YOGA TEACHERS

All the teachers at Yogaveda have years of yoga and teaching experience

Nikki Leaf

Nikki is the founder & director of the Yoga Centre at Yogaveda, which has been operating since 2010. Originally located in Wray Avenue, in 2015 we moved to our current location in Hamilton Hill.

Nikki has been teaching yoga since 1987 and was co-founder & director of the Fremantle Yoga Centre for 20 years, prior to the opening of her Yogaveda studio.

Nikki’s teaching style draws on the various yoga traditions she has studied over the years, but particularly on the Hatha/Iyengar methods , with their emphasis on correct alignment, and the use of props to support in areas of restriction.

Her studies in Ayurveda have greatly enriched her yoga knowledge which she has integrated into her practice and teaching, taking into account the Ayurvedic body type (Prakruti) and any imbalances (Vikruti).

An important focus of her teaching is on developing a mindful yoga practice, learning to integrate the breath and creating a sense of well-being.

Nikki also enjoys running Yoga & Wellness Retreats, which she has been doing in Rishikesh, India since 2011.

Jen Goldberg

I was first drawn to Yoga in 1992 when some friends urged me to try it out with the words “come on, its good for you”. Those words hold true regardless of age or ability and I’ve been on the yogic path since then guided by some inspirational teachers.

Yoga provides me with a steadiness and confidence when faced with life’s challenges, as well as a restorative and quiet space when I am in need of rest and rejuvenation. Strengthening the body and calming the mind – I feel blessed to have this yoga in my life, and enjoy sharing its benefits with others.

I have studied a number of different styles of Yoga, but my certification and method of teaching is in the Iyengar style. This style focuses on natural movement and alignment to protect the body, the use of props for support and a thorough understanding of each yoga asana or pose. Sometimes I combine this with a Hatha flow style, using breath and awareness to move deeper into each pose. My classes are suitable for all levels, and aim to let you leave the yoga space feeling uplifted and ready for whatever comes your way.

Kale Leaf

Kale has been practising yoga since 1976 and teaching since 1984.

He came to yoga to seek help with his recurring back problems and was inspired by the positive results he got.

It also greatly improved his surfing which was a great passion of his at the time.

Kale went on to study yoga more deeply with senior yoga teachers in Sydney.

In 1986 Kale, and Senior Iyengar teacher John Leebold, along with their families, moved to Western Australia and started up the Action School of Yoga in Queen Street, Perth.

In 1987 Kale started teaching at the Iyengar Yoga Centre of WA in Pakenham Street, Fremantle.

In 1989 he and Nikki Leaf founded the Fremantle Yoga Centre in Mouat Street & then later at the E-Shed, which they went on to run until 2007.

During this time Kale ran a highly successful Teacher Training Programme, which saw him train many highly regarded teachers that continue teaching in the Fremantle & Perth areas to this day.

Kale has a special interest in helping rehabilitate people suffering from bad backs, necks, shoulders and providing relief from other common body ailments.

Karren McMahon

Karen has practised Yoga since 1996 and officially Qualified to teach from 2003, completing her Teacher training at the Fremantle Yoga Centre where Kale and Nikki Leaf were Directors.

She has learnt extensive use of Asana for Therapeutic application through Kale, with further training with Physiotherapist Simon Borg-Oliver in Sydney. Teaching a fusion of Therapeutic application with traditional aspects of Hatha, Karren sequences in light of each classes attendee needs. Classes are open, and in service to all.

Bill Rogers

Bill was introduced to Iyengar Yoga in 2000 through weekly classes at his workplace and immediately liked the difference it made to his life in terms of improved flexibility, peace of mind and an increase in both vitality and feeling of well being and sought out the nearest Iyengar school, the WA School of Yoga (now known as YogaWest, Shenton Park).

Since then the importance of yoga in daily life has continued to grow and many hours per week have been spent as a student, practitioner, teacher trainee (under the tutelage of John Leebold) and since 2012, a certified Iyengar yoga teacher.

