About
About SoulSpring Wellness
SoulSpring Wellness is passionate about the potential for human learning, growth and transformation. It seeks to offer tools and knowledge that can equip individuals with the ability to live healthy, balanced and meaningful lives.
Located in Vancouver, BC, SoulSpring Wellness offers one-on-one and small group yoga sessions as well as yoga workshops with Vancouver yoga instructor Christina Niven. In additon, it hosts continuing education yoga workshops with master teachers.
About Christina Niven, ERYT 500
Teaching since 2000, Christina specializes in teaching one-on-one and small group yoga at home or in the workplace. She also teaches at Green Room Yoga and a small group class for men "Yoga for Stiff Guys". Her passion is to take students deeper, and to understand and work with their specific needs.
Christina has had extensive training as a yoga teacher and continues with ongoing studies in yoga therapy. Her background includes a solid foundation of study and practice rooted in yoga therapy, Vijnana yoga, Tantric yoga, Anusara yoga, Ashtanga yoga, anatomy, bio-mechanics, energy healing, lomi lomi massage and shamanism. For a detailed list of her training, please scroll down to below. Her most influential teachers include Judith Hanson Lasater, Leila Stuart, Gioia Irwin, Susi Hately, Thomas Myers, and Ron Reid.
Through her years of experience, Christina has developed the ability to see and sense what is going on for someone in his/her body and adapt accordingly. She is detailed in her instruction with an emphasis on safe movement and alignment, while also inviting personal exploration and self-authority. She works with individuals ranging in age from their thirties to seventies and is comfortable adapting her instruction to suit whomever is in front of her. She regularly works with individuals who have experienced (or are currently experiencing) injury or illness and works therapeutically using yoga to regain health and function in body, mind and spirit.
Summary of yoga training (Christina Niven):
Teacher trainings:
Yoga therapy teacher training @ Centerpoint Yoga Therapy (Leila Stuart), 2011 – 14, 800 hours
Restorative Yoga teacher training, level 1 (Judith Hanson Lasater), 2012, 22 hours
Restorative Yoga teacher training, levels 1 & 2 (The Path Yoga Centre, Wendy Eyton & Swan), 2012, 65 hours
Radiance Sutras Meditation teacher training (Lorin Roche), 2011, 10 hours
Ashtanga Yoga teacher training (Downward Dog Yoga Centre, Ron Reid), 2001 – 2004, 300 hours
Pre-natal Yoga teacher training (Esther Myers Studio), 2002, 15 hours
Tantric Hatha Yoga teacher training, Bihar tradition (The Yoga Studio, Toronto), 2000, 365 hours
Continuing Education:
Sacral-Iliac Joint and Spine: Anatomy, Asana and Therapeutics (Judith Hanson Lasater), 2012, 10 hours
Integral Anatomy Intensive (Gil Hedley), 2012, 7 hours
Teaching Trauma Sensitive Yoga (Yoga Outreach), 2011, 12 hours
Vijnana Yoga teachers' intensive (Gioia Irwin), 2011, 12 hours
Qi Gong & Yoga Integration and Exploration (Matthew Cohen), 2011, 10 hours
Sacrum and Lower Back: Anatomy & Asana (Brad Waites), 2011, 6 hours
Yoga Therapy for Neck Pain and Problems (Leila Stuart), 2011, 4 hours
Stabilizing the Pelvis, parts 1 & 2 (Leila Stuart), 2011, 8 hours
Pain & Healing (Susi Hately), 2011, 2 hours
Yoga for Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis (Margot MacKinnon), 2011, 4 hours
Yoga Sutras & Yoga Nidra (Nischala Joy Devi), 2011, 4 hours
Anatomy of and therapeutics for the knees (Jesse Enright) 2010, 3 hours
Anatomy of and therapeutics for the lower back (Jesse Enright), 2010, 3 hours
Anatomy and application of core stability (Jesse Enright), 2010, 3 hours
Vijnana principles, study and practice (Gioia Irwin), 2005 – 10, 4 retreats x 50 hours = 200 hours
Anusara principles & practice (Desiree Rumbaugh), 2010, 4 hours
Anusara principles & practice (John Friend), 2009, 8 hours
Asana, pranayama & philosophy (Shiva Rea), 2009, 10 hours
Buddhist meditation & Dharma teachings (Reggie Ray), 2009, 15 hours
Integral theory & Yoga (Julian Walker), 2009, 10 hours
Yoga, dance & the shadow intensive retreat (Julian Walker), 2009, 18 hours
Anusara principles & practice (Desiree Rumbaugh), 2008, 10 hours
Anusara principles & practice (Christina Sell), 2007, 10 hours
Anatomy Trains Intensive (Thomas Myers), 2007, 16 hours
Cadaver dissection Intensive (Susi Hately), 2006, 24 hours
Vijnana practice, principles, alignment, anatomy, pranayama, mudra, asana, bandha kriyas (Orit Sen Gupta), 2005, 100 hours
Yoga therapy: pelvis, mulabandha and core stability (Susi Hately), 2005, 12 hours
Iyengar alignment for Ashtanga yoga workshop (Eddie Modestini & Nikki Doane), 2003, 12 hours
Ashtanga yoga retreat & practice (Rolg Naujokat), 2004, 75 hours
Ashtanga yoga – asana & philosophy (Chuck Miller & Maty Ezraty), 2003, 4 hours
Pranayama instruction & practice (BNS Iyengar, Mysore India), 2003, 40 hours
Vinyasa & kriya (Ana Forrest), 2003, 2 hours
Jivamukti yoga & philosophy (Sharon Gannon), 2003, 2 hours
Ashtanga yoga retreat & practice (Rolg Naujokat), 2002, 75 hours
Ashtana yoga study & practice (Sherat Rangaswamy, Mysore India), 2002, 75 hours
Yoga principles & practice (Donna Farhi), 2002, 10 hours
Yoga Asana & philosophy (Rodney Yee), 2002, 10 hours
Yoga and menopause (Particia Walden), 2002, 2 hours
Yoga for shoulders (Judith Lasater), 2002, 2 hours
Yoga for Scoliosis (Elise Miller), 2002, 3 hours
Ashtanga yoga – energetic principles (Richard Freeman), 2002, 2 hours
Healing lower back pain (Kit Laughlin), 2001, 10 hours
Ayurveda fundamentals (Dharmanidhi Saraswati), 2001, 50 hours
Learning without reflection is a waste, reflection without learning is dangerous.
- Confucius