E-RYT500, YACEP

In 2004, after four years of dedicated practice in a diversity of yoga lineages including Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar yoga, Tamsin completed her first teacher training with Louisa Sears at Yogarts. She subsequently completed an intensive two-year Bihar teacher training with Carly Louw at Yoga Connection in Pretoria, and travelled to Kerala, India to study Sivananda asana, chanting, puja and philosophy. In 2009 Tamsin completed additional teacher training with Shimon Ben Avi, and between November 2016 and March 2018 she completed her 300hr Advanced Yoga Teachers Training with Patrick Creelman and Rinat Perlman in Hong Kong.

She has a special interest in the role of yoga as a practice of healing and repair on all levels of Being. Her most inspiring work comes from teaching on The Shala’s Teacher Training programmes. The art of lymphology and digestion are key focus points for workshops and courses. Tamsin opened The Shala – Cape Town Yoga School in 2007.

MSc, E-RYT500, YACEP

Thomas has taught yoga since 2008, alongside the study and practice of nutritional therapy and naturopathy.

Thomas completed MSc Advanced Complementary Medicine (Research & Practice) in 2021, writing his dissertation as a constructivist grounded theory exploration of yoga instructors’ understanding of eating disorders.

Thomas teaches group and individual yoga classes, anatomy and physiology modules on 200hr and 300hr yoga teacher training courses, and presents workshops on food science and digestive health.

RYT500

Yanna guides her students into embodied presence through immersive practices blending asana, breathwork, and mindfulness. Offering clear language and imagery, as well as deep pockets of silence, her sessions promote physical fluency, heart-mind integration, and nervous system restoration.

Certified as an RYT500 yoga teacher from The Shala and a qualified Mindfulness Facilitator through IMISA and Stellenbosch University, Yanna also holds an Honours Degree in Human Geography from the University of Cape Town. With 7 years of full-time teaching across diverse settings, and a personal yoga practice spanning 14 years, she brings a wealth of experience to her classes.

At the heart of Yanna’s teaching is her reverence for the human creative spirit, which can transcend polarities and illuminate new pathways forward – at the individual and collective levels.

RYT500

Naomi was introduced to yoga at a young age. Her mother is a senior Iyengar yoga teacher and her passionate immersion in the tradition has been foundational to Naomi’s own love of the practice. She completed her 200hr teacher training at The Shala in 2016, and her 300hr advanced teacher training at The Shala in 2021.

Naomi has been teaching group yoga classes, plus private and corporate clients. She aims to integrate the alignment precision of Iyengar yoga with the fluidity of vinyasa yoga to provide students with safe, intelligently sequenced classes. She encourages students to practice intuitively, to move and breathe consciously, and to curiously explore the internal connections that make up each pose. She hopes to facilitate this ‘connection-finding’ through clear instruction and as much individual attention and hands-on adjustments as possible.

RYT500

Néna Butler is an actress, yoga student and qualified yoga teacher with a passion for helping people find more comfort, joy and connection on their yoga mat and in life. She grew up in Noordhoek and was introduced to yoga as a teenager and since then her curiosity and love for the practice have blossomed. She completed her 200hr and 300hr training at The Shala and considers this space her home away from home. “Yoga for me is freedom, self love, community and strength. The practice is a powerful, multifaceted gift that I hope to share through my classes and interactions with people.”

RYT500

For Magenta, yoga is a practice that has become the foundation of her daily life, which stimulated a desire to learn more about the complex interactions of our anatomy and physiology. She has a special interest in the practice of yoga as a method of self-connection and repair. Her most inspiring work comes from teaching private clients as it grants the opportunity for going deeper.

After five years of dedicated practice, Magenta went on to complete both her 200hr (in 2018) & 300hr advanced teachers training (in 2020) at The Shala Cape Town Yoga School.

“Whether you already have a practice or are embarking on a new journey, yoga is about practising intuitively, but consciously with breath, finding the tools that work for you, and integrating them into daily life.”

RYT500

Len-Barry was introduced to yoga through theatre and performing training at the University of Stellenbosch. Tightly knitted into the physical theatre leg of the course was the necessity to explore the physicality and internal environment of the human body. After graduating in 2015, he completed both RYT200 and RYT300 yoga teacher training at The Shala. Len-Barry encourages his students to be curious not only about the external expression of the asanas, but also the relationship between mind and body, how we can use the practice of yoga to shift our internal reality and energy states.

RYT500

Through a lifetime of curious exploration, Candice has developed a self-practice rooted in intuitive movement, yoga, meditation, breath work and self-study. She believes this potent combination of weaving breath, movement, contemplation and meditation is the path to healing and empowerment.

