Meet the 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 - Program Director
Master Trainer

"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

"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

Rebecca Klewstigh

Yoga Alliance ERYT-500 / YACEP

Lead Trainer

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.." − Alan Watts

Growing up in Sweden, Rebecca first discovered the healing art of yoga as a teenager. Yoga became her daily sanctuary as she began searching for deeper meaning and purpose beyond social conditioning. After years of climbing the ladders in finance, Rebecca moved to Hawaii to continue her university studies in Communications. Always an avid traveler, she crossed paths with Zuna Yoga on a surfing trip to Lombok in 2015. Rebecca was immediately drawn to the integration of modern science, ancient tradition and direct experience, combined to empower the students with tangible life skills. She enrolled in a 500 hour Zuna Yoga teacher training and found her true calling.

Since then, she has shared the Zuna Yoga method across Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia with the intention of bringing the benefits of yoga to people from all walks of life. She has completed more than 1000 hours of yoga teacher training with Zuna Yoga and considers herself a lifelong student of yoga and tantra. Rebecca became a part of the Zuna Yoga team in 2017, facilitating teacher trainings and leading SUP Yoga YTT’s. She is also certified Personal Trainer and Dive Master. After deepening her studies in high performance coaching, functional movement and exercise science while earning a Diploma in Sport Development, Rebecca is thrilled to be back in Bali to help others realize and embody their true nature.

“Yoga came into my life when my thirst for knowledge and truth could not be satisfied by books, articles or research papers. The questions I was asking, about myself, the world and the reality of life, remained mostly unanswered until I found Zuna Yoga. Through consistent practice I have learned to connect to the ‘inner net’ – the space where my innate wisdom, intuition and insight becomes available to download. Yoga and especially meditation have profoundly changed my life.” – Rebecca Klewstigh 

Franziska Priemer

Yoga Alliance ERYT200® / RYT500

Lead Trainer

"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

Our Support Team

zuna yoga teacher training staff Csilla

Csilla Mihalyi

Program Coordinator

zuna yoga teacher training staff Betsy

Betsy Baker

Social Media Manager

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