Hello. I’m Yaisa
Though my looks may suggest otherwise, I am Dutch and apparently, my name is from The Gambia. Born in The Netherlands to Chinese-Indonesian parents, I grew up moving from country to country, living in France, Argentina, England, Singapore, Egypt and the Maldives.
Living in different continents taught me to appreciate cultural diversity, inclusivity and open mindedness. I was aware from an early age that the world was bigger than it appears to be at first sight.
I didn’t discover yoga until the age of 33, when I was working for a multinational bank in Singapore. My first yoga experience was a Vinyasa class in a gym and it marked the beginning of a lifelong journey.
In 2008 I took a sabbatical from my corporate job. I became a diving instructor in Egypt, where I also met my partner Stefano. A year later, we were working together in the Maldives on a diving safari boat and I threw my banking career overboard.
I also discovered the other love of my life in Egypt: Ashtanga yoga. I knew instantly that this was to become my personal practice. A few years later, I had to put my Ashtanga practice on hold due to a shoulder injury sustained in a scooter accident. Recovering from the injury required a softer style of yoga. That is when Yin and Restorative yoga entered my life. They became—and still are—part of my daily practice and my teachings, balancing my ongoing passion for Ashtanga yoga.
After Stefano and I were married in 2013, I completed my first yoga teacher training in India. We then embarked on the journey of our lives and emigrated to Australia. We finally settled down after years of roaming around the world. I began teaching yoga classes and running workshops on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia.
In 2016, I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®. This deepened my knowledge about the lifestyle choices available to lead a healthy and happy existence. By combining this with my yoga experience, I am able to help people seeking holistic wellness.
In the same year, I was invited to run yoga teacher training courses for a school in Bali. Two seasons of managing these programs gave me a tremendous amount of experience training aspiring teachers. In 2018, together with my best friend Darja, we founded the yoga school Yoga Here & There, providing teacher training programs in Bali, South Australia and other gorgeous locations around the world. We have since expanded from foundational teacher training courses to advanced 300-hour teacher training programs, offering modules of 50-hour continuing education courses for each student to build their 300-hour program at their own pace.
Lately, I’ve been deepening my knowledge about Classic Chinese Medicine, studying with an Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Medicine practitioner in Adelaide. I’ve integrated these new insights in my yoga classes and teacher trainings and it all seems to take me right down the path I need to be on to be of best service to the people around me.
You can find out more about our training courses here
I have no interest in being an Instagram-perfect yogini: for me, yoga is about what happens on the inside. Creating space for healing and living a life aligned with the values and teachings of yoga. Trying to find answers to the eternal question on how to balance mindfulness and integrity with the demands of a multi-tasking, modern-day lifestyle.
My life has been characterised by constant movement in search of meaningful connections, joyful abundance and authentic experiences. My purpose is to help others on their journey of discovery and adventure whilst enjoying my own life to the max.
I hope to cross paths with you one day and find out what you and I can learn from each other.
