Kate Haskard
Studio Owner

Having a corporate background myself, I know first hand the importance of balance - especially in high stress, deadline driven roles.

“While working in the corporate world, I had this vague sense of searching for something, for looking for some kind of ‘peace’ that couldn’t be articulated. I certainly wasn’t expecting Yoga to shape my life when I walked into my first studio.
I thought I was looking for exercise and relaxation, but I wasn’t expecting Yoga to shape my body, mind and spirit all at once.”

“In that room I found a space where I could let go of my judgements and just be me. I found a space where I could challenge myself both physically and mentally; to be awake, to really listen to my soul and my body. I found the space to get back to the essence of what it means to be alive- the breath, movement, energy, wholeness. I found community and spirituality; I found the space to reassess and reconnect to what’s truly important; how to find the Joy in this moment, in the stillness- right now.
And what I love is that I continue to find new spaces, day by day, practice by practice. Yoga is the journey by which I continue to discover my truest self.”

In 2016 I left my corporate role to pursue my passion for Yoga and moved to Canberra with my partner and two children in 2018.

Kate Rafferty

Initially, I was drawn to yoga for the physical benefits. Like a lot of people, I wanted to become strong and flexible. After developing a regular practice, I noticed a wonderful shift in my thought patterns. I discovered that I enjoyed the mental benefits of yoga as much as the physical. Each class offered me the opportunity to strengthen and stretch my body, while providing a much needed vacation from my monkey mind.

For me, the benefits of yoga are unparalleled. Yoga has so many layers: philosophy, anatomy, personal reflection and self-study, alignment, human connection, focus, lots of challenges and ultimately surrender (and the list goes on!). It is this diversity and depth of learning that makes me an eternal student; yoga nourishes my body and mind.

I believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of yoga. It can provide guidance and a safe place, when life begins to overwhelm. Yoga cultivates stability, strength and flexibility – for body and mind - in a world where finding balance is becoming increasingly difficult.

Marcus Hayman

My name is Marcus Hayman, and I'm a passionate yoga instructor with seven years of teaching experience. In my yoga journey, I've discovered that the body is an incredible vessel of possibilities, capable of tremendous growth and transformation. I love delving deep into understanding how the body moves and exploring its potential. For me, pushing the edge is not only exhilarating but also an incredible pathway to self-discovery and personal growth. Throughout my teaching career, I've had the privilege of guiding students of all levels on their own yoga journeys. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced practitioner, I'm dedicated to creating a safe and supportive space for you to explore and expand your practice. My classes are characterised by a blend of strength, flexibility, and mindfulness. I believe in cultivating a balanced practice that challenges the body and mind while honouring individual limitations and promoting self-care. Join me on the mat, and let's embark on a transformative journey together. Through the practice of yoga, we'll uncover the boundless potential within ourselves and experience the harmony of body, mind, and spirit. Together, let's embrace the beauty of pushing the edge and deepening our understanding of who we truly are.

Tamsyn Preston

Tamsyn was initially drawn to yoga to complement her allied health job in helping people recover from injury and find freedom of movement. She believes the benefits to be more than just bending your body into awkward shapes. Rather she views it as an opportunity to explore the balance of effort and ease in body, breath and mind; noticing the echoes a regular practice has on your day-to-day life. Tamsyn invites you to view each class as a chance to suspend your identity, roles and responsibilities, noticing where you are at on any given day and shaping your practice around this. Whether facilitating stronger dynamic flows or restful restorative poses, Tamsyn draws on yogic philosophy, explores the interplay of all aspects of self, and ultimately holds space for some presence in a chaotic world.

Amber Janiszewska

Amber has been a yoga enthusiast for two decades, first coming to yoga purely for the physical asana practice. It wasn’t until her early 30’s, when she undertook prenatal and yoga nidra classes that she truly appreciated all the benefits and blessings yoga offers, beyond the physical, and credits the application of pranayama techniques and mantra in aiding the birth of her children.

In 2019, Amber left paid employment to help her mother care for her terminally ill father, a humbling and transformative experience, from which she sought solace in her yoga practice. As fate/good fortune would have it, her local studio offered teacher training (thankyou universe), where Amber completed her 350hr teacher’s qualification.

Amber now spends her time teaching between Canberra and the South Coast, while caring for her family.

“Those that know me, know I don’t take myself too seriously. Life outside the studio can be serious enough, so I try to keep my classes light-hearted and joyful.

Whether it’s for the sun salutations or the savasana, the meditations or the mantras, the child’s pose or the chakras; the pranayama or the peace; I don’t mind why you’re here, I’m just glad you are. I hope to see you on the mat soon!”

Carmen Jereb

I have been in the “movement industry” since I was 10 years old. After 11 years of studying contemporary dance in Romania, I decided to share my passion for the movement body by becoming a dance teacher while studying at university. Moving to Australia, I discovered yoga, initially in Sydney but more so after relocating to Canberra. I practised yoga for the last few years, and in January 2017 I became a Level 1 (285 hours) Vinyasa Flow certified yoga teacher.