Candice’s teachings are mindful and explorative, threaded with embodied philosophy. She holds space for students to journey to their own rhythms and embodiment as gateways to embrace their depths, delighting in their own empowerment and awakening.

MA, RYT500

Firdose is a yoga teacher and researcher, a history nerd and a sports reporter and broadcaster, who studies the personal and physical as political. She holds a Masters in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is undertaking further research focused on lesser known developments in yoga history and exploring how the practice can be used in the cause of self-discovery and social justice. Firdose has taught asana classes since 2017 and yoga humanities on over 30 registered yoga teacher trainings since 2019. She also runs an ongoing yoga education program and encourages students to both act and think critically, curiously and creatively in the pursuit of greater understanding.

Harriet has been practicing yoga for the last 25 years; initially studying and practicing the Ashtanga form in London under the guidance of Liz Lark and Gingi Lee. Since arriving in South Africa 16 years ago and discovering the fabulous and friendly Capetonian yoga community, she learned to deepen and vary her practice from a pure Ashtanga base; and found an even greater respect for her body upon falling pregnant for the first time in 2007, thus softening her practice and increasing her fulfillment from yoga.

“The commitment I made to yoga during my pregnancies taught me an enormous amount about my body, about my practice and about myself. Without a doubt it increased the enjoyment and ease of my pregnancy, the birth and my recovery from the birth. I also truly believe it has influenced the characters and wellbeing of my children. Since becoming pregnant, I have developed a deep interest in pre-natal yoga and how this combined with diet and exercise can influence a pregnancy and birth.”

RYT500

Physical activity runs in Mandisa’s blood and when she found yoga in 2013 she had found the best type of physical discipline. She believes that yoga is the art, the mat is the canvas and the body is the paintbrush. Yoga allows her to fully express her passion, her thoughts and her desires both on and off the mat. Mandisa completed her 200hr teacher training at Yoga Warrior in Johannesburg, and her 300hr advanced teacher training at The Shala in 2021.

Teaching yoga has become an extension of who she is; very expressive, she loves working with people as well as adjusting students in order to get them deeper into a pose. She brings smiles, freedom and loves building strength both mentally and physically in her practice and teachings. If you like to be mentally challenged and taken into an adventure of the self and into the unknown, then do try out her classes.

E-RYT500, YACEP

Kathleen’s yoga journey is largely inspired by her mother who has been a dance instructor for over 30yrs and has always had a strong interest in eastern philosophy. Due to her mother’s influence, Kathleen’s understanding of the connection between movement, spirituality and healing began to develop at a young age, and has acted as her stepping stone into the world of yoga.

In May 2015, Kathleen left her position as film producer and took a leap of faith to begin her journey toward becoming a yoga teacher. She completed her 200hr teacher training in 2015 and her 300hr advanced teacher-training in 2020; both with The Shala.

Kathleen has a passion for teaching beginners. She strives to encourage all her students to be mindful about their alignment and foundation, to embrace their inner teacher, and to take the time to develop a self-practice. Kathleen feels strongly about the importance of addressing mental health issues through movement and meditation, and continues to use yoga as a tool to help her clients with depression, anxiety and other illnesses.

RYT200

Mana Weideman  started practicing yoga in 2017.

Brought up in a deeply disconnected environment, yoga helped me find my way into my body. I studied permaculture in 2019, and as I practiced and facilitated, I realized how similar the practices are – permaculture being the language of the earth, and yoga the language of the body.

In 2022 I completed my first accredited 200hr teacher-training with Bodsphere, whilst staying on a farm and offering yoga to permaculture practitioners. Thereafter, I completed my second RYT200 with Yoga Life in 2022, and my third RYT200 with The Shala in 2024.

As a student I am always hungry to learn, and by learning, deepen my own self-practice. Integrating the darkest parts of my being helps me be of service to others, by using yoga to heal and remember that connecting to ourselves is connecting to the spirit of the earth.

My classes offer a journey inwards, attending to the needs of our vessels; and also outwards, reconnecting to the practices of stewardship of the earth. By combining the language of the earth and of our bodies, my classes offer spaces to ground, root, surrender and return to the safety of the earth and ourselves.

In memory of Adila Soeker, who passed away at dawn on Wednesday 5th June, 2024. Adila was part of our Shala since 2007, as a friend, and as the most incredible philosophy teacher on all of our teacher training courses since 2012. She had the gift of holding self-enquiry and deep philosophical discussions with clarity and relevance. She was at all times honest, authentic and genuine. She was a powerful truth speaker, coupled with kindness, compassion and the Grace of the Divine. She profoundly touched so many of the lives in our yoga community