Chrissafo Saffron Sandy Selorme
I was Born in Theseloniki, Greece and Raised on a Tobacco farm that my parents had. We Immigrated to Hamilton, Canada when I was 7.
I have lived in Hamilton since then, Starting a Hair Salon called "Checkers" in Ancaster with my Brother Steve which we ran successfully for 12 years. During that time I also attended York University to study dance (which had been a passion of mine since a young age) and danced with many professional dance companies in Toronto for over 10 years.
Our salon was so successful that we were able to purchase property and we ended up owning the Coach House building in downtown Ancaster which was built in the early 1800's.
Do to a series of events, a large space was vacant in the building and I took a risk and opened a British pub named "The Coach and Lantern" again with my brother Steve and his wife Virginia. This was an instant hit in the community and we ran the business successfully for 13 years before selling it 3 years ago.
I met my husband Byron in 1999 at Chapters in Ancaster and we started dating in 2000 getting married in 2001.
I had been teaching Dance at the Hamilton Ballet company and had been studying and teaching Yoga frequently during my dance career. I was growing tired of giving people alcohol and started looking for a more rewarding way to serve the community. I introduced my husband to Yoga and we started studying Yoga together in Toronto, New York, and even India opening our Studio in the Coach House building in 2003.
We sold the building and moved the Studio into Hamilton on Aberdeen in the front portion of the House that we now own.
During that time I started a charity that I call "Malo Certse" Which means "Baby's Heart" in Macedonian. My husband and I raise money through our Yoga classes to benefit children in Mysore, India where we studied. This was done through the Rotary Club of Mysore, which we visited because my husband was a member of the Dundas morning club.
So far we have raised almost $5,000.00 for that fund, helping with some education projects and even outfitting a school with furniture.
I was a member of the Hamilton afternoon Rotary Club and a current Board Member of the Greater Hamilton Wellness Foundation.
Byron David William Selorme
I was born outside of Toronto in a town called Bowmanville. I came to Hamilton because I wanted to be an inventor and so I studied Mechanical Engineering at Mohawk College. I received a Patent for an Energy Efficient Press Design in 2007 working as a Design Engineer in Brantford.
I began in the mid 1990's to study Body Building and I was fortunate enough to spend a large quantity of time studying form, technique and balanced development. This helped me to develop strong biomechanical models that have served me well in Yoga.
It's funny, when Saffron and I were first together, I would drop her off at thevarious Yoga studio's in Toronto that she was studying at and say "Have fun" I never even thought of going in with her. She convinced me somehow to go to a class at Downward Dog Yoga Studio because Woody Harrelson, Sting, and Madonna had gone there or something and they also had a TV show and really great teachers.
We met Scott Davis and the way he taught the classes and how I felt afterwards, I was hooked. It was so much more of an experience than I had ever gotten at the gym.
We studied privately with Scott for over 3 years and I feel very fortunate to have had that one on one time with him, it helped me to develop and understand things about myself that I would not have found otherwise.
We have met some mediocre teachers over the years and some really great ones too (like Carl Horowitz). The experience of working with a teacher who is really present with you as you have a challenging situation arise is a big part of what makes Yoga for me.
I have always been interested in understanding how things work. I guess this is why I Yoga captured me so completely.
Saffron has always been a great influence in shaping the things that I do. She has always been a great balance in my life, in ways that most people will never know about.
I was a member of the Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary club for several years. I am also currently working on my Psychology and Neuroscience degree at McMaster University.
Being part of the community. Getting involved and giving back. This is the continuity in our lives. And I see no reason why it shouldn't be filled with fun.
We have both studied with some of the worlds greatest teachers. But it doesn't matter what we know or who we learned it from. It doesn't matter what we can do or where we do it. It matters how much we care for and contribute to the lives of the people that we meet. For that we are grateful to be where we are.
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