The Studio

Our Studio Space

Our space began as a Yoga and Pilates Studio but over time we needed to carve out room for our the holistic nutrition consults (not pictured here) and Osteopathic treatments. Because we only work with one individual (or private group) at a time we have maintained an open concept that is flooded with natural light, filled with plants and modern art, exuding warmth amidst a minimalist decor. Nestled on the second floor of a quiet building where the upper Annex meets Yorkville and less than a 10-min walk from the north end of University of Toronto's St George Campus.  Shas Studio is the perfect setting to learn / practice / teach our holistic health and wellness practices and philosophy.  With ample street parking, bike docks and two subway stations (Dupont and St George) less than a 10-min walk away, Shas Studio is very easily accessible. Though there are no elevators to take you to our second floor location, if needed, we are happy to assist the walk up our 25 steps to reach the studio.

Our Philosophy

At Shas, we endeavour to create a playful learning environment.  It is equally as important to deliver quality instruction and information, as it is to create a sense of enjoyment and understanding.  It is a space that caters to developing relationships between the body and the disciplines we teach or use to treat and also with the teachers and practitioners.  You will be engaged to reach a higher potential while honouring your body's current boundaries.  We understand that the language of the body, its physiology and health is foreign to most people and that concepts of body dynamics and the principles of movement, nutrition and osteopathy, as well as physiological function are highly specialized concepts that need to be broken down into plain comprehensible terms.  We take this role seriously and use a variety of techniques to allow you the opportunity to understand and integrate these notions into your day to day life.

We incorporate traditional exercise training, work derived from ballet, Yoga and Pilates along with a number of other forms of movement techniques to continuously challenge your body in different ways for optimal strength,mobility, flexibility and mind-body awareness. Having developed, executed and written a thesis on balance which yielded statistically significant results, balance or postural control has become an important focal point in the work we do as a preventative measure against the potential detrimental impacts of future falls.

Nutrition has become an increasingly popular subject matter in the media lately, however with so many differing opinions and concepts, which only serves to confuse and discourage many well intentioned people when trying to chart a course that will lead to better health and vitality, in the present and in the future. We practice Holistic Nutrition at Shas for almost 10 years, and have been on top of the latest research ever since. There is so much more to nutrition than calories in and calories out, the quality of your food and where it is from, what it has been exposed to, what you have been exposed to (mold, parasites, viruses, antibiotics, chemicals, toxins…and the list goes on) all contribute to the state of your biology today and tomorrow and our passion is to assist you in being the best version of yourself possible. We help you understand how all these things impact you and how to defend yourself against them, reverse their impacts, and optimize your body to help you feel better than you ever have.

Osteopathy, a manual therapy as common as the medical practice in Europe, helps to rid your body of those aches, pains and structural impediments to the body’s normal functioning. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners recognize the patient as an integrated whole, and when the body’s components are in balance, the body can function the way it was intended to and good health may be experienced. We work to restore, maintain and optimize the physiological function of the interrelated body structures and systems, enhancing the body’s natural ability to find structural and functional integrity within itself. It is a very gentle practice that takes the whole person into account rather than just treating locally to the point of interest. We use manual assessment and treatment techniques and modalities to identify and ease restrictions and promote proper function and healing in individuals of all ages.

When combining all 3 practices, we have a very complete, comprehensive and holistic approach to achieving optimal health and vitality.

What to Expect

We strive to be that place where you know that just walking through our door will make you feel good and even better upon departure.  You can expect to gain a deeper understanding of your body and how it works; and depending on what disciplines you engage in with us, additional benefits will include increased strength and flexibility; an increase in stability and mobility of the joints; better balance control; better posture; relief of pain and discomfort; an increase in energy and vitality; improvements to digestive function; improvements to brain function; and an overall greater sense of wellbeing.  Of course your progress is directly dependant on the time and effort you put into your therapies, protocols and practices and a consistency with your program will greatly enhance your progress towards a happier and healthier you.

Studio Etiquette

Shas Studio is a shoe-free zone and as such we kindly request that you remove your shoes before entering the studio.  You may leave them neatly arranged in the hall or bring them in and place them neatly under the bench.

We are also sensitive to our students sensitivities and ask that you not wear heavy perfumes on their skin or clothing when when coming in for a session and if you are a smoker, please wash your hands and make use of our fresh mouthwash in the washrooms, prior to entering the studio space.

For hygienic reasons please bandage any fresh cuts and wear socks if you suffer from athletes foot.

Please wear clean clothes to each session.

Please turn your cell phone off and refrain from bringing it into the practice area of the studio unless it is an emergency situation, in which case, please advise us.

We understand that you can be running behind, which is fine, but ask that you inform us (if it’s safe to do so) and keep in mind that we will need to honour our original end time.

If you must leave before the end of the session, please advise us in advance so that we can give you the best quality work in the time you do have.

Please inform us of any new or on-going conditions that may affect the work we are doing together so that we can do our best at providing you with the safest and most optimal session possible.

During our exercise sessions, we may give our students manual adjustments that require us to place our hands on your body.  If you do not wish to receive manual adjustments during the session, please be sure to mention this to us before we begin.

In-studio we offer mat, towel and water service free of charge.  We respectfully ask that you clean your mats with our mat cleaner at the end of the session and return them and any props to the appropriate location.  If you used a cup for water, we ask that you wash and dry it in the washrooms and return it to the small cup shelves where you would have originally found it.  If you used a towel simply place it in the towel hamper at the entrance of the practice area.