The people teaching here shape what KAYA feels like as much as the room does. Each brings a different practice, a different training, a different way of cueing a breath — browse their profiles and find the voice that fits you.
Lulu Shanti
Lulu was born and raised in Portugal and discovered yoga almost by accident; a daily practice that began alongside her studies in psychology in London and quietly became a lifelong path. After 2 years of exploring different traditions, she completed her first training in 2003. With over 2 decades of experience, yoga continues to be a practice of learning, teaching and returning to its essence. At the heart of Lulu’s approach, a simple belief: yoga is for everyone.
Her classes weave together movement, breath and body awareness, creating space to notice what is happening beneath the surface; physically, mentally and energetically. Her teaching is intuitive and deeply rooted in the traditional teachings of yoga and Ayurveda, adapting each practice to the person, the place, the season and the energy of the moment. Alongside her teaching, Lulu has continued to study anatomy, physiology, Ayurveda, prenatal and postnatal care, Yoga Nidra and other complementary practices.
Training & Experience:
250-hour Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training — Thailand, 2003
Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training— Primary & Secondary Series
300-hour Ayurveda & Yoga Training - 2024
200-hour Ayurveda Practitioner Training
220-hour Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga Training - Seattle 2003
40-hour Rainbow Kids Yoga — 2012 & 2014
Yoga Trapeze - 2020
Yoga Anatomy & Physiology - 2020
Reflexology - 2006
Continuing Education — Chicago Yoga Conference, 200 hours
Short courses include: Yoga Nidra, Raja Yoga, The 5 elements, Ayurveda with Janet Stone
Currently completing a 550-hour qualification in Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy
Laura Curt
Laura has spent sixteen years teaching and studying movement and energy, starting with Kundalini and finding her true home in Vinyasa — slow, fluid, and built on the belief that strength, flexibility and mobility work best together, with awareness running through all three. Every class closes with a savasana unlike most others: Laura plays healing instruments and sings live, guiding the room into deep rest with the sweet magic of live sound.
Training & Experience:
16 years teaching yoga, movement & energy work
Kundalini Yoga
Advanced practice & teaching in Vinyasa
7 years teaching Pilates
Live vocal & instrumental sound healing
Emma Ford
Emma has been teaching yoga and meditation for over ten years, with a genuine focus on helping people feel more at home in their own bodies. Trained through a 200-hour teacher training with further study in yin and restorative yoga, she draws on a background in energy work alongside the physical practice. Known for her warmth and intuitive teaching style, Emma holds space where every level is welcome and every body is met with care.
Trainings & Experience:
200-hour Yoga Teacher Training
50-hour Yin Yoga with Bernie Clarke, Yoga International
6-hour Restorative with Cindi Lee, Yoga International
Yoga Injuries and Prevention, Yoga Medicine
20-hour Yoga Anatomy, Tiffany Crookshank, Yoga Medicine
Energy work - Reiki Practitioner Levels 1-2
Regression Hypnotherapy, The Weiss Institute
10+ years of teaching experience
Elizabeth Jamieson
Elizabeth is a breathwork facilitator and trainee trauma-informed somatic practitioner. Her sessions combine breathwork with gentle somatic movement, exploring the relationship between breath, body and mind.
Her approach is grounded and accessible — there's no single way to do it right. Sessions can support relaxation, energy or connection, depending on what you need that day, with room to work at your own pace throughout.
Training & Experience:
Breathwork Facilitator training
Trainee Trauma-Informed Somatic Practitioner
Christie Knight
After years in fast-paced London, Christie learned the value of space — and built her classes around it. Every session starts slow, easing you in and offering anchors to help you settle into the present moment before the movement begins. Influenced by her training in Seasonal Yoga and Mandala Vinyasa, Christie's classes are rooted in the rhythm of the seasons and the four elements.
Expect dynamic transitions, hands-on alignment cues, and a carefully curated playlist that helps you move out of your head and into your body. Whether you find her teaching Vinyasa, Mandala or Yin, you'll leave feeling present, lighter, and a little more in tune with your own rhythm.
Training & Experience:
200 hours YTT with Seasonal Yoga, Glasgow Scotland
300 hours advanced Vinyasa with High Yoga School, Indonesia
100 hours Mandala Vinyasa & Shamanism with The Yoga People, Goa India
50 hours Rocket Yoga with Kindred Yoga, Alentejo Portugal
Fabiana Silva
Fabiana came to yoga through a love of movement and a commitment to living fully in the present. Trained with the Path Of Yoga School, she teaches with sensitivity and intuition, letting each practice adapt to the energy, needs and rhythm of the group in front of her. For Fabiana, the mat is a reflection of life itself — a space to explore, feel, breathe, and reconnect with yourself.
Training & Experience:
200 hours Path Of Yoga
Rola Tassabehji
Rola is a yoga instructor, yoga therapist and writer with a particular interest in women's mental and physical health through midlife and the menopausal transition. She holds an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King's College London, and her classes draw on current research into how movement, breath and rest support the nervous system through life's transitions. Rola’s style is calm, inclusive and easy to feel welcome in, whatever level you're starting from.
Training & Experience:
RYT-500, Yoga Alliance
Diploma in Yoga Therapy
MSc, Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health, King's College London
Lino Nunes
Lino Nunes has been teaching salsa in the Algarve for over 25 years, bringing together clear instruction, plenty of practice, and the simple joy of dancing with other people. Whether you're learning your first steps or finding more confidence on the floor, Lino helps you relax into the rhythm and enjoy the music.
His classes are as much about connection as they are about steps — a different kind of movement practice, but one that fits right at home at KAYA.
Training & Experience:
25+ years teaching salsa here in the Algarve
Amy Gerrard
Amy started dancing at three and, at sixteen, won a place at the Central School of Ballet in London. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance and joined Vienna Festival Ballet Company, performing soloist roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. She later danced in West End-style productions aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria, alongside world-renowned choreographers and performers.
Today Amy is a registered Royal Academy of Dance teacher with over 15 years in the performing arts. She teaches ballet, contemporary and jazz, building technique and confidence side by side, and leads our mum + baby movement class. Now at home in the Algarve, she's dedicated to a warm, nurturing space where everyone can enjoy dance and grow into their full potential.
Training & Experience:
BA (Hons) Professional Dance and Performance, Central School of Ballet, London
Registered teacher, Royal Academy of Dance
15+ years in the performing arts
Lara Silva
Lara is a bundle of energy in the best sense — the kind that comes from years of genuine, deep study. Whatever Lara is teaching, the same thing carries through: a real depth of knowledge and an obvious belief in the practice itself. She is also preparing to introduce Kirtan sessions at KAYA — one more way this space keeps growing.
Training & Experience:
E-RYT500, Ashtanga, Hatha + Vinyasa, Yoga Alliance (US)
23 Hours Kids Yoga, 2019
30 Hours Prenatal Yoga Training, 2021
30 Hours Yin Yoga Training, 2021
120 Hours Training - Hosting Women's Circles, 2022
30 Hours training in The Art of Cacao Ceremony, Monte Orada Portugal
60 Hours Womb Keeper, 2022
Mat Pilates Certified
Tantra Yoga (certification in progress)