Edna Reinhardt – Founder & Yoga and Creative Dance

Edna Reinhardt is the founder of Over the Moon Studios in Castlemaine Victoria. Edna has been teaching yoga and creative dance to students from 2½ to 20 years old since 1975. 

From a background in contemporary dance and drama, Edna studied yoga and creative dance with the esteemed educator, Dorotea Mangiamele at Mangala Studios in Melbourne from the early 1970s through to the 1980s. Edna was attracted to the interconnectedness of music, dance and art. The concept of mindful movement in improvisation was an integral aspect of Mangiamele’s style. This association profoundly influenced Edna’s approach to yoga and dance education.

In the 1990s Edna taught music and movement at the Bendigo Regional Institute of Technology (TAFE) Diploma of Early Childhood Education  Introduced the concept of using yoga in early childhood education to this course. She is a presenter at conferences for early childhood educators, as well as teachers of primary and secondary students in Australia and overseas. Edna has worked as an artist in residence in most schools in the Mount Alexander region and beyond as a teacher and choreographer.

Edna is the author of the Yoga Education Resources Series. This yoga syllabus informs the yoga education at Over the Moon and is used in many schools and therapeutic settings.

What did Edna take away from her yoga and dance education? Each class should be like a work of art. The playlist should have a logical and aesthetic flow. The props should reflect the themes that are being explored in each class. The movement should be mindful and creative so that students have an artistically enriching experience. This method of teaching takes time and energy to prepare and is rewarding for students and teacher alike.

Edna is inspired by the philosophy that each class should be a work of art with the hope that students absorb a heightened awareness of a visual and musical aesthetic and the confidence to express their creativity through dance.