Teachers
Zornitsa Zaykova
Zornitsa Zaykova was introduced to yoga in early childhood when she attended the classes of Vencislav Evtimov at the National Sports Academy in Sofia. At the age of eleven she returned to practice on her own, and since then yoga has become an integral part of her life and a path she has followed for more than 25 years.
After years of practicing and teaching Hatha Yoga, she discovered Ashtanga Yoga in 2011. Inspired by the depth, discipline, and transformative nature of the method, she dedicated both her personal practice and her teaching entirely to the Ashtanga tradition.
In 2017 she founded Tristana Ashtanga Yoga Sofia with the vision of creating a community where Ashtanga Yoga is practiced and taught through the traditional Mysore method. For the past nine years she has been leading daily Mysore classes, guided classes, workshops and retreats, supporting students in building a consistent and sustainable practice.
Over the years, Zornitsa has had the opportunity to study with outstanding international teachers and found her teacher in David Robson. She has deepened her knowledge through Mysore practice, workshops, and trainings with David Robson, Jelena Vesić, Adam Keen, Kino MacGregor, Christopher Conn, Michael Scarbort, Nick Evans, Manju Jois, and others. In 2019 she completed an intensive teacher training in Zagreb with David Robson and Jelena Vesić, and since 2022 she has been practicing under the guidance of Marque Garaux (Authorized Level 2), who is her current teacher.
A particularly meaningful part of her journey was her stay in Mysore, India, where she practiced with Vijay Kumar. During that time she completed intensive Backbending and Pranayama trainings with Vinay Kumar at Prana Vashya Yoga Shala, experiences that continue to shape both her personal practice and her teaching.
Her interests extend beyond yoga into women’s health, pregnancy and postpartum care, and holistic approaches to wellbeing. She continues to deepen her knowledge through specialized trainings, including Women and Bandha with Jelena Vesić, Ashtanga Yoga & Pregnancy with Harmony Slater, the Happy Bones program for osteoporosis prevention, Thai Facial Massage training with Kalin Nenkov, and Natural Gynecology with Mila Bankova. She also continues her studies in moxibustion, Su Jok therapy, and traditional holistic healing methods.
Zornitsa holds a Master’s degree in Preschool Education and has extensive experience working with children. She teaches children’s yoga and is the creator of Rote Karotte, a program combining German language learning with yoga, suggestopedia, music, and creative activities. She also completed the instructor training “I Play and Work with Children and Youth” at Future Now Community Centre in Gudevitsa, Bulgaria, focusing on contemporary pedagogy, non-formal education, and personal development, and has organized numerous educational and adventure programs for children.
Today, Zornitsa lives with her family in a small village near Sofia, where she balances daily practice, teaching, and life close to nature. Her home is also a sanctuary for rescued animals—five dogs and one cat. She believes that caring for nature, living with compassion, and maintaining a steady personal practice are all expressions of yoga beyond the mat.
Mihaela Kavdanska
Ashtanga yoga
Mihaela “Mika” Kavdanska has been practicing yoga for more than twenty years and teaching for over a decade. Throughout her journey she has taught group classes, private sessions, workshops, retreats, and original experiences that weave together yoga, meditation, and the arts.
She holds a 500-hour E-RYT Yoga Alliance International certification in Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Yin, Restorative Yoga, Pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Mantra Chanting, and Meditation. She also completed an intensive Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training with Acharya Vijay Kumar in Mysore, India, and continues to deepen her practice through regular study with international teachers in Mysore. Since 2008, she has maintained a dedicated Vipassana meditation practice in the tradition of S. N. Goenka.
Alongside yoga, Mika has an extensive career as a visual artist, creative director, researcher, lecturer, and cultural manager. Her interdisciplinary work explores the intersection of art, science, and contemplative practice, with projects presented internationally across Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Her teaching reflects this unique background, creating immersive experiences that combine movement, meditation, creativity, and self-inquiry, inviting students to cultivate presence, imagination, and embodied awareness.
Lyudmila Kirilova
Ashtanga yoga
Lucy has been practicing Ashtanga yoga for over 10 years. She started with Irina Bachvarova and during the first years she refused to accept the rules and discipline of Ashtanga, she practiced selectively and had a thousand questions about why she has to do things one way or another. She rebelled against the method, the rules, the teachers. However, she always returns to Ashtanga, keeps learning the method and communicates with many Ashtanga like-minded people.
She made the decision to devote herself to a regular practice of the method while going through a difficult moment in her life. During this period, there was no access to either a teacher or an Ashtanga Yoga Society to rely on for support. To this day, she considers it the best thing she ever did for herself.
“I started my regular practice from scratch, gradually adding asanas and building my practice, already having a solid foundation and deep theoretical knowledge from before. All the questions disappeared by themselves in the process of practice, realizing the wisdom behind the rules and all the directions that I did not understand before. My practice is the outward expression of my love and respect for myself. The physical benefits of the practice have always been a secondary product for me, but they have improved my quality of life many times over. “
Lucy has studied and practiced with Masha Nedeva, Sasha Smirkin, Chris Cohn, David Robson, Zornitsa Zaikova, Kiril Yordanov.