Clayfield Yoga Studio

Vanda arrived in Australia from the heart of Europe. She felt like her routines were literally turned upside down. Everything is so different. Except for yoga. When Vanda went on to my first yoga class because of some back pain she didn't have the slightest idea it would actually started a new habit that would stick and help her find a pleasant and safe environment when moving continents. Vanda enjoy's being surrounded by like-minded people, absorbing into the studio atmosphere and the teacher’s knowledge, and supporting enthusiastic students like herself.

Having experienced the profound impact of yoga on her physical, mental and emotional health, Georgina is committed to sharing her love of yoga.

Focusing on slow, flowing vinyasa yoga, Georgina brings yoga to life through the exploration of postures, breathing and meditation. Whether you desire a physical release or practical tools to manage day-to-day stress, she hopes you step off the mat empowered to live your best life.

Following a life changing event and in her longing for healing Mariza turned to yoga as a way to relax the mind and find a way out of worries and stress. It was through adversity that yoga became the fertile ground where Mariza could plant her seeds for growth and healing - seeds that not only would serve her emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally but she hopes will also serve others. As a Registered Nurse with a background in quality and safety, education and aged care, Mariza comes to the Studio with a wealth of knowledge and a genuine desire to promote and preserve health across the lifespan. Her aim is to provide a safe environment that flows from the heart using a compassionate and gentle approach. With a focus on rhythmic breath, philosophy, science, spirituality, chakra theory, music, and thoughtful sequencing Mariza’s classes create the opportunity for students to cultivate physical presence, inner peace and spiritual awareness, while at the same time building strength and increasing flexibility. Mariza’s main passion within her teachings is to show people that everyone can do yoga and that it only takes a little to create a positive shift. She believes through yoga you can really dive deep into your system, through all the different layers of your being to empty yourself of any unneeded and unwanted baggage, so that life can be experienced more fully, with more joy, wisdom, and love. As a lifelong student, she continues to develop her practice and understanding of the principles and philosophy of yoga by exploring different approaches and attending workshops and retreats. “Being a silent witness to what happens inside during the practice is what amazes me the most. And it’s the unrelenting commitment to silencing the mind and softening the heart that inspires me to come back to the mat every day, both as a teacher and as a student”.

Lloyd blends breath practice, flowing dance-like movement and traditional Yoga asanas to create a more meaningful connection of mind, body, and spirit.

Lloyd used to think of Yoga was a way to physically enhance his life. Preparing his body for any pursuit that he wanted to do be it sports, running, climbing, swimming, dance … anything really. Now, it has a means of finding balance within his physical body so that he can better experience life with greater authenticity.

The movements open up blocked/stagnant energy and give him the opportunity to feel more. From feeling more opens up to giving and receiving love … another way of saying this is that love is a state of higher appreciation and that asana is a tool that guides into that state. Once in that state intimate flows of energy (Prana, Shakti, etc.) moves through us all.

Lloyd has been practicing Yoga for 10 years and full time for 5 years. Initially, he was always trying to push his students to help them reach their goals in Yoga. Then he found the benefit of having a softer, more alignment focused approach. Now he uses a wide toolkit of Somatic practices to help build awareness in the body and find a deeper meaning of the word ‘practice’.

Lloyd says “Expect to feel your body working, gliding, strengthening and finally releasing into a soft, open space.”

full time awesome 

Peter has a deep passion for yoga and a strong drive to share the beauty and benefits of this ancient sacred art.

It is such a joy and a blessing to assist practitioners to experience a deeper connection with their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies throughout the practice of yoga.

With a focus on safe practice and alignment, modifying the pose to suit the practitioner, Peter's classes combine strength and ease, with smooth transitions, intuitive flows, and appropriate challenges to suit the energy of each class. Peter's classes focus on mindfulness, pranayama, movement and stillness, to encourage self-acceptance, inner peace, and a deeper understanding of Self.

Peter is a committed yogi, meditator, mindfulness practitioner, student, and friend. He gained his formal qualification as a yoga teacher in 2017 through Radiant Light Yoga, and he will continue his studies with Radiant Light Yoga in 2018. Peter also attends further education workshops, having studied with Adam Bornstein, Simon Borg-Olivier, Les Levanthal , Tanya Zappala and other experienced teachers.

Peter's eagerness to help others saw him complete a  course in therapeutic massage, and train as a level 2 Reiki practioner.

Tanya has been a qualified teacher since 2004, her teachings continues to be influenced by a collective source of amazing teachers, as her commitment to being a student is lifelong journey.  Her teachers come from a variety of backgrounds from both traditional and modern approaches to Yoga. Tanya believes we all have something of value to share and our knowledge and understanding of our bodies and minds are always evolving. 

Tanya uses her understanding of anatomy and physiology to combine the ancient Indian knowledge and traditions of Vinyasa, with a modern alignment based focus. This is purposefully designed to give her students the benefits of traditional yoga within the framework of a supported, practical classroom practice. Tanya’s teachings demonstrate her commitment to practicing yoga techniques correctly in order to obtain the greatest long-term benefits for every individual.

Tanya teaches an alignment based Vinyasa Flow, meaning movements linked with the breath but slowed down to allow for a more mindful awareness on how your body feels in the moment and how its going to move to the next point with safe transitions.

Tanya also teach AcroYoga, a style fused of Yoga, Acrobatics and Healing Arts. These ancient modalities create a balanced practice offering on one side a therapeutic, nurturing connection. The other side is fun and playful with stronger dynamic movements. Tanya calls AcroYoga a catalyst in ‘getting to know ourselves’ faster, as we go places that we couldn’t do on our own.

