I've had a passion for yoga since early childhood when I was given a book on the more esoteric practices by a friend of my mother. I truly wanted to fly, so I became a dedicated yogi, aged 7. Although I dropped the practice in my teens in an attempt to fit in with my peers.

​

I was in pain throughout my 20s, so I returned to my yoga practice to get to the source of the issue.  I studied with Diane Long and Sophy Hoare, both of whom studied directly with Vanda Scaravelli. I  gained wisdom from other practices, including Qi Gong and several meditation traditions.

​

I prolapsed a disc during my yoga teacher training. I couldn’t walk, and was told I needed spinal fusion, but I found that it was possible to relieve the symptoms through my own innate somatic sense of the structural relationships involved. Against all odds, I was able to restore the natural flow in my spine, so I was functional within a few weeks. The experience left me with a damaged leg muscle. However, my daily practice ensures I move with ease, the missing muscle has zero impact on my life.

​

I learned respect for my body, to ‘listen to its voice’ rather than force any agenda. In return, my body has taught me everything I now know. My first principle is to attend to the safety of myself and my students. I care deeply about natural function and the somatic pleasure that follows. I care not a jot for ‘yoga shapes’.
 

My approach has arisen from over 40 years of dedicated personal practice to uncover the joy of my body’s expression. Developed further by over 35,000 hours of teaching since qualifying in 2000.

​

​In 2009 I began hosting weekend workshops for yoga teachers. My students joked that each workshop had the quality and depth of a whole teacher training. Luckily, one of the students keen to experience my training was Abigail. Although fully qualified already, she wanted to immerse to gain a full understanding of my approach because she simply enjoyed the bliss of the practice. By taking on some of the admin, Abigail gave me the freedom to put together a comprehensive 500 hour advanced teacher training course. Together, we ran The Acquaviva School of Yoga, which gave me the creative expression to share my approach to yoga & breathwork with the world. A core benefit for students on my teacher training was monthly online 121s, so they benefited from personal guidance between weekend workshops, wherever they lived.

​

So in 2020, when the school morphed into an online community, I was well placed to support students from my decade of online teaching experience. We continue to grow, I have students all over the world and we meet occasionally in my Secret Garden Studio.

​

I have honed the way I share my discoveries, in person, in groups and online. My guidance will be specific to you, so that you can easily follow and replicate what you need for yourself.