UQ Yoga &​
Meditation Club
our teachers
UQYMC is dedicated to our members' wellbeing and safety throughout our sessions. We are extremely grateful that we have highly experienced and well-trained teachers who generously volunteer their time to share their vast knowledge of the art of yoga and meditation with all of our members.
Have a look at their profiles below!
​
​
​
​
1. Sher Adi
Yoga healed me during a stressful time in life through self-love and acceptance. I was first introduced to yoga through outdoor community classes. Since then I have been practising yoga for several years. I completed my 200hr training in 2017 and have been teaching at various gyms and outdoor boot camp classes. To me, yoga is about community and connection.
​
I teach a modern flow, linking breath and movement, at my sessions outdoors on Wednesday afternoons. Expect physical practice, positive mindsets and visualisation savasana. I love yoga and am excited to be sharing my yoga practice with the UQ community.
Token of appreciation for our teachers!
Join us as official UQYMC members here!
Wonder what's our latest event? Check them out!
Want a souvenir of us? Our merchandise is always ready!
​
2. Rachel Friedman
I stumbled on yoga while exploring the fitness classes during Uni, and it wasn't until after graduating and starting a full-time job that yoga became more than just an energetic way to stretch.
I started volunteering at a studio in Washington, DC, getting to know the inspiring and supportive teachers, who at some point encouraged me to undertake a training to teach in 2011. Since then, I have taught in the US, a bit in the UK, and now here in Australia, always finding such passionate and caring people in the yoga communities.
I have also felt fortunate in how much they have encouraged continued learning and growth, as well as an open and mindful approach to life in general. Through these communities and the variety of yogic schools my teachers have come from, I have been exposed to a range of styles from which I have since tried to draw on in my own classes - playing with balance, flexibility, and safe alignment, while also trying to maintain that energy and playfulness that initially brought me to the practice. Looking forward to sharing this practice with, and continue to learn from, all of you at UQ.
6. Zeenat Rupawalla
Yoga from one of Patanjaliʼs sutra has been described as “Chitta Vriti Nirodha” which is - how to restrain from the fluctuations of the mind. I try to imbibe this principle and reflect that in my classes.
I have been practicing Hatha Yoga for the past two years and Ashtanga for the past four months. I recently started teaching a month ago. I am currently a PhD student at UQ, studying Molecular Biology. I embarked on this yogic journey three years ago, where I was first introduced to Yoga by my very first teacher - Jyoti Shetty in India.
One thing I would like to share, itʼs not about getting into a posture perfectly, itʼs about the journey, and how each posture makes you feel. Let go of what you are supposed to look like, submerge yourself in the true practice of yoga. Yoga is not only about practicing postures every day, itʼs a way of living.
​
9. Nirupama Tyagi (NIRU)
​
I learned and practiced the precepts of Yoga and Ayurveda through my guru ji's teachings in a small town Hisar in the Northern India, in the early 90's. Since then I have broadened my repertoire by training with teachers from various parts of the world. I have deepened her understanding of yoga over years while teaching in various parts of the world.
I take an anatomy-based approach to Yoga. Since we all differ in our body alignment, so our practice must also be specific to our bodies. Having said that she teaches yoga steeped in the old tradition.
I uses graceful flows, attention to breath, combined with intention-setting and conducive soundtrack, ensuring presence and joy in every moment on the mat.
I aim for the classes to be elevating , exciting and deeply connecting.
​
10. Jonathan Davies
​
I believe that meditation can be learned easily and intuitively by all. I taught myself to meditate while in my teens and enjoyed awakening to my potential by experimenting with different ways of calming and focusing the mind. More recently I’ve learned Raja Yoga Meditation, Vipassana, Mindfulness, Stillness, Guided Imagery and Contemplation meditations, training under eminent Australian and international teachers including S.N. Goenka, Ian Gawler and Eric Harrison. I predominantly teach mindfulness, stillness and contemplation meditation.
I’m also a neuroscientist and cognitive psychology researcher, currently completing a PhD at the University of Sydney and University of Queensland that aims to understand the cognitive mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation improves outcomes in chronic pain.
My meditation classes are a laboratory for the mind, integrating both traditional contemplative and modern research perspectives.
11. Alexander Wolfer
​
Alexandra began practicing yoga at seven years old and found it really stabilised to come back to it during the stress of her undergraduate degree. She is currently a fellow UQ student completing her masters degree. She completed her YTT200 (Basic Yoga Teacher training) in 2018 and enjoys to integrate functional mobility into her classes. She loves to share her meditation and yoga practice with fellow students and is excited to join the UQYMC team in 2020.
12. Carla Garcia Viñas
Originally from Barcelona, Carla landed in Brisbane two years ago and she calls it home now.
Always inspired by yoga, fitness and all sorts of movement, after years of exploring mind and body connection through her practice, she followed her passion and became a yoga and pilates teacher.
Carla combines teaching part time in a few studios around Brisbane with her office job in a hotel. Her classes are fun, challenging and playful. She guides her students through a flow of breath and movement to achieve a deep connection within that allows to let go of the busy lives we all carry on.
13. Jaclyn Thompson
I started yoga to increase my flexibility and balance out some of the strain that long distance running was putting on my body. As my practice progressed, I realised that I was benefiting not only from the physical aspects of yoga, but also the mental and spiritual. When the world around me made me feel overwhelmed or anxious, yoga and meditation helped bring me back to the present moment, to a calm and peaceful place inside of me, my true self.
Last year I decided to take the next step in my journey and do a level one instructors course. This year I want to challenge myself further to share what I have learned with those around me, and hopefully deepen my knowledge and understanding further through teaching. I hope that you will join me and share your wisdom and energy with me.
​
​
​
Now that you know our UQYMC teachers are more than dedicated and passionate to volunteer their time, it's time to register with us as UQYMC member!
​
Interested in teaching yoga and/or meditation with us? Get in touch with us through our email or any of our social media platforms!
​
Thanks for reading!
More to come! Stay tuned.
13. Kira Platt-Behrens
I've grown up in Brisbane and always enjoyed spending time in the local parks, forests, mountains, and beaches. It just makes me feel so refreshed, inspired and calm. Yoga and meditation have been a great friend to me during the ups and downs of high school and studying environmental science at university. Now I’m combining my interests in mindfulness and nature to guide Forest Therapy walks in Brisbane! Mindful connection with nature can bring us back in tune with our roots, helping our wellbeing and helping the Earth to receive our care when it needs it the most! Come for a wander with me and allow yourself receive ‘the medicine of the forest’.
14. Kashmira Lal
Yoga has always been a way for me to check in with myself, and my current state of being. Over the years, I wanted to develop my practice further, and in 2018 I decided to travel to South India and complete my 200-hour Teacher Training. This led me to prolong my stay in an Ashram with my Guru for a further 2 months. This is when the meaning and philosophy of Yoga really started to blossom for me. To travel back to the birthplace of Yoga and learn the traditional practice and how it’s changed and adapted over the years as it has traveled to the West has given me a deeper understanding of Yoga's role in today's society. I learned what a teacher’s responsibility is to the student when I met and crossed paths with so many teachers In India.
It’s a continuous practice and my greatest lesson was upon returning home, when I had to integrate Yoga into modern life and society. My practice integrates traditional Hatha (Rajdhiraja) and physiotherapy. I try and learn about you and what you would like to see in a class and to integrate your needs in each practice. I also bring a big focus to breathe and connection to the planet around us through guided meditations. I hope to bring a deeper understanding of the philosophy of yoga to your practice.
I am currently completing my Master’s in Public Health at UQ and look forward to meeting other fellow students and teachers.
