All Life is Yoga
11 February 2015
I have been practising yoga since 1999, leading me into deeper studies with different forms of yoga over the years. In the beginning, I was not making time to practicing regularly, and when attending classes struggled to be focused – my head was all over the place! I remember how frustrated I felt at the end of one particular class, laying in shavasana being told by the teacher to clear my mind, without the tools to do so – “How the f*ck am I supposed to clear my mind?” is what I kept thinking, over and over again. Despite my frustration, whatever other commitments and pressures in my life, I kept going back to yoga, finding new classes and teachers to learn from and be inspired by (sometimes, not always!), as some part of me knew it was what I needed in my life.
In 2010 the pull of India finally became too much, and I made my first month-long yoga trip to India in January 2011. It has since become an annual, multidimensional journey of inspiration and learning – having so far visited the regions of Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu for learning and sharing yoga and meditation. Committing to this new direction for work and life, I qualified as a yoga teacher with the SriMa International School of Transformational Yoga in 2013, assisted my yoga master in 2014 and took my own students to India in 2015, I have continued to explore the science of Transformational Yoga with Swami Vidyanand and other masters in New Delhi, Auroville and Pondicherry, and have been sharing my experiences and learnings with students and teachers in the United Kingdom and across the world.
I began teaching by offering Transformational Yoga classes in my shared house in Brixton, then in a bike shop up the road – with bikes, tools, murals, grease, a cat, a parrot and two iguanas accompanying us in our practice! I love finding unusual places for yoga; creating a multi-use space; invigorating the space as we invigorate ourselves.
This heart-centred yoga practice encompasses asana (physical postures), pranayama (breathing practices) and dhyana (mantra meditation), as well as meditation and deep relaxation (yoga nidra).
With my various trainings – including Hatha, Restorative, Scaravelli, Sivananda, Transformational, Vinyasa, Yin, and Yoga for Anxiety and Depression – I blend traditional teachings with a contemporary approach relevant to the world we live in, helping you to let go of outside pressures and connect with your true self to find strength, focus and inner peace.
Applying an integral approach to both my yoga teaching and personal practice – connecting body, breath, heart, mind and soul – has brought an awareness and inner stillness I didn’t believe was possible before. Not only am I more focused and calm (and taller, with better posture!) now, I feel I am able to be more kind and loving – to myself, and to others. I love being in this space of teacher and eternal student, and hope we can share the magic of yoga too.
“I was feeling very fragile and in frequent pain. I am (still) undertaking a very strong therapeutic yoga practice at home to resolve significant pain in my hips and legs and neck. So I was a bit nervous to attend a yoga class; as every time I’ve done so over the past year, I’ve hurt myself, however present I try to be or gently I try to go. With Katy’s class at the festival, I found it easy to find my flow and pace, I was able to join in with almost everything. I left feeling, centred and connected and open. I only managed two with my work schedule, but I am so very pleased I attended them. If you teach at another festival, I will endeavour to attend them ALL!!! haha.Thanks Katy and best wishes.”
“I first met Katy at an ‘alternate’ festival. During this festival, she taught yoga every morning. I really enjoyed Katy’s classes because they left me calm, tranquil, and prepared for the day ahead. These classes helped me to rejuvenate from the mentally and physically exhausting nature of the festival. Katy did a fantastic job of guiding the class, and I never felt overwhelmed by any of her exercises – even as a beginner. The thing I love most about Katy is her warm and compassionate personality. The energy she exudes makes you feel completely at ease. Unlike other yoga instructors, Katy is strongly devoted to her art. She spends significant time studying in India which is unique and testament to her commitment. I’m so pleased to have met Katy and definitely recommend her if you want to practice yoga.”
“Katy’s practice combines sensitivity and depth, bringing awareness to mind, body and spirit. I really enjoy her use of different breathing techniques in sequences, I find it has helped me to focus on the detail of postures. I come away from class feeling grounded and peaceful and full of energy to face whatever the day brings with a smile.”