Our Instructors
Wambui Njuguna
Wambui Njuguna-Räisänen is a Kenyan-American currently based in rural Portugal, passionate about slow healing through trauma-informed yoga. Wambui's root lineage has been Ashtanga Yoga, which she began practicing in 2008 and teaching in 2010.
She began her studies in Trauma-Informed Yoga when the implications of the #metoo movement shed light on the abuse that took place in the Ashtanga Yoga lineage. Shortly after, Wambui created Ashtanga Intersections: Emergent Healing Spaces, which combines the wisdom of an established yoga lineage with the expansive world views of a diverse range of healers, thinkers and visionaries.
Petri “Rähjä” Räisänen
Petri Räisänen is an internationally renowned and respected Ashtanga yoga teacher. Petri started practicing Ashtanga yoga in 1989 and teaching in 1991. He is co-owner and director of Astanga Yoga Helsinki, Finland (established in 1997) and Yoga Roots Odeceixe, Portugal (established in 2023). Petri is living in Odeceixe, Portugal.
Petri has been a regular practitioner in Mysore India since 1996 and he received a teacher authorization from K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois in 2001. In his yogic path Petri has studied with many Ashtanga yoga instructors such as Derek Ireland, Radha Warrell, Lino Miele, Eddie Stern, Noah Williams, R. Sharath Jois and K. Pattabhi Jois.
Petri has been written two books on the subjects of Ashtanga Yoga. First one “Ashtanga Yoga - In the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois” is the guidance for the Ashtanga Yoga Primary series in 2005 and The intermediate series book “Nadi Sodhana” in 2008.
Petri focuses on integrating healing, accessibility and therapy with yoga, meeting student’s individual needs and guiding their progress.
Luna
Luna is a native Portuguese with a background in martial arts, tap dance and ballet that later found her passion for Yoga. She studied Hatha Yoga and Meditation in India and has been teaching for the last 8 years in several places around the beloved village of Odeceixe.
Since 2023, Luna is teaching all year around at Yoga Roots Odeceixe, where she is dedicated to a regular group of students, and also happily started practicing Ashtanga.
Rita Mandala
Movement has always been part of Rita’s life. From an early age she practised ballet, gymnastics, dance and aerial acrobatics. Her journey with yoga and meditation started in 2004. She explored different types and modalities, and stayed with Ashtanga Yoga since 2011. Among her teachers are Rolf an Marci Naujokat, Lu Andrade, Petri Räisänen and Wambui Njuguna.
In her classes, students learn the traditional sequence of Ashtanga, but there’s openness to introduce adjusted ways to move, breathe and meditate to give each individual the support they need.