Meet our Byron Bay teachers
The Purna method John teaches focuses on correct alignment. His teaching covers the basics with additional emphasis on refining alignment, corrections and adjustments. John’s teaching style is entertaining and completely accessible. His instructions are clear and simple, always with a focus on keeping his students safe and encouraging them to listen to their own body’s needs and only work at a level appropriate to the individual, at any given time.
John encourages students at all levels to build flexibility, strength and stamina of body, mind and spirit. Many students discover, as a consequence, that yoga becomes a way of life.
She is a senior certified teacher who trained with John Ogilvie in 2006 and then apprenticed with him for 4 years. Kara is now a Certified Senior Teacher holding Level 1 & 2 500 hour Certificates, Certificate IV in Yoga Teaching and and Diplomas in Vocational Education and Training and Assessment and Design.
Kara has attended yoga workshops with other senior teachers, including Pattabhi Jois in India and several senior Iyengar teachers. Her own daily practice has evolved to include asana, meditation and extensive pranayama techniques.
Kara’s classes are alignment focused and give students the opportunity to deepen their awareness and practice with integrity and presence.
She started practising yoga in 1998 and has been teaching since 2006. Davina is a Certified Senior Teacher holding Level 1 & 2 500 hour Certificates, Certificate IV in Yoga Teaching and Diplomas in Vocational Education and Training and Assessment.
Davina now mainly works in management, she also runs sessions for senior students in meditation and helps them to deepen their sitting practice. Davina guides students through an awareness of body, mind and breath and her teaching assists participants to explore life motivations and goals and ultimately become more fully present.
Davina is also deeply influenced by the teachings of Buddha and has studied meditation and pranayama in India and Australia. Regular yoga and meditation practice has transformed Davina’s life, cultivating a new realm of inner peace, strength and serenity.
She began teaching Iyengar-influenced yoga in 2002 after apprenticing with her first teacher. A few years later, Marita discovered vinyasa yoga, and relished the freedom of flowing through movement and connecting with breath – her yoga practice became a moving meditation. Marita’s teaching can now be described as alignment-based vinyasa.
When teaching, Marita aims to instill the peace and happiness that she experiences through yoga within her students. By both challenging and nurturing, she teaches people to stretch and strengthen their muscles, but also to breathe, to stand tall, and to live with compassion.
Maria Kirsten is a senior yoga teacher, yoga therapist and occupational therapist. She teaches yoga for wellness, remedial yoga on teacher trainings and in specialty workshops. Maria specialises in making yoga accessible for students of all ages, and levels of experience and ability.
She uses her understanding of anatomy and functional movement to empower and educate students to modify and individualise their yoga. Maria’s special interests are in yoga for seniors and older grownups, yoga to support mental health and yoga therapeutics.
Maria’s teaching style is unconventional, practical and fun, with lots of “real life” application and a big picture approach to yoga practice. Maria thinks that being a yoga teacher is the best job in the world, and her passion is to share all her experience and learning to empower others to share the gift of yoga with others.
Michael is senior yoga teacher and facilitates many subjects at the Byron Yoga Centre. Michael’s style is inclusive and light hearted. He has a keen interest in the physical body so enjoys sharing the anatomy and physiology sessions. He believes that the awareness of the physical form is an important aspect of spiritual practice and that asana is a way to connect with deeper levels of nature in a radical but honest way.
Michael very much enjoys bringing inclusivity and fun to all his sessions along with encouraging students to not only to learn through theory but also by focusing their attention inwards.
Jade’s classes draw on her Vinyasa, Hatha and Purna training, focusing on correct alignment, breath connection and strength building whilst offering students the opportunity to focus inward with her empowering approach.
Her practice began in 2007. Over the years Jade has completed trainings and workshops in Europe, Indonesia, India and Australia gaining insight from practicing with many renowned teachers including Carlos Pomeda, Elena Brower, Lizzie Lasater, Clive Sheridan, Gwyn Williams and John Ogilvie. Jade has completed the 800 hour Certificate IV with Byron Yoga Centre and has trained in the specialised areas of restorative, yin, pre and post natal as well as remedial yoga.
Jade facilitates the teacher trainings and retreats. With a talent for music, she brings song and soul to the classroom. Jade believes that yoga should be adapted for the individual, not the individual adapted to the yoga.
