Teachers

Qualifications:  Yoga Alliance 200hr certified teacher, Birthlight certified teacher in Antenatal Yoga and holds a diploma from the Special Yoga Centre in Yoga for Teenagers.

Classes:  Ashtanga Yoga Beginners Course and Open classes, Pregnancy Yoga, Childbirth Preparation, Postnatal Yoga, Baby Yoga, Mummy and Me Yoga, Yunga Yoga for children and Yoga for Teeangers.

Why I practise:  My previous life was in marketing and communication in the finance industry and I participated in various sports including triathlon and skiing.  I started yoga to help bring balance to my life and found the benefits were so vast that even my sport improved.   Now I find my yoga practice is precious time to myself which helps me relax and reflect.

Why I teach:  I always used to be sceptical about yoga before trying it and now find being able to bring yoga to people who would not have tried it before, hugely rewarding.  It is wonderful to see people come out of relaxation surprised that they did actually manage to relax! Seeing how yoga breathing can assist mothers have a less stressful labour and birth is an unbeatable feeling. 

Inspirations:  Dr Francoise Friedman of Birthlight and Eileen Gaultier of Triyoga.

Why I practice yoga:  It gives me peace of mind and helps my back after an injury. I love it!

Background:  TV producer, and founder of women’s travel network www.thelmandlouise.com. Travel has been my profession and my life.

Inspirations:  Sailing - I have sailed the Atlantic and frequently spend weekends on the Solent in the summer.  My first winter sailing in the Caribbean got me hooked on turquoise sea. The sea sun
and wind are my passions.

Links:  www.thelmandlouise.com

Qualifications:  British Wheel of Yoga Teaching Diploma, Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation (KHYF) diploma, Register of Exercise Professionals Level 3 Yoga Teacher. BWY advanced teaching diploma.(Post Grad)
Yoga therapist diploma registered with the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council), BWY Pregnancy, birth and postnatal modules

Classes:  Dynamic Hatha Yoga and Hatha Yoga Open – clam, uplifting and energising bringing in all aspects of yoga, from postures (asana) to breathing (pranayama), from meditation to philosophy.  A complete yoga experience.

Why I practise:  Yoga makes me feel alive, strong, peaceful, calm, reflective, balanced and whole.  I try to take the harmony of yoga with me when I step off the mat and go about daily life.

Why I teach:  Yoga was meant to be passed on, from teacher to student.  What an amazing feeling to see others fall in love with yoga just as I did many years ago, to be able to help their practice grow and develop, and be a part in other people’s yoga journey.  I really consider it a huge privilege to have been able to turn my passion into my work.

Inspirations:  Kirshnamacharya, his son TKV Desikachar and grandson Kausthub Desikachar.  I am in great awe of the healing and therapeutic work at the Krishnamacharya Yoga mandiram in Chennai.  Inspired by the subtlety of the breath, the individuality of the body and the power of the mind.  Inspired by my students but most of all I am inspired by my friends and laughter of my family.

Links:  www.khyf.net; www.harmonyoga.co.uk, www.khyf.co.uk  

Qualifications:  Yoga Alliance 200hr certified teacher

Classes:  Ashtanga Yoga Open, Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate and traditional Mysore style Ashtanga Vinyasa as taught by the late Sri K Pattabhi Jois and his grandson Sharath Rangaswamy in Mysore, India with influences from Derek Ireland

Why I practise:  Ever had a friend who’s always there, always prodding you to face the things you’re shying away from, gently reminding you that it’s ok just to be you?  Ever had a friend open a door into another world and say, ‘Here. This is what your life can be like.’  Ever had a friend you can trust, has faith in you, that gives you hope?

Why I teach:  It’s a privilege to help people, to assist them to go beyond what they thought was initially possible, to help guide them on their path and see them grow as individuals and be positive role models in other peoples lives.

Inspirations:  My friends and students that have allowed me to share and intertwine my journey with theirs. Julie Hanson (director of Chi & Co, Glasgow), Seane Corn, David Keil

Links:  www.energyinseason.com

Qualifications:  Sun Power Yoga certified teacher, CYQ Representative Level 3, Yogabugs diploma for 2.5 – 7 year olds, Calm for Kids for 8-12 year olds.

