GANAPATI SCHOOL OF YOGA
TEAM MEMBERS
At Ganapati School of Yoga, we are proud to call some of the most talented and experienced
leaders in yoga members of our team.
They are fully committed to creating the welcoming, encouraging environment that our Yoga School is known for.
CLAUDIA ESCOBAR
School Founder, Teacher & Lead Trainer
E-RYT200, RYT500, RPYT, RCYT, YACEP
Claudia Escobar, originally from Mexico but living in Ireland for over 10 years.
Claudia’s journey in Yoga and Meditation began when she was about 10 years old after her mum
brought her to a meditation class in her hometown Saltillo, Mexico.
Claudia completed her 200 hour certification with Upaya Yoga in Goa India in 2018 and 300 hour certification
with Kashish Yoga in 2021. She has held retreats both nationally and internationally and later this year will be bringing
her renowned yoga getaways to her homeland where attendees will experience a slice of paradise and
witness the beauty of the Pacific coast of Mexico.
Claudia continually strives to increase her knowledge, to never stop learning and feels extremely fortunate to
have constant mentorship from her gurus.
PABLO ONTIVEROS
Yoga Teacher & Lead Trainer
Pablo is a Psycologist and a Yoga teacher now based in Spain. He has been teaching yoga for the last 10 years in a whole host of settings spanning the entire globe. Pablo completed his teacher trainning course in India where he regularly returns and continues to receive ongoing mentorship from his masters.
Pablo is exceptionally knowledgable in traditional hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga and is extremely passionate with the philosophical aspect of the yoga practice. Pablo has a background in a whole host of different styles of yoga including yoga nidra, yin yoga, aeroyoga, vinyasa, power yoga and more. After a considerable amount of time teaching masterclasses worldwide, Pablo has found his true calling in teacher training courses where he can share his love for yoga and help develop and inspire the next generation of people to become highly skilled teachers in the world of yoga.
ROHIL JETHMALANI
Yoga Teacher & LecturerE-RYT 500, YACEP
Rohil has taught immersive retreat and teacher training programs in Morocco, Bali and India. He is currently pursuing a masters program in Cognitive Science to understand the scientific basis behind the various practices of yoga.
He has spent long periods of time learning & practicing Ashtanga in the traditional Mysore-style, as well as classical Hatha with his teachers in Mysore and Rishikesh.
He believes that yoga is not simply a physical practice and strives to highlight the philosophies that underlie these rich and sacred traditions. His teachings are non-dogmatic, whereby different students receive unique and appropriate instruction to tailor the practice to their needs and not the other way around.
JESSICA DUNLEA
Yoga Teacher
Jessica's love of yoga started a number of years ago when she attended her first Flow Yoga Class on one faithful Saturday morning. She instantly fell in love with the fluidity of the movements, the physical dynamic nature of the session along with the instant mental and emotional calmness it brought her.
Quite literally in her opinion the perfect balance of yin and yang.
Ever since her love for yoga has continued to grow and has blossomed into a form of self expression
which she feels lucky to be able to share with the rest of the world.
In 2020 Jessica completed her 200hrs Teacher Training and has also trained in Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga and plans to continually expand her knowledge and share it with her students and fellow teachers alike.
AGNE GRIMALAUSKAITE
Yoga Teacher
Agne started practicing yoga in 2015 in Cork, Ireland and in 2019 completed her 200hrs Teacher Training.
Her deep inner passion drove Agne towards special yoga which led her to
completing Special Needs Yoga training in 2020.
Since then Agne has partaken in a multitude of courses where the primary focus was on the specifics
of different needs and abilities mainly in children with special needs.
One of the most powerful messages of yoga is that of self-acceptance.
Each of us is different and unique with our own set of needs, limitations and strengths.
MAIREAD BUCKLEY O'NEILL
Yoga Teacher
Mairead attended her first class over 8 years ago. Having dedicated many hours to the physical practise of Ashtanga, Iyengar and Vinyasa, she has always been deeply drawn to the subtle energy body of Yoga as a Reiki Practioner.
Having completed her 200 hour training in Hatha Yoga in November 2019, she wanted to immerse herself further, therefore she completed a course in Yin Yoga teacher training in 2020 and is currently completing a further 300 hour in Advanced Yoga teacher training. She provides an inclusive, safe, and fun practise to those who attend a class.
RITESH PATEL
Yoga Teacher & Lecturer
Ritesh is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys cycling, marathon running, and various other outdoor activities. Initially a graphic designer, he quit his job to focus on teaching yoga. Ritesh is a multi-talented individual whose spiritual journey started off in 1994 through the art of Karate. Eight years later, he attained a black belt from the Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation of India under the guidance of Sensei Chandrakant Ruparelia and Santosh B. Singh.
In 2003, he graduated from the Kaivalyadham Yoga Centre with a Post Graduation Diploma in Yoga Education (P.G.D.Y. Ed). He is well versed in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Hatha yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, as well as Anatomy of the Human Body, Pranayama, Asana, meditation and Shatkriya.
To further his yogic studies, Ritesh did a Thai Yoga Bodywork course under the guidance of Prabhat Menon from The Sunshine Network, New Zealand in 2005, which is a traditional Thai yoga massage technique. This Ayurvedic technique combines the principles of energy balancing, stretching, acupressure and yoga exercises to make it a powerful massage therapy.
