meet our teachers

Mission's teaching team is passionate about offering accessible, intelligent and vibrant experiences based on their years of training and experience.

she/her | mission founder / lead teacher

vicki smart

Vicki discovered yoga by accident in London in the early 2000s when she was working as a Senior Consultant in the Marketing recruitment industry. Her usual spin class was full, so she found herself in a pigeon instead. A love affair began which continues today, albeit after a few evolutions and upskills.

Once she moved to Sydney she embarked on the first of many teacher trainings, and has now undertaken thousands of hours of study with international teachers such as Tara Judelle, Noah Maze, Christina Sell, Darren Rhodes, and now studies under Tiffany Cruikshank and Yoga Medicine.

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In 2020 Vicki gained her Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist accreditation and is passionate about working one on one therapeutically with students as well as teaching group classes. Vicki teaches anatomy and physiology on yoga teacher trainings and is passionate about self study and growth in this area for herself too.

Vicki is the Mission Founder and Lead Teacher, and you can expect the unexpected in her classes. The Creator of MyoFlow, her signature blend of Myofascial release and asana / movement, is infused into our dedicated classes, but you can expect hints in her flow classes too. Everyone is welcome in Vicki's classes, where she weaves intelligent sequencing, humour, and fun.

yoga teacher

melanie shafer

Melanie grew up in Canada and has been practicing and studying yoga and movement for nearly 25 years. Frustrated with injury and pain due to sports, she found a balance and sense of putting her body back together with yoga.

Melanie completed her training (both Vinyasa and Yin) with Power Living and has certifications in Hanna Somatics and Trigger Point Therapy. She has been teaching and sharing yoga for the past fourteen years and uses a variety of techniques across various modalities to explore more balance of strength, mobility and awareness of the body.

She continues ongoing studies in yoga as well as other modern movement modalities. She is inspired by the teachings of Cecily Milne (Yoga Detour), Sara Paige, Ido Portal, Hanna Somatics, Andreo Spina (Functional Range Conditioning), Jason Crandell and Dr. Perry Nickelston. She creates grounded, challenging and accessible classes based on her own practice and an opportunity to get out of your head, into your body and experience the power of movement and breathe awareness.

he/him | yoga teacher

andrew wong

Andrew began his yoga teacher training in Sydney and has since completed over 500 hours of accredited training, including advanced sequencing, alignment and assists, meditation and yoga philosophy. Andrew sat Vipassana in 2020 and is a big believer in the meditative aspects of yoga.

Andrew first discovered yoga at a gym in London and was bored to death. It was not until later in his corporate life that he tried it again to 'destress' but then found the practice offered so much more. Physically, it was a great counterbalance to his martial arts, but it was the mental challenge that drew him to yoga. He aims to share these learnings and the benefits of the practice with his students. Andrew's classes are challenging and emphasise patience, smooth and fluid movement with a connection to breath and most importantly, a sense of humour.

yoga teacher

donya vahdani

Donya first found yoga over 6 years ago in Sydney as a way to carve out some time for herself in the day. Over the years, her practice evolved, studying with various teachers and completing her YTT in 2020 with Noelle Connolly. Most recently, she travelled and taught yoga throughout Central America, and completed her first Vipassana retreat. These experiences completely transformed her life and her teaching.

Yoga has helped Donya to connect with herself, her body and her emotions, to better navigate what she needs in each moment. In her classes, she hopes to guide her students to feel into their bodies and listen to what they need, so that they can also take this off the mat into their lives every day.

yoga teacher

shane brennan

Over the last 8 years, Shane Brennan has taught yoga and a range of other movement modalities around Sydney. It was the impact of an autoimmune disease (Ankylosing Spondylitis) that led him to explore Yoga and develop a far reaching understanding of the ways in which body and mind can be influenced.

Meditation, Yoga, breath work and Chronic Pain Management are the areas Shane has trained in and uses to live symptom and medication free. He uses his knowledge from all these areas to craft classes that both support and challenge the nervous system.

Each class keeps movement mindful, novel and stimulating to enhance participants' appetite to make movement a fundamental part of their lives.

they/them | yoga teacher

jules billington

Jules (they/them) has been teaching yoga for over 8 years and fell in love with this pathway for life from the moment they saw its healing potential. With a love for all things expression (Jules is also a performer) they understand deeply the power that movement offers for expression, health and vitality.

A class with Jules is always inclusive (bodies, genders, cultures, ages) and comes from a bedrock of our human desire and birth-right to express. Yoga offers us a container of ritual to find connection to our deepest selves; and in turn, to find connection with the whole web-of-life that we intrinsically exist in. Expect to move, breath, flow, and nourish all layers of yourself, from physical, to emotional, to spiritual.

yoga teacher

terry bradley

Terry Bradley, Welsh by birth and Irish by descent - to be sure! Father to Katie and grandad to Carter. He was born, at a very early age, in Llanelli (don’t even try) and lived there most of his life. He arrived in Oz on a short term visa nine years ago, with his amazing partner, Lisa. They lived for five years in Canberra (don’t try that either) before moving to Sydney. He tends to be a bit of a joker – clown some might say – and loves to make people smile.

