experienced teachers

Pru created The Retreat Yoga Studio and community to give people a place to land, to feel accepted and know they belong. A warm and inviting sanctuary where people feel safe and supported as they move, breathe, listen deeply and discover ‘sanctuary within.’ 

Pru is passionate about the body-mind connection, the whole person and their individual experience. In her mindful, embodied classes, Pru integrates functional movement, myo-facial release, somatic experience and psychotherapeutic practices with the tradition and philosophy of yoga.  Her classes are an exploration of self where people not only develop strength and mobility, they grow more understanding, acceptance and compassion for who and where they are, embodying the practice to feel good from the inside out.

Pru is an experienced yoga teacher and registered Counsellor with an integrative approach to yoga,  psychotherapy and somatic therapy. She opened The Retreat Yoga Studio in 2016 and developed Mindful Somatic Yoga Therapy, a course for embodied healing: trauma, anxiety. She is currently undertaking the Master of Psychotherapy.

Through her trauma informed teachings students learn to regulate their nervous system, attune to their felt sense and connect to the wisdom of their body.  

Pru is warm and engaging, and through meditation, flow, yin and therapeutic restorative yoga, she invites students to be curious and kind as she supports them on their journey to strength, vitality, ease and well-being. 

Join Pru on the mat and welcome yourself home to body, mind, heart and soul at The Retreat.

Emma Gilmartin commenced a regular yoga practice in 2010, shortly after the birth of her second son. After 4 years of regular yoga, Emma experienced many benefits including lower stress levels and a greater sense of wellbeing. 

In her career as a singer and a singing teacher, Emma also experienced many improvements, including reduced performance anxiety and a much greater sense of ease whist on stage. For Emma, the practice of yoga is the perfect accompaniment to a career in singing. 

Emma is passionate about helping her students to feel better about their bodies. You do not need to have a certain body shape or size to practise yoga, and to experience the many benefits. 

Emma Gilmartin completed her 350 hour Teaching Certification at Prana House in 2016 and has been teaching regular slow flow, yin, restorative, chair yoga and yoga nidra classes since then. Emma has also completed the Chair Yoga and Discovery certifications with Nicky Knoff in Cairns as well as courses in Trauma informed and Accessible Yoga.

Emma performs regularly with vocal group Coco’s Lunch, and with her jazz quartet in venues throughout Australia and beyond. Emma is a music lecturer at Monash University and Box Hill Institute and lives in Melbourne with her husband and three sons.

Ben

 Benjamin Hurley has been practicing yoga for the past 10 years, and encompasses its physical, spiritual and philosophical benefits within his everyday life. He has trained with many reputable teachers across Australia and in Bali, and enjoys how every person has a unique expression of the form. He has a dedicated personal practice, and loves experiencing how the benefits expand beyond the mat. His usual class is often light and fun yet physically demanding, finishing with considered pranayama and/or meditation. He is interested in how the practice can weave in an intention in a meaningful way with a strong focus on enabling the student to discover their own breath and impetus.Ben is a movement enthusiast, and believes that it has an immense power for healing, transformation and self discovery. With a background in dance and having performed both locally and internationally in renowned companies and arts festivals for the past 6 years, he is well equipped in understanding the intricate mind-body connection across a range of practices. Ben completed his 200-hour yoga teacher training with the Australian Yoga Academy and has a BFA in dance from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. 

Having practiced Yoga for many years experiencing its many and varied benefits, Alida embarked on a Teacher Training course and life has never been the same. Coming from a corporate background, running her own business, a family with three teenage children, she lives and breathes yoga, mindfulness and loves to share the holistic benefits of yoga, meditation and mindfulness with those around her. Always continuing her enthusiasm with ongoing education and professional development, she has studied with many inspiring teachers in styles including Vinyasa, Yin and Hatha. Alida believes no one is immune to the gifts Yoga has to offer and she teaches from the heart, practicing unconditional love, acceptance and inner strength in us all.

Isabelle is a professional contemporary dancer, choreographer, and passionate yoga teacher. A Sagittarian daydreamer and eternal optimist.  She’s been dancing, performing, and moving her body into all sorts of shapes since she was a kid. Isabelle had practiced yoga for many years before she truly noticed it’s magic! She completed her Vinyasa yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India, and Yin yoga training here in Melbourne. “Yoga has taught me to treasure myself, to listen to my body, and has helped me to find more space and peace within. I love to hold a space for individuals to delve deeper into themselves; fostering a practice that extends beyond the mat.”

Years spent suffering with chronic back pain, acquired from an early obsession with body building combined with the physical strain of working in his family’s orchard, eventually forced Nigel to seek out alternative solutions.
This prompted Nigel to view life from a different perspective leading to interest in metaphysics, meditation and Yoga philosophy. After a lot of soul searching and plenty of reading a chain reaction had begun which started to affect other areas of his life including giving up drinking, becoming vegetarian and even switching up careers from real estate into something more aligned with his soul’s purpose. Discovering the holistic benefits and healing properties of daily yoga, has ultimately led Nigel to becoming a yoga teacher and to support others on their own journey of self-discovery.

After practicing yoga for several years, Steph experienced the transformative benefits of a regular yoga practice during a period of personal and professional burnout in her life. Inspired by the healing offered by the practice, she completed her 350hr teacher training in order to share yoga with others.

In her classes, Steph offers a grounding and accessible practice whilst still remaining challenging and fun. Steph is fascinated by functional anatomy and skeletal variation; she encourages students to stay curious to internal feedback and sensations in order to adjust the posture to suit their individual body.

Off the mat, Steph is also a practicing veterinarian and keen trail runner – often out exploring the beautiful countryside surrounding Melbourne.

Amber loves to share the freedom and inner light that yoga brings to everyone it touches. By exploring mindful movement and nourishing breathwork, she endeavours to inspire her students to find their own strength and vitality within.

After being a stay-at-home-mum and giving her all to her family, Amber sought a way to find inner balance and some space of her own. A re-discovery of yoga took her on a journey of healing and self-exploration. Craving more knowledge, yoga teacher training eventually lead her to teach and to share her experience in a fun and loving way.

In her spare time you’ll find Amber off on adventures with her three young boys, sweating her way through a high intensity work out, or lazing in a hot bath with a good book.