YOGACHARYA LALIT

Lalit is the Founding Director of Himalaya Yoga Valley ( RYS 200 & 500hr ) and an established and prominent national and international yoga teacher.

Lalit has been practicing yoga from the age of seven years learned at traditional Indian yoga schools Gurukulam. Lalit has studied under some of the most well-known and respected yoga Masters in India. Lalit was initiated by Swami Vedabharti the disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Lalit is a student of Shri Bns Iyenger, the disciple of T Krishna Macharaya of Mysore. Lalit spent eight years in various Asharmas such as the Swani Ram Sadak Dhyan Gurukulam and the Sivanada Yoga Vedanta Ashram where he studied yoga and Vedanta philosophy.

Lalit is a 200 and 500 hr RYT with Yoga Alliance and Registered Yogacharya with International Yoga Federation. Lait has completed his Masters in Yoga and his Bachelors in Yoga and Naturopathy.

Lalit’s popular teaching style blends traditional Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, with a strong focus on adjusting and improving alignment and connecting with the self through a dynamic practice. His unique teaching methodology comes from the heart which makes it unique and inspiring for yoga practitioners and teacher trainees.
Lalits mantra is to increase awareness and knowledge of the benefits of practicing yoga, and to relay an understanding of the philosophy and yogic lifestyle of the Eight Limbs of Ashtanga yoga.

MAEVE O'BRIEN

Maeve has been practicing yoga for the past five years. She is a Graduate yoga teacher of Himalaya Yoga Valley. Maeve says yoga has changed the quality of her life for the better in many ways. She credits her asana, pranayama and meditation practices with providing the clarity and calmness of mind required to allow effective business and personal decision making. “Yoga has nourished my mind, body and spirit and given me the inner peace and harmony that I have long been searching for in order to be able to operate at my optimum in a busy world”.

Maeve is Program Director of Himalaya Yoga Valley and coordinator of the training programs. For Teacher Training Courses she teaches Yoga Business, Ethics for Yoga, Classroom Management and Teaching Methodology. Her previous experience in business and management encompasses 23 years in Western Australia's Department of Justice. She has also lectured in Justice Studies at Edith Cowan University, Perth for eleven years. Maeve holds a BA (Justice) degree from Edith Cowan University, a Business Diploma and a Masters in Leadership and Management from Curtin University, Perth.

VIRIAM KAUR

Viriam Kaur is teaching yoga philosophy for Teacher Trainings. She is from UK and has lived in India for the last seven years. She trained with the SKY School of Kundalini Yoga (Raj Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan) in the UK and has been teaching around the world since 2003. Viriam studied yogic philosophy and Patanjali’s yoga sutras extensively during her training. Before travelling to India, she did a ten-year apprenticeship with spiritual teacher and author Amoda Maa Jeevan, culminating in a deep meditation and self-enquiry intensive under Shiva’s mountain at Mt Arunanchala.

She has spent many months at the Osho Meditation Resort in Pune and time with Amma in Kerala. “I have spent a lot of time in self-enquiry and read philosophy extensively, but the heart of my journey has been spending time with teachers like Amoda and Gururattana Kaur and masters like Amma" Viriam is also a journalist and as well as other well know publications, she contributes regularly to Yoga Magazine (www.yogamagazine.co.uk) on yogic lifestyle and philosophy. Chanting is her path of devotion. She records mantra music and is working on her second album.

BHAGWAT

Bhagwat was born in Haridwar North India & brought up at Parmarth Niketan (Ashram) Rishikesh, the Himalayas, since the age of 4 years. He lived & spent almost his entire life time in the pure & peaceful atmosphere of the ashram for more than 30 years. He did his Bachelor's degree in Science (Biology), Diploma course in Yoga & Naturopathy from Parmarth Niketan Nature cure & Yoga center, Rishikesh . He served as a Yoga & Meditation Teacher at Parmarth Nature-Cure & Yoga-Center from 1995 to 1998. He joined Sri Ramakrishna Math & Mission 's Himalayan branch center in Almora .Where he was teaching Yoga Philosophy &Meditation Bhagwat travelled extensively in Garhwal & Kumoun Himalayan regions unto Nepal , living in different ashrams & religious institutions.

During this period of time of his spiritual journey he learnt & experienced spiritual disciplines & different methods of meditation. He went Florida USA in the year August 2002 & served as a volunteer assistant Philosophy Teacher & Yoga teacher with South Florida Hindu Temple. He served in this Hindu temple & organization for 3 years. He teaches Yoga,Philosophy Hatha-yoga, & different meditation methods

SUZANNE CURRAN

Suzanne comes from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. She has a BSc Psychology and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Prior to coming to India she was employed as a mainstream and special needs primary school teacher. She also has a background in adult education. She is a level 3 Reiki practitioner and teacher. Her yoga background is based on Ashtanga and Vinyasa flow. She is a 2008 graduand of the Himalaya Yoga Valley teacher training course and teaches yoga full time in India. She has assisted and taught on numerous Himalaya Yoga Valley teacher training courses.