Jade’s warm, humorous and genuinely passionate nature shine through in her teaching.
He is also a practicing physiotherapist and uses his extensive knowledge about the body to teach yoga anatomy. He has a passion for taking this complex subject and making it practical and easy to apply directly into your teaching.
He began teaching yoga while travelling through India and spent extensive time in Dharamsala and Goa teaching students from all around the world. Since moving to Byron Bay he has deepened his knowledge with further training at Byron Yoga Centre and is constantly looking for ways to improve as a teacher.
With an effective focus on stability of mind and preparing for meditation, Bec’s calm, centred energy and teaching style facilitates a powerful depth to her classes. She has a university degree in Kinesiology, biology and psychology and has completed over 1000 hours of study with Byron Yoga Centre, Creature Yoga and The Practice Bali.
Bec primarily works on the teacher trainings and is extremely dedicated to teaching and also to her own study of yoga, energetics, ayurveda and life. She continues to explore her practice under the guidance of her teachers and loves exploring and sharing this practice. Her passion for yoga shines through in everything she does.
He teaches meditation and Hindu philosophy on retreats and teacher training at the Centre. His style is light-hearted, humorous, engaging and fun. Along with his wife Bettina, Stephan regularly travels to India to deepen his practice.
The unique combination of Vinyasa Flow and Yin styles that Caitlin primarily teaches creates a dynamic blend of balance, strength, flexibility and endurance. Caitlin’s modality of yoga can be used for fitness, relaxation and as part of the therapeutic process of rehabilitation and recovery.
As a senior teacher at Byron Yoga her passion for diversity and inclusivity in her teaching style bridges language barriers with international students and supports their individual inquiry through the 8 Limbs of Yoga.
Special interests that Caitlin freely shares with her yoga pupils include: pre and post natal yoga, diet, nutrition and meditation.
Judy originally completed her Iyengar training in South Africa, and now teaches a multi-faceted approach, blending the art of asana practice with the science and mechanics of movement.
She teaches with both humour and passion and encourages her students to move beyond their perceived limitations. Judy’s teachings focus on a therapeutic approach to the practice, making yoga safe for all.
Her classes are suitable for all levels, Caitlin gives plenty of variations for beginners or those wanting a gentle practice and encourages students to tune into their own bodies and to do what feels right for them.
She has been practicing yoga for many years and teaching since 2014. Caitlin first completed a Hatha Vinyasa teacher training in Bali and has since also undertaken her Byron Yoga Centre Yoga Level 1 plus the Yin Yoga Teacher Training and also Restorative Yoga trainings with both Bliss Baby and Lizzie Lasater.
She is one of the retreat hosts at Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and loves sharing her passion of yoga, Ayurveda and well-being with guests.
Qualifying as a teacher after nearly 20 years of practice, Becky gained her Level 1 with Yoga Arts and then taught in Bali before returning to Byron in 2014 to undertake a three-year part time training (2,000 hours!) with her primary teacher, Dena Kinsberg.
Becky has studied with many other inspiring teachers in Byron Bay, India, London, Miami and Asia including John Ogilvie, Louisa Sear, Matthew Sweeney, Simon Borg Olivier, John Scott, Jason Crandell plus is grateful to have joined workshops with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath.
Becky did her Level 2 with Byron Yoga Centre and now splits her time between teaching and working on marketing for Byron Yoga Retreat Centre. She has an obvious passion for teaching and passing on the knowledge built up through over 20 years experience.
In 2010 she began a self-discovery adventure leaving Brazil for Findhorn in Scotland. She then moved to Totnes in the UK for a Masters Degree and learnt more about yoga, meditation and astrology, also travelling to several spiritual and sustainable communities on different continents.
Back in Brazil in 2013 Tabata lived at a Tantric Ashram studying Biopsychology and Tantra. From that moment on her yoga teaching started to develop and she found her personal style of teaching – the combination of her passions: Yoga and Astrology.
Elise’s background in personal training and holistic wellness took her on her own wellness journey that led her to yoga five years ago. Since then she has travelled to India where she completed her 200 hour Level 1 training in Hatha and Ashtanga, and more recently her Level 1 with Byron Yoga Centre. She also regularly attends short courses and workshops.
