The Journey of Yoga
Born and raised in Bristol, I had a fairly normal upbringing. Only child, raised by my mother, step father and grandparents. I lives like a normal person might, eating the food that was provided, partying with friends, exploring new things and possibilities, working in bars and clubs and living for the weekend. It wasn’t until around the age of 18 that I began to notice aches and pains in my body, mainly my back. I’m 6ft 6″ and all I was told is that this is normal for a tall person. When I began to feel this discomfort in my body, this lead me down the long path that eventually opened me up to the practice of Yoga.
Before Yoga I tried many different exercises, from football to cycling, strength training, weight lifting to body weight workouts. None of these forms of exercises resonated with me, especially the gym mentality that was present in my experience.
My first experience with Yoga
I began to attend a few classes in the Bristol area. I used MoveGB to begin with, as this business allowed me to attend several classes a month at very little cost. I tried so many classes, from Hatha to Vinyasa, Yin to Ashtanga, Yoga Flow, Yoga Nidra, Sound Baths, you name it, I tried it. At first it was nice to be guided, but I defiantly found my fair share of classes or teachers that didn’t resonate with me. That being said, this did start me off on the path of Yoga and lead me to where I am today.
The Shift
I had a friend at the time who was a Sivananda Yoga teacher and now a masseuse called Victoria Mohide. She suggested I try Sivananda, so I attended a few of her classes at Pure Yoga. The pace, structure and method present in the Sivananda classes hooked me immediately. For those unfamiliar with Sivananda Yoga, it is a form of yoga that focuses on increasing the strength of the spine and maintaining it’s flexibility. This was of course my first understanding of the form of Yoga and like many other types, it goes far beyond the physical practice. With my spinal aches and pains, this was the method for me. After three years of regular practice, Victoria suggested I visit the ashram (training school), in India and train to become a teacher. So I did and on the 30th of November 2019, I qualified as a Sivananda teacher of Yoga and thus began my next journey of offering yoga to the world.
Yoga and my life now
The personal practice of Yoga has always resonated with me from the first class I took, but teachings has been a flow of ups and downs. It isn’t as simple as obtaining a teaching qualification and walking into full time teaching, or at least it wasn’t for me. Long story short, I have been working on sharing the practice of Yoga with as many people as are interested since 2019. During this time my practice has evolved, my knowledge of Yoga and deepened and the experiences that I’ve shared with other people through the practice has been transformational in my life. In 2022 I completed an extra 200-hour training with YogaKutir, which further enhanced my understanding of alignment and mindset in Yoga. I now offer classes based around the Sivananda tradition of yoga, laced with the alignment knowledge from YogaKutir, fitness exercises from Fra’s training and Inner Engineering support from Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation.
Like all things, we continue to expand and grow. It is my deepest desire to show those around me that they have the tools and means to achieve unconditional happiness within themselves. At this moment, I offer this through Yoga classes, workshops, talks and writings. It is my wish that all human beings achieve optimal wellbeing and live peacefully without judgement.
