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MEET THE TEAM
PAUSE | BREATHE | REPEAT
ROCCI PEARSON
FOUNDER and class teacher
Rocci fell in love with yoga over 25 years ago when her mum bought home the Geri Halliwell yoga dvd, which included doing a headstand. Since then, she has trained with Ruth White, Gary Carter, and Francoise Freedman.
Rocci’s style of teaching has evolved over this time, moving from the very strict Iyengar yoga into a gentler therapeutic style of yoga she calls Metta or kindness yoga. She believes strongly that yoga can and is holistic and therapeutic. We, as yoga teachers, are considered bodyworkers but yoga works on so much more than the body, it works with the nervous system, mental health, and the balance system. By using technics in meditation, mindfulness and breathwork we work with the body as a whole rather than just on muscles and ligaments.
Rocci’s passion is within women’s health including pregnancy, postnatal and perimenopause. She has seen and felt how much yoga can improve these periods of life and help us deal with the changes they bring, again both mentally and physically but also emotionally. Her training with Birthlight founder Francoise Freedman has given her the knowledge and insight to improve symptoms of issues such as Pelvic health, support for Breast cancer treatment. She is constantly updating her knowledge in all things yoga and brings something different to class each week.
Rocci leads our Calm and Considerate, Smooth and Steady classes as well as our Pregnancy yoga drop-in sessions, Pregnancy yoga course and Yoga for Mum's. Rocci also leads our Yoga Teacher Training course.
To book sessions with Rocci please follow this link and filter by teacher.
Natasha Taylor - Komar
Class Teacher
Natasha is Russian, born in a multicultural family. Even though her Yoga Journey started in 2008 in Moscow, Yoga revealed
itself to Natasha many years before in different forms.
She has had an active lifestyle since she was a young girl, doing Acrobatics and Dance. Later in life, she tested herself in learning and performing as a “Mannequin Statue – Alive doll” artist.
Natasha studied Science and Teaching methodology for 5 years and after that took an extra year of the Psychology course. She is fascinated by the human body and the mind, constantly working on expanding her knowledge about it.
Practicing Iyengar and Iyengar based yoga for 6 years helped Natasha to understand alignments of the postures and how to perform them safely.
Having experienced the benefits of yoga, Natasha wanted to share it. As a result, in 2016 she completed 200 hours Ashtanga Vinyasa & Rocket Yoga Teacher Training with the introduction of Yin Yoga with The Yoga People in London. Inspired and empowered, Natasha has started teaching as soon as she finished her training.
In 2019 Natasha deepened her knowledge of Yoga by taking 50 hours “Yin Yoga and Elements” Teacher Training with the same Yoga school in London.
Natasha is very passionate about Yoga. For her, it is a way to learn about herself and to connect with inner wisdom, a way to keep body, mind & spirit healthy and tuned.
She wants to inspire people to discover and experience the different sides of yoga, to help them to improve their health and wellbeing.
Yoga is a philosophy, which Natasha is learning to live by.
To book sessions with Natasha please follow this link and filter by teacher.
Helen Coleman
Class Teacher
Helen qualified as a massage therapist over 5 years ago and has been fascinated by the mechanics and movement of the human body ever since. As a mother, her life experiences and interests naturally led her to study pregnancy massage then baby massage and most recently baby yoga. She also runs the homebirth support group for Leighton Buzzard and a mobile massage business, ‘Bodysoul Massage’. Helen is passionate about empowering women through pregnancy, birth and parenthood to realize their own capabilities.
Helen was introduced to yoga in her late teens by her stepmother, a dancer, and has practiced it to maintain physical and mental strength ever since. The opportunity to combine this love of yoga with the knowledge she has gained through her massage practice is very exciting and will hopefully allow her to share her knowledge and passions to help new parents in adjusting to their crazy new lives!
To book sessions with Helen please follow this link and filter by teacher.