Classes:  Dynamic Hatha Yoga – fun, calming and rewarding.  Yoganory for Toddlers - Fun, active classes, where the yoga postures become the characters & objects in the story.

Why I practise:  Yoga helps me look at life with a different perspective. It’s grounding and reminds me of what really matters. My practice gives me the power to become deeply aware of my physical body, calms my mind and releases negative thoughts, feelings and tensions.  I feel by being in tune with myself, I am able to do and give more, but it also makes me more open to receive. 

Why I teach:  I love teaching, all age groups and enjoy the challenges that can bring, but also the tremendous rewards. I am continually learning & developing my art, as every client is different and brings to class their own limitations, be they physical, emotional or mental. It fascinates me that yoga can help with so many ailments and illnesses, or be used as preventative medicine. I enjoy being able to pass on this knowledge to my students and see how they can use yoga in their everyday lives.

Inspirations:  My students, family and friends, nature and music

Links:  www.yoganory.co.uk

Training certification: Nosara Yoga Institute Interdisciplinary 200 hr. RYT Training, NYI Advanced Teacher Training, Ashtanga Teacher Intensive with Manju Jois, Fluid Power and Vinyasa Flow with Shiva Rea, YogaEd Tools for Teachers & K-8 Training. Yoga Alliance ERYT certification.

Classes: Dynamic Vinyasa Flow Yoga - Energetic, Creative, Challenging

Why I practice: It inspires me to become the person I wish to be and the person I wish others to see. Each moment on the mat is an opportunity to learn and grow, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Why I teach: I am honoured to share my yoga and watch students grow in their practice and find their own inner wisdom on and off the mat. I believe we are all yoga teachers. The real inspiration as a teacher is the gift I receive from my students, and that is to live my yoga every day.

Inspiration: My kids as they remind me to engage deeply in every moment. Don and Amba Stapleton who inspire all to live their yoga. The amazing people in whose company I keep… “always make room for friends, you never know what they will bring”.

Links: www.heatherearlyoga.com and www.sageyogaboise.com

Why I practice yoga: Yoga gives me a calmness, clarity and an ability to face life’s challenges. The postures have re-sculpted my body and give me energy while meditation clears the mind. It is a part of my daily life and I feel a better, happier person

Background: A mother with grown up children. Have been a ‘gym bunny ‘ in the past but no more! A career in fashion and recently in interiors has kept my creative side alive!

Inspirations and passions: My children, cooking and nurturing, nature, travel music and exhibitions

Qualifications:  British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher, Yoga for Sports Coach

Classes:  Yoga For Runners and Cyclists and Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Why I practise:  For peace and a release (I have three kids!), to be stronger and more flexible, to feel calmer and more contented and for that post-class glow

Why I teach: To watch student’s eyes close and shoulders drop as they visibly release tension is extremely rewarding.   To witness how yoga can give athletes and all sportspeople the edge, from preventing injury and increasing joint range of motion to honing their breathing technique.

Inspirations:  US Vinyasa Flow pioneer Shiva Rea; English Vinyasa Flow teacher Eric Monkhouse and Hayley Winter, Director of the sports-specific yoga organisation Yoga Sport Science for successfully presenting yoga as the ‘missing link’ in strength and conditioning training.

Links:  www.pulseyoga.co.uk, www.yogasportscience.com

Qualifications:  Yoga Alliance 200hr certified teacher

Classes:  Ashtanga Yoga Beginners Course, Asthanga Yoga Open and Yoga for Teenagers

Why I practise:  Practising yoga just feels right – it keeps me fit both emotionally and physically.  There is a beautiful philosophy behind yoga that can be applied to our daily lives and simply being on the mat and practising the asanas makes me feel calmer, positive and alive.  Yoga takes you on a journey that never ends, there is always so much to learn and absorb and I feel privileged to be on this journey.

Why I teach:  Through my teaching I feel I’m in a fortunate position to inspire others to discover the benefits of yoga that so many others have – past, present and future; to make the most sceptical student a believer.   I love to encourage students to develop their own practice and to push past any boundaries they feel they may have.
Inspirations:  Simply my daughter Amelie, who is so happy, loving, and fearless.  We could learn so much from our children.

