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Yoga and Retreats

Move with care. Nothing to prove.

People come to yoga for many reasons. There is no single doorway.

Through Different Wisdom, Andrew Bartley teaches yoga and facilitates retreats. His classes bring together movement, breath, and reflection, welcoming people to practise as they are.

A person holding a standing yoga pose in silhouette beside a lake at sunset.
Photo by Rob Clairmont

Upcoming classes

Class schedule to be announced.

Information about upcoming classes, locations, times, and how to attend will be posted here when arrangements are confirmed.

For questions about future classes, contact Yoga@DifferentWisdom.com.

Our approach

People are more important than what they can do.

Yoga offers an opportunity to experience that conviction through movement, breath, and attention. We can explore what is possible, notice what surprises us, and practise with curiosity and care.

Andrew draws on Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga and insights from philosophy, psychology, and contemplative traditions. He typically shares a poem or story at the outset and returns to it during practice, without prescribing an interpretation. Participants may find something meaningful, question what they hear, or let the words pass.

We practise as individuals, together in community. We share movement, breath, and stillness. Each person’s experience is their own, and each person’s presence enlivens the group.

Yoga classes

Andrew teaches two distinct kinds of class. In both, participants are encouraged to choose variations, adjust their level of effort, and rest when needed.

Alongside English, Andrew often uses Sanskrit names for poses to acknowledge and honour yoga’s Indian origins.

Hatha and Vinyasa Flow

An attentive exploration of movement and breath, accompanied by reflective music, poetry, and stories.

Andrew guides participants through flowing sequences in which poses emerge, are explored, and give way to what comes next. The journey is not simply a way to reach a particular pose. Along the way, he offers variations ranging from accessible foundations to more physically challenging possibilities. Each person is encouraged to discover what serves them in that moment.

Participants are invited to enter quietly and practise without conversation. Andrew provides detailed guidance throughout class. Questions and conversation are best saved for before or after practice, although participants are always welcome to speak up about matters of comfort or safety.

Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

Power Flow

Upbeat music, unexpected sequences, and lighthearted malarkey and shenanigans make for powerful flows.

Andrew creates playful, offbeat sequences that invite participants to discover surprising possibilities. The challenge lies less in sustained muscular effort than in exploring unfamiliar movements with coordination and curiosity.

There is room to laugh, modify, pause, and rest. Participants are encouraged to choose how far to explore, respecting their own abilities, circumstances, and boundaries.

Power Flow is generally best suited to people with at least a little yoga experience. A beginner’s mind is always an asset.

A note from Andrew

Andrew Bartley outdoors in a purple yoga jacket, looking across the landscape at Spirit Point.
Photo by Rob Clairmont at Spirit Point

At 22, while in India, I was introduced to Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga. Over the next three decades, I explored their wisdom and found much that resonated with my life and faith. Yet I held back from practising the third limb, the postures. I was too shy to imagine moving so openly in front of others.

A health crisis in my fifties brought home how much I needed to care for my body. I began practising the postures. Through movement, breath, and stillness, I learned to listen to my body with greater kindness. Yoga also helped me recognize how my habits of self-criticism and comparison were hurting me.

My body, mind, heart, and spirit continue to teach me. I have strengths, limitations, seasons of energy, and times that call for rest or healing. I am making new mistakes and learning how to listen.

I teach because it is good for me. It reminds me of who I am. I delight in sharing something I need to practise every day, and respect your freedom to discover what yoga might offer you.

Questions

I have never tried yoga. Where should I begin?

Hatha and Vinyasa Flow welcomes beginners. No particular level of flexibility, strength, or previous experience is required. Andrew offers guidance and options throughout the class.

May I modify poses or rest during class?

Absolutely. Bodies differ, and the same body changes over time. Participants are welcome to modify or skip poses, rest when needed, and respect their own circumstances, including injuries and periods of recovery.

Is your yoga teaching religious?

Not in the sense of religious worship or instruction. Andrew’s teaching draws on yoga’s philosophical and spiritual traditions, as well as his own contemplative practice. His reflective classes usually include poetry or stories touching on meaning, spirituality, and everyday life.

Andrew is Christian and does not expect participants to share his beliefs or experience mystery as he does. Each person is welcome to engage with the reflections in their own way, or let them pass.

Do you offer retreats?

Yes. Through Different Wisdom, Andrew facilitates retreats that bring people together for contemplation, exploration, and shared experience. Individuals can register for these gatherings when they are offered.

Depending on their purpose, retreats may include yoga, poetry, movement, conversation, music, time outdoors, and other activities. Some explicitly explore spiritual themes.

Each retreat is described in advance, including its purpose, location, format, spiritual practices, if any, and how to register.

Different Wisdom also designs and facilitates retreats for boards, leaders, and teams. Learn about our organizational retreats.

What training and teaching experience does Andrew bring?

Andrew completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2021. Between 2021 and 2025, he taught more than 1,100 yoga classes at Yoga Shack in London, Ontario, until the studio closed in December 2025.

His teaching is informed by studies in education, ethics, mythology, philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. He continues to explore the art, heart, and science of teaching yoga in his daily practice.

Stay in touch

Yoga and Retreats updates

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For questions about classes or retreats, contact Yoga@DifferentWisdom.com.

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Different Wisdom Inc.

Development for people, teams, and organizations

London, Canada

Info@DifferentWisdom.com