I’m a UK-born, New Zealand-raised yoga teacher working to bring the power of yoga to our beautiful community here in Hamilton.
I’m a solo mum to a beautiful whirlwind named Isabella, and I’ve been teaching yoga, meditation and breathwork for eight years.
I found Yoga when I hit rock bottom. It was a slippery slope to this point; at just 16 years old, I found myself mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally unwell. I had anxiety and depression, gut issues, zero self-esteem, random body pain, heart palpitations and sleep issues. After endless therapy and medication, rolling my eyes at the idea, I reluctantly gave Yoga a go. Nineteen years later, and I haven’t looked back. It started with using simple breathing techniques to help calm my anxious mind and body so I could relax enough to fall asleep.
Yoga works. It’s the one modality that uses multiple different approaches to recalibrate the delicate balance of our systems which ultimately determine our wellbeing. When one thing is out of balance, it throws the rest out. Every cell in your body is working hard 24/7 to keep you in homeostasis (harmony and equilibrium), Yoga supports your cells to do this better and often, you will come to Yoga with XYZ problem, and leave with ABCDEFG feeling better as well.
Yoga enabled me to spend time with myself, just me, my body, my thoughts, my breath, it was confronting, awkward and extremely challenging to begin with. But I learned simple and easy tools and tricks to begin connecting with the parts of myself that needing healing. More and more research that supports the benefits of Yoga is being published, MRI brain scans, immune system markers and other scientific measures are now being used to demonstrate how movement, breath, mindfulness, self-compassion and meditation can reduce pain, inflammation, relive symptoms of chronic health conditions and rewire our minds for more positive mental heath.
I no longer have any pain in my body, I barely get sick, and when I do come down with something on injured, I recover very quickly. I am resilient. I haven’ had a panic attack in years. I know my body, I am aware of my emotions, thoughts, beliefs and behaviours and I harness all this to inform my life decisions, relationships and goals.
My practice has evolved over years of developing my knowledge and refining my understanding of the human body, mind, emotions and behaviour in the context of health, happiness and how we can all come to enjoy our experience on earth to it’s maximum potential – and I’ve learnt by experiencing it all, from the inside. I have embodied the greatest highs and the lowest lows and the journey does not have a final destination. It’s about making use of the cards you have been dealt and knowing that at any moment, you can choose differently, you can choose to start again, to start showing up for yourself and pouring into your own cup so that the overflow may spill naturally into the cups of others. The time is now – my second promise to you is that will not regret it.
Em x
My philosophy is that teaching yoga is both a privilege and a responsibility. When you come to my yoga classes, you’re entrusting me with the next 30 to 75 minutes of this precious life of yours. What we do in that time can be hugely beneficial for your life – not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Yoga works. It allowed me to heal my physical and mental unease and taught me to accept myself the way I am. The benefits of yoga have been proven by science, and MRI scans have shown that yoga changes the structure of our brains over time.
RYT100 – Bright Yoga International: Bali
RYT300 – Inspire Yoga Teacher Training: Auckland
-Biomechanics
-Ancient Philosophy, Mantra and Meditation
-Meaningful Sequencing
-Psychosomatics and Teacher Student Relationship
-Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
-Certificate in Positive Psychology
-Certificate in Trauma informed Yoga
-Diploma in Nutrition
Functional yoga classes are designed with specific purpose and true intention. In other words, they are crafted in a meaningful way as opposed to being taught a bunch of poses because they look cool. Functional yoga offers tools, education and insights that support the balance and regulation of your physical, mental and emotional health.
Just your wonderful self and a water bottle! Make sure you wear comfortable clothes that you can move freely in.
If you have a yoga mat, I recommend bringing it as it’s always nicer to use your own! If you are new and just dabbling in your first few classes – I always bring spare mats for borrowing.
Absolutely not – this is one of the biggest myths of yoga! Flexibility is not a requirement and although it is a natural biproduct of practicing regularly, it’s not the main focus! Yoga poses are all adaptable to work for you.
Yoga Philosophy is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism BUT you do not have to follow these religions to practice yoga or to benefit from it. If you have different or no religious beliefs – no worries!
Honestly? Yoga is for everybody. If you have a body – you can do yoga. Every single human being can benefit from what yoga has to offer, most of the time you find yoga when you are seeking certain changes or remedies in your body, mind and life – more of than not, you will take away far more than you ever bargained for.
Is learning something new ever easy? Is climbing a mountain easy? Are the views at the top spectacular? It can be as easy or as difficult as you decide – you are in charge of your body.
Short answer – who cares. It’s not a competition, it’s not a performance and it’s really not about what anyone else is doing. You are not learning choreography that must be expressed in a certain way to a certain timing. When you come to your mat, you pop into your little personal yoga bubble and just do you. You are learning to listen to your body, to move with the flow of your breath, to challenge yourself when it feels safe to do so, and to pull back and slow down when you reach your limit.
My best advice would be to drop expectations of the class, of yourself and come with a completely open mind. Every yoga class, style and teacher is different! Rarely will you have the same experience twice.
Absolutely yes! The way I have structured my online classes means I demonstrate the whole class for you, breathing and moving with you and providing detailed instruction so you feel confident and safe practicing from home.
The sound of ‘Om’ or ‘Aum’ is said to be the sound of the universe, of the earth, of God or source, whatever sits right with you. For me, I close each class with 3 sounds of AUM to seal the practice in unity and resonance. The vibrational quality of chanting has enormous health benefits relating to the vagus nerve which plays a large part in the regulation of our nervous system.