Links:  www.ashtangayoga.info, www.addlestonetherapycentre.co.uk

Qualifications:  KHYF Level 1, Life Centre Level 1

Classes:  Dynamic Vinyasa Flow and Gentle Yoga

Why I practise:  My yoga practice keeps me balanced emotionally and physically.  I go to my mat because my mat gives me all I need to be a teacher, mother, wife, etc. 

Why I teach:  I teach because of my love of yoga.  I want to spread the word.

Inspirations:  All my teachers who so generously give of themselves and their knowledge

Links:  www.khyf.co.uk

Qualifications:  Yoga Alliance 200hr certified teacher

Classes:  Detox Yoga – powerful and dynamic, toning the muscles on the outside of your body while massaging and detoxing the internal organs resulting with a strong body with a healthy glow.

Why I practise:  Yoga has positively changed my life in a number of ways by making me physically more powerful as well as touching and enlightening my soul. 

Why I teach:  Through my classes, I would like to be able to share the wonderful teachings of yoga.

Inspirations:  Baron Baptiste

Qualifications:  Sivananda Yoga certified teacher, FRYOG and Yoga Bugs certified teacher

Classes:  Sivananda Yoga and Yoga Nidra – traditional, meditative, calming and relaxing

Why I practise:  I practise yoga for the invaluable qualities of peace, joy, stillness, gratitude, compassion, health & well-being that it brings to my life.

Why I teach:  I love having the opportunity to share with others something that has been such a force for good in my own life. The Sivananda mission is ‘to spread peace, health and joy through yoga’, and teaching allows me to play my part in that mission.

Inspirations:  Too many teachers to list, my students, nature, my family & my dog!

Links:  http://www.sivananda.org/

Role:  Front of House

Why I practise:  It grounds and balances me enabling me to live in our hectic, fast paced culture!

Background:  I'm strangely someone that swopped the art world for the office but I love working with people

Inspirations:  People, yoga, art and music

Training Certifications: David Swenson Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training, training updates taken with Kino MacGregor, David Williams, Matthew Sweeney, Danny Paradise. Workshops attended regularly
Classes: Ashtanga Yoga and Vinyasa Flow

Why I practice: It was curiosity and medical reasons that turned my interest to yoga and drove me to try all the different styles it has to offer. However it was when I took part in an Ashtanga class that I knew I was home. Ashtanga gives me a feeling of confidence and a great sense of inner (as well as physical) strength. It has provided me with never-ending challenges that I have fun striving to achieve, and a sense of focus and understanding in both my practice and generally in my life.

Why I teach: I teach Yoga as I simply want others to enjoy it as much as I do and so try to share my nowledge and experience of the practice. My aim when teaching is that everyone share the passion I have and leave the class feeling they have achieved something they may have considered not ossible, whilst also developing a seed of curiosity and excitement about the practice meaning they are eager to practice again.

Inspirations: Sri K Pattabhi Jois, Kino MacGregor,

Website: http://www.poise-yoga.com

Role:  Front of House

Why I practise:  Yoga is a great way for me to stay physically and emotionally fit, it leaves me feeling calm and peaceful.  As a doula I always recommend my mother’s use yoga to help with pregnancy, labour and birth therefore practising what I preach!

Background:  I moved south from Yorkshire to pursue a career in TV and theatre.  I live in Weybridge and am in a very lucky position to be able to combine my doula work with yoga and running.

Inspirations and passions:  My husband, family and friends, my dogs, running and my work as a doula.

Links:  www.naturalbirthdoula.co.uk

Qualifications:  British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher, The Yoga Academy accredited teacher, Birthlight Pregnancy Yoga Teacher

Classes:  Yin Yoga and Pregnancy Yoga

Why I practise: Yoga gives me the opportunity to internalise on a regular basis and enables me to feel whole.

Why I teach:  Since taking up yoga 13 years ago, every dimension of my life has changed for the better. I hope I can share these amazing benefits with my students.

