Meet The Team
Founder, 500 Hr RYT, 200 Hr ERYT
Peter Townshend
Peter is the founder of Vala House and a registered 500RYT and 200ERYT with Yoga Alliance.
Peter teaches Classical Yoga using the Vinyasa Krama system and Hatha Yoga principles for all levels from beginners to advanced yogis. His teaching is rooted in both the lineage of Krishnamacharya and Swami Sivananda. His specific concentration is on yoga Nidra as taught by by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
Peter started Vala House with the goal to provide a space in the beautiful Garden Route where people can come and heal. Combining his years' of business experience, coaching, breath work and vision of the centre , he put together a wonderful team, and Vala House was born.
Centre Manager and Energy Healer
Amy Barnes
Amy is a dedicated Reiki Master Teacher, Core Regeneration therapist and Energy Healer, whose own profound healing journey has inspired a mission to create massive, lasting shifts in the lives of others. Amy's personal experience of self-healing has given her deep insight into the transformative power of energy work.
Through carefully curated programmes, Amy guides individuals on a path of self-discovery, healing, and personal empowerment, creating a space where individuals can release limiting beliefs, heal past wounds, and step into a higher version of themselves.
Amy is on a mission to facilitate profound shifts in the lives of others, helping them unlock their full potential, align with their highest purpose, and transform their lives from the inside out.
Yoga teacher - 200 Hr RYT
Caitlin Knox
Caitlin's first yoga practice was nearly a decade ago, and Caitlin has since embraced yoga as a powerful tool for cultivating present moment awareness and enhancing mental and physical well-being.
Her journey has shown her the profound benefits of yoga, as a means of increasing flexibility, balance and mobility, as well as improving one's overall state of mind.
Holding a Yoga Alliance accredited certificate, Caitlin is dedicated to sharing the transformative power of mindfulness, meditation and movement. She believes that mindfulness and being present is essential to showing up as your best self, both on the mat and off the mat. Caitlin's classes are designed to guide individuals toward improved well-being, nurturing a holistic connection between mind, body, and spirit.
Forest Immersion & Biomimicry Teacher
Susan Swain
As a qualified nature conservationist with extensive experience in environmental education and a certified teacher of biomimicry with a palpable passion for trees, forests and our planetary home, Sue offers a unique and fresh perspective into our living world and the magnificent interconnectedness of all Life on Earth.
Sue’s “Earth Awakenings & Forest Immersion” and “Earth Basking & Forest Bathing” offerings are an opportunity to experience the essence of living and the art of being. They instil a sense of wonder and awe; they ignite understanding and appreciation for Nature’s wisdom and ways; they bring about a deep re-connecting with self and with Nature; and facilitate a profound stirring, a remembering and a sense of coming home.
Sue offers:
-
“Earth Awakenings & Forest Immersion” which focuses on discovering and learning from the essence and wisdom of our planetary home and the forest. This experience involves a 3.5km moderate hike and
-
“Earth Basking and Forest Bathing” which focuses on re-connecting with self, with the forest and with our planetary home through ‘bathing’ in the earthly elements & the forest sights, scents and sounds. It includes some intuitive movement, poetry & creative writing and solo quiet time. It involves some simple sitting and “being” in the forest, and gentle strolling and wandering only – no hiking.
Yoga Philosophy Teacher
Vishal Dubey
Vishal started practicing Yoga with the sole aim to overcome his Anxiety, Stress and Trauma related problems. Little did he know that what had begun as a self discovery journey, would end up becoming his most loved profession. He considers himself as a lifelong learner and believes the whole world to be his teacher, which has allowed him to explore multiple paths in Yoga with a more therapeutic approach that is focused upon physical, mental & spiritual wellbeing.
His sessions are a combination of Hatha Yoga, Vedanta & Tantra, according to him, these three paths complement one another, leading the seeker systematically along the path of Self-realization. They were not meant to be treated separately nor looked upon as different paths. The aspirant first clears the mind through the practice of Hatha Yoga, does self-enquiry through Vedanta, and then breaks through the final barrier with Tantra experiencing the heights of inner awakening.
He invites anyone and everyone irrespective of their experience in Yoga to join his sessions to experience higher levels of bliss.
Yoga Teacher - 200 Hr RYT
Cami
Cami's journey into yoga started over 20 years ago, she is a certified RYT200 Yoga instructor and a TMO certified meditation facilitator. She holds an honours degree in Philosophy, her thesis delved into the topic of 'How Should we Live?' - a question that she has never stopped asking, she went on to study a masters degree in Anthropology through the University of the Witwatersrand.
She took a deep dive into yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic healing, somatic practices and authentic expression in 2018 after a diagnosis of complex post traumatic stress disorder, high functioning anxiety and depression. The combination and understanding of these practices helped her to overcome these conditions which has inspired her journey to deepen her knowledge and guide others to teach themselves how to regulate their nervous systems, gain control of their minds, manage stress, and lead a peaceful, authentic and fulfilling life.
Cami is an avid nature lover and permaculturalist and holds earth care, people care and future care at the heart of her value system.