my
journey
All my life I’ve been fascinated by people and their life stories. I grew up in a household with my grandparents, and my grandad was a storyteller. As it turns out I myself have more than a few stories to tell; I feel I’ve lived more than one life. From age four I lived with severe chronic illness to such a degree that I called hospitals my second home. As a teenager I lived in a war zone for four years. Refugee years followed and during that time more than a few unexpected deaths in the immediate family happened. Other life events happened along the line, but these were the ones that had the biggest impact on me. Was it tough and challenging – absolutely! How do I look at those years now – as my greatest teachers. All the experiences mentioned didn’t define me, but they made me who I am today – a compassionate, resilient and open-minded human being.
All my life I’ve been fascinated by people and their life stories. I grew up in a household with my grandparents, and my grandad was a storyteller. As it turns out I myself have more than a few stories to tell; I feel I’ve lived more than one life. From age four I lived with severe chronic illness to such a degree that I called hospitals my second home. As a teenager I lived in a war zone for four years. Refugee years followed and during that time more than a few unexpected deaths in the immediate family happened. Other life events happened along the line, but these were the ones that had the biggest impact on me. Was it tough and challenging – absolutely! How do I look at those years now – as my greatest teachers. All the experiences mentioned didn’t define me, but they made me who I am today – a compassionate, resilient and open-minded human being.
Where is yoga in this? Yoga came to my life during refugee years. My first yoga experience was a free class held at my then local community centre. Even though I wasn’t sure if I was doing it ‘right’ I felt better after the class. That ‘better feeling’ made me keep going – weekly yoga class was my solace at the time. Yoga organically became part of my life as I was able to feel the change in me – I was able to switch off my anxious mind, to calm down my asthmatic breath and to meet wonderful people and create lifelong friendships. Yoga kept supporting me while I was going through challenging times, and it remained my companion as I moved along.
My decision to formally educate myself on yoga teaching was life-changing in a way I never imagined. It allowed me to connect with wonderful people on a weekly basis, to learn about their life stories and to become a part of the same. Most importantly, through sharing my knowledge, experience and passion about life and yoga with people, I am able to help on levels I never imagined to. My dream is to make my teaching accessible to everyone so that more people can benefit from it.
I am proud to say that I am an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, and as such I pledge to share the teachings and benefits of yoga with anyone, and in particular with those who have been marginalised. I am advocating for an accessible and equitable yoga culture as yoga is for everyone – we don’t fit into yoga, yoga fits us!
MY TRAINING AND EDUCATION
I am a Yoga Alliance, Yoga Australia, International Yoga Teachers Association and Accessible Yoga Association certified yoga teacher with:
- Diploma of Yoga Teaching
- Accessible Yoga Certificate
- Trauma Aware Yoga Certificate
- Restorative Yoga Certificate
- Mental Health First Aid Accreditation
My education is ongoing and I will keep updating this section as I go along. In addition, my greatest training and a source of knowledge and wisdom is life in its all complexity.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of land where I live and teach. – Australia. The Gadigal of the Eora Nation are the traditional custodians of the place where I reside, now called Sydney. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
I acknowledge the thousands of years of yogic tradition originating in South Asia. I express gratitude to all teachers I have been fortunate enough to study under and with. I move forward with humility as I continue to learn and grow in my use and understanding of these practices.
I am a white female; my pronouns are she/her. I am an able and small-bodied person with class and educational privileges. I am also a forever student of yoga and life, and a student and (un)learner in the realm of social justice.