Our Teachers
Monica Angelucci
The founder of Prague Yoga, Monica has been teaching Yoga in the Prague community for almost four years. Prior to that, she taught Yoga in not-for-profit settings in the U.S. A 200 E-RYT, she directs the Yoga Alliance registered Prague Yoga Teacher Training Program. Monica also teaches Vinyasa Flow with pranayama breathing and meditation. Her students are kept safe by weaving a creative, fluid and challenging Yoga with Iyengar alignment principles and by balancing flexibility with strength. She encourages her students to be loving, compassionate and accepting of their bodies as "wherever you are is the perfect place to be!" Her greatest gifts are her family and friends - who touch her life in ways they can't imagine...all of her many Yoga teachers (most especially Chandra Om and Marcela Mikešová)...her students, who constantly grace her classes with their wisdom, love and beauty...and last, but certainly not least, her kind and patient husband Dan, whose loving support has made the dream of Prague Yoga a reality. A native of Kansas City, Monica loves to hike, cycle, ski, attend the ballet, photograph everything, cook, read and play Beatles songs on her cello. Ultimately, Monica believes, "Yoga is about learning to be present in every moment, beginning by listening to and honoring the body. Yoga is not about the poses...it is about the heart."
Helena Ackerman
Helena has been practicing Yoga with various instructors with interruptions for several years. In the last couple of years, feeling deeply inspired by Yoga, Helena began to devote herself to Yoga on a regular basis. Developing a more focused personal practice, she completing training as a Yoga teacher at Prague Yoga Studio (RYT 200). Helena continues her studies of the Yoga philosophy. She also attends classes of various Yoga styles and intensive workshops both here and in the U.S. to continue to deepen her skill and focus as an instructor. Her background in teaching modern dance gives her a deep understanding of the human body and its experience in motion.
Helena approaches the teaching of Yoga as a journey along which one develops self-awareness and self-acceptance, being fully present and enjoying every moment.
Martina Atlasová
A certified Yoga teacher (CYT), Martina has been a dedicated and passionate student of all aspects of Yoga since 2001. In 2005, she completed the Moksha Yoga Teacher Training in Chicago. Martina is devoted to her Yoga practice and to continuing education so that she can better serve students of all ages in workshops, group classes and private settings. In her studies with Yoga masters from around the world, she has been most influenced by Ashtanga Vinyasa, Forrest and Universal Yoga. In each class, she blends her training and experience into a creative, challenging, and soulful Vinyasa Flow. Through modifications and reinforcement of alignment principals Martina keeps her students safe. She also holds a degree in finance from the Masaryk University in Brno and worked as an account manager in two international banks in Prague. Creating new content for each class, Martina wants students to feel that yoga is fun. At the same time, she seeks to inspires her students to become mentally, physically, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually self-aware. Martina believes Yoga is a state of mind and being, not a measure of flexibility. She sincerely thanks her teachers, students, family, and friends for supporting and inspiring her on her own journey.
Amy Huck
Amy began practicing Hatha Yoga while studying acting in college. Sword-fighting and rowing were her other favorites, though it is Yoga that has endured throughout the last decade. Amy teaches Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga Vinyasa classes. In 2006, Amy spent six beautiful months in Asia deepening both her Yoga practice and her life experiences. She tries to consistently bring her curiosity and joy of life into both her practice and her teaching.
Alice Janstová
Alice is a student of Charles University's Anragogy (adult education program) in Prague. She began studying Belly Dancing in 2002 under master Czech teachers Liza Vegrova and Rena Milgrom. Alice also attended workshops with masters Ahmed Fekry from Egypt and Sashar Zarif from Azerbaijan. In 2007 she received her teacher's certificate from the Oriental Dance Academy (Mila el Kral). In addtion to dancing, Alice has studied Iyengar Yoga since childhood. Iyengar training, which focuses on health and alignment carries over into her teaching methodology and her special interest in the positive health benefits of Belly Dancing. Belly dancing, which is suitable for all ages and body types, helps increase both flexibility and strength. It emphasize muscular "isolations", teaching students to move various muscles or muscle groups independently. The benefits of Belly Dancing are both mental and physical. Oriental Dance is a unique pursuit that can bring both kinds of healing to those who embrace it.
