About Us

Since 1989, Port Douglas Yoga has been a place of connection, learning, and inspiration for both the local community and visitors from all over the world. For more than three decades, we have been honoured to guide people of all ages and walks of life on their yoga journey, creating a tradition of practice that blends timeless wisdom with heartfelt teaching.

Our classes are taught by a dedicated group of professionally trained teachers who bring not only skill and knowledge but also warmth, compassion, and genuine care. With many years of experience teaching regular classes in the region, our teachers create a supportive environment where students can feel comfortable, encouraged, and inspired—whether stepping onto the mat for the first time or deepening a long-established practice.

At the heart of what we offer is our Shala—a true yoga home. This welcoming space is designed for students of Traditional Yoga to come together, practice in harmony, and share the transformative experience of yoga. Within its walls, students are invited to breathe deeply, stretch mindfully, and discover the joy of inner stillness and balance.

We believe yoga is not only about postures, but also about cultivating awareness, peace, and joy in everyday life. Our approach is holistic and contemporary, yet firmly rooted in tradition. We encourage laughter, curiosity, and openness, allowing the practice to be both profound and playful.

Whether you are a beginner seeking guidance, an intermediate student looking to strengthen your foundation, or an advanced practitioner exploring new depths, we invite you to join us. Come and experience the beauty of practicing yoga in our tropical paradise, where the natural surroundings inspire calm, clarity, and renewal. Together, let’s practice, share, and grow—nurturing body, mind, and spirit in a safe and joyful environment.

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“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”

Bhagavad Gita

Meet the Team

Lesley Johnston

Well over 30 years ago (nearly 40!!) my yoga teacher & mentor & dear friend, Shirley Lloyds, introduced me to yoga and I discovered a place of peace and perfection within. A place of inner bliss that was there all the time! The trick is to find and recognise the bliss exists even when life is chaotic and full of stress. This revelation began me on my yoga journey which continues today.
I became a qualified yoga teacher in 2003 and hold teaching membership with IYTA and a Senior Level 3 Teacher with Yoga Australia.
My classes are based on teachings from traditional Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga.

Drawing people back to re-remembering their Pure Inner Light of Awareness through the science of Yoga is what brings me joy.

My classes are full of self-awareness, pranayama, asana, mantra, meditation & joy.

Tricia Middel

Having left the UK to live in Australia in 1991, curiosity led me to join a hatha yoga class run by Shirley Lloyds. It was whilst in that class and under her inspired and committed tutelage over the ensuing years that I discovered many of the joys and truly life changing benefits that a committed yoga practice can bring.

When Shirley invited me to embark upon the I.Y.T.A. Teachers' Training Course in 2000, I embraced the challenge of learning and now as I continue my learning and my teaching, my hope is to help others to experience some of those truly life changing benefits. To help them to find the inner calmness and the increased awareness of their own state of being that I have enjoyed through my own practice. It is such a joy to see others develop and grow. I continue to learn so much from them.

As a bookkeeper by trade (in my "day" job), I find my yoga practice a wonderful source of dynamic energy, quiet strength and peace of mind. It is what gives us the balance we all so keenly need.

Belu - Maria Belen

Originally from Argentina, I am a yoga teacher and former dancer who chose Port Douglas as home in 2019 after years of travelling and exploring different corners of the world.
Over the years, I have continued to deepen my studies through teacher trainings and specialised courses, including Yoga Therapy, Prenatal Yoga, and a recent 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in India. Each experience has enriched my understanding of yoga as a practice that extends far beyond the physical postures.
With more than five years of teaching experience, I am passionate about creating classes that are accessible, supportive, and meaningful.

Noeline Clarke

From my first class, with a friend in Belfast, I knew the practice of Yoga was the medicine my ailing body and mind needed, Yet is was when I allowed myself to explore various teachers on my travels that I began to witness the true essence.

Yet, it is through my passion for the body and mind connection, that has therapeutically opened to the path I am on now; sharing it with others.

Classes are authentically creative with compassion-centered philosophy and thought provoking meditations, sharing experience in body and energy work. Offering students a place to explore their personal growth with the physical and spiritual self.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving:" LAO TZU

Schell Clancy

Trusting the decision to have yoga in my life has subtly yet profoundly opened and released not just my physical body but in turn my breath, mind and spirit. This is the living experience that yoga has enabled me to manifest and which rests at the centre of my practice, the classes I teach and my life. It is the realisation that matter – the human body – and energy are completely interconnected and provides the link between knowledge and spirit. A knowledge that all indigenous cultures are seeded from.
“The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical….that which we cannot see, yet we feel.” – Albert Einstein
I continue to study the many fields of the power of Yoga and energy psychology.

Antonetta Russo

Yoga practice was something I loved from my very first class almost 30years ago. It was a relationship that I knew was going to be good for me. Over time, like any relationship, there were challenges and doubts, but with a daily study commitment came irreversible growth, a true transformation. Since training in Classical Hatha & Raja Yoga in 2006, I’ve practiced and attended multiple trainings in various traditions and approaches both ancient and modern which continues to this day. There is so much more to Yoga than stretching or feeling well, this practice is my medicine.

Kate Godfrey

Kate has been guiding Sound Healing sessions for the last 3 years around Port Douglas and Cairns. She will be at Port Douglas Yoga Shala every Friday night for a 1 hour Sound Healing from 7pm. After which you can float off to bed.

A beautiful way to finish the week.

Investment: $30 per class, or a 3 pass pack that (can be used over 2 months) brings it down to $25 a session.

Andres Pacheco

Originally from Chile, I have practised yoga for over a decade, learning from many different teachers across various styles. I completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Byron Bay Yoga Centre.

I enjoy playing sports and strength training. For me, a regular yoga practice is a foundation for physical health, mental clarity and ongoing self-development.

I encourage students to develop a personal practice that is useful, sustainable and adaptable to their individual needs and preferences.