Our Society
Kelowna Yoga House Society, a non-profit society, is a welcoming and inclusive community for discovering the many teachings and benefits of yoga. We offer a variety of yoga and movement classes to cultivate strength, mobility, inner reflection and connection.
Learn more about how you can become involved in our society. We would love to have you on one of our committees or the board!
Our Mission Statement
Established through a generous donation, the Kelowna Yoga House is a non-profit society dedicated to sharing the gift of yoga with the community by:
- Strengthen Community Engagement & Outreach
- Recruit and engage new teachers
- Increase numbers of students and members
- Optimize Operations & Financial Stability
- Secure a New Location & Prepare for Transition
Energy Exchange and Karma Yoga
Kelowna Yoga House is a non- profit society.
We offer students a well established Yoga/Work Exchange program. Yoga/Work exchange students work at the studio in exchange for yoga classes taken. This may include sweeping, mopping, dusting, bathroom cleaning, gardening etc. Talk with your instructor if you are interested in this program.
Much of what happens behind the scenes at Kelowna Yoga House is true Karma Yoga. Karma literally means “action”, and Karma Yoga is defined as “selfless service”. Any action or duty can become Karma Yoga if the fruits of the work are offered to a Higher Purpose. In this spirit, many hundreds of hours have been served at the Yoga House. We rely on volunteers who give their time to serve on our Board of Directors, committees, and to help out with our various functions. We are passionate about building a community of like-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds.
“We wish to express our continuous gratitude to our benefactor, Margaret Lunam. It is by her generosity of spirit that we have this beautiful studio and vibrant yoga community.”
Front-end Team
Meet the dedicated front-end team at Kelowna Yoga House. Together, they nurture the heart of this vibrant, inclusive space where physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing thrive.
Sien Tan
Community Manager
Sien Tan is the Community Manager at Kelowna Yoga House, where she is passionate about nurturing the vibrant, inclusive yoga and community space. She deeply appreciates how mindfulness and yoga support physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing for everyone and focuses on creating meaningful connections that enhance the well-being of community members. When she’s not at the studio she can be found enjoying live music, time in nature and her two Mexican rescue cats, Abba and Cruz.
Janet Kendrick
Customer Experience Associate
Janet Kendrick is the newest team member of Kelowna Yoga House, serving as Client Experience Associate. Being invited into this family felt soul aligned and a vision coming true. Janet recently put down roots in Kelowna with her pets, Leo and Love and is looking forward to growing in this very special space.
Amanda Cooper
Customer Experience Associate
Amanda brings a grounded and compassionate presence to Kelowna Yoga Hub. As a yogic practitioner and educator of many years, she understands the importance of feeling at home in your body and feeling welcomed within a supportive community. Inspired by the collaborative mission of Kelowna Yoga Hub, she is devoted to expanding alongside the community and deeply grateful to contribute to such a heart-centered space. Outside of practicing yoga, you can find her guiding individuals in recovery, deepening her studies, or biking around Kelowna with her Frenchie, Bodhi.
The Kelowna Yoga House Society is run through the generosity of a passionate group of volunteers who give their time and effort behind the scenes to keep our non-profit studio running smoothly, foster meaningful connections, and uphold our mission of making yoga accessible and supportive for everyone in the Kelowna community since 2001.
Board
The Kelowna Yoga House Society is run through the generosity of time and effort of its members. Our Board of Directors, which is elected by the membership annually at our Annual General Meeting, together with various committees, oversee the activities of our Society.
Below are our current board members:
Ruth Rochlin
President
Ruth was sent to do yoga with Margaret Lunam, our benefactor, “for the rest of your life” by a local physical medicine physician in 1994. The learning was slow and steady, the mind/body connection established over time. She has tried other types of yoga, but the expertise of the Iyengar teachers is a strong draw back. The Kelowna Yoga House is a centre of excellence and comfort in her life.
She joined the Board at the 2022 AGM after volunteering in different roles over the years.
