Meet our Teachers!
Caroline
Meet Caroline :)
Caroline founded Yummy Yoga in 2016 after completing her yoga teacher training. Her journey was inspired by a deeply personal motivation: to support those living with physical challenges, including her daughter, who was born with a rare genetic condition.
Guided by this purpose, Caroline has continued to expand her knowledge with extensive further training, enabling her to support a wide range of students and needs. She began her teaching journey working with children, teens, adults, and seniors, and also brought yoga into schools along the coast. Today, she leads the Yummy Yoga Studio in Orewa, where her focus is on empowering adults through weekly classes, specialized workshops, and both day and weekend retreats.
At the heart of her work is a clear and unwavering vision: to make yoga accessible, inclusive, and transformative for everyone. With warmth, dedication, and a genuine passion for connection, Caroline continues to share yoga as a practice for healing, growth, and community.
Training and Qualifications​
Byron Bay Yoga Teacher Training
Yoga Therapy Training
Rainbow Kids Yoga Training
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Training
Buteyko Breathing Method Training
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Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga Training
Yoga for older adults
Hansa Flow Training
Brain Gym Training
Reiki Level 1 and Level 2
Swedish Massage Training
Nicki
Nicki’s yoga journey began in childhood, leafing through her Gran’s old yoga picture book. She was fascinated by the image of Lion Pose, with its playful roar and tongue sticking out — a pose that still makes her smile and remains one of her favorites today, always reminding her of her Gran.
While yoga has been a part of Nicki’s life for many years, in 2018 she felt called to dive deeper, completing her Yoga Teacher Training at Kawai Pura-Pura in Albany. This step opened a new chapter, allowing her to explore yoga more fully and to share its gifts with others. Since then, she has continued to nurture her practice through further training in Hansa Flow with Vincent Bolletta, and with Maria Kirsten in Yoga for Older Grown Ups.
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For Nicki, yoga is not just about movement — it’s about connection, balance, and joy. She is inspired by the words of B.K.S. Iyengar: “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life.”
Nicki teaches Strengthen, Gentle, Yogalates, Chair and General Yoga classes and is also a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner.
Mignon
Mignon Opmeer’s journey with movement began at a young age in her home country, the Netherlands, where dance and body awareness quickly became a natural part of her life. After moving to New Zealand in 2017, she expanded her focus to yoga and has been sharing her practice with a wide range of students ever since. Along the way, she discovered the joy of guiding others toward strength, flexibility, and balance.
She is a registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) and a registered children’s yoga teacher (RCYT) with Yoga Alliance. Mignon teaches both adults and children, including kids’ yoga classes at Orewa Primary, and classes for staff and students at Albany Primary. She also leads beach yoga at Stanmore Bay for Auckland Council’s Out and About program, regular classes at Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre, and occasionally at Northern Arena in Silverdale.
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Mignon’s classes are welcoming and accessible for all levels. Known for her warm and encouraging approach, she enjoys learning from her students just as much as she enjoys guiding. Yoga is a shared experience of growth, connection, and discovery.
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Sophie
Meet Sophie Rado, Sophie is a yoga teacher with a deep love of movement, mindfulness, and holistic healing. Originally from the UK, she has called New Zealand home for many years, where she lives with her husband Nick, their two children, and their fluffy pets.
With a background in professional dance and musical theatre, Sophie has spent over 15 years teaching yoga and guiding students toward balance, connection, and wellbeing. She is trained in a wide range of practices including Yoga, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Reiki, Barre, Pilates, Peter Hess Sound Massage, and First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand®.
Her classes are known for being grounding and nurturing, creating space for students to feel supported and renewed.
Sophie also enjoys riding her bike, dance, musical theatre, travelling, doing anything creative like painting & crafting and spending time with her friends and family.
Aleasia
Meet Aleasia Morrissey — a passionate yoga and barre teacher with a lifelong love of movement, health, and wellness. Her journey began with 11 years of competitive hockey, including trials for the NZ U18 development squad, before shifting into the world of mindful movement.
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Completing her 200-hour Vinyasa training in 2022, Aleasia found yoga to be both grounding and transformative, and now shares its healing power through empowering, creative classes that balance strength and ease. She later trained in Barre Pilates (2023) and continues to expand her knowledge with Yin Yoga and advanced asana studies.
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Aleasia’s teaching blends challenge, playfulness, and compassion, creating a space for growth, healing, and joy. Off the mat, she finds inspiration in nature—whether climbing mountains, skiing, or chasing waterfalls—and cherishes time with her family.
Sarah
Introducing Sarah - A Yoga Instructor with a Passion for Empowering Others.
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Sarah discovered her love for yoga in 2015, when she was just 20 years old. From the very first class, she felt an awakening in her body and a sense of peace in her mind. For Sarah, yoga was the perfect way to nurture herself and she quickly became dedicated to her practice.
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In 2021, Sarah became a solo mother and turned to yoga as a source of strength and courage during this challenging time. Through her practice, she found the resilience to move forward and inspire others to be brave. Sarah's commitment to yoga led her to study under Nikki Ralston in 2022, where she completed her 250hr teacher training program. As a yoga instructor, Sarah teaches a steady paced Vinyasa flow that creates a safe and playful environment for all and she inspires her students to live in their truth, embrace growth, and find joy and health in their lives.
