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!

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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.

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.

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.

Harriet has been a practising Personal Trainer since 2015. With a huge passion to help others achieve their goals and she loves being part of peoples fitness journey. She enjoys watching individuals grow physically, mentally and emotionally, becoming healthier, stronger, confident and more optimistic in the process. Her classes come with much enthusiasm and energy, working you to the best of your ability and getting those endorphins flowing.

Holly is a professional dancer and fitness trainer with a passion for a holistic fitness-fusion approach to health, fitness and wellbeing. Her dance career spans over 12 years and is her passion and has always played a huge part in her life, for work, health and fitness reasons. Holly is qualified as a Level 4 Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor and Pre and Post Natal Specialist, with a passion to advocate exercise for enjoyment. She believes keeping fit and the process should be fun, something to look forward to and leave you feeling empowered. Her Barre classes have been created by drawing upon her illustrious industry experience to provide creative, engaging and varied sessions that produce long lasting results. Holly is passionate about helping women feel confident, improve their health and fitness and overall mental and physical wellbeing.