Our Team
Everything began in Åkersberga in 2004, 35 km north of Stockholm, Sweden. This is where our HQ is located. MediYoga is a registered trade mark in 14 countries. MediYoga International is founded by the couple Elisabeth and Anders Engqvist
We are proud to present our employees and partners. We have the strength and qualities that are necessary to expand with rising demand and have fun at the same time. One week every year we meet at Villa Dorothea retreat in Spain to make plans for the coming year. A week we always look forward to.
Team MediYoga USA
Helen Miller Lynch
Educational director Mediyoga USA , Educating MediYoga Instructors in central California USA , conducting research on MediYoga, holding Stress & Burnout courses and retreats. Diagnostic Radiology Nurse specialized in cardiovascular intervention, with long experience of heart disease and patient care in different countries.
”As a Diagnostic Radiology Nurse doing cardiovascular intervention, I was looking for something to share with my patients that they could work with at home, something that could help them in their recovery. My dear friend Helena Hellström inspired me on my MediYoga journey. Helena got sick from shingles that manifested in one off her ears and eye and went through the brain. She couldn’t speak or walk and was paralyzed on one side of her body. She was bedridden and could only walk short distances with a walker.
Helena started to use MediYoga as a tool in here recovery and now walks without any help and work as a MediYoga therapist and MediYoga teacher and private consultations one to one in a Health care unit in Sweden. She is giving Mediyoga the credit to her amazing recovery. By sitting down on my yoga mat in the morning I’m setting the tone for my day in the best way I can. Listening within listening to my body and the signals it sends me, allowing mind and body to connect. I strongly believe that the body has a great capacity to heal it self with a little help. In my daily work as a MediYoga terapist I am witnessing so many people heal and regain their health with MediYoga as a tool towards their recovery. Favorite pose is Nabhi Kryia and favorit meditation is vocal toning thru the chakras.”
Debbie Teofilo, MPH
Advisor in health care administration, written communications, and grantwriting.
Debbie’s career in public health has included working in California health management organizations and clinics, owning a homecare company for the elderly, and now doing her part to integrate MediYoga into the daily lives of the American public.
“Community wellness has always been my passion. I learned about MediYoga when interviewing Helen for an article, and knew its simple techniques could improve the lives of many thousands of people if the lessons could be made readily available throughout our local communities. In these stressful times, being able to relax mind and body in a few minutes at any time can improve health and save sanity, relationships, and lives!”
MediYoga International AB, Sweden
Anders Engqvist
Founder, owner, teaches yoga therapists and yoga teachers. A member of all teams.
“When I saw what fantastic results MediYoga had achieved with my very ill wife, out of curiosity I asked Elisabeth to show me the exercises she did herself. MediYoga has been part of my life ever since, and yoga makes me calmer, happier and more contented. My favorite meditation is undoubtedly Dhrib Dhristi Lochina Karma Kriya.”
Elisabeth Engqvist
Founder, owner, teaches yoga therapists and yoga teachers. A member of all teams.
“I started doing yoga when I suffered burnout at the beginning of the 2000s. I had a total collapse but after just one year of doing yoga, I was able to start my own yoga enterprise. Starting the day with yoga is a necessity for me. Stress melts away and the world becomes a more colorful and happier place after a yoga program. I have many favorite meditations, but my absolute go-to workhorse is Kirtan Kriya, that helped me overcome extreme exhaustion and to recover from a brain hemorrhage following a riding accident. A real Brain Booster!”
Elin Hjertvik
Communications Officer
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Team MediYoga Norway
Cecilia Lindgaard
Has developed and runs MediYoga for Pregnant Women. A highly experienced midwife.
“I had been out of the job market for several years due to severe exhaustion. I started the MediYoga instructor training course and had an incredible revelation. My body started to work with me and I became a whole person again. MediYoga helps me to stay focused and maintain an inner calm. Yoga also generates a force at the same time that enables me to live the life I want to. One of my favorites, that always brings me back, is the One Minute Breath meditation.”
Frida Storholt
Holds courses in sleep, stress and burnout, and trains MediYoga instructors and MediYoga therapists in Norway. Neonatal nurse practitioner and clinical advisor.
“I discovered MediYoga when burnout was a reality in my life and it resulted in a long period of sick leave. The symptoms were extreme and I was so afraid I would never be healthy again! The effect of MediYoga was powerful – right from the very first day! Practicing yoga slowly but surely changed my ailing body and my extremely forgetful mind. I will always have yoga as part of my daily routine. MediYoga brings me peace and energy at the same time; it clears my mind, makes my body more flexible and above all gives me a wonderful feeling of self-love. My migraines and back stiffness are almost entirely gone and, thankfully, all of my burnout symptoms have disappeared. My absolute favorites are the Stress 2 program and the One Minute Breath meditation. This combination always gives me both an anchor and wind in my sails.”
Grete Nybraaten Henriksen
Trains MediYoga instructors in Trondheim and Stavanger, runs courses in Stress and Burnout, plus a specialist course in reducing tension. Has narrated several guided programs in Norwegian.
