Julie Palmer (B.E.S, M.E.S)

Julie remembers doing yoga as a child with her mom in the late 60’s, long before yoga was the “in-thing”.  At age 28, she re-discovered yoga and became a regular student, in both Kripalu (gentle) and Sivanada (more vigorous) styles of yoga. Within three years she was trained as a teacher the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, for the 200-hour basic certification (1994). A year later she took the 200-hour bodywork training (massage) and began doing both massage in her home office and teaching yoga at various yoga studios, gyms and private clubs.

She moved to rural Nova Scotia in 1998, and has led weekly yoga classes and

workshops in Annapolis Royal, Bear River, Cornwallis, Digby, and Bridgetown.   

Julie loves the way yoga connects her to her higher self and to others, raising compassion & awareness and creating a sense of spiritual community in the classes. Julie maintains a small massage practice in Annapolis Royal. In 2005, Julie created a Yoga CD: A Guided Kripalu Experience. In 2009, she put out a Yoga DVD: Yoga Time with Julie Palmer.  Both are still available.

Julie practices yoga every day and deepened her understanding with a yoga study trip to India in 2010.

Julie has a Bachelors (U of Waterloo 1987) and Masters degree (York University,

Toronto, 1993) in Environmental Studies.

Julie’s Training

Yoga is both Julie’s work and her spiritual path.  As such, she has deepened her

practice and honed her professional skills with regular ongoing training including:

*200-hour Kripalu Yoga Teachers Training (1994)

*200-hour Kripalu Bodywork Training (massage) (1995)

*two 10-day Vipassana Meditation sits (1995 & 96),

*100-hour Anatomy & Physiology (2000),

*500-hour professional level Kripalu Yoga Certification (2004),

*5-days at Dharma Gaia Meditation Centre in New Zealand (2005),

*5-day Thich Nhat Hanh Workshop (2005),

*136-hour Kripalu Danskinetics Instructor (2006),

*12-hour Chair Yoga for Seniors with Jean Short,

*25-hour Teaching Chair Yoga with Lakshmi Voelker (2008),

*16-hour Teaching Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga with Maxine Munro (2007),

*5-day Anusura & Restorative Retreat with Cheendana Laurie Ann Martin (2009),

*15-hour Yoga for Better Bones with Jayelle Lindsay (2009),

*one month Yoga & Ayurveda Study Tour in India with Kerry Lawson (2010),

*40-hours at Yoga Camp, Birchdale Lake with “Yogiji” Yogi Yogendra (2010),

*two 10-hour Iyengar workshops with Father Joe (2009 & 2010),

*30-hour Restorative Yoga Teacher Training (2010).

Julie has also practiced Ashtanga, Yee Yoga and Shiva Rea’s flow yoga.  She

has taken (and offered) many other workshops in diverse areas such as Chair

Yoga Teachers Training, Exploring your Life’s Mission, The Artist’s Way, The

Chakras, Energy Balancing, Starting & Maintaining a Home Practice, Backbends &

Inversions, Forward Bends & Twists, and Yoga for Children.

Interests and Volunteering

Julie is an avid birder and in 2010 completed a five-year volunteer effort for the

Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas.  She enjoys outdoor activities: gardening,

cycling, walks, cross-country skiing and living way out in the woods with her

husband Robbie Bays.  She cycled for the MS Tour to raise funds for MS research

for several years. She has helped organize the Bear River Winter Carnival (2011).