My study of movement began at four years old immersed in the ethnic dance community. With a career spanning 40 years, my training would include West African dance, Moroccan Shikhat, various Middle Eastern folkloric styles, several Southern European folkdances, East Indian Odissi, eventually specialising in American Fusion Bellydance. As a professional stage performer, my reputation for distinctive choreographies and sophisticated musicality inspired others to describe me as a dancer’s dancer.
Yoga arrived on the shores of my awareness over 20 years ago when I was searching for a way to relieve stress. Departing class each week, I would feel calm, rejuvenated, and empowered with a renewed clarity of thought. As the years passed, I explored a wide range of styles including Hatha, Iyengar, Astanga, Yin, Restorative, and Viniyoga, finding each had something of value to offer even if the technique was unsuitable for me in the long-run.
My journeys through dance and yoga persuaded me to cultivate the gentle, thoughtful approach I weave into my teachings today. The intention is not to merely show up on the mat, but to allow our time there to transform us. As an advocate of inclusivity, I maintain a respectful, light-hearted environment where students are empowered to honour their individual needs exactly as they are in that moment. This isn’t simply popular rhetoric. Managing my own osteoarthritis at mid-life has enabled me to share the value of appreciating the changing body without apology.
2013 – British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) Foundation Course with Tarik Dervish
2015 – Silver Age Yoga Teaching Certificate, specialising in senior yoga
2015 – Trauma-sensitive Yoga Teacher Training with Sarah Holmes De Castro
2017 – British Wheel of Yoga 500hr Level 4 Diploma with Tarik Dervish and Tara Fraser
2022 – Menopause Yoga Teaching Certificate with Petra Coveney
2024 – Mindful Grieving Yoga Therapy Teaching Certificate with Wendy Stern
Continuing development in workshops, including: Marc Acquaviva, Peter Blackaby, Dianne Bondy, J. Brown, Dr. Peter Connolly, Donna Farhi, Peter Grilley, Jivana Heyman, Sarah Holmes de Castro, Ray Long, Simon Low, Ranju Roy, John Stirk, and Gary Carter.