About Us
Pete and Cori Norton are the founders and directors of Wye Valley Yoga and have been practising Iyengar Yoga for 30 years. Both are Iyengar Yoga UK certified teachers and trained with advanced level teacher Jayne Orton at Iyengar Yoga Birmingham After many years of teaching in a variety of settings across Herefordshire, including workplaces, schools, colleges, hospitals, sports clubs and village halls, they opened Salem Chapel in Hay in 2023 where, as well as regular classes, they organise workshops and events with visiting teachers and run a mentoring programme for trainee Iyengar Yoga teachers. They both continue to attend classes, workshops and professional training with senior teachers from the UK and India.
Cori Norton
Cori discovered Iyengar Yoga after a series of injuries in her twenties. Regular class attendance quickly helped her to recover and gain physical strength but she also realised it dramatically improved her emotional well-being and mental health. That first class she attended at Bristol's Yogawest was very much a light bulb moment as the direct clarity and attention to detail of the Iyengar method resonated at a deep level. After five years of regular class attendance & studentship, Cori started her three year teacher training course with Jayne Orton at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Birmingham and continues to attend classes with senior teachers to the present day. She has also studied in India with Geeta and Prashant Iyengar in Pune and with Rajiv and Swati Chanchani in Old Rajpur.
Cori is now a level 3 teacher and has been teaching yoga for twenty years. Her classes have been described as just the right amount of hard work and fun! She is particularly interested in the philosophy of yoga and weaves it into her teaching. She encourages students to understand that yoga is a holistic practice done by the body for the mind and that you can alter the habit patterns of your mind through yoga practice.
Cori is also a qualified chef, having studied at Birmingham College of Food. She set up and ran several cafes over the years and her interest in food and nutrition led her to qualify as an allergy therapist and kinesiologist. She stlll has a keen interest in nutritional health, and uses ayurvedic dietary principles alongside her yoga practice.
Pete Norton
Pete is a level 2 teacher and has had a long term interest in holistic body/mind practises, having previously practised Kung Fu and T'ai Chi. Following a debilitating illness in his twenties, he found great benefit in yoga and meditation and realised that the Iyengar Yoga method had both the discipline and mindfulness he was looking for to improve physical, mental and spiritual health. He views yoga as both a practice and a philosophy - a guide to how we live a healthy and meaningful way of life, which includes understanding ourselves and how we treat others. An alumni of Hereford College of Arts, he spent many years as a practising craftsman, a local authority arts officer and a sustainability professional before learning to teach Iyengar Yoga. He has been teaching since 2013 and also holds a qualification in Anatomy and Physiology and Therapeutic Massage.
Dave Prescott
Dave Prescott qualified as an Iyengar yoga teacher in August 2023, following four years' training. He currently teaches a beginners level class at Salem Chapel. He also taught regular classes for staff and inmates at HMP Cardiff. When not teaching yoga he is Creative Director of The Partnering Initiative, an internationally-focussed NGO that supports the design and implementation of partnerships for sustainable development.
Danielle Jenkinson
Danielle qualified as an Iyengar Yoga teacher in August 2023 after practicing for ten years. She has taken part in competitive sport for most of her life and continues to do so into her 30’s, she finds that Iyengar Yoga has complimented her sporting activities through injury prevention and that the Iyengar method has also helped her emotional wellbeing off the mat.
When not teaching Yoga she works for Jenkinsons, her family run building company. She studied a MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation at the Centre for Alternative Technology and is drawn to the many parallels between her masters learning and Yoga Philosophy.
Danielle believes Iyengar Yoga is accessible and has healing potential for all, she is inspired to encourage the younger generations to start practising Yoga as early as possible to reap the many benefits.
Rach Evans
Rach Evans has become a dedicated practitioner of yoga following a journey spanning over 16 years; Rach has found solace, strength, and an inner balance on the mat, enriching her life physically, mentally and spiritually.
Hailing from a background deeply rooted in the exploration of holistic well-being, Rach discovered her passion for Iyengar yoga when she met Cori & Pete in 2009, and as the feeling to become a teacher grew Rach took up the challenge and she commenced the teacher training in 2021.
Outside of her practise, Rach is married and is a devoted mother of four children. Despite the demands of motherhood, she prioritises her practice on the mat, finding moments of tranquility and inner peace, and a feeling of rejuvenation. Additionally, Rach enjoys spending time in nature and reading.
Rach is a level 1 teacher who loves to share her passion and knowledge with others. She aspires to create a welcoming space where individuals of all backgrounds can come together to explore the transformative power of yoga, fostering health, healing, and connection, within the community.
