John Ogilvie is one of Australia’s most respected and experienced teachers and founder of Byron Yoga Centre. John has been practicing yoga for more than 30 years and teaching for over 28. John developed his signature style of yoga, Purna Yoga after 20 years of disciplined yoga training including practicing both the Iyengar method and Ashtanga. His yoga journey has seen him learn from various yoga masters over the years in Australia and internationally.

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.

As a gymnast from a young age, Marita realised early on that she’s happiest upside-down – and when she found yoga, it was love at first Downward Dog.

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.

Jade is an E-RYT 500 HR Yoga Alliance accredited teacher and qualified counselor. Jade’s classes focus on safe and comfortable alignment, breath connection and strength building whilst offering students the opportunity to focus inward.

Jade’s personal practice began in 2007 whilst studying Business at university. She has been teaching professionally since 2015. Over the years Jade has completed trainings, immersions and workshops in Europe, Indonesia, India and Australia, gaining insight from practicing with many renowned teachers including Simon Borg-Olivier, Maria Kirsten, Carlos Pomeda, Elena Brower, Lizzie Lasater, Clive Sheridan and Gwyn Williams among others.

Jade has trained in the specialised areas of restorative yoga, yin yoga, pre and post natal yoga, yoga for seniors as well as remedial yoga. Jade has completed 1000 hours of Yoga training, a Certificate IV in Yoga Teaching, a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment and a Diploma of Counseling.

A mother of two spirited daughters and partner to Rory, Jade has a love for music, which often brings sounds and soul to the yoga room. With a belief that yoga should be adapted for the individual, not the individual adapted to the yoga; Jade’s warm and passionate nature shines through in her teaching.

Stephan who is also known affectionately by his students as Swami Pujan, has over twenty five years’ experience as a meditation practitioner and teacher in the Soto Zen, Vipassana, Vedanta and yoga traditions. He has taught overseas on many occasions in his capacity as a meditation teacher. Stephan trained as a yoga teacher with John Ogilvie in 2005.

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.

Becky teaches a dynamic flow style, incorporating the alignment focus of Purna Yoga with her love of Ashtanga and vinyasa – encouraging students to connect to the breath, open the heart and keep the mind present.

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.

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.

Bettina first did yoga more than 30 years ago and became serious during pregnancy 20 years ago. She trained as a fitness instructor 20 years ago and more recently complemented this with Pilates teacher training. Bettina has done 4 different yoga teacher trainings, most recently with John Ogilvie and has recently been studying the use of yoga nidra in rehabilitation, recording a CD in India.

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.

Dan enjoys teaching an alignment-based flow, working with the energy in the room. He weaves in breath, meditation and philosophy, encouraging his students to deepen their practice, from purely physical exercise, to embrace an overall yogic lifestyle.

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.

Erin guides a holistic yoga practice and holds a nurturing space with an emphasis on developing awareness. She believes yoga is a technique for transformation and that by developing awareness, we create opportunities for shifts towards greater well-being and fulfilment.

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.

Lizette has been practicing yoga for over 17 years and has been facilitating yoga classes since 2007. As well as the core Purna style, Lizette teaches a range of classes from Yin to Dynamic Flow, with a focus on body awareness, functional movement, breath and mindfulness.

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.

Whitney has studied over 2,500 hours of accredited teacher trainings with schools in India, Australia, the United States and Indonesia focusing on various styles and topics: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yin, Restorative, Mantra, Pranayama and Yoga Nidra.

Whitney is a registered meditation teacher with Meditation Australia, is a 500RYT, holds a Diploma in Yoga Teaching and is a Mental Health First Aider. Whitney’s classes are a meditative experience in themselves with the strongest focus being the breath and embracing the body.

Whitney has lived all over the world teaching English. Through her chaotic, but exciting nomadic lifestyle, she found that yoga was a grounding force to come back to her centre. Yoga has helped her to find the practice in all that she does. She believes that every being has the birthright to know the calm, easeful and stable part of each of us that is always present, waiting to be uncovered.