OUR TEACHERS
We live yoga wholeheartedly and share a passion for holistic health and wellbeing. We are here to guide your yoga and help to manifest your potential.
Michael Green
YOGA TEACHER & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST / SOMATIC THERAPIST
Michael’s yoga and meditation practice commenced in his twenties with hatha yoga and Zen meditation. His practice spans forty years and has incorporated most forms of modern yoga and a range of meditation disciplines.
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He has trained in teaching hatha and kundalini yoga, and in meditation teaching. He maintains an active and consistent practice himself and an ongoing relationship with his primary teacher, Yogrishi Vishvekatu of Rishikesh, India.
Michael’s teaching is grounded in the classical forms and traditions of yoga and embraces asana, pranayama, mantra, visualisation and meditation. As a yoga teacher his mission is to help every student to establish a relationship with their own inner teacher. His teaching is focused at maintaining and enhancing the connection between mind, body and spirit through a slow and deep engagement with these inner worlds; and bringing this to fruition through action in the outer world.
Michael is also a Clinical Psychologist and somatic psychotherapist and offers these services at The Open Space.
Karen Weiss
YOGA TEACHER & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Thirty odd years ago, Karen graduated as a Clinical Psychologist and is well known in the community for her work with relationships and groups. Karen’s psychology career has expanded over many settings including a long stint in New York City.
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It was there that Karen had a vision of creating a space for people to gather, reflect, practice, learn, sing and dance together. This inspiration came from years of personal development and seeking in the 70’s and 80’s via travel and participation in many types of spiritual practice. Abandoning her more conservative upbringing, she embarked on a path of deep self discovery and a commitment to the practice of Yoga began. This became a practice not only of movement, but also devotion, learning and Self knowledge. Karen finds great rewards from her regular Kirtan practice and is dedicated to bringing this to The Open Space.
“I’m not the most experienced asana teacher so my intention is to grow with my participants but I do know what it means to be true to self, to live life a life where service is key and to be grateful for that.” Karen strives to bring to her teaching a deep sense of what it means to be you, and what it feels like to be in your body. Her classes are a mix of Hatha yoga, chanting and a reflective space to help you emerge just that little bit different!
Karen will run several workshops and groups.
Mat Creedon
SOUND THERAPIST
For the past 31 years, Mat has had the honour of providing a broad range of music services, both locally and abroad, as a Sound Therapist, Music Teacher, Artist, Composer, Producer, multi-Instrumentalist, & Mixing / Mastering Engineer.
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“I feel blessed to be able to wear so many musical hats. However, my greatest passion is working as a Sound Therapist. There is nothing more fulfilling than helping those in need. Listening, offering to counsel, and performing guided meditations with Tibetan Singing bowls is what really makes my heart sing!”
Karla Sutcliffe
YOGA TEACHER
Karla’s yoga training has been both formal and experiential having practiced yoga from a young age. Karla began her deep dive into yoga philosophy and mind/body management through several years of concentrated training, including extended traditional Ashram stays.
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Twenty years of applied practice has led Karla to see yoga as a way to maintain a healthy life emotionally, physically and spiritually. Her classes offer a meditative experience journeying through the breath, body and felt experience. Committed to ongoing professional development and with over 650 hours of completed teacher training in Hatha and Yin her classes are suitable for beginners and experienced yogis alike.
Emily Loveless
YOGA TEACHER & BODY THERAPIST
After studying Yoga at the International of Yoga School in Singapore (2010), Emily has been teaching Vinyasa and Yin Yoga, Meditation and Yoga Therapy, overseas and in Melbourne, for the past 11 years. Emily has also been practising for 18 years as a body therapist, with a qualification in…
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Health Science, Remedial Therapy (2004) from the Melbourne College of Natural Medicine.
Emily brings her training in body work therapies and her passion for yoga together to create classes suitable for all generations, genders and flexibility levels. She will guide each person to their individual capacity through her gentle touch.
In her classes you will be invited to bring your mind's awareness into the present moment, into your feeling body and out of the thinking mind. You will be focusing on your physical, mental and emotional health with these classes through movement, breathwork and meditation. You will feel grounded and refreshed.
