The people who share, support and continue the work
The Academy brings together teachers with different backgrounds, practices and perspectives, connected by a shared interest in embodied wisdom and how ancient teachings can meet modern life.
Marcela & Tobias
Marcela Mota
Marcela brings more than 15 years of international teaching experience in Yoga and embodied practice. Her approach weaves together yin and yang practices, Taoist philosophy, nervous system awareness and intuitive wisdom, creating learning spaces that are grounded, experiential and deeply human.
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Tobias Tang Ørnebjerg
Tobias is a Chinese Medicine practitioner, Acupuncturist, Daoist Master Face Reader and teacher of Five Elements wisdom, with more than 25 years of clinical and teaching experience. His work brings together Chinese Medicine, Five Elements wisdom and a deep understanding of our relationship with nature.
Read moreI learned so much from your words but also from the things you didn’t even get to say: the way your energy, kindness and integrity filled the room.
Apostolos Psaros · Yoga Teacher, Greece
The life you’ve lived shines through in the way you teach and the wisdom you’ve gathered along the way.
Grestine Maniego · Wellness Facilitator, Australia
The teachers who hold the space with us
Nienke Stoop
Nienke is a Medical Doctor and Acupuncturist whose work bridges Western medicine with Chinese Medicine, Eastern wisdom and integrative approaches to health. She is also trained in Chinese Face Reading and Heart Coherence.
Her work focuses particularly on fertility, pregnancy and women’s health, bringing together medical knowledge, ancient wisdom and a deeper understanding of the relationship between body, mind and emotions.
Nienke has been closely connected with Five Elements Wisdom Academy from the beginning, contributing to workshops and trainings exploring the Five Elements, science and spirituality, as well as practices including meditation and Heart Coherence.
Visit Nienke’s website
Brittany Russell
Brittany is a multidisciplinary educator whose work brings together Yoga, dance, somatic practices and the wisdom of the Five Elements according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Her journey began through dance and the performing arts before expanding into Yoga and embodied practices, including Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Prenatal Yoga, Pilates, Reiki and therapeutic somatic work.
Having trained extensively with Five Elements Wisdom Academy, Brittany now supports and teaches within our trainings. Her approach is rooted in curiosity, embodied experience and creating spaces where people can explore their bodies, emotions and authentic expression.
Visit Brittany’s website
Randall O’Leary
Randall has been exploring Yoga since 1991 and teaching since 1995. His background spans classical Hatha Yoga, Iyengar, Jivamukti and Viniyoga, alongside decades of teaching and teacher-training experience.
His work centres around cultivating Prana through asana, breath and Pranayama, informed by his studies of Tai Qi, Hatha Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and Indian mysticism.
Randall brings a depth of experience in Yoga and breathwork, together with a playful and deeply personal approach to teaching.
Visit Randall’s website
Monica Taule
Monica has been exploring and teaching Yoga for many years, with a journey that has taken her between Norway and different parts of the world, including South Africa, India, Bali, Thailand and London.
Her practice and teaching span Ashtanga Vinyasa, Rocket, Yin and the Five Elements according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. She continues to teach both in Norway and internationally, and supports Yoga teacher trainings in Bali and Thailand.
For Monica, Yoga is both an anchor and a way of staying connected to herself, others and the rhythms of life. She brings a warm, grounded and dedicated presence to the learning spaces she helps hold within the Academy.
Ferdinand “Ferdi”
Ferdi’s relationship with movement began early in life, with a background spanning martial arts, gymnastics, Yoga and circus. He spent ten years as an actor and circus performer, developing a broad movement vocabulary through dance, Qi Gong, movement theatre, juggling, acrobatics, aerial work, Silat, meditation and Yoga.
After experiencing injuries through his years of performance, his curiosity turned increasingly toward the relationship between movement, the body and our capacity for self-healing.
Today, Ferdi teaches anatomy and movement within Yoga teacher trainings, bringing a playful, curious and highly experiential approach to working with the body.
Visit Ferdi’s website