Elise our Retreat Manager and also works a Hosts. She loves being able to connect and share her passion yoga with the guests. She believes that there is some form of yoga for every person, and it is her goal to try and help students find it.
After studying medicine, she obtained a psychology degree and then dedicated herself to sharing the transformative and healing potential of yoga. Juliette’s classes focus on breath awareness and the alignment of our physical, mental, emotional and energetic bodies. Her teaching looks beyond external form to lead each individual to (re-)connect with the beauty of their true self.
Juliette grew up on a French Island, surrounded by oceans and volcanic mountains; where the melting pot of culture enhanced the importance of respect and spirituality.
Ross is a retreat host and teacher trainer at Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and loves sharing the joy of yoga and meditation with guests and students.
Ross’s popular restorative yoga classes leave guests feeling deeply relaxed and he also loves to flow, drawing on his background of Ashtanga yoga. His classes focus on connecting students to the breath and the body, in order to calm and focus the mind.
Ross qualified as a yoga teacher in 2013 with Radiantly Alive in Bali and taught in Byron Bay and Bali before joining the Byron Yoga Centre team in 2016. He completed his Byron Yoga Centre Level 1 training in 2018, and in the same year completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy with world renowned teacher and yoga therapist Dr N. Chandrasekaran.
Ross has a passion for teaching yoga philosophy, and a variety of meditation techniques, including breath awareness, Kirtan meditation and Japa meditation.
He started his yoga journey at the age of 20, giving up a career as a studio musician to join a bhakti-yoga monastery. He spent 10 years as a Brahmachari monk, immersed in meditation, kirtan, selfless service and studies of the traditional yogic texts. Laxmi then spent 6 years as the head Vedic Priest of a sizable community in Sydney, becoming proficient is chanting Sanskrit, mantra and performing Vedic rituals.
He has completed the 3 year Diploma of Satyananda Yoga Teacher Training and achieved certification from Baron Baptiste’s Power Yoga Institute. He has specialised in the areas of yogic philosophy and yoga traditions with schools including Power Living, Satyananda Yoga Academy, Power Yoga Canberra and, most recently, Byron Yoga Centre.
Jacinta read her first yoga book aged 12 and soon began practicing. She was a Raja Yogini in India from aged 19 to 24 and has since trained in a variety of styles including Sivananda, Iyengar, Prof Bhim Dev and Byron Yoga Centre. Jacinta is a founding partner in the thriving organic herbal dispensary, Mullumbimby Herbals, where she offers Naturopathic and Ayurvedic consultations, massage and specialised Ayurvedic treatments.
Jacinta has a passion for spiritual growth as well as for physical and mental well being. As a mother and grandmother Jacinta keeps a fresh outlook on life and brings this inspiration into her practice.
She has been on the yogic path for most of her life. Yoga helped her recover from injury when she was a member of Canada’s national gymnastics team. It sustained her through a globetrotting marketing career. Arriving in Sydney in 2000 she became a student of Yoga Synergy and Dharma Shala. In 2008 she moved to Byron Bay to complete her 500 hour teacher training with Byron Yoga Centre.
Every class incorporates a strong focus on the breath and elements of mindfulness meditation. Her classes are suitable for beginner to advanced. She has a breadth of experience having a foundation in Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga. Kirsty finds great joy and gratitude to be able to wake up near the ocean each day and to share the benefits of yoga.
Danielle is passionate about chanting, pranayama and meditation and teaches Anatomy and Physiology on the Yoga Teacher Trainer courses.
Bettina’s classes emphasise the core, pelvic floor and the bandhas. Bettina has been lucky to meet with and learn from several spiritual masters, including B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar and Clive Sheridan.
After 14 years service, he left the Military and went straight into yoga teacher training, completing his Level 1 in Bali and then Level 2 and the Certificate IV with Byron Yoga Centre. He has also studied with Trauma-Sensitive Australia, Trauma Centre Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and completed the Byron Yoga Centre Remedial Yoga course with Maria Kirsten.
He currently balances his time between family, working with Byron Yoga Centre to deliver Trauma-Aware Yoga Teacher Trainings and running Frontline Yoga which provides Trauma-aware Yoga to the Military, First Responder and Emergency Services community.
As a qualified high school teacher Chloe has an intricate understanding of the education system and the practicalities of teaching yoga and mindfulness for teenagers. She has worked in schools in New South Wales and the UK with young people from year 7 to 12, exploring various techniques and practices that are simple and sustainable for both staff and students.
