Ryan Gaylard, Zenko Yoga Director
Ryan was born and bred in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast where he grew up on his family farm that is still run and owned by his father to this day.
He came from a sporting family and spent a lot of his time growing up playing sport and moving. His love and passion for sport led him to Surf Life Saving amongst other sports, and he was fortunate enough to be a competitor in the Kellogg’s Nutri Grain National Surf League. Ryan also represented the Melbourne Rips in 1996 and the Queensland Marlins in 2001 and gained a scholarship with the Queensland Academy of Sport for Sprint Kayaking between 1996 - 2000.
Over the years Ryan continued to achieve State, National and World medals in Surf Lifesaving Surf Sports and Sprint Kayaking as well as working as a Professional Ocean Lifeguard across the Sunshine Coast. He completed his Marine Electronics Apprenticeship and started his own business locally until he joined the Australian Defence Force in 2009.
In 2010 he completed his special forces selection and reinforcement training and commenced service with the 2nd Commander Regiment, and later with the 1st Commando Regiment. He was deployed operationally in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 with the Tactical Assault Group - East, and in 2012 and 2016 on Domestic Counter Terrorism duties.
It was during Ryan's deployment in 2012 as part of a four man protection detail protecting Australia's highest ranking official in Kabul, Afghanistan that he tried yoga consistently for three to four months. Mentally and physically, that period of deployment and in particular this period of time incorporating yoga alongside it, allowed him to return home in the best physical and mental state of all of his deployments.
In 2018 when Ryan's military career took it's toll on him, he found yoga again at Lauren's Zenko Yoga Buddina Studio. He immersed himself in up to 12 yoga sessions some weeks and could not get enough.
The yoga classes began to ease the niggles and discomfort of years of physical strain and stress he had subjected his body to, and in time he began to notice the substantial benefits it was having on his mental health and the way he interacted with his loved ones day to day.
In 2019 Ryan became a Firefighter with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and during this time continued to practice yoga at Zenko whenever he was home.
Despite having met and practiced with Lauren over the years, it was in 2020 that Ryan and Lauren connected outside of the Zenko Yoga studios and fell in love. Lauren opened Ryan's mind over the years to endless opportunities on pursuing a better and more balanced life and continued to do so in their relationship.
In 2022 Ryan completed his 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Zenko Yoga - as curiosity got the better of him. It continued to open his eyes as to how much better our overall health should be and that a holistic approach to life is something that Ryan would like to inspire others to obtain for themselves.
In 2022, shortly after completing his yoga training, Ryan lost Lauren after giving birth to their beautiful daughter Lucinda, since this time he continues to show up for his three daughters Allira, Evie and Lucinda with love, hope and inspiration to continue the Legacy that their mother left in them and her Zenko Yoga Studios.
It is Ryan's mission to continue Lauren's yoga legacy through Zenko Yoga. Both in ensuring that her studios remain open and her three daughters remain connected to her community through them, but also in ensuring that the message and benefits of yoga are shared and spread throughout the world in any way possible.
He came from a sporting family and spent a lot of his time growing up playing sport and moving. His love and passion for sport led him to Surf Life Saving amongst other sports, and he was fortunate enough to be a competitor in the Kellogg’s Nutri Grain National Surf League. Ryan also represented the Melbourne Rips in 1996 and the Queensland Marlins in 2001 and gained a scholarship with the Queensland Academy of Sport for Sprint Kayaking between 1996 - 2000.
Over the years Ryan continued to achieve State, National and World medals in Surf Lifesaving Surf Sports and Sprint Kayaking as well as working as a Professional Ocean Lifeguard across the Sunshine Coast. He completed his Marine Electronics Apprenticeship and started his own business locally until he joined the Australian Defence Force in 2009.
In 2010 he completed his special forces selection and reinforcement training and commenced service with the 2nd Commander Regiment, and later with the 1st Commando Regiment. He was deployed operationally in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 with the Tactical Assault Group - East, and in 2012 and 2016 on Domestic Counter Terrorism duties.
It was during Ryan's deployment in 2012 as part of a four man protection detail protecting Australia's highest ranking official in Kabul, Afghanistan that he tried yoga consistently for three to four months. Mentally and physically, that period of deployment and in particular this period of time incorporating yoga alongside it, allowed him to return home in the best physical and mental state of all of his deployments.
In 2018 when Ryan's military career took it's toll on him, he found yoga again at Lauren's Zenko Yoga Buddina Studio. He immersed himself in up to 12 yoga sessions some weeks and could not get enough.
The yoga classes began to ease the niggles and discomfort of years of physical strain and stress he had subjected his body to, and in time he began to notice the substantial benefits it was having on his mental health and the way he interacted with his loved ones day to day.
In 2019 Ryan became a Firefighter with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and during this time continued to practice yoga at Zenko whenever he was home.
Despite having met and practiced with Lauren over the years, it was in 2020 that Ryan and Lauren connected outside of the Zenko Yoga studios and fell in love. Lauren opened Ryan's mind over the years to endless opportunities on pursuing a better and more balanced life and continued to do so in their relationship.
In 2022 Ryan completed his 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Zenko Yoga - as curiosity got the better of him. It continued to open his eyes as to how much better our overall health should be and that a holistic approach to life is something that Ryan would like to inspire others to obtain for themselves.
In 2022, shortly after completing his yoga training, Ryan lost Lauren after giving birth to their beautiful daughter Lucinda, since this time he continues to show up for his three daughters Allira, Evie and Lucinda with love, hope and inspiration to continue the Legacy that their mother left in them and her Zenko Yoga Studios.
It is Ryan's mission to continue Lauren's yoga legacy through Zenko Yoga. Both in ensuring that her studios remain open and her three daughters remain connected to her community through them, but also in ensuring that the message and benefits of yoga are shared and spread throughout the world in any way possible.
