Nina Saacks

Nina has been teaching Integral Hatha Yoga with her mother since 2004 after graduating from the Ananda Kutir Ashrama in Rondebosch, Cape Town, in 2003. 

Over the years Nina's love for yoga and the very many different forms it comes in has led her to experience yoga and anatomy classes and workshops with local and international teachers. All these teachings have influenced her to create her own unique style, with focus on asanas, pranayama and yoga nidra in each class.  

Apart from being a yoga teacher, Nina graduated from UCT, with a business science marketing degree in 2005, created Yoga Awakening Africa online yoga portal, is one of the directors and teachers for the Academy of Yoga and Ayurveda Teacher Training Course, facilitating new students on their path to teaching yoga.

With all the many opportunities, changes and challenges that life hands us, Conny has retired from teaching yoga full time and has handed the studio over to Nina. Nina’s fresh approach to the ancient mind-body discipline means a collaboration between the western mind and the eastern body; the esoteric and the scientific, as well as between the different yoga styles and techniques practised throughout South Africa. 

Her yoga journey continues each and every day in which ever form it manifests opening the space for new opportunities, growth, travel and understanding so that it may be shared and experienced by others too.
​

Nina travels regularly so she holds classes and courses when she is in town. ​

Juanita

​Juanita: Having more than 9 years of teaching experience with teacher trainings with Ananda Kutir Ashram and advanced teacher training in Rishikesh, India with Jim Harrington, Juanita integrates her passion for Iyengar, Sivananda Yoga and Yoga Synergy into a mindful Hatha class with Vinyasa sequences. The pace gently builds up into sets of sequences which follow from warm ups with flexibility movements, to postures that flow in a Vinyasa form, with recovery static postures in between, to seated and supine poses that end with relaxation. Juanita teaches with mindfulness and gentle calmness to create an overall feeling of wellness and serenity.

Sharm

Sharm: Everyone in the Monday evening class knows Sharm, her and Margi forming the unmistakable naughty corner, bringing happiness, lightness and fun to each class they’re in. Sharm completed her teacher training course at Ananda Kutir Ashram a few years back and is now finally using her qualification to teach. Sharm has been doing yoga for years (probably longer than Nina's been alive!) and will bring a deeper understanding of the traditional Indian wisdom to the postures and classes. 
​

Anneke

​Anneke: has been teaching at the studio for over two years now and was one of our first qualified yoga teachers that the Academy of Yoga produced. As those of you who have been with me for the last 12 years know, teaching and finding one’s personal groove and style takes time. Anneke with her gentleness, kindness and compassion towards others makes her a lovely teacher. Don't be fooled by her gentle nature... her classes can sometimes be quite the opposite. Anyone looking for a little challenge will enjoy this class.

Jennifer

Jennifer: Most of you have heard me speak highly of Jennifer, yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Practitioner. She is one of the first Hatha teachers in Cape Town (not the oldest!) and teachers on the Academy of Yoga and Ayurveda Yoga Teacher Training Course on Saturdays.
She offers beautiful yoga classes from her studio in Kalk Bay as well as private yoga therapy sessions. 

Piera

​Piera has been practising yoga for over 10 years, exploring Integral, Iyengar, Ashtanga and Kundalini yoga before choosing to undergo her teacher training in Integral Yoga and the complementary science of Ayurveda. She has just started teaching after completing the 300-hour teaching training course with the Academy of Yoga and Ayurveda, and welcomes the opportunity that each class presents to share the joy and light of yoga with students. Yoga has enriched her life immeasurably, and continues to guide and support her journey.

Rabia

My name is Rabia and I started my yoga journey in 1999 with my teacher, Ivan Agherdien, who was taught by Mother Yogeshawari from the Sivananda lineage.
I fell in love with the practice and became an accredited Integral Hatha Yoga teacher in 2016 and have immediately been given the wonderful opportunity of teaching. 
I am mesmerised by the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and health benefits the practice offers/makes us experience.
Yoga takes me out of my comfort zone and encourages me to do things I would not normally try, it makes me exceed personal limitations set by myself, thereby bringing about a sense of growth and accomplishment.
Through the practice of yoga, unbeknown to myself, I have grown in various ways, it is a journey of self-discovery.