Bill regularly attends workshops and Bali yoga retreats and rates his two visits to Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune, India in 2011 and 2012 as highlights.

Madeline Clare

I have been practicing and studying yoga for over 3 decades, teaching for over one: in Freo, in the mountains and in Iceland.

It all started in the seventies when my best friend’s mother disappeared into a room to do ‘yoga’. A dedicated practice emerged later in London and teacher training began in the UK with the British Wheel of Yoga, in the midst of raising three creative projects. I continued at the Fremantle School of Yoga pursuing further trainings with the Byron Yoga School, the Ashtanga Research Centre and Perth Meditation Centre, and attending workshops with Donna Farhi, David Swenson, Clive Sheridan, Janet Stone, Sean Corne and Les Leventhal. In addition, I have accumulated nearly a decade’s worth of Ayurvedic knowledge completing an Advanced Ayurvedic diploma to inform my yoga enquiries.

Essentially, I am a creative; adaptive and resourceful. I teach a yoga style which employs poetic, visual and useful language to lean toward a closer understanding of ourselves. I aspire to graceful buoyancy and rhythmical alignment, providing space for playful enquiry. Whether it be Iyengar from England, Ashtanga from Bali, or Freo’s finest, I am well resourced to teach gentle resonance and attentive refinement, so that together, in a class, we capture an expressive presence.

I paint and I write, an unpacker of things – words, sentences, postures, theories, breath, landscapes.

“The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life” BKS Iyenga.

Carmel Ahern

I have been practicing yoga on and off (mostly on) for the past 35 years.

Having spent most of my time in the country, yoga has helped me to find a balance when life turns.

Over the years I have regularly attended workshops and retreats generally with senior Iyengar teachers.

I completed my Iyengar Teacher Training with John Leebold at Yoga West, and will always be a grateful student to the never ending practice of yoga and the wisdom of the ages.

Sarah Howlett-Sands

Sarah was introduced to yoga at the age of 14 by her father and has continued her yoga journey with curiosity and intent ever since.

After exploring Yoga & Vipassana Meditation practices around the world, Sarah completed Yoga Teacher training with Senior Teacher Kale Leaf at the Fremantle Yoga Centre in 2014.

She has also done Meditation Teacher Training with Eric Harrison in 2013 and Restorative Yoga Teaching Training with Roger Cole in 2016. Sarah has worked as a qualified health professional for the past 18 years and brings her interest in mental health and neurophysiology to her yoga teaching.

Her yoga experience includes teaching at the Fremantle Yoga & East Fremantle Yoga Centres, Beaconsfield Sivananda Yoga Centre, Yallingup Yoga Centre and Sama Wellness in Dunsborough.

Sarah is known for her warm & welcoming approach to teaching. She values attention to detail and alignment in her classes. Her meditation practice informs her classes and the quality of mindfulness is an integral part of her approach.

Hannah Wilkins

Hannah has been practicing Hatha yoga since 1993, and has been teaching yoga since 2012, when she completed an 18 month certificate of Yoga teacher training. She has had many exceptional teachers inspired by the Krishnamacharya and Sivananda traditions. Drawing on her extensive experience and knowledge of the body from her 28 years of working and training in various modalities as a Remedial Massage Therapist and body worker, and with 19 years of teaching experience in the Diploma of Remedial Massage, Hannah has been passionate about finding a balanced Hatha yoga practice for the body, mind, heart and soul.

Hannah performed as a dancer for 25 years in Egyptian and West African styles. Her teaching life began by teaching Egyptian dance in 1996, and she has been influenced in a creative way to explore teaching yoga and running workshops, inspired by her love of dance and finding freedom for the body/mind.

In 2014, she completed Heart intelligence training and has included her dedication to heart-based living into her teaching. She runs several different workshops, including gentle Myofascial release, Heart shifts and embodying joy through yoga, dance, meditation, and connection.

