yoga has always been a part of my life

about me

I am a yoga and qigong teacher, writer, creative leader and innovator. Yoga has always been a part of my life; one of my earliest memories is of watching my grandmother lighting ghee-soaked wicks to greet the rising sun, a ritual that I continue to this day, even though I now salute the sun as it rises over the sea in Dorset. My yoga & qigong classes reflect my experience and I am inspired by nature, culture, philosophy, myth and the world around us. I combine dynamic breath-led yoga, qigong and meditation with restorative calm; in sequences that help my students to discover their own creative expression and awaken their spirit.

I teach adults but also specialise in teaching teenagers, tweens and children. I work collaboratively with a range of partners to deliver yoga and qigong to a wide section of the community. In partnership with Vibrant Communities, I deliver chair based qigong, yoga and meditation in care homes. I partner with organisations such as Parks in Mind and the Aspire Programme (BCP Council) to offer Qigong in parks and outdoor spaces with a mental health and wellbeing focus. I train children’s yoga teachers for Yoga on the Lane. I also teach on demand classes for the UK’s leading online yoga website Movement for Modern Life (MFML) and I teach my own live streamed yoga, qigong and journaling classes.

In order to work with community groups, I draw on my experience of having run a charity to write grant applications and to offer subsidised and accessible qigong and yoga programmes. I have taught yoga and qigong as a part of Write Moves supported by Culture Seeds from the Mayor of London in partnership with Poplar Union and I have also taught at Yoga on the Lane, MA&Y, Leyton Yoga and Svana Yoga. I was the course and content creator and blog editor for MFML for over three years.

Alongside my yoga teaching, I continue to develop creative programmes, am on the advisory board of The Literary Consultancy and AiR. I was an independent assessor for Arts Council, England 2018 - 2020. I co-founded the youth arts and education charity Eastside Educational Trust, which provides creative opportunities to disadvantaged children and young people across London. I served as the charity’s Director for twenty-three years (1994-2017), working in partnership with organisations as varied as Adobe, the British Film Institute and Disney.

I trained as a yoga teacher at Yoga on the Lane with Naomi Annand and Adam Hocke and to teach yoga and mindfulness to teenagers with Charlotta Martinus and the Teen Yoga Foundation at Yogacampus. I also trained in qigong and yoga with Mimi Kuo-Deemer. I have an MA in English and Modern Languages from Oxford University and a Diploma in Arts Management from Birkbeck College. My main focus is now on writing and teaching qigong and yoga.

Education, training and qualifications

200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga on the Lane with Naomi Annand & Adam Hocke - (200 hours)

Teen Yoga & Mindfulness Training Level 3 Sports Coach with Teen Yoga @ Yogacampus - (60 hours)

Qigong Teaching Mentorship with Mimi Kuo-Deemer (110 hours)

Qigong for Yoga Teachers: Immersion at Triyoga with Mimi Kuo-Deemer - (16 hours)

Vinyasa Flow: A Teacher’s Immersion at Triyoga with Mimi Kuo-Deemer - (35 hours)

Diploma in Arts Management at Birkbeck College, University of London

MA English & Modern Languages (Spanish) at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford

BA Hons English & Modern Languages (Spanish) at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford

Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)