Beyond the mat, Sarah loves to connect with her community, spend time in nature with her husband and sons, and explore her creativity in various forms.
Join Sarah on the mat and discover the transformative power of yoga in your life.
Eleanor
Meet Eleanor Fala, Elle has recently moved to the Hibiscus Coast from Melbourne.
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Elle is both serious and irreverent. She makes the complex feel approachable and weaves a thread of ease through tricky thoughts and shapes. Elle loves a strong flow, deep stillness and all the in betweens. The constant? Curiosity and compassion.
Elle is mostly barefoot, often hands in dirt, loves to chase waterfalls.
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A certified Master Health Coach, Elle loves to move - vinyasa, slow flow, yin and more.
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"I love attending Elle's vinyasa class. She changes the class up each week. She's so bubbly and energetic, but soothing, taking us on a beautiful journey each week." ~ Nicola Y.
Anna
Anna is a warm, compassionate yoga teacher who has been teaching yoga since 2010. With her natural sense of humour, and intuitive teaching style, she creates space for students to slow down, unwind and become deeply present in their bodies.
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After growing up in Auckland, Anna lived abroad for almost 20 years and has taught and studied Yoga in Bali, Hong Kong, Dubai and Australia. Having navigated her own journey with chronic stress, she understands firsthand the profound healing that comes from having a regular stillness practice (one of the reasons she now chooses to specialize in Yin and Restorative Yoga).
Anna brings extensive experience in the more subtle aspects of yoga; she weaves pranayama, meditation, yoga nidra and subtle anatomy awareness into her classes, to help her students access deep relaxation and connect to the essence of who they are.
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She lives in Orewa with her husband and 2 lively boys and loves calling this special community home. When she's not teaching yoga, she can be found at the beach, doing the school run, meditating, having chai at Drifters or playing her crystal sound bowls.
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Anna is RYT500 and E-RYT200 certified with Yoga Alliance, and also works as a Consciousness Guide and Sound Healer.
Dobrila
Dobrila is passionate about yoga and dedicated to sharing its transformative power, guiding her students on a journey of self-discovery, balance, and well-being. Whether you are a beginner or advanced practitioner, her classes create a safe space to explore the wonders of movement, stillness, and breath. Her classes incorporate weekly themes inspired by nature and life, fostering curiosity, embodiment, and personal growth. Her holistic approach integrates body, mind, and spirit, making every session a unique and enriching experience. A nature lover, keen dancer, and devoted mother, she brings warmth, engagement, and depth to her classes, helping students to cultivate a meaningful yoga practice.
Dobrila is a certified Yoga Teacher from the Contemporary Yoga School, Reps Registered, Somatic Movement Educator (Thomas Hanna Style), having also completed the Trauma Sensitive Yoga Foundation Training. She also holds a Reiki Master Certification.
As a Chair Yoga instructor, Dobrila volunteers at the North Harbour Hospice and teaches Chair Yoga in their day programmes.
Amanda
From a young age, Amanda discovered that movement was the doorway to healing. Her lifelong love of movement, on both a physical and emotional level, led her to recognize it as a powerful pathway for restoration and self- connection. For 30 years, as a teacher of restorative and flow yoga, she has shared yoga as a way to support the nervous system and cultivate embodied calm.
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As a certified MindBody Connection practitioner, Amanda guides others to tune into their bodies, move with intention, and rediscover the quiet wisdom within. Through her sessions - whether flowing movement or stillness steeped in sound bath healing - she creates a safe, nurturing space where "a quiet mind listens deeply and a calm body remembers its own whoelness," inviting people to soften, breathe, and reconnect with themselves.
Emma
From a young age Emma has been immersed in the world of dance, which led her to pursue a Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. During her final year in 2021, she discovered Barre and immediately fell in love with its blend of movement and artistry. Emma loves Barre, because it’s where her passions of movement and Dance combine, and she can’t get enough of it! Emma attained her Barre Certification through ‘The Method NZ’ and is currently working towards her Mat Pilates Certification.
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Emma loves that Barre is low impact, ensuring a great workout that still reaps benefits. She has a particular focus on posture and technique, ensuring clients feel safe and supported during their session. Witnessing clients progress is incredibly rewarding to Emma and she hopes you’ll fall in love with Barre as much as she has. You’ll be sure to get that Barre burn during her classes, and walk out feeling stronger mentally and physically.
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Simone
Simone (Simmy) Lawry grew up in rural Auckland, surrounded by nature and music. From a young age, she was passionate about dance and movement, excelling in rhythmic gymnastics — even representing New Zealand internationally and winning national titles by age 12. At 19, she began a life of travel and exploration, living and working across the USA, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Her career has always woven together creativity, care, spirituality, and wellbeing.
In 2016, Simone began her yoga teaching journey, studying with influential teachers such as Baron Baptiste, Ana Forrest, and Meghan Currie. Her practice integrates her personal growth and healing experiences, focusing on rituals that create harmony and balance.
She describes herself as adaptable, creative, direct, and deeply committed to serving others.
Simone offers Vinyasa Embodied Yoga, Yin Yoga, Reiki Energy Healing, Meditation, and Pranayama.
