Summer Heart Reset + Panel Discussion

Join Yoga Teachers in Sydney for a 3 hour CPD event.

Senior Registered Teacher, Susan Hughes will be focusing her talk and yoga class on Summer. Following this is an Industry Panel Discussion on the topic "Trends Shaping the Next Generation of Yoga Teaching" featuring panelists: Pixie Lillas, Rachael Coopes and Susan Hughes.

Summer Heart Reset: As each season brings with it new temperatures, activities and delights, our bodies and minds also adapt seasonally. This will be a Japanese yoga class (Ryoho) with therapy to support our hearts and small intestine which are our focus in this season.

We will lower our centre of gravity during the yoga class and take some stress away from our chest to allow our hearts to be soft and delicate.

This in turn will allow the heart to sing and communicate internally and externally and allow the heart to connect.

About Susan Hughes:

Susan Hughes is a highly experienced yoga teacher with more than 25 years of practice and is a Senior Teacher with Yoga Australia as well as a senior Ryoho teacher. Based in Balgowlah, she specialises in Ryoho Wellness Yoga - a holistic approach that weaves together Hatha yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Five Element Theory, meditation, breathwork, nutrition, and shiatsu healing. 

Following this is an Industry Panel Discussion on the topic "Trends Shaping the Next Generation of Yoga Teaching". Panelists include Rachael Coopes & Susan Hughes.

About Pixie Lillas:

Pixie started yoga with Dona Holleman in 1976 in Florence, Italy.

Looking for a way to keep well and find balance while working as a conference interpreter at the time, Pixie had no doubts from her first class that Yoga filled those needs, and already hinted at offering so much more.

Pixie was fortunate to be accepted to study for 7 weeks with Guruji at RIMYI in Pune in 1977. From that first visit, Pixie returned to Pune almost every year up to the Covid travel restrictions in 2020.

From Italy Pixie moved to Sydney, Australia in 1980 and made Sydney her home base. Pixie co-founded Balmain Iyengar Yoga Studio in 1980, and she continues as principal teacher and director of the Balmain Studio, as well as teaching workshops and retreats in Australia, NZ , the UK and Europe.

Over the last 6 years Pixie has also been involved in creating Yoga Vastu, an online Yoga  practice and learning resource.

Pixie continues to be fully engaged in the practice of Yoga, seeing the ongoing physical and mental benefits and life affirming teachings it offers as a most convincing reason to keep practising, teaching and learning. Read more here

About Rachael Coopes:

Rachael Coopes is an award-winning writer, performer, speaker, and senior yoga and mindfulness teacher with over two decades of experience across creative, corporate, and wellbeing spaces. Known for her ability to distill complex ideas into clear, engaging experiences, Rachael has worked as a facilitator and coach with leaders and teams across industries; from finance and media to education and the arts.

A highly respected educator in the yoga space, Rachael has led yoga teacher training for over a decade, is the regular yoga contributor for WellBeing magazine, and has created yoga content for television networks and brands such as Accor Hotels. She brings a rare blend of intellect, presence, and heart to everything she does, integrating ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience and nervous system education. Her teaching supports strength, clarity, and calm for high-performing individuals and teams.

She is the author of three published books, including two in the wellbeing space, Find Your Strength, which translates yoga philosophy into tools for modern life, and The Art of Forgiveness, exploring the transformational power of letting go. Whether teaching yoga, leading teams, or facilitating large-scale events, Rachael is known for her depth of knowledge, warmth, professionalism, and ability to hold space for growth, insight, and connection. She is eternally grateful she gets to live and play on Gadigal land, and honours elders past and present, and all the ancient teachers of yoga who passed these teachings down, especially those she has been fortunate enough to study with. Read more here

This event will be hosted by Yoga Australia's NSW Community Representatives: Katie Brown and Alexi Pallpratt 

We invite yoga teachers, students, trainers from the Sydney region & beyond to come along and engage in the practice for yourself, enhance your teaching skills and contribute to industry conversations and network with other yogis.

About Katie Brown:

Katie is the panel host. She has been teaching yoga for 25 years and is the author of five books: Guided Relaxation, the Relaxation Rainbow, Peaceful Paws, Mother Me and Restorative Yoga – a holistic guide. She also runs Restorative Yoga teacher training. She is a former Vice President of the IYTA and a qualified counsellor, massage therapist and Qi Gong teacher. Katie is also a mum of three, a former national magazine editor in the UK and Australia and is a professional writer and journalist. Katie has been teaching yoga for 25 years.

About Alexi Pallpratt:

With over 20 years of personal practice and 17 years of teaching in Sydney, Alexi Pallpratt specialises in Yin Yoga and encourages students to slow down, reconnect, and find balance in a busy world. Her teaching blends traditional Hatha and Yin Yoga with a warm, playful approach that supports all levels.

Alexi has studied Meditation, Mindfulness, Pranayama, and Pre & Post Natal Yoga, and completed all three levels of Yin Yoga teacher training with the IYTA, where she also served as NSW State Rep for 10 years. Outside of yoga, she juggles full-time corporate work and family life with two teenage children—making her deeply relatable and grounded in real-life practice.

What to expect on the day:

10am: Welcome

10.15am: 60-minute Japanese yoga education session with Susan Hughes

11.30am - 12.30pm Panel discussion: "Trends Shaping the Next Decade of Yoga Teaching"

12.30pm: Closing circle and connection  

The event will finish at 1pm.

NOTE: Minimum attendance numbers will need to be reached for this event to proceed. If capacity is not reached we will look to reschedule to another date and you will have the option for a refund.

Car Parking: Parking is available on site or in local streets

What to bring: Please bring a Yoga mat and bolster. If you do not have one of these items, kindly let Yoga Australia know prior to the event.