TEACHERS
Nina Fowkes
“Yoga is about releasing the stresses and strains of daily life and finding our joyful connection with nature and therefore a more compassionate way of being”
Nina is the founder of The Yoga Garden, and as well as being an advanced yoga practitioner, certified in Thai massage and aromatherapy she also brings such warmth and kindness to her students that it’s hard not to feel completely at ease in her classes.
“I am so happy to provide a beautiful space where people can improve their health and wellbeing and find that sense of connection and tranquility we are all seeking”
Nina teaches Restorative Aroma Yoga Workshops and offers personal detox and nutritional coaching. Nina is also Director of our Teacher Training programmes and courses.
Rebecca
“My approach to yoga is that of sharing the ability to self-heal, both physically and mentally through a self-regulating physical practice, using this ancient art of movement of the body and breath.”
Rebecca teaches Hatha Yoga at the Yoga Garden. She is a Yoga Alliance registered Teacher (300 hr+) and is a regular teacher in Steyning, Worthing and Storrington, teaching a variety of styles including Dynamic Vinyasa Flow.
Rebecca has continued her teaching development with Yoga4Autism, Pregnancy Yoga with Mel Campbell and at the Yoga Garden with Toni and Marcella. She started the Mentorship with Jivamukti teacher Amrita in 2016 as well as completing her course on Yoga Adjustments.
“I would like to give gratitude to all my teachers and students and especially the Yoga Garden for their support and development on my yoga path”
Rebecca teaches Hatha on Monday & Thursday mornings and a Beginners' late Thursday mornings.
Chessy
“I am honoured to be able to help clients find that sacred balance between body, mind and spirit and to encourage them to welcome their wonderful bodies, wherever they are at, in each moment.”
Chessy’s warmth comes from her divine nature, as well as her genuine and in depth understanding and compassion for her client’s body and mind. With over 20 years experience of bodywork and qualifications in Reflexology, Oil Massage, Reiki and Thai Massage, Chessy combines this knowledge with her 200 hour certified yoga teacher training, yin yoga and pregnancy yoga training to teach a deeply therapeutic class which facilitates you to connect with and listen to your body in a profound way.
Chessy teaches Yin Flow yoga on Tuesday mornings.
Ali
Ali first came to the Yoga Garden back in 2010 to rebuild her strength after a difficult birth of her 3rd son.
Her yoga journey started in a London studio 25 years ago, but through all the changes of life, yoga has remained a constant for her in its many different manifestations.
'I love meeting each class and trying to give them what they have come for. I think Yoga is about awareness. Awareness of the breath, deepening our awareness of our bodies, and through this process increasing our awareness of our place in the world.'
Ali is also trained in Youth Yoga and Mindfulness, and Yin yoga.
Ali teaches Meditation and gentle yoga on Wednesday lunchtimes, and shares Restorative yoga with Laila on Fridays.
Laila
I see yoga as an opportunity to connect our mind and body to help us find balance in our daily lives by relieving stress, aiding sleep, building strength and flexibility in the body.
Yoga has been the catalyst for deep rooted change in my life. I found yoga when I needed it the most, initially a physical practice that soon paved the way to a more open and conscious existence, where self-love and compassion became paramount.
Fast forward and my practice led me to train as a teacher with The Yoga Garden, finding inspiration in seeing first hand the benefits that the training has had on my mind, body and soul and wanting to guide others towards finding this too.
Laila teaches Energising Hatha flow on a Tuesday evening, and shares the Friday restorative with Ali.
Amrita
"I’m inspired to bring yogic teachings into a modern, urban context, to enrich our busy western lifestyle"
Amrita is originally from Zimbabwe and has been teaching yoga for 17 years.
