INTRODUCING
Brave Heart Movement inspires courageous living through yoga and human connection. With an aim to promote inclusivity, playfulness and social healing on and off the mat. Movement, meditation, breathwork, safe/supportive touch, intentional journaling and sharing circles are some of the healing modalities offered in a personal or shared experience. The choice is yours, always! You are encouraged to honour and listen to your body while showing up as the most authentic version of yourself.
Experience Brave Heart Movement by watching the video below
Hey! I’m Annie, aka Brave Heart and…
I’m the founder of Brave Heart Movement. I’m a Yoga instructor and kitchen dance party enthusiast from the outskirts of Toronto (with a piece of my heart remaining in Western Canada). I offer an inclusive and heartfelt approach to the practice of Yoga (and life) for anyone interested in exploring self, through movement in a non-judgemental environment.
I have been practicing Yoga since I was a teen and am thankful for how it has helped me with anxiety, self image, mental and physical well being. My Yogic education began in 2013 when I completed a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training certification at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas. It was a four week intensive residential experience that covered both theory and practice in a traditional style of Yoga.
Although I now guide students through classes I will forever consider myself a student. Continuation of my Yogic education has included studying under various teachers such as Seane Corn, Maty Ezraty, Elena Brower, Alex Mazerolle, Ashley Brodeur and Kyla Pearce. Themes covered in the courses I have completed include teaching Yoga to people with brain injury & concussion, restorative hands on touch and adjustments, Yoga for teen girls and decoding key Yoga poses with proper alignment and reading bodies. Each experience has helped me to create an eclectic and inclusive teaching style.
Although Yoga and dancing are my favourite forms of movement, my love for Yoga extends beyond the physical or “asana” part of the practice. I use mindfulness and breath to movement as pathways for connecting and discovering the essence of what my truth is. My hope is that others feel a sense of community, discovery and calmness when they are on their mats.
I continue to be inspired by the pain, beauty and courage of vulnerability and what it means to be authentically seen. I believe in the healing power of sharing our stories and aim to promote courageous living by showing up as the most authentic version of myself.
When I’m not on my mat you can catch me dreaming of my next travel destination, hiking, tending to my plants, curating playlists, reading romance novels, laughing over a craft beer with my people and bringing awareness to traumatic brain injury and concussions.
The Origin of BHM
Brave Heart Movement was born in a hospital waiting room. After weeks of sitting in the ICU yearning to know if my older brother Roy would survive his second Traumatic Brain Injury I sat chuckling to myself, through the tears, remembering how he would call me Brave Heart because he thought I resembled Mel Gibson in the movie. I would walk in from work with my wavy hair half up and he would say “Brave Heart!” with his piercing blue eyes and infectious laugh. I sat in that bleak room griping to my precious memory, thinking how he was truly the sweetest asshole I’d ever met.
The aching in my heart and overwhelming grief I felt over those days and weeks, not knowing if my older brother would have the chance to tease me again is indescribable. Miraculously, In true Roy fashion, he came back to life. While he was intubated in the ICU I earnestly hovered around his bed with my Mom and aunt. As we played Blue Rodeo and Bob Dylan we noticed his toe starting to tap a long to the music. That was my first sign of hope.
My younger brother Frank and I joke that Roy has lived 9 lives. Which he kind of has. I won’t delve into his story any further, as that’s his story to tell, but it’s one of mischief and miracles. I was inspired by not only his journey, but the other courageous stories of people I had met at the hospital. Roy’s strength, courage and resilience continue to inspire me and he is the reason Brave Heart Movement exists.