Yoga has allowed me to rediscover myself and my passion for dance and movement. Initially, maybe like many others, I thought that yoga is just a physical practice, but soon I discovered it is a lot more. It is truly about the whole of me – mind, body and spirit. Now through my yoga practice, and during my classes, I try to bring this awareness and mindfulness towards one’s inner self and inner happiness.

Amanda Morley

Amanda was introduced to yoga during university, to help manage performance anxiety. It was not love at first downward dog, but she developed an interest in the philosophy and that is what kept her coming back. She started teaching as part of a natural extension of further study into the practice and it’s been a continual evolving path.

Amanda's classes are holistic and therapeutic. She has experienced the therapeutic benefits of the practice, and aims to make the practice accessible to everyone. You will deepen your awareness of physical alignment and anatomy, learn modifications to optimise your practice, embody philosophy and experience the effects of meditation and pranayama.

She encourages students to look inwards and approaches the practice with an inquiring mind, an open heart and laughter. With a strong focus on physical alignment she weaves philosophy, mythical stories and tales of the everyday to connect students to their body, mind, breath and the practice of yoga, while encouraging mindful living off the mat. Amanda has completed over 1000 hours of training and offers workshops and teacher training in REY Aligned Yoga.

Ebony May

About 10 years ago I began to notice a shift in what I now know to be my consciousness and developed a deep curiosity for spirituality and connection between earth, mind, body and soul. I love being active and exploring and learning about practices that pop culture would describe as ‘alternate’ but have always felt very normal and natural to me. I also began attending yoga classes about the same time but in the past 4-5 years the urge to ‘do’ more yoga began to feel more of a calling or something that I am meant to do. I enjoy all styles of yoga but when I discovered Tantric Hatha and the energetics as well as the sense of peace, I began to practice and learn about it more regularly. When the opportunity arose for a 200hr YTT immersion in one of my favourite places in the world, Jindabyne, I knew that this was for me. My primary intention at the beginning of the training was to just open up to be able to absorb all the learnings and that this experience was just the beginning of a life long journey as a student of yoga. I have absolutely fallen in love with the philosophy of Ayurveda, Yoga and Tantra and would love to share the feelings of complete balance and peace and that it can be achieved by simple movements with breath techniques.
I am hoping to guide people through a practice where they feel as though they have had a beautiful experience for not just their bodies, but their souls..

Amanda Jezek

I love how in yoga we dance between the light and dark. Some days you're lighting up the mat and rocking out some poses and other days you uncover some junk hiding in your hips or shoulders and you just feel like doing 1 hour of child's pose or savasana.

After always being involved in the fitness industry and pushing my body physically, I found yoga when I needed to slow down and help me deal with the anxiety and depression  from losing my dad to a sudden heart attack.

Yoga during this difficult time helped me connect to my breath (which is really hard with anxiety), shift my focus and find gratitude with all the beauty I already had in my life. 

Haeyoung Moon

I initially turned to yoga to compliment running help me through injuries and post-operative rehab. I was aware of the physical benefits of yoga but the more I practiced, the more I found it was having a profound effect on my mind, body and soul. I felt accepted, energized and calm.

I completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa and 50hr Yin yoga training whilst living overseas in Thailand.

I love how yoga is not about competing or judging, it is about you (and you are enough!) and your journey of self discovery. I strongly believe that yoga can benefit anyone and everyone regardless of age, gender or whatever other sports you do. I also believe yoga should be accesible to all and would love to share my practice with you in the studio.

Radhika Gupta

Radhika has been passionately practicing yoga for over 10 years and has been teaching it since 2016. Radhika is a Master of Yoga or Yoga Acharya who teaches classical Hatha yoga. Yoga training and teaching follows the tradition of Yoga practice established by Swami Sivananda. She has undertaken many professional development training programs in yoga and meditation practices.
Her own style of teaching has been influenced by several well-known teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching styles.
Radhika is an experienced coach helping people to improve their well-being. She is an effective and entertaining facilitator and has a strong background as a teacher of Hatha Yoga and mindfulness.
She works extensively with individuals, coaching and supporting them to lead happier, more fulfilled lives. Radhika integrates her intuition and creativity with a focused and systematic approach.
She has extensive experience in leading yoga and meditation classes for groups of various sizes; has conducted yoga workshops; taught in embassies, companies and schools; delivered customised yoga training and rehabilitation programs successfully helping in recovery from certain diseases; and, led yoga retreats in Australia as well as in India.

Lorelle Bunyan

Prior to becoming a Les Mills Body Balance instructor in 2011, Lorelle practised yoga for around 25 years. She later discovered YogaFit, a hatha style founded in yoga, grounded in fitness, that aims to make yoga accessible to the gym population.

