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 started at the age of about 11 and was introduced to me by my Mum. I started practising in my teenage years…I loved the way it made me feel physically and mentally.
After years of personal practise I embarked upon a foundation course with the British Wheel of Yoga which in turn led on to a two-year Teacher Training Program with Jeremy Jones from the Yoga College (registered with Independent Yoga Network) and to where I am today – teaching Yoga in my own Yoga Centre in Great Notley.
I have met many wonderful, inspiring teachers over the years and Im influenced by them all in some way. I believe in Yin and Yang, softness and strength, one does not exist without the other. So classes will have an element of them both, inner strength and inner fire, coupled with softness and letting go.
I enjoy my own practise and regularly attend workshops and training to keep me inspired.
Self enquiry is so important, observing how feel physically, mentally, energetically and emotionally. Noticing how the breath ‘re-acts’ to the postures…is there ease, steadiness, calmness. I
My practice is always evolving and growing and I feel extremely lucky to be able to share my experiences so far with many people. I do firmly believe Yoga is for everyone and every body.
I am also very privileged to share Gong & Sound Baths at the studio along with Nada Yoga and Mantra. I think the practice of Yoga and Sound go hand in hand and can leave you feeling amazing!
I hope to be able to share my practice with you to help you feel more intergrated and connected to your 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.
Melissa Parkinson (Ha-Tha Yoga Teacher)
Traditional Hatha yoga classes to help steady the mind and liberate stuck energy through Asanas (postures) pranayama (breathwork) and meditation.
Classes are either a moon style, working to ground and stabilise or Sun style to vitalise and uplift, all the while bringing you back home to your true self so you can navigate and flow through the stresses and struggles we face in daily life.
Classes are suitable for beginners and all abilities.
Melissa Parkinson (Ha-Tha Yoga Teacher)
Katie Stewart (Vinyasa Yoga Teacher)
Mel (Yoga teacher)
I’ve been practising yoga since my mid-twenties, when I was searching for something to help alleviate my physical symptoms of anxiety – chest pain, difficulty breathing, palpitations, you name it. I fell in love with how the postures and breathing exercises made me feel. I became more in touch with my body, I felt relaxed and calm. I also noticed that when I came to my mat, that overthinking, self-critical voice inside was silenced for a bit. The more I practised, the quieter it became. Over the next few years, yoga made me stronger, both physically and mentally, and I learned to gently shift negative thought patterns that contributed to my anxiety. In a world that’s so busy, yoga has helped me be still, and to reconnect with myself.
Mel (Yoga teacher)
Mel (Yoga teacher)
In 2017, I made the leap from yoga student to yoga teacher, so I could hopefully share with others the many benefits the practice has had for me. But I will always be a yoga student, wanting to deepen my understanding of yoga, and I regularly attend classes and trainings.
I teach Vinyasa Yoga, a flowing style of yoga where the poses and movements are linked together with the breath, as well as a monthly Yoga and Anxiety workshop.