Spanda Team

E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP, C-IAYT
Spanda Institute Founder
Programme Director
Lead Trainer (200h, 300h, 800h YT)

Nina is a founder of Spanda Institute, a program director, and a lead trainer for Advanced Study Programs. She has been a Yoga practitioner since 1998, started teaching full time in 2005, and has been educating yogis on their journey towards becoming Yoga Teachers, as well as educating Yoga Teachers to advance their knowledge and teaching skills since 2009.

Nina is also a Psychologist, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Psychotherapist, Mindfulness and Meditation teacher, an author of Safe Space: Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and Embodied Calm: Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nidra. Currently, she is studying Neuroscience of Mental Health. Nina lives in Portugal.

E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP
Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga Programme Director, Lead Trainer

Gea is one of our lead trainers and a director of our Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training programme. She has been, one way or another, a part of our story for years; starting as our student on the 200-hour program after which she joined our Sangha Yoga Studio teaching team of which she was an intricate part until she moved to Seattle to live, teach and learn more. Gea followed our 300-hour and Prenatal Teacher Training Program, and continued to study and learn more with different teachers worldwide.

Gea lives in London where she continues to study, grow, teach classes and Spanda YTT in her Yoga Studio SOMA in Wandsworth, London. She also teaches retreats in different locations.

E-RYT 500, YACEP
Lead Trainer (200h intensives)

Movement has always been central to Bruno's life; he studied dance in Amsterdam and performed in theatres across Europe. Yoga began as a warm-up for his dance practice but soon became a way to connect more deeply with himself, leading him to complete his first Yoga Teacher Training.

At a professional crossroads, Bruno traveled the world, teaching yoga and continuing his education, including a 300-hour training with Nina Vukas and Celest Pereira. He joined Spanda Institute as a mentor, later becoming an assistant teacher, and now leads our 200-hour YTT courses in Portugal and Sri Lanka. Known for his fun, humble, and patient teaching style, Bruno also teaches weekly classes in and around Lisbon.

E-RYT 500, RPYT, Physio
Anatomy Teacher
Lead Trainer (200h intensives)

Teresa is a physiotherapist who worked in an orthopaedic practice for many years before she became a full-time Yoga Teacher. A yogini since her teens, she attended a Yoga Teacher Training to bring more tools into her passion for supporting and healing body/mind.

After completing her 200-hour training with us in Portugal and graduating with honours as one of the best in her class, Teresa joined us as an Anatomy Teacher first while continuing her Yoga education, sound healing education, as well as pursuing professional education in manual therapy. After completing her 300-hour YTT with Spanda Institute, Teresa became an essential part of our 200- and 300-hour programs team.

A passionate surfer, Teresa lives in Portugal, where she offers group and private Yoga classes, sound healing sessions, massage and therapy sessions and bespoke Yoga retreats.

E-RYT 500, singer
Lead Trainer (200h intensives)
Teacher (300h intensives)

A professional singer and musician, Maddie has shared her love for yoga and music in Cornwall, Portugal, Sri Lanka, and Bali. Teaching yoga since her early 20s, she was one of the youngest students to complete Spanda Institute’s 300-hour program. Following her graduation, Maddie joined the Teacher Training team and has become an integral part of our 200-hour and 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training programs in Portugal and Sri Lanka.

Maddie’s classes and retreats reflect her deep passion for world music and sound, incorporating a variety of instruments to create a healing, meditative space. Through sound journeys and moving meditation, she guides students toward greater connection and inner peace.

Beyond her work with Spanda Institute, Maddie teaches weekly classes in Cornwall and leads inspiring annual surf and yoga retreats in Portugal, blending movement, sound, and the beauty of nature.

E-RYT 500, RPYT, Kundalini Teacher
Lead Trainer (200h YTT Sarajevo)

Ada began her yoga journey over a decade ago, and it was love at first sight. She started her practice at Prana Yoga Studio in Sarajevo, where she was guided by her first teachers, Aida and Mike. Initially practising Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga, Ada later discovered Kundalini Yoga, earning her Level 1 KRI Kundalini Yoga Teacher certification. She went on to complete Spanda Institute’s 200-hour and 300-hour programs, as well as the Prenatal Yoga training, deepening her knowledge and expertise. Ada has been teaching yoga classes and workshops in Sarajevo for many years, sharing her passion and dedication with the community. In 2022, she joined the Spanda Institute Teacher Training team, bringing our renowned 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program to Sarajevo, where she continues to inspire and mentor new teachers.

In addition to her work in yoga, Ada is a co-creator of Kaur Wear and Kaur Concept, blending her creativity with her commitment to wellness and mindful living.

E-RYT 200, RYT 500, RPYT
Lead Trainer (200h Maribor, SLO)

Anja graduated from the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana in 2013 as a Professor of Sports Education and is also a dedicated yoga teacher. She has found her mission in teaching yoga with a focus on cultivating awareness and feeling. Anja completed her first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2016 at Nataraja Yoga Studio in Ljubljana. She later expanded her expertise with Prenatal Teacher Training and a second 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, both with Spanda Institute, and is currently working toward her 500-hour certification.

Anja is a lifelong learner, continually deepening her understanding of yoga. Out of her love for the practice, she founded Asteya Yoga Studio in Maribor, where she has been teaching group and private classes since 2017. in 2023 Anja joined our team and started leading Spanda 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in her studio.

She draws inspiration and peace from nature, which informs her principles of compassion, authenticity, care, and responsibility. She is a vegan and an environmentalist, passionately advocating for sustainable living and mindful choices that honour the Earth.

RYT 500, RPYT, PhD Neuroscience
Neuroscience Teacher

Marina has been a valued member of the Spanda Institute community for many years. Her journey began as a student completing her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at our first home base, Sangha Yoga Studio. Following her initial training, Marina began teaching classes at the studio, quickly establishing herself as a skilled and passionate teacher. Her commitment to learning led her to pursue additional certifications, including Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training and advanced 300-hour studies with Spanda Institute and other renowned yoga teachers. She also completed an Aerial Yoga Teacher Training.

At Spanda Institute, Marina serves as our resident neuroscientist and is an integral part of the teaching faculty for our 200-hour, 300-hour, and Yoga Therapy Teacher Training programs. With a master's degree in biology and a PhD in Neuroscience, Marina brings a unique and deeply informed perspective to her teaching.

Marina currently lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland, where she initially moved to further her academic, professional and life pursuits. You’ll often find her in the air practicing Acro Yoga, or taking to the skies with paragliding.

RYT 500
Teacher Trainer

Biki left Italy 14 years ago to explore different cultures and study and work around the world. She joined the 200h and 300h YTT with Spanda Institute in Ericeira in 2021 and 2023, at first not planning to become a yoga teacher, but rather understand how this ancient practice could benefit body and mind. Spanda's holistic trainings provided her with so much more: a resonant philosophy, a structured method to create fun and balancing practices for all and a desire to explore teaching and learning more.

She deepened her studies in India in Ayurveda (at Lords Research Center Kannur), Aerial Yoga (at Rishikesh Yogkendra) and Yoga Therapy for kids with special needs (at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute). She had the opportunity to teach in different countries to different people during her travels as well as at home in Portugal. Believing this practice should be available for all, she has been volunteering practicing yoga and dance with kids and adults with special needs as well as in a center for homeless and substance users, where students make her class incredibly fun and engaging. Biki also teaches annual retreats in Portugal and Italy.