Tour Leaders:
Padma, Marla Stewart B.Sc., is a certified teacher of Advanced Yogic Sciences and Meditation (Senior Level) and Hatha Yoga (1000-hour Senior Level) by the International Meditation Institute of India. She is a unique educator specializing in a holistic approach to mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.
Our local guide, Aarti Bhalla is a practitioner of alternative medicine, a keen trekker, an ardent nature lover, a passionate environmentalist, and an experienced tour guide. She is also a spiritualist who advocates and lives Vedanta - the Indian spiritual philosophy relevant to modern life and stress management. Read more about Padma and Aarti on our About Your Tour Leaders page
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Padma, Marla Stewart B.Sc.
 Padma is a certified teacher of Advanced Yogic Sciences and Meditation (Senior Level) and Hatha Yoga (1000-hour Senior Level) by the International Meditation Institute of India. She is a unique educator specializing in a holistic approach to mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. Padma is respected as one of Canada’s senior teachers and is highly regarded for her extensive studies and vast knowledge of meditation and classical yogic studies. Her western science and philosophical studies inform her exceptional education in eastern practices. She is a unique bridge between the two worlds of wisdom and speaks with eloquence of their oneness.
Padma practiced and researched advanced meditation in the western Himalayas of India for a decade with her meditation guru. She lived independently, meditating up to six hours a day, and learning the subtle arts of yoga while also learning to read and master original Sanskrit texts. Life in the Himalayas at that time was rustic and minimal, including basic tasks such as boiling drinking water and keeping the wood stove burning in winter. She cooked and lived with no electric appliances, modern conveniences, or hot running water, spending the years in meditation and study. Padma continues to return to India for extended meditation retreats and direct study with her teacher.
Padma has hosted, written, and produced four nationally-syndicated television series: Padma Yoga: Blissful Living, Modern Meditations, The Elemental Series and Living Yoga with Padma. She has produced two educational DVDs and hosted a 12-part series on CBC radio. Her guided meditation recordings, Freedom from Flight Anxiety, are heard on Air Canada flights. Padma is often featured in other national media, such as in the television series Remedy Me and in Chatelaine magazine, December, 2009, Reader’s Digest and others.
Padma owned and ran the Padma Yoga and Meditation Center in Vancouver, B.C., and since 2000 has taught yoga and meditation to professionals, government agencies, and major Hollywood celebrities. Visit Padma's website at Padma Yoga.
Aarti Bhalla
Our local tour guide, Aarti Bhalla, is a practitioner of alternative medicine, a keen trekker, an ardent nature lover, and a passionate environmentalist. She is also a spiritualist who advocates and lives Vedanta - the Indian spiritual philosophy relevant to modern life and stress management. Though a doctor in alternative medicine, Aarti’s love for travel and her enthusiasm for showcasing Indian cultural heritage, made her give up a lucrative consulting career to shift into tourism. She began as a tour leader with a reputed foreign travel company leading different kinds of groups all over India and found her work to be a wonderful platform for cultural exchange. In recognition of her work and latent passion towards sustainability, she was additionally appointed as a Responsible Tourism Manager. She has been ranked among the top leaders in the company consistently for the last 5 yrs and was selected to participate in the Asia-Pacific Climate Change conference held in Melbourne, under the wing of honourable Al Gore, the former US vice president.
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