A practice of movement and stillness, learned in a studio that no longer exists.
My journey with yoga began at the Octopus Garden Yoga studio in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, located at 440 Bloor Street West, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5S 1X5. The studio operated for 18 years as a vibrant yoga studio & wellness clinic before closing its doors on July 20th, 2023, but remains vivid in my memory. It was there that I first encountered the disciplined practice of Ashtanga yoga, a system that demands both physical rigor and mental clarity. The studio had an atmosphere of focused dedication that I found both challenging and comforting—a place where the outside world could be temporarily set aside in favor of inner work. I had the privilege of practicing with teachers Pat and JP during my time there.