ABOUT ME
From my very first class in a small studio in London’s Soho some 35 years ago, I was captivated by yoga. I didn’t know why the sequences of poses (asana) and breathwork (pranayama) created such a profound sense of wellbeing, calm, balance, spaciousness and, sometimes, even joy in me – they just did. Those early classes set me on a path of exploration; though in truth my enthusiasm and commitment waxed and waned over the years as I navigated my way through different styles of yoga (including dynamic, demanding Ashtanga, precise and detailed Iyengar, Yin, Vinyasa and more) as well as yoga teachers*.
In midlife I’ve returned to Hatha yoga, with slow flowing moves and restorative poses in the mix. I find myself making ever more time for meditation. Yoga gives me strength, resilience and flexibility, both physically and mentally, as well as so many other gifts. It has supported me through life’s inevitable ups and downs and during a long, often stressful career in journalism working on brands such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Red.
No longer in the publishing world, these days you’ll find me teaching yoga and meditation both online and in-person in Wiltshire.
MY CLASSES
WHAT TO EXPECT
I draw on different styles of yoga for my classes but in general you can expect a focus on safe physical alignment in both static asana (poses) and flowing movements, with a balance of energetic and restful, relaxing elements in the sequences. Modifications are offered to suit all bodies.
Don’t worry if you can’t get your foot behind your head as that’s not a pose I teach. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m probably not the teacher for you!
And if you’re concerned about not being flexible enough to do yoga, that’s a good reason to try it as yoga helps you to become more flexible in time. It can help you build strength, improve coordination and balance and reduce stress levels too.
My classes also feature breathwork and meditation moments to help cultivate a deeper sense of connection to the self, as well as snippets of yoga’s history and philosophy teachings, to honour yoga’s roots.
I am an accredited Menopause Yoga teacher. A style of yoga created by Petra Coveney, Menopause Yoga classes are different to other yoga classes in that they offer women an opportunity to understand the changes occurring at this life stage and to share experiences. This is in combination with a practice of carefully-curated poses, movement and breathing techniques drawn from a variety of traditions and styles with the aim of easing the transition through perimenopause to post and beyond. I draw on what I have learned from Petra for my weekly Women’s Wellness classes at Salisbury Yoga Studio.
*Those I have loved and learned much from include my first teacher, Julie Friedeberger, Alan Grier, Vicky Fox, Zephyr Wildman, Richard Rosen, Leslie Kaminoff, the wonderful Anna Ashby and Tony Watson who I did my 350-hour teacher training with at Triyoga in 2019-2021 (with an honourable mention here to my yoga philosophy teacher Daniel Simpson) and Petra Coveney, the creator of Menopause Yoga™.