Over 55s Yoga Retreat NSW

John Ogilvie is the CEO and Founder of Byron Yoga Centre. He is also one of Australia’s most respected and experienced teachers.

John has been practising yoga for more than 45 years and teaching for over 40. John developed his signature style of yoga, Purna Yoga, after 20 years of disciplined yoga training including both the Iyengar and Ashtanga lineages. Purna integrates asanas, breathing techniques, meditation and philosophical principles.

The Purna method John teaches focuses on safety through intelligent sequencing, individual attention including hands-on assists, and the use of props to support optimal alignment. John’s teaching style is entertaining and accessible. His instructions are clear and simple, always encouraging students 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. You can read John’s inspiring story here.

Ross has a love for sharing the ancient wisdom teachings of Yoga and Mindfulness, teachings that have profoundly changed the course of his own life. His favourite thing is when others feel for themselves the healing, nourishing and transformative effects of these simple and time tested practices and principles. He is particularly passionate about helping to facilitate mental wellbeing.

Ross qualified as a yoga teacher in 2013 joining the Byron Yoga Centre team in 2016 where he continues to facilitate retreat groups to this day.

He has completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy with world renowned teacher and yoga therapist Dr N. Chandrasekaran, as well as trainings in various meditation techniques, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Trauma Aware Yoga, Zen Thai Shiatsu massage, and Reiki.

Ross loves swimming in the ocean, enjoying yoga, meditation, and good food… learning, teaching, playing, and walking…and enjoying time with his wife Mariana, their two sons Benji and Jesse, and their cat Shanti, in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia.

Mariana is a Yoga teacher, Ayurvedic Practitioner, and the founder of VIDA Ayurveda, bringing over two decades of experience to her work. Her cosy clinic sits in the tranquil surroundings of Byron Bay, where she supports clients with a nurturing blend of yogic wisdom and Ayurvedic healing.

Her journey into wellbeing began with a lifelong fascination for the science of life. From scuba diving in her teens to studying marine biology and eventually becoming a Yoga teacher, Mariana has always been driven by one question: what truly makes us feel more alive?

This curiosity led her to immerse herself fully in a yogic lifestyle while living in Spain—teaching, studying, and deepening her practice. When she later travelled to Australia, she discovered Ayurveda and instantly knew she had found her true path. After years of intensive study and hands-on experience in both established Byron Bay clinics and private practice, she opened VIDA Ayurveda.

Mariana’s approach is grounded, compassionate, and attuned. She brings a rare balance of heart and mind to her treatments, offering a style of care that is both deeply nurturing and rooted in traditional Ayurvedic wisdom.

Her mission is simple: to help people feel better, live healthier lives, and reconnect with their natural vitality. Mariana believes wholeheartedly that Ayurveda is one of the most powerful pathways to feeling more vibrant, awake, and alive—every single day.

Colin’s love of yoga was born in Edinburgh at the age of 21 with a rigorous Ashtanga practice. He has been involved in many styles over the years, across a number of countries, from Iyengar to Hot Yoga and most recently Vinyasa, Yin and Myofascial Release.

He began teaching by accident in 2019, completing his Level 1 course in Sydney and has been teaching weekly ever since. Furthering his experience through the Level 2 at Byron Yoga Centre in 2023, he then attended the Restore Training (Yin and Myofascial) with Lennox Yoga later that year.

With an emphasis on bringing together breath, alignment, presence, music and poetry, he endeavours to bring the full open hearted; depth of yoga to participants. With a sprinkling of occasionally good humour, his passion is to meet people wherever they are, regardless of age, sex, body type, injuries and capability.