Favourite pose

At the moment, legs up the wall is my go-to pose to release tension in my legs and lower back after a long day. It helps me to unwind and is gentle on my back and hips. Having the support of the wall (or couch or bed) is restorative and makes it easy for me to unwind. Plus having my feet up just feels sooo damn good!

(Pigeon is one of my all-time favourite poses. Through practising it, I’ve learnt so much about working within my limits, breathing through discomfort (not pain) and emotions that arise, letting go both physically and mentally, and recognising that nothing is permanent. Over time I went from really disliking pigeon pose to absolutely loving it.)

Why did you start doing yoga?

There was a time when all the stresses and pressures of life became too much and I started to become ill – physically, mentally and emotionally. I turned to yoga to help calm my mind, centre myself and escape the stresses of a hectic lifestyle. Maintaining a regular yoga practice helped me to bring balance back into my life and feel human again!

Why did you become a yoga teacher?

Like many, I began yoga teacher training with the intention of deepening my understanding of yoga and furthering my own practice. I then realised that I wanted to take a more proactive role in spreading the yoga love in the hopes that others would benefit as I had. Through teaching, I hope to help make yoga accessible to people of all ages, body shapes and fitness levels by sharing ways to adapt the poses to suit their abilities.

How do you describe your teaching style?

My style is flowing and calming. I aim to help others find joy in yoga and explore how they can bring stillness and balance into their lives. Hopefully this shines through in my teaching!

How has yoga taught you?

One of the biggest things yoga has taught me is how to breathe better and manage my stress levels by using asana and pranayama to find focus, remain in the present moment and calm the mind.

What do you want your students to know?

It’s okay to adapt the pose to suit your body. Your version of the pose may not look like the person next to you, it may not look like the traditional expression of the pose done by the ancient yogis, it may even look different today to how you did it last week, and that’s perfectly fine. Explore the poses, try the suggestions and variations that teachers offer, listen to your body and do what feels best for you.