Embracing growth

My favourite time of year is definitely summer - I love nothing more than baking in the warmth, being bare foot, light till 10am.

But I still have a massive love for Spring. It’s full of growth and every time I see another bud or shoot poking through the earth it makes me feel happy, hopeful, reminded that the cycle continues.

"Growth" is an important value and part of my life. What's the point if we aren't growing - which is why I love learning, and teaching. The opposite (in my mind anyway) is stagnation and I can't handle that!

I love growing seeds for my allotment in the Spring and my windowsills are full of seed trays. But I also have a mild obsession with propagating, and these tradescantia are my favourite. Propogating can be done any time of the year really, and it always amazes me how from one small plant, 10 can be created. Just like that...

Nature offers us so many lessons, which I’m reminded of as I look at these cuttings. We can always keep growing, and we can always share what we have without it needing to diminish what we are.

How I learned to be present (for a moment)

Whenever I talk about parenting I’m acutely aware that some people reading this may have mixed feelings towards the subject for so many reasons. So I try to share my experience with sensitivity to this, whilst being honest about my own journey and how it relates to my yoga practice, because for me the two are inextricably linked!

Each school holiday I’m reminded of so many lessons, but the one that’s stood out this Easter has been presence, something inherent to yoga. I have my daughter for most of the school holidays, and so work naturally goes out the window. But more and more, my mind stays focused on her rather than stressing about deadlines and the work I ‘should’ be doing.

I’m not sure if yoga has taught me this presence or if motherhood has. I don’t know if it would be the same if I had more than one child (probably not!!). But I do know that when I manage to just be here, fully immersed in what we are doing together, fully engaged, everything is easier!

Our state of mind can have such an impact on the people around us, and vice versa. As a single parent, I am acutely aware of this because there’s rarely anywhere to hide if I’m having a challenging day, no one to pass the baton to whilst I hide in a bath! And I don’t want my stresses or concerns to somehow spill over into my daughter’s world. Sometimes it’s inevitable, but the situation has made me so much more conscious of how I manage these stresses so that they don’t become bigger than they need to be.

I’ve worked hard to create a business that gives me a degree of security whilst also giving me all the freedom I need, so that I can step away in the school holidays without feeling too worried. But I’ve also worked hard on my mindset. It’s a work in progress, for sure, but this Easter I feel like I’ve nailed it (for now, anyway!).

I know so many of my students need the flexibility that I do, which is why I’m so committed to offering yoga teacher trainings courses that are adaptable.

My flexible self paced yoga teacher training is here whenever you’re ready. The hybrid version starts in June, which includes some live training, a start and end date and some accountability as you work through the content in your own time. And the in person training starts in Sussex this Winter, still with my usual supportive and understanding ethos.

And if you’re a qualified yoga teacher, my self paced 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training is launching this Summer, with self paced and hybrid online modules that you can take whenever you’re ready.

For me anyway, a key part of feeling calm is knowing I have options, some kind of structure and a lot of flexibility. If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you!

The difference between listening to your body and hearing it

I woke up this morning thinking about the difference between being able to listen to your body and being able to hear it - and there is a distinct difference. I'm wondering if it's something other people think about?!

One of my siblings and I's favourite movies growing up was White Men Can't Jump. In it, Wesley Snipes says to Woody Harleson, who was playing Jimi Hendrix in the car: "You can listen to Jimi, but you can't hear him" and I have never forgotten this - just because you're listening, it doesn't mean you're hearing. 

I'm currently writing content for my 300 hour yoga teacher training, exploring how as teachers (and students) we regularly say to people to listen to their bodies, do what feels comfortable, do what feels right etc. But a lot of people don't know what it is they're even listening for, and some aren't able to hear it. It makes this concept pretty devoid.

