Instructors
Laura Hinde
Laura Hinde was fortunate to find her teacher, Faustomaria Dorelli, in 1992. After 3 years of increasingly immersive classes with him at his Innergy Yoga Centre in West London (Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga and Bhakti Yoga in the form of Kirtan Chanting), he encouraged her to take the Yoga Teacher Training Course at the Sivananda Yoga Headquarters in Canada, which she completed in 1995. She remained living on the Sivananda ashrams for a year, teaching in New York State, New York City and on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, followed by a year at the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico where she continued to teach Hatha Yoga and learn about Living Foods.
Returning to the UK in 1998 she continued to teach full time at Fausto’s Innergy Yoga centre, training and being immersed in Hatha, Raja and Bhakti Yoga. Encouraged by Fausto, she began teaching women Pregnancy Yoga, first learning “on the job” with the women she taught and later training with Janet Balaskas at the The Active Birth Centre.
In 2002 she married and moved to St Albans, founding The Yoga Hall with her husband and fellow Yoga teacher, Finlay Hinde. The birth of her children in 2004 and 2008 motivated a whole new exploration of specialist women’s teachings, training with Birthlight (then Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Francoise Feldman) and Peter Walker (Developmental Baby Massage), as well as a post-natal apprenticeship with The Active Birth Centre.
Inspired by the spiritual depth of Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa‘s teaching, she travelled back to New York City in 2013 to undertake the Khalsa Way Pre-Natal Yoga training. This was where she experienced Kundalini Yoga for the first time and was deeply moved by the experience. It was particularly the quality of the women’s teachings that motivated her to a daily practice of Kundalini Yoga, and to begin exploring Kundalini Yoga more intensely.
In 2015 she took the Women in Power initiation.
In 2016 she completed her Kundalini Level 1 teacher training course at Amrit Nam Sarovar in the French Alps, From there and she continued into Level 2, a 3-year undertaking comprising 7 courses, completing in 2019;
Journey of Life Dynamics: Kriya and Ayurveda, Journey into the Mind: Trance and Transcend, Journey into Listening: From Blah Blah to Wah!, Journey into Sacred Geometry: The Language of Signs, Symbols and Numbers, Journey into Tantra: Shiva/Shakti Awaken!, Journey of the Soul: From Lineage to Destiny, and Journey into the Beyond: The Spiritual Warrior.
More recently, Laura has completed The Path of Light, The Path of Love, and The Path of Mystery three levels of the self-mastery course The Masters’ Way, created by In’Easa mabu Ishtar working with the Ascended Masters of Light. This year she is taking The Path of The One Heart and The Harmonisers courses with the same teachers.
Interviews:-
Laura talks to Boy George on LBC Radio back in 2003:- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MkLhh5tNIEyGCxz2iJCLFLZBAkq9wFNy/view?usp=drive_link
Laura on YogiGems, 2017:- https://www.yogigems.com/laura-hinde/
Laura talks to friend Ruth who runs Mish Mash Music, 2023:- https://mishmashmusic.info/mish-mash-and-friends-laura-from-the-yoga-hall/
Finlay Hinde
Finlay Hinde began practicing Kundalini Yoga in 1994 with his Chinese Medicine teacher, Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa, and Qi Gong with Tinh Thong Nguyen. During his years as an Acupuncturist, Herbalist and Sound Healer, he also practiced Kashmiri Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Vipassana Meditation. In 1998 he found his teacher Faustomaria Dorelli., who could demonstrate Classical Yoga integrated with our modern western predicament. After Sivananda teacher training in 2000 he married one of Fausto’s student teachers, Laura. Together they set up The Yoga Hall in St Albans. Since then Finlay has studied spiritual philosophies with Georg Feuerstein, Thomas Hubl, Terry Patten and Integral Life. Finlay teaches all levels of Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation, Raja Yoga and Kirtan Chanting. He is a Certified Integral Therapist practicing Upstairs at The Yoga Hall.
Lou Stanion
Motivated by a desire to calm her mind, Lou’s interest in yoga started in 2004. In 2006 she qualified as a Yoga teacher in India, trained by the Sivananda Organisation. Much of her teaching is inspired by time spent with Faustomaria Dorelli at the Innergy Yoga Centre in London. Part of a dynamic yogic Sangha (community), and alongside this working in a busy commercial role promoting African Safaris, Lou gained a lived understanding of how to integrate yoga into daily life. It was at Innergy that her love of singing was re-kindled and monthly chanting (either in London or St Albans) became a regular part of her life.
Since then she has trained with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (Womb Yoga & Total Yoga Nidra) and Judith Lasater (Restorative Yoga). She has studied with and been inspired by Angela Farmer, Donna Farhi, John Stirk, Sarah Powers and Chinnamasta Stiles.
