About Us

Maxine re-discovered yoga in her mature years, in the practice of yoga asana, pranayama, meditation and yoga nidra. Through a dedicated practice over the last decade, she has been moved by its deeply transformative and healing nature. Yoga has enabled her to find a deep sense of connection to herself and to the world, as well as mental and physical stability when in challenging times, and with the everyday humdrum. Yin and yoga nidra practices have been her anchor over the last two years. Maxine practices and teaches utilizing the techniques in Hatha, offering classes which are detailed and alignment based, utilizing multiple props, as well as discussing the physical anatomy and the benefits to the emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. The digestive and lymphatic systems are also hugely important to her, and movements supporting these systems are taught in her classes. She is passionate about assisting her students to find contentment in their lives through a healthy body and an open heart. Maxine opened the doors to The Yoga Sanctuary 4 years ago. She is honored to pass the gifts of yoga onto her students as well as all those that call The Yoga Sanctuary home. Her belief is that once you become a student of yoga, you enter into a life-long path of studying this rich and multi-layered practice. She immerses herself daily in studying the ancient yoga texts, self-study through journaling, as well as time on her mat and meditation seat. She is also constantly upping her game through studying with the world’s finest. “The Yoga Sanctuary turns 4 this year and I am so proud. It honors authentic yoga practices through the dedication of the teaching staff and I am so grateful to each and every member of this beautiful team.”

I was aware of the beauty of the mind-body connection during my years of dancing and yearned to take it to a deeper level.  I began exploring yoga asana over 25 years ago, and was very deeply drawn to the essence of the practice:  BREATH.   It was through the understanding of breathwork that I began to experience presence in my practice.  This is the essence of my approach to teaching. BREATH IS LIFE ! Yoga guides us back to our true nature, that which already exists within all of us: PEACE, LOVE, JOY, FREEDOM.  My intention for each class, is to facilitate self healing by deepening the mind body connection, through the practice of threading breath with movement.  That sense of coming back to ourselves & tapping into our own powerful natural healing tools. Feeling self empowered with the self knowledge & self realization, that we are our own healers.  *500hrs RYT

Harriet Came is a pre and post natal yoga specialist and has been teaching for 16 years, since the birth of her son, through the pregnancies of her subsequent two girls and now daily around Cape Town. She is also a doula and uses her birthing experiences to inform and influence her teaching, working to show how conscious breathing, specific yoga postures and techniques can really help enhance a pregnancy and help birth and postnatal recovery.

Janet Dailey, founder of Dailey Wellness, is a Wellness Educator, Reflexologist, Yoga Teacher, Root Wisdom for Women Coach, and Singer. Through her private practice, classes and retreats she teaches individuals how to embody vibrant health and reconnect with their divine creative essence. Janet brings over 17 years of combined experience in multiple holistic therapies to her practice. She hosts international wellness retreats sharing the ancient wisdom of yoga, reflexology, a root wisdom for women program and sound therapy. My mission is to create a healthy, joyful, creative space for all of the individuals and groups that I with. We are energy beings and when we connect to our joy, our energetic body expands. We feel better and release hormones that help us to feel good, heal our bodies and restore peace within. From that place we can share our gifts with our loved ones and the planet. My motto: What brings you joy? DO more of that.

Her Vinyasa classes are strong and dynamic, focusing on developing her student’s mind and body awareness as well as building physical strength. With a focal point on the Breath, creating synchronicity between movement and breath, students are led into a meditative practice. Her intelligent sequencing with personally curated playlists makes her Vinyasa flows creative and never boring. Darja’s aim is for her students to leave each class in a state of bliss, centered and revitalized. She completed her 200hr at The Yoga Life Cape Town in 2018 and her advanced teacher training in 2022 at The Shala Cape Town. Darja also has a great passion for teaching Yin Yoga for the past 3 years and done 100hrs online training through Yoga Renew in the United States. Darja finds practicing and teaching Yin Yoga has been a beautiful journey of self discovery. Its meditative element of slowing everything down ,shifting the gaze within towards bodily sensations has been healing and transformative to her own life and she loves to share these benefits in her classes with her students.

Elaine’s love affair with Yoga started in 2000- Her first class left her feeling like a 5 year old , so familiar and nourishing, she had come home! This Journey led her on the most Exquisite Adventure, revealing Yoga’s healing Medicine and Magic. Her Practice became her passion. Elaine, seeks to translate and express the Joy, Freedom and Support that Yoga offers, in connecting and getting to know the body. She strives to show students the Beauty and Importance of this connection, despite our differences of strengths and abilities. Inspired by the precision and alignment of Iyengar ; the strength and core connection physically and emotionally of Forrest yoga; the anatomical understanding of safe and healthy practice of the spine, through Synergy Yoga – culminating in the Grace and fluidity of Vinyasa. Respecting & valuing ones’ body, is the Key to good health. She teaches from the heart, and includes all the delicious Jewels of her studies into her classes. Yoga is a lifetime Journey, that never ceases to Surprise and Delight Elaine, it guides her to a better understanding and respect of herself, on all levels, hence to a better understanding and respect of the world around her. Qualifications: 2012 Africa Yoga YTT 200hr 2013 Ana Forrest YTT 200hr 2013 Yoga Life YTT 200hr 2014 Jim Harrington Synergy YTT 300hr Her practice started nearly 20 years ago, regularly attending Iyengar workshops and classes. Over the years, she has continued her yoga studies within South Africa and in India. In addition, she hosts many workshops, on Alignment & Adjustments & runs Local & International Retreats.

Elvira has spent many years working as an international singer, dancer and performer in Greece, the U.K. and all over the world on cruise ships. She is new to Cape Town but not to Yoga. She found Yoga, or it rather found her, 10 years ago and she hasn’t left it since. Mixing her deep rooted love for tradition (perhaps instilled in her by her Greek native heritage and upbringing) as well as her experience with music and dance, Elvira’s class will always be connected to breath, movement and sound and will always be anchored in authentic yogic practices, beyond just asana. Chasing ancient wisdom and authenticity, she completed her teacher training in Rishikesh, India; the birthplace of yoga, with the holy waters of the Ganga flowing through it. Recently, she also graduated a Perinatal course and hopes to gain more knowledge in the field, in order to help more women come into their power through yoga.

With over 15 years of experience on the mat, sharing the gift of yoga with others is my greatest passion. Known for being a safe and judgment-free space, my classes invite you to breathe, laugh, and flow with ease. Specializing in Hatha Vinyasa, my teaching is also influenced by Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. Props play an essential role in helping students find comfort and alignment, making the practice accessible to all levels. Yoga is for everyone, and my goal is to guide you toward feeling stronger, calmer, and more connected—both on and off the mat. See you there. Namaste, Angelo

For Sheona, yoga has provided a means to feel and acknowledge the complexities of life, giving her a broader perspective and a greater awareness of self. This awareness she readily shares with others to help them enhance their own journeys of discovery. Her innate love and appreciation of the yoga philosophy informs her teaching which encourages a deep connection to self, using yoga as a tool to witness our reactions and responses, and to find the space and freedom to initiate transformation by working with ourselves from a place of compassion and understanding. She holds a RYT-500 Vinyasa Teaching Certification from The Shala Yoga School in Cape Town and has trained under Ana Forrest, attaining an Advanced Forrest Yoga certification. She is also a certified Yin Yoga teacher and loves to share the more subtle practices of Yin and Restorative Yoga as well as the benefits of meditation and breathwork with her students. Sheona is a mother, nature lover and advocate for living in harmony and balance with ourselves, each other and our environment.