uman
Guides & Speakers
Isabelle Fontaine
Martin Bilodeau
Saraswati & Jayananda
Izaias SajVin Mendoza
Karine Ste-Marie
Sophie Gingras
Carlos Lobos
VJ Bala
our team
Discover our team of guides and speakers who will accompany you during the ceremonies, workshops, and conferences.
Isabelle Fontaine

A speaker who has delivered over 1,5OO presentations to over 1,OOO organisations (in Canada and in Europe), Isabelle has outstanding academic skills. She has taught at the Université du Québec à Montréal and at the École Polytechnique de Montréal.
She is an expert in Performance Psychology and Emotional Intelligence : her talks are filled with lessons about the latest advances in neuroscience and the neurobiology of emotions. She provides a range of concrete tools and strategies that can be immediately applied.
Her conferences are enjoyed like a pedagogical party: learning experiences generate a BOOST of energy, emotional intensity and laughter. Through her high-energy presentations, that are both entertaining and highly educational, she reveals a genuine sense of humor and a simple, yet deeply impactful approach.
.An inspiring and credible speaker, with a proven method that creates a lasting impact on your business. Finally, she is the author of two best sellers: EMPOWER and COURAGE: HOW TO ACTIVATE IT?, she is also a guest columnist on television shows.
Martin Bilodeau

Martin Bilodeau is an inspired and playful yogi. He has been teaching passionately for over 10 years and continues to travel the world to perfect his personal exploration.
Martin Bilodeau is one of the new faces of modern meditation and Buddhism. His innovative approach is tailored to today’s life and inspires people all over the world. He devotes himself full time to meditation, yoga as well as facilitating various transformational and awakening processes.
Martin Bilodeau is one of the new faces of modern meditation and Buddhism. His innovative approach is tailored to today’s life and inspires people all over the world. He devotes himself full time to meditation, yoga as well as facilitating various transformational and awakening processes.
Each year, he guides numerous retreats and spiritual journeys in Quebec, India and Mexico. His two books, Réveillez votre bouddha intérieur et le Guide pratique du tantrisme moderne are available everywhere in Quebec and in France (Éditions Homme).
You will also find his albums of guided meditations, relaxation and mantras at MontrealMusique.com Productions.
Martin Bilodeau is a university graduate in communication and psychosociology. He is also trained in social leadership with Jean Houston (California) and he has followed several training courses in transpersonal psychology.
A Buddhist since the age of 18, he has completed a study program in Mahayana Buddhism and is a certified teacher of Kundalini Yoga. He experienced Tibetan Tantra initiations in the early 2000s.
Member of the World Federation of Tantra Kundalini Yoga and the Francophone Yoga Federation.
It is with deep authenticity and love that he shares his passions.
Saraswati & Jayanada

Saraswati
Jayananda
Saraswatī embodies the essence of the creative Mother, balancing loving softness with a graceful strength. Her powerful presence inspires and empowers others to step into their full potential, through vibrant authenticity and awakening to the expansive joy of the heart. Her work brings together the teachings of yoga, non-dualism and earth wisdom, infused with a deep reverence for life. the path of devotion; offering kirtan, cacao & sound ceremonies, voice medicine workshops and singing circles, medicine retreats and sound trainings. Her dedication to creating and holding a safe space allows the veils to fall away, inspiring spontaneous expression and the authentic embodiment of the Truth – all is Love. Weaving together her passion for ceremony, nature and the elements; her view of conscious living and mindfulness practice fuse into a work of deep green yoga. Hayley Saraswatī is one of seven co-founding members of the Kula Collective, an organization weaving together diverse holistic experiences and educational offerings through combined passions and a collective intention of global awakening.
Jayananda is a life-long student of Wisdom and the Sacred Arts with a multidisciplinary approach to self-development. A practitioner and teacher of Meditation, Yoga and practical Eastern Philosophy he has taught over 25 month long Teacher Trainings at beginner and advanced levels. Since early childhood, he has familiarized himself with many shamanic tendencies which has evolved to the bulk of his work with indigenous plant medicines, entheogens and ceremonial traditions from his studies in Brazil and Peru. With this synthesis I act as a bridge, or an instrument where I am continuing to learn and refine my role as a medium.
Izaias SajVin Mendoza

