The stronger the roots, the happier the tree
Melanie Richards
The reality is, the practice of yoga saved my soul and gave me the clarity to hear my true heart. Strength and stability grew within me, and I finally heard a part of myself that had been waiting to be discovered.
In 2006, something miraculous happened. I started practicing yoga to tone up and lose weight after my acting agent (yes, it's true, I was an actress) told me I didn’t have the right body to book lead roles. I was too “athletic”; I wasn’t “skinny enough”. Instead of transforming my body, I transformed my soul and found my life’s purpose, my Dharma.
Welcome to my heart's message:
I still remember the exact moment that it happened: That day in class, tears of relief rolled down my face in Savasana, and when I stood up, I felt like a hundred pounds had been lifted from my shoulders. I practically floated over to my yoga teacher because I felt so light and, with a big smile, said, “I quit acting.” And that same week, I did.
When I quit, I told myself I no longer needed validation from my agent and casting directors. For the first time in my life, I felt confident, happy, and worthy for no particular reason. This inner shift was so profound that I wanted to share it with others, and within a year, I became a yoga teacher and founded HappyTree.
HappyTree was born out of my soul’s desire to share Yoga as a path out of suffering - a path of joy, nourishment, transformation and liberation. For ten years, I did just that through my first yoga studio and the teacher trainings I developed. And then life happened, circumstances changed, and I closed my yoga studio. My first act had come to a close.
In the years after closing my first studio, my faith in yoga’s transformative powers was put to the test. During the pandemic, I became a mother and lost my beloved sister to an eating disorder. I was rocked to my core. Once again, yoga helped me turn my pain into purpose as I dove deeper into the teachings and practices for my own healing. This included completing my 300-hour Advanced Hatha Yoga teacher training with Barrie Risman and embarking upon a year-long spiritual ascension program with my spiritual mentor, Lisa Lajoie.
In my second act, I became a mental health advocate, contributing to the creation of the Rebecca Joy Richards Award for Research in Eating Disorders with the Douglas Foundation. I was also featured on CTV National News as a yoga teacher pushing back against skinny culture and harmful beauty standards.
Now I’m entering my third act, and it has brought me full circle back to my roots. I’m feeling called once again to create a home base for people in this rapidly changing world. A special place for community, nourishment, transformation, and liberation. A physical place, a new studio to stretch and breathe and move. A place to call home.
I am overjoyed to announce the opening of the new HappyTree yoga studio in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Sharing this beautiful sanctuary with you feels like a true homecoming. Explore our schedule, come say hello, and let’s continue to grow together.
The Four Roots of HappyTree
Planted in 2007, HappyTree began with a vibrant mission from my soul to yours: to weave the transformative power of yoga into communities and into the fabric of your everyday life. Much like a tree, our truest growth happens deep beneath the surface. A flourishing life requires the anchor of strong, healthy roots. These are the four roots of HappyTree, the foundational values that nourish everything we plant, cultivate, and build in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
The True Story
Community
While yoga brings countless gifts - greater strength, flexibility, resilience, and peace of mind - its highest purpose is liberation. Meaning “to unite,” yoga invites us to transcend the conditioned mind and reconnect with our true essence. It reminds us of our inherent oneness with each other, the natural world, and a Higher Power. True liberation is not an escape from life, but a wholehearted embrace of it. With a clear mind and the absolute freedom to be present, we realize this journey isn't about becoming someone better…it is about revealing the person you have always been.
Nourishment
We grow better together
Yoga is a beautiful path of transformation. Just as a tree grows from a small seed into its fullest expression, yoga reveals the boundless potential already within you. Through movement, breath, mindfulness, and spiritual practice, we become empowered to take root in our own strength and confidently reach toward our highest potential.
Yoga is food for every branch of your being.
Transformation
There’s no growth without change.
Just as trees thrive in forests, we flourish in community. When you join HappyTree, you become part of an uplifting Sangha - a spiritual community rooted in kindness, belonging, and shared growth. Here, every person is welcome, every journey is honoured, and every heart is celebrated.
Liberation
Come home to your True Nature.
The word “heal” shares its roots with “whole”, and true healing begins when we choose to nourish ourselves not only with food and movement, but with love, connection, beauty and rest. When we care for ourselves with love and compassion, we naturally loosen the roots of fear, self-judgment and old conditioning, thereby creating space for joy, vitality and freedom.
These are the pillars of HappyTree. Wherever you are on your journey, there is a place for you here to cultivate the strong, healthy roots you need to weather any storm or simply find your peace, strength, and joy. Come exactly as you are, peel back the layers, and let's grow together.
Here’s to a HappyTree life,
Mel
"What a breathtaking experience! In just 2 weekends, I am already beginning to see my life transform."
- Kerstin Blaschke