Yoga with Kiki
Yoga for Everybody and Every Body
My Story
"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self". BKS Iyengar
I was in a serious car crash when I was just 23, in 2001. Although I had multiple injuries, the most life changing was that I broke my spine and had to have titanium rods fixed to it. I was in discomfort for many years until I started to hit the gym. It helped me get fitter and managed the pain. Fast forward a few years and we welcomed our wonderful son. This is when I first started yoga. I felt weak, I was in discomfort, a little battered by being a first-time mom and I really needed to do something for myself mentally and to strengthen my core and muscles around my spine. So, Yoga seemed like a gentle option to rebuild strength and self-esteem. What I didn't realise was that Yoga would turn into my life's passion. I have now been practising Yoga for over 10 years with respected and knowledgeable Southampton teachers. I have gained so much more than I expected from practising Yoga. I am not afraid to say that the more I read about Yoga the more I feel that I am just scraping the surface. I guess it has been around for over 5000 years!!!!
I began my teacher training in March 2018 with Laura Green Teaching and Mentoring and successfully completed the 200h TT course in November 2018. One of the best experiences of my life.
I teach Yoga because I want to share with people the amazing healing powers of Yoga on the mind and the body. My classes are a mixture of Hatha and Vinyasa style Yoga with a particular emphasis on alignment and developing core strength. The mat is where we will play, take care of ourselves, let go and connect with ourselves and others. I am a great believer in the message that "Yoga is for everybody and every body" so finding suitable ways to make asanas accessible to all bodies is paramount. To help poses are modified; we might use props and give hands on assists.
I currently teach Yoga to teenagers and staff at Testwood School where I have been teaching French for 15 years and it's wonderful to see the impact Yoga is making there in the space of a year.
In February 2018, I set up my very first community class for adults and have been teaching an enthusiastic group of beginners on Monday evenings at St Denys Community Centre 7.15pm. I absolutely love sharing what I have learned. I also teach a second class at the Boat Club in St Denys on Friday mornings 9.30am. Seeing people leaving a class blissed out; better off than when they came in, regaining confidence in their body’s ability, is such a blessing. I am so grateful that people have chosen to come and practise with me to learn Yoga. Yoga is amazing, does not cease to amaze me and most importantly Yoga works, Yoga heals.