My journey
I am a dedicated Yin yoga teacher, bodyworker and acupuncturist.
Yoga has been a part of my life since my late teens. I clearly remember really struggling with the early classes, I don’t have a dancing background, and at the time I felt stiff and easily seduced by my busy mind. Over time, yoga became an embodied practice. As my own awareness poured through me, I became more aware of how may body has been shaped by my thoughts and experiences. Over time, I fell into deeper dialogue with breath and my body which allowed me really get to know myself in a deeper, somatic way.
I remember one of the first books I read was “Awakening the spine” by Vanda Scaravelli, This was such an important part of my early understanding of the practice and I still revisit this book regularly. A quote which inspired my practice is “Do not kill the instinct of the body for the glory of the pose” This was a humble reminder to honour and respect my unique shape and approach myself with kindness, compassion and curiosity. Rather than pushing and forcing entry, when we approach the body with a tenderness, the body starts to pour open of its own accord.
As my curiosity about the body evolved, I went on to complete my teacher training in various styles of yoga including Vinyasa and Yin yoga,
Much of my practice and teaching is inspired by the teachings of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is rooted in Chinese thinking that the world around us flows within us and when we combine these ideas with movement, we begin to animate these forces of nature which are flowing through us. Recognising that the seasons themselves are alive within, these elements of nature and their qualities are buried in the depths of our body and with attention and awareness, we can get to know these parts of ourself. My passion for the body and Chinese medicine led me to complete various massage trainings and eventually completing a 3 year degree in acupuncture.
Remembrance is at the heart of all of these practices. Whether it’s acupuncture, yoga, massage or meditation, we create space to reconnect with an organic sense of self. A moment to be reminded of who you are beneath the busyness of life and the intellect of the mind. And in doing so we remember what actually matters and cultivate a warm sense of gratitude towards the unfathomable intelligence of your body, which is constantly working to take care of you.
Some words from John O’ Donohue..
“ It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a world at your fingertips outside you. It is an immense privilege, and it is incredible that humans manage to forget the miracle of being here. Rilke said, ‘Being here is so much,’ and it is uncanny how social reality can deaden and numb us so that the mystical wonder of our lives go totally unnoticed. We are here. We are wildly and dangerously free.”