The Teachers

Nichi Green

Director and founder of the Yoga space, Nichi has been teaching in Leeds for the last 8 years. The space was the next natural progression for Nichi who wanted to provide a centre for her students and a Yoga community. Nichi has been practicing Astanga yoga for 13 years and did her training with Brian Cooper of Union Yoga in Edinburgh. Nichi continues further training, attending classes and workshops with Jivamukti Yoga in London and studying for a Union Yoga 500 hour diploma.She has been assisting Brian Cooper on his teacher training course for the last two years and last year began teaching on his 200 hour teacher training.

Over the years she has found her students and her practice to be her greatest teachers. Having a regular Ashtanga Yoga practice Nichi now also practices and teaches Vinyasa Flow Yoga which she finds suits her more imaginative side inspiring her teaching to be dynamic and uplifting. Before opening the Yoga Space Nichi worked as a Dramatherapist and has an interest in creative arts therapy, Yoga and the release of emotional blocks as well as trauma in the physical body. Nichi believes that through Yoga, both its physical and spiritual aspects, there is a real potential to heal ourselves. She has found that a deeper interest in philosophy, meditation and chanting has evolved naturally over the last few years and she puts this down to simply getting on her mat. Her love and fascination for all things Yogic is apparent in her teaching and she strives to deliver this enthusiasm when she teaches.

Nichi has taken specialist training in children's yoga,  and  baby yoga  and currently runs training for Leeds Education in Yoga for primary schools. She has taught Yoga for schools all over Leeds as well as delivering Corporate sessions for several organisations including Asda House, Brahm, The Phoenix Partnership and Northern Ballet Theatre. If you have any queries or questions for Nichi about her teaching you can contact her directly at info@theyogaspace.co.uk

Krissy Bonner

Krissy has three children and has practised and taught yoga throughout her pregnancies. She has been practicing yoga for 10 years and qualified with the BWY to teach in 2001. She completed BWY Yoga For Children module in 2004 and Yoga for Pregnancy in 2005. She has been teaching Yoga For Pregnancy at the Yoga Space since April 2004 and brings a real sense of care, nurture and consideration to her teaching. Her gentle and thorough approach enables her students to feel calm and supported.

"The class really helped me prepare for the birth..I was much calmer and more focused..."

"I was feeling uncomfortable and suffering with back ache. Krissy was able to advise me of some positions to help ease the aches and pains..I have a very chilled baby.. I'm sure its down to the yoga!!"

Liz Stephensen-Payne

Liz Stephensen-Payne has been practicing Yoga for 18 years and teaching Yoga for 7 years.

Liz follows in the tradition of Sri Krishnamacharya and has worked with teachers from the Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois branches of this noble root. Amongst the teachers that Liz has worked with are Shiva Rea, David Williams, David Swenson, Dharma Mitra, Paul Grilley and has taken teacher training with Brian Cooper at Union Yoga and holds a teaching diploma with The British Wheel of Yoga. 

She is committed to learning about and teaching Yoga through her regular attendance at workshops and classes and has a special interest in teaching the theraputic and restorative applications of Yoga.  Check out her website www.yoginileeds.com.

 If you have any questions for Liz you can contact her at liz@theyogaspace.co.uk

Joey Miles

Joey came to Yoga in 1998 after pursuing circus, martial arts and physical theatre. While at Goldsmiths studying Drama he set up the Yoga society. He apprenticed with Hamish Hendry at Ashtanga Yoga London and was the regular Mysore teacher at TriYoga in London for 3 years. In 2004 Joey was authorised to teach by the late Sri K Pattabhi Jois, founder of the ashtanga Yoga system and has been a regular visitor to his centre in Mysore, India. An advanced practitioner of Astanga Yoga, Joey has also studied Iyengar Yoga and applies this in his teaching. Joey joined the Yoga Space in january 2009 and runs his own Ashtanga Mysore studio on the weekdays 6.30 to 9.30am.  Check out his website at www.ashtangayogaleeds.com

Joey runs regular workshops, retreats and holidays both in the UK and abroad. He is also a teacher on the TriYoga teacher training course. www.triyoga.co.uk

You can contact Joey at Joey@theyogaspace.co.uk

Alan O'Leary

Alan teaches modern Italian culture at Leeds University and maintains a balanced life through the practice of Yogasana. He trained as a teacher of Hatha Yoga with Brian Cooper of Union Yoga, but has studied with many respected teachers, including Graham and Leone Northfield, John Scott and Matthew Sweeney, and he has travelled to Mysore to train at the Shala of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

Alan studies with Joey in the mornings at the Yoga Space, and is working on the Ashtanga Intermediate Series. However, he is not dogmatic and tries to learn from different systems and to integrate the postures and techniques of Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow, Kundalini, and so-called 'Yin' yoga styles.

He believes the best way to develop a consistent asana practice is to to take responsibility for that practice - and to have fun! 'A practice is for life, not just for Tuesdays.'

Sarah Blenkhorn

Sarah found Yoga at the start of the millenium and qualified as a teacher 6 years later.Her passion lies with Ashtanga yet she enjoys experimenting with different styles.In her classes Sarah tries to encourage breath awareness, fluidity and working within ones own boundaries. In the last 2 and a half years Sarah has had 2 children. She continued her practice and her teaching throughout both pregnancies and found this a profound and thought provoking experience. Sarah has just completed training with Birthlight as a Perinantal Yoga teacher.

Kathinka Walter

Kathinka is a german choreographer/dancer.She regularly presents her work in England and abroad as well as working as a lecturer at  Northern School of Contemporary Dance.She started Yoga 10 years ago as part of her dance training and has worked with various teachers in England and Germany. Since 2007 she has taught Yoga combining her dance knowledge with her Yoga practice. Kathinka is a delightful teacher and really brings an awareness and consideration of the body that is both gentle and precise.

Bobak Walker

Choreographer and dancer Bobak is bringing his Urban Dance Collective to the Yoga Space from January 2010. Bobak was a regular teacher of break dance at Yorkshire Dance Centre and has been a student at Yoga Space for the last few years. His classes use unique, fun and exciting techniques to teach students from the young to adult.