Meet our Teachers

Sthira Yoga School welcomes students from all over the world with love and respect. Our experienced and passionate teachers impart their knowledge to give a strong foundation in theory, practice and teaching of yoga.

  • E-RYT 500; YACEP, SYT - Director of Teacher Trainings

    Sudhir Rishi is the Director of Teacher Trainings at Sthira Yoga. He has been involved in the fields of yoga, meditation, philosophy and Ayurveda for the past 30 years. He lived as a monk for eight years, dedicating himself to intense meditation practices. In the last 9 years, he has taught in more than 120 groups of 200hr yoga teacher training courses (YTTC) and 30 groups of 300hr (YTTC), in addition to pranayama & meditation courses, workshops and silent retreats in Asia and Europe. He is an ERYT-500 with more than 30,000 hours of teaching experience.

    He has a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Technology in Quality and Reliability. He worked as a Total Quality Manager in a leading automobile company in India. At the age of 28, the sudden death of his mother, inspired by Buddha and other spiritual masters, he left his highly paid job, and joined the Ramakrishna Mission as a Brahmachari (celibate monk).

    His quest took him to the Himalayas. Later he joined Swami Dayananda Ashram, in Rishikesh and studied Sanskrit, Vedic Chanting and Commentaries on scriptures of Advaita Vedanta. He learnt yoga from the Balananda Brahmachari tradition and Bihar School of Yoga and did his Ashtanga Yoga teacher training in Mysore. He also studied and practiced TM of Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Vipassana, Osho’s techniques and J Krishnamurthy’s teachings.

    For the last 22 years he has made his home near Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram, South India, combining his time in the Ashram with teaching Yoga.

    For Sudhir, philosophy is not a theoretical pursuit but a lifestyle. For him, philosophy reveals higher truths which need to be contemplated, verified, applied and assimilated. He has had many transformative spiritual experiences and he shares his personal experiences with his students.

    He is passionate about sharing his wisdom and insights. He believes and has experienced that joy is the nature of oneself, and has no connection to anything whatsoever. This fact can be discovered by others as well! His teachings help students to understand themselves better and on a deeper level. He explains complicated concepts in a simple way.

  • E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP - Senior Yoga Teacher

    Veena Sudhir has been involved in the fields of meditation and Ayurveda for nearly 30 years. By profession, she graduated in Computer Software and Library Sciences and has a masters in Applied Psychology.

    By passion, she was naturally pulled into meditation, Ayurveda, Reiki and Pranic healing.

    She has been associated with Sri Ramanashram, in Tiruvannamalai for around thirty years and has spent many years studying meditation and healing practices.

    She is a registered ERYT 500hr teacher in Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, Yin and Yoga Nidra and has been teaching for the last 9 years. She focuses mainly on Meditation, Ayurveda, Yin and Yoga Nidra Teacher trainings.

  • E-RYT 500 - Senior Yoga Teacher

    Coming from a background of 20 years of ballet and contemporary dance training, Rachel has always been interested in working with the body and the amazing capacity our bodies have. Rachel has been practicing yoga for 14 years and has taught over 5000+ hours of yoga classes and teacher trainings. Originally from the U.S.A., she has been a lead teacher in over 30 yoga teacher training courses world-wide and in recent years split her time teaching yoga between India and Albania.

    Rachel is the co-founder, owner, and main teacher at Tirana Yoga studio in Tirana, Albania. She also spent 6 years as Lead Teacher and Course Director of Teacher Trainings in India. Teaching on both 200-hour and advanced 300-hour yoga courses, she taught Vinyasa Flow, Yin, and Restorative yoga classes, as well as applied anatomy, teaching methodology, alignment and adjustments, in addition to organizing the teaching team and course content. She currently teaches on 200-hour and 300-hour courses mainly in Europe—in the Balkans and Mediterranean region. Rachel is also a certified Thai Massage Therapist.

    Rachel’s teaching style is a blend of her own experience—drawing not only from the physical practice of yoga in both its Eastern and Western forms, but also from traditional yoga philosophy and meditation techniques in order to develop an integrative, creative, fluid class that is energizing, engaging, and inspiring for all. She is a firm believer that yoga is for everyone—meeting people on their path where they are, in order to help them move forward with awareness, mindfulness, and heightened consciousness

  • E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500

    Andreea has a huge passion for Ashtanga Yoga since 2016. She is totally dedicated to the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.

    She underwent 200 hours and 300 hour yoga teacher trainings with experienced teachers who had lots of knowledge and experience in different styles.

    She is Certified by Yoga Alliance E-RYT 200, RYT500, YACEP for, Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin & Restorative Yoga.

    She has attended workshops and courses with David Robson si Jelena Vesic, Petri Raisanen, Lea & Tarik (Love Ashtanga Yoga Portugal), Kino MacGregor & Laruga Glasser.

    She says: “Ashtanga Yoga keeps me grounded and makes me a better human in all aspects of life. 

    That is why I keep practicing and I very much enjoy teaching.“

  • E-RYT 200 - Yoga Teacher

    Tessa found yoga when her physical and mental health was in overdrive. Her menstrual cycle stopped and went away for 4 years. Tessa had to learn how to minimise both her mental and physical stress, coming to the movement and practice of yoga to calm her mind.