Besides the group yoga classes and workshops, Tanya also teaches privately. Either one on one, or in small groups up to 4 to give each student personal attention. Private classes are catered to whether you are new to yoga or wanting to take your practice to new level. This individual attention offers continual adjustments and alignment corrections to suit your individual body type, helping gain strength and flexibility faster and safely.

Fiamma became a student of yoga when instinctively found myself on a mat in India in 2015. She realised she'd found something to be passionate about and felt comfortable sharing this with others. Fiamma took a leap and started her own inner training. Today, she look to create a calming, non-judgmental space where students can tune into their own needs and emotions. Her aim is to always show up with the most raw, compassionate and supportive way of guiding students through a series of asanas.

Yoga has been a joy of mine since my early teens, I loved how I gained a feeling of presence in my body and how my mind became more peaceful. And then in my thirties I discovered the Radiant Light style of yoga, and I felt so uplifted and nourished when practicing that I wanted to learn more. Training with my teachers Adam and Akash was a revelation, and I feel deeply blessed to be able to share what I have learnt from them. I am a fully registered and certified yoga teacher, have done additional yoga training in India, and have also completed prenatal and restorative yoga certification.

I begin my classes with a focus on the breath, and we then flow from pose to pose, gradually warming up. We then move into energising sequences and deeply held poses to build energy, strength and flexibility. I conclude each class with deep relaxation and pranayama to balance and revitalise both body and mind.

My aim in my classes is to help you find energy and joy in your practice, to feel the connection between your body, breath and mind, and to discover your inner stability and peace.

Marian Cavanagh teachers a Gentle yet Powerful yoga class

A flowing class with gentle transitions between yoga poses, promoting strength and flexibility in a calming and welcoming environment. Options are given to allow the class to be suitable for beginners, those returning to yoga, and general level students looking for a gentler class.

From a young age, movement and bodywork have been a part of Nirvana’s life.  As a youngster, she was exposed to dance, various sports, drama, yoga and massage.  Her yoga journey continued into adulthood giving relief to the pressures of school teaching life.  Nirvana’s practice and teaching has been immersed in a variety of styles and her classes have become a fusion of these elements (hatha/Iengar, vinyasa, sakshin ghatashta, anti-gravity aerial yoga and acroyoga/partner based yoga).   Her classes largely connect to the flow of movement and breath (vinyasa), anatomical alignment for greater energy flow and intuitively working with the needs of students.  Nirvana believes building heat and energy through mindful conscious movement, slowing down the desire to rush and listening to the needs of the body provides a deeper connection to self and radiates internal peace.

Michael McDowall classes are taught to Flow into stillness.

A heart centered practice with a focus on safe alignment.For those who have been practicing for some time, Michael offers more of a challenge, while taking a deeper look at yoga practices. He also creates a supportive environment for beginners and those looking for a gentler practice.

Michael was first exposed to yoga as a child, he recalls sharing guided lying meditations on the lounge room floor to old cassettes, with his mother and sister.

The peace, serenity and stillness experienced in these early practices are still the foundation of his practice, and these are the benefits of yoga that he most wish to share in his teaching today.

Michael's first asana practice was out of a book that was lying around the house in his mid twenties however it was not until he was training in martial arts in the Clayfield hall some years later that he enjoyed his first yoga class, after his teacher Jonathan had cunningly begun to bring some yoga practice into our martial arts warm ups.

Since then Michael has had the pleasure of practising with several different teachers, all of whom had trained with Adam and Akash Bornstein founders of Radiant Light Yoga. So when it came time for him to study yoga further his decision was easy.

Radiant Light Yoga provides a wonderful supportive framework in which to learn and develop self-acceptance and compassion while at the same time challenging and discovering oneself anew in each practice.

Michael is pleased to return to Clayfield after a couple of years away and is truly blessed to be able to share this wonderful practice.

Pamela began her yoga journey in 2000 as a form of relaxation and to manage back pain. She was soon attending 3 classes per week with different teachers to learn more and more because the benefits to her life were so great. In 2005 Pamela qualified as a yoga teacher in the Sivananda tradition to give her a balanced practice of all aspects of a yogic lifestyle and have since added pre and post natal yoga, kids yoga, yoga therapy, core yoga, chair yoga, Yin Yoga and Thai yoga massage. As yoga evolves and changes in her practice emerge, she continue to develop as a teacher. 

Pamela's classes begin with focus on the breath and joint releasing exercises before warm up poses encompassing full spinal movement. She then teach a variety of poses with focus on alignment, building strength and stability in the body while allowing time to be in our body. Each class ends with deep relaxation to nurture the body, mind and soul.

Pamela believes yoga can be practiced by everybody, so recognising the individuality of each students practice, Pamela gives options to accommodate injuries and limitations as well as offering assists and adjusts if necessary allowing for a safe and supported practice.

Sharon’s initial training was with Radiant Light Yoga on the Sunshine Coast in 2010/2011. Since then has completed 2 Level 2 and 2 additional Level 1 Yoga Teacher training courses in Bali (2014) and India (2016). Sharon quotes that through these wonderful and diverse teachers she has found some amazing tools and practices to help stay centred and balanced. Sharon teaches to help others to find that as well. With a flowing style that is both calming and challenging you will become stronger and more flexible, and then enjoy the peace that follows. Her focus is on safe alignment and shed modifies poses to suit your body. Sharon also uses breath work and meditation practices to assist students to find a deep stillness within their practice.