Our Teachers
Our team of highly knowledgable and passionate teachers are certified at the 500-hour level and go through rigorous recertification every year to ensure our students' safety and be updated by the newest yoga science. We also train our own 200-hour teachers, so you can trust that you're in the best of hands!
”Your care for your customers is simply astonishing! You care about what we think, how we feel. Your professionalism should set an example for all the yoga studios in the world!”
Laura S.
Nicola Moberg
Hi, I’m Nicola
And this is my yoga studio.
It’s also my dream, my second home, and probably also my third child. 😉
It’s at least sure to say that it is my pride and my source of happiness.
And that happiness, I hope you feel it too, when you come to our small studio.
I want to warmly welcome you and I’m looking forward to meeting you in person.
. . .
So, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I’m a Purna Yoga teacher, a pregnancy and a postnatal yoga teacher
and a coach for natural childbirth.
For couples, I increasingly hold sessions for nurturing fertility and making pregnancy possible. This is very much close to my heart as I meet couples every day that are having trouble conceiving. If this is your case, remember you are not alone.
. . .
Yoga for me is more than what I do, it’s who I am and it’s who I want to be in life.
Thanks to yoga, I got to know myself and I know that my life is rich in spite of the hiccups that come on my way. Thanks to yoga, I ‘ve gotten very clear on what matters to me the most in life.
. . .
So why Purna Yoga?
I love Purna Yoga simply, because it’s all about practical tools on how you too can live a happy and a meaningful life.
Yoga has always provided me the “WHY”,
but when I got to know Purna Yoga I got my “HOW”.
Today, I’m so excited to be able to have this tool and to be able to share it with you every day in the studio.
. . .
I also believe in you.
I believe in your ability to create your dream life with the help of practical Purna yoga practices strengthening your body and opening your heart to new levels of being.
What I also believe is that You, deserve a happy and stress-free life. And I’m willing to work for this goal with you.
Here are some highlights of my story that have brought me here.
Check them out if you are curious, and let’s meet at the studio, so we can get to know each other more.
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I come from the Austrian alps, where I grew up with a feeling of not really belonging.
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In 1994, I start to travel a lot to find something to call my own.
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My travels take me to a spiritual center in Guatemala, where I first discover yoga in 2001.
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My travels continue, but yoga never leaves me. I keep taking classes wherever I go: Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, Spain.
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Year 2003-04 in the heat of Barcelona, I finally say yes, to my first teacher training.
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This is also, where I meet my Finnish husband. So, Barcelona pretty much sealed my destiny 😉
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In 2007 I find myself to be pregnant and get into prenatal yoga. I experience my first childbirth and find the whole birthing process absolutely fascinating.
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In 2009, I study at Birthlight with the founder Francoise Freedman and get certified in Perinatal yoga.
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We move to Helsinki and in 2010 we have our second baby-girl, soon after I get to fall in love with a beautiful little studio called Purna Yoga Helsinki.
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From the moment I enter the place, I know I have found IT. The studio founder Tove Palmgren welcomes me into her studio with arms open wide. And honestly, I feel like I’m finally home.
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2012, I start teaching prenatal yoga and finalize the 200-hour teacher training with Drew Scallop and Tove Palmgren.
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In the same year I meet the founder of Purna Yoga, Aadil Palkhivala. This is a huge turning point for me to be studying the values of Purna yoga with him.
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We were also very lucky to have him teach the 500- hour Purna yoga training in Helsinki, a man who taught the most professional yoga teachers in the world.
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In 2017 I take over the studio and continue living my dream.
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Today I know the path doesn’t stop here. It feels like it’s only the beginning. And that is a beautiful feeling.
After all these years of training, teaching and growing a business, I know I will always be a student as my curiosity and my urge to give is endless. I am grateful to have found Tove Palmgren, Aadil Palkhivala and Savitri as well as many other teachers in my life who have made me who I am today.
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One thing is clear to me “Never stop learning”.
Namaste,
Nicola
Eva Kiviluoma
''I am a 500-hour level Purna Yoga professional based in Helsinki, Finland. I started my yoga practice at the age of 18 due to lower back pain and have ever since trained both in India and in the West. I completed my first 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, Northern India, also called the ‘‘birthplace of modern yoga’’. This was an immersion into the land where the practice of Yoga has its roots.
In 2014 I further educated myself in Helsinki, Finland. With the guidance of Tove Palmgren, I completed a 200-hour Purna Yoga Teacher training. Then in 2015, I graduated from a 500-hour Purna Yoga Teacher Training taught personally by world-renowned Yoga Master Aadil Palkhivala.