Emily also offers Remedial Massage Therapy at The Open Space.
Dr. Hien Tran
ACUPUNCTURIST, HOLISTIC HEALTH/WELLBEING PRACTITIONER & YOGA TEACHER
Hien welcomes you to health and wellness through the transformational and restorative therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (East Asian Medicine), Acupuncture, Holistic health, Intuitive counseling, Pranic (energy) healing, Zero Balancing and Yoga Therapy.
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With about twenty years of experience in healing arts, Hien feels it is an honour to be of service to you and to meet you wherever you are on your life's journey.
As a 2003 graduate of Melbourne College of Natural Medicine (now Endeavour College of Natural Health) I have twenty years of experience in practicing Acupuncture, TCM and other natural holistic healing practices and am a passionate & skilled practitioner of various Eastern and Western forms of natural medicine. I am also a 500+ hr RYT Yoga instructor and have been teaching and providing yoga therapy for ten years.
My passion is sharing knowledge, skills and wisdom to empower and guide clients to take care of themselves to feel optimally well on all levels. It is tremendously fulfilling to be able to facilitate safe, compassionate, nurturing and supportive spaces in which clients/ students can heal, deeply relax, transform, rejuvenate and connect with their True nature, bliss, wholeness, inspiration and vitality. I am interested in identifying and addressing the underlying factors that contribute to ill health and emphasize the importance of preventative health and encourage clients to take time out regularly to receive health maintenance treatments and develop a self care practice that will offer them the nourishment they need to thrive and develop resilience to the inevitable challenges of life. I seek to help clients harmonise with the wisdom of Nature and with their own True Nature.
I strive to attend to each client's individual needs and take a whole person approach to healing - mind, body, soul and spirit and create an inclusive space for all to feel cared for.
Working together, we can develop a holistic approach to healing using a variety of modalities. Some of the techniques I have used with clients now and in the past may include Acupuncture / Acupressure, Moxibustion, Cupping, Gua sha, Lifestyle/ Dietary & Nutritional support, Stress Management/Nervous system regulation support, Chinese and Western herbal medicine, Holistic Counselling, Flower Essence Therapy, Pranic healing (Energy healing), Zero Balancing (An integrative form of bodywork and energy healing that has it's roots in Osteopathy, Chinese Medicine and Yoga), Hatha, Yin and Restorative Yoga instruction and various other forms of natural healing arts.
I am also experienced and specialised in specific areas of TCM such as Mental Health, Women's health, Fertility, Pregnancy, Labor, Birth and Postpartum, and IVF support, Digestive Health, Immune system support and directly experienced with trauma-informed practice to work with vulnerable persons.
I am also interested in helping clients with their general health and wellbeing needs, and often have great outcomes supporting clients with concerns such as stress, depression, anxiety, grief, major life transitions, addiction, insomnia, emotional traumas and other life challenges.
I've recently moved back to Melbourne after over a decade living in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States, and I am building my private practice to offer my services as a TCM practitioner in the greater Melbourne area. I also volunteer at the Windana Detox & Community Clinic as a volunteer Acupuncturist where I support clients on the road to recovery.
Looking forward to working with you on your journey to health & wellness!
Julia Harris
YOGA TEACHER
Julia found yoga as an adolescent in attempts to address her mental health. She has since come to deeply appreciate the richness of the philosophy, the wholistic practice of yoga, and the life-long learning.
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In her classes she combines body awareness, mindfulness and breath to support the exploration of the whole being. Her intention is to create intentional practices that are accessible, calming and gently build resilience.
Justin Durocher
YOGA TEACHER, FITNESS AND WELLBEING COACH
Justin is a yoga, fitness and wellbeing coach who’s years of experience is helping people feel more at home in their bodies and minds. His classes are inclusive, grounding and energising, blending yoga, breathwork, functional movement, and mindfulness.
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Justin brings together years of experience in yoga, personal training, and nutrition to offer a down-to-earth, whole-person approach to movement and wellbeing. With a background in both the corporate world and education, he understands how hard it can be to find balance—and how powerful it is when we do.
