The Problem
I was fortunate to begin working with Naada Yoga and husband-and-wife co-founders Elizabeth Emberly and Jason Sharp from day one.
At the time, the vision was ambitious and clear—but far from simple:
to build Canada’s premier yoga college, while creating a business Elizabeth and Jason could run together, blending their distinct backgrounds into something truly exceptional.
Elizabeth held a degree in Dance from Concordia University and had spent over a decade—well beyond 10,000 hours—travelling the world studying yoga with some of the most respected teachers and lineages available. Her goal was to bring that depth, rigour, and authenticity back home and raise the standard of yoga education in Canada.
When we compared the programs Elizabeth had completed abroad with the teacher training options available locally, the gap was obvious. There was significant room for improvement—in structure, depth, and academic credibility.
So we set out to build what Canada didn’t yet have: a truly world-class yoga college.
“A profound impact on our business and subsequently the quality of our lives. I could not give anyone a higher recommendation.”
— Jason Sharp, Co-Founder, Naada Yoga
The Solution
We began by spending a month together in Montreal, researching the local and international yoga landscape while writing Naada Yoga’s first business plan and scouting the ideal studio location.
Over the following six months, we developed the curriculum for Naada’s 1000-hour teacher training program and assembled a faculty capable of delivering education to that standard.
Studio design became a defining feature of the brand. Jason, drawing on his master’s degree in music and more than 20 years as a professional musician, led the creation of the main studio as a fully tuned auditorium. Working with the same sound technicians involved in designing Edmonton’s Winspear Theatre, the floor, walls, and ceiling were engineered as acoustically integrated components—transforming the space into a true instrument.
This mattered. Naada’s signature classes incorporated live music—crystal bowls, shruti boxes, and other instruments—woven into sequences centred on rhythm and breath. Acoustic integrity wasn’t a luxury; it was essential.
While Jason focused on the main studio, I worked with architect and longtime friend Andrew to design the rest of the space. Community was the priority. The layout centred around a large lounge and tearoom designed to support connection, conversation, and study—serving both daily students and those enrolled in teacher training.
With construction underway, I built the operational foundation:
- Brand identity and positioning
- Website and marketing strategy
- Staff training and operations manuals
- Launch planning and early growth systems
The Results
Naada Yoga launched in 2009 and is now recognized nationwide as Canada’s leading yoga teacher training program.
With thousands of graduates, a world-class faculty, and a curriculum that has included cadaver dissection as part of its anatomy training, Naada has played a meaningful role in shaping Canada’s modern yoga community over the past decade.
The studio has more than doubled in size and now includes dedicated classrooms, additional studios, a yoga wall, and an expanded schedule of classes and courses. Their live music classes continue to run to this day, hosted by some of Canada’s top musicians.
The creation and launch of Naada Yoga remain one of my favourite projects. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when the right people are given the right tools, structure, and direction.
Deconstructing how I helped build Naada Yoga—along with multiple million-dollar studios and gyms—is the focus of my business and marketing masterclass for fitness professionals, 10XPT. If you want to increase your sales and build a better business, start here.