The Yoga Space - Nelson, New Zealand, NZ

Rod qualified initially as an Iyengar yoga teacher in 1992, and moved on to ashtanga yoga after taking an inspiring course with Derek Ireland.  He finds ashtanga challenging and immensely rewarding - "it is a strong physical practice and its emphasis on breathwork links into my psychological and spiritual practices of psychotherapy and meditation".

His main influences have been John Scott and Donna Farhi. He's completed teacher training courses with both John Scott and David Swenson and has also worked with most of the other leading exponents of ashtanga yoga.

Through his teaching  he would like to share his love of yoga and spread the message that it is great physical exercise and can be so much more.
He work with students at all levels of experience.

Ali

My interest in yoga began in 1997 with Iyengar. In 1998 I was inspired by the flowing sequence of postures and the emphasis on breath of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. This tradition of yoga has been my main focus since then. Over the years I have been privileged to work with John Scott, Richard Freeman, Gerry Kielty, Liz Lark, Marika Cominos, Donna Farhi and Marcia Monroe. Through their teaching I have come to understand yoga as a way of life which goes beyond asana practice. I have personally become aware of, and have observed in others, the many benefits of a regular yoga practice. For me, yoga is more than physical exercise. It is a resource which enables me to explore my spiritual, psychological and emotional well-being.

My personal passion for yoga awoke in me an interest in sharing this with others. In 2005 I began an apprenticeship teacher training in Manchester UK with Ashtanga teacher Rod Watson and later with Ashtanga teacher Matt Ryan. In the UK I combined a full-time teaching career, working with children with physical disabilities, with teaching yoga part-time. Since moving to New Zealand in September 2007 I have been fortunate to be able to dedicate more time to teaching yoga.

In January 2008 I completed an advanced yoga teacher training certification programme with Donna Farhi. This unique approach to yoga is influenced by the Body Mind Centering work of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Emphasis is placed on working with fundamental developmental movement patterns and engaging with the different bodily systems. These are combined with attention to the yamas, niyamas (ethical precepts), asanas (postures), pranyama (mindful breathing) and meditation. Donna Farhi's approach to yoga complements any tradition of yoga and I am excited about bringing this into my Ashtanga practice.