Ritesh completed a Level One Yoga Teacher Training under the guidance of Swami Veda Bharati from the Himalayan Yoga Tradition in 2011, and in June 2014, obtained a Stott Pilates Certificate, which allows him to teach pilates for personal and group training. Stott Pilates is similar to yoga, with the exception that the former also incorporates the use of resistance equipment.
Ritesh completed a 200-hour Multi Style Yoga course with Siddhi Yoga in 2015 under the guidance of Deep, in which he was trained in the style of Vinyasa Flow and Hatha Yoga.
JOHN O'SULLIVAN
Physiotherapist
John is a CORU registered Physiotherapist who runs a busy physiotherapy practice in Mallow. He graduated with an Honours Degree in 2013. His primary field of expertise is in the area of Sports Injuries and post operative rehabilitation but also deals with different cases from all walks of life.
In 2015, John also took on the role of Anatomy and Physiology lecturer with the Institute of Physical Therapy.
NATASJA HEMELSOET
Yoga Teacher
Natasja was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to Norway a number of years ago, but currently living in Sweden with her wonderful family.
Natasja started her Yoga journey in 2009 and decided to train to become a certified teacher in 2020. She is still working directly with her amazing Guru in India where she will be her student for life.
Natasja teaches Vinyasa yoga but her biggest passion is meditation where she has a solid foundation in Yoga Nidra and Chakra Dharana meditation. The yogic lifestyle is her biggest passion where she follows her Dharma to help, heal and share knowledge with the public so all can grow with consciousness, mindfulness and blossom into the true version of themselves.
PREM BAHADUR SHAH
Yoga Teacher
At the age of 19, Prem found himself struggling to follow the life path of that was set out for him and made the move to India in search for answers. A twist of fate brought in a job at Upaya Yoga teacher training school in 2014,
where he worked as a yogic Sattvic vegetarian cook. It soon became a stimulation, awakening a deep curiosity
and interest in the practice of Yoga.
In 2015, he decided to take the leap and change the course of his life, starting his own yogi practice with the guidance of his Gurus. As his practice deepened, Prem found that he was passionate about sharing his knowledge, experience and journey with others so he completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course (ERYT) later in the year of 2015 and has been teaching as a TTC teacher ever since.
He teaches both Ashtanga and Hatha Asana classes and also basic pranayama, mantra chanting and kriya.
Prem soon discovered he was particularly interested in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga where he began his journey to fully immerse himself into its devoted practice, leading him to practice in Mysore in India in 2018 where he practiced alongside many respected Guru’s and teachers.
Prem is a dedicated practitioner, currently working towards series 4 in Ashtanga Vinyasa but finds importance in not only the physical side of yoga, but also the spiritual level, where it can act as a guidance in self-discovery, spiritual growth and personal serenity. His daily yoga practice consists of pranayama meditation and chanting as well Asana and truly believes that the practice of Yoga can transform and clarify one’s life.
Prem is dedicated to teaching through the traditional teaching method of Ashtanga Yoga to his fullest capacity and brings a unique energy to the practice, touching many students along their journey into Yoga.
Prem is currently teaching in his home country, Nepal at Pokhara Yoga school and Rishikul Yogashala.
He also teaches personal workshops and retreats in various destinations with the hopes to travel the world and share his experience and knowledge to all.
OLIVIA O’CALLAGHAN
Yoga Teacher
During Liv’s first yoga practice she experienced the crossover of many worlds. Breathing she learned in choir, lengthening the body she came to through dance, strengthening she had been working on in the gym and an intuitive knowing of the connectedness of all things.
This gave Liv a sense of purpose like never before – to move out of her practice as a pharmacist
and into the sharing of the teachings of yoga with others.
After training and gaining experience teaching classes and retreats, Liv developed a deep longing to learn about yoga on a deeper level, answering her life-long calling to travel to India. In October 2019, she travelled Rishikesh to study Pre-Natal Yoga. Liv decided to stay and to enrol in the 300-Hour YTT with Himalayan Master Yogrishi Vishvketu, expanding her knowledge of the practice. She also received her spiritual name Dev Jyoti, which means ‘Divine Light’.
In March 2020, Liv travelled to Bali Indonesia, where she became a Professional Facilitator of the Wise Womban Way.
Liv is currently studying Yin Yoga and is in a mentorship programme called Burn It Down with her teacher
Mallorie Prem which brings to together quantum and mystical law with view to radically transforming
both the personal and the collective.
The purpose of Liv’s teaching is to support her students in remembering that everything we need, is already inside of us.
KAREN OLIVIA
Yoga Teacher
Karen is a spiritual coach, astrologer and 200hr yoga teacher.
Karen took her first yoga class in 2010, but it was a particularly difficult period in life a number of years later that led her to deepen her practice. As the healing power of movement, breath and meditation became more clear to her, Karen discovered a passion for sharing practices for self-awareness and healing with others.
She went on to study under the teachers who had guided her on her path and today offers 1-1 healing sessions, astrology readings, moon circles and group classes and workshops.
Karen completed her 200hr yoga teacher training in 2019 under Jasmine Tarkeshi and Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in San Francisco. She is also a graduate of Portland School of Astrology and a Reiki II practitioner, as well as a certified Embodiment + Breathwork Coach in the Radical Awakenings method. In 2022, Karen will open a healing retreat space on the Wild Atlantic Way in West Cork.
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