We can listen to something and notice it in the background, but that's not the same as actually feeling it, tuning in, understanding and experiencing. This isn't so easy to do, especially with our bodies. So many of us go about life in a state of semi-stress. We're distracted by technology, work, life and it takes us away from ourselves. Furthermore, when people have experienced trauma they sometimes dissociate from their bodies, making hearing it's signals even harder. And there can be a discomfort in re-connecting that must be approached with care too. 

We also exist in a culture that encourages us to push ourselves further and further, to keep striving, keep climbing up the mountain of capitalist life. There is truth in the idea that growth happens outside our comfort zone, but are we differentiating 'good stress' from pain or exhaustion? Often, no. 

So what can you do instead of flippantly saying 'listen to your body' or 'do what feels right for you'? (and I'm guilty of this too) What can you do as a yoga student?

As a teacher, explain what you are asking people to listen for - sounds simple! 

And as students, get curious about the sensations in your body. Try to take the emphasis away from whether or not you can make a certain shape and instead see if you can focus more on how that shape feels inside your body. If there's sharpness, tingling, shooting sensations etc, always stop. But even if there's simply a slight discomfort, pull back for a moment. Breath. Ask yourself why you even need to go further. Perhaps this will be enough for your body to release into the position you are trying to move into. Perhaps it won't. 

Being able to 'hear' our bodies takes time. It asks us to slow down, especially in our yoga practice. But when we commit to this, our bodies hold so much wisdom. There's a saying 'the body knows before the mind does', but so often we second guess our bodies, listen to our heads, analyse our way out of things, and then realise our bodies knew all along. 

So, perhaps this is my invitation to you - especially as we begin to wind down for the year. To slow down a bit, sit in your body, and really start to hear it. 

I'll be exploring this a little more in my last class of the year, next Wednesday 17th December. You're welcome to join me! >>>

p.s.. if, like me, you find this stuff fascinating, you can delve into it all more on my upcoming 300hr yoga teacher training, starting in March >>>

And if you're not yet a yoga teacher, maybe it's time? 200hr YTTs start in January in Sussex and online >>>

Hybrid YTT starts in January, and self paced starts whenever you feel ready!

Stepping into your authenticity

I’ve stopped writing blog posts over the last few years, but I’ve decided it’s time to start sharing more.

The last 4 years have been a time of transition, shedding, growth, reconnecting, in a way I never imagined. I think this has come about for a number of reasons, but I know I’m not alone in feeling this. It’s perhaps a rite of passage.

For many people, especially women, we hit our 40’s and start to wonder what happened. Our bodies begin to change, our hormones fluctuate, we realise we’ve spent years being what everyone else thought we should be, doing what we thought would make us happy, making everyone else happy. And then our bodies begin talking to us, or screaming, and we have to listen. We feel another transition is on its way, but it’s not just hormonal.

For me, as I think it does for many, this coincided with my marriage ending. Suddenly becoming a single mum, running a business, moving to a new town, dealing with a not so easy ‘co-parent’ have all put a lot of pressure on me. But it’s also made me re-evaluate what is actually important to me. It’s forced me to find ways to support myself so I can be strong and stable for my daughter, but in doing so it’s helped me to uncover so much of myself that I wasn’t even aware of.

And so here I am, 4 years later, feeling in many ways like a totally different person, and in other ways like the person I’ve always been.

We talk a lot in Yoga about connecting to your true self. In any school of philosophy this seems to be something that we strive for in order to find happiness. It’s cliched to say money doesn’t bring us this, but it’s true - what does is feeling like we are living in line with our Self. But we can’t do this if we don’t know what our ‘true self’ is.

Inadvertently, whilst seeking support to just keep me grounded, I seem to have found myself on this path, slowly but surely reconnecting. It’s (again slowly, but surely) bringing me a sense of peace and confidence that I haven’t had in maybe ever.

As a result, I’ve decided recently to tick off a bucket list, mainly of places I want to visit. Travel has always been a big part of what makes me happy, but I’ve pushed it to the side for many years. I’m grateful for the fact I have the best travel buddy in my daughter and it’s so easy for us to go on adventures together. A few weeks ago we hopped off to Northern Ireland to tick off the Giants Causeway, and I’m sure there will be more to come in 2026.

