The Teachers

Nichi Green

Director and founder of the Yoga space, Nichi has been teaching in Leeds for the last 10 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 14 years and did her training 200hr Yoga Alliance Training with Brian Cooper in 2003.   Nichi continues further training, attending classes and workshops with Jivamukti in London when she can and her ongoing training for a 500 hour diploma.
                                                             She has been assisting Brian Cooper on his teacher training course for the last three years and last year began teaching for him on the 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 progress and shift. 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. She has taught at Camp Bestival and at Glastonbury and will be returning to teach there this year. If you have any queries or questions for Nichi about her teaching you can contact her directly at info@theyogaspace.co.uk

 Nichi teaches Tuesday evenings Ashtanga, Mysore on Weds, Yoga  and Baby Yoga on Fridays and Vinyasa Flow on Saturdays.She also runs regular Yoga weekends and  Holidays. See Holiday page. Nichi is registered as a Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance UK.

Last year in India Nichi furthered her bodywork training by doing an Ayurvedic Massage Course. In October 2010 she completed Thai Massage Level 1 with Brian Cooper. Nichi is available for massage at the studio on Thursdays from September. Also from September Nichi will be offering Hot Stone Massage Therapy. See Classes page for more info.

Call 07501 463275 to book

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!!"

Krissie teaches on Thursday evenings and  sometimes Baby Yoga on Fridays

Liz Stephensen-Payne

Liz Stephensen-Payne has been practicing Yoga for 20 years and teaching Yoga for 9 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. Liz is registered as a 500 hour Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance UK.

 If you have any questions for Liz you can contact her at liz@yoginileeds.com Liz teaches on Mondays, Yin/Yang and Ashtanga.  Liz also runs with Tanja Schmeer the popular Yin Yoga, Crystal Bowls and Yoga Nidra workshops and specialist Back care Courses at studio.

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 teaches on The TriYoga Teacher Training Course in london.

Joey teaches Wednesday evenings Ashtanga Classes and workshops at the studio.

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 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.

Sarah teaches on Sundays

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.

Kathinka teaches Yoga on Fridays at 5.30pm

 Jason Scott

Jason started Ashtanga Yoga in 2005 in Buenos Aries and has practised it regularly finding a natural ability and grace that is seen in few practitioners so soon. A trained classical pianist Jason enjoys the flow and vchallenges that the sequence offers. He has studied with David Swenson, his initial role model and still a source of inspiration. He has also studied with Manju Jois, david Williams, Joanne and Mark Darby and Bryan Kest.

In 2010 Jason spent 6 months in India, studied in Mysore and completed a training course at the Yoga Vidya GurukuilUniversity, Nashik. His current teachers in the UK are Nichi Green and Joey Miles. His teaching is based on the traditional Ashtanga tradition. He feels that Yoga should be both challenging and fun. its worth coming to class just to see him float into handstand!!!

Jason assists and teaches with Nichi in her Tuesday Ashtanga Beginners Class.

Ange Sykes    

Angela has been practicing Vipassana meditation for the past 4 years which has given her the opportunity to work deeper into her yoga practice and maintain a sense of balance and wellbeing. Ange also offers Ayurvedic Yoga Massage.For more info got to                   www.angelasykeswellness.net 

Ange teaches the Sunday Yoga Class 5pm to 6pm from September and Yoga on Wednesdays 5 till 6pm from 21st September

Angela was initially introduced to Yoga while living in Japan, she had moved there in the hope of healing herself of chronic neck  and shoulder pain and a constant lack of energy. She soon found an immersion into the healthy Eastern way of life, which included daily yoga sessions, gave her more energy and the pain in her body began to subside. Angela also studied Karate, Tai Chi, Seitai and Alexander Technique while living in Japan which also supported her on her journey towards wellness. Angela was so inspired by Yoga and the Eastern approach to life that she decided to train as a yoga teacher. She went to the heart of yoga, completing a Hatha Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Nasik, India. She later went on to spend a year in South India studying yoga with senior teachers in Mysore, Pune and Goa. Angela has studied many styles of Yoga in both the East and West including, Classical Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Power Yoga, Kundalini and Vinyasa Flow. She finds inspiration in students' personal journeys and is committed to their growth and development. In Angela's sessions she works with a mixture of mantra, meditation, alignment, exploration of breath, exploration of movement, exploration of stillness, and connection to body.