About our school
Yoga Alliance Registered School
We provide high standard curriculums and courses in the following certifications; 200HR, 300HR +
500HR YTTC.
Barefoot Yoga School is a purpose built institution based in Byron Bay, Australia and Kabalana, Sri Lanka. We provide the highest quality trainings through upholding high standards across the board in the courses that we offer.
We are not a Yoga studio, we specialise in producing high quality Yoga instructors which are safe, informed and well educated. All of our time and efforts go into creating cutting edge courses, updating and refining textbooks, offering a higher education pathway, up skilling ourselves, teaching and supporting our cohort and community. This is our primary focus and why we believe we are different.
We are very passionate about the lifestyle in which Yoga requires - Yoga is not just physical, a real Yogi adapts their entire life around having a Yogic practice which is evident on and off the mat. This is truely what you can take away from an immersion style course. This is also why it is imperative that we have included food in our programs (as well as accommodation), as this is a key aspect to the underlying teachings that are available every time we sit down for a meal. We allow our students to gain a wider perspective on what a true and full practice of Yoga is.
We saw the depth of self mastery that the schools in India would provide, the deep exploration of spirituality and religion, however we wanted Yoga teachers from our School to have that and more. By which we mean an exceptional understanding of the science and human physiology throughout their trainings.
We focus on the full spectrum of Yoga, translated from India and applied to a Westernised context. Our core values align with the four main pathways of Yoga which we teach and instil throughout our programs to create a well rounded teacher; Karma (action & selfless service), Bhakti (devotion), Gyana (wisdom & questioning) and Raja (Asana, Pranayama, Meditation).
We guarantee professional, friendly and internationally recognised teaching. We are Registered with Yoga Alliance International, which is one of the best registry boards in the world with the highest standards - making the schools accountable and able to assure quality of teaching and knowledge to be provided to you in your YTTC.
Yoga Alliance International has strict guidelines for what is deemed an appropriate curriculum, often unregistered programs have an unbalanced curriculum which lacks important aspects such as Anatomy, practice teaching & philosophy.
We are here to change the world of Yoga and Yoga teacher trainings by one small group at a time.
Teachers & Facillitators
Adam Kaoullas
Lead Trainer of Anatomy & Yin, Co-owner, Chinese Medicine practitioner, rehabilitation specialist, 500HR ERTY
As a retired professional boxer, Adam brings a fascinating perspective on the power of the mind and body. He is now leading a very different, more peaceful life as a lifelong student of Yoga, Acupuncturist & Chinese Medicine practitioner. Originally using Yoga as a supplement to his athletic career, Adam went on to study in India on two separate occasions and has recently been to tje Pyrenees to join Wim Hof to become a qualified WIM HOF instructor.
Adam has over 10 years experience in physiology, rehabilitation, anatomy, and personal training. After Adam's first degree, where me majored in Kineselogoy, he had the pleasure of going onto work in rehabilitation centres in the US, helping the injured and disabled to find their feet and even walk again. He has since pursued a career in helping people stay fit, healthy and mobile. His second degree is in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, which he is currently enjoying alongside running Barefoot Yoga School with his partner and co-owner, Jess.
He has a raw passion for helping people and making Yoga a safer and more effective form of movement therapy. Adam is incredibly invested and makes it his mission to give Yoga teachers a better education and understanding of the human physiology and thus produces highly trained Yoga teachers whose anatomical knowledge is outstanding.
Adam has an undying enthusiasm for the human body and biomechanics which is very apparent in his teachings.
He runs the Yin yoga, Chinese medicine and Anatomy modules in these courses.
Jessica Martin-Jones
Lead trainer of Philosophy and Eastern practice, Co-owner, Nutritionist, Psychophysiologist, 1000HRS YT, 500HR ERTY
With a deep connection to the roots of Yoga, having completed all of her own training in India, Jess knows how to bring the East and West together.
With over 1000 hours of Yoga and Meditation teacher training under her belt, Jess offers groundbreaking perspectives on Eastern philosophy which she weaves throughout her teaching.
As a qualified counsellor Jess is further able to shine a light on trauma-informed Yoga and Meditation teaching, offering students much needed support and optional therapy as they unpick and understand themselves on a deeper level through the Yoga teachings.
Jess is the driving force behind this passion project and school. She built Barefoot Yoga from the ground up after moving to Australia in 2017 and wants to share her experience and insights on how to build your dream from the beginning. The passion to produce programs which follow and embody the Yogic lifestyle are key to why Jess decided to open a purpose built school, rather than a studio. As the visionary to this institution, Jess has made sure to provide the best organic and balanced food, curriculum and ethos.
Jess has recently come back from Spain having completed a DIploma in Sound therapy, which she is excited to expand on in the 300HR YTT.
Jess runs the Vinyasa, Philosophy, Hatha and Meditation aspects in our programs.
Aja Jade
Private Ayurvedic inspired Chef
My travels and love for nature has formulated my style of cooking, inspired by Ayurvedic medicine, rich spices, and exotic tropical fruits.
I like to embrace traditional cultures and cuisines while combining revolutionary and innovative techniques into my dishes.
For me cooking is not only about eating, it's about the process of growing and healing.
I try to work in the rhythm of nature to create nutrient-dense food and embrace radiant health, sustainable preparation, and holistic living
Our Mission
We, (Jess and Adam) are motivated to give the Yoga Teacher Training world a major overhaul when it comes to quality!
We have witnessed and believe it is well over due that we improve the overall standards to give the liesence to teach.
Without going too far down the rabbit whole of what the current state of the industry is and has been for a long time - we look towards a new dawn of teachers. We want Yoga teachers to be well respected in the wellness industry, but this starts from the roots - training! We pledge to provide the highest standard of training with application and comprehensiveness at the forefront of every lesson.
What you should expect from your Yoga School
We can guarantee you programs that are well balanced, we don't just focus on spirituality or on the other hand hard core science, we encompass all aspects of Yoga, not just the 8 limbs but also movement as a therapy, biomechanics, neuroscience, biochemistry, the origin, the tradition and the western translation alongside plenty of teaching practice and teacher - student time.
Why don't we offer cheap pre recorded courses?
In our professional opinion, these programs should not qualify people to teach the public. They are fundamentally plaguing the industry with unsafe and inexperienced teachers.There is is no issue with those types of courses providing people with further education about Yoga, however we do not believe that a true teacher is born through online tuition only.
Yoga Alliance International will not allow for their courses to be run as pre recoded content. A maximum of 10% of the curriculum can be taught this way, hence our 20 hour foundations course.
We are agreeable with the reasoning behind this - it is our job to guarantee the safety of teachers being produced in our industry. To be a competent, safe Yoga instructor you need quality time with your lead trainers who can answer questions and supervise your technique on an individual basis.
Each person who comes on their training has a unique body, allowing time to study and observe other bodies on your course will also allow you to become a better Yoga instructor who can assess the safety, alignment and biomechanics of a students practice. As lead trainers, we also need to observe the practice teaching to ensure safe and high standards of Yoga teachers.
All of our accredited programs are Live streamed with a maximum of 10% of hours allowed to be completed without your lead trainer providing face to face knowledge online or in person.