planet initiatives
Carla’s writing gig started age 5 when she ‘published’ her first book, Tubby the Koala. Perhaps it’s serendipity she ended up writing about eucalyptus oil for a living! Carla’s passionate love of reading led to an early career as a features writer for newspapers and magazines before combining her two great loves – health and writing – in a communications role at essential oils company, Bosisto’s. Now with over 20 years’ experience writing about aromatherapy she’s keen to share all the ways we can use essential oils to boost wellbeing and improve our lives.
Melanie Mackintosh is a heath-enthusiast, long-time yoga and meditation teacher and Hypnobirthing Australia practitioner. She is co-owner of Australian Yoga Academy (www.australianyogaacademy.com) in Melbourne, Australia, where, with her business partner, Adele Conti, she has been teaching yoga since 2006. Melanie is an industry leader in providing tertiary-level, yoga teacher training programs for those wanting to become teachers and professional development courses for already qualified teachers. Melanie specialises in prenatal and postnatal yoga and is passionate about assisting mums and their birth partners with evidence-based practices to help prepare them for a positive birth experience. Melanie aims to share the love and benefits of yoga and meditation with everyone she meets!
Karina Smith is a Melbourne based Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Yin Yoga Teacher, Teacher Trainer & Educator. With a passion for women's health, through Yin and Chinese Medicine Karina aims to improve the health of her students, patients and clients.After years of dancing and its emphasis on performance, yoga was an unexpected beacon of self-care and restoration for Karina, where her relationship to movement shifted to something that was there to nourish her mind and body.
A year after commencing practice at the Australian Yoga Academy (AYA), Karina knew she wanted to do the yoga teacher training on offer there - and from thereon it has been a deep-dive into the rich offerings of this ancient practice.
Karina has now studied and taught yoga extensively - including two 350hr Teacher Trainings (AYA and Shantarasa Institute, India), studies under the renowned Bernie Clark and Paul Grilley, over a decade of teaching at numerous studios in her home town of Melbourne, and lecturing for The Australian Yoga Academy.
In 2018, Karina launched her own 50 Hour Yin & Functional Anatomy Teacher Training and continues to run this course. Karina’s love of Yin Yoga revealed a deeper fascination for human anatomy and led her to pursue Chinese Medicine. After graduating in 2019, she now runs her own clinic offering acupuncture, herbal therapies, moxibustion and cupping treatments.