We are so lucky to have a wonderful teaching tribe at the centre, hand picked for their expertise, knowledge and experience. Each teacher brings something unique to their class and we hope you find someone that resonates with you.
Leigh (Yoga teacher and founder of Notley Yoga Centre)
My Journey with Yoga: From Practicing to Teaching
My love for yoga began at 11 years old when my amazing Mum introduced me to the practice. During my teenage years, I continued practicing and became enamored with the physical and mental benefits it provided me. After years of personal practice, I enrolled in an 8 month foundation course with the British Wheel of Yoga (2007). This led me to embark on a two-year teacher training program with Jeremy Jones from the Yoga College. After years of teaching in local halls I founded my own Yoga Centre in 2015 which is a beautiful and nurturing space to share Yoga in Great Notley.
Throughout my journey, I have been fortunate to meet many inspiring yoga teachers, each of whom has influenced me in some way. I believe in the balance between Yin and Yang, softness and strength. In my classes, I aim to incorporate both elements, providing students with inner strength and fire, coupled with softness and letting go.
I am dedicated to my own practice and regularly attend workshops and training sessions to stay inspired. Self-enquiry is vital to me, which involves observing and assessing how I feel physically, mentally, energetically, and emotionally. I pay attention to how my breath responds to the postures and whether there is ease, steadiness, or calmness.
My practice continues to evolve and grow, and I feel fortunate to share my experiences with others. I am a firm believer that Yoga is for everyone and every body. At my studio, I am privileged to share Gong & Sound Baths, Nada Yoga, and Mantra practices as well as Yoga. I believe that the practice of Yoga and Sound complement one another and leave you feeling amazing!
I hope to share my practice with you to help you feel more integrated and connected with your inner self.
Elaine (Yoga teacher)
My passion for yoga has taken me on a journey, practicing many styles over almost thirteen years, always learning something new and from so many wonderful teachers.
The realisation that letting go within yoga postures could heal my long term sports injuries, picked up after years of high impact workouts by releasing tension held deep within muscles, led me to becoming a Yoga Teacher.
I wanted to be able to help others reduce tension in their bodies and achieve a greater sense of wellbeing. I believe in yoga being accessible to every ‘body’, my students are encouraged to work within their own limitations, regardless of any condition which may not allow most forms of exercise. They are able to take from classes what they need, working at their own pace and I continue to learn as much from them as they do from me.
Elaine (Yoga teacher)
Elaine (Yoga teacher)
I believe that yoga is a toolkit that you can take away from class with you, using breathing techniques (pranayama) and physical postures (asana) which can assist in times of stress and helping generally with life’s ups and downs.
My classes are mainly Hatha style, but incorporate ideas and influences that I have enjoyed over the years such as Scaravelli, Vinyasa Krama sequencing and Yin.
With a focus on anatomical alignment and working with gravity, I encourage students to just ‘let go’ which is often more of a challenge than you think!
Naseem (Yoga & Meditation)
My Journey with Yoga started when I was 13 watching my Mother practising, which helped her asthma. She inspired me to practise. I became a fitness teacher in my 20’s and taught for many years.
After attending an Ashtanga yoga workshop in my early 30’s, with encouragement from my Mother, my heart was completely taken. Soon after I found a wonderful Iyengar yoga class with a teacher I will always be grateful to. I attended her classes for more than 15 years and did one year of Iyengar Teacher Training. After being knocked down by a 4×4 in 2007 it was my yoga practice and my Buddhist practice that helped me rebuild my inner strength, realign my spine and regain the full use of my right leg again. When I attended one of Leigh’s classes I felt a deep connection with myself through movement and breath she took us through and I was re inspired.
Naseem (Yoga & Meditation)
Naseem (Yoga & Meditation)
After over 20 years of practising yoga I decided to do my Teacher Training in India, the Country of my Mother and Fathers birth, and my roots. It was a deeply powerful experience.
Meeting Buddhism over 30 years ago remains a treasured gift that has taken me on a journey of the heart
Sue (Yoga teacher)
I’ll always remember a book my Dad bought me when I was around 14, it was called ‘Yoga for Women’, and I used to attempt the postures in the privacy of my little bedroom! That was my first introduction and I dipped into yoga on and off for many years until moving to Braintree in 2006 and finding two teachers I wanted to stick around (thankyou Victoria Adamson and Leigh Acteson- Rook).
Eventually, I wanted to deepen my practice and that led me to a BWY foundation course with Emma Turnbull in 2016. This was such an eye-opener as I began to realise what a vast subject yoga really is, and how it is, oh so much more than just postures! Although I’d never dreamt that I’d become a teacher (after literally a life-long terror of public speaking), after the foundation course, I knew it was what I wanted to do in order to share what I was learning and continue my own journey. I took my teacher training course with Victoria and began teaching at Notley Yoga Centre three and a half years ago.
Sue (Yoga teacher)
Sue (Yoga teacher)
As a holistic therapist for thirty years, I see teaching yoga as an extension of my well-being offerings. It seems like a missing piece of jigsaw has been provided with the realisation of how powerful yoga can be – with its mindful movement in tune with the breath. I am constantly amazed at the changes I see in my students over time as they embrace their own practice. Magic!
My classes are suitable for all levels as adaptations and progressions are offered. I look forward to welcoming you to my warm and friendly classes.
Nicola (Vinyasa Yoga teacher)
My teaching journey began shortly after the birth of my daughter. Having practiced yoga for 10 years, I found motherhood gave me a new perspective.
Wanting to deepen my practice, I found myself taking to the mat in between my classes. And as I moved through poses or paused in meditation, I noticed her watching with curiosity.
Before long she was on my mat, copying the poses and demanding more ‘mummy yoga.’ Soon she had her own mat (in her favourite colour, purple, of course) and we were practicing yoga together daily.
Really I have her to thank for setting me on this path. As watching her little character flourish in our practices together has inspired me to share this with both little and bigger minds alike.
My yoga classes aim to bring harmony and balance into the body, both mentally and physically. We explore the wonderful benefits of yoga through mindful movement, breathing techniques, deep relaxation and meditation.
Each class is an invitation to deepen our connection to our Self. Uniting the mind and the body to create inner peace and self-acceptance. Classes are taught in a dynamic and uplifting Vinyasa Flow style, suitable for beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice.
I offer regular weekly group classes, where yogis can enjoy their practice in a safe, welcoming and comfortable environment.
Nicola (Vinyasa Yoga teacher)
Sue (Yoga teacher)
Holly (Chair Yoga)
Holly lives in Essex, originally born in Suffolk.
Her working life has encapsulated a wide variety of professions, including a degree in Film Making.
Getting into movement later in life, Holly had been exploring lots of different ways to engage with her body and back in 2018 she tried Yoga for the first time.
The more and more Holly learnt and practiced, the more she was drawn to becoming a Yoga guide. Holly undertook her training in March 2020 and hasn't looked back since.
Holly is experience in guided Yin, Hatha, Vinyasa and Chair based sessions, and recently has been adding sound to her passions.
''I believe Yoga is for everybody, and that our time on the mat is a place to practice self-study (Svadhyaya), seek truth (Satya) and honour ourselves, something we perhaps don't do enough. Our time practicing on the mat/ in a chair, is where we gather the tools or 'tricks and treats' that we need to aid us and guide us in our lives off the mat''
Holly (Chair Yoga)
Sue (Yoga teacher)
