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Our Team

Sofia Araujo

Sofia Araujo is a yoga mentor, therapist, chef and writer that shares an enthusiastic passion for holistic health and movement education. She is trained in the alchemy of the 5 Elements through Yoga, Ayurveda, Macrobiotic Nutrition and Counselling, Ayurvedic Yoga Massage and Chi Nei Tsang (Visceral Massage), with over 1500 hours of certified yoga studies and recently graduated as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner™.

Having taught in over 25 countries and exposed to so many different cultural identities she has refined the art of teaching movement, meditation and nutrition to a technique that is easily integrated into any lifestyle.  She shares teachings on the human experience which are rich in mindful movement and committed in living in awareness with the principles of Nature.

She has also developed the social entrepreneurial aspect to her school and continues to sponsor several yoga and meditation projects to unprivileged communities in countries like Indonesia, India, Belize, Guinea-Bissau and Nepal.

In the last few years she started focusing on developing yoga curriculums & programs for women where she shares her knowledge and experience of 18 years as a yoga student and teacher of teachers. Curating transformative spaces and facilitating the process of recognising Spirit through the harmony of body and mind sums up her purpose and passion! Full Bio >>

Amber Sawyer

As an Embodiment Facilitator, Amber shares the joy of living through holistic practices of yoga, active meditations, and elemental wellness, as well as combines these offerings with her service as a birth doula and holistic guide for pregnancy / postpartum women. With nearly 20 years of study and practice in Yoga, Ayurveda and Meditation, as well as a PhD in Biomedical Engineering in the field of stem-cell tissue repair, Amber brings a unique perspective on healing and self-discovery through the influence of scientific and ancient wisdoms.

After founding and running a center for meditation and yoga in Singapore for nearly 10 years, Amber shifted into her current offerings, which include mothering a vibrant little one, continued work with group immersions and retreats, biannually leading 5-Elements and Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga Teacher Trainings, and working on a more individual basis of empowering others to find their inner and outer harmony through a variety of practices including breathwork, nutrition, constitutional analysis, yoga, meditation and daily rhythms. Part of this dharma particularly focuses on empowering women to have a conscious pregnancy, birth experience and preparedness for motherhood.

She teaches the 5 Elements Yoga Teacher Trainings at Swara Yoga School. Full Bio >>

Hugo Abecassis

It was through an act of pure altruism that yoga entered the life and heart of Hugo Abecassis. His mother did yoga, but a long time had passed since she’d attended a class and Hugo wanted to motivate her to go back to doing it regularly.

Even though, in this first class, Hugo had no idea what he was doing he found his path. He even asked his teacher, who gave him a handkerchief for a pranayama exercise if he was supposed to blow his nose in it, which made the entire class laugh. But even with this, he felt at home.

Afterwards, Hugo tried countless methods of yoga. Ashtanga Vinyasa, Shivanada Yoga, Dynamic Yoga and Acro Yoga, among others. Hugo says he is “appreciative of every method, as long as it is well performed”. Currently, he practices more frequently the Iyengar method — a method that he considers a piece of art and an extraordinary legacy to yoga —, guaranteeing that “even though sometimes it may look like a very physical practice, with time it also becomes a way for us to know ourselves”. Full Bio >>

Emily Baxter

Emily is a movement specialist, acrobatics teacher, teacher trainer, anatomy nerd and perpetual student of the body. She is the founder of international school and community Partner Acrobatics and Integrated Yin Yoga. She has taught more than a dozen yoga teacher trainings as a movement and anatomy consultant for other international yoga schools.

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, for 15 years Emily has studied numerous movement modalities including various styles of yoga. Her extensive background in postural assessment and exercise based postural re- alignment therapy has rewarded Emily the ability to help people rehabilitate from injuries, move out of pain and regain joy, ease and playfulness in their lives.

She is certified as a Hatha Yoga Teacher from Kaivalyadhama, Yin Yoga Teacher and is currently studying at the Egoscue university to become a certified Egoscue Therapist.

Emily's teaching style blends humor and fun into clear, precise, thoughtful instruction. She is known for her contagious enthusiasm and never ending energy.

Emily co-teaches with Sofia in their Farm Yoga Retreats in Spain.

Atira Tan

A world traveler and seeker of authenticity, Atira’s 16 years of yoga immersion shines through in her distinct style of teaching. Through the practice of deep listening, alignment and healing, she inspires and empowers students through her infectious exuberance, courage and joy for life, to live an authentic life in peace, joy and purpose, on and off the yoga mat.

Atira has been immersed in various forms of yoga styles, including Classical Hatha, Yin, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow. However, it wasn't until her training in the Anusara style of Yoga when her teaching style blossomed. She has over 1000 hours of education in yoga teacher trainings that she has attended all over the world and is certified in Anusara, Yin Yoga, Tigress Yoga and Embodied Flow.

She is the Founder and Executive Director of Art2Healing Project, a non-profit organization assisting sex trafficked women and children globally.
Over 11 years, she has set up several yoga, art therapy, women’s health and trauma informed programs, from the refugee camps in Burma, to the slums of Nepal.
Atira is an international speaker, yoga teacher, author, art therapist & facilitator. She is passionate in empowering others to be leaders in social change, serving and loving the world wholeheartedly, courageously & sustainably.

Sebastian Bruno

Sebastian Bruno is the co-founder and director of Thai Vedic Yoga. Originally from Portugal, Sebastian has been immersed in the study and practice of healing arts for the past 14 years.

He is qualified in a variety of healing modalities that he uses both in his trainings and private sessions, such as: Thai Massage, Ayurvedic Yoga Massage, Aromatherapy, Chi Nei Tsang, Reflexology, Thai Vedic Yoga, Hatta and Tantra Yoga, Qi Gong, Taoist practices, Meditation, Fire-walking and Dance.

Certified Thai Massage teacher and practitioner by The Healing Hands Foundation - Nepal and the Thai Minister of Education- Thailand, Yoga Teacher and Fire-walking instructor, Sebastian teaches worldwide, inspiring and being inspired in his travels.

Sebastian co-teaches with Sofia on different retreats.

Cathy Pearson

Cathy has been involved with yoga since 1996. Since then she has spent the years living between Thailand, India & Ireland (more recently Bali) deepening her understanding of the vast layers of yoga. She is a certified yoga teacher from Yoga Arts Australia and over the years she has studied various styles of yoga including Iyengar, Hatha, Ashtanga & meditation, as well as being a qualified Cellular Healing Therapist.

This varied experience has led her to express her understanding of yoga in a dynamic way and teaches it as a transformational process that explores the individuality of each person. Her classes place emphasis on a deep connection with the breath, clarity and stillness of the mind, strength, balance, a graceful flow of moving mediation and the exploration of consciousness.

She is a guest teacher in Swara Yoga School's 7 Day Holistic Health Retreat where she teaches yoga and facilitates transformational healing processes, adding a depth to these retreats that is essential for personal and professional growth.