Teaching Crew
Maxine Yeates
(ERYT 500, YACEP),
Founder and Director
Founder of Soul Seed Yoga, Maxine has trained with renowned teachers in both Australia and India. She teaches Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Ashtanga, Meditation, Pranayama and is also a certified Sound Master.
Maxine loves teaching a diverse range of students from beginners to those with a more established practice and particularly likes introducing yoga philosophy in to her classes. She teaches with a technical focus and encourages her students to deeply connect with all aspects of the body.
Maxine is an experienced international Retreat Leader and regularly runs retreats in Bali and India. She is grateful to all her teachers for sharing their supreme knowledge and wisdom.
Rachel Foster, (ERYT 500, RPYT),
Yoga, Prenatal, Mums & Bubs Teacher
Fun, flowing and nurturing is how Rachel would describe her teaching style. Practicing since her teens, Rachel’s relationship with yoga grew upon discovering that there was so much more to the practice than stretching. Her desire to increase her knowledge saw her undertake various teacher trainings in a number of styles, including vinyasa, yin and family yoga.
Specialising in pre and post-natal yoga, Rachel is a well-respected teacher and teacher of teachers and her nurturing style lends itself well to those seeking a calm and gentle practice. Rachel is also a qualified Doula, supporting women off of the mat during their pregnancy journey.
Meital Haimovitz,
Yoga Teacher
Through her travels in India in 2004, Meital first discovered Yoga and Meditation. Since then, her practice has made an immense impact on all aspects of Meital’s life and through her exploration of spirituality and the discovery of her true Self, she felt compelled to share the profound gifts of these rich teachings with others. Meital’s passion for guiding her students along their own unique journeys of inner discovery and ever-deepening awareness shines through in her classes, which are enriching, nourishing and enlivening for body and mind. She likes nurture, inspire, and encourage her students to deepen self-awareness, encouraging mindfulness in her welcoming and friendly classes.
Roz Hammond, Yoga Teacher
Roz grew up listening to the soothing sounds of her mother teaching yoga in their lounge room during the 1970’s although didn’t have a regular practice until her early 20’s. Having trained in both Vinyasa and Yin in Australia, India and Bali, Roz is passionate about sharing the benefits of a well-rounded yoga practice with everybody: every shape, every age and every level of ability.
Her classes always include breathing practices and meditation alongside the physical postures as she’s a passionate advocate for giving people lots of tools for their mental health and wellbeing.
When she’s not teaching yoga, Roz works as an actor and writer. it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Claire Evans,
Yoga Teacher
Claire has had a life long interest in health and well-being and is a degree qualified nutritionist and yoga teacher. Claire worked for many years in the corporate world before a life changing diagnosis of breast cancer prompted Claire to change course in her career and work in service to others. Claire now combines work to support people affected by cancer and teaching yoga. If Claire has a message it is that everyone can benefit from yoga. Modern day stressors impact our quality of life and can lead to serious chronic disease however practicing yoga has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and improve our sense of well-being. Yoga is not about being super flexible or looking like someone on an Instagram post, but rather is the connection between the mind, body and spirit, and when these are in sync, this is when the magic happens.
Maria Papadontas, Yoga Teacher
Yoga, for Maria, is about the here and now; it’s about the breath and breathing into the heart. Within us, we have many aspects that hinder path progression and self fulfilment.
Hence, she utilises yoga and its practices of meditation, breathing techniques, ethics, postures and devotional practices, to connect with the heart, the core. She is passionate about developing mindful, creative and spiritual classes that allow individuals to tap into the tools that connect with their own truth, whenever and wherever they are ready. In addition to Maria’s passion for Restorative Therapeutics and Yin Yoga she loves to teach Vinyasa Flow and Hatha Yoga. She also likes to draw on her extensive background as a social worker and trauma therapist, somatic trauma yoga educator and facilitator bringing the awareness of nervous system regulation into her practices.
Carla Lewinsmith, Yoga Teacher
Carla found her way to Yoga through her exploration and dedication to Meditation and Mindfulness. These combined with her love and commitment to over 20 years of movement and dance, helped create the perfect union between mind, body, and soul as she lovingly landed on her yoga mat.
