Yoga Element

As of the fall of 2014 Pointe Saint-Charles has its own community-focused yoga studio. This studio is a space where experts and neophytes alike can practice yoga in a neighbourhood where doing so used to require a trip to another part of town.

Plus, Yoga Element’s focus on making the practice as accessible as possible makes it a great fit for an area commonly associated with community spirit.

"I felt and saw the need for a community-based studio in the Sud-Ouest district," explains Andrew Bathory, Yoga Element’s owner. "There are studios in the district, but none that create a space where yoga is offered in a more accessible way. My mission is to make the practice more accessible, and to empower people from the area, especially youths, through it. Yoga Element is a space for everyone to practice yoga in, to learn to care for their bodies, themselves, their health and each other in the community."

To Andrew, the accessibility factor is a crucial one, and it defines Yoga Element’s vision. "Classes are offered to low-income individuals and people in need,” Andrew points out. “This approach to yoga is very important to me, because they’re the people who could potentially benefit the most from yoga. But the way things are done today doesn’t match this reality."