About

Hairdresser · Ashtanga lover · Mother of two, grandmother of two.

Ever since I was a child, I've been mostly upside down — handstands, cartwheels, anything gymnastic I could try.

When I discovered Ashtanga Yoga in the late 1990s, it felt like coming home. I was drawn in immediately.

Since then, Ashtanga has become a central part of my life. I follow the traditional Mysore style with dedication, love, curiosity, energy, and gratitude — as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and now by his grandson, R. Sharath Jois.

In 2015, handstand practice became a big part of my life. The strength it builds carries directly into my Ashtanga practice — and brings deep joy to everyday life.

Teachers I've studied with

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

The Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga series, when practised correctly and with discipline, has been shown to help build strength, improve flexibility, relieve stress and create a general state of calmness, wellbeing and ease.

Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a moving meditation — a system of flowing postures, linked by the breath, which is the powerful connection at the heart of the discipline. The focus is on developing a daily physical practice to strengthen, purify and energise the body. This eventually leads to a steady, controlled mind and a healthy nervous system.

The Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga method in the tradition of K. Pattabhi Jois involves synchronising the breath with a progressive series of postures. Students learn postures in a fixed order using a special movement-breathing technique called ‘vinyasa’. Vinyasa is the term for breath synchronised with movement. The vinyasa links the asanas together in the dance of the breath.

The breath is the essence and heart of this discipline and links posture to posture in a precise order. Asanas should be practised in the correct sequential order; the intention is for the practitioner to produce intense internal heat and sweat to detoxify muscles and organs, which results in improved circulation and a light, strong body.

Practitioners also rediscover their full potential on all levels of human consciousness. Through proper breathing (ujjayi, or breathing with sound), postures, gazing points (dristi) and locks (bandhas), the Ashtanga yoga practitioner gains control of the senses and a deep awareness of the self.

The Mysore tradition

Mysore is the city in the south of India where Ashtanga yoga was taught by K. Pattabhi Jois from the 1930s until his death in 2009. Mysore self-practice is the traditional way of practising Ashtanga yoga and enables the student to learn individually, yet with all of the group energy of a conventional class. In a ‘Mysore class’, students work at their own pace, practising and progressing through the series according to their ability and individual needs.

Since each asana is designed to prepare the practitioner for the rest of the series of postures, beginners have a shorter practice than more experienced students. As they gain strength, stamina, flexibility and concentration, additional postures are given by the teacher, so the practice becomes longer and more demanding.

“Simply be present with your own shifting energies and with the unpredictability of life as it unfolds.”