Where do I begin? It seems a loaded question, synthesising ones life into just a few bite size paragraphs with the aim to seem authentic, seems in its self unrealistic, so bear in mind we are all so much more than just a few words, but words can carry an synopses of meaning as well can’t they? It also seems impossible to curate this as professionally as others have done so, I cannot seem to decide which journey to tell? Which one to embellish and piece together? It seems no single person can be neatly described, and I truly love that about us.

My Yoga journey however “officially” started in 2016 as a New Years resolution, like many I joined up for an online 30 day challenge (Yoga With Adrienne is a very notable figure in this time period), I started with very surface level motivations, I wanted to be thinner, more flexible, to be able to do a headstand, to be fit without sweating my arse off daily, to step into the world more confidently. I do not believe any of these motivations were ‘wrong’ however to watch them evolve has been a grand passing of time.

Even though I believe I had removed sweating profusely off my radar as a daily activity, for whatever reason I signed up to a Hot Yoga Studio in Bunbury, Western Australia. It was almost unbearably sticky, the room was packed, I knew nothing about the style other than it was hot and I turned to my best friend and questioned our decision. However by the end of class I was hooked, and thus began my love affair of Hot Yoga, little to my knowledge at the start that it was the teacher that made me fall in love with the practice, her way off guiding so effortlessly without ever putting a mat down, the way she made the room laugh and her ability to guide us through progression without an inflated ego is something I look up to still to this day.

After 3 years of ‘consistent’ practice and burning myself out with 2 jobs, full-time study and an addiction to self discipline I ventured off to the infamous land of Bali where I completed my first 200hr Vinyasa-Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Inner Yoga, this blew my mind. Two key factors changed the trajectory of the way I viewed and thought I knew Yoga, the book The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V.Desikachar and the emotional roller coaster that is a teacher training. Firstly the book was a massive eye opener and the discussions that came about related to the philosophy of yoga has my heart in a strong grip hold, and I swear everyone should complete a yoga teacher training regardless of the desire to teach because you will heal, learn and challenge yourself like nothing else I have ever experience.

With my 200hr certificate and a newfound knowledge in hand I moved my life 12 hours north up the state of Western Australia to a small town called Carnarvon. Here is where the universe quite literally listened to my silent desires, ignored my fears and handed me a teaching role, I was to open up my own yoga studio. With guidance and support from the town we trialled 3 different locations and by 2022 we had a space inside a massive shed to call our own. This venture I am still not able to neatly sum up, during this time I had lost my twin brother Josh to depression and was unsure if I would return and how on earth I could teach when carrying so much grief, spoiler alert I leaned on everyone and anything I could and like a baby learning to walk I stepped back into the role of a teacher. Turns out you can live with grief.

With this new life I felt like I had but never wanted lets be honest I was desperate to create a life for myself and so I signed up for my third teacher training, 200hr Body Poetry with Lara Zilibowitz (the second one I don’t feel like mentioning here because I do not recommend, so lets just skip over that). I was unaware of the depth this training would provide, I though the first one was an emotional roller coaster but this was a pilgrimage into the soul, into shakti. It was exceptional and life changing, and beyond the course, the teachers and knowledge provided, the family we bonded was whole other journey, this time I will cherish till my last breath (and then beyond, I’m sure).

And that pretty much brings me to now, currently I am based in Karratha Western Australia where this sun is hot and the beer is expensive but the people are lovely and the land is stunning. Here I will continue my journey as I embark becoming a Yoga Therapist.

Thank you for reading, I’d love to one day hear one or all of your journeys.