She initially trained in the Sivananda lineage with Yoga Vidya, while living in Cologne, Germany and became a teacher in 2005. During this time she met her teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life (co-founders of the Jivamukti Yoga Method) and in 2008 she completed the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training with them at the Omega Institute in, Rheinbeck, New York. She went on to complete an apprenticeship at Jivamukti Yoga London under the mentorship of Advanced Jivamukti Teacher Emma Henry qualifying as an 800 hour certified Jivamukti Teacher
Amrita also has a diploma to teach Unity Partner Yoga from Unity School in Brighton and is a qualified holistic massage practitioner. She has a background in ballet and contemporary dance, and is a qualified facilitator for specialised group therapy through the Humaniversity in the Netherlands. She loves music, dance, the arts, being with friends and nature.
Her Jivamukti style classes include Sanskrit chanting, yogic philosophy, eclectic music playlists, hands on assists, relaxation and meditation, She creates a caring supportive space to go deeper into your yoga practice and to find your Self.
She is delighted to be offering a series of yoga workshops at the Yoga Garden and is also available for private 1 to 1 lessons and mentoring for aspiring yoga teachers.
“I love Amrita’s natural fluidity, she has a wealth of knowledge that combines beautifully with her ability to connect with her students which makes for fun and engaging classes” Jonathan, Student
Andrea
"I started practicing yoga as a way to make a deeper connection with my mixed race Indian ancestry on my father’s side. The ancient myths and philosophical texts associated with the tradition captured my imagination".
Andrea has been practising yoga for over 15 years, taking in as many different classes in different traditions as possible. During lock down she started to share her practice with others, in the secondary school community where she teaches English. This led her to her first 200 hour teacher training at The Yoga Garden with Still Flowing yoga in 2021. She is currently enrolled on the 300 hour Barefoot Body Yoga teacher advanced training programme (Cambridge & London) and integrates elements of these trainings into her classes, which are ever evolving.
Andrea is very much inspired by nature, sacred Hindu texts, Five Rhythms dance and writing poetry, which she weaves fluidly into her yoga practice. Her classes are designed to accommodate beginners through to experienced practitioners, with the aim to leave you feeling nourished, inspired and clear.
Andrea currently teaches at The Yoga Garden on Monday evenings.
Tony
“I’m passionate about helping people through sport and yoga”
Tony is a true athlete and brings a wealth of sporting knowledge and experience to our team of teachers. He came to yoga after having spent a lifetime in sport cycle racing, triathlons and running. He represented Great Britain at numerous Triathlon World Championships and has completed the Ironman Triathlon 3 times.
As a qualified Pilates Instructor, Yoga Teacher and Sports Massage Therapist, Tony is passionate about helping clients reach their personal fitness goals.
Tony teaches the Pilates Yoga Fusion 'Yoga Core' class on Fridays at 8.30 am
Penny
Penny is a fun & dynamic teacher, passionate about spreading her love of yoga to everyone. She believes yoga should be grounded and accessible and that everyone can gain benefits from yoga whatever their background or story.
Penny trained in 2014 and since qualifying has been teaching regularly in studios across Sussex, continuing her own yoga journey attending workshops with globally recognised teachers like Shiva Rea, Ana Forest & Max Strom, which help to develop her own practise and teaching style, growing all the time to spread the yoga glow!
Penny also enjoys 121 sessions, working with clients with physical or emotional challenges, to develop yoga as a tool to help.
Penny teaches Rise and Shine every Saturday mornings at 8.30am
Donna
My approach to teaching is an extension of my own practise - integrating mind, body and spirit with total surrender (to the present moment), breath awareness, tuning in to the physical conditions with acceptance and love. A meditative approach to an integrated practise. Holistic and Heart centred.
I have been practising yoga for over 20 years - 15 years as a student of Jim Tarran (Vajrasati Founder) and subsequently led me to train with him and Khadine Morcom on the 500 hour Yoga Plus Course. My love of Yoga started at a young age and continues to grow through regular āsana practise, meditation and personal study. I am passionate about the power of mantra, the purity of sanskrit language and learning more of the rich heritage and tradition of Yoga from scripture, sutra and beyond. Weaving this wisdom into classes to assist us on our yoga journey.