“My first encounter with MediYoga was at the Yoga Festival in Oslo in 2009 and I was instantly hooked on this form of yoga. MediYoga gave me several new and interesting angles of attack in the yoga courses I was already running, and I loved the mantra meditations. After 1,000 days with “Spinal Awakening Chakra Set” and the “Guru Gayatri Mantra with 4 HAR” meditation, my life has changed completely. I feel stronger and more balanced than ever before.”
Liv Freya Grette
Manages MediYogabutikken.no and owns and runs the Villa Dorothea Retreat. Psychiatric nurse.
“I took the MediYoga instructor course in 2009 to be able to combine yoga with nursing. I became totally hooked, I had never come across a tool that was as effective as this. On becoming a qualified instructor, I immediately continued with the MediYoga therapist course. What made me continue were the fantastic results it delivered, for both myself and for the people I was teaching. Although I like all the flexes, my favorite exercise is the back flex, as this really helps make your spine more flexible. My favorite meditation is Kirtan Kriya that brings a sense of calm.”
Niina Tauriainen
Teaches MediYoga instructors in Trondheim.
“I began to feel I was not happy with the life I was leading in 2012. I was also suffering a lot of tension headaches and bodily stress. I suddenly decided to become a MediYoga instructor. It really worked. I became more balanced and calm. My aches and pains disappeared and I was able to throw away the painkillers in my handbag. When life feels a bit hard, I always return to Starter Pack 2. I soon become balanced and earthed again.”
Team MediYoga Denmark
Lene Hornsleth
MediYoga therapist and physical therapist. Educational Director for MediYoga Denmark.
“As a physical therapist I’ve been treating, helping and guiding patients and clients for many years, but I had forgotten to listen to and understand my own body. I started to experience stress reactions in the form of muscle tension, headaches and exaggerated emotions. A Swedish friend and MediYoga instructor introduced me to MediYoga and I immediately registered for an instructor course. After 14 days of long, deep breaths and Starter Pack 1, my symptoms were gone. I could feel my body, I was calmer, better able to concentrate and my energy had come back. I’ve never experienced such a gentle tool with such a powerful effect. I left my job to teach MediYoga full time. MediYoga gives me new experiences every day. It’s a journey into the body, mind and soul, and allows me to greet each day with gratitude, calm, mindfulness, strength and balance. It gives me joy each and every time I meet clients who tell me what a difference MediYoga has made in their lives. I always return to Sat Kriya which both grounds me and lifts me up, and gives me a fantastic flow of energy. The Heart Meditation shows me the way when I’m uncertain about which direction to take.”
Sabrina Christine Haugaard
MediYoga therapist and physical therapist. Director of MediYoga Kidz in Denmark who also does voice recordings for Danish MediYoga Play sessions.
”I worked for many years at a company where I had forgotten about myself even though I was both a physical therapist and self-taught yoga instructor there. My boss suggested that I take a yoga course to benefit both the employees and myself. I found MediYoga on the internet and before I knew it I’d signed up for both the MediYoga instructor and MediYoga therapist courses. Finally I’d found yoga in a system which I, as a job as medical professional, could use as a tool to help my clients. I’m particularly passionate about children and young people, so I love to see them being helped by yoga and meditation to feel healthy so that they can flourish. I love hearing about the participants’ personal experiences with MediYoga; how change comes from within and how it affects their relationships with other people, animals and the world. Gratitude, responsibility and love go hand in hand with MediYoga. When I take those long, deep breaths it always brings me back to the present and makes me feel calm, mindful and grateful. It’s not always easy to breath slowly and deeply but it’s a practice that I always come back to when I start feeling stressed. My favorite meditation is ‘Aad guray nameh’ which allows love to flow and puts a smile on my face, even on a grey and rainy day.”
Ramtitam Studio, Sweden
All of our music, all guided yoga programs, recordings, video – essentially all the sound and images we create come out of Ramtitam Studio in Stockholm, which is owned and run by Fredrik Wännman and Lars Norgren.
Fredrik Wännman
Has written and composed all our music and developed MediYoga Play. A creative force within music and images.
“I started to record the soundtrack for the programs that are now part of MediYoga, before it was even called MediYoga. Since then, I have had the privilege of being involved in writing the music that is used and producing printed matter, videos, photographs and now culminating in MediYoga Play. I’ve been involved on the technology side of MediYoga since 1996. From a work perspective, MediYoga provides me with many different types of stimulating assignments and I also get to see how many people are helped by it. What we do really helps. My favorite program is Starter pack 3 except with the Kirtan Kriya meditation.”
IT, project and marketing, Sweden
Kristoffer Folin (consultant)
Project manager for our websites, social media and our go to guy when it comes to practical marketing.
“Someone recommended I try MediYoga a couple of years ago, as I was really struggling with my lower back. I felt it would be good for me almost immediately and the exercises I did have really helped me feel better. I continued with the exercises, not simply because you can really feel the physical results very quickly, but also because it made me feel better inside myself. Calmer and more balanced. My favorite exercises are those that focus on the back and breathing.”
Martin Birch (IT-box)
IT developer and programmer. Black belt in coding.
Martin has been with us from the start and developed our first booking system when we opened our yoga studio in 2006. (The yoga studio was sold in 2013).
