Minna originally discovered yoga and meditation as a means of maintaining balance under stressful – and occasionally dangerous – circumstances while she worked as an international diplomat in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Yoga has been part of her daily life for almost ten years, giving inner strength, happiness and a deeper connection with life. In 2016, she completed a two-year training at the Bihar School of Yoga in India.
Prem started practicing yoga at a young age. She originally trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta centre in the US and India and started teaching yoga in 1992. In 1994 she met her teacher Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati and continued her training with the Bihar School of Yoga. She has recently spent five years living in ashrams in Australia and New Zealand. She is a passionate gardener, and while in Australia studied permaculture, organic farming, and conservation and land management. Over more than 20 years, she has put her heart into cultivating Grempoli as a place where people can come to regenerate and experience a deeper connection with nature.
Bryan Dalton served as a United States diplomat for 28 years, retiring after postings in Asia and Europe as consul, political officer and deputy chief of mission. In three decades of work in international affairs, he has observed the corrosive effects of stress and trauma on the overall wellbeing of many diplomatic, consular and military colleagues, counterparts in multi-national organisations and NGOs, relatives and friends working in crises and conflicts around the world. He has long benefited from yoga for wellbeing and managing stress; in January 2016 he completed a four-month training at the Bihar School of Yoga in India. He now lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband.
Yanar is a freelance writer and web editor based in London, specialising in health, beauty, fitness and wellbeing for national press, as well as running a digital consultancy. She has been practicing yoga and meditation for many years and finds it the perfect antidote to busy city life. Alongside work and yoga, Yanar writes a blog about ethical living and runs volunteer workshops with homelessness charities.
