At the age of 13, Aisha was introduced to Raja Yoga. She studied Asana, meditation and the art of vegetarian cuisine. Aisha is certified in Ashtanga Yoga and has taking classes and workshops with Pattabhi Jois in New York, USA. While living in California, USA, Aisha practiced Yoga with Larry Schultz, in whose studio she completed her teacher training. Inspired by the teachings of Sharon Gannon and David Life of Jivamukti Yoga, Aisha has participated in many intensive workshops with them.
For the past eight years, Aisha has been living in Morocco, where she built a healing Yoga retreat center. The Yoga that Aisha teaches is a unique form, based on her own journey of discovery.
Her experience in many forms of bodywork and depth of understanding of the anatomic and energetic systems of the human body are important factors underlying her method of teaching. Aisha teaches classes on asana, meditation, mindfulness, mantra, mudra and pranayama in Morocco and elsewhere in the world.

Andrea Barra joined the Healthy Options team in 2010, having travelled the globe to become an extremely experienced yoga teacher and practitioner. Andrea started his yoga practice at the age of eleven, practicing Hatha yoga under the tutelage of  Swami Kriyananda‘s disciples. Since 2004, he has frequently travelled to India for six months of the year. On his travels, he has visited a number of Ashrams and studied a variety of disciplines related to yoga, including Ayurveda, Tantra, and Vedanta.In 2004, Andrea completed an Advanced Yoga course in Rishikesh, India, learning with Swami Dharmananda Saraswati. In 2007, he completed his Yoga Teacher Training at the Bihar School of Yoga in India, earning an education in the Satyandanda yoga tradition. The following year, he also completed a course in Nada yoga. Andrea  teaches and practices Hatha yoga according to the Satyandanda yoga tradition, which emphasises the awareness of the body, breath, and mind. He is also a great brain to pick on the subject of Ayurvedic nutrition and is always happy to pass on his knowledge to our guests. Andrea is a qualifi ed Thai masseur with an amazing touch and sensitivity. However, he’s also enchanted guests with a few more  unconventional skills, including tight-rope walking, juggling, and fi re-eating and breathing. You must get him to show to you some of these skills during your stay  with us!

 

 

We are delighted to welcome to our team this year, Charlie Bishop. Charlotte (or Charlie as she prefers) is a 200hr Yoga Alliance certified instructor, CYQ pilates instructor, Swedish massage therapist and Reiki master.
 
Charlie came to yoga in 2004 through her background of singing, dance and fitness. As a keen dancer, surfer and windsurfer she came to understand how beneficial yoga and Pilates is to the sporting lifestyle, enhancing the body’s fitness, flexibility, strength and performance.
Charlie enjoys teaching dynamic flow based classes and also gentle Hatha yoga based classes. She loves the fact that many people are drawn to yoga for what it can do for their bodies, and fall in love with what it does for their minds, her classes are a reflection of this, focusing on the physical and meditative aspects of yoga. They are suitable for all levels, from beginners to the more advanced.
 
Charlie will also be offering mat based Pilates classes for all levels throughout the week and will be available for relaxing Swedish massage and Reiki sessions* during your stay with us.

 

Jemma has been practicing yoga since 2001, beginning her studies in Iyengar Yoga. Her background was previously in publishing and events, but she soon became aware of the benefits of yoga and in 2004 when she stayed in California she decided to qualify as a Sivananda Yoga teacher.

Jemma also teaches Ashtanga Yoga having completed David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series Teacher Training in 2007, followed by Manju Jois's Teacher Training in 2010. Ashtanga Yoga is a more dynamic style of Yoga. She continues to attend workshops and classes with world renowned teachers and sees the ancient science of yoga as a lifelong journey which seeks to unify body, mind and spirit.

Karen Bennett is an experienced and qualified Yoga Alliance 200-hr teacher. Karen joined the Healthy Options team in 2006 as Principal Yoga Teacher. She receives superb feedback on her yoga teaching  methods and style, every single week of our season. Karen first started practicing yoga in 1996 to help bring balance to her life as a cardiac nurse. Since then, her passion for yoga has continued to grow and she has practiced Iyengar yoga, Scaravelli yoga, and, most intensively, Astanga Vinyassa yoga. Her teaching is a unique reflection and blend of all the styles which she has practised and the teachers with whom she has studied over the years. Although reluctant to label it as anything other than Hatha yoga, her style is probably best described as Flow yoga. Her classes focus on connecting mind, body, and breath through the flow of Asana (posture). When she’s not teaching in Greece, she also holds workshops in London and teaches at a yoga centre in Cape Town. Karen is also a gifted massage therapist, with her massage appointments being in great demand every week. She is qualified in sports, remedial, Thai, and holistic massage, and offers an intensely soothing experience that draws upon all of these influences.

 

We are delighted to welcome Soulla to our team for the first time this year. Since discovering yoga on a South American adventure, Soulla has been fascinated by the powerful physiological and psychological effects a regular practice can offer. It was the incredible impact that yoga had on her own life that lead her to give up a career in marketing and surrender fully to this beautiful journey. Soulla has over 400-hours of Yoga Alliance teacher training experience, having had the privilege to study yoga with many great teachers around the world. She has spent the last two years travelling and teaching yoga both in London and across Asia. With a background in Vinyasa Flow, Soulla offers dynamic and flowing classes – fusing breath and sequences of postures in a powerful practice, developing strength, flexibility and awareness, as well as detoxifying the system. Her classes also integrate breath work and meditation to explore and quieten the mind. With this interest in yoga combined with a desire to help people find balance between the mind, body and spirit, Soulla naturally progressed towards bodywork, qualifying as a massage therapist. She offers Swedish massage, Indian Head massage, Reiki treatments and is a qualified Baby Massage instructor. Through yoga and the therapies that she offers, Soulla aims to provide a holistic and nurturing approach to your needs as an individual. Her goal is to inspire people to embrace their full potential and find the happiness and freedom that exists within us all.