Teachers' Directory
Please note this is a 2009 list and onwards of those trained with Yoga Bananas to teach children who opted to be included. This is not a list of teacher trainers. This list can be used as a forum to share thoughts and ideas and discuss problems that may arise through your teaching. You may also contact these teachers if you are looking for a teacher for children. Teachers please remember I am always contactable too. If your enquiry regards Yoga Bananas Children's Yoga Teacher Training then contact Vicky Oliver RYT500 on 01372 459 400 or askvicky@yogabananas.com
Helen Smith, Yeovil, Somerset
t: 01935 873192
YogaBananas 2010, Montessori Teacher
Helen is a Montessori teacher and has taught children in pre- school and primary school for the last fifteen years. She has always had a love of children and finds great satisfaction in working with them. She has two grown up sons of her own. She enjoys a wide range of sports and as a child she loves ballet and gymnastics. She discovered yoga about five years ago and since then has realised what an enormous effect it has had on her life. During her time teaching, She has come across many children who she now realises would benefit enormously from yoga. She also managed to introduce her son to yoga while he was at university, he spread the word, and even persuaded some of his friends to take it up as a better way to relax than going down the pub! She is now in the process of contacting schools and establishments in her area in order to set up some classes for children. She left the Yoga Bananas course buzzing with enthusiasm to pass on the skills that she had learnt, it was an exhausting but most enjoyable weekend!
Sophie Bolton, Bristol
t: 07903342652
YogaBananas 2010, Yoga Teacher, Creative Youth Leader, Performance Artist
Sophie discovered yoga 13 years ago with Ashtanga teacher Gingi Lee and qualified as a Hatha Yoga teacher in 2009 with ‘Yoga from Within’ – a form of Hatha yoga inspired by the work of Heinz Grill, Sri Aurobindo and Rudolf Steiner. After working on a post Tsunami community project in Sri Lanka in 2010 where she taught yoga to a Kindergarden group, she returned with a strong focus and passion for sharing the benefits of yoga with children from 3 years and up. With Sophie’s natural sense of joy in life and lack of inhibition, she wishes to engage children in the imaginative art of yoga that she believes benefits a child to grow with positive strength and balance. In May 2010 she became certified to teach children with Vicky Oliver of Yoga Bananas and teaches children in Bristol.
Emma Sykes, South-west London
t: 07929783161
YogaBananas 2010, Freelance Costumier at the Royal Opera House -Covent Garden, Creative Arts Manager for a children's theatre company (Theatre for Life) - Hong Kong, RADA.
Emma has always loved children and her background in drama and theatre means that she naturally brings a lively and fun energy into her yoga teaching, whilst maintaining and subtly incorporating the important qualities that yoga promotes. She is focused on nurturing a child's confidence and connection to inner self by encouraging them to free their creativity within a safe and disciplined environment. She believes that the YogaBananas way of teaching brings about a subtle, positive shift in a child's consciousness so that they are more aware of being kind to themselves and are able to extend this kindness outwards into the world. She also believes that yoga taught in this way is incredibly beneficial to any child and helps to let them develop under their own steam and develop into a more compassionate, loving and mindful human being. Emma is delighted to have the opportunity to teach yoga to children and also hopes to train further in India and Bali in the near future.
Alexa Aitken, Edinburgh
t: 07527085439
YogaBananas 2010, Primary School Teacher
Alexa has worked with children for over six years, teaching many age groups and in different countries. She has taught English Language and, more recently, she has loved having her own class as a primary teacher. Through this, she has been able to teach yoga and this has been a very fulfilling experience in being able to help the children find a connection with themselves, relax and have a lot of fun in the process. She is an enthusiastic, confident and open person with an ability to be able to truly relate to children. She would be delighted to teach a group of children in Edinburgh at the weekends or in school holidays.
