Yoga Teacher Training Graduates: Norway

Bente Skille

Bente Skille first entered a yoga shala (or practice studio) in 2004. Ten years later, her desire to share her love of and enthusiasm for the practice led her to enroll in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where she earned her certification in 2014. Her approach to the practice can best be described as a creative process of flow. Bente’s classes link postures in fluid dance-like movements, playful yet still present and at ease. She aspires to help her students find their ground and focus while stimulating their awareness in their everyday lives. In addition to teaching yoga, Bente is an architectural designer and was an assistant professor of architecture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She is also the founder of BRIS, an ice cream and coffee bar in Buenos Aires.

Ebru Akman

For many years Ebru Akman practiced yoga on her own at home. Fueled by a desire to deepen her practice and learn more about yoga, she began taking classes in 2011. As her interest in yoga increased, she began to participate in yoga workshops and retreats. In 2014, she made the decision to enroll in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where she earned her certification in Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Ebru is eager to share her passion for yoga with others and is especially interested in making yoga accessible to under-served populations. Ebru is trained in Work and Organizational Psychologist and has many years of research and teaching experience in that field. To learn more about Ebru’s journey into yoga, visit her blog at https://royogaro.wordpress.com

El-Ri Flataas

After many years of practicing the physical aspect of yoga, El-Ri Flataas discovered the fuller nature of yoga in 2006. More than just a place to exercise, her mat became a sanctuary where she was able to reflect, focus and tune out. Over time and through regular practice, her desire to deepen her understanding of yoga and the yogic lifestyle led her to Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty where, in 2014 in Trondheim, Norway, she received her certification to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. For El-Ri, the training was a powerful learning experience that is shaping her into an authentic yogi as a teacher, as a student, and in every aspect of her life. She is excited to continue her journey, follow her dream and share it with others.

Elin Jespersen

Elin Jespersen has practiced yoga since 1999 and has taught at her own studio since 2010. As a physiotherapist at a rehabilitation center, she has found practical applications for many elements of yoga to her work with patients. This sparked in her a desire to further her knowledge and understanding of yoga and led her to the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty, where, in 2013, she became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga. Influenced by the teaching of B.K.S. Iyengar and others, Elin is eager to expand the offerings at her studio to include greater variety.

Elin has a Master’s Degree in Public Health Science. She also has experience driving dogsleds and mountain climbing, enjoys kayaking and finds great pleasure in being outdoors, preferably with her daughter and her dog at her side.

Gunnhild Breirem

Gunnhild Breirem’s first encounter with yoga was more than 20 years ago at a university yoga class. Her practice was inconsistent until three years ago when she fully committed and began to practice regularly. Gunnhild finds joy, serenity and peace of mind through her practice, which has become such an integral part of her life that she can no longer imagine life off the mat. In July 2013, Gunnhild became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty.

When she’s not on the mat, Gunnhild is a singer, voice teacher and choir conductor. She loves sharing her time with family and friends and spending time outside in nature. She is the mother of two grown sons and the proud grandmother of a little baby girl.

Heike Horrmann

Heike Horrmann has practiced yoga since 2006. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that her practice became a more integral part of her life; not just exercise but an exploration into herself. In 2013, Heike completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty and became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Heike’s practice has been influenced by such teachers as Anne Devismes, Jordan Bloom, James Fox and Lea Loncar.

Originally from Berlin, Heike has lived and worked as an architect in Trondheim, Norway since 2003. She is drawn to the mountains and the sea and enjoys attending concerts and festivals, hiking, and preparing meals to share with good friends.

Jesse Cook

Jesse Cook discovered yoga in 2009 as a way to manage the various stressor in her life, including graduate school and starting a career as an Occupational Therapist. She was drawn to Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, as the consistency of the practice allowed her to come to a meditative state and completely clear her mind. Jesse credits her teachers Taylor Hunt, Jane O’Laughlin and Sally Walsh Roberts for inspiring her practice and leading her to Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where in 2014 she became certified in Trondheim, Norway to teach Hatha and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. In her classes, Jesse hopes that her students take away a sense of calmness and focus and are able to utilize these qualities in their everyday lives.