TTC topics that Suzanne teaches are: asana (series, techniques, alignment, sequencing), chakras, yoga workshops such as yoga for children and pregnancy, bhajans (chanting). Through her yoga teaching Suzanne fosters and promotes connection with the Divine within. She is a keen musician and enjoys writing music and poetry.

DR. ROHIT R. BORAKAR (B.A.M.S.)

Dr. Rohit R. Borkar was born in Goa and completed his bachelors degree in Ayurveda at Goa University. After completing a five and a half year long course at Gomantak Ayurveda College, he was awarded his Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.) degree. He has also completed a yoga course at The Yoga Institute's Academy of Yoga, a special department for teacher training at Santa Cruz, Mumbai. He currently works in Goa as an ayurvedic physician, panchakarma and yoga specialist, with over a decade of experience in these areas. During this time he has traveled extensively around India and Europe, studying, lecturing and conducting workshops on ayurveda, yoga and allied subjects.

It is said:“Studying a single scripture does not give one the conclusive essence of the science. Hence a person should try to understand the scripture after having studied several disciplines”. This inspired Dr. Rohit to learn yogic science with a keen interest that he now applies to his investigations into how yoga can be implented alongside Ayurveda. You can find out more about Rohit from his website http://www.ayurvedagoa.org. He says: “Ayurveda, the science of life, is a boon to the science of healing and to seekers of health, rejuvenation, longevity and well-being”.

ADAM DIVINE

Adam Divine, anatomy teacher, hails from the UK but has lived in India for seven years. He is a massage therapist and body mechanic, trained in the UK and certified through ITEC (International Therapeutic Examination Committee); he has also trained with ayurvedic doctors in India and monks in Thailand. For the last five years he has worked with Raso Vai Ayurvedic Massage School as a therapist and assistant on trainings. His most recent training in Anatomy Trains (Thomas Myers) has taken his awareness of what is happening anatomically with the body to a new level – he specialises in structural bodywork, body reading and the art of realigning the body.

Adam shares his knowledge and passion for yoga focused anatomy with the yoga teacher trainees through his lively and interesting lectures. With another string to his bow, as a musician, Adam is working on his second mantra album.

TASHI DAWA

Adding another layer of energetic fusion to Himalaya Yoga Valley’s multinational teaching team, Aus, Australian Tashi Dawa brings 15 years experience of yoga practice to the Centre. Tashi has studied Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar , and Hatha yoga all over Australia and India. She teaches with a flowing style and focuses on centering and creating harmony in the postures. She leads a journey through the asanas and breath to achieve personal strength, mental clarity, and relaxation by reconnecting the mind with the energetic body. Tashi completed her yoga teacher training in Mysore, South India, in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

During Tashi’s yoga class students at Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre can look forward to a focus on breath, sound and movement to replenish the strength and flexibility of the whole body. Tashi’s classes are holistic using gentle pranayama, meditation, mudras and deep relaxation so the students will experience the benefit of yoga on their body, mind and soul. A journey towards awareness, forgiveness and acceptance, Tashi teaches with patience, love and respect in her aim of sharing her passion of yoga with others.

Tashi also has a passion for helping others to grow and develop and when not teaching yoga, she spends her time between India, Australia and the Pacific working on sustainable community development projects for women. Her most recent project was co-ordinating a bush medicine retreat project, The Healing Place, with traditional Aboriginal healers in a remote community in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia (www.healingplace.com.au).

TONY

Tony first encountered yoga while on a working holiday in Australia in 1995. Initially Tony was attracted to the physicality of yoga asana which supported his belief that maintaining the bodies systems through strengthening and toning practices improves quality of life in all areas. After experiencing Teacher Training Courses and numerous trips to India his interest developed in other areas of yoga such as philosophy, meditation and pranayama. He completed a two year hatha yoga teacher training course with Yoga Therapy Ireland in 2006 and commenced yoga teaching from that point onwards. Further yoga study in 2010 brought him to Goa where studied with Lalit and in February of that year he graduated from Himalaya Yoga Valley. He returned to Goa later in the same year to take part in the internship programme and subsequently managed and taught as senior teacher to the public at the Yoga Shala. He has spent time at a number of centres in India such as the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre (Kerala), Iyengar Yoga Centre (Goa), Osho Centre (Pune), Mother Amma (Kerala) and taken meditation courses at the Vipasana Meditation Centre (Aurangabad) and Bodhi Zen Meditation Centre (Kodaikanal).

He has also completed Reiki Level II. Other qualifications include a degree in Electronic Engineering, a Masters in e-Commerce and he is also a qualified high school teacher, although he has taught every age group from 4 year olds up to second year University students. Apart from teaching he has worked as a web designer and has also spent a number of years working in administration at an Irish university. Tony enjoys providing a holistic body of teaching knowledge from various lineages to the trainees at Himalaya Yoga Valley.