I am a naturalist by nature, a curious scientist wanting to explore the world and gain beneficial wisdom. With consistent practice, yoga has become a way of connecting me to my innate human nature. I first turned to yoga to seek healing, and a sustainable method of developing endurance and strength in the body. So that the body may move more freely through this world. Soon after starting, my yoga practice deepened. It was much more than aesthetically-pleasing shapes. It became training for everyday life; a means to get into my body and learn more about myself. As we learn to breathe through uncomfortable positions on the mat, we start breathing through discomfort in everyday life. This can lead to decisions that feel more aligned with what we actually want. My yoga practice is mainly Hatha Yoga based with slow flow vinyasa, breath-work and meditation. I had the pleasure of completing my 500 hour yoga teacher training at The Shala in Cape Town. Yoga practice has afforded me a lot of self-knowledge which has led to more freedom and comfort just being in my own body. It has been a valuable journey and I want to share what I’ve learnt so far. Using the practice of yoga, I wish to guide my students through their bodies and hold space for them to explore their own unique human nature. *500hrs RYT
I try my utmost to teach what I learn through focus and intention on healing. Offering practical and accessible tools attuned to personal needs. Integrating and imbuing the science, philosophy and art of yoga to clarify and readily see individual patterns and conditionings that tend to lean into discomfort. When attention is directed one-pointed to see patterns, the gaze shifts to reveal healing, then too intelligent discernment illuminates subtlety and insights needed to render harmonious balance. Providing a direct approach with simple solutions necessary presently; steadiness for ease. I am fascinated by our potential to heal. I wonder about our subtleties of being and how we have the potential to immensely connect with ourselves, intimately with each other and vastly with our surroundings. Please access applicable tools for healing, dissipate fear, and practice equanimity for necessary reprieve and freedom through experiences. BSOCSCI Psychology from University of Cape Town (2004). Yoga Teacher Trainings at Yoga Vidya Gurukul, India (2007) and The Shala, Cape Town (2015). Yoga Therapy Diploma from Yoga Vidya Gurukul, India (2017). Advance Yoga Module, The Shala (2018). Rehabilitation Biokineticist Module (2018). Yoga Psychology from Yoga Vidya Gurukul, India. (2021). Yoga Wellness Instructor registered with AYUSH Ministry (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) Government of India.(2022)
As a pathfinder in Yoga and denizen of Prāṇāyāma, Lara is a student of the Soul journey. She is based in Cape Town and brings a heart of knowledge and experience to her unique style of teaching. To know Lara is to know her energy, her irrepressible spirit, her lightness and her grace. She has a strength in her softness that resonates through her practice. The connection she has to life is amplified through her yoga, exploring the heart, mind and soul connection of moving meditation. Lara brings an openness to her practice that encourages the exploration of individual truth. Her teachings aspire to open one’s heart and mind, letting the world go, while being mindful of the present moment. She focuses on encouraging her students to learn more, to go deeper and invest in themselves through a variety of ‘yoga school’ elements, through workshops, yoga intensives and month long immersions of the practice. She has also co taught as one of the lead teachers on teacher’s training here in Cape Town. Lara Roux has trained with many top teachers, locally and internationally and completed her first 200 hour Vinyasa teacher training in 2011 in Cape Town. Beyond the grace of flow, the depth of breath and the joy of practice, it is the soul connection we experience on our mat that is the essence of yoga. It is from this connection that I teach. In every practice, I am humbled and amazed at how a simple step inside the four corners of a mat can transform a life. How the practice of yoga can create a deeper understanding of who and where we are. It is these elements that fuel the passion of my own practice and drive me to share that deep seeded love with others. *500hrs RYT
Len-Barry was introduced to yoga through Theatre and performing training at the University of Stellenbosch. Tightly knitted into the physical theater leg of the course, was the necessity to explore the physicality and internal environment of the human body. After graduating in 2015 he completed his 200hrs Yoga Teacher training at The Shala with Tamsin Sheehy and Mariah Betts. Len-Barry encourages his students to be curious not only about the external expression of the asanas, but also the relationship between mind and body, how we can use the practice of yoga to shift our internal reality and energy states. *500hrs RYT
For Magenta, yoga is a practice that has become the foundation of her daily life, which stimulated a desire to learn more about the complex interactions of our anatomy and physiology. She has a special interest in the practice of yoga as a method of self-connection and repair. Her most inspiring work comes from teaching private clients as it grants the opportunity for going deeper. After five years of dedicated practice, Magenta went on to complete both her 200hr (in 2018) & 300hr advanced teachers training (in 2020) at The Shala Cape Town Yoga School. “Whether you already have a practice or are embarking on a new journey, yoga is about practicing intuitively, but consciously with breath, finding the tools that work for you, and integrating them into daily life.” *500hrs RYT
Mikkie-dené is a RYT500 Yoga Teacher. She first found her love and appreciation for yoga as a teenager and considers the practice of yoga a fundamental aspect of her life. Mikkie-dené teaches slow and strong classes with attention to breath and alignment. Through her classes, she hopes to inspire a sense of body awareness, introspection and perspective – “Through the practice of yoga I return to myself over and over again, each time more connected, more honest, more compassionately”