The Branches

Leena and Emma are compassionate, thoughtful, and attentive teacher trainers. Their skills, strengths, and knowledge complement each other, and this comes through in the way they organize and share during the yoga teacher training. They took time to add space for review or further discussion, based on questions we had or our requests, while still maintaining the goals for each training session.The YTT program at The Branches Yoga shares a little bit about a lot of different topics, and the homework" supports individual learning and interests. With a focus on material to review

Took my first class here this week and I absolutely loved it. Out of all the yoga studios and classes I have tried, this one is definitely my favourite.

Leena and Emma have carefully designed an in-depth 200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training program. From Weekend 1 they start teaching skills and building confidence in their students. Guest teachers, written work, reading assignments, and practical exercises make this an incredibly comprehensive program. Emma and Leena bring deep care and thoughtful reflection to each weekend. They cultivate a space of community, where students can be vulnerable learners trying out new skills, supporting one another. We laughed and cried, shared food and poetry. I appreciated how Leena and Emma shared their own journey of learning and teaching and how that continues to evolve. They encourage each student to find their voice, their strengths and gently support areas of growth. By the last weekend, each student had come into their own as yoga practitioners and teachers. It was fascinating and inspiring to see how different each person's teaching style was, yet was stil rooted in the same skills and teaching. I could not imagine taking my YTT anywhere else. The Branches is a second home to me; a sacred space of grace, safety, peace, and love.

Leena and Emma are excellent teachers of yoga – it’s history, styles, ways to teach effectively … and they also recognize where those with specific expertise could deepen our understanding, and brought in excellent teachers on the history of yoga/meditation, functional movement, axis syllabus, and more. This approach also helped us view our yoga teacher training as just the beginning – we would be always learning more. We were in progress, as is the understanding of the human body, science, movement and yoga theory. Leena and Emma are skilled at giving really effective “feed-forward” (and taught us to give “feed-forward” to each other); effective, because their approach built up our strengths and challenged us to improve, but removed any competition and comparison from the YTT. They articulated our unique talents in a way that helped all of us recognized the skills of each other and ourselves, as well as understand areas where we could refine our teaching.

Best yoga studio in the area for YTT and yoga teacher training. I graduated from the 2019-2020 cohort. When the unthinkable happened in March 2020 and the world shut down, Leena modelled unwavering resilience. Her co-creative approaches inspired me again and again as she deftly guided a total reorientation of our YTT to be largely completed online under COVID restrictions. She guided embodied learning into a virtual experience without compromising quality or humanity. The QSY YTT program she has co-designed is responsible and responsive to lived experience. Rather than a harsh transition between YTT and real world teaching, there was a natural flow from one stage of learning into the next because we started teaching the very first weekend we gathered. I count myself very fortunate because our cohort graduated with the hybrid experience of in-person teaching for 5 months and online teaching for 4 months. The piston of a powerful engine, Leena’s cadence sustained a supportive container for our learning through the chaos of adaptation.Emma masterfully demystified the depth and breadth of the extensive content while bravely keeping it real and keeping us as teachers-in-training accountable. She is dedicated to debate, collective action, and questioning histories readily accepted. The sense of great hope Emma has for the work of yoga teachers today emboldens me to my core. I learned so much watching her example: pivoting and improvising with the intention of dancers and musicians. Emma sets new standards in accessible yoga. Her conscientious, thoughtful facilitation centres community and collaboration. The authentic care work Emma brought to QSY’s YTT enhanced every aspect of my learning and is a foundation I will build upon for the rest of my life.Dynamically engaging our group of bewildered teachers-to-be with love and levity: that’s Leslie in a nutshell! By asking open-ended questions early and often, our beloved tutor encouraged us to shape our learning process for ourselves. Her generosity and support through the program assignments was an incredible gift: Leslie made space for us to turn left into our nerdiness and let go of our self-imposed corrections. She challenged us to spend time with the details and fully integrate learning into our bodies. These ways of practicing fuel my home routine and ground me as a new teacher.This space is really special and I highly encourage you to check it out.

My YTT experience at The Branches (formerly Queen Street Yoga) was transformative. Directors Leena and Emma are genuinely invested in their students. They are humble and kind, sharing their vast knowledge and inviting faculty with specialized skills to round out the incredible learning experience. It was fun and challenging, launching me into my yoga teaching with confidence. I am grateful to Leena, Emma and everyone involved in the yoga teacher training program.

My favourite studio in Kitchener! Community oriented, fair prices, interesting articles for those on the mailing list and free yoga in Victoria Park!

The Branches Yoga Teacher Training 'YTT' Program turned out to be one of the most enriching things I have ever done! The teacher trainers were incredible. Leena Miller Cressman is so knowledgeable - I always learn volumes from receiving her articulate instructions, delivered in a thoughtful, caring way. Emma Dines is equally well trained and imparts so much soul, fun and playfulness into her training sessions. Leslie embodies enthusiasm, and continues to impress me with her devotion to study and learning. Together, they motivate me!As an older adult applying for this program, I felt so well mentored, accepted and supported by these three trainers, who were delivering an extremely well-designed program. When COVID-19 forced a switch to online learning, they helped me to learn the necessary skills, and continued to help me feel connected and supported by the many outreach efforts they made. I acquired knowledge and grew my skills so well that I was quickly able to feel confident in launching into business teaching yoga online.Linda C.

I have been a member with The Branches Yoga for a nearly 10 years and completed my yoga teacher training (YTT) in 2019-2020. I made the decision to do the 200-hour yoga teacher training here after I’d been learning from Emma and Leena for many years in drop-in classes, and was familiar with the passion they both have for sharing their knowledge and exploring movement. Emma’s infectious theatre energy encourages even the quietest to start to break out of their shell, and is the perfect complement to her approachable spirituality. Leena’s depth of experience only becomes more apparent through each lesson, linking together the puzzle pieces of movement in an accessible way with her keen attention to detail. The dynamic and bond between them really shines as co-facilitators of the course as their personalities bring out the reflective and the playful in each other and the students in the class. They weave together the physical and philosophical aspects of yoga seamlessly along with difficult and relevant discussions around inclusion and anti-oppression, acknowledging the place that each has in our teaching and the work still to be done. Having Leslie as a co-facilitator who had been through a QSY training, familiar with the highs and lows of being a student, was an added bonus. While our training was interrupted by the onset of the COVID pandemic, I didn’t feel that I missed anything in my YTT education, as the way the program was adapted on the fly to keep everyone safe while maintaining the same high quality of teaching over a new modality was incredible.The progressive approach to teaching was helpful in making the process less intimidating, and combined with the length of the program made me feel better equipped to be a more effective teacher at the end. I couldn’t fathom doing a two-week intensive and not having space to reflect on and absorb the learning in-between sessions, or incorporate into my own practice.The Queen Street Yoga YTT isn’t just a teacher training, it’s building a community and an evolution of personal growth, both on and off the mat. It’s the most supportive group and learning environment I’ve ever participated in. I’d encourage anyone who wants to cultivate a deeper and broader practice along with their teaching to enrol in the program.

Emma, Leena, and Leslie are master educators — each in their own right. They embody the values of their teaching and present the course content with openness and curiosity. This open mindset is reflected through the program’s dynamic and circular approach to learning. As a graduate, I feel that I really know the content! The Branches YTT program is truly the most refined and well put together educational experience I’ve ever taken part in. I cannot imagine having a better foundation to start out as a new yoga teacher!