Expect a class that lifts you up, refreshes and revives. Restorative and peaceful. See you on the mat just as you are.
RYT 200/500hr
Ana Marcela
Ana Marcela Wakeham is a senior yoga teacher, Qi Gong and Pilates Instructor and specialises in teaching experiential anatomy and physiology through movement.
From a deeply introspective practice and experiential knowledge Ana Marcela has developed clear insight and understanding of the anatomy and physiology of movement, which she expresses in a uniquely fascinating and accessible way.
Ana Marcela’s teachings are deeply rooted in a somatic sense of self and the perspective of one’s own life experiences which encompass body, mind and spirit. By bringing our attention to the inner-self, our breath and felt sense, Ana Marcela believes we can use movement to increase awareness and establish deeply restorative states of meditation.
Ana Marcela is leading our 2022-23 200 hr Teacher Training course.
Louise
Louise Windsor teaches Yin in Brighton and the surrounding area. She has run the Yoga Garden Yin CPD weekends for a few years and we are delighted she is now teaching a regular evening Yin yoga class every Wednesday.
Louise also runs seasonal Yin yoga workshops every quarter which are very popular. (workshop page)
Romina
Romina turned to yoga as a means of injury prevention and to build strength as a puppeteer and performer and grew to learn how much deeper the practice goes.
“Yoga greatly improves your self awareness and is hugely healing for the body and mind. It has helped me develop as a person in so many ways. Made me feel more comfortable in my own body; both mentally and physically. Self acceptance is so important for your own happiness and yet it is something that nearly everyone battles with daily. Yoga is so much more than being flexible, it is not about self improvement but about self acceptance. I truly believe that Yoga is for everyone and that is something that I want to encourage through my teaching.”
Samantha
“I strongly believe that through diligent practice we can find true balance & happiness.”
Not an unusual story - Sam cam from a family dance background and turned to yoga 15 years ago to manage a severe hip injury. Introduced to the Jivamukti method in 2010 and then a student at the Sangyé Yoga School (formally Jivamukti London), what had originally started as only a physical practise, awakened her journey towards a spiritual one too.
Sam considers herself to be a baby Buddha in training and is continually encouraged and inspired by Buddhist philosophy, which she weaves into her dynamic, physically diverse and diverse classes. Through her authentic and committed approach, Sam’s motivation in every class is to bring attention to the present and move towards a conscious potential.
Kelly
Kelly has learnt through her own life experiences that the need to slow down and really take care of herself . Yoga and meditation helped her to do this and her own practice became vital for her health . Now her true passion is to pass on her diverse techniques in Breathwork , Mindfulness , Self enquiry and Yoga to create a place of calm and rest within the chaos of life.
Kelly is a qualified meditation , mindfulness and Yoga teacher accredited by the British Wheel of Yoga 200 hrs TT. Kelly specialises in Yin, Restorative, Pre-natal , Vinyasa and teen yoga and is now undertaking 580 hour/level 7 (masters equivalent) to become a yoga therapist with the Minded Institute.
With a key interest on working with individuals with specialist physical and mental health conditions, she is particularly keen to work with individuals learning to manage bereavement, depression, anxiety, CFS, Burn out and stress.
Kelly is now teaching 6pm Monday evening at the Yoga Garden.
Kate
Kate says: 'Yoga has taken me by the hand & gently asked me to look at myself physically, mentally & spiritually. It has given me the tools & framework for inner exploration, expansion & growth. My quiet, introverted nature allowed to shine, I use this perspective to guide my study & classes.'
Kate enrolled in teacher training to further her study & with some gentle encouragement began to teach.
Teaching has become an extension of her practise, a way to learn & observe more about herself with each class.
Like many of our teachers, Kate feels the connection to the natural world at the Yoga Garden influences her teaching style: Hatha based with plenty of opportunity to rest & connect.
Kate teachings Rise and Shine on Sunday mornings April to October and various workshops throughout the year.