Yoga Nieuw Vennep

Yoga Teachers

At Yoga Nieuw Vennep we have many very experienced Iyengar Yoga teachers teaching at the studio. Sarah-Jane Rawkins is our head teacher and owner of the studio in Haarlemmermeer. Furthermore we have a pool of very experienced teachers coming from Amsterdam, Haarlem, The Hague, etc to teach you at our studio in Nieuw Vennep. If you want to find out who is teaching when, find out in our monthly schedule. Want to get to know our teachers?

Sarah-Jane Rawkins

Head Teacher and Studio Owner

It was during a trip to Thailand in 1997 that I was first introduced to yoga. From the first class, I was instilled with a deep interest and awe for the practice that still grows to this day. Through studying many different styles, I have come to appreciate the Iyengar system of Yoga the most; particularly the approach of precision, integrity, authenticity and serious discipline.

I now have over 10 years experience teaching and am the owner of Yoga Nieuw Vennep. I completed the 3-year Iyengar Teacher Training program in the Netherlands in 2007. Through further training I received my Intermediate Junior 3 certificate in 2017. I have also completed a 3-year therapeutic course to be able to teach and apply the therapeutic attributes of Iyengar yoga so that I can help and guide people with injuries, illness or physical limitations. I continue to work towards higher levels of practice and teaching taking part in workshops and retreats around the world including visiting the Iyengar Institute in Pune India to study directly with the Iyengars.

I believe Yoga is a lifelong journey of exploration, which is ever evolving... "The more you learn, the more there is to learn, penetrating deeper levels of yourself, your life, and your understanding. I love to share my knowledge and hope to light the spark of inspiration in others as it was once light in me”

Paula Soares

I discovered Yoga 19 years ago and ever since yoga has been an integral part of my life.

A few years after I came across Iyengar Yoga, a style of yoga that I truly connect with, I enrolled in a teacher training at the BKS Iyengar Yoga Institute of Amsterdam. At first, I just wanted to deepen my practice and learn more, but soon I realized how this intensive training was changing my life.
I am fascinated with the therapeutic aspects of Iyengar Yoga, which I continue to study. I have also assisted with the medical classes for a few years at the BKS Iyengar Yoga Institute. Traveling to Pune and studying with the Iyengar family was a turning point in my personal practice. Every few years I return there to expand my knowledge.In Europe, I continue my studies with Patxi Lizardi and Delilah King.

In classes, details are my forte and I strive to find the best way to reach each and every student.

“Yoga is a light, which once lit, never dim. The better we practice the brighter the flame”

Daniela Gfeller

In 2001, I reluctantly joined a fellow IT colleague for a yoga class at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Amsterdam. I didn’t think it would be my cup of tea, but I was proven wrong. I liked the active form of asanas and precision of Iyengar Yoga and noticed the physical/mental benefits.

I joined the Teacher Training Program in 2006 with the intent of intensifying my own yoga practice, though I quickly started teaching my own classes once completing the 3-year study. Teaching inspired me to help others by sharing the knowledge I have gained in this journey.

At the moment, I am a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher at the Intermediate Junior 2-level and continue to study with many senior teachers in the Netherlands and abroad. I have further specialised in therapeutic applications of Iyengar yoga through the 3 years study and am assisting in the weekly medical classes at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Amsterdam. Furthermore, I've completed the 2-years Sutras study with Gitte Bechsgaard and Sheila Haswell and am enrolled for the new advanced studies to deepen the link from the asanas to the philosophical part of the yoga sutras of Patanjali.

My teaching style is challenging but clear and precise. In my classes, I believe in creating a firm foundation first and then gradually building up as to go deeper into one's practice. I strive to help students develop and improve their relationship with their bodies.

“Seeing a student in Savasana and noticing how much they have changed since they first entered the classroom is just wonderful and that makes me very happy and proud”.

Steffie Manait

After following an Iyengar Yoga class for the first time I was totally interested in this style of yoga. I felt a strong connection with the precision and the energy of practising the asanas. I registered for the Introductory Teacher Training course in 2017 to deepen my Yoga practise and to learn more about my own body. During this intensive journey over the last three years, I feel open to learn more and to do better. I start to share my understandings with others to develop my knowledge in human bodies and to have a nice and active practise together.

‘Body is the bow, asana is the arrow and the soul is the target’

Ela Chauhan

My first yoga lessons as a student in London were Iyengar. Yes, growing up in England in a traditional Indian family, but only started Yoga as a student! I look as if I should be an experienced yogini, but have a western-raised body and know what people are going through. I have had inspiring teachers that includes workshops given by Mr Iyengar on his visits to London!

The philosophy and the methods are in my blood and my passion is to lead people to discovering their bodies and the strength they have within them. I am a certified (sports) remedial coach and enjoy working with all levels of users and abilities - from kids through to the most senior. I have also had several years of working under Delilah King.

I enjoy guiding people in how they can use their bodies and making it fun while at the same time bring strength and inner peace.