Zhila Kashaninia is an opera singer, music teacher and therapeutic yoga teacher. She has performed in Canada, Spain, Italy, and Mexico. In 2008, Zhila produced her first CD, Journey through Spanish Songs, which brought her an invitation from the Cultural Institute in Campeche, Mexico to perform and provide a workshop and master class for the university students. In addition to her vocal performances, Zhila also teaches opera history at the University of Victoria.
Zhila's passion for voice and music and its close relationship to physical and emotional release of the body led her to pursue therapeutic yoga. After many years of practicing, she became a trained instructor in 2015 and has developed specialized yoga programs for singers and musicians. Zhila has provided therapeutic yoga classes for piano teachers and students as well as for those dealing with physical injuries and emotional trauma.
Since her own diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor, Zhila has become interested in the impact of yoga and meditation on the brain and nervous system and has developed yoga and meditation practices that deal specifically with cancer and other challenging and difficult health issues.
Zhila is a graduate of the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Her educational background also includes a degree in Economics and Communication and a certificate in Project Management from the Project Management Institute in Massachusetts, United States. In addition to her music and yoga, Zhila has worked in public health research and data analysis for more than two decades in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.