MEET YOUR YOGA TEACHER, MELANIE CAINES
Hello! I’ve been teaching yoga for over 17 years and I’m passionate about helping people improve their physical and mental wellbeing. I love movement and I teach multi-level Vinyasa (Flow) Yoga classes infused with spirit, laughter, sweat, and creativity AND I also love offering sweet and juicy practices that encourage people to slow down and tune in.
Here’s a little bit about me: I was born with congenital bilateral hip dysplasia and the prognosis was arthritis by age 16 and a hip replacement before I was 30. I didn’t have arthritis as a teen but I did notice stiffness in my hips starting to set in during my early 20s. I began a yoga practice to help with my flexibility and noticed a big difference in how my hips felt.
In 2008 I travelled to New York to complete my 200Hr Yoga Teacher Training; I wasn’t sure I was going to teach, but I hoped that deepening my yoga studies would help me with some of the mental heaviness, depression, and stress I was experiencing. I finished the training feeling incredibly inspired to share what I learned and to help others. I opened my yoga studio, Nova Yoga, in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, in 2010, and it’s been so wonderful to grow and flow with my community over the past 15 years (and still no hip replacement!) I have been fortunate to study with amazing teachers like Shiva Rea, Kathryn Budig, Tiffany Cruikshank, and Judith Hansen Lasater along the way and I’m currently training to be a Yoga Therapist.
I am also incredibly passionate about travel and I started my wellness travel company, Nova Retreats, in 2014. I have since led over 50 international retreats and I offer these delicious weeks of joy, nourishment, and self-care in gorgeous destinations like Costa Rica, Morocco, Indonesia, and throughout Europe.
Yoga has been a life-changing practice for me and I love seeing the confidence, strength, freedom, and joy others have gained from their experience. Are you on a wellness journey? Let me know how I can help – I’d love to meet you.
MELANIE’S TRAINING & CREDENTIALS
- Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist
- E-RYT 500 500Hr
- Certified Neurogenic Yoga™ Teacher and TRE® Provider
- Certified Relax and Renew® Restorative Teacher with Judith Hansen Lasater
- Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra® Training
- Prenatal Yoga Training
- Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Bernie Clark
- Insight Yoga Level 1 Training with Sarah Powers.
- Certified Reiki Level II Practitioner
- Registered Member (Naturotherapist / n.d.) of the Academy of Naturopaths and Naturotherapists of Canada.
Melanie is the host of three seasons of The Nova Yoga Show on Rogers TV. She has also released a yoga DVD called Nova Yoga Flow, filmed in beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador.
Melanie was name one of the Top 100 Health Influencers in Canada in 2019, 2018, and 2017 by OptiMYz Magazine. She was nominated for the 2017 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards and the 2017 Canada Top 40 Under 40 Awards. She was named a finalist for the 2016 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and was named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2015 Awards. Melanie won the 2012 Start Up Business of the Year Award from NLOWE (Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs).