As well as the base YogaFit modules, she has completed the YogaFit for Warriors (Trauma-Sensitive yoga) 150 hour training programme, and YogaFit for Seniors and Children. Her Vinyasa Flow Teacher training (285 hours) was completed with Yoga Trinity in 2017. Lorelle’s passion is Yin Yoga and she is heavily influenced and inspired by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. She completed level 1 and level 2 Yin Yoga and Mindfulness teacher training with Sarah Owen, an Insight Yoga Teacher endorsed by Sarah Power’s Insight Yoga Institute. Lorelle has also completed teacher training in Yin Meridian Theory and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yoga taught by Jo Phee, one of Paul Grilley’s senior teachers.

Yoga has aided Lorelle with her own recovery from depression and physical injury. She enjoys sharing yoga with others so they too may find their own path to health and inner peace

Donna Cassoni

I first ventured into a yoga studio in an effort to find some respite from an overactive mind. Little did I know at that time that the Yoga Sutras define yoga as stilling the fluctuations of the mind. All I knew was that I needed to try it. Yoga became my friend immediately. The kind of friend that lifts you up and keeps things real. The calling to share the benefits of yoga led me to begin my teacher training journey in 2021 at Balanced Yoga. After completing my 350hr teacher training in June 2022 my teaching journey began! My classes are built around a flow sequence with attention on individual poses and alignment, with the aim of building strength and heat in the body while stilling the mind. I would love to share the magic of yoga with you.

Jenny Muller

My journey into Pilates commenced in 2020, a pivotal period marked by the challenges of a demanding job that took a toll on my mental well-being. Seeking solace, I turned to Pilates to restore balance and forge a reconnection with my mind and body. As my commitment deepened, a burgeoning love and passion for Pilates emerged, driven by the profound impact it had on both my physical and mental health. In 2022, fuelled by the desire to share these transformative benefits, I completed my matwork training and swiftly transitioned into teaching. Crafting classes where seamless exercises flowed into one another, I guided clients to move with precision and control, emphasizing the breath as both an aid and a challenge. Building on this foundation, 2023 witnessed the completion of my reformer qualification. Looking ahead to 2024, my journey continues with a commitment to further education, as I strive to obtain my Diploma of Professional Pilates. For me, the ability to inspire and assist others in achieving physical vitality and mental clarity is a true blessing. Guiding individuals on their wellness journey has become more than a profession – it's a calling that brings fulfillment and purpose to each step of my Pilates practice and teaching career.

Sarah Nuttridge

Sarah (Sare) started her yoga journey over eight years ago when diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. With mobility in mind, she started her personal practice with Power Yoga and Yin Yoga when living in Brisbane, and then trained in Vinyasa with Yoga Trinity a year after she moved to Canberra. Today, she is a full-time Yoga Teacher, Thai Yoga Massage and Reiki Practitioner, and she continues to expand her skills into health and wellness, studying Yoga Therapy through The Yoga Therapy Institute (formerly Enlightened Events).

One of Sarah’s main interests and enjoyments in yoga is to provide students with options and props so they may customise their practice for their body, breath and mind. As part of this passion, she is an Accessible Yoga Ambassador. When she finishes her Yoga Therapy training, Sarah wants to expand into helping people living with disabilities, chronic conditions, and neurological conditions in a therapeutic, accessible approach to health and wellbeing.

Emily Nicola

Emily's journey with yoga began as a way to recover from a number of sports injuries. Always an active person, she fell in love with yoga not only for the physical benefits but also for its ability to heal and transform. Emily loves how yoga has enabled her to gain a deeper connection and respect for her body through the physical practice, and helped her move past the resistances that life throws up. Emily believes that our bodies have amazing ways of healing themselves - we just have to listen. Her classes bring an alignment focus to the flow, encouraging students to strengthen their practice and open their bodies without injury and teaches students how yoga can benefit both on the mat and in their daily lives. For newer or more experienced students alike she works to make her classes both accessible and challenging and she ensures you'll leave feeling nurtured, restored and rejuvenated.

Ailsa McPherson

Ailsa first came to yoga around 25 years ago after nervously entering a yoga class at the local gym. In yoga Ailsa found an environment where she could connect with her body and mind in a non-judgemental way and discovered a love of movement. To manage the stress and isolation of lockdowns and uncertainty during the pandemic, Ailsa commenced a regular meditation practice, and in 2022 completed her level 1 meditation teacher training. In 2023 Ailsa commenced her level 1 yoga teacher training at Balanced Yoga studio in Kingston, graduating in 2024. Ailsa loves the opportunity to explore building physical strength, flexibility and resilience within yoga in combination with awareness, self-compassion, joy and acceptance.

Jamie Tomlinson

Love the sweetness of life. Yoga has helped me find bliss and joy in life using the teachings of yoga to guide me through my journey. The eight limbs have been powerful for me and I use these in my classes. When teaching, my focus is on poses that build heat in the body and mind to relax into a more peaceful sate at the end. I strive to make the classes accessible to all, enjoyable and add a little bit a humour.