Skye Rutherford

The 200-hour Yoga for Svastha Teaching Training and Personal Wellbeing Programme, as taught by Barbara Coley, has been rich with opportunities for learning and growth.  I am completing the programme with an increased awareness of my body, my breath and my mind, as well as greater self-belief in my ability to share the practices of yoga with others.

This programme has given me strong foundational knowledge and awareness to build on.  It has enabled me to deepen my own yoga practice, as well as gain confidence in the skills that will enable me to share yoga with others safely.

A highlight for me has been the diverse group of people that have been drawn together by this programme.  There has been both laughter and tears as we have grown together.  The small size of the group, along with pacing the course over several months, has been of real value to me as a student.  There has been space for us to reflect on our variety of experiences as we have practised, assimilated and started sharing what we are learning.

Throughout the course, we have been actively encouraged to take a personalised approach to practising and sharing the practices of yoga.  I appreciate the freedom to consider how what we are learning can be shared in different contexts, with different people, who have different reasons for seeking a yoga practice.  It feels challenging and full of possibilities for further growth and deeper understanding.

19 September 2022

Jennifer Jang

Svastha Teacher Training has been a life-changing experience for me. Not only has it helped me to learn more about yoga and teaching skills, but it has also influenced me in so many positive ways physically, emotionally and mentally. I learnt how to face my true self, and also how to care for and love myself.

It has been such a privilege to learn from an amazing teacher like Barbara who is familiar with the direct teachings of Krishnamacharya. She helped me to start a journey through ‘authentic’ yoga. Not only having a comprehensive understanding of classical yoga, Barbara is very knowledgeable and up-to-date with modern science.

Barbara has always been encouraging throughout my whole training and it felt like she was genuinely caring to help students achieve their goals and grow personally through practising yoga. When there were times that students struggled, Barbara came up with various teaching methods to guide us.

I highly recommend Svastha Teacher Training to everyone who wants to become a yoga teacher, improve their general well-being and deepen their knowledge in yoga.

10 September 2022

Abbie Parsons

I am a recent graduate of Barbara’s 200hr teacher training programme and I am so grateful for the opportunity. It was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about myself and my yoga practice. After many hours of searching through the internet to find the right programme for me, I approached Svastha Yoga Aotearoa because I liked that there was an emphasis on well-being.

Barbara helped me to deepen my understanding of yoga, and taught me how to ground myself in such a busy world! The result is that I now have an evening yoga practice that helps to calm my nervous system so I can have a restful sleep, as well as an activating practice for the mornings to get me up and going! I now understand the principles of proper breathing, movement and alignment which has been extremely beneficial for my personal yoga practice.

Barbara is an extremely knowledgeable yoga practitioner and I feel honoured to be her student. I like that Barabara emphasises yoga for all, and adapts the āsana to suit the student with an emphasis on functional movement.

I am excited to begin teaching my yoga classes in 2023 and look forward to the learning journey ahead. Barbara’s course opens the door to the world of yoga, but there is so much more to learn and I look forward to learning more from her in the future.

One thing I like about Barbara is that she is always there to answer any questions you have, she is rich with knowledge, patient, understanding, and empathetic which makes learning from her a really safe and comfortable experience.

I found this programme completely life-changing for me! It has opened up so many doors career-wise, as well as helped me to gain a deeper understanding of myself, my mind and my body.

I would recommend the 200hr Svastha Yoga Teaching programme to anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of yoga and themselves – even if teaching isn’t the end goal for you, it was a fantastic way to remind me what is important in life and how to put myself and my mind and body first. After all, we only get one body in this lifetime. 

Thank you so much Barbara for supporting me and encouraging me to take this opportunity, I will forever be grateful. 

11th October 2022

Maddi Dropich

I am grateful that I was privileged enough to have Barbara as my teacher for my 200-hour Yoga teacher training. Barbara creates a learning environment founded on inclusivity and respect, allowing me to feel safe and comfortable in her classes. This opportunity has been truly life-changing and has built my confidence in understanding and teaching Yoga.

16 September 2022

Laura Hughes

It took me a while to find this course as there are so many courses out there that weren’t resonating with me, until I came across this course, which teaches yoga in an authentic and all-inclusive way.

Barbara has been a fantastic teacher with a wealth of knowledge and so much generosity in sharing her knowledge and giving her time. The teacher training is excellent for those who would like to teach authentically and holistically. She has introduced and opened up so many new ideas and thoughts, which I’m looking forward to exploring further, the training has also slowly but surely built up my confidence in teaching yoga .

Overall, it has been an amazing experience and one I want to keep growing and exploring in thanks to Barbara, I’m so grateful to her for offering this course.

9  September 2022

Kendall Wihongi

What drew me to this course was how accessible it was for me as a mum of two young children. Being able to come to class once a month on a weekend was really doable for me. And as we’ve gone along, I’ve just felt really privileged to learn from Barbara who has a wealth of knowledge from her years of experience.

I love learning about yoga as a whole and specifically about functional yoga, which is accessible and transformative for all body types and all ways of life. And that’s what I really love about this specific yoga course.

I’ve loved this course. And I’m grateful for Barbara and her passion for wanting to share her knowledge because she knows how important and how needed this is for everybody, and how transformative it is. Barbara has, from the beginning, helped me to feel confident and capable in my ability to become my yoga teacher.

I would recommend this course to anyone who’s thinking about being a yoga teacher who or who’s interested in learning more about yoga, it is a beautiful course, beautiful teachings and she is a beautiful teacher.

12 September 2022

Arnelle Hemi

This training course has been life changing for me. I now feel the need to practice yoga and love to practice daily yoga, which has so many health benefits. It helps me to connect with my breathing, to connect with my body and helps me to bring calmness and stillness to my busy mind.

So I’m so grateful for that knowledge. And I look forward to sharing that with my teaching.

Barbara has given me the confidence to move forward with the skills and the knowledge she’s given us,  and also the ongoing support with us moving to teaching.

I am happy to recommend this course. If you’re looking for a solid foundation in yoga, and continuous support, then this is what Barbara and this course offers.

23 September 2022

Kazue Morrison

Thank you Barbara for sharing your amazing knowledge, you have inspired me, not only to be a confident yoga teacher but also to be a strong woman, just like a warrior. You gave me an opportunity to start a new chapter of my life

The course is designed for you to teach inclusively so once you finish this course you will be able to present classes for wide range of people. I also enjoyed learning about the business side of things especially, as Barbara used to have her own yoga studio.

Thank you very much Barbara for passing on your wisdom and knowledge.

24 September 2022