Meet the Team!
Meet the Founder — Natalie Porter
Natalie Porter is the founder of Matcha Mat Yoga, a proud mother of two boys, and a lifelong community-builder with a deep passion for wellness and connection. What began as her own personal journey toward healing and grounding blossomed into a space where people can move, breathe, and genuinely connect with one another.
A huge part of Natalie’s journey has been her love for matcha. Discovering ceremonial matcha was a turning point in her life — a daily ritual that brought her calm, clarity, and balance during some of her most overwhelming seasons. This simple practice became a source of peace she wanted to share with others. Today, every Matcha Mat Yoga class ends with a handcrafted ceremonial-grade matcha latte, inviting people to slow down, chat, and feel supported.
Outside of the studio, Natalie finds joy in hiking and being in nature, often exploring the mountains and trails around the Lower Mainland. Hiking became another form of healing for her — a space to reconnect with herself, breathe fresh air, and feel grounded. These passions inspired her vision for outdoor yoga, community hikes, and wellness gatherings.
Natalie is also the co-founder of The Ever Thriving Community, a nonprofit organization dedicated to offering free wellness programs, sober social events, and donation drives that support vulnerable individuals and families across the lower mainland. Her heart for community shows up in everything she does — from yoga classes to workshops to outreach programs.
Through movement, matcha, nature, and community care, Natalie’s mission is simple:
to create warm, welcoming spaces where people can feel connected, supported, and truly seen.
Meet Kellie – Yoga Flow Teacher
Kellie believes that yoga is an opportunity to open up, reveal, and remember our true nature. Her goal is to help her students experience unconditional love and live from that place in all the ways they show up in the world. Kellie has been teaching Bikram Yoga since 2005, bringing over two decades of experience in the yoga community. In addition to Bikram, she has studied Rocket Yoga, Kundalini, Dharma, Yin, and Tattvas.
Kellie is passionate about helping people connect with their bodies and minds through yoga, and she loves to create a fun, welcoming, and non-judgmental environment where everyone feels free to explore their practice. She has co-facilitated Hot Yoga Teacher Trainings in 2024 and 2025 and continues to evolve as a teacher with each class.
As a mother of two boys, Kellie says that they are her greatest teachers, constantly reminding her of what truly matters: love, joy, and presence. She holds a BFA in dance, and her background in movement and alignment coaching allows her to teach with a unique understanding of both body mechanics and the emotional impact of yoga.
Kellie’s teaching style is a fusion of compassion, humor, and soul. Expect to feel both challenged and uplifted in her classes, which are always spiced up with her thick, bad-ass Minnesotan accent! Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, Kellie’s classes offer something for everyone — an opportunity to play, explore, express, and have fun.
Meet Anfisa – Gentle Flow Teacher
Community, mindful movement, and meaningful connection are at the heart of Anfisa’s teaching. Grounded in inclusivity and accessibility, her classes create a welcoming space where individuals of all backgrounds and experience levels feel supported, empowered, and at ease in their practice.
Anfisa’s approach emphasizes presence over performance. She thoughtfully offers a range of modifications throughout each class, inviting students to slow down, soften, or add intensity as they feel called. This allows each individual to move with intention, listen to their body, and honour their own needs in the moment.
Through mindful sequencing, breath awareness, and intentional pacing, Anfisa supports both physical and emotional well-being. Her classes encourage curiosity, self-trust, and compassion, creating space for students to reconnect with themselves while feeling held within a supportive community.