Yoga Circle

06/12/2025

Something most people would never guess about me is that I first came to yoga because I couldn’t feel my right foot.

In my 20s, I had a back injury that left me stumbling up stairs for years.

One year I had a very public graduation ceremony ahead. President Clinton and Chelsea were attending, it was televised, and I was part of the academic staff walking across the stage in full regalia.

The problem?
I had to walk up the stairs onto the stage. And the only way I could do that safely was by keeping my head down so I could see my foot… otherwise I’d stumble.

I was so stressed about the whole thing.

Someone suggested yoga might help.

So I booked a private yoga session. My teacher helped me reconnect with my foot by noticing how the top of my knee felt when I lifted my leg. I practised and practised until I could finally walk up the stairs with confidence.

But that was only the beginning.

I started noticing “side effects” of being with her. She was calm. Grounded. Present. And it made me realise just how stressed I was.

* For the first time ever, I was prioritising time for myself.
* I started feeling more connected to my body.
* Old habits around food and drink simply fell away.
* My physical and mental health shifted in ways I never expected.

Then, in perfect timing, a poster appeared in my building:

"Yoga outside at 7am daily."

Years earlier, when I was at university, I’d promised myself I would practise yoga every day.
And suddenly… there was the opportunity.

They say, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”
This was absolutely true for me.

I practised with this teacher from India almost every day for four years before returning to New Zealand, where I continued my yoga practice. Opening my own studio in 2005 to share the benefits of yoga with others.

What started as “I just want to walk up those stairs confidently” became a doorway into a life that has supported me ever since.

PS: Let this be your reminder; that you don’t need to be flexible to start yoga. You just need to Decide.

It all begins with a decision.

05/12/2025

A truth I’ve never shared before… but now it’s time.

Earlier this year, I was involved in an incident that resulted in me needing an X-ray.

I heard the nurses in the corridor talking about a “53-year-old woman with a suspected broken hip.”
And suddenly realised… they meant me.

It was one of those moments where identity and reality collide.

Inside I still felt strong, capable, and much younger than the number on paper.

And yet here I was: in excruciating pain, unable to move my leg.

I am a woman who takes really good care of my body… and yet here I was, feeling “broken.”

For decades I have shared the benefits of yoga, coached and taught thousands of women. In that moment I knew I would need to draw on every tool I’d ever taught.

Recovery has been slow and humbling.

The compound effect showed itself in both directions.

On one hand, my body changed.
I lost strength and fitness.
I gained weight, slowly, quietly, the result of months without my usual movement.

But on the other hand, years of yoga gave me strength, flexibility, mobility and deep body awareness.

In yoga we say, “When we steady the breath, we steady the mind.”
This became my foundation and
one mantra, my anchor:

“I am the healer and the healed.”

It grounded me. It was the truth I return to again and again.

I listened to my body, respected its feedback, didn’t push, didn’t force.

I celebrated tiny gains.

I trusted that my body is designed to heal.

Up until this point, menopause had been a breeze… but this injury stopped me in my tracks.

It made me PAUSE, simplify everything, and ask:

Who am I now?
What is my next step?

I’m profoundly grateful I had my yoga practice to support me through this healing.

I thank my younger self for walking into that very first class and then going back again, and again, until it became a daily habit.

It has been one of the greatest gifts of my life and a privilege to share with others for over 20 years.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes life stops you in your track and invites you to go deeper?

There's always something new to learn right? ;-)

05/12/2025

A truth I’ve never shared before…but now it's time!

Earlier this year, I was involved in an incident that resulted in me needing an X-ray.

I heard the nurses in the corridor talking about a “53-year-old woman with a suspected broken hip.”

And suddenly realised… they meant me.

It was a moment where my self-identity and reality collided in an instant.

Inside I still felt the same, strong, capable, and much younger than the number on paper. And yet here I was: in excruciating pain, unable to move my leg, unable to walk.

The duality was impossible to ignore.

I am a woman who takes really good care of my body… and yet here I was, feeling “broken.”

For decades I have shared the benefits of yoga, coached and taught thousands of women, and in that moment, I knew I would need to draw on every tool I’d ever taught.

Recovery has been slow and humbling.

The compound effect made itself known in both directions.

On one hand, my body changed. I lost strength and fitness.
I gained weight. Not dramatically, just little by little, incrementally the quiet result of months without my usual movement.

But on the other hand, the compound effect was just as real:

Years of yoga had given me strength, flexibility, mobility, and body awareness.

In yoga it is said that "when we steady the breath, we steady the mind" and this became the solid foundation that held me up when I needed it most.

Through it all, one mantra became my anchor:

“I am the healer and the healed.”

It grounded me. A truth.
A touchstone I return to again and again.

I listened to my body, respected its feedback, didn’t push or force, and celebrated tiny gains. I leaned into patience, trusting that my body is designed to heal.

Up until this point, menopause had been a breeze for me, but this injury literally stopped me in my tracks.

It made me PAUSE, return to simple daily goals, and ask myself:

Who am I now