Our Teachers

Anna Oldfield

I’m an Oxford-based yoga teacher and sound bath facilitator with over a decade of experience. I teach a wide range of movement styles - from dynamic and power flows to restorative and yin classes - and specialise in pregnancy and postpartum yoga. I aim to offer classes which feel welcoming and inclusive, offering options to suit different bodies and energy levels so that each student shapes their own most nourishing practice each time we work together.
I offer seasonal yoga, meditation and sound bath workshops to coincide with the festivals in the Celtic Wheel of the Year - a calendar based upon the seasonal shifts and changes we experience here in the UK. I use this as a way to reconnect with the land we're living upon and to tune into natures cycles. Most importantly, I create spaces for rest and reflection: an opportunity to slow down in the face of the hectic world we live in.
Because building community is important to me, I am beginning to offer half-day and day retreats, where we'll be able to slow down even more, and also connect with each other more. There'll be more seasonal teas, infusions and tasty treats, and more time to share with each other so we can weave our own community of care - for each other, and for the environments and habitats we live within.
*You’ll find me on the monthly schedule for a Slow Flow and Yoga Nidra on a Friday evening at 18.30.*

Ayesha Ali

I am a multi-passionate soul bringing together my love of yoga with my passion for women’s wellbeing, and all things esoteric.
My own journey with yoga began more than 20 years ago, aged 14. Since then I have been blessed to learn from many wonderful teachers in India, the UK and the USA. I qualified to teach Vinyasa Flow ten years ago and since then have completed advanced trainings at Triyoga and with my main teacher Sri Dharma Mittra.
My teaching is influenced by my love of mysticism and studies in tantra and the desert rose, but steeped in the Indian tradition. I aim to reflect the beauty and depth of yoga in an authentic and respectful way and I teach from my own experience sharing what has been so generously shared with me. My classes enliven the spirit using breath, movement, sound and stillness and I aim to introduce students to philosophical concepts, mantra and other powerful tools that have supported my journey so far.
When I’m not on the yoga mat you can find me serving clients with massage and energy healing, or with my head in a book! I’m just about to begin my studies towards a PhD in the Psychology of Spirituality. I also hold an undergraduate degree in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, an MSc in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research and an MSc in Psychology.
You’ll find me on the monthly schedule for a Dharma Yoga Masterclass followed by a women’s circle on the first Sunday of the month from 13.00 to 16.45 with a half hour tea break between the classes.

Bertie Jesson

Bertie has been teaching Yoga for 20 years. She has a great interest in anatomy and physiology and the use of the breath, as well as a deep knowledge of the history and philosophy of Yoga, which she loves to share. She is a British Wheel of Yoga Foundation & Diploma course tutor, so teaches personal development courses and Ofqual level 4 BWY teacher training (basic & advanced), workshops and runs yearly retreats to Puglia.
*You’ll find Bertie’s weekly lunchtime class in studio and online on Fridays at 12.15 from mid May 2024.*

daniela tramonti vishuddha yoga oxford — Daniela Tramonti

I’m an Oxford based yoga teacher, currently teaching vinyasa and gentle/seated yoga classes in studios and community centres. I have been practicing yoga for 20 years in Rome, Leeds and in Oxford. After completing my yoga teacher training with Yoga Quota (RTY 200h Yoga Alliance) in 2018, I’ve acquired extensive experience of teaching vinyasa yoga classes, both live and online, incorporating aspects of yoga philosophy, which is something very close to my heart.
My aspiration is to make the yoga practice more accessible and inclusive regardless of flexibility, strength, balance, age and experience, reaching everyone who is curious to experience this life tool for physical and mental wellbeing. Following increasing demand form my friends and students, I have specialised in seated/gentle yoga classes for everyone who wants to try a more gentle approach to yoga. These classes are broadly open to everyone who is curious to try yoga maybe for the first time in their life, wanting to add movement, awareness, mobility balance and strength in a more relaxed and slow paced setting.
I’ve worked as a research scientist at Oxford University and I am particularly interested in the science behind yoga, its effects on both muscular and nervous systems, and how these could be used to improve our overall wellbeing.
I see the yoga system as invaluable self care practice that helps in our wellbeing bringing a sense of prospective in everything we do and rely on the yoga system to help me in everyday life situations of stress, anxiety and depression, and have found in yoga a precious tool for self-care that I would love to share with everyone.
*I teach a Community Vinyasa flow class on Wednesdays at 12.45 and a seated/gentle and accessible* *Hatha-yoga* *class on Wednesdays at 11.30.*

