R. Alexander Medin - The Director of It All

R. Alexander Medin has been teaching yoga around the world for over 20 years. In 2002 he was certified by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India, a distinction only 35 people in the world have achieved.  

Alexander has a master's degree in Sanskrit and Indian religions and has translated the Yoga Sutras and Baghavadgita into Norwegian. He is a prolific writer and many of his articles on yoga have been published in leading journals around the world.

In addition to being the founder and co-owner of Puroyoga in Oslo, Alexander is the founder of the foundation Back in The Ring. Alexander has worked with several projects that help people who have fallen outside in life and give them the opportunity to build themselves up through a good yoga practice, increased sense of responsibility and socially beneficial work.

“At Nøsen, our motto is to offer great experiences that money can't buy. It's about getting close to life itself, not being disturbed by fleeting thoughts and feelings, but finding a grounding in something that refines and elevates us as people. That is meaningful. That's what I call yoga.”

Ida Molund Vasstrand - General Manager

Ida took over as General Manager at Nøsen in July 2026. She is a writer, high-school teacher, yoga teacher, and massage therapist. Her yoga practice has made a focus on breath and awareness an integrated part of her everyday life.

«I’m inspired by the opportunity to work in a place that facilitates transformation and genuine meetings.»

Ida has a Master´s Degree in Religious Studies from the University of Bergen with focus on yoga history and philosophy, she completed her first 200-hour Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training in 2016, and a 200-hour training in Holistic Yoga in 2024.

She practices vippasana meditation and is passionate about how yoga can be brought off the mat and into everyday life, and how learning to land in the breath in challenging postures can teach us to do the same in daily life.
“I'm curious about how we can work together to both preserve and develop Nøsen, and I look forward to what lies ahead.”

May-Rita Sætervoll, Assistant General Manager

May-Rita is originally from Tromsø and came to Nøsen as a volunteer at Easter 2018. She is one of the veterans from Back in the Ring. At Nøsen, she started her career as a baker and is responsible for the sourdough bread everyone wants the recipe for. Today, May-Rita is a mom to the whole Nøsen gang and a mentor to the BITR members who come here.

“I've been here for seven years and my plan is to stay here for as long as I like. As it is now, I can't imagine a better life.”

Anette Sæther Prøis - Front Desk Manager

Anette has many years of experience in the service and hotel industry, and has always had a strong commitment to people and good meetings. At the same time, yoga and holistic well-being have been an important part of her life for many years.

At Nøsen, she gets to combine these two sides in a way that feels meaningful. She greatly appreciates being part of an international community where people with different backgrounds and from different parts of the world meet, and where people are at the center.

“There is something very special about working somewhere where what I have worked with for many years can be combined with what I am passionate about. I want to contribute to creating a place where people can meet, land a little, and maybe take something with them further into the world.”

Lane Brooks - Head Chef

Lane has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years, from luxury hospitality and high-end catering in New York City to cooking at the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, and now here at Nøsen.

"What motivates me in the kitchen is the belief that food can be much more than something we eat. It can nourish the body, support the practice of yoga, create connection, and bring joy to someone’s day."

Lane loves taking simple, seasonal, wholesome ingredients and turning them into food that is flavorful, deeply satisfying and thoughtfully prepared.

His cooking is strongly influenced by Ayurveda and Sattvic principles, but also inspired by the places he has traveled to, the food he loves to eat, the many people and cultures he has encountered along the way where he has lived and cooked — New York, Italy, California, the Caribbean, India, Mexico, Asia.

For Lane, cooking at Nøsen is ultimately about hospitality: putting care and intention into every meal and creating food that helps people feel nourished, welcomed, and at home.

Henrik Garjá Langbakk - Jack of all Trades 

Henrik is a landscaper, handyman, father, and sourdough baker. He is someone who makes things work, whether it’s out in the landscape, in the kitchen, or working on the building.

Over the past few years, Henrik has embarked on his own yoga journey, which he experiences as a way of building strength, both mentally and physically. For him, yoga is a way of coming closer to himself, creating space for stillness, presence, and growth.

Henrik feels a strong calling to help others and is exploring his own spiritual path. He is currently in the early stages of training in craniosacral therapy and is driven by a simple yet deeply rooted desire: to be a good human being.

To Nøsen, Henrik brings a calm presence, joy for practical work, capable hands, freshly baked sourdough bread, and a genuine desire to meet people where they are.

Athanasios Koukounavis - Chef Thanos 

Thanos has a deep passion for food and cooking, and sees the kitchen as a space for presence, creativity and service. Through years of cooking in ashrams and retreat centers, he has developed a profound connection with vegetarian Sattvic cuisine, approaching food not simply as nourishment, but as a mindful and spiritual practice.

His journey began with academic studies in Physics at the University of Athens in Greece. It was not long, however, before he realized that his true path lies elsewhere — in the exploration of spirituality, self-awareness, and conscious living. His search led him through different spiritual traditions and eventually to life in Yoga Ashrams, where he spent a decade immersing in study, practice, and community living. He was trained extensively in the Satyananda Yoga tradition and qualified as a Yoga teacher.

An essential part of his ashram life was Karma Yoga — the practice of selfless action — and it was in the kitchen that this practice became one of his deepest forms of expression.

Today, Thanos brings together yoga, Sattvic cooking, mindful living and service, and a good sense of sarcastic humor into the Nøsen kitchen.