Inspirations:  Donna Farhi and Simon Low

Links:  www.nickieb.co.uk

Qualifications:  Yoga Alliance 200hr certified teacher from the Inspya  Yoga Academy

Classes:  Vinyasa Flow Open

Why I practise:  Practising yoga is a way of remembering  my true nature, which is entirely joyful and peaceful.  As I step onto the yoga mat, I enjoy where I am and at the end of my practice I feel very fortunate to be practising this wonderful art.

Why I teach:  In teaching yoga I humbly share my own personal experiences that I have received from my teachers and my regular practice.  I love passing them on to those I teach.

Inspirations:  “If you set your mind free your practice  becomes a rhythmic dance”  

Why I practise:  After every single practice I feel better and better. Yoga gives me more energy and a sense of calm

Background: Originally from Croatia, I started practicing yoga two years ago and immediately knew that this would be the way I would enjoy keeping my body healthy and strong. My other job is looking after children with learning disabilities.

Inspirations and passions: Music, dancing, swimming, travelling and seeing me friends. 

Qualifications:  British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher from Yoga Academy, Reiki Practitioner – Level 1

Classes:  Restorative Yoga

Why I practise:  I practise to feel reconnected. I practise to balance my mind, to deepen my breath, to strengthen my body and to nourish my soul.

Why I teach:  I teach yoga because it is so rewarding to share the rich teachings of this incredible, ancient yet ever evolving tradition. I hope to encourage a sense of curiosity and to empower students to connect with the vitality residing within.

Inspirations:  “It is not that the person needs to accommodate him or herself to yoga, but rather the yoga practice must be tailored to fit each person” - T.K.V Desikachar

Links:  www.rmyoga.co.uk

Why I practice: Yoga simply has to be the best gift I have ever given myself. Since it found me I have never looked back. My general well being and peaceful outlook on life is irreversible as I continue to commit to my weekly practice.

Background: Having grown up in rural America I emigrated to the UK in 2004 and now call Britain my home. I moved out of Central London in 2008 for a slice of the good life, and currently enjoy living in the countryside.

Inspirations and passions: I believe that I am a reflection of everything that surrounds me, and am inspired by life. My teachers, mother nature, and my family contribute to my happiness. My hobbies include gardening, cooking, and homemaking. I am a keen traveller and enjoy experiencing new places and meeting people as well as learning about the history and culture of where it is that I am visiting.

Role:  Front of House

Why I practise:  Yoga creates a unique freedom.  It grounds me, strengthens my body and spirit. I feel balanced, calmer and energised with each practice

Background:  I have experienced different forms of yoga for nearly 20 years all over the world.  My weekly practice is Ashtanga Vinyasa.  I am a qualified aromatherapist.

Inspirations and passions:  Life, music, dancing, friends, family, Tamara, unconditional love, and being in the present.

Qualifications:  British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher

Classes:  Hatha Yoga Beginners Course, Hatha Yoga with Meditation Open class

Why I practise:  Through the practice of yoga, being healthy, happy and contented has become the norm for me.  Yoga has many elements to help you obtain a sense of wellbeing.  I refer to this as my ‘Yoga Tool Kit’.  The practice of asana, improves your physical condition, breathing stabilises the emotions and mediation is sustenance for the soul. Consequently, I am now used to living on a natural high and cannot imagine life without yoga.

Why I teach:  We each owe it to ourselves to live life well.  Teaching yoga inspires me personally and keeps my yoga flame burning.  To see my students flourish in body and heart, renews my spirit and convinces me that I have the best job in the world!

Inspirations:  “Revealing the intelligence of the body through the process of enquiry is like coming home” - Vanda Scaravelli.

Training Certification: Yoga Alliance 200 hour certified teacher. Sitaram/Yoga Campus teacher training in Pregnancy Yoga

Classes: Morning Sun Salutation

Why I practice: To keep my physical body and mind healthy, yoga helps me along my journey of self-discovery to become more conscious and aware. Yoga keeps the balance between the extremes of life: It makes me feel alive, and hopefully a better person!

Why I teach: To share the knowledge, that we are so lucky to have had passed down to us. If I can assist in guiding someone to experience even one of the many positives that practice brings, then I feel honoured.

