About Me
This is my Journey…
I began attending yoga classes at the age of 12 and continued sporadically throughout early adulthood. I knew it was meant to be good for me and there was a lot of copying and trying to get it right.
It wasn’t until 2015 when I attended classes delivered by Kathy Peterson at Eve Studio, a womens’ yoga studio in Melbourne, that things started to evolve for me. Kathy started her sessions with different types of pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) and taught me how to transform my energy through the breath. She was the first person to show me brahmari (humming bee) breath, a cohesion between my mind and body that brought about a blissful calm. I also attended yin yoga classes there and relished in a more passive type of practice where I could better let go.
Just before the pandemic hit, I moved to Tasmania for a rest and a sea change. While the world was at a standstill, I took the opportunity to take a deep dive into my yoga practice as a way to weather the storm.
Fast forward to 2021…
This was the year I came across Yoga Renew, a New York-based yoga training organisation and completed my 200hrs. The course cemented my anatomy knowledge from a previous nursing career and provided a clear guideline on how to structure classes. Furthermore, I began to discover different forms of meditation and completed a 40-day mindfulness course with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Eager to continue my learning, I completed the Mechanics of Anatomy course with Santosha Yoga in the winter of 2024.
Since becoming a teacher, I have grown enormously, attracting a community of lovely students through teaching classes in the municipality of Kingborough, initially subsidised by Kingborough Council. I’ve also worked at various gyms and schools around Hobart and offered my first retreat in Feb 2024. I am committed to delivering inclusive yoga for all bodies, teaching in a way that fosters understanding, self-compassion, curiosity and playfulness. Most of all, I want everyone to feel there’s a place for them, exactly as they are.
Off the mat…
When I am not teaching, I can be found in the ocean most mornings with the Sea Hags, an open water swimming group I founded with fellow yoga teacher, Bianca Wooldridge. It is a privilege to start the morning each day with these amazing women, and the occasional merman.
I write poetry, enjoy gardening, cooking, reading, browsing art galleries, trawling through op shop treasures and expanding my spiritual life through meditation, study and service. My mission is to reduce both loneliness through building community resilience, as well as the feeling of separation between us and nature through education and experiential events.
I hope to see you on the mat sometime soon!
Love Helen x