Jana Mulholland, Carlisle
t: 07843 194 746
YogaBananas 2010, Relax Kids 2010, Tae Kwon-Do Instructor, CYQ Level 2 Fitness Instructor, BTEC Level 2 Nutrition Awareness
Jana has started training in Tae Kwon-Do 10 years ago and has been teaching both children and adult classes for a few years now. While searching for another way to increase her flexibility, Jana came to her first yoga class 6 years ago. She has soon realized yoga had so much more to offer and was inspired by its countless benefits for both body and mind. Her passion for children's wellbeing has led her to take training in Relax Kids followed by Yoga Bananas Teacher Training. Her aim is to give children the best possible start in life, build their confidence and self worth. The aim of her teaching is to spread the joy that lies at the heart of yoga.
Johanna Andersson, Surrey
t: 07807055858
YogaBananas 2010, Carer for Special Needs, Actress, BA Musical Theatre.
Johanna Andersson's background is in musical theatre. She has over ten years experience working with children from nursery to primary school. Johanna also has extensive experience as a nanny and carer for special needs children. She was born and raised in the south of Sweden, moving to London in 2004 to continue her musical theatre career. Johanna started to practise yoga in 2005 and soon realised the unique amazing benefits Yoga had to offer. With Johanna's interest in children's development, health, theatre, dance and the unique benefits yoga brings, her passion is to share yoga and creative imagination with children, giving them a healthy and joyful ground to stand on for the coming years ahead.
Sarah Fishman, Buckinghamshire
t: 01296 623543
YogaBananas 2010, Yoga Professionals 2008.
Sarah qualified with Yoga Professionals Yoga Teachers Training Course in September 2008 (Register of Exercise Professionals Level 3) and then went on to complete the Yoga Bananas qualifications in January 2010. She enjoys teaching several adult weekly classes in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Sarah is also a full time mother to three children and provides yoga classes for pre-school and primary school children.
Laurence Turner, Reigate
t: 01737 224 1581
YogaBananas 2009, whYoga for Pregnancy Course 2009, Yoga Teacher RYT500.
Laurence qualified with whYoga Pregnancy Yoga Teachers Training Course in October 2009 and then went on to complete the YogaBananas qualifications in November 2009. Laurence is registered with the Yoga Alliance as an RYT500. She is now teaching several pregnancy weekly classes in Reigate and Redhill and teaches general Yoga weekly classes and monthly workshops under the www.yogamoo.com umbrella, her local Reigate Yoga company. She enjoys furthering her own training and travels regularly to London whether to enjoy Yoga workshops or Intensive Training Courses.
Grace Collins, Reading
t: 07944 287 341
e:gracecollins05@googlemail.com
YogaBananas 2009, Professional, Baby Signing Instructor, Barefoot Books Ambassador, Mother.
Grace completed her yoga teacher training in 1999 and has taught yoga to adults on and off, alongside a professional career in water engineering, in the UK, USA and Lebanon. For Grace, Yoga has always been part of a lifestyle rather than just a job. Since starting a family, and deciding to stay at home with her little one, she has been looking for ways to bring the essence of yoga to children. Back in June 2009 she came across Yoga Bananas and the training has been an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
Tess Foster - Cheshire / South Manchester
t: 07971 288397
YogaBananas 2009, Mother.
Tess has practiced Ashtanga Yoga for over 10 years since the birth of her second son. Having worked in the legal profession for some years she wanted to re-train using her love of Yoga to teach and inspire children. 'A few years ago I trained with Yoga Bugs teaching pre and Key Stage One children. I have recently enjoyed renewed inspiration, insight and enthusiasm with the progressive training programme as devised by Vicky Oliver at Yoga Bananas and now enjoy teaching children from 2 and a half to 12 years of age'. Tess's aim is to make her classes inspiring. She aims to build confidence and self worth in the children that she teaches, teaching to to spread enjoyment and having great fun together.
Sasha Ezzi - Glasgow
t: 07760 885 724
w: www.shantiyogaglasgow.co.uk
YogaBananas 2009, whYoga for Pregnancy Course 2009, Trained in Mandrem, India with Tribe Yoga in 2008.