daria ricchi vishuddha yoga oxford — Daria Ricchi

Daria Ricchi is a senior yoga teacher and certified yoga and ayurveda teacher from the Kripalu School of Yoga and Ayurveda in Massachusetts. She has a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture from Princeton University where she has been teaching yoga and anatomy of the movement. She studied kinaesthetic and ideokinesis with Irene Dowd (Julliard School NY), Alexander Technique with Rachel Bernsen, and Bartenieff Fundamentals at the Laban Institute in New York. These somatic movement techniques and dance conditioning practices inform her teaching and sequences.
She is also a Yin Yoga certified teacher and a 650 hour certified ayurveda counsellor from the Kripalu School of Ayurveda. Her current research considers the effect of space and movement for wellbeing.
*Daria Teaches occasional Somatic or Yin Yoga Yoga classes on Friday evenings at 18.00.*

derek elliott vishuddha yoga oxford — Derek Elliott

Derek Elliott has been teaching for 10 years and is a graduate of the Triyoga Advanced Teacher training. He is a senior teacher registered with the Yoga Alliance. Derek weaves together fluid movement, healthy alignment and stillness, to integrate deep presence with joyful connection. His contemplative background is also reflected in offerings that integrate restorative yoga, meditation and breath work. He has a degree in Religious Studies and is a trained Kirtan singer. He is also known for facilitating courses that explore the Oneness of Being.
In another life strand, he is a noted figure in the contemporary furniture movement.
*Derek is teaching* *Hatha yoga* *at the Vishuddha Centre on Wednesdays from 18.45 to 20.00 and a slow flow class on Tuesdays from 7.00 to 8.00.*

esther beierl vishuddha yoga oxford — Esther Beierl

Esther enjoys working holistically and integrates different approaches to physical and mental health. Esther is a dedicated yoga teacher, passionate personal trainer, and enthusiastic data scientist and trial statistician in mental health research at Oxford and Cambridge University, and an ambassador for international charities, such as ‘MQ Mental Health Research’.
Her own yoga practice and exercise routine has made her physically and mentally stronger, healthier, and happier. Intending to share these experiences with her students, she became so inspired that she took up the RYT-200 Yoga Teacher Training herself with Camyoga in 2020. Having grown significantly through her Forrest Yoga practice, Esther completed her Advanced Yoga Teacher Training with Ana Forrest herself in 2023.
Esther offers physically and mentally strengthening Dynamic Vinyasa Flow classes and likes to weave in some elements and the sequencing of Forrest inspired Yoga. In her mental health informed approach, she is committed to holding a safe space for her students to explore challenges to facilitate their individual progress during the practice. Esther is a fan of practising as well as teaching arm balances and inversions with loads of options for all levels and a focus on safe alignment. Expect a good laugh in her classes, too.
*Esther teaches Dynamic Vinyasa Flow classes on Thursdays at 9am and Saturdays at 10.45am.*

Francesca Melluzzi, a seasoned yoga teacher with two decades of experience, is a fully qualified practitioner trained at the esteemed Sivananda Vendanta center. Beyond traditional yoga, Francesca has delved into somatic coaching, bringing a unique perspective to her teachings. Her approach combines mind-body practices such as vinyasa flow, Hanna somatics, and hatha yoga. Francesca's classes are a blend of playfulness, dynamism, and meditation, creating a holistic experience for her students. With a profound interest in yoga philosophy, she views yoga not merely as a physical practice but as a way of life, enriching both the body and the mind.

Francesca offers a vinyasa flow yoga practice on Mondays at 12.00.

Francesca Melluzzi

I have been practicing yoga for 10 years and qualified as a yoga teacher in Kyiv.

For me, practice is a. fantastic tool that helps to live through emotions and return attention to ourselves. Through it we can access incredible internal resources and strength, which have been recently much needed due to the difficulties caused by the war in Ukraine.

I teach Hatha Yoga Classes on Tuesdays at 17.10 and most Sundays at 10.45. After a year of teaching only Ukrainian women, the classes are now open to practitioners of all levels and taught in English.

Come and join me for some active asana practice and some peace and restoration.