As a mother of two, and registered Meditation and Mindfulness, Children’s, and Adult’s Yoga teacher, Carla has experienced first-hand the difference these practices make to all lives and age groups.
Deeply inspired by yoga teachings rooted in philosophy, Carla draws inspiration and learnings from both the human experience and ancient texts, merging the two to encourage an exploration of the inner landscape whilst offering helpful tools for her students to take into the world.
Nikki Cocker, Yoga Teacher
Nikki has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and took a more serious journey into yoga practice after it helped her recover from a serious injury. Soon after, she learnt that yoga was not only assisting in her physical recovery but also giving her better focus, mental well-being and strength. Nikki finds calmness in her mind when dealing with daily strain, with the help of pranayama and meditation. Nikki believes that yoga is for everyone and is a tool to help navigate and coordinate the mind.
Nikki has a great passion for sharing what she can offer to the community. She has been working in the Community Service sector for the last 20 years. Nikki knows what difficulties and challenges people go through in their everyday lives and that relief is something hard to come by. Through the practice of Yoga, she knows that Yoga can relieve and bring a sense of calmness and fulfilment.
Nikki has completed her 200hrsYTT with Soul Seed Yoga, and is trained to teach Vinyasa, Hatha, Pranayama, Meditation and Yoga philosophy.
Nikki can speak English and Japanese. She would also love to have a wide range of cultural participation. She is looking forward to seeing you in class.
Maite Rivela,
Yoga Teacher & Kids Programs
Maite has been studying and teaching yoga and meditation for over 20 years. She loves to share her passion for yoga, meditation, and mindful practices with a diverse range of students and teaches kids, teens, adults, prenatal and the elderly. Her continued motivation is the joy in helping others find inner peace and happiness. Her classes are accessible, comprehensive, and soothing. She loves that Yoga and Meditation helps cleanse the mind and body and bring about presence.
Sourav Jena, Yoga Teacher
Sourav, driven by his fascination with Philosophy and Mythology, discovered yoga in his twenties. This practice transformed his life, enhancing his self-awareness and inner tranquility. Inspired by this positive change, he returned to India, specifically Dharamsala in the Himalayas, to obtain his YTTC certification. Sourav's goal is to guide and motivate others in their quest for self-connection, balance, and grounding. His teaching style emphasizes compassion and encompasses a range of yoga styles, from dynamic practices like Ashtanga and Vinyasa to slower, meditative ones like Yin and Iyengar. Sourav is passionate about sharing his knowledge with both seasoned practitioners and beginners, viewing teaching as an opportunity for personal growth.
Lauren Jones, Pilates Instructor
Lauren is a long time Pilates lover with a passion for helping people tune into their bodies and make the most of their ‘me time’.
Lauren’s classes are accessible for people at any stage of their Pilates journey. She’ll guide you through the layers of each exercise so you can learn the foundations and challenge yourself at your own pace. She’ll make sure you’re feeling the burn but will have you smiling all the way through it. Lauren grew up on the dance floor and loves to create a fun and supportive environment for anybody to progress their Pilates practice.
Jagjeet Singh, MSc Yoga Science, (ERYT500),
Yoga Philosophy Teacher
With a Masters in Human Consciousness and Yoga Science, Jaggi is not your everyday yoga teacher. Born in Northern India, Jaggi started practicing Yoga from a very young age learning from his Grandfather, a renowned yogi of the time. Growing up reading the Bhagavad Gita and other ancient Indian texts sparked a curiosity about the wonder of life and he subsequently went on to complete both his Bachelors in Yoga and Masters in Human Consciousness and Yoga Science as well as a Masters Certificate in Pranic Healing.
Jaggi has travelled extensively throughout the Himalayas seeking out and learning from many great Yoga Masters. He even spent time living and meditating in a cave. Jaggi is a most sort after teacher of Yoga Philosophy in both India and internationally and delights in sharing his knowledge with his many thousands of students from around the world.