Her love of the cyclical rhythms of nature has inspired a quarterly Seasonal Yoga workshop and Seasonal Celebrations of ritual and sharing that honour the festivals of the Celtic calendar. These gatherings weave together the Red Tent community and St Albans Men’s Group and are honoured in her weekly Yoga Nidra classes.
Later in 2013 Lou undertook Shadow Work training with John & Nicola Kurk. This led her to the ‘Women in Power’ programme, an initiation that unearths and honours buried aspects of the feminine soul and psyche. She continues to staff on this programme, supporting women both during and after their initiation.
In 2015 Lou met Alexandra Pope, co-founder of Red School, whilst attending one of her menopause weekends. Just on the cusp of menopause herself, this inspired her to join the 2016 Woman’s Quest Apprenticeship, a radically new approach to leadership training for women. In 2017 she trained as a Menstrual Medicine Circle Facilitator and Red School Menstruality Mentor, working one to one with women to access the gold hidden within their menstrual cycle.
And in early 2019 she completed a 500 hour Yoga Therapy & Mindfulness Training with Heather Mason at The Minded Institute and now offers 1-to1 Yoga and Yoga Therapy. Lou is a qualified Minded Yoga Therapist (working one-to-one and with small groups), a Reflexologist and a Red School Menstrual Medicine Circle Facilitator. She practises Upstairs at The Yoga Hall.
Lou has recently completed her Kundalini Level 1 teacher training course at Amrit Nam Sarovar. Last year she completed The Path of Light, the first level in the self-mastery course The Masters’ Way, which has been created by In’Easa mabu Ishtar working with the Ascended Masters of Light. This year she is taking The Path of Love, the second level.
Lou teaches Hatha Yoga, Well Woman Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga and Seasonal Yoga.
Liz Egre
Liz Egre teaches Seniors Yoga on Mondays 10:15 to 11:30am.
Robert Dunham
Robert Dunham teaches Beginners Hatha Yoga on Thursday evenings 6-7pm
Lara Edgar
Lara teaches the 9.30-10.45am Tuesday morning class, which consists of classic hatha yoga postures, breathwork, relaxation and meditation techniques. The practice is suitable for beginners as well as those with more experience.
When Lara was 17, yoga was offered to pupils at her school, to help with exam stress. Whilst other girls chuckled about the funny posture names, Lara just loved how the poses made her feel, the world seemed to stand still and she couldn’t wait for the next class. That was in Belfast, in 1992. After her initial introduction to yoga, through the Yoga Fellowship of Northern Ireland, Lara sought out classes wherever she could find them, and tried many different styles, on various retreats and workshops.
Lara did yoga and meditation teacher training with Marie Quail at the Yoga Therapy and Training Centre In Ireland, whilst working in Dublin.
Having always found the Sivananda Companion to Yoga book very useful for self practice, Lara decided to do the Sivananda teaching diploma in Kerala, South India in 2003, as part of a year long trip. A little while after that Lara moved to London and eventually to St Albans with a young family, where she was delighted to find a warm welcome at the Yoga Hall. As well as becoming a regular student at classes, Lara taught the yoga for Mind classes for a couple of years.
Over 20 years ago Lara was introduced to the Vipassana meditation technique whilst travelling in Nepal and it has remained the most effective method for her to access a sense of space and calm. Lara also finds a daily yoga nidra practice extremely beneficial. She trained with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Nirlipta Tuli, at Total Yoga Nidra.
Lara is a member of the British Wheel of Yoga. She completed pre and post natal pregnancy yoga training through Birthlight with Francoise Freedman in 2008, which was a wonderful preparation for her own two pregnancies.
Heidi Shott
Heidi has been teaching yoga to toddlers and primary aged children for 12 years. She has completed training with June’s Yoga, Calm for Kids and Peaceful Babes. Her classes introduce children to yoga in a fun, relaxed and non-competitive environment. Classes include postures, stretching, storytelling, songs, mindfulness, breathing, relaxation and chanting.
Classes are held on a Thursday afternoon. Toddler class (2.5 to 4.5 years) is from 2pm to 2:30pm and Kids class (4 to 10 years) is from 4pm to 4:40pm.
For more information about these classes please visit www.butterflykidsyoga.co.uk or to book a free trial session call 07967 664056.
Paul Feetham
Paul Feetham has had a personal meditation practice for over 20 years. He has also been practicing yoga since 2001 and has been visiting The Yoga Hall since 2005.
Paul is a Zenways trained Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher who is qualified to teach both an 8 week Practical Zen for Health and Mindfulness course and an 8 week Insight Meditation Course.
Paul’s teacher is Julian Daizan Skinner, who founded Zenways and was the first Englishman to become a Roshi or Zen Master in the rigorous Rinzai tradition of Zen. Zenways are accredited by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA).
Scheduled courses can be booked through the YogaHall website and will be advertised when available. Paul can also offer personal 121 tuition and meditation advice and can be contacted at paul.feetham@btinternet.com.