Meet our 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.
Kara teaches yoga asana, pranayama (breathing techniques) and dhyana (meditation) safely and joyfully, giving students the opportunity to deepen their awareness and practice with integrity and fun. She is constantly updating her skills and expanding her yoga teaching experience. Kara is part of the teacher training staff at Byron Yoga Centre.
Davina 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’s yoga classes always include pranayama and dhyana. 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. Meditation teacher and psychologist Radha Nicholson continues to guide Davina in her ongoing study of the teachings. 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.
Alli has a Cert IV in Yoga Teaching with Byron Yoga Centre and is certified with Judith Hanson Lasater as a Relax & Renew ® Restorative Yoga teacher. Alli has developed a chair yoga program specifically for teaching elders and has run workshops in meditation and restorative yoga.
She has also has trained with AntiGravity®Yoga and Rainbow Kids Yoga. Alli has attended workshops with Leslie Kaminoff, Nicky Knoff, Eleanor Brower, Glenn Ceresoli, Tony Rothberg, Michael Nazar, Maria Kirsten, Jen Crecsenzo, and John Ogilvie.
Alli’s intention is to make yoga accessible to everyone. She likes to adapt her teaching in response to the students, so they can discover their own individual practice.
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.
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.
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.
Since her first pregnancy in 2002, Emma has specialised in yoga for women, and in 2009 founded a studio in Byron Bay called Red Tent Yoga. Emma has a Certificate IV in Ayurveda, has trained in I-Rest and studied feminine and tantric forms of yoga.
At Byron Yoga Centre, Emma teaches Yoga for Women’s Health, including pregnancy and postnatal yoga, Shakti Yoga and yoga for trauma, eating disorders (Love Your Body) plus Ayurveda. Emma’s teaching style is feminine, flowing and incorporates physical, energetic, mental and emotional layers into the yoga practice. Emma is currently completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Holistic Counselling.
Presenting an effective focus on steadying the 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 800 hours of study with Byron Yoga Centre.
Bec primarily works on the teacher trainings and is extremely dedicated to teaching and also to her own study. She is currently under the guidance of John Ogilvie and also continues to study with her teachers Elena Brower, Tahl Rinsky and Maria Kirsten. Bec loves exploring and sharing this practice, her passion for yoga shines through in everything she does.
Jan teaches a traditional hatha-flow style, incorporating the Purna method of offering safe variations and modifications for beginners. He also leads meditation sessions and teaches philosophy on trainings and retreats.
Having always had a passion for sports that required nothing more than his own body, asana-practice was a natural match for Jan, who started practicing yoga nearly 10 years ago.
His developed a strong interest in yogic philosophy, especially the science of Bhakti. Jan immersed himself in studying and teaching meditation, philosophy and yoga for living for 5 years as a Brahmacari, Vedic monk in an ashram.
In early 2014 he completed his Sivananda-Yoga teacher training in Germany (RYT 200) and an Ashtanga training in Malaysia before moving to Australia to teach. He now lives and works at the Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and is a valued member of the community.
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.
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.
Eloise’s yoga journey has been completely transformative. She experienced how yoga cultivated strength and flexibility on both a physical and emotional level and the physical asanas (postures) became an avenue for adopting a regular meditation practice. Yoga has enabled her to deeply connect with self, to tune into her intuition and to manage stress and anxiety in a healthy new way.
Eloise teaches flowing style classes, connecting movement to breath, safely building strength and with a focus on meditation and pranayama. She is passionate about introducing new people to the practice and aims to foster this passion in Byron Yoga Centre teacher trainees.
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.
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 is one of the Retreat Hosts at Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and 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.
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.
At 14 she attended an Ashtanga class and quickly became a dedicated student. Wesleigh completed her 200 hour YTT in Costa Rica with Adya and Valen, of PachaMama, a training that bridged with Shaolin arts for a holistic approach to healing and empowerment. She has also completed her Certificate IV with Byron Yoga Centre.
Wesleigh continues to find inspiration in her personal practice and in teachers including Kevin Courtney, Taryn Toomey, Elena Brower, and Meghan Currie, plus teachers at Byron Yoga Centre.
Wesleigh hopes that we can allow our Sadhana to help us re-focus our mind and finally begin having an honest conversation with our body and our heart.
Courtney is a key Byron Yoga Centre teacher trainer in Melbourne.
For over 20 years, Courtney worked as a musical theatre performer but inspired by the a positive impact of her yoga practice on her mental health and her creativity Courtney underwent her Level 1 and 2 (500RYT) certification at Byron Yoga Centre, and is soon to complete her Certificate IV.
Her many teachers include John Oglivie, Davina Kruse and Maria Kirsten as well as Shimi Nadaraja and Melissa Mai. She is inspired by the work of Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way), and uses the principal of ‘morning pages’ as a daily written meditation ritual.
Empowering people to move with their breath, safely and with a sense of enjoyment, is her primary goal. In Courtney’s asana classes, expect creative, flowing sequences with an emphasis on healthy alignment and supportive breath. When training new teachers, the same principles apply: breath, safety and joy.
She was born in the Dominican Republic but spent many years in New York and Madrid working in fine arts, jewelry and fashion design. Rocio took a big leap of faith in 2016 and travelled to India to practice and study yoga. This changed her life forever.
Rocio completed a 200 hour Hatha training in India in an Ayurvedic Ashram. She then completed the 800 hour Certificate IV in Purna Yoga at Byron Yoga Centre, as well as the Byron Yoga Centre’s 50 hour Yin Yoga and 50 hour Remedial Yoga trainings. Her teaching style is alignment focused with a calm, slow flow vibe and always includes breath awareness and functional movement strategies.
Gitam has been practising yoga for many years and has been involved with Byron Yoga Centre management since 2006. Since completing her yoga teacher training with Byron Yoga Centre she has been teaching classes regularly. For some years she has attended further trainings and workshops with Donna Farhi and Judith Hanson Lasater and practises slow, restorative explorations of the body and breath.
Gitam was instrumental in the creation of the Byron Yoga Centre kitchen and her skills in providing trainee yoga teachers and retreat participants with cleansing, nourishing and delicious food has led to the publication of her book ‘Gitam’s Garden – Healthy Sattvic Recipes from the Byron Yoga Kitchen’.
Gitam particularly enjoys her involvement with Purna yoga retreats where she teaches guests to cook with ayurvedic spices, using foods that they have picked themselves from the beautiful organic vegetable gardens.
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.
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.
Pippa aims to leave students feeling grounded and present in their bodies and her classes have a strong focus on centering the mind while developing strength and balance. Classes are nurturing and encourage students to open their hearts and minds as well as their bodies.
Pippa has a 500 Hour Byron Yoga Centre certification and is a qualified yoga and meditation teacher. She was born in London, and has always had a passion for wellness however for a long while this was a side aspiration to corporate life in hotel marketing and events. Finally taking the leap to pursue her vision, Pippa has never regretted leaving Sydney to settle in Byron Bay.