Julie Midtgard

Drawn to yoga in 2009 as a way to come back into her body after many dark years, Julie Midtgard was not immediately in love with the practice. She resisted, both mentally and physically, but her faith and stubbornness won out and she continued on her journey. Her study of yoga has taken her from Norway to India and South Korea, where she met a Zen monk who led her to Buddha-yoga, meditative dance and Zen. Julie enjoys the steadiness of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga but also loves to play around and feel the more subtle, meditative aspects of Buddha-yoga. She is also influenced by her study of Iyengar, Bikram and Yin Yoga. In 2014, Julie enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and is now certified in Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga, as well as being certified through the MediLife Yoga Korea Association. Julie rejoices in singing, spontaneous playfulness and art, engaging conversations, unhindered laughs and warm silences and lives by the words of Thich Nhat Hanh: Breathe – you are alive!

Julie Stromme

Julie Stromme felt drawn to practice yoga for many years and the longer she practiced, the more she wanted to learn about it. Fueled by her own curiosity, she enrolled in a teacher training program in 2010 that was based on the principles of Ayurveda, a sister science of yoga. By the end of the first weekend, she knew that the training would be life changing for her. She discovered her passion in life, as well as a source of balance, harmony and strength. In 2014, Julie deepened her understanding of yoga and of herself through Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty in Trondheim, Norway, where she became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Julie enjoys sharing with her students not only a physical workout, but the techniques they can use for stress management and for their own personal development. In addition to teaching yoga, Julie runs her own clinic and works as a Reflexologist and Naturopath in Biomedicine.

Mari Rui Nygard

As a student of classical music in Oslo, Norway, Mari Rui Nygard found yoga to be a needed support and comfort. She uses yoga as part of her music education and performance to enhance her focus, as well as to maintain her physical health, a sense of calm and an open heart. Over the years, Mari has practiced many different styles of yoga, including Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram and Ashtanga, with teachers throughout Europe. In 2013, she completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty in Trondheim, Norway.

Merethe Hellen

An athlete her whole life, Merethe Hellen began to practice yoga in 1999 and has continued ever since. She finds in yoga a powerful feeling of presence in her body, mind and breath. Merethe’s practice has been influenced by Iyengar and Sivananda yoga and she has attended workshops and retreats both in Norway and internationally. In 2014, Merethe enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where she earned her certification in Hatha and Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Merethe is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with victims of trauma. In 2013 she participated in a Trauma Sensitive Yoga retreat at the Kripalu Institute in Massachusetts and recently started a support group in Trondheim, Norway where traumatized refugee women use yoga as part of their healing process.

Ragnhild Torvaldsdottir

In 1995, as a trained ballet dancer, Ragnhild Torvaldsdottir was initially drawn to the physical aspects of yoga. As her practice deepened, she felt drawn to share her love of yoga with others and in 2011 began teaching energetic and powerful yoga classes that left her students wanting more. She continued to deepen her own practice through events such as the 2012 Nike Blast Convention and 2013 Oslo Yoga Festival, where she met influential teachers Johanna Andersson (founder of Global Yoga) and Jacopo Ceccarelli (founder of Anukalana Yoga). In 2014, Ragnhild enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where she earned her certification in Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Ragnhild also holds two Bachelor’s Degrees, one in Dance Pedagogy and one in Public Health.

Sarah Hemker

Sarah Hemker was introduced to yoga in 2006. She was initially drawn to the physical challenge of the practice but soon discovered the added benefits of stress reduction and clearing her mind. In her words, “It was like hitting the reset button if the day was a rough one.” Sarah has studied with noted teachers Laurel Hodory, Sally Walsh Roberts and Marni Task, among others. Through their inspiration and urging from friends, she enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, where in 2014 she became certified in Trondheim, Norway. Sarah hopes to share her love of yoga with her students by helping them discover the benefits of the practice, challenging them in a happy, fun way and instilling in them a desire to learn more.

Siv M. Haugsdal

In July 2013, after four years of practicing different types of yoga, Siv M. Haugsdal became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. Through her study she deepened her own understanding of yoga and of herself. She gained awareness of her own strength and abilities, including a solid foundation of human anatomy and its application to her own practice. With her increased confidence and self-esteem, she looks forward to applying the wealth of new information to her own practice and someday perhaps to others through teaching yoga.

Vibeke Jamtoy

Vibeke Jamtoy is a full-time mother and skin therapist who is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Gender studies. In July 2013 she became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. As a yoga teacher, Vibeke brings a natural ability to provide hands-on assists that helps students safely achieve optimal alignment in their postures. She maintains balance in her life by limiting her teaching to one class per week, which allows her time for her work, studies, and of course, her beautiful daughter!