Inspirations: Lying on the sand and watching the infinite stars, or feeling a cold river as the sun rises; leaves me in awe of the immense energy we are surrounded by, and are a part of. Acts of kindness and generosity, from people of all walks of life that I have been fortunate to meet, highlight the beauty of human nature.

Qualifications:  Experienced Yoga Alliance Teacher, Senior Instructor with the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, Shiatsu Society Registered Teacher

Classes:  Seasonal Yoga and Tai Chi

Why I practise:  To be the best quality of Chi/Prana I can be and benefit the world and those around me

Why I teach:  To inspire others and make working with Energy (Prana) fun, easy to understand and accessible to all to benefit health and wellbeing.

Inspirations:  Comes from life, nature and those around me

Links:  www.energyinseason.com, www.suewoodd.com

Training Certification: Senior Level 3 Iyengar Yoga Teaching Certificate

Classes: Iyengar Yoga

Why I practice: I enjoy the freedom of movement that comes both during and after a regular yoga practice Also, I find it is a sure way of bringing emotional stability to my life and it gives me the energy needed in order to get on with day to day living.

Why I teach: I get immense satisfaction from watching my students progress. It is nice to know that I have been able to provide a ‘time and space’ in which students can simply ‘be’.

Inspirations: Geeta Iyengar. Her powers of observation whilst teaching students is legendary and also her concentration is always fully on her students whilst none is on herself.

Links: www.iyengar.org

Role:  Front of House Manager

Why I practise:  It’s my chance to reconnect with myself after a busy day.  It keeps me physically fit, focused and positive.

Background:  I started my yoga practice in San Francisco, USA purely on a whim and fell in love with it.  After trying out Iyengar, Hatha and Bikram yoga, I found Ashtanga to be the most rewarding and challenging form of yoga.  I love the fact that I am pushing myself each time and that there is always something to learn.  It’s very humbling.

Inspirations and passions:  Sewing is one of my passions. Creating something beautiful and wearable from a flat piece of fabric is so fulfilling.  My children inspire me on a daily basis, they teach me to have patience and to stop and smell the roses.

Training certification: Diploma from The Life Centre, London and British Wheel of Yoga Accredited Teacher. Diploma from the College of Naturopathic Medicine and Alternative Therapies of London- Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist

Classes: Power Yoga and Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Why I practice: Yoga has been the greatest healer and the most powerful medicine to me since I first discovered it 7 years ago. Energetically, it makes me feel healthy and strong when I’m down or tired, and relaxed and serene when I’m worried or stressed. It’s been the purest and most nutritious food for my thoughts, as well as the most powerful harmoniser of my emotions . I do yoga to stay fit, certainly, but I also do yoga to stay focused and grounded.

Why I teach: I have been truly blessed by the wonders of this 5000 year old discipline and it is my wish and my mission to share it with others. Yoga is therapy in movement and I teach it to help others feel healthy and relieve them from pain, stress and illness. Doing this makes me feel really happy.

Inspiration: I find great inspiration in the classic scripts of Yoga, in the profound wisdom of Ayurveda (the ancient medicine of India) in the wisdom of the Upanishads, the Bible, the writings of Matthieu Ricard, Thich Nhat Hanh, in Buddhism, in Hinduism, in the angels and archangels, in the wonders of nature, in the pureness of our children , In the taste and healing powers of natural foods, in doing asana, pranayama and meditation.

Links: www.tatianamercier.co.uk

Training Certification: Jivamukti Yoga Alliance 200 hour, British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Course, Anusara, Kundalini, Yogabugs, Yoga Anatomy and REP’s Certification

Classes: Hathalini Yoga

Why I practice: Yoga is magical and to me its about empowerment, not just empowering me as I overcome the limitations of my body but more importantly as I overcome the limitations of my mind. Yoga keeps me balanced and teaches me to live in the now.

Why I teach: It is a privilege to teach, and I want to share what I love. If I can help just one person and give to them what yoga has given me, then I have been a successful teacher. Never underestimate the power of the mind.

Inspirations: David Life, Sharon Gannon, Dalai Lama, Paramhansa Yogananda, Dr Wayne Dyer

Links: www.yogajunky.co.uk