FACULTY
300-hour Living Yoga Teacher Training
Lead trainer: Angeleigh Khoo
Leigh first tasted the potency of Yoga in a tiny shophouse studio almost 20 years ago. That kickstarted a journey that led her to Ubud, Bali, where she spent the formative years of my Yoga education primarily with Emily Kuser.
What began as a journey of rediscovering the capabilities of her body eventually shape-shifted into one that showed her a glimmer of the potential of my mind. Bali birthed her poetic teaching style and shaped her soft skills of inclusive space-holding, but her seeker's curiosity led her repeatedly to India. This is where her personal practice and her teachings eventually found home — in classical Yoga, primarily in the tradition of Sri Krishnamacharya; as well as Vedanta.
Leigh has a way of distilling ancient teachings and eloquently sharing them with modern practitioners and householders in accessible ways. She deeply believes that Yoga is meant to be lived, and is thus extremely committed to sharing the holistic practice of Yoga beyond what is taught on the mat.
Guest faculty (Sri Lanka immersion): Niloofer Giri
Niloofer ji is a distinguished exponent of Advaita Vedanta in the lineage of Sri Adi Shankaracharya, and is the disciple of the revered Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Known worldwide for her engaging discourses and workshops, she brings clarity and wit to the ancient scriptures, transforming them into a vibrant, practical manual for daily living. She continues to travel the globe to share the timeless values of Vedanta, the ancient spiritual tradition that reveals the ultimate truth of one's identity.
Niloofer ji is Leigh's Vedanta teacher, and she has taught Vedanta on Living Yoga's mid-year immersions for the past two years. Like Yoga, Vedanta is one of the six classical systems of Vedic philosophy. While Yoga provides the practical tools to purify and steady body and mind, Vedanta provides the philosophical framework to understand the true nature of reality. Together, they form a well-rounded path to self-realisation.
Guest faculty (Yoga Sutras): Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy
Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy holds a PhD in psychological insights from the Vedas and has a background in Sanskrit, English, Yogic Science, and Applied Psychology. Trained in traditional Gurukulam education for six years, he is a guest faculty at various universities and Yoga associations across the world including Belgium, France and Singapore, and he continues to travel globally to conduct courses and workshops on Yoga, Psychology, and Sanskrit.
Also a dedicated researcher, Dr. Banavathy has published widely, including books on Indian psychology and happiness, and a report on the standardisation of Yoga Terminologies for the World Health Organisation (WHO). He is also involved with cultural and service organisations and has curated festivals, conferences, and workshops on yoga, Sanskrit, and Indian philosophy, including the annual Mysuru Utsava in Mysore, India.
