Community Profiles

Liz is co-founder of Accessible Chair Yoga CIC and co-author of the premier book on chair yoga, Get Fit Where You Sit: A Guide to the Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Method. Her specialties include yoga and yoga therapy for care/nursing homes, Parkinson’s, and dementia. Liz’s primary passion is training and supporting chair yoga teachers and building a community of chair yoga teachers to share the benefits of safe, effective, and accessible yoga more widely.

Lakshmi created LVCY in 1982 when one of her students had an arthritis flare-up and could no longer get down on the floor to practice yoga. After practicing LVCY for several months, Lakshmi’s student could start doing mat yoga again, always keeping her chair nearby.

Lakshmi has certified hundreds of Chair Yoga Teachers around the world and co-written the premier chair yoga book, Get Fit Where You Sit. We warmly welcome all LVCY teachers to join our community!

Jane has been a Nurse for over four decades and especially enjoys Women's Health, specialising in menopause and perimenopause. It is important to Jane to practice as a holistic practitioner. Yoga Therapy training, Menopause Yoga and Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga training have enabled Jane to do this, together with the ethos of Kripalu/compassion underpinning all she offers. Jane believes in accessibility and inclusivity for whatever body shape, or ability one has, all are welcome.

David takes a holistic, inclusive approach to one’s wellbeing. He has completed various yoga courses and supported his development by reading or learning from a wide range of resources. A keen advocate of ‘safe spaces’ so individuals have the opportunity to ‘heal or have the space to develop trust, empower themselves and grow at their own pace.’ David continues to learn and develop from others as well as supporting his development through self study.

Pip is a massage therapist and qualified as a yoga teacher in August 2021. She has taught individual and small group classes including for people facing homelessness or isolation. Her goal is to provide affordable, holistic services (yoga being one of them), in a trauma-sensitive environment for underserved populations. Pip enjoys creating a safe space for individuals to benefit from breath-led movement, fostering connection and belonging.

Steph trained as a yoga teacher in 2000 and founded Shanticentre Yoga Retreat in Italy in 2009.
In 2016, she created Shanticentre Training School, dedicated to training yoga teachers in the art of accessible, adaptive and inclusive yoga practices for all bodies.

She became part of the Chair Yoga family in 2020 and became a Lakshmi Voelker Teacher Trainer in 2023.

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Becca is an experienced neuro physio and yoga teacher based in West Sussex providing accessible, mat based and seated yoga classes in her local community and online.
She is a huge advocate for the power of nature and tries to bring this into her classes. Classes are supportive, relaxing and fun.
She is a keen runner, camper and chicken keeper!

With a deep passion for guiding others towards balance and inner calm, Usha works with groups and individuals in the workplace, health clinics, temples, retreats, and rehab centres. At the heart of her teachings lies ancient wisdom, with a special focus on pranayama. Through kindness, warmth, and compassion she helps individuals navigate the stresses of modern life with greater ease and clarity.

Mel has been working in the health and wellness industry for over a decade. She is a yoga teacher and has recently extended her training further by becoming a yoga therapist and LVCY teacher. Mel has a down-to-earth approach in her offerings that is inspired by the seasons and cycles of her own life and the natural world, promoting health and wholeness through yoga and community.

Facebook.com/DowntoearthYogini
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Katerina is a mind-body therapist specializing in energetics, massage, hypnosis, and yoga. She helps individuals reconnect with themselves through holistic tools. A member of the Yoga in Healthcare NPO, she promotes inclusive, accessible yoga within the Belgian healthcare system. Katerina believes in therapy that honors the whole person — both their inner world (body, emotions, mind) and their place within the broader context of family, community, and society.

Chair Yoga teacher for over 3 years. Also a Volunteer for Charity Versus Arthritis. Happily retired 🙂
Making Yoga accessible to people who would not ordinarily walk through the door of a Yoga class.
Swimming, cycling, walking, keeping fit in my old age 🙂

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Callie is an Integrative Therapist and Yoga Teacher who loves helping people discover that yoga can meet them exactly where they are. She is especially passionate about accessible, compassionate yoga for people of different ages, sizes, abilities, and life circumstances. A physically disabled teacher, retreat host, and group facilitator, she brings warmth, creativity, and a love of wellbeing, rest, and healing to her work.

Yoga has always been a space for Miriam to explore creativity through breath and movement, and connect with incredible people. She strives to create a comfortable, open, and playful classes tailored to students’ goals, whether they’re seeking stress relief, improved flexibility, a sense of balance, or being part of a community.