Over the past 8+ years, he’s worked with a wide range of people: from those just starting out on their wellbeing journey to others navigating stress, hectic workloads or major life transitions. His teaching draws from yoga, strength training, mindfulness and breathwork, with a focus on meeting people where they’re at, whether that’s in a group class or a more personal setting.
Justin’s classes are welcoming and thoughtfully paced, with an emphasis on moving with awareness and intention. You can expect a steady, breath-led rhythm, a clear sense of structure and space to challenge yourself or soften, depending on what you need that day. His goal is to help people reconnect to themselves, to their breath and to what matters most.
Will Moffatt
YOGA TEACHER, PERSONAL COACH & MOVEMENT GUIDE
Will is a yoga teacher, personal coach and movement guide who helps people reconnect with themselves through breath, movement and awareness.
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With a background in both strength training and the performing arts, Will first discovered yoga during acting school, and it quickly became more than just a physical practice. It became a way to understand the body-mind connection, manage stress, and move through life with greater clarity and purpose.
After completing his 200-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India, Will went on to study yin yoga and trauma-informed practices. His classes blend strength and stillness, offering a balance of vinyasa flow, grounded movement and meditative reflection. He also draws on his experience in personal coaching, resistance training, and nutrition to support students in moving with confidence and care.
Will is passionate about creating inclusive, beginner-friendly spaces where every body feels welcome, regardless of experience, flexibility or background. Whether through yoga, strength or stillness, his focus is on helping people feel more at home in themselves.
Cristina Carnevali
YOGA TEACHER
Since 2018, Cristina has been sharing yoga with the intention of inviting awareness for a more centred, connected, and empowered life.
After a class with her, you’ll leave the room feeling grounded and relaxed.
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She found yoga more than 10 years ago and immediately resonated with the practice. The desire to deepen her self-practice led her to sign up to a yoga teacher training in India. Half way through the course, the inspiration to share its teachings and practices set her heart on fire, as she realised that she couldn’t keep them only for herself!
So far, she has completed three Yoga teacher trainings in India, a one-year Yoga Philosophy certificate program, a Mindfulness and Meditation teacher training, the Non-Linear Movement teacher training and a variety of courses and workshops, including prenatal yoga, kundalini yoga, tantra yoga, Vipassana meditation, Osho dynamic meditations… to mention a few.
She is a devoted practitioner and shares from an experiential engagement with the teachings and practices in her everyday.
Come as you are, as she says: “it’s not how it looks, it’s how it feels”.
Nikky Starr
YOGA TEACHER
For a decade, yoga has been Nikky’s anchor — a practice of gratitude and grounding through all of life’s unfolding. Today, Nikky shares this dedication as a yoga and tai chi teacher, weaving together somatic practices, movement, and the healing art of sound.
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These soundscapes blend Crystal and Tibetan bowls, chimes, Ocean drum, and resonant tones to create immersive experiences that invite deep relaxation, restore balance to the nervous system, and open space for the inner exploration.
Alongside retreats and classes, Nikky is a certified BreathCircle Breathwork facilitator, working with children in schools to nurture resilience and emotional regulation from an early age. With additional experience leading both land and water-based exercise programs in clinical settings, she brings an integrative, holistic approach that bridges movement, mindfulness, and sound as pathways to wellbeing.
Bobbi Jones
YOGA TEACHER
Bobbi discovered the healing benefits of Yoga at the age of 17 during a physical and mental health crisis. Yoga continues to be her main source of physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing over 30 years later.
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She completed her certification as an instructor of Hatha and Kundalini Yoga in 1997 at Santa Monica Yoga and studied under many prominent instructors throughout Los Angeles. She has developed her lifestyle around its physical practices and peaceful philosophies.
Bobbi blends her calm, intuitive, and compassionate style of Yoga instruction with decades of helping people become well through Chiropractic, Somatic Trauma Therapy, and eastern bodywork techniques.
Bobbi loves to teach anatomy, sciences, and the mindful philosophies that form the foundation of Yoga. She has been fortunate to share Yoga around the world and is dedicated to helping each individual discover their own unique experiences in their personal practice and how to integrate Yoga into their own healthy lifestyles.