Why am I sharing this? Because I believe so many of us get lost a bit as we walk along the path of life. And then life shakes us up (or our hormones do) and we have to reroute. I’ve seen so many cheesy posts about this, but I think it’s true. That rerouting isn’t pivoting or making lemonade, as I have often thought. It’s just getting back on our path.

Part of me wants to throw in some sales line about how this might be your sign to follow the path of teaching yoga and sign up to one of my YTTs, but I also don’t want to do that! Maybe it’s teaching yoga, maybe it’s going deeper into yoga if you’re already teaching, with a 300hr YTT. Maybe it’s making a bucket list. Maybe it’s quiting your job. Maybe it’s getting the dog. I don’t know… that’s for you to decide. What I do know is that, when you begin to really follow what lights you up, life feels a whole lot easier. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m closer than I have been in a long time.

But… if you think teaching yoga might be your path, check out my upcoming courses in person>> and online >>

And if you want to go deeper into yoga, as a teacher, the 300hr YTT >> is definitely for you. It’s largely through exploring the different aspects of yoga, the philosophy, energy and breath work that I have found myself where I am now, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

Exhaling to reduce stress

Our breath is a pretty powerful tool to support our mental and physical wellbeing. It’s fundamental to our yoga practice, and it’s often said that without the breath there is no yoga; the asanas become just shapes. However, when thinking about the breath it’s the exhale that plays a major role in how we feel and it can be really helpful for us to focus on it!

When we inhale the intercostal muscles contract to expand the ribcage, the diaphragm contracts to move down, and the lung cavity increases. Air moves in due to the change in pressure. This is an ‘active’ part of the breath and it’s linked to the sympathetic nervous system and our stress response.

In contrast, when we exhale the intercostal muscles relax and the ribcage moves back in, the diaphragm relaxes and recoils, the lung cavity decreases and air is pushed out. This part of the breath is usually ‘passive’, the body is relaxing and it is linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. So, when we focus on this exhale we are tuning into the rest and digest response.

When we’re under stress our breathing rate increases and there is an emphasis on short sharp inhales. However when we’re calm our breathing rate decreases and we usually breathe more fully and deeply, with longer exhales. When we do breathing practices that focus on the exhale and lengthening it, we can essentially ‘trick’ our nervous system into thinking we’re calm. Our sympathetic nervous system begins to dial down and we start to relax. Research also shows that breathing out for a bit longer than we breathe in helps to tone the vagus nerve, which supports how we manage stress.

During times of stress, or even during exercise, shallow breathing can lead to more residual carbon dioxide in the lungs. A build up of this can make us feel agitated, and it’s why we often sigh; to release all the residual waste gasses and make space for more oxygen to enter the lungs. The oxygen is then transported to the cells in our body and brain, helping us to function better, feel calmer and think more clearly.

Focusing on the exhale is a great way to use the breath to support your body and mind. A simple way to start is to just notice the breath, and begin to see if you can breathe out for a bit longer. Begin to breathe, noticing the length of each inhale and exhale. You can count in your head if this feels ok for you, but some people find that counting actually stresses them out!

Once you’ve noticed your breath you can work towards using a 2:1 ratio, so you're breathing out for twice as long as you're breathing in, if this feels comfortable for you. A few other ways to extend your exhale include blowing through pursed lips or sighing the breath out. You could even have a go at interrupted inhale, where you breathe in a little then pause, then breathe in a bit more, and then breathe out fully (2 sips of breath in, 1 full breath out). This is a technique I use when running to prevent my heart rate spiking, although I’m not sure how well I’ve mastered it!

We cover all of this and more on my new Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, which focuses on using yoga and the breath, mindfulness and meditation to support the nervous system and help people to rest and restore. The course can be taken:

• Self paced, start any time OR

• This September with two weekend training days live on Zoom

You can find out more about this course by following the link below, or get in touch!