Hannah’s yoga class is a general Hatha class, which includes limbering, vinyasa, asana, pranayama and relaxation. It is suitable for beginners and continuing students, as there is room to vary the practice to suit different needs.

Kundali Das

Kundali (Kundi) Das began her own dedicated Iyengar yoga practice in 2001 after moving from Perth to Melbourne.

She went on to become a certified Iyengar teacher in 2016 under the tutelage of Senior Iyengar teacher Mark Gibson. Kundi spent several years teaching at yoga schools in Melbourne before her recent return to Fremantle with her family.

Kundi brings to her classes a respect and sensitivity toward all people in the room. Prioritising clarity of instruction within a safe and welcoming space, students are able to effectively absorb the teachings of yoga and develop their own reliable practice for slowing down, connecting and finding a way forward through the many joys and challenges of life.

Ritz Patching

Ritz migrated to Australia in 2007 and is now married with two teenage daughters.

She completed her 350 hours Yoga Teacher Training at the Fremantle Yoga Centre in 2022.

She has been teaching group and private classes since then, while also working as a qualified remedial massage therapist & Reflexologist since 2013.

Ritz learned Yoga Philosophy at a younger age from her yoga & meditation teacher, Yogmata Keiko Aikawa where she learned Yama & Niyama, the roots and trunk of yoga, encompassing the ethical guidelines for her life’s journey.

Since then yoga has been with her as a stabilising force, helping her to find moderation and peace through the ups & downs of life.

Her gentle Hatha yoga practice encourages her students to move mindfully, to connect to body & breath while releasing tension and other unconscious holding patterns.

Ritz aims to facilitate not only physical health, but also mental & spiritual development by sharing her experience & knowledge with her students.

Anandi Heal

I started Yoga back in 1994. I worked with Ashtanga for many of my early years however, when I moved to the South Coast of WA, I discovered the art of Classical Hatha Yoga and Iyengar Yoga. In 2002, I undertook studies at the Fremantle School of Yoga. A Teacher Training Program deepening my knowledge and dedication for yoga. It was here I discovered the importance to Iyengar’s work and his therapy aspects for all able bodies.

In 2010 I travelled to Morocco and taught Yoga & Meditation at Surf Maroc, also to Spain, Portugal, Ireland and India teaching and studying. Whilst in India I attended the “International Iyengar Yoga Institute” for 2 long, strong months, exposing myself to a wide variety of theory and therapy. I continue to learn and expand my knowledge and experience of yoga but above all I love to impart what I know of yoga to those interested.

RELIEF TEACHERS

Gary John

Gary discovered yoga in 1998, initially to improve his meditation practice. His curiosity in yoga began to grow as he discovered its many physical and psychological benefits.

Gary has been teaching since 2012 and trained with Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher John Leebold. He has an Iyengar Level II teachers certification and upgraded to Junior Intermediate Level I in 2018.

Gary is dedicated to the life long journey of developing his practice and teaching. He regularly attends classes and workshops with senior teachers including the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune where he first visited in 2009.

Coralie Benporath

Coralie has been a practitioner of Iyengar Yoga for more than 15 years, and has been deeply inspired by the healing benefits of the Iyengar yoga method, both for herself and also for others she has taught and practiced with. Having sustained a back injury at 28, yoga has been the key to finding health, healing and well being while on the path of rehabilitation. She has been training under the guidance of senior teacher John Leebold since 2014 and holds a Level 2 certification. Having lived a year in India and Nepal practicing yoga in her 20’s, she finally made it back there in 2016 and was fortunate to have 3 months training at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune.

Also recognising the importance of a broader spiritual practice, Coralie has spent a number of years studying and practicing Buddhism – her yoga practice therefore becoming grounded within a strong tradition of meditation and service to others. Through teaching Iyengar yoga, it is her wish to pass on these understandings and experiences developed through the practice of yoga and meditation, so that others can also come to experience these benefits for themselves.