TEACHERS

Gretchen Faust (BA, MFA, M.Th.,PP, RCST) began practising yoga in 1989 with Carolyn Oberst in New York City. Further study at the Jivamukti Yoga Cente and the Astanga Yoga Nilayam, as well as with Dr. Alison West, led her to begin teaching in New York in 1994. She then studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India before choosing to settle in Totnes, where she established The Forge Yoga Centre in 1999. She hold degrees in both Art History and Fine Arts, as well as being qualified in Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Polarity Therapy, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Craniosacral Therapy. Her personal practice and teaching have also been as informed by her experience as a classical musician and a visual artist, as well as by her love of cooking, gardening and birds. As an artist, she had been represented by Pat Hearn in NYC and is currently represented by greengrassi in London.

Tom has practiced yoga and meditation since 1997 after an introduction in Japan. During the last 10 years Tom has studied under Maartin Vermaase, completing four years of teacher training through the British Wheel of Yoga in 2007. Tom’s practice and teaching are rooted in Buddhist philosophy, focussing on developing a subtle awareness of the breath, body and mind, to allow yoga to become a path of meditation, healing and joy.

Having practised yoga for 12 years, I have felt the positive effect it has had on my body and more importantly my mind. It was in 2007 that I discovered Kundalini yoga and quickly realised how powerful this practice was. For the first time I realised the connection between the practice of yoga, raised consciousness and heightened awareness. It has unlocked my mind and opened me to a world of self-healing and creative abundance. I continue to feel the transformative effect it has on all aspects of my life.

I completed my Teacher Training Level I (200 hours) and Level II (1001 days) with the Amrit Nam Sarovar School in France under the guidance and teachings of Karta Singh. I have also completed my Conscious Pregnancy Training, with Carolyn Cowan (80 hrs).


More recently I have set up a Level 1 Teacher Training here in Devon, and I am currently studying to become a teacher trainer. I am part of the Amrit Nam Sarovar Committee and contribute to the planning and delivery of its Teens curriculum.

Kate started teaching in 2001 and soon established herself as a leading teacher in the major London studios. In 2005 she discovered Anusara yoga. Kate aims to make the ancient teachings of yoga relevant to modern life, and in each class or workshop you can expect to find a key philosophical theme woven into a flowing practice with clear alignment instructions and playful challenges. In addition to teaching yoga, Kate runs a learning programme for budding social entrepreneurs in Devon. She lives on the edge of Dartmoor and travels regularly to teach workshops in London and elsewhere.

Sue completed her training with Pilates Foundation UK in 2002. The course covered the classical as well as the evolved repertoire with focus on adapting the method to teach at all levels. Areas of study also included pre and post-natal, working with the elderly, rehabilitation and working with dancers and athletes. Sue’s pregnancy classes focus on strengthening the body in preparation for pregnancy, labour and delivery through use of adapted Pilates matwork and some Yoga-based exercise. Moving through mobilisation and stability work and positions for labour and delivery, the class aims to offer a well-balanced structure that can be adapted to suit individuals. Relaxation and visualization techniques are also practiced to encourage a healthy and powerful mind/body relationship. .

Alice originally trained in India in the lineage of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, and completed diplomas in yoga education and advanced yoga studies. She studied with a number of teachers in India and has been teaching since 2008. Qualified to teach pre and post natal yoga, Alice is also a practicing yoga therapist. She is currently one of the main teachers on the Devon School of Yoga Foundation course. Alice’s approach to Yoga is informed by her long-term practice and study of Vipassana meditation as taught by SN Goenka.

Emily holds a first class BA (hons) Contemporary Dance Degree from London Contemporary Dance School, a Post Grad Diploma in Performance from her time with Transitions Dance Company (LABAN) and has danced in venues such as The Royal Opera House. She received her Yoga Teacher Training from Yoga Life with Sanjeev Bhanot and Poonam Stecher Sharma whose teachings are descended from the lineage of Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga. Emily is a registered teacher with Yoga Alliance. Since the day she became qualified to teach Emily has been teaching full time both in the West and throughout Asia and continues to deepen her own practice with her favourite teachers worldwide. She has spent time at the Sivananda Ashram (Kerala), the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre (Dharamshala) and has been lucky enough to study with teachers such as Balu Thevar (Ashtanga), Vijay (Ashtanga), Danny Paradise (Ashtanga), Denise Payne (Power, Yin) and Simon Low (Yin and Yang).