoga since 2017, to students of all ages and abilities. She teaches a relaxing vinyasa style, with options for students of all levels and experience. Kirsty‘s goal is for students to leave class feeling refreshed and revitalized, with tools to connect mind and body in a meaningful way outside the classroom in their real lives as well.

Headshot of Silje smiling.

Silje Jensen

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Fridays, 7:15 – 8 a.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

I teach a movement-forward, mindfulness-based class that strengthens both body and mind. I have expanded my teachings by studying and practicing yoga around the world under a variety of mentors and I am honored to teach at the University of Toronto. I am currently an undergraduate student studying philosophy and physiology with a focus on nutritional and neurosciences. I have always had a fascination in human biology, and to me, yoga embodies the intersection between bodily and mental awareness.

Headshot of Abby standing and crossing her arms confidently.

Abby Gaskin

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Wednesdays, 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport
Thursdays, 8:10 – 9 a.m. at Hart House

Abby is a graduate from the Master’s in East Asian Studies program at U of T and is an enthusiastic motivator about practicing and teaching yoga. Throughout her studies as a fashion designer (BFA in Fashion Design from the Parsons School of Design), followed by her time as a womenswear designer for UNIQLO in New York City, Abby has been exploring a diverse combination of yoga styles and practices. Though she started her yoga pursuit in 2016 as a Hatha-style certified teacher, Abby enjoys teaching a variety of styles with a focus on relaxed vinyasa yoga flow.

Lola Leving, PhD student, RYT200

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Wednesdays, 7:15 – 8 p.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

Lola is a RYT-200 certified yoga instructor who brings a unique blend of anatomical and technical expertise, mindful movement, breathwork, and intentional sequencing to her classes. Her teaching style is experiential and intuitive, encouraging students to listen to their bodies while exploring the practice. She is currently completing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toronto, where her research examines the role of bodily awareness and embodied practices in emotional processing.

Headshot of Fiza smiling.

Fiza Mahtani

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Tuesdays, 9 – 9:45 a.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

Fiza is a 4th-year Economics student passionate about health, wellness, and event planning. Over the past two years, she has been actively involved as a Work Study at the Multi-Faith Centre, supporting mindfulness, yoga, and interfaith programming. Beyond university, Fiza is the co-president of the U of T Pilates and Yoga Club and is a registered yoga teacher.

Headshot of Suzi smiling.

Suzi Oliveira de Lima

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Mondays, 1:10 – 1:55 p.m. at Athletic Centre
Mondays, 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport
Meditation Sessions:
Wednesday, 5:10 – 5:40 p.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

Suzi is an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at U of T and a certified trauma-informed yoga instructor. In addition to her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Suzi is also certified in restorative yoga and has training in mindfulness meditation from the School of Continuing Studies at U of T. Suzi first connected with mindfulness meditation and its benefits in 2013 when she was in graduate school. She believes that different components of yoga (movement, breath, and meditation) can lead individuals and communities to a calmer and more grounded experience in their daily lives. In her classes, expect a combination of breathwork, slow but playful vinyasa flow, and restorative shapes. You will be invited to explore the practice without judgment and with curiosity.

Keke standing in tree pose outside of old city hall in Nathan Philips Square.

Keke Chambers

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Tuesdays, 8:10 – 9 a.m. at Hart House Fitness Centre
Friday, 1:10-1:55PM Yoga Athletic Centre

Keke Shadane is a multidisciplinary performing artist, movement/yoga instructor and community leader. She began her movement practice as a classically trained ballerina. After dealing with a traumatic injury in her late teens, Keke fell in love with the magic of yoga and sustainable approaches towards movement and mindfulness. She infuses her love of poetry and dance into her teachings by inviting in childlike explorations and encourages participants to explore what movement can feel like when we tune into what our bodies truly need, instead of contorting to fit in.

Headshot of Smriti smiling.

Smriti Sundar

Yoga Instructor
Yoga Sessions:
Sunday, 10 – 10:45 a.m. at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

Smriti Sundar is a U of T alum, a designer, and a yoga instructor. Raised in India with yoga as a constant in her life, she rediscovered its significance as an adult, realizing the transformative impact of a wellness and mindfulness routine. Intrigued by its workings, she pursued her 200 and 300-hour teacher training in Bangalore and Mysore, India. Her classes focus on discovering grounding and self-awareness through conscious stillness, controlled movement and synchronized breath.