I stay a student forever and continue to further educate myself on a daily basis. I study weekly with my teachers and am passionately interested in psychology and cutting-edge research on holistic health both of which I also apply to my teaching.''
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I teach yoga and meditation at Purna Yoga Helsinki both at the Studio and online. With my husband Gabriel, I also offer annual Purna Yoga Holidays in Spain! Learn more about it at www.purnayogaholidays.com''
Gabriel Maldonado
I am Gabriel, and I come from Chile. It was during my time studying law at the University and travelling in India that I discovered the transformative power of Yoga in the serene city of Rishikesh. I had the opportunity to study under esteemed Hatha Yoga teachers, and their ideas ignited a deep inspiration within me. Motivated by this newfound passion, I dedicated myself to continuous self-practice back in Chile and embarked on a three-month teacher training program before deciding to return to Rishikesh for further refinement.
Upon completing my training, I ventured to Nepal, where I began teaching Yoga at a wildlife lodge. It was an enriching experience to share my knowledge with both the Nepalese people and the diverse range of people who crossed my path.
However, it was my arrival in Finland that truly transformed my practice. Here, I encountered Purna Yoga and started attending classes regularly. The impact was profound, as it completely shifted my perspective on Yoga. I was fortunate to receive a beautiful, balanced, safe, and holistic approach to teaching, which inspired me to continue my learning journey, where I completed the 200-hour Purna Yoga Teacher Training in 2015 and embarked on the 500-hour training program under the guidance of Aadil Palkhivala. Since then, I continue to study with my teachers and guide students to the vast world of Purna Yoga. In addition to this, I lead yoga retreats every year together with my wife, Eva Kiviluoma.
From the moment I encountered Yoga, I knew deep in my heart that this was my destined path. Despite my extensive academic studies, I felt a strong calling to immerse myself in Yoga, and today, I find great joy and inner peace in sharing my knowledge with others.
Salla Suomi
Hi, I'm Salla.
In January 2020, before even entering the Purna Yoga studio for the first time, I saw myself behind that counter where the teacher wishes students welcome. It was a very inspiring image in my head, but I never had planned to do a teacher training or teach, not even then!
I started to do yoga in 2018 in Tampere where I lived back then. It instantly gave me something that I had longed for: peace. I continued practicing yoga in Helsinki when I moved in 2019. I had heard something about Purna Yoga and checked their website when I read the words, ”welcome home”. It really hit me since after my divorce in 2017 I have had this thought in my head that said ”I just want to go home”.
I started to do Purna Yoga online classes in the spring of 2020 and later also studio classes. I loved the atmosphere at the studio, the professional teachers and the love and care. Slowly the idea of doing a teacher training at Purna Yoga Helsinki started to come more and more clear into my mind. I had to do it!
In the training I started to understand what yoga really is and doing an asana practice is really a small part of that. It is meant help you to become that person who you really are.
So, I graduated as a 200-hour Purna Yoga teacher in the spring of 2021 and here I am now, ready to help YOU find back home.
Henna Heimonen
“Henna Heimonen has more than 20 years of experience in different forms of yoga and sports. She is well educated in different fields of yoga/anatomy and started teaching her own classes in 2010 . Henna’s style is powerful, playful and permissive. She understands the unique needs of each student and is specialized in pregnancy and postpartum. As a mother she can relate to the challenges of parenthood. She is passionate about sharing joy, inspiration and acceptance.”
Vea Vainio
I first started yoga in Oulu in 2007 when I was 17 years and looked for ways to support my overall-
wellbeing. I have danced actively since a little girl but yoga gave me something new – a feeling of deeper peace.
For many years yoga ”came and went” as I travelled and lived in Finland and abroad.
In 2017 I felt a call to deepen my yoga practice. As a beautiful answer to my wish I then found
Purna Yoga Helsinki´s happy and cozy studio and gradutated as a 200-h Purna Yoga Teacher in 2018
with the guidance of Tove Palmgren and Nicola Moberg.
With Purna Yoga I have learned to see myself in a totally different light than before: I can actively and
positively influence the wellbeing of my body, mind and Heart by practicing Purna Yoga. I have learned
many practical tools to feel more free, light, happy, grounded and complete in this hectic world we live in.
Purna Yoga practice for me is a journey with many beautiful gifts which I am happy to share with others.
I am also educated as a Professional Dancer, an Occupational Therapist and a Nature Connection Guide.
