I attended my very first yoga class in 1994 with Clare McAlpine at The Yorkshire Dance Centre, in Leeds. I will never forget walking out of that first class and feeling as light as a feather. I discovered meditation in the late 1990’s, first through the Brahma Kumaris and then through various Buddhist centres in Yorkshire. In 2009 I completed my first 10-day silence retreat in Vipassana meditation, in Hereford, and have completed a number of these courses since then, with Vipassana being my main daily practice. Yoga and meditation have always been my constant strength and scaffolding to support me through life’s challenges, a place of inner stillness I can return to again and again.
Working in mental health for over 11 years; my fascination with human beings, the mind and wellness has covered many years. I am fascinated by the mind; it’s complexity and creativity, weaknesses and strengths. I am inspired by the physical body; it’s structure and movement, regulation and repair. I am in awe of this earth, the natural world and our relationship with it. I feel privileged to live at a time when the overlap between Yoga and modern science is ever growing. The wisdom of the ancient texts and my respect for them deepens year on year, as modern science catches up with what the ancient yogis knew intuitively. I love to weave these themes into my teaching, as well as mindfulness throughout.
I first considered teaching yoga as far back as 2005, and I started but did not complete my teacher training a number of times. However, I first took up teaching as a way of life in 2018, whilst on my Yoga Teacher Training Diploma with Yoga Campus. I love teaching and get as much back as I give out, and as time passes, I realise the more I learn, the more there is to learn. Yoga is vast, deep and an on-going, life-long journey. I currently teach hatha, vinyasa, chair yoga and mindfulness.
Through various yoga classes I began chanting simple mantras and whilst on my Yoga Foundation Course, I was opened up to the voice of Muz Murray. In 2005 I found my chanting teacher Howard Crosthwaite and in 2018 I found my meditation and chanting teacher Zeenat Cameron. Through group and individual chanting, I practice Vedic chanting, as well as chanting The Yoga Sutras, The Bhagavad Gita, and The Upanishads.
In 2021 I developed my love of sound and chanting; studying online courses in Sound Therapy, and learning shamanic drumming with Chris Krow Summers. In 2022 I completed a Certificate in Sound Healing with Craig Eddington of The Sound Therapy Company and now deliver Sound Relaxation sessions across Leeds. I feel very fortunate to have a job sharing what I love with others, through yoga, mindfulness, and Sound Therapy.