Longtime instructor Elaine Cerro reflects on nearly two decades of building Yoga community at Humber

Elaine Cerro is a yoga and Pilates instructor at Humber North and Lakeshore campus. She has been teaching in the community for over 18 years. Her classes range from Pilates on a ball to different yoga styles like Hatha and Vinyasa.

Cerro started teaching yoga in 2005 and has been deeply committed and involved in the Humber community for many years. She knows the college inside and out through her time working in administration, media studies and continuing education.

“It’d be 19 years this January that I taught at the gym. I would go there on my lunch hour and teach yoga,” she said, explaining how she started.

Cerro always loved practicing yoga and shares that she even recalls her practice goes way back to going to classes in a church basement with her mother.

She later decided to get her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in 2003 at Yoga Space in Downtown Toronto.

Cerro has observed through her many years of teaching that building community is essential. Students come back to classes when they find that they can resonate with their instructor or teacher in some way. That’s why she always does her best to encourage students and tries to create a safe space for them.

“My big thing is, don’t try to do what that person next to you is doing or don’t try to do. I just say, do what you can, or do more. And if you don’t want to do something, maybe some days you could do the splits, but you don’t feel like it, so don’t do it.”

Lisa Glotova is a Humber Lakeshore student who frequents Cerro’s classes twice a week. She thinks Cerro’s classes are always soothing and a great way to unwind from long, tiring days.

“She always reminds her clients to listen to themselves and their bodies, always going back to your inner self through breath,” Glotova said.

As finals season approaches for students, Cerro wants to remind students, “they can master their thoughts, their actions, their words.”

From her expertise and many years of experience, she suggests students try to smile more often, watch some comedy, go for a nature bath, and being mindful of the way they speak to themselves to help cope with stress during this time.

If students are looking for some extra motivation or inspiration, Cerro recommends they watch one of her favorite movies, called “After Death”.

“Just get your feet off the concrete, out of the buildings and onto the earth,” Cerro said.

She encourages students to make use of the nature around campus and free resources like the Humber Athletics Center, where students can use the gym or attend classes like the ones she teaches for free.

Cerro offers classes at Lakeshore on Thursdays and Fridays. Students can find updated weekly class schedules by following @humberlakeshore_athletics on Instagram.