    Tessa has worked as a physiotherapist in New Zealand for 4 years. She loves teaching people about their bodies, educating them and enhancing their awareness of their own body’s needs. Tessa trained at Sthira Yoga, completing her 200Hr Vinyasa/Ashtanga certificate.

    Tessa loves connecting her physiotherapy practice and knowledge of the human body with yoga. She hopes to bring a new level of body awareness to both teachers and students, how their bodies function and how to improve their movement patterns for a better quality of life.

  • E-RYT 500, Senior Yoga Teacher

    Zoe was first drawn to the practice of yoga over 10 years ago and immediately noticed the profound effects it had on her mind, body, and spirit. She since went on to explore Yoga’s broad landscape of various other styles such as Vinyasa, Yin, mobility training, trauma training and some yoga therapy modules. Around 7 years ago, she opened her own studio in Manchester, UK along with her retreat company.

    In Zoe’s classes you can expect fluid functional movement combined with strength, mobility, and intelligent sequencing. Her purpose is to encourage students to understand the WHY behind particular movement patterns and the function of their own bodies, so that they can move with more intention and integrity. Making Yoga more accessible for each individual body. Zoe’s passion is learning and educating.

    Her belief is …

    “If you think you know everything, you’re not leaving yourself open to learn. Every great teacher is a great learner. Never become too much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise.”

  • YT 500 - Senior Yoga Teacher

    Vinod Kumar, a seasoned yoga teacher with over 8 years of teaching expertise in Hatha, Ashtanga, and Yin yoga. Holding a master's degree in Human Anatomy, Vinod seamlessly integrates a profound understanding of the human body into his teachings, providing students with a holistic and informed approach to yoga practice.

    Having dedicated years to refining the art of yoga, Vinod is passionate about guiding individuals on their transformative journey. His classes are designed to cater to all levels, fostering physical strength, flexibility, and inner balance. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced practitioner, Vinod's nurturing guidance and deep knowledge create an inclusive and enriching learning environment.

  • Chrissie’s yoga journey took flight after completing her first 200hr in India 2015, in Ashtanga Vinyasa. This was just the scratch on the surface of something big & beautiful, and she has continued to study & train each year since. Over the past five years she has taught on numerous YTTs, in studios from UK to Bali, and has curated her own retreats.

    Her heart is now rooted in sharing the power of Hatha yoga - traditional practices that spark the journey of remembrance into the incredible potential that exists within you. Learn to embrace your practice as a spiritual science, so that you move with purpose, breathe with wisdom and begin the process of cultivating a much more intimate relationship to Self. Expect deep practices with a strong emphasis on breath, self-study/ contemplation and the incredible gifts of meditation.

    Trainings:

    200hr RYT Ashtanga Vinyasa

    200hr RYT Tantric Hatha Yoga

    200hr Synergy Yoga w/ Simon Bourg

    Level 1 Yin Yoga w/ Josh Summers

    ParaYoga Nidra Immersion

    ParaYoga Marma

    And a few more!

  • E-RYT 500 - Senior Yoga Teacher

    With a dancing and gymnastic background, Julie was naturally attracted to Yoga as a new form of body expression and a way to be fit in a busy life. But after many years travelling and a burn out in Indonesia as a scuba diving instructor, she found a more meaningful connection to her practice. Dealing with severe anxious disorder, she decided to spend some time in Thailand and India to deepen her practice through many spiritual retreats. She practiced Ashtanga in Mysore and completed her 200-hour in Hatha and Ashtanga in Rishikesh followed by her 300-hour in Advanced Vinyasa with Sudhir and Veena in Goa, India.

    She then settled in France, in Bordeaux, where she’s been teaching classes and workshops.

    For Julie, Yoga is a necessary reminder of the essential in life, of love and kindness. Reconnecting to the deepest self, the intuition. It helps her free herself and find this fragile balance between control and letting go.

    During Julie’s classes, she guides you in your practice to help you discover how your body works and find tools that suit you to feel good! We open the body and the mind, we stretch, we strengthen, we twist and we breathe. Always with a touch of humor, a little challenge, fun and a lot of kindness, she’s looking forward to seeing you on the mats!

  • RYT 500, Senior Yoga Teacher

    Charan is a Yoga Practitioner & Teacher from Karnataka, India. While following his passion for performing arts, he studied Hindustani Music, Diploma in Theater Arts from Ninasam Theatre Institute, Diploma in Dance from Attakalari Centre for movement arts. This brought him opportunities to perform across the globe. He pursued his Master’s in Yogic Science with a Gold medal from Bangalore University. He also completed his Yoga Teachers’ Training Course with the title ‘Yoga Siromani’ and Advanced Teachers’ Training Course with ‘Yoga Acharya’ at Sivananda Yoga, India. He practiced Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore from the teachers in lineage of Pattabi Jois. He has completed Ayush ‘Level 3’ Yoga teacher and RYT 200, RYT 500 certification. As a Ashtanga Yoga and Hatha Practitioner, Charan's aim in teaching Yoga is to motivate people to move toward higher consciousness.

Yoga Teacher Training Courses

Start your yoga teaching journey in Goa, India, with Sthira Yoga Teacher Training courses. Allow your passion to become your purpose and gain a Yoga Teacher Training certificate recognised by Yoga Alliance.