Ian Jackson
Class Teacher
Ian has been involved in Martial Arts since his 20s and moving to Taiji in the mid-1990s was an understandable transition due to the related history of Martial Arts and Taiji. However, Ian’s overall perspective of Taiji purely for martial purposes soon changed as the wonders of the internal aspects of the art became apparent to him. So it became a lifelong focus, leading him into other aspects of Chinese internal arts such as Qigong. Because of moving around a great deal for work, Ian was fortunate to look at a number of styles of Taiji. He eventually settled back into the system he started with, which was handed down by Master Huang, a student of master Chen Man Ching (these lineage figures are very important in the Taiji world). The form and exercise from the Master Huang system are now Ian’s focus, although his involvement in other styles has helped him to have a greater understanding of what authentic Taiji actually is. Ian still considers himself a student, but also says that every good teacher he has ever been with labels themselves the same. Ian feels that this is because Taiji is infinite in nature, however, as stated in the Chinese classics, “a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”.
To book sessions with Ian please follow this link and filter by teacher.
Mary Williams
Class Teacher
Mary has been practising yoga for many years and having been a regular in Rocci’s classes she was delighted to be part of the first group of teachers trained at The Rocci Tree.
Mary’s yoga style is multifaceted, she believes variety & adaptability are very important.
Due to her reiki training she is very interested in our energy system & the Chakras; and as an experienced kids yoga teacher she is always keen to use her creativity & bring a musical twist into her yoga for all ages.
Her aim is to create classes that have a friendly atmosphere where everyone can be whatever they need to be. Mary hopes that in her classes you will have time to reset yourself, breathe & most importantly… smile!
To book adults and kids sessions with Mary please follow this link and filter by teacher.
GEM Philp
PILATES Teacher
Gem has been working in the fitness industry for a number of years. She found her passion for helping people while working as a curriculum manager at the Open University. Gem initially trained as a Spin instructor and has now added lots of other disciplines to her expertise including Kettle Bells, Boxfit, Kids Fitness, Barre and of course Pilates (including pregnancy and postnatal). Gem is passionate about health and works with nutrition and diet for wellbeing too. She finds the human body fascinating and is proud to be able to offer lots of options and levels to suit all in her sessions.
To book sessions with Gem please follow this link and filter by teacher.
ANGELA PARKES
Class Teacher
Angela has been a regular at the Rocci Tree for many years, trying out different styles, different teachers, learning new ideas and enjoying its wonderful sense of community.
Her practice has evolved as she has needed different things, from individual yoga, pregnancy classes to whole family yoga. Sharing her enjoyment with her family, her practice continues to grow as she has gained confidence and knowledge in yoga from within herself both on and off the yoga mat.
Training at the Rocci Tree was a natural progression, helping her to find her inner, yoga voice. Angela came to realise the importance of similing through poses and adapting yoga practice for everybody; being kind to yourself is an act of self-care
As Angela says, "Yoga has been with me, by myside throughout many years and many life changes, a constant companion." She is looking forward to the opportunity to pass on her knowledge to others and encourage their journey.
To book sessions with Angela please follow this link and filter by teacher.
LUISa Cullen
Class Teacher
My path to discover yoga was through a particularly difficult period of my life, both physically and mentally. I was recommended yoga while on this journey and after my first class I slept for the first time in a week. I felt a sense of calm and peace that I had been desperately seeking. It was like coming home. Due to circumstances I then didn't practice for a few years and certainly felt the negative impact on my life. My mum then became very poorly and once again, I was drawn to yoga and found The Rocci Tree. When Rocci announced that she was becoming a teacher or teachers, I knew this was my path. Yoga has helped me through so many difficult times, now it is my time to pass this gift on to others. My classes will be a safe space for all.
Sally-Anne Imeme
Class Teacher
Sally-Anne’s classes are light-hearted, inclusive, enabling and calm. They encourage freedom to explore and to try new things, and the ability to choose what feels right for you on the day. Each body is unique, and variations are always available. Breathe, trust and you can find your balance.
Practising yoga at The Rocci Tree opened the door not only to the airy studio, but also to all things yoga, including Rocci’s Teacher Training, and now the chance to share yoga as a teacher. It continues to be a joyful voyage of discovery, a voyage sparked by two chance yoga-related conversations thousands of miles apart.
To book sessions with Sally-Anne please follow this link and filter by teacher.
