Ourania Bouzouki
Ioannina, Greece
Ourania Bouzouki: Ourania, a professional architect turned into yoga teacher, has been practicing yoga since 1996. She started studying Ashtanga Yoga with Giovanni Formisano in 1996. In order to deepen her understanding of yoga she completed her first four year long Yoga Teacher Training in Hatha Yoga, in 1999 and continued her yoga education by attending various seminars and workshops on yoga all over Europe. Her passion and love about yoga led her to a trip of search great teachers and inner reflection. Since 1996 until today she felt the urge to visit India every year, so that she could learn about the deeper aspects of yoga.
Having experienced the deeper meaning of yoga and life in India, she decided to undertake one more Yoga Teacher Training at Sampoorna Yoga, Goa. After the completion of this training she opened the first and only yoga school and studio in 2011, "YogaUnion", at Ioannina, Greece. A wonderful and warm place, that made yoga known and loveable to the Greek city.
Ourania realised that with the present circumstances in Greece, there is an urgent need of more qualified, professional and enthusiastic yoga teachers, and she alone is not enough to spread this beautiful art of living. Recognising this, she decided to train more yogis to become yoga teachers so that they can share and spread the knowledge and the beautiful practice of yoga with one and all. Thus she decided to start her own Certified, Yoga Teacher Training in Greece. Since 2011 until today she has organize more over 20 yoga training in cooperation with Yoga Alliance Professional. Most of her’ s students are acclaimed teachers and others cooperating next to her at Yoga Union or they have built their own successful career.
Jonas Vellas
Ioannina, Greece
A medicine Student and a passionate practitioner of martial arts and calisthenics Jonas came to yoga by accident “to prove it’s not a real challenge”. With his ego crashed Jonas left his first class feeling ridiculously sore but profoundly calm with an (unknown up to that moment) sensation of inner peace. And he had caught the bug. Mastering control over his own body and breath became an obsession to him. While studying in Germany, “training” at a studio wasn’t something he could afford and that turned him into a disciplined Ashtanga self-practitioner in order to fulfill his obsession.
With his mind thriving for a deeper understanding of the effects of yoga, and his restlessness asking for a bigger trip 2013-2014, Jonas started his 7 month journey to India where he had the luck to realize what yoga is really about while attending a 200 as well as a 300 HR YTTC. With meditation and advanced pranayama added to his daily practice Jonas came back to his hometown, Ioannina, and the studio where it all began, Yoga Union, in order to heal after a paragliding accident in the valleys of the Himalayas. Nowadays Jonas, ERYT 500, can be found sharing his advanced anatomy knowledge teaching vigorous, alignment oriented, vinyasa classes, as well as self awareness oriented hatha classes as a full time teacher of Yoga Union. In addition to that, he has been teaching in numerous YTTCS as well as independent Yoganatomy seminars
Maria Vardalou
Ioannina, Greece
Maria’s journey to yoga started some years ago, basically as an answer and relief to her hectic way of life. Having studied foreign languages in her BA studies and teaching methodology in her MA she found yoga teaching as a natural extension to her existing teaching experience after so many years in classes with various students of all ages.
A certified RYT-200 hrs Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga instructor after completing her first training course with Yoga Union- Sampoorna India and certified 200hrs Yogaworks© instructor, Maria is a passionate yoga teacher and practitioner with experience in teaching various types of yoga and levels, committed to make a difference by applying wide knowledge of Yogic philosophy and using yoga as a healthy life style.
Having attended various seminars and workshops and met great teachers as Rolf - Yogabones in India (Ashtanga yoga), BJ Galvan (Anusara yoga) and many more, she also had the great chance to meet her spiritual guidance in her journey to India through her guru Om Baba.
Considering that learning is a life-long process, she never stops learning and transmiting her knowledge through teaching. Besides the daily classes in Yoga Union, she has also participated in training courses of yoga teachers organised by Yoga Union. She is a certified Thai massage therapist too through a training course with ITM school of Thailand.