About Me

Yoga and fitness have played such an important role in my life. It has helped me to become fit, healthy, and so much happier. Everyone can feel better by incorporating just a little regular exercise in their life. I love sharing what I have learnt to help other people feel healthier and happier too. It really doesn't matter where you are starting from, I will meet you there. Just do what you can, as well as you can, and you will soon notice the changes and feel so much better for it.

My Background

I have been teaching fitness for the past 22 years. I began by teaching aerobic classes and then progressed to other types of exercise. Once all my children were in school, I began working as a Lifestyle Advisor with the Health Improvement Team, then a part of the NHS and later Halton Borough Council. For 11 years, I delivered education and exercise on specialist exercise programmes including Cardiac, Pulmonary and Cancer Rehabilitation, Falls Prevention, and Weight Management. I learnt a lot about different medical conditions and how to make exercises safe, effective, and accessible for all.

Discovering Yoga

I began practising yoga in 2008. It came just at the right time for me as I was under a fair amount of stress.  I was trying too hard to do too much, working full-time, looking after three young children, and pushing myself too hard to maintain a high level of personal fitness.

Carving out some space for myself each week to attend a yoga class was life changing. I was very fortunate to have two of the kindest, gentlest teachers in Trish and Barbara. Their example, kindness, wisdom, and patience helped me to see the benefits of slowing down, the importance of rest, and not to be so hard on myself. It has taken me many more years to put this fully into practice, in fact, I am probably still a work in progress, but hopefully better than I was! I really began to look forward to my twice weekly yoga sessions, the joy of being gently guided through some simple postures and breathing exercises, and time for relaxation at the end of the class. I came away from the classes feeling very calm and "put back together". I was soon hooked!

Over time I noticed significant changes taking place in myself. I felt calmer and more relaxed more often, not just for an hour or so, immediately after the class, but at other times of the day too. My awareness of self and others began to increase and unsurprisingly my relationships with other people improved. My confidence and self-esteem grew. In a nutshell, I felt happier and more like me.

Becoming a Yoga Teacher

I wanted to share the benefits of yoga with others. Two years later, I began a teacher training course with the Dru Yoga Foundation. Besides teaching me how to teach yoga, the 2-year training course, alongside my own daily yoga practice helped deepen my understanding of yoga and continue my own journey of self-development. I qualified as a yoga teacher in 2012. 

A few months later in 2013, I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Continuing a yoga practice at home helped my recovery enormously; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It also inspired me to set up a Yoga 4 Cancer class some years later. 

Not yet confident to teach my own yoga classes, I was very fortunate to find Teresa, a wonderful Dru Yoga Teacher in Chester. I attended her classes for a several years and was able to continue my practice, build on the training that I had received, and build confidence in my ability to teach my own classes.

Once recovered from cancer treatment and back at work, I set up my first yoga class in 2014, and other classes soon followed. 

Taking the Plunge

It soon became clear that teaching my own classes, particularly yoga, was what I really wanted to do, and so I finally took the plunge and left my job at the Council.

The timing wasn't perfect! Just a few months later in March 2020, we went into the first Lockdown. Fitness classes, along with almost everything else, came to a standstill. I kept myself busy during this time helping my neighbours to keep fit with daily street-dancing sessions. I rediscovered my love of exercise to music. I had forgotten how much fun teaching aerobic-style exercise can be. I came up with a revised format; simple movements that people of all ages could follow and fun, uplifting tunes that appealed to all generations. I also taught some online classes. Looking back now, I can see how these activities, undertaken simply to make myself useful and help us all through a difficult time, shaped my business and led me to where I am today. 

The Journey Continues

Several years later, I feel exceptionally lucky to be doing what I do now for a living. I love my work. I love having the time and energy needed to prepare and deliver high quality classes that are varied and hopefully engaging and inspiring. I love the challenges this brings and the way it pushes me to keep on learning, not just about yoga and fitness, but also about running a business and more importantly about people.

Tools for Healing

I love working face to face with people. I enjoy being able to help people overcome some of the health issues that commonly occur. Yoga seems to be the basis for so many exercises prescribed by physios to treat neck, back, shoulder, knee, ankle, and wrist pain.  Specific exercises can be practiced to address specific problems.  Practicing a range of these movements on a regular basis by attending a regular yoga class can prevent many of these problems from arising in the first place. The benefits of yoga and exercise in general are not confined to the physical body. They also extend to stress, anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep, and digestive disturbances to name but a few.

People at the Heart

Daily interactions with people make my work not seem like work at all!  I am inspired by so many of the people that I have got to know through my classes and the new people I meet every day. I love the fun and camaraderie we have in the classes and the connection that this gives me to my local community. I know that I am very lucky to have the freedom to do a job I love so much, it has not always been that way. In return, I happily offer my time, energy, skills, and whatever know-how I possess to try to make life better for others too.