He is 55 now and when he looks back, he thinks he has lived ‘a life’. As a younger kid his first hobby was when he followed his big sister into gymkhana. Her pony was amazing and they would take turns to ride him in the events. They’d always win half a dozen or so. He’s always been big into sports, rugby (national schools honours), football, racket sports and triathlon were the picks.

On reaching adulthood (he wouldn’t call it growing up, still waiting...) he did very physical jobs until an epiphany at 33 sent him to university where he graduated in Pure Maths and Statistics – he now compiles Statistics for the Government (don’t try that either - yawn).

His yoga journey began at Modo Yoga Sydney in early 2018. Youthful recklessness, sport and heavy lifting had left him with a few physical restrictions, not least a chronic spine condition and his physical activity had reached its lowest ebb. Yoga has restored his confidence and his resilience and he would even say it has reversed the ageing process for him.

So what’s his teaching style? Well, he will never be in your face. Much more softly, softly from him. But if you ever want to hear his experience of the life-changing effects of yoga (and you have a few hours to spare) just ask him (you may not want to try that either 😎). Hwyl fawr.

yoga teacher

leigh sellers

Leigh has always had a love of sport, health, wellness & fitness and developed an interest in yoga and meditation at a relatively early age. He found that yoga and meditation just seemed to play a very natural part in his life.

His initial and albeit brief sporting career started with a love and interest in football. Through football, an unlikely connection to yoga grew with the benefits of both asana and meditation supporting his training and playing programs. At that time, this was a little left of center, and thankfully is far more accepted now. Leigh found his Iyengar practice 30+ years ago and was fortunate to study over the years with Caroline Coggins in Sydney, Karen Toneycliffe in Coffs Harbour, and Jamie Denham in Brisbane.

He later and quite by chance found and explored a Vinyasa path while living in Brisbane, practicing at Inner Bliss with Amy Wilkinson and Katie West. It was during this time that he completed his Yoga Teacher Training, and it has been one of the most amazing experiences of his life. He loves sharing Vinyasa and continuing his yoga journey through teaching.

Yoga teaches so much, and it is this journey of self-discovery and self-exploration he loves and values the most.

When he's not teaching, you will find him pursuing the other passions in his life… hanging out with his kids or surfing!

she/her | yoga teacher

amy vitucci

Since discovering yoga, Amy has always reveled in the way that a regular yoga practice sews its benefits through the rest of your life. She embodies this in a firm believe that the awareness yoga helps to bring allows us to truly let go in whatever form is needed for each individual at the time - whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

Amy teaches a dynamic flow and often incorporates strength-based movements into her classes with interspersions of stillness. She loves the moment in class where you feel like you are seamlessly flowing and gears her sequences towards fostering this. Her most playful state can be found in backbends and quirky transitions. Her classes are structured to challenge while also nourishing each student’s sense of curiousity, holding options for all levels.

Drawing from an extensive wealth of knowledge, Amy began her teaching journey with a 200hr teacher training at Hom Yoga with Briohny Smyth and Dice Iida-Klein. After this she continued to build her knowledge through a 100hr Yin training with Sydney based Mel McLaughlin, a Yin Yang Mindfulness training with Sarah Powers, and an abundance of further trainings with teachers including Patrick Beach, Carling Harps, Tiffany Cruikshank, Sarah Ball and Noelle Connolly.

yoga teacher

nicola watts

Nicola's journey with yoga began almost two decades ago, when her father introduced her to the practice. Since then, she has embraced yoga as a way of life, delving into the realms of body awareness and modern anatomy. Nicola is fascinated by the seamless integration of these elements with yogic philosophy, creating a holistic approach to well-being.

As a dedicated student of yoga, Nicola's commitment to understanding the intricacies of the human body and its connection to the ancient wisdom of yoga philosophy is evident in her teaching style. Her classes are characterised by a steady pace, clarity of instruction, and a kind, playful spirit that encourages students to explore their practice with joy and curiosity.

Nicola, now a seasoned yoga teacher, brings a unique blend of experience and passion to her classes. Her teaching philosophy goes beyond the physical postures, emphasising the mind-body connection and fostering a sense of mindfulness on and off the mat.

yoga teacher

kitty reddington

Originally from New Jersey, USA, Kitty moved to Australia in 2013 to study towards a master's degree and started practicing yoga shortly after as a way of managing her anxiety. In 2017 she completed her teacher training with Jivamukti Yoga in Mumbai, India and in 2018, finished her 500 hr apprenticeship with Jivamukti. She has been teaching yoga for eight years and has more than 1,500 hrs of training and counting. Kitty's continuous study of yoga helps to enhance her classes and makes her a compassionate teacher as she is often in the seat of the student.

After teaching yoga for a few years Kitty realised that the students she was meeting often had complex physical and mental health backgrounds. This inspired her to study Yoga Therapy and in 2020 she became a certified Yoga Therapist, using the practices of yoga to help people manage their health. Her area of focus over the past few years has been on helping people to manage stress, anxiety and grief.

Kitty's classes are woven together with her desire for all practitioners to leave class feeling calmer and with a clearer state of mind. She brings warmth and humor to class wherever possible.

When Kitty isn't teaching yoga she is either reading or walking her 4yr old border collie Jasper, who works alongside her as an (unofficial) therapy dog.