0403 135 342
ABOUT JESSIE CHAPMAN & FACILIATORS
Your wellness retreat hosts are Jessie Chapman and a highly attuned team who have been sharing Radiance Retreats in Australia, Asia, New Zealand and Europe since 2002. Jessie and facilitators love creating space for people to deepen in yoga practice and to be inspired in beautiful natural surrounds.
Jessie Chapman - Radiance Retreats Founder, Yoga Teacher & Author
Australian yoga teacher, Jessie Chapman, loves sharing the transformational yoga practice journey and creating space for people to relax and connect. Jessie has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 25 years and offering retreats since 2002.
Jessie is the author of 4 yoga books (published by HarperCollins Aus & Ulysses Press USA) including the bestselling Yoga Postures for your Body, Mind & Soul’ and co-creator of the popular Radiance Yoga DVD series for at home practice.
Jessie was first introduced to yoga and yoga nidra as a teenager by her mother whilst growing up amongst the rainforests of Northern NSW. In 1991 Jessie began attending regular Iyengar classes and workshops until yoga became a natural and everyday part of her life. In 1997 Jessie completed a 9-month Yoga Teacher Training Course with Yoga Arts and became Yoga Alliance RYT500 certified. From 2000 Jessie lived in Ubud, Bali where she taught yoga and on the Yoga Arts Teacher Training courses; wrote her first yoga book and launched Radiance Retreats with her sister Judy, combining their loves of yoga and Bali’s unique holistic spa therapies. In 2003 Jessie returned to Byron Bay and offered the first Byron Bay Radiance Retreat followed by retreats in Thailand, Europe and New Zealand.
Jessie’s 4 Yoga Books published by HarperCollins Australia and Ulysses Press USA are ‘Yoga Postures for your Body, Mind & Soul’; ‘Yoga Sequence for your Body, Mind & Soul’; ‘Partner Yoga for your Body, Mind & Soul’ and ‘Yoga for Inner Strength’. Jessie has also written on yoga for various magazines and newspapers around the world including Asia Spa, Australian Yoga, Wellbeing, Nature and Health and Virgin Inflight Magazine.
Today, Jessie continues to practice yoga, particularly the Iyengar Yoga method, and offers retreats along with classes in Byron Bay where she lives with her family.
Lee Purdie - Yoga Assistant & Yogadance Teacher
Lee has been a part of the Radiance Retreats journeys since 2006 and loves to support and connect with all she meets on the retreats. Lee gives yoga adjustments in the yoga classes and guides some of the beach walks and silent nature walks during the retreats. Lee is a dancer and dance teacher and after completing a Yoga Teacher Training course in 2004, she went on to combine her two passions of dance and yoga to create uplifting Yogadance sequences, which she offers on some retreats. Set to beautiful music, these short, choreographed sequences relax the body and mind, open the heart and are accessible to everyone. Lee recently completed her Yoga Therapy training and lives between Byron Bay and Adelaide with her family.
Anthea Amore - Yoga Assistant, Radiance Spa Services, Therapist & Author
Anthea has been assisting on Radiance Retreats since 2005 in the yoga classes with yoga adjustments and as the Spa Manager coordinating guest spa services. Anthea began practicing yoga from a young age and completed a Yoga Teacher Training Course in 2004. Anthea is a passionate and qualified Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, Ritual Creator and Natural Beauty Therapist with over 30 years’ experience in the holistic therapies. Anthea is the author of two vegan cookbooks ‘Organic Passion’ and ‘Hungry’ and designs the delicious, abundant, all-organic plant-based menu for our Byron Bay Retreats.
Jacinta O'Leary - Yoga Assistant & Mindfulness Drawing
Jacinta adjusts and teaches yoga on some of our European based Radiance Retreats. Her yoga classes cater to all levels of practice and experience with particular focus on developing the foundation of the yoga postures and breathing well. Her classes are of great benefit to beginners as well as more experienced practitioners wanting to refine their practice combining gentle sequencing with dynamic asana work, pranayama as well as deeply restorative yoga for relaxation, healing and stillness. Jacinta is a certified and experienced Iyengar Yoga teacher who also guides Mindfulness Drawing sessions on some retreats. A natural educator, Jacinta writes and tutors in Design for Distant Education in Melbourne where she lives with her family.
Oles - Chanting, Bhajans/Kirtan
Oles has been chanting Sanskrit chants ever since he first visited India over 3 decades ago. Using his experience and training as a professional musician and music teacher he leads the chanting/kirtan/bhajan sessions on some of our Byron Bay Retreats. “Chanting is an ancient and important part of yoga practice. Just as music sometimes allows us to access parts of ourselves that sometimes we can’t so easily reach, chanting mantras gives us the opportunity to lose ourselves, to open up, and in doing so it can allow us to transform ourselves.” Oles. In the retreat sessions there is the option of chanting, sitting in stillness or lying down and simply absorbing the wonderful sounds. Oles lives near Byron Bay with his family and travels extensively to India and beyond.