Melanie Richards is the founder of Yoga HappyTree Inc., the creator and leader of Yoga teacher training programs, and a mental health advocate. For ten years (2007-2017), she owned and operated HappyTree Yoga Studio, known for its vibrant community and regularly voted one of Montreal's top five yoga studios by Cult Mtl. 

Melanie teaches yoga to psychiatry inpatients and outpatients. Last year, she received a Builder of Hope Award from The Douglas Foundation, recognizing her efforts and contribution toward establishing The Rebecca Joy Richards Award for Research in Eating Disorders.

She also received a Quebec Notable Award for Social Entrepreneurship and has a TEDx talk on the power of intention setting (2014). In 2012, she was recognized by CTV's The Power of One for her work in the community with cancer patients and underprivileged youth.

Melanie is a 500-hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance. She is a certified Hatha teacher and Kundalini yoga teacher and has sat multiple 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreats over the past decade. Her teachers include Barrie Risman, Nischala Joy Devi, Nubia Teixeira, and her spiritual mentor, Lisa Lajoie, with whom she's led international yoga retreats. 

Melanie shares Yoga from her heart with relatability, compassion and enthusiasm, fostering a warm and inclusive learning atmosphere. She empowers people from all walks of life to take the path of Yoga back home to their hearts.