Meet The Deva Yoga Team

Jayne has been practicing yoga since 2002. After practicing mainly Sivananda and Vinyasa, Jayne decided to deepen her practice further by taking her Teacher Training in Vinyasa Flow with Yoga London. She has also completed further training to bring yoga to children as well as taking an intensive training with Special Yoga in Yoga for Special Children. Having studied and practiced with many great teachers, Jayne teaches a Vinyasa style class bringing her years of practice and learnings together. Her classes are nurturing yet challenging with a hint of fun! Linking breath with movement she creates a playful sequence of yoga poses to build strength, flexibility and overall wellbeing.

Lauren graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Dance. She moved to the BIG Apple to fulfil her dance dreams. Four years into “living her dreams” she needed something different and found yoga! This let Lauren continue to move her body in a way where she still experienced the same freedom she received in her dancing but without the competitive harshness that the dance scene provided. In love with the inner peace dynamic Vinyasa yoga provided she became intrigued with the stillness of restorative yoga, deciding to complete her teacher training. Lauren’s alignment focused yoga classes are about getting her students to breathe and move mindfully. Lauren’s sequencing asks that you be present in the moment, enjoy yoga and tune into your body while practicing in a safe way so both the body and mind can feel good. She infuses each class with a different theme to lend one to dive deeper into understanding the power of yoga. Lauren is also trained in Prenatal and Postnatal yoga teaching as well!

Kim came to yoga through school. Having a rare opportunity to experience her first yoga class here, she was instantly hooked and become integral in all aspects of her life. She completed her 500 hour Akhanda Holistic Yoga Teacher training in India! Kim’s style of teaching is ‘Akhanda' Yoga described by her Indian Guru as whole, complete, unbroken, ancient teachings from India brought into the modern world. Each class has a theme, mantra, meditation, relaxation, pranayama and asana, giving you an holistic approach to your Yoga practice. You are guided to connect with the mind, body and spirit, to listen to your own body, work to your comfortable edge, relax, explore and enjoy Yoga. All without adding anything because Yoga is about taking stuff away to reveal your true essence! Kim guarantees that you will leave each class feeling both relaxed, uplifted and looks forward to connecting with you and joining you on your yoga journey!

Yoga found Kevin while studying kinesiology at TWR in Johannesburg. It wasn’t until he attended his first Kundalini class that he realised the practice went deeper. His journey has led him down several paths including Usui Reiki and Tantric studies but his love for Hatha yoga has never faded. “Yoga helps us discover who and what we are, where we are and where are going. My focus has always been on the individual’s journey through self-knowledge, self acceptance and self-love. As a microcosm of the greater universe, we have duty to take care of ourselves. Otherwise we can never be caretakers of the things we love around us.” Kevin teaches in a Hatha style although he borrows elements from Ashtanga Vinyasa, Kundalini and Jivamukti. His classes are about balance of body, mind and breath and will highlight the advantages of a calm and quiet mind, core strength and poses that focus on flexibility and increased range of motion. Focus will be less on the look of poses and more on the feel of them. We flow, we bend we twist and we breathe! A graduate of YogaLondon’s YTT200 program, Kevin is constantly on the search for knowledge… and a good laugh.

Nina is a Senior Yoga teacher with over 20 years of experience! Her Yoga journey started when she decided to teach yoga full time after completing her Yoga Teacher training in 1998 with the acclaimed Ganga White. Since then she has trained and teaches Bikramyoga, Yin, Restorative, Yoga bugs, Dynamic Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga Nidra and is a senior teacher/ injury specialist with Fierce Grace. She is also an Accessible Yoga Ambassador in the UK aiming to make Yoga accessible to everyone. In 2012 Nina was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and went through nine months of grueling treatment. She continued to teach throughout her treatment and attributes Yoga to getting her through this traumatic and intense time. Nina’s teachings are pure and from the heart, filled with compassion and calm, honouring the differences in everyone and living her mantra to make yoga accessible to everyone. Come and join Nina on the mat and be prepared to laugh, work hard, get some deep nourishing relaxation and open your heart.

Poppy was led into Pilates through her Sports Massage Therapist career. Having a passion for the human anatomy and the capabilities of the body, Poppy has seen and felt first hand the benefits of Pilates to posture, strength, flexibility and co-ordination and this led to her desire to train as a teacher. Poppy likes to incorporate her enthusiasm and love for Pilates into her classes. Wanting others to feel the benefits of it as she has, confident in her compassion for body limitations. Poppy strives for clients to leave her classes feeling educated, strong, relaxed and with an abundance of body confidence.

Natalie's yoga journey began in 2007 due to life changes. Due to a demanding career in Training and Development and being diagnosed with a strain of Chron’s Disease. Yoga practice improved her health exponentially, keeping her illness in remission for longer periods. In switching careers Natalie was able to deepen her practice and teach, train and share on a holistic level. Being a Mum, Natalie feels honoured to share her passion for Yoga and transformational power of motherhood in her classes. Her mission is to bring Yoga to as many mums to be, mums and little ones as possible, sharing the benefits of yoga in a safe, nurturing, empowering space. Natalie’s classes are Vinyasa Flow/Power Yoga, providing a dynamic class to take you to your edge in a playful manner, reminding us to have fun and laugh while enjoying your practice.