Izaias Sajvin Mendoza was born and raised to an indigenous family in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala. At the age of 14, he started working for Keith Wilson (Keith’s Cacao) as a gardener. Although he studied computers and accounting, he developed an increasing interest in religions and cultures other than the Christian background he was raised to.
Through a dream in his teenagerhood he was guided to look for “the lost path”, a local spiritual practice, which led him to find out his grandfather was a Shaman.
Through a dream in his teenagerhood he was guided to look for “the lost path”, a local spiritual practice, which led him to find out his grandfather was a Shaman. Izaias had to wait until he was ready and after years of search for his path and purpose, and being strongly called to work serving as a Shaman, he was invited to a ceremony to join the elder circles. He found out more about his grandfather story and how he was meant to become a healer, however having to meet the requirements: getting married.
At the age of 21 he married to Izabel, his wife and mother of their 2 children, Jason and Leo, and only then he was initiated in the path of the Fire Shaman. Since then he has been a practitioner and facilitator holding. Cacao and Fire Ceremonies as well as Mayan calendar readings through the Nahuales, following the tradition of his ancestors and his inherited lineage.
Karine Ste-Marie

In 2015, Karine was a part of the French Canadian version of the hit show The Voice, La Voix III. She was lucky enough to experience two different coaches and be a part of the live shows. Her rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” with Mathieu Holubowski was proclaimed the most beautiful battle in the history of La Voix and made it on the album and Itunes top 5 sales in the province of Quebec. She then left Quebec to travel the four corners of the world singing on cruise ships. Having achieved success on Canadian radio with songs like Charlottetown and Parler ma pensée, she is now working on a new spiritual music project named Jayda Terra.
Her travels across South America, Antarctica, USA, Canada, Central America and Europe have inspired the making of new songs with a fresh outlook on life. Her journey into sound therapy began in April 2020, when she fell in love with crystal instruments, mantras and other sacred chants. She then decided to leave for a few months to study these methods in-depth in Central America. During this time, she continued to study and work remotely under the wing of the Buddhist Sisters of Prince Edward Island, occasionally lending her voice to the works of Master Zhen-Ru. It is with excitment that she returns to Quebec to share the techniques she has learned during her 20 years of stage experience.
Sophie Gingras

Curious by nature, Sophie is in constant exploration and learning. She enjoys discovering life by listening to the stories of the human beings she encounters. She has realized that a powerful way to learn and grow is through conscious experience. She has traveled the world to experiment different techniques and practices in the personal growth realm.
Yoga, including breathwork, is one of her favorite tools that she shares in order to provide a safe space for anyone wishing to experience ongoing self-discovery, self-awareness and self-love.
Carlos Lobos

Carlos has been practicing yoga since he was 19. He started 7 years ago, practicing different styles of yoga, during which he fell in love with Ashtanga yoga. At the beginning, he didn’t like this practice, but realized later on that it made him a disciplined student.
After studying in Mysore, India, he returned to Latin America to teach and share his love for yoga. He has two goals: have his students fall in love with the practice to either become lifetime practitioners or yoga teachers.
VJ Bala

VJ Bala is an engineer, ethical business owner for over 26 years, musician, and co-existor. I have a regular yoga asana practice, and hold certifications in 200 RYT Yoga Teaching, 100 HR Sound Ceremony Healing, and holistic Life Coaching.
I offer healing and insight so that people may see what their true essence is (their Dharma), and what steps towards abundance & sustained happiness might look like. His greatest inspiration is certainly love.
I am a world traveler and have lived in various countries which has exposed me to a plethora of cultures, realities and inherent relevant nuances to navigate life on our diverse planet.
I apply teachings from the yogic sutras, quantum physics, neuroscience, socio-economics, music, and more, to shed light on your true situation, so that you yourself can see that the answer was always with you.
Schedule
Schedule
Packages
Packages
uman
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Do you have a question or a comment for us? Write to us and we will be happy to answer you as soon as possible!
Zipolite, Mexico
info@uman-festival.com