Our Teachers

Matty

Matty, the founder of Bearwood Yoga, has practised yoga for than twenty years and has been teaching since 2009. He teaches with a unique style, blending the dynamic flow of Ahstanga with the deeper practices of Sivananda and Sun Power yoga.

He believes that Yoga is for all, so whether a complete beginner or regularly practising yoga there will be something for each person. Patience and understanding of individual’s needs are at the heart of his teaching.

He was taught to be a sympathetic practitioner of this wonderful craft. His style is to be supportive and affirming so each person can develop at their own pace.

Above everything he loves yoga and passing on his skills and knowledge to those wanting to learn, discover and develop themselves.

Richard

 

I am a Yogi, Martial Artist, Writer, Film Director and Actor from Birmingham UK.

I hold a degree in Film Making, and a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Digital

Media from Worcester University.

I also possess multiple black belts in Kung Fu and Karate and a 200hr Yoga certification.

I have written, directed, co-produced and edited short film’s Delirium (2005) and Slide Away (2009)

and acted in radio plays, television productions and adverts.

As a yoga teacher,  I have taught yoga to thousands of people

with a humble sense of gratitude.

As a Martial Artist, I have forged a sense of iron will that has blossomed into compassion for my fellow human being.

I teach and intense yet rewarding vinyasa flow class, as well as the occasional yin session. I continue my journey wherever that may take me.

Anna

Anna completed her yoga teacher training in Sun Power Yoga in 2015, after finding herself drawn to this unique style of practice. Anna is a great believer in the holistic benefits of yoga, and through her teaching aims to support emotional and mental wellbeing as well as all the benefits of a strong physical practice.

Her recent yoga training includes teaching yoga for PTSD, and outside of her yoga teaching she has worked extensively with those experiencing depression and anxiety. Anna sees yoga as an incredibly empowering practice, giving us many of the necessary tools to manage our lives away from the yoga mat, and allowing us to build both our inner and outer strength.

Gayatri

Gayatri has been practising yoga since 2005. ​Her first teacher was a very special person who showed her that yoga is there for everyone, no matter how old you might be or what kind of body shape or condition you might have. Later, she received further training from a teacher of the Bihar School of yoga while she lived in Kolkata, India – teaching her about the happiness yoga can bring to peoples lives. Gayatri’s formal training began in 2011 at the Shivananda Ashram in Kerala.

At Bearwood Yoga she teachers two types of yoga class:

• Gentle Yin Yoga Classes: these focus more on being rather than doing, so one week, we stay in silent mode more and the following week we might discover meridians…
• Beginner Classes: we will focus on more basic asanas and understanding our body, mind and breath…

Cat

Cat has practiced yoga for over five years – first relying on classes for guidance, then taking it further with home practice. She dreamt of sharing her experience with others, and in 2016  spent six weeks in Europe training to be a yoga teacher. Although  trained in Hatha Yoga, she would have to say Vinyasa is her favourite style – both in teaching, and in personal practice.
“The thing I love about yoga is its adaptability – with the right guidance, yoga could benefit people of almost any age, size and fitness level, both physically and mentally”

Lis

Ten years ago Lis found herself craving something more than strength, endurance and adrenaline, and rediscovered her love for yoga. As well as freeing up her tightly wound muscles and allowing her to (finally!) touch her toes,  Yoga gave her the mental and emotional space and balance to stay grounded in a very busy and high pressured  environment.

Yoga has not made her a perfectly contented and flawless person – she still drinks too much caffeine, watches too many murder documentaries and is usually late – but it has made her  much happier and healthier. Despite all those murder documentaries.

“We practice not to make ourselves perfect, but to make ourselves whole”

Michela

Michela did her first 200 Hour Teacher Training with Yoga Somatic Movement in Bali in March 2018, when she spent a transformative and intense month deepening her practice and learning from amazing and incredible teachers.

Michela felt a strong need to find a place to ground and be still earlier in her life and she found this place in Yoga, where Michela can share and create space for others to come to and experience the magic of “Being”.

She teaches vinyasa flow classes that create space for you to explore your breath and body together through conscious movement; finding lightness, joy and ease in a challenging practice.

Mel Monks

As a yoga teacher my intention is to help people feel better, in both body and mind. Twisting yourself into knots isn’t the priority here, unless that’s what makes you feel good!! If you can breathe, you can do yoga.

I completed my first 200 Hour Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India in 2013 and shortly after began teaching my own private classes in Bearwood. Gaining experience as a yoga teacher, I wanted to expand my knowledge further, so in 2014 I undertook my second 200 hour training with Friends of Yoga (FRYOG) in Birmingham over the course of 2 years.  Since then I have gone on to train in Yin Yoga which I find very beneficial to my own practice, especially as I love to cycle and my hamstrings need a longer and deeper stretch! Find out about the benefits of Yin Yoga and when I am running seasonal workshops here.

Meltem

My name is Meltem and I am a qualified FRYOG Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga Teacher, Breathwork Instructor, Reiki Practitioner, Cacao Ceremony Facilitator and Sound Healing Master. 

Yoga has been a part of my life for over 15 years now and it has not only become a great passion of mine but has also helped me through some of life’s challenges.

From starting out as a Yoga beginner all those years ago, I have experienced Yoga’s therapeutic benefits both in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga can help people to manage stress and anxiety, develop confidence, self-love and care and can also support cognitive functioning such as focus and memory. Having experienced the benefits of Yoga myself, today I love sharing this knowledge with others through my Yoga teaching.

I believe everyone can do Yoga and I teach Yoga to all levels and abilities, providing a relaxed, welcoming environment in which everyone can learn, develop, and practice at their own pace. I deliver a variety of Yoga sessions each with a different focus, from Yin Yoga to Hatha Yoga to help physical and mental wellbeing.

Love, light and blessings

Meltem