Sarah comes to Yoga following 12 years in classical ballet. Committed to developing her own skills, she regularly attends workshops, yoga retreats and maintains a daily practice. Sarah aims to spread her passion for yoga through her teaching, bringing her knowledge, experience and personal journey onto the mat. Expect her Vinyasa Flow classes to be dynamic, explore exciting poses and leave the body and the mind feeling stretched and strengthened. She compliments her classes by practicing various styles of Yoga. Sarah is well educated in using yoga to support students with specific sports injures too.

Minica found yoga through her background in dance training. It enabled her to maintain her physical and mental wellbeing in a demanding and competitive industry. After travelling to India to complete her Ashtanga Hatha teacher training in 2013, Minica realised yoga was the route she wanted to take and has since added 100hrs Hatha and 50 hrs rocket to her qualifications. Breathing, alignment, compassion to the body and integrity are her focus. Noticing the similarities between the challenges of life and what happens on a yoga mat, Minica teaches and practices with an open and sincere heart.

Tom initially found Pilates when he gained an injury during a dance class at college. He was able to use it as a form of rehabilitation for himself. He finds Pilates rewarding, seeing people’s body shapes change and relieving aches and pains by improving posture, core strength and flexibility. His class is as challenging as you choose to make it for yourself! He suggests options for each exercise so you can tailor the class to your individual needs. His aim is to balance the class, so you know that you have worked your body but finish the class feeling relaxed. Tom has been a Pilates Instructor since 2012. He is level 3 certified from CYQ as well as pre and post natal trained. An ex professional dancer with credits including shows at the Royal Opera House. Tom teaches a classical style of Pilates and can accommodate those that are new to the exercise system, together with the more experienced Pilates followers.

Jenny has been practicing yoga for nearly twenty years. She has always loved how yoga teaches you to be non-competitive and non-judgmental to each other and ourselves. When her children started to take an interest in her practice she decided how great it would be to share the benefits and joy of yoga to as many children as she could. Jenny trained with Rainbow Kids Yoga in 2017 and is looking forward to sharing all the energy, fun yoga poses, exciting games and relaxation techniques that kids yoga classes bring. See you on the mat for Play and Namaste!

Tai Chi has become a way of life for Dave. Having spent most of his working career in social care and community development, he discovered Tai Chi through curiosity, extending the sitting meditation he already personally practised at the time. Tai Chi provided an extra dynamic to this practice by developing moving meditation. Students will be introduced each week to movement which make up a complete Tai Chi form. Tai chi movement helps improve balance, coordination, mind body awareness, and muscle strength. Students are presented with enjoyable challenges and are invited to work and play with the choreography of the Tai Chi form. His teaching style is relaxed, students are encouraged to work together and to ask questions and make observations. He thrives to help empower people to reach their highest potential and bring positive change into others lives.

Liza has been working in the fitness industry for more than 20 years. She qualified as a Pilates teacher in 2009, having successfully completed her Level 3 Matwork Pilates Diploma, Pilates Advanced REPS Level 3 and Pilates Improvers certifications. She is also a qualified Children’s Dance Teacher and certified to teach Burlesque, Pole Dancing and Salacise. All of which she has ran as successful classes throughout her career. Liza feels that making exercise a low priority in our busy daily routines, can lead to diabetes, obesity joint and back pain which we are seeing is on the increase in todays society. ‘It is essential that we embrace exercise as part of our life style’. With this in mind, Liza works to make her classes fun and exciting whilst teaching important life skills such as body maintenance, self- awareness and confidence.

Yinny's yoga journey started in 2009 as an Iyengar student. Her strong alignment focus from her Iyengar practice has influenced her style of teaching together with a  love of strong flowing and creative sequencing which all stem from a personal practice in Ashtanga, Jivamukti and Anusara styles of yoga. Her teaching style draws a students attention to awareness of safe, energetic alignment and strong focus on the breath. Encouraging them to be aware of their own body, moving intuitively in a way that feels good and safe for them as they practice. Yinny is a dedicated, passionate and highly intuitive teacher, believing that our yoga practice can change us in ways we do not expect. 'What we experience in life we bring to the mat and what we practice on the mat transforms us and we take that back out in to the world. In this sense, Yoga becomes a way of life!"

Laura found yoga initially as a student. Allowing her to address lower back issues as well as being a great way to give her some “me time” away from her busy life as a mum. Having experienced the benefits for herself and working as a social worker, she could see how children, teens and those with disabilities would also benefit. This inspired her to train to be a yoga teacher, being able to offer people a space to relax as they navigate life! Laura teaches yoga based on the principles of Sivananda yoga. Sivananda has 12 basic poses including inversions, backbends, forward bends, twists, and balances. A little of everything. Stretch, sweat, smile and glow and leave the mat feeling grounded. Classes accessible to all as we learn to play and make peace with our bodies and minds.