Sasha has practised yoga for nine years. She has been teaching Ashtanga yoga in different parts of the world ever since. She has now settled in Glasgow and is busy trying to establish herself with her general classes and private tuitions. She completed the Yoga Bananas course in Aug 2009 and also works every afternoon with young children in an after school club where she teaches children's yoga. In addition to this, she completed the pregnancy course in Sep 2009 and has started prenatal classes in Glasgow.
Angie Beadle - Woking
t: 07867 548 661
YogaBananas 2009, Introductory Iyengar Teacher cert. 2003, Quallified TESOL Teacher 2000, Young Learner's Specialist - Worldwide English School, Seville.
Angie started yoga with her mother, at the age of 12 and in 2003 became the youngest person to gain her Iyengar Yoga Teaching Cert in the UK. She furthered her yoga practice with teachers in India, Nepal, New Zealand and Spain and then went on to open up her own yoga studio in Seville. Here she also taught children English, using movement, song and stories. She qualified as 'Young Learners Specialist' at Worldwide English School in 2005.
Louise Overthrow - Buckinghamshire
t:
YogaBananas 2009, Yoga Teacher, Mother.
Julie Nolan - Milan
t: 39 393 916 3699
YogaBananas 2009, Currently taking Yoga Teacher Training Course.
Julie originally trained as a Sports Therapist specialising in Swedish, Sports and Aromatherapy massage. She also has Reiki 1. After moving to Italy, becoming a PA and joining the Milan 'Rat Race', Julie turned to yoga and has since never looked back. Julie plans to become a qualified RYT200 by the end of 2009 and take her Reiki II. She currently practices yoga 4 times a week.
Daisy Dugmore - Bristol
t: 07515020515
e: yogawithdaisy@googlemail.com
YogaBananas 2009, Yoga Instructor RYT300, Secondary School Drama Teacher.
Experienced in teaching schoolchildren, Daisy is extremely creative and energetic in all aspects of her teaching. Currently teaches at Yogasara and Bristol City Yoga Studio and various schools. Daisy attends a range of teachers for her practice.
Sandra Stenhouse - Manchester
t: 0161 9040305 / 07749184687
YogaBananas 2008, School Teacher, PE Specialist BEd Honours.
Experienced in teaching Special needs, teach all curriculum areas and Yoga at the David Lewis School, Nr Alderley Edge, Cheshire and Pictor School Timperley. Currently attends 2 Yoga classes in Altrincham.
Sunnah Rose - North London
t: 07941 321 772
e: sunnah@stretchingpeople.co.uk
YogaBananas 2008, Yoga Teacher, Yoga Birth Teacher and Childbirth Educator.
Qualified in 2001 with Saraswati Academy. Sunnah has studied under a variety of teachers since including Shiva Rea and Atma Vikasa. Sunnah has been teaching children's yoga since she qualified with Yoga Bananas in 2004, including one day workshops as part of Healthy Schools Week, weekly sessions for particular age ranges, kids’ clubs and morning breakfast clubs for a range of demographics including “excluded” children (those with social problems). For her own practice Sunnah attends a qualified yoga practitioner weekly, Mina Semyon.
Emma Despres - Guernsey
t: 01481254387
YogaBananas 2008, whYoga for Pregnancy Course 2008, Yoga Teacher RYT200.
Emma qualified with Yoga Bananas in July 2008 and then went on to complete the whYoga Pre and Post Natal Yoga Teacher Training Course. Emma is registered with the Yoga Alliance as an RYT200. Qualified with INSPYA in Byron Bay, Australia in November 2005. Emma frequently travels off the Island for workshops in Edinburgh and London, plus she spends a few months each year in Nepal furthering her practise. She is influenced by Vinyasa hatha yoga and her principal inspirations are Emil Wendel and Devika Gurung.
'Sun And Moon Breath' Vicky Oliver copyright 1999