Our Teachers

John Norris (certified Iyengar yoga teacher)
Director and Administrator of Simply Yoga.

Always a physically active person, John was looking for something more than mere activity when he started to practice Yoga. He has discovered in his practice, the path towards peace of mind, spirituality and the true self.

2008 will mark 25 years of practice and 10 years of teaching. John has attended the Iyengar Institute in Pune – India and advanced classes with Pixie Lillas with whom he trained. Assisting Pixie in her Remedial classes, John began to develop a unique and empathetic approach to his teaching, especially toward the stressed and inflexible.

John’s classes are energising and challenging, constantly testing the boundaries of his students’ capabilities, though carefully structured for safety and restoration.

He teaches classes for all levels from Beginners 1 to Level 3 for experienced students.

He runs regular workshops and intensives, as well as retreats and private lessons. 

Jane Thomas

Jane discovered the benefits of yoga when she was a TV producer and needed an effective way of dealing with the stress of a demanding job.  Eventually yoga became a passion which led to a career change.

On completing the Nature Care College Diploma of Health (Yoga) Jane was offered a teaching position at Simply Yoga.  She is currently teaching a Gentle Yoga class and Level 1 as well as private sessions.

Over her years as a teacher, Jane has continued expanding her knowledge in remedial yoga as she believes that yoga should be accessible to everybody, regardless of age or fitness.  She has recently completed The Health and Wellbeing Arthritis Course for Yoga Teachers through the Lewis Institute. 
                                                                      

Vim Lane (certified Iyengar yoga teacher)

Vim has been practicing and studying yoga since 1988. Her classes are conducted in a traditional Classical style with precise instruction to the anatomical and physiological alignment of the body in conjunction with breath awareness.

Props are used to bring a deeper understanding to the poses.

Vim’s focus in her personal practice and her teaching is on developing inner and outer strength and exploring the calm and clarity that comes from working the body, mind and breath together.

Jennifer Taylor

Jen first stepped onto a yoga mat in 1994 to do a beginners’ course under the expert tuition of Eve Grzybowski. This sparked a keen interest which developed into regular classes with Eve who's approach to yoga and yoga teaching influenced Jen.

Jen left the academic world in 2003 (she holds a PhD in early childhood ed.) and completed her yoga teacher training with Eve at Simply Yoga.

After a short break from teaching to be at home with her two young children Jen has returned to teach the Tuesday night’s hatha class.

She also has a keen interest in pre and postnatal yoga and yoga for babies and children.

Anita Woods (certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher)

Anita Woods has been practising yoga for more than 30 years and has been teaching for over 25 years. She initially qualified as a yoga teacher with the International Yoga Teachers Association, but having always practiced in the Iyengar method she then went on to become a qualified Iyengar yoga teacher. Anita has taught in Sydney, Melbourne and the UK and also ran her own yoga studio in Leichhardt for five years. Anita is now enjoying teaching part time while studying for her Bachelor of Visual Arts at Sydney University.

Anita’s style of teaching is to focus on the action and function of an asana on the body, helping develop an awareness of how all asanas are interconnected and how they affect our mental and emotional state. “I enjoy being creative in finding solutions to individual students needs. Yoga is about each individual person; there is no right or wrong way, it’s about helping us be who we really are; physically, mentally and emotionally”.

Tania Wilson

Tania has been an active person all her life with an interest in many sports including horse riding that caused wear and tear on her body.  She started practising yoga as a form of exercise that would enable her body to cope with various injuries from being so active. 

This initial introduction led to a passionate interest in the idea that practising yoga left her feeling more of a whole person and had a positive ripple effect into many other areas in her life.

After seven years of practising yoga with most of the teachers at Simply Yoga she decided to expand her interest by completing a 12 month Teacher Training course at Qi Yoga in Manly.

 She is now ready to share some of this “elixir” with the students at Simply Yoga with the idea that students can feel rejuvenated and at peace after a well rounded class.