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This is me.....Yoga teacher, Pilates teacher, Personal Trainer, wife and mum of two. 

I've had a passion for movement and dance for as long as I can remember, having danced when I was young and then fell in love with exercise to music as an adult. I'm a lover of nature and long walks in the countryside, especially wild beaches as I feel a great affinity with the sea, and I strongly believe that we all need to do more to protect our beautiful planet. Being outdoors in nature both grounds me and energises me, helping me to blow away any cobwebs, recharge my battery and soothe my soul.  In my albeit limited spare time, I enjoy two main hobbies: I have a huge collection of around 200 houseplants, and particularly love rarer tropical species and trailing/climbing varieties. My other passion is crafting: mostly knitting (which i find meditative), though I love to try out new crafts too.

 

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MY TRAINING & EXPERIENCE

 

I have been teaching Pilates for almost 20 years, having trained in classical Pilates at The Pilates Institute, London under the guidance of Michael King and Malcolm Muirhead. At the time I'd been working as a Personal Trainer & Sports Massage Therapist for two years and loving it, especially the functional fitness and rehabilitation work. I'd been taking Pilates classes myself for a few years to help with an old back injury and couldn't believe the difference it made. So when I was offered the chance to train to teach Pilates, I jumped at it.

 

Over the years my work has evolved: most notably, to enable me to have a family, I had to step away from personal training and focus mainly on teaching fitness & Pilates classes and providing some Sports Therapy Massage. It was around this time that I came up with my business name, A Sense of Balance, which I felt encompassed all aspects of my work. 

 

When I began to suffer physically from too much high impact and high energy exercise, and not enough stretching or self-care, I decided to start practicing yoga regularly. I had really enjoyed attending antenatal yoga during my first pregnancy, and although this was a totally different kind of yoga, I fell in love with it instantly - from the very first class. The fluidity, grace and meditative qualities of vinyasa yoga captured my heart, reigniting that same life-long passion for dance - it truly felt like "coming home". And although I'd only started practising yoga for its physical benefits, it wasn't long before it had totally drawn me into its magic - my mind, body and spirit felt it - so deciding to train as a yoga teacher really was a no-brainer. Freestyle Fitness Yoga came first, and then shortly afterwards I completed my 200hrs Yoga Alliance approved yoga teacher training in order to share all its benefits with others.

 

 

MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

I am a self-confessed anatomy geek, with a keen interest in movement therapies and disciplines, nutrition and all areas of well-being in general. My love of learning means that I'm continually studying and expanding my knowledge and experience, to provide the best service I can for my clients. In recent years I have attended Level 4 Advanced Pilates Matwork training and a residential Menopause Yoga Teacher Training course, plus online workshops during lockdown with some amazing women’s physiotherapists and teacher trainers. I am currently working my way steadily through the 3rd Age Woman course with Burrell Education. 

 

 

MY FOCUS & TEACHING STYLE

 

My work currently focuses primarily on teaching yoga and Pilates classes, including my own version of a fusion style class that blends the two practices. 

 

My Pilates teaching style brings together elements of strength, flexibility, mobility and balance to deliver a practice that enhances my students self-awareness, helping them address and work through any physical injuries or imbalances. 

 

My yoga teaching style is similar, but I also like to weave themes into my yoga classes, combining relevant asana, pranayama, yoga philosophy and short meditations in the hope that my students will discover the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of a well-rounded yoga practice.

 

Aside from teaching regular adult classes, I also have a number of 1-2-1 private clients, ranging in age from teenage to mid seventies, whom I see to help them manage conditions such as scoliosis or hypermobility Ehler-Danlos Syndrome, rehabilitate injuries or post-operative recovery. I am also available for one-off events. 

 

I love running workshops or immersive yoga events, and am looking forward to doing this once again now the pandemic has passed. First up, I’m really excited to be holding my first Menopause Yoga & Well-being workshop on Sunday 29th January in collaboration with my friend and highly knowledgeable nutritional therapist, Emily Lamont. Please see the events page for further details.