In the field of Yoga I´ve graduated as a Yoga Teacher for Special Needs groups (Erkkajooga 2018), Children, Youth and Families (Perhejooga 2020) as well as certified as a Pre- and Postnatal Yoga Teacher (Birthlight 2021).
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As a Dancer I work in the fields of Social and Health care and Community & Social Arts by creating dance performances, projects and workshops both indoors and outdoors in the nature. In addition to yoga, dance is for
me a way to express myself and to feel the connected to my Soul.
Kelly Ann
Hello, I'm Kelly.
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Originally from the UK, I have lived and worked internationally for the past 25 years in Australia, Italy, and Finland as an educator, counselor & play therapist. I am also a mum to a 17-year-old and have a little Westie dog, named Archie
In 2014, I studied with Purna Yoga Helsinki to complete the 200hr Teacher Certification. I have since gained further credentials in teaching mindfulness and have ten years of experience in teaching yoga and mindfulness to adults, teenagers, children, and families. I continue to practice, grow and learn in my own yoga practice, especially as my body's needs change with age.
I personally understand how a busy work & family life can, at times, leave precious little time and energy for our own self-care. In this way, yoga has been a gift. Each time I roll out my yoga mat, my practice is an act of self-compassion & self-care. I am, therefore, truly grateful to be able to share this gift of yoga, mindfulness, and a continued sense of well-being with others.
I look forward to seeing you in the studio!
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Laura Zein
Hi!
I'm Laura Zein, a friendly, conscientious yogi who laughs easily. I really enjoy hiking in nature, swimming in natural waters and meaningful conversations with friends.
I have been practicing yoga since 2014. I found the Purna Yoga Helsinki studio in 2016 and from the visit, I was convinced that I found the right form of yoga for me. I completely fell in love with the asana practice and was at a certain time going to the yoga studio every day. What hooked me about Purna Yoga was its holistic approach to the body and mind – the classes don't just train the body, but meditation improves concentration, calms the mind, and creates clarity.
I want to share to everyone who participates in my classes the gratitude and good mood that yoga brings to me. A yoga class is your own time where you challenge, calm down, learn, develop and marvel at the cooperation between your body and mind. So it doesn't matter how much yoga you've done previously, I pay attention to people of all levels. Welcome!
Maeve Korpela
Hello! My name is Maeve and I am many things.. among them an actor, yoga teacher, social media manager, and production generalist within the dramatic arts.
I have a deep curiosity for the world around, and within us, and my work in all forms comes from passion and compassion for the connectivity between all living things, and a desire to understand them; from an atomic, to a cosmic level..
My yoga journey began some 12 years ago as a teenager and I have felt indebted to the practice ever since. It has been a foundation, stability, and informant for me throughout my formative and educational years.
The precision, wisdom, and overall integration of the whole being (not just the physical) that is Purna Yoga harmonizes with my philosophy; and has helped me gain a deep respect and love for the human being.
I want to help others cultivate love, joy, self awareness and growth.
In my asana I combine my knowledge of the practice with an intuitive understanding of people and spirit - where I want to encourage a sense of bodily ease, flow, and harmony with an emphasis on serving the individual.
I look forward to seeing you in my class and meeting you as you are!
Namaste, Maeve
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Yuki Ishiyama
Hello!
I’m Yuki, from Japan. An unfortunate separation brought me a wonderful encounter with Purna Yoga.
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My first yoga experience was about 10 years ago. It was honestly miserable and full of shame because I had to struggle with my stiff body and the teacher even pushed and pulled me. I couldn’t enjoy or receive any benefits from that, so I decided to stop doing yoga after a very short experience.
In the spring of 2019 when I had difficulty in my life I was looking for something to treat my pain and anxiety. I found restorative yoga in Purna yoga, which gave me a completely different experience of yoga from what I had before. I could connect with myself without worrying about how to perform and I felt secured and relieved deeply through the teacher’s care.
Finally I found what I needed to get me out of the dark and cold tunnel. After doing almost only restorative yoga for about 3,5 years for healing, I began to think about my future. Maybe I'm able to prepare for any life challenges especially the physical change in a women’s life using the wisdom of yoga?
In the autumn 2022 I started to take more active asana classes and little by little aiming for connecting with my body and gaining the basic physical stability. Along with that I became more curious about yoga and decided to deepen my yoga journey and explore my own self by taking the teachers training.
As I have worked as an assistant and a teacher of special education in complementary schools in Espoo for about ten years, my eyes of observation and the sensitivity towards personal features and needs have been cultivated. This helps me in teaching yoga as well.
I’m very happy to share the wisdom of yoga with you! Looking forward to seeing you in class!