I have over 20 years of Yoga and Pilates experience. Since 2004 I have been teaching many weekly open classes, workshops and private students in a variety of West London locations. I have also recently started to teach on yoga holidays which has proved to be a fantastic extended opportunity to explore yoga with others both on and off the mat .
Over the years, I have studied as part of my ongoing training with many leading international and UK based Yoga teachers from Iyengar, Ashtanga, Dynamic, Structural Yoga Therapy and Restorative backgrounds.
I undertook the highly regarded Life Centre (now known as Yogacampus) teacher's training programme which gave me a broad canvas upon which to paint my interpretation of yoga. I don't think there is a name or particular style that describes my teaching and no two classes are ever quite the same, as I prefer to teach spontaneously rather than impose a set in stone class plan on my students. Sometimes we may look at the details of alignment and deconstruct some of the poses - perhaps with a particular anatomical or energetic focus. In other classes I may teach a more free form, flowing movement linking poses to the breath. Others are more restorative, gentle and meditative
By nature I dislike dogma and hope in my teaching that I can help people to realise that there is no right or wrong in yoga. As long as their practice is safe and enjoyable it should feel very free and liberating. Yoga should not be about perfecting a complicated pose - leave that for the gymnasts, although we do become amazed at what our bodies can actually do! Yoga is about remaining true to who you are about learning humility, patience and keeping the ego firmly to one side. I always place a strong emphasis on the importance of the breath and ultimately upon finding inner stillness and strength. Which after all is the essence of yoga in its simplest form.
My adaptable style means that my students are a total mix of ages and abilities and also include teenage groups, 'forever forties' and those requiring a more restorative and gentle practice. As the mother of five children and a one time long-term sufferer of chronic back pain I have been given plenty of personal experience of yoga off the mat, plus pregnancy, postpartum and restorative yoga. I believe this experience has helped me to nurture and encourage my students with patience, empathy and sensitivity. I spent many months some years ago assisting and covering for the wonderful Louise Grimes yoga gently classes at the Life Centre in Notting Hill and in doing so realised there that yoga is for everyone at every stage in our lives, no matter what our state of health.
I don't consider myself to be a fully-fledged yoga teacher, preferring to acknowledge that like my students I am also an apprentice of yoga and will never have learned everything there is to know. I am just happy to have the opportunity to share my yoga journey with others and get to know some lovely like minded people on the way.