Meet the Zuna Yoga Team

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EXPERIENCED

Our teachers have decades of experience in practice, teaching, training, business and yoga studio management. Our mission is to empower you by sharing our knowledge fully, without reserve.

EDUCATED

Instructors from richly diverse backgrounds, highly educated and competent in their fields of expertise. All Zuna Yoga® facilitators are graduates of our training programs.

PROFESSIONAL

Yoga Alliance® accredited programs. Attentive customer service from your first contact through graduation and beyond. We pride ourselves on reliability and consistency.

Everett Newell

Founder - Master Trainer
ERYT500 / YACEP

"If we haven't the strength to impose our own terms upon life, then we must accept what it offers us." − T.S. Elliot
A life-long fascination with the attitudes and factors that promote success has led Everett through an intensive study in a variety of modalities, including martial arts, yoga, meditation and business training. He has been involved in the energetic arts since 1978, beginning with Hapkido, a Korean martial art. This led him to one of his most revered teachers, Grand Master Bong Soo Han at the International Hapkido Federation® Headquarters in Santa Monica, CA where he studied and taught for over 20 years. His exploration of Yoga began in 1992 and has been a journey through many traditions such as Tantra, Hatha, Kundalini, Vinyasa, Taoism and more.

Everett was cofounder of Divine Motion Yoga® (2001 − 2009) which was voted the “Best Los Angeles Yoga Studio” three times. He founded Zuna Yoga® in 2009 and in 2010 moved to New York City’s Upper West Side, where he taught at two of NYC’s premiere yoga studios, PureYoga® and NYLovesYoga. It was there that he met his partner Katherine, who contributed greatly to modernizing the Zuna Yoga® brand and providing scientific and pedagogic structure to the traditional methods. Together they moved to Bali in 2013, and have since successfully led thousands of inspired students through yoga teacher training.

Katherine Girling

Director - Master Trainer
ERYT500 / YACEP

"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart" − Vincent van Gogh

Originally from England, Katherine grew up in Pennsylvania, USA. A lover of learning, she graduated summa cum laude with degrees in French, Environmental Science, and Chemical Engineering and received several prestigious academic scholarships. She completed a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering in Switzerland, where she lived for 13 years, with graduate work in Hanoi, Vietnam. Katherine has over 20 years experience in engineering, sales, marketing and training. She has traveled and lived abroad extensively, is fluent in French, German and English, and has studied Mandarin and Spanish. Katherine is also an avid athlete who has engaged passionately in individual and team sports, dance, yoga, martial arts and outdoor activities.

Seeking a deeper understanding of yoga, she completed her first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Pure Yoga® NYC in 2010. The same year, she met her partner Everett, who introduced to the Tantric Hatha style of Zuna Yoga®. She was inspired by its richness, and this chance meeting was the start of an entirely new life chapter. She left her corporate job as a sales executive in 2013 to help refine and expand the Zuna Yoga® program. Katherine has completed additional training in Yoga Nidra, Integral Anatomy, Yoga Tune Up®, Anatomy Trains®, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Thai Yoga Massage and Vipassana meditation. She is now based full-time in Bali, where she has guided thousands of students on their own yoga journeys.

“At first, yoga for me was another fun form of movement, a low-impact way to cross-train and maintain the flexibility I had developed from gymnastics and martial arts. It was largely devoid of spirituality. As I continued to explore a variety of classes and teachers over the years and continents, I found myself becoming increasingly drawn to yoga’s energetic layers and the deep sense of clarity, peace and connection it gave me. Finding Zuna Yoga® completely changed my practice and perspective and has enriched my life in so many ways.” – Katherine Girling

Franziska Priemer

Lead Trainer

ERYT200® / RYT500

"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment." − Thich Nhat Hanh

Franzi grew up in Germany, where she enjoyed a classical education, studying piano, flute and ballet. After high school, she traveled to Italy to work and be immersed in the language and culture. Returning to Germany to pursue a teaching degree, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kassel and started teaching in primary school in 2008. Indonesia was calling Franzi in 2013. She became captivated by the magic of yoga after taking a Zuna Yoga® class with Katherine on Gili Air. She returned home and began to informally teach yoga and meditation to her school kids, realizing the great impact a holistic Yoga practice can have on the individual body and spirit.

