Yoga has been - and still is - our anchor throughout life.
About us
Art of Yoga was founded by Brankica and Drazen Matic, who started practising yoga in 2010. Both have several years of teaching experience. Yoga, ayurveda and healing have completely transformed and turned our lives upside down, and we are both deeply grateful to have found this ancient practice. Like so many others we too have been affected by illnesses and other traumas that have changed our life profoundly.
Our journey
Yoga has been a huge support through hardships, when everything almost seemed too hard and overwhelming. Yoga has been - and still is - our anchor throughout life. It keeps us grounded in a fast paced world. To us, yoga has never been about getting our legs behind the head, reaching our toes in a forward fold or doing drop backs. Yoga is so much more than a few poses on a rubber mat. It is a way of life, and the practice can move very deeply into your life. You may never be able to reach your toes or bind in Marichyasana D, however, it doesn’t matter. If you are happier, more peaceful and overall a better person, then yoga is working, and it doesn’t actually matter whether or not your heels reach the mat in Downward Facing Dog - at the end of the day that isn’t what yoga is about anyway.
The last several years we have lived the yogi life and followed the eight limbs of yoga. We don’t just practise yoga on our mats. We practise yoga when we go to the supermarket, have movie nights with our children, and when we work. In other words, we practise yoga in every aspect of our life.
After having practised yoga for a number of years, we both felt called to share this beautiful practice with others. We are passionate and love sharing this practice with others because we know firsthand how much of an impact yoga can have in your life. We look forward to sharing yoga with you too.
Our staff is always here to help
Brankica Matic
When I first started practicing yoga, I had one goal: to reach my toes. However, I quickly realized that yoga is about so much more than flexibility or physical goals—despite what we often see in yoga images on social media and in magazines. For me, yoga is about finding inner peace and liberation. It’s about uncovering my true values so I can live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
My journey began with a 200-hour teacher training focused on Ashtanga Vinyasa. Since then, I have had the privilege to deepen my practice through workshops and trainings with internationally renowned Ashtanga teachers such as Kino McGregor, Eddie Stern, and others.
After several years immersed in the disciplined, dynamic practice of Ashtanga, I found myself seeking a more slow and reflective aspect of yoga: Yin Yoga. When I began practicing and studying Yin, I felt a new sense of wholeness in my approach. I believe that embracing both yin and yang energies is essential to cultivating balance and harmony in both practice and life. This sense of completeness led me further into yogic study, and I eventually discovered a deep passion for traditional Tantra Yoga.
Following my exploration of Tantra, I was drawn to the transformative power of Kundalini Yoga, which has become a significant part of my journey. Currently, I am completing studies in Ayurvedic healing and Panchakarma therapies, expanding my understanding of holistic wellness to support both my practice and my teaching.
Brankica’s teaching
My teaching is considerate, challenging and mindful. Everyone is welcome at my classes, and the most important thing for me is creating a space where every student feels safe and welcome. Furthermore, I have a huge emphasis on the breath as well as synchronising breath and movement. I help you move in a flow with more ease and understanding of your physical practice while you also deepen your practice.
I love sharing everything I have learned throughout the years, and I often come around to my students during my classes. I hope that everything I share is a source of inspiration and something you can use in your daily life. Through creative flows I work with the energies of the body and balance the meridians and chakras. Moreover, I also incorporate healing meditations into my classes.
My yoga journey - both as a student and a teacher - has taught me how I best hold space for both myself and others, and what my true values are. My yoga practice has taught me how to set boundaries and how to love. It has taught me acceptance, finding inner peace and simply just being. I don’t believe your happiness depends on whether or not you can get your legs behind your head. I believe that your happiness depends more on how well you can practise yoga off the mat.
I look so much forward to sharing, teaching and growing with you - both on and off the mat.
Drazen Matic
My yoga journey started on Christmas Eve 2015, when my wife, Brankica, gave me a rather unusual present. She gave me a yoga teacher training in Brazil with David Lurey and Mirjam Wagner. It was an extraordinary experience that completely changed my life. Since that training I have been craving more and more knowledge and wanting to dive deeper into the world of yoga. I have since then attended workshops and trainings with David Swenson, Chuck Miller, John Scott, Richard Freeman and other internationally renowned yoga teachers. Their approach to yoga has highly influenced my teachings and who I am as a person today.
For many years my life was a bit of a roller coaster, and I denied myself the help I desperately needed. I chose not to listen to my intuition and convinced myself my inner voice wasn’t important.
I grew up in the old Yugoslavia, where I experienced the war as a child. Moreover, I have had cancer twice. Both of these experiences have affected me in a profound way, and I had so many mixed feelings and memories, that I pushed away instead of dealing with them.
The more I pushed my feelings and emotions away, the stronger they became. It wasn’t until I started practicing yoga I finally started working through my traumas. Specially after finishing 500h of Kundalini TT. When I started practicing yoga, everything sort of fell into place, and for the first time I experienced peace and clarity in my mind and strength in my body.
I have more than 4,000 hours of teaching experience. Furthermore, I have studied Ayurveda.
Drazen’s teaching
Drazen Matic is a highly respected E-RYT 500 certified yoga teacher and co-founder of the Art of Yoga Institute. With a focus on Kundalini and alignment-based practices, Drazen brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to each training session, inspiring students to connect deeply with their own transformative potential. His passion for Kundalini Yoga is rooted in a lifelong journey of spiritual discovery and dedication, which he seamlessly integrates into his teaching style.
Drazen’s approach to training is a powerful blend of dynamic Kundalini practices and precise alignment techniques, creating a holistic foundation that nurtures both the energetic and physical aspects of yoga. Known for his ability to teach complex concepts in a way that is both accessible and impactful, Drazen guides each student to not only understand the technicalities of alignment but also to unlock the profound inner shifts that Kundalini practices offer.
With more than a decade of teaching experience, Drazen has co-created the Art of Yoga Institute’s curriculum to support aspiring teachers in finding their authentic voice, building confidence, and embodying the transformative power of Kundalini. Students appreciate Drazen’s grounded and compassionate teaching style, which balances structure with intuitive guidance, allowing space for each participant to experience growth on a personal and professional level.
