astanga yoga here
Roberta Giannotti - Teaching Astanga Yoga in London since 1998
OUR ASHTANGA YOGA TEACHERS
Our Ashtanga Yoga teachers are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable in London. Astanga Yoga Here Founder Roberta Giannotti was taught by the creator of Ashtanga Yoga, the late Sri K.Pattabhi Jois. Jois (or Guruji as Roberta knew him) authorised Roberta to teach the Astanga Yoga system in 1996, after which she started teaching in London in 1998. Today, one of Roberta's earliest students Sotirios (Sotos) Varsamis teaches alongside her, with a practice stretching back over 25 years.
Roberta Giannotti
Founder of Astanga Yoga Here
Roberta is authorised - Level 2, to teach the Astanga Yoga System by the late Sri K.Pattabhi Jois (pictured at right with Roberta above) and his late inheritor, Guru Sharath Jois.
Roberta is one of the most experienced and respected Astanga Yoga teachers in London, having taught here since 1998, when she co-founded Yoga Studio Astanga Yoga London.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Roberta has a Degree in Dance & Choreography, and Italian, French and Spanish.
Sotirios (Sotos) Varsamis
Astanga Yoga Teacher at Astanga Yoga Here
Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Sotos started his Ashtanga Yoga practice in the early 2000s, after he moved to London from Greece and soon realised that he wasn't exercising enough.
At the time, he had a close friend who was learning Ashtanga Yoga from Teacher Roberta Giannotti (above). Sotos joined this class and says he was hooked on the practice straight away. So began his daily practice, as well as a close friendship between Sotos and Roberta that endures today, with the two describing each other as ‘family’.
Under Roberta's guidance, Sotos' yoga practice evolved from what he initially saw as being a physical workout, into a foundational pillar of his life. He says his yoga practice over the past 25+ years has helped him navigate everything from the intense stress of earning his PhD in Architecture to profound personal challenges he has experienced.
As his yoga practice grew over the years, Sotos transitioned to regularly assisting and teaching at Astanga Yoga Here. What he loves most about assisting is the opportunity to learn directly from Roberta, who he describes as an "amazing and intuitive teacher" with a remarkable understanding of body mechanics and the Ashtanga tradition.
Sotos deeply appreciates the traditional, slow-paced approach Roberta uses to pass down the practice, which has allowed him to carefully shadow her and learn physical adjustments step-
by-step.
For Sotos, assisting Roberta is a highly rewarding experience; he loves being deeply engaged in the learning process and views adjusting students as a valuable, ongoing extension of
his own personal practice.