Chloe is currently working in schools in Newcastle NSW in a learning support and wellbeing role. She was previously working in London sharing yoga and wellbeing education in schools. Prior to this she was a trainer at Byron Yoga Centre for several years.
He is passionate about sharing the knowledge he has learnt over many years. Having completed his first Level 1 training in India in 2017 Dan has since undertaken his Level 2 with Byron Yoga Centre plus completed an Acro Yoga teacher training in 2018. He loves seeing people grasp new concepts and become confident with new skills. This in-turn has helped deepen his love these practices.
Dan has a profound interest in Eastern philosophies and has studied many different modalities including Reiki, studying Tai Chi at a Chinese Shaolin temple, learning about Buddhism and meditation while living in a Buddhist monastery, and travelling across India to study different forms of Yoga.
She has been teaching for over 15 years since graduating as a yoga teacher in 2003 from the University of Yoga in Santa Catarina in Brazil. Then in 2014 Mariana completed her Certificate IV in Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultancy and has since undertaken prenatal and postnatal trainings with Bliss Baby Yoga, a Level 2 training with Radiantly Alive in Bali and a Level I training with Byron Yoga Centre.
Mariana is a mother of two boys. This ‘off the mat’ learning, being a mother, has transformed her teaching, helping her to feel more mature and grounded
Mel has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and has completed both her Byron Yoga Centre Level 1 and a Tantric Hatha yoga training.
Mel’s classes are a combination of asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. She guides students to use the asana to connect with the breath, pranayama to connect with the mind and meditation to connect to that which lies beyond the mind.
Erin has been teaching yoga since 2010. She draws on 15 years’ experience facilitating positive change for clients in their health and wellness. Her background and educational accomplishments bring together yoga, exercise and health science (BSc), psychology (MSc Coaching Psychology), and mindfulness training.
She discovered yoga in university, finding it a compliment to playing competitive sport and studying exercise science. She later realised the importance of a dedicated practice in dealing with the adverse effects of sustained stress. She decided to deepen her yogic knowledge through teacher training. 15 years on her teaching is influenced by her mentors and the styles of traditional Hatha, Vinyasa flow, Restorative and Yin Yoga.
A passionate student of yoga, Lizette has further studied and practiced as a Bowen Therapist and Kinesiologist to deepen her understanding of the bodies – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and energetic. Lizette weaves her learnings into her yoga facilitation, and her sessions with the teacher trainees in Melbourne.
Lizette feels that her greatest teachers are in her relationships with her two children, partners, friends, with many yoga and spiritual teachers, herself, and of course with her students. She encourages a wholehearted approach to yoga practice, and shares her passion for yoga with joy, care and humility.
She began practising yoga in 2010 and has been teaching since 2016 following her Level 1 and Level 2 500 Hour RYT with Byron Yoga Centre. Ali continues to study and has completed additional certificates with Power and Posture, Rainbow Yoga and Maria Kirsten.
Ali thoroughly enjoys supporting and guiding students through their trainings with Byron Yoga Centre and meeting many amazing people from all parts of the world. She is eternally grateful for everything Yoga has provided to her life through her body, mind and relationships.
Teaching since 2013, Nat draws on more than 800 hours of yoga teacher training. She has studied with Byron Yoga Centre plus undertaken specialist training in Yin Yoga, Remedial Yoga and the Yoga of Sound. You can find Nat facilitating her heart out for Byron Yoga Centre’s Certificate IV course in Melbourne.
Having practiced yoga in her teens, when her mum became her first yoga teacher and inspiration, Nat drifted away from the practice in her 20’s. She found yoga again in her 30s and realised it to be a profound tool to heal from years of addiction, anxiety and self neglect. Now in her 40’s and raising a young man, Nat discovers new aspects of yoga practice in every facet of life on and off the mat.
Having been a gymnast from a young age, once Estefi found yoga she quickly took to the physical aspects of the practice. Looking for a deeper connection and more holistic understanding, Estefi completed her first teacher training in 2009. Since becoming a yoga teacher over 10 years ago, Estefi has continued to study different aspects of yoga, finding a real passion and interest for women’s health.
When she is not on the mat, you can find her at the beach reading a book or collecting shells with her family.