Amanda Madhu
With almost a decade of teaching, and a vast diversity of training hours, Amanda (Madhu), can say with certainty that teaching is her passion. Her desire to inspire others is apparent in her teaching where she brings together yogic philosophy, alignment principles, and a sense of “real”ness. Teaching from a trauma sensitive lens, Amanda tries to ensure her classes
are both accessible and inclusive.
Amanda Madhu
When Amanda first started yoga she was a 20-something year old looking for a way to relax. She did various types of yoga in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (ashtanga, kundalini, hatha), and determined that hatha yoga was the best fit for her at that time. She practiced yoga on and off through her pregnancies and after, and became serious again about yoga in 2012. Yoga has taught Amanda that through postures (asana), breath work (pranayama) and meditation, anxiety becomes more manageable, strength becomes apparent, and an overall sense of wellbeing is inevitable. Her first teacher, Yogrishi Vishvketu graced her with the name Madhu which means honey, nourishing and pure.
A mom to 2 phenomenal children, yoga has influenced the way she parents, which in turn influences her teaching. Amanda believes that life is her greatest teacher. With her own history of mental illness, surgeries and an autoimmune disorder, as well as navigating the world of complex medical conditions with her daughter, she branched out from hatha into the realms of yin yoga, yoga for mental health, and yoga for pain.
It is through this lens that she decided to become a Facilitator with Trauma Centre’s Trauma Sensitive Yoga and now facilitates group practices online to parents of medically complex and neurodiverse children.
Always wanting to learn, Amanda continues to take trainings, attend seminars, listen to podcasts, read books, and ensuring she doesn’t get stuck in one pointed thinking.
Amanda was interviewed by Shannon Crow of The Connected Yoga Teacher for a podcast about Yoga for Anxiety. Amanda shares her own experiences with raw authenticity, and gives some ideas on what to do if someone has a panic attack in your class, and how to manage anxiety with yoga as part of your prescription.
You can also find Amanda on :
The Monicles podcast! Give it a listen!
On and Off Your Mat! Give it a listen!
Amanda Madhu now facilitates trainings as well all of which can be found on the Trainings page.
Training
200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Prana Yoga Studio in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – 2013
300 hour Yoga Teacher Training through Prana Yoga Studio in alliance with Akhanda Yoga – 2017
300 hour Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga with Trauma Sensitive Yoga – 2021-2022
Meridian Theory for Yoga with Jennifer Raye – 2019
Trauma Informed Yoga with Nicola Mosley – 2021
Yoga, Trauma & Mental Health with Nicole Marcia (Ajna Yoga) – 2020
Yoga for Psychology with Prem Robin Campbell – 2016
The Power of Awareness with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach – 2018
Yoga Nidra Training with Sheena Mason – 2018-2019
32 hour Restorative Yoga Teacher Training with Andrea Peloso – 2019
Pain Care Yoga with Shelly Prosko – 2019
Spine Immersion with Andrea Poloso – 2018
Thai Massage 101 with Shai Plonski – 2017
Kids Training (through Donna Freeman of Yoga In My School) – 2014
Prenatal Yoga (through Clare Newman of Mamata Yoga) – 2014
Amanda lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and 2 teenagers. She has a spitfire of a dog named Phil (named by her daughter after Phil Dunphey of Modern Family), and 2 African Clod Toads. She loves growing plants although is still learning, going to the mountains, and sitting on her back deck all summer.
As a side passion, Amanda designs patterns for knitting and crochet that you can find in her Etsy store, The Shanti Knits.