A BAMBA listed meditation teacher, she has delivered mindfulness to the NHS and in school and corporate settings since 2015. A long-time practitioner, she started her yoga TT in 2020 and has worked extensively in education, with the U3a and at fitness centres. She is now able to offer Yin, Restorative, Hatha and Mindful Yoga. She is committed to making the benefits of yoga and mindfulness accessible to all; chair yoga especially embraces this ethos.

Blanka practised Yoga for over 20 years, then decided to qualify and teach others.
She enjoys delivering a range of different yoga and chair yoga classes as well as offering a range of massage treatments.

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Vicky offers an integrative yoga practice grounded in compassion, accessibility, and lived experience. With extensive training in yoga therapy, wellbeing coaching, and aromatherapy, she blends evidence-informed practice with traditional yogic wisdom. Vicky's work supports real people with real bodies - helping clients restore balance, build resilience, and feel more at home in themselves, inside and out.

A yoga teacher and mental health nurse with a gentle, mindful approach to both teaching and everyday life. With extensive experience supporting people in mental health settings, she brings compassion, patience, and deep understanding to her work. Alongside her 200-hour yoga teacher training, she has completed additional specialist training to expand her skills, allowing her to integrate therapeutic awareness with yoga to support wellbeing, resilience, and holistic health.

Angie retired from NHS haematology in 2025, having cared for those with blood disorders and cancers since 1993. She had incorporated basic yoga techniques into her NHS work for a more holistic approach to care of her patients and trained in her latter career as a yoga teacher and therapist. Angie enjoys running community chair and mat classes as well as a chair class for those with cancer at her local Maggie’s centre in Northampton.

Yoga has been her companion for over 30 years.
She is passionate about yoga being accessible to everyone and enjoys teaching beginners, hatha chair yoga groups, 1:1 2:1.
She also enjoys bringing mindfulness art sessions into the yoga world and sees how important creativity can be to all aspects of yoga.
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Welcome! I’m Janice. For me, yoga is home. My journey began over 30 years ago, and while my practice has evolved, that sense of belonging remains constant.

I believe yoga should be accessible, empowering, and inclusive for everyone. Guided by the motto "Connect with nature, connect with breath" my classes meet you exactly where you are, whether through chair yoga, slow flows, or outdoor stillness. I’m honored to share this journey with you.

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Annie has practiced yoga from the age of 17, enjoying Hatha and Iyengar Yoga. In her 30s, she developed Multiple Sclerosis and found yoga a very useful way to keep up strength and flexibility as well as giving peace of mind in difficult times.
She discovered chair yoga through the Irish MS Society.
Annie trained to be a yoga teacher in her 50s, completing the LVCY training and her 200-hour training in 2021. She now teaches both mat and chair yoga from her home studio and at a local physiotherapy practice.

Rich has practised yoga since 2000. He wanted a non-competitive form of physical exercise, and then fell in love with yoga’s deeper benefits, of increased calm and happiness. In 2020 he trained as a teacher and began to teach. He’s been teaching chair yoga since 2023. Rich firmly believes that yoga’s benefits are available to everyone regardless of health status, fitness, or flexibility. Love and gratitude! Om shantih!

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Naomi is a deeply experienced yoga teacher and has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. She is qualified in Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin Yoga. She teaches advanced courses to yoga teachers and is training to become a Yoga Therapist. She is also qualified in LVCY as she aspires to make yoga more accessible. She facilitates corporate wellness activities and is a qualified sound healer. She hopes can help you find what you're looking for in Yoga, whether that be soothing relaxation, increased strength and flexibility or a good cardiovascular workout.

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Susanne has been practicing Yoga on and off since she was 7 years old, when her mum took her first Yoga session in a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia. Bringing Yoga back to Germany, her mum quickly became one of the most renowned Yoga Teacher Trainers across Germany.
After her mum passed away in 2018, she decided to continue her legacy and has been teaching Yoga since - in German and English.

Enrico is a certified yoga teacher and yoga therapist based in Zürich, where he runs Yoga Albisrieden. With 500+ hours of teacher training and 550+ hours of yoga therapy training, his practice focuses on Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, yoga therapy, pranayama, and chair yoga for seniors. Certified through Yoga Focus (BCYT-accredited) and LVCY, and aligned with Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Therapy Association, he believes yoga is a holistic path to well-being.

Julie embraces a balanced lifestyle, focusing on holistic well-being through yoga, meditation, mindful living, and personal growth. She draws on her extensive training in Yoga Therapy, LVCY, and meditation to empower clients individually and in groups. Specialising in yoga therapy within care homes and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, Julie offers tailored sessions that promote self-care and a positive mindset, using her own practices to inspire and support her community.