Carola Jaspers
Vice-President
Carola discovered KYH in 2012 after exploring several yoga studios and quickly found her home in its welcoming community. Within a year, she began volunteering on the marketing committee and soon took on the daily management of the MindBody booking software. Encouraged to deepen her involvement, she joined the board in 2016 and has served ever since—aside from a brief one-year hiatus—contributing to several subcommittees over the years.
In March 2024, Carola also assumed responsibility for the society’s bookkeeping. She continues to dedicate her time and skills to KYH as a way of giving back to the community that has supported and inspired her.
Barb Adams
Secretary
Barb was introduced to the Yoga House by a co-worker and attended her first class with Melissa in November 2009. The depth of knowledge of the teachers has kept her coming back since then.
A Board Member since 2011, Barb has served on the Finance Committee and as President & Vice-President and now as Secretary.
Sharon Babcock
Treasurer & Yoga Teacher
Iyengar yoga and Kelowna Yoga House was recommended to Sharon in 2008 by her physio to help build strength and stability. She has never looked back as not only did yoga provide the physical benefits, it was a great stress relief at the end of a busy work day.
Sharon volunteers on the KYHS finance committee, and joined the KYHS board of directors as Secretary in November 2022 and as a President in December 2023.
Janice Loukras
Board Member & Yoga Teacher
Janice has been a student of Iyengar Yoga at the Kelowna Yoga House since 2003 and a certified teacher since 2019. The devotion of teachers, volunteers, and members to the practice of yoga and the Kelowna Yoga House community inspired both her pursuit of certification to become an Iyengar Yoga teacher and her volunteer involvement with the society. She has been on the board as a student member from 2008-2014 and as a teaching member since 2020. She has participated on various committees over the years and currently serves on the Finance, Recruitment and Communications Committees as well as the Board President for the 2024-2025 term.
Stephanie Kiesling
Board Member
Stephanie joined the board in December 2023.
Tyler de Freitas
Board Member & Yoga Teacher
Tyler De Freitas is the founder of Turiya Academy, where he leads transformational yoga and consciousness-based training programs. With over a decade of study and practice, Tyler is a devoted teacher of both Kundalini and Traditional Tantra Yoga, having completed extensive training across North America and India. His work emphasizes yoga as a holistic path that integrates physical practice with breathwork, meditation, mantra, and inner inquiry. Guided by a strong commitment to service and community, Tyler brings depth, integrity, and a heart-centered vision to every aspect of life, supporting the Society’s mission to make yoga accessible as a tool for wellbeing, self-awareness, and collective growth.
Karen Smith
Board Member & Yoga Teacher
Karen Smith has been following the yogic teachings for many years. She first started practicing Hatha yoga in 1991 and since then has followed many different Teachers and traditions. Her main practice at the moment is Kundalini yoga and mediation. Karen loves yoga for the connection to her body, the sense of stillness that it brings to her mind and the ability to show up in her community as her best self. Karen has been teaching Kundalini Yoga at KYH since 2023 and this is her first year on the board. She hopes to help build the vision of the future KYH, growing and connecting a bigger community to this beautiful studio.
Darcia Fenton
Board Member & Yoga Teacher
Darcia has always had a passion for health and wellness. Discovering yoga in her 20’s yoga has been a blessing for both her physical and mental health. In 1999 Darcia moved to Kelowna where she met our founder Margaret Lunam & Iyengar Yoga. Margaret asked Darcia one day “how about being an instructor” and since then Darcia has not looked back. Darcia is a Certified Iyengar Instructor Level 2. Darcia has sat on the board of Directors in the past as a teacher and as the treasurer. On the business side Darcia has owned and managed many businesses. Presently Darcia manages a fitness facility and looks forward to bringing her skills and creativity to the yoga house.
Eliseo Santillan
Board Member
Eliseo has joined the board for the 2025-2026 year.
Committees
The behind-the-scenes work at Kelowna Yoga House Society is done by a committed group of volunteers who do everything from gardening to cleaning.
Our current committees are:
- Bursary
- Finance
- Gardening
- Human Relations
- Marketing
- Maintenance
- Rental
- Teachers
- Volunteers/Karma
- Workshops
