About our Surry Hills yoga studio
The Central Yoga School is a recognised Iyengar Yoga Institute. It was established in 1998 and runs classes, workshops, retreats and teacher training exclusively in the Iyengar Yoga tradition in Surry Hills, near Central Station.
Yoga is a process of self-transformation. The mind is engaged to develop awareness of and transform one’s physical and mental state. The body, in the form of various postures, is used as a tool to work towards this.
The poses, when done correctly, have various physical, physiological and psychological effects, improving health and maintaining an overall sense of well being for mind, body and life.
You don’t need to be flexible to do yoga. The most essential thing is to be open-minded and willing to learn.
Expert instruction for mind, body and life
Our qualified yoga teachers are passionate about authentic Iyengar yoga practice. At our school the poses are taught with attention to detail and according to one’s capacity. They are done both dynamically, and in a considered manner, so as to make the body strong and supple. Instruction is given on how to align and fine tune the postures, making them more potent, focusing the mind, and developing understanding and clarity.
James Hasemer
James Hasemer is a Senior Intermediate 3 (Level 3 under new system) certified Iyengar yoga teacher, teacher trainer, teacher assessor, assessment moderator, and is currently a teacher director on the Iyengar Yoga Australia board.
He has run the Central Yoga School since 1998. Prior to that he undertook a traditional yoga apprenticeship with a strong and inspiring teacher after starting Iyengar yoga classes back in the late 1980s.
Apart from occasional visits to the Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIYMI) in Pune, India, he has worked mostly on his own for the past 20 years, gaining insight through his disciplined daily practice and strict adherence to the Iyengar method.
Lorenzo Sacchini
Lorenzo discovered Iyengar yoga in 2013 when he started practicing at the Central Yoga School and has been passionate about it ever since.
He has been teaching at the school since 2016, attained full teacher certification in 2017, and Junior Intermediate 1 (Level 2 under the new system) in 2019.
As part of his on-going study he participates in a Yoga Therapy apprenticeship with Stephanie Quirk and visits India yearly to further improve his teaching and understanding of the practice.
Kathy Savage
Kathy is a passionate yogi having practised Iyengar yoga at Central Yoga School since 2002. She began teacher training in 2012, and attained her certification in 2017.
Kathy has a firm yet empathetic approach to teaching, whilst bringing a youthful enthusiasm to the practice. She has spent time studying Iyengar yoga with the Chanchanis in India and continually looks to learn from her students and teachers.
Kathy holds a bachelor of Health/Science in Complementary Medicine and is a qualified Herbalist and Nutritionist with a keen interest in all things wellness.
Kathy is currently on maternity leave.
Andrew Lim
Andrew has been practising at Central Yoga School since 2013, attaining teacher certification in 2018. He enjoys that with yoga you only ever reap what you sow, and that the benefits of practise are hard-earned but yours to enjoy.
He simply finds that he’s a better person when practising yoga, and finds the opportunity to learn more motivating and humbling.
Jackie Ruddock
Jackie is currently undertaking teacher training with James. She began practising Iyengar yoga in 2008, and joined Central Yoga School in 2018, at which point she became a dedicated practitioner.
When you meet Jackie you will see how important yoga is in her life. Her enthusiasm for the practice is felt through the energy she brings to the teaching of her classes.
Jo Lesak
Jo has practised Iyengar yoga regularly since 2005 when she started attending Central Yoga School.
In 2010 she moved to Nice, France, to join a teacher training program with Christian Pisano and June Whittaker, and was certified as an Iyengar teacher in 2013.
Following a move to London she qualified as Junior Intermediate I under the guidance of Penny Chaplin. Jo has travelled to India twice to study with senior teachers and the Iyengar family, and has attended numerous retreats, conventions and workshops in Europe and Australia.
Jo has settled back in Sydney since early 2020 and continues to be a regular yoga student at Central Yoga School. She is currently available to cover classes when other teachers are away.