Lucie Konigová
Looking for something to complement her meditation practice and her keen interest in Eastern philosophies and Buddhism, Lucie began practicing Yoga in 1998. Her continued study and practice has led her to a place where Yoga is now the central and grounding force in her life. Lucie has trained with many inspiring yoga teachers including Shiva Rea, Twee Merrigan, Aadil B. Palkhivala, Katerina Wen, Marcela Mikešová and, in particular, Paddy McGrath. The teachers who have had the most impact on her own practice, teaching and spiritual growth, however, are Sri A.G. Mohan and Indra Mohan (direct students of Sri T. Krishnamacharya) whose Science and Art of Yoga training programme (240 hrs) she completed in 2007. In her own practice as well as in her classes, which include asana, pranayama, meditation and chanting, Lucie focuses mainly on conscious movement, proper alignment and therapeutic effects of Yoga while seeking to provide a balance of challenge and release. She encourages her students to pay attention to the flow of breath and energy, cultivating awareness of the body and the mind, which is seen as a gateway to inner work. Lucie believes that the purpose of yoga is to heal and to be peaceful with and in oneself and that you can often move further through surrender than through effort. She encourages reflection and self-enquiry in students who are interested in going beyond the physical, the obvious and the easy. A translator and interpreter by training and a bookworm by nature, Lucie loves cats, dancing, bathroom singing and India!
Weslie MacGregor
Originally from the West Coast of the US (Los Angeles & Portland), Weslie has been living in Prague for almost 3 years. She spent most of her life playing competitive sports until a major knee injury and surgery caused her to seek new areas of health and fitness. Weslie heard the phrase "Honor Your Body" in one of her first Yoga classes, and it rang true for her. She loves the variety and physical challenge of Yoga as well as the harmony, peace of mind, and Self-exploration that it brings. For Weslie, Yoga is never the same from one day to the next. In her opinion, every time you revisit a pose, it's a bit different. And the more your practice develops, the more challenges you can find, both physically and mentally. Besides Yoga, Weslie loves knitting. Her other hobbies include reading, traveling, and cycling. Weslie maintains, "just as we have strong and weak days in life, we have the same in our yoga practices. The key is to persevere and you will always be proud of yourself for it."
Hannah-Marie Martin
Hannah teaches Yoga in the hope that she may assist others in achieving greater peace, harmony and joy in their lives. Her classes seek to emphasize finding physical and mental freedom within the pose, rather than struggling with aesthetic perfection. Hannah has practiced various forms of Yoga for seven years and Buddhist meditation for over two years. She practices the Buddhist Vipassana meditation technique regularly. Hannah became interested in Yin Yoga after a vigorous marathon training schedule left her muscles and joints feeling very tight, stiff and fatigued. She found that long-held, passive stretches not only eased her post-training physical strain and tension, but transformed her attitude towards exercise, as well as wider life. In turn, Yin Yoga practice enhanced Hannah's meditation practice both physically and mentally. Hannah teaches and practice yin (passive) and yang (active) styles of yoga, according to needs and requests, as she believes, "the two combined can create a strong all round practice, and blissful sense of balance within".
Lenka Nezvalová (TBA)
Bettina Schulze-Bisping
Bettina was educated in Shamanic Healing Energy Work by Martin Brune of Institute of Shamanic Nature´s Way in Germany. Her extensive training allows her to conduct healing workshops, private consultations and long-distance treatments. She is also a long time practitioner of Hatha Yoga and the Alexander Technique. In addition to healing work, she is also a well-known German actor and singer.
David Zmrzly
David was educated in Shamanic Healing Energy Work by Martin Brune, Shamanic Nature´s way Institute, Germany. He is a Prague native who spent 14 years of his life in Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. In 2004 he returned to Prague and has been living here since then. David is a graduate of Prague University of Economics (VSE) and received his Master of International Management (CEMS MIM) in 2001. He is also and entrepreneur and co-owner of a mobile handsets software producer in Prague. David's favourite leisure activities are sports, including tennis, beach-volleyball and golf. He currently conducts Shamanic Healing meditations and treatments. David says, "the energy work is a fantastic way to balance the every day life!"