Imagine, for a moment, a little village hall in North Wales, with 10 women above the age of 40 gracefully practising yoga and two teenage girls in the corner taking part but laughing their way through class. Well those teenagers were my sister and I. Fast forward 18 years and we are now both yoga teachers.
Early days
Following my first yoga encounter in the village hall I started taking yoga classes at school. Then when my sister, Laura, became a teacher a few years later, I was her first and most loyal student. Growing up I was very athletic and loved all types of movement and dance, so it was no surprise that my initial connection with yoga was a physical one, that was making me stronger, fitter and more supple.
At school, not only did I shine in sports but I also flourished creatively, loving the subjects of drama and art. Upon finishing school and two gap years later, I moved to London to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from drama school, my yoga practice gradually came back to life, having dwindled during my studies.
A few years on, I travelled to Sri Lanka to visit Laura’s yoga retreat and to heal a broken heart. For a month, I practised yoga twice daily and found my mental, emotional and energetic state improving. My yoga practice had started to shift from a purely physical one to something much more deep and profound.
Later Days
I returned to the UK and kept up my daily practice, even though my carpeted living room on a cold January morning was hardly an enticing setting to roll out my mat. By this point I had only been practising Ashtanga Yoga, but I soon discovered and started practising other styles such as Kundalini, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Dharma, Forrest and Rocket Yoga. I was now incorporating Meditation, Chanting, Kriyas and Pranayama exercises into my practise and my love for Yoga was increasing by the day.
I found myself wanting to develop my meditation practise as well, so I dived into a Vipasanna Retreat (10 days of silent meditation), following which, I kept up a routine of 1 hour meditation morning and evening. About a year later I studied Transcendental Meditation (also known as TM, a 20 minute practise morning and evening) and personally found that to be a more sustainable practise so continued with that.
Nowadays
Currently my daily Yoga and Meditation practice draws upon many styles that I have explored over the last 18 years. Depending on how I am feeling from day to day, and the needs of my mind, body and soul, my practice adjusts accordingly. As we are continuously evolving beings our physical and spiritual practices must evolve as well.
Talking about evolution, my yoga journey led me down the path of teaching. My training includes a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification in Vinyasa Flow, 300 hours Rasa Yoga (2020 training) and many, many years of experience practising Yoga as a student. Teaching brings me great joy and purpose as I see the wisdom of yoga inspiring and helping others improve their health and wellbeing.
Fun Facts
I’m more than just a yogini so here you will get to know me a little more personally.
- I grew up… on a farm in Wales with my parents and 3 siblings.
- I have been… vegan since 2014, and love preparing, cooking and eating healthy, tasty plant-based foods.
- I love… dancing, gymnastics & being upside down,
- I am learning… to surf, skateboard and climb.
- I appear to be… an extrovert but love quiet nights in, spending quality time with loved ones.
- I am terrible at… maths.
- I can’t get enough of… the sun, the ocean, waterfalls, forests and generally being in nature.
- I am interested in… nutrition and healing the body through our diets and lifestyles.
- I care a lot about… fair trade, the lives of all animals and the environment, so try to live as ethically and sustainably as possible.
- I am good at… thinking and expressing myself creatively, and procrastinating.
- I once… spent 3 months in Africa volunteering in a charity school when I was 19.
- I live life with… an open mind, positive soul and a grateful heart.