About Johnny
I am a strong believer that yoga is for everybody and every body, no matter your experience, ability, age, body type, income, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, sex or gender. I received my 200 hour yoga teacher certification in January 2021 and began teaching online classes in February. In 2022, I started teaching in-studio at Fold Yoga in Newington Green, and I still teach regular classes there.
In addition to receiving certification in vinyasa yoga, I have trained in yin and restorative yoga instruction. Following training with the Accessible Yoga School, and as an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, I am dedicated to making my yoga classes welcoming, safe, inclusive and accessible to students of all abilities and body types. A lifelong student, I am currently training to become a yoga therapist with The Minded Institute. Never stop learning!
Expect a bit of fun and playfulness in my classes, as I encourage students to gain a better understanding of their bodies by exploring breath, movement and the use of props.
Yoga Yurtopia is a product of love and passion. I aim to provide a space for peace and quite, to practice yoga in a calm, non-judgemental environment - away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Please feel free to explore and enjoy the garden before and/or after your practice!
Covered by Wellbeing Insurance.
LGBTQIA+ friendly. Proudly gay owned and operated!
My yoga journey
After finishing my Master's degree in Biological Sciences at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in 2008, I was offered an opportunity to conduct PhD research at the University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. The focus of both studies was on developmental mechanisms of growth and development in insects - mainly in cockroaches. After completing my PhD in 2012, I moved to London to start Post-doctoral research on molecular development and signalling in zebrafish at Cancer Research UK. I started falling out of love with science, went through an "existential crisis", and ended up leaving my post 2 years early, in 2015. After 7 month's unemployment, I ended up as an editor for medical research journals for about 7 years.
I started practicing yoga in May 2018, as my beloved beagle (Petey) was nearing the end of his life. Walking him was basically the only exercise I got, so wanted to start doing something active to keep me going. I had so much fun trying all the forms of yoga offered at the studios I went to. Little did I know or appreciate the transformative powers of yoga. I soon came to realise that yoga is more than pulling shapes and stretching your body. My yoga practice helped me so much during the passing of my dog, as well as at the end of a long-term relationship.
Near the end of 2019, it hit me one day that I want to teach yoga - and I couldn't stop smiling. At 40 years old, I finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up! I wanted to start straight away, but my training had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
In September 2020 I started my 200-hour yoga teacher training and became a certified yoga instructor in January 2021. I started teaching vinyasa classes online in February 2021, including Tuesdays with Johnny, Physical Phridays, and Sunday Unwind - you'll find I have a strong penchant for making silly names for my classes, as well as my first Instagram name - JohnnyDoesYoga. A year later, I started teaching in-person classes at Fold Yoga in Newington Green where I am still teaching today.
In September 2023, I left my editing job to focus more on teaching. In June 2024, I moved in with my boyfriend in New Barnet. He inspired to by a yurt, set it up at the end of the garden, and open my own yoga studio. Thus, Yoga Yurtopia was born. I'm so excited to start this new adventure and to share this amazing and peaceful space with you.
Om Shanti
My yoga trainings
In September 2020 I started a 200-hour yoga teacher training with Yoga Haven, and became a certified yoga instructor in January 2021. Our training was in-between Covid lockdowns, so was a mix on in-person and online sessions. I think this experience actually gave me more confidence to teach virtually, and I started teaching vinyasa classes online in February 2021. A year later, I started teaching in-person classes at Fold Yoga in Newington Green.
In February 2021, I took a short masterclass "How to adapt popular yoga poses to your body" with Natalia Tabilo (Yoga For All Bodies). I wanted to be able to offer different options/variations for people of different abilities and body types, and to make yoga more accessible for every body.
This inspired me to complete a 35-hour training (February 2022) in accessible yoga through the Accessible Yoga School, headed by Jivana Heyman. This was a truly eye-opening experience, and I learned so much more on how to make yoga accessible with props (including chairs and even bed yoga!), the effects of language and inclusivity, and so much more. I highly recommend this training to everyone!
In March 2022, I did 40-h training in Yin Yoga at Yoga Campus with Norma Blaire, as yin is one of my favourite yoga styles and I wanted to share this with others. Also in March 2020, I completed a 33-h training in Restorative Yoga through Triyoga with Anna Ashby. I love using props, and this course gave me so many more new ways to use them, as well as the invaluable knowledge on the necessity of folding a blanket properly.
I absolutely love teaching yoga and sharing its transformative powers with other similar souls in this world. Join me today!
