Our Mission

To create a space where you can harness your inner strength and Move in the Direction of your Gifts

The Founder

My journey has been long and arduous like many of my fellow human beings. Here is what I want to share with you about the studio’s journey and its humble beginnings.

The Beginning

I got introduced to yoga back in 2006 when I was working as an aerospace engineer in San Diego, California.   I fell in love with the practice. I left California after many years and came back to Montreal and continued practicing.

Fate

I was at a very difficult stage in my life where nothing seemed to work. I was in the depth of chaos. I met my teacher Dr. Madan Bali in 2011 by pure coincidence. He was 89 years old at the time .  I instantly knew I was going to learn a great deal from this sage. I did his Teacher Training and I am to this day grateful for it. Dr. Bali’s response to my never ending barrage of questions was quite simple “Practice, and the answers will come”

The Failures

I wanted to open a yoga studio so I made 5 attempts in three countries with different partners from 2011 to 2017 and they all ended in failure. 

An Act of Courage

After the last failed attempt in California, I had an insight on the five hour long flight back to Montreal.  What if all of this was happening because I was lacking in courage. Unemployed and with no place to live at that time, I made the decision to lock myself up in a basement and not leave until I found a space where the seed of this future studio can be planted.  Two weeks later, I found a location and signed it on the spot. Since my dream was to open a Yoga Studio, I had to do major renovations that lasted 3 years.

Construction started in August of 2018.  Being heavily involved in every aspect from the design of every detail to the construction. I ran into every issue imaginable. From contractors abandoning the jobsite to leaking roof that had to be changed. I thought to myself “This will never end”.

Two months after we opened, Covid hit in 2020 and we got shutdown three times and had to rebuild the community.

The next Phase

After Covid had passed, I thought why not expand the studio to offer non-heated yoga. And why not create a deeper sense of connection and serve our community coffe and food. The idea of coffe shop took form. It took us 4 difficult years to get the construction completed and in June of 2025, we opened Cafe Tere and the second non-heated yoga room. The journey felt long and arduous. But the fuel was the authenticity you get from our practitioners. Being a witness to another human being growth was like rocket fuel.

Perseverance

If you’re reading this, it’s because Innocere Yoga was a once a dream 20 years ago that has finally taken form. To that dream I added a Cafe. It has been an incredibly challenging journey but worthwhile. I hope you get to come see us for a practice, for coffee or both.

Firas A. Harendi

This podcast sheds a brief light on our story