I began yoga with my mum at 17, in 1997. It has been a way of grounding, healing and developing a richer interiority ever since. I started teaching as an Anusara Yoga Teacher under the close mentorship of Bridget Woods-Kramer in 2005. I first went to India with my family at 16 and I have returned many times to travel and study. I lived in an ashram for the winter of 2007 in Haridwar to study chanting and philosophy. In 2008, I began a daily Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. I studied, teacher trained with and for a time assisted John Scott as an Ashtanga Teacher. In 2016 I sought out a female teacher and studied a 3 year Mysore apprenticeship with Sarah Durney Hatcher and between 2016 and 2021 I took a deep dive into the advanced series of Ashtanga and finished fourth series with her. Whilst I have sought to move away from the strict power dynamics in lineage-based yoga systems – these teachers shared their rich insights with me kindly and generously, and for that I am grateful. In 2021 I began a four year in-depth study course on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy and in 2022 I began a three year Vedic chanting teacher training with Sheela Shankar (a student of Desikachar). Whilst my daily practice is still predominantly Ashtanga, I find regular chanting, pranayama, restorative and meditation practices (and a lot of chocolate) help to balance the dynamism of my Ashtanga practice.
My extensive trainings in Anusara and Ashtanga inform my teaching; though the history of both have been marred by the behaviour of their founders, many of the practices have offered me great solace throughout my adult life and it is this healing potential I attempt to share. I teach Ashtanga Vinyasa in the assisted self practice (Mysore) method without dogma. I believe in adapting the practice to each person’s individual constitution and life in order to make it accessible and maintainable. I have a student centred, compassionate approach that offers students choice and voice regarding their evolving practice. I also still enjoy teaching vinyasa and restorative classes. These are themed and sequenced around specific biomechanical alignment principles to help students to practice intelligently and pain free. Philosophy, pranayama and meditation are woven into the fabric of every class. I am a Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals.