Franzi took a leap of faith to leave her job and home in 2015 with the goal of traveling, getting deeper into the practice of yoga, and finally finding her purpose. She knew she wanted to kick off her experience abroad with a 200 hour teacher training with Zuna Yoga® in Bali, which confirmed she was on the right path. After traveling extensively through Australia and SE Asia, Franzi finally moved to Bali to enjoy a simple lifestyle, dedicated to a holistic Yoga practice and connecting with like minded people. Franzi now lives in Ubud with her young son Ruben and dog Scruffy and facilitates Zuna Yoga® events.

“Becoming a Zuna Yoga® teacher was a life changing experience. I am thrilled to be part of a program that encourages students to discover their true self, to recognize the voice of their intuition, and to live without the clutter of doubts or fears.” – Franzi Priemer

Angelina Stolz

Lead Trainer

ERYT200® / RYT500

“ I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion, and where it isn’t, that’s where my work lies.” - Ram Dass

Angelina was born and raised in a small town in the countryside of Austria. At age of 22 she moved to Vienna to study Nutritional Sciences and work as a model, which marked the beginning of a period of enormous change, growth and new possibilities. Shortly after arriving in the city, she attended her first yoga class and instantly fell in love with the practice.

It didn’t take long for her to realize she wanted to dive much deeper into the world of yoga and to share her love for it with others.

Within a year, she completed her first 200YTT and immediately began teaching at several studios in Vienna. Pursuing her passion in a dedicated manner, she also traveled around the world, teaching at hotels and festivals in Europe and the South Pacific.

Having learned of Zuna Yoga and their Meditation Teacher Training, Angelina had always dreamed about flying to Bali for this program, and a few years later she made it a reality. 

Angelina was fascinated by the teachings and methods of Zuna Yoga. The lectures go far beyond teaching Yoga and its philosophy – from ancient tradition to modern science, connecting and combining it all with direct experience, giving a clear understanding of what Yoga is about and how to embody and live it in the modern world.

Angelina later joined the Zuna Yoga team to enjoy the fulfillment and privilege of sharing this knowledge, helping and supporting students on their way closer to themselves.

Yoga is pure magic for me. My life has completely changed ever since Yoga found its way into my life a couple years ago. I was in a very difficult time when I attended my first class ever, and it has become my safe space. My Yoga practice saved me, it opened up the world to me and made me feel and realize that I have a home within myself for the first time in my life. Being part of the Zuna Yoga team and supporting so many beautiful souls on their way is just amazing.” – Angelina

Sujay Reddy

TRAINER - RYT500

“It is better to live your destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection” – Bhagavad Gita

Sujay Reddy is a multi-faceted individual born in Bangalore, India in 1985. Previously a successful pro tennis player, he won several championships before a wrist injury at the age of 20 brought his career to a halt. This led to a period of searching for his purpose and place in life.

His work as an interior designer and land developer was recognized and published in prestigious magazines such as Vogue and Architectural Digest.

Owing to the fact that he was introduced to meditation at a very young age, Sujay eventually found his calling in the fields of health, wellness, and yoga.

Over the years he has spent time in ashrams in South India to study Kriya Yoga and other meditation techniques. He also completed his 500 hour yoga teacher training with Zuna Yoga.

He is a Hatha yoga teacher, personal trainer, nutritionist, and breath coach. Sujay realized that his true purpose in life is to teach movement, stillness, meditation, and breath through yoga.

He joined Zuna Yoga with the intention of sharing his knowledge and helping aspiring students discover their true selves and find deeper meaning in their existence.

Sujay is a true embodiment of the power of yoga and its ability to transform lives, and he always sees himself as a student of yoga, continuously seeking to learn more in this field.

To practice, study and share knowledge that will help humans come into alignment with their natural selves, become more compassionate, inclusive, and loving, so that we leave this planet in slightly better shape than we were lucky enough to enter it. To achieve this through conscious movement, stillness and breath is journey of a lifetime, it is the journey of my lifetime” – Sujay

Our Support Team

zuna yoga teacher training staff Csilla

Csilla Mihalyi

Program Coordinator

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Betsy Baker

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