Jane Maw

I started practicing yoga in the 1970s whilst living in the UK. It remained in the background until resurfacing after a pilgrimage to India in 1993. After this journey, my commitment to yoga strengthened resulting in my graduation as a Friends in Yoga teacher in 2003. I now teach Hatha Yoga and continue with my own personal practise and studies.

Maryke

I experienced my first ever yoga cource at the Ashram (in the original house) in 1977 when it first opened it’s doors to the community. Since then the Ashram has always felt very dear to my heart and was the catalyst for a lot of change to take place in my life.  During the years that followed, I practiced many forms of Yoga and with many wonderful teachers. In 2000 my path led me to the USA, where I completed a teacher training program with Spiritual Teacher Training. My desire was and still is to share with as many as possible what I have discovered through this wonderful practice.
Besides the wonderful teachings at the Ashram under the umbrella of Swami Venkateshanda, there were 2 main teachers in the USA who helped change my approach to my own personal practice and who studied directly under Sri Krishnamacharya and Indra Devi. I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful opportunity. I now regularly attend workshops to help deepen my own practice, and am dedicated to teaching yoga in it's holistic form, and from the teaching of the Guru Krishnamacharya, ( father of Desikachar) I try to adapt the practice to the individual, rather then the individual work to a set structure. I feel forever a student learning each and every day a better way to serve.    Om Shanti

Bobi Ward

I sought yoga in the 80's after receiving a serious spinal injury in a car crash. I did most of my classes supine, with OAP'S, in drafty village halls using only a sleeping bag. I practised in various towns throughout U.K. with many sympathetic, experienced and talented teachers.

After arriving in Fremantle in the 90's, with 2 young children knowing no-one, I received connection and community in the one constant in my life, "yoga". On this safe plateau I started to address the spiritual  aspects of yoga, and in 2001 I completed the FinY teachers training course and have taught yoga ever since.There always seems to be an answer to any dilemma I may have in my life, in the yoga teachings, that have been observed and recorded for thousands of years. Humans are still humans no matter what century.

 My style of yoga consists of sequences mindfully executed, flowing with the focus on breath and connectivity. I like to encourage self reflection and total body awareness. Desikachar and Dru Yoga are my paths at the moment. My favourite "yogic" books, at present are The miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh and When thing fall apart by Pema Chodran. Yoga Nidra (guided relaxation) is another passion, one I turn to frequently enabling me to "unwind my mind" from the constant trials living consists of. The Sankalpa or self goal I feel is a very important aspect to help move through and let go of disabling historic habits. I like to end most classes with a mini version.

Donna Deeley

I was first introduced to Yoga at an early age by my father who for that time was quite an alternative thinker and a believer in having a healthy body and a positive mind. I have been practicing Yoga for many years off and on and teaching now for 2 and a half years. By day I am a landscape designer and by night a Yoga teacher. I find they compliment each other nicely. I am interested in the physical and meditation side of yoga as maintenance for the body, and taking control for my own health. As my yoga journey progresses the spiritual understanding of myself and the universe are ever increasing. Motto—Have Fun.

Jill Phillips

My Yoga background extends back to 1980 when I attended classes with a friend in North London. After emigrating to WA in 1994 and the birth of my 6th child, I became involved with IYA WA. My involvement at the Beacon Yoga centre began by attending classes when Lakshmiananda offered me to take her Saturday am classes, and then the Friday evening one. Over the last 5 years or so I have taught consistently at the Ashram, taking various classes. For me teaching at the Ashram is a true privilege and I know lots of people, some of whom I consider are good friends, other people I look forward to seeing and spending time with.

Yoga is a constant source of pleasure and help in my busy daily life, physically, mentally and spiritually, and to sum up, a truly good tool on my lifes journey, enhancing my faith in God. I hope I impart this at all times in different ways to the students I have the opportunity to meet and teach.

Teneal Davidson

I’ve practiced yoga for around 9 years now, my first ever class being at the Leeming Recreation Centre - with the sultry sounds of basketball and aerobics-music permeating my experience... From there I came to the wonderful place that is the Beacon Yoga Centre, and found the place and practice that has made yoga an integral part of my life.

Yoga has provided me with the tools and foresight to exist in this modern world, and keep a sense of wonder and joy within myself. Having trained with FinY, and learned a little more of the complex science that is Yoga, I find it the greatest thing in the world to share these amazing experiences with others. For, something as wonderful as Yoga ought to be available to all!

Tony Holmes

I first came to yoga early in 2002. I was looking for a means of stress management and stress relief from a fairly demanding job as a mining engineer. At that time I did not know how lucky I was, because yoga has since given me not only the stress relief I was looking for but much, much more. Now I find myself de-stressed and a graduate of FinY 2005 teacher training course.

My personal practice and teaching style have a strong emphasis towards grounding, balancing and centering restorative practices. I am really looking forward to teaching at the ashram and to sharing my practice and yogic journey, particularly with the beginning students of the wednesday night class.

OM Shanti

Gail Marlow

I have practised Yoga on and off for 20 years. My first teacher taught Ashtanga at the Palmyra Recreation Centre which has since been demolished. About 7 years ago I searched for a teacher's training course but could only find Iyengar schools and few courses were available then.

A number of events lead me to undertaking the FINY course in 2004. Firstly, a dear friend spent some time in the Satyananda Gosford (NSW Central Coast) Ashram and commented on how wonderful it was: the lifestyle, the people and how he felt. It was then by luck that I attended a Bowen conference in Canberra and decided to spend 10 days in the Ashram. It was at the Satyananda Ashram that one of the Rishi commented that I could teach. Upon my return home, a friend suggested I sign up for the FINY course at the Beacon Yoga Centre. This was a wonderful experience that continues and the start of another journey. 

   Angela Perkins

I began practicing yoga in my late teens, and consider yoga to have been a wonderful gift in my life. Throughout the various phases of my life (studying, working and nurturing a family) my yoga practice has been a golden thread, linking me back to a peaceful, calm, clear state of mind.

I completed the FinY Teacher Training Course in 1998, which gave an introduction to the great big wide world of yoga! There is so much diversity and innovation amongst yoga teachers today, and I love the ongoing journey of learning that yoga provides.

In classes I provide the opportunity for students to connect with and explore their own inner yoga space – to stretch and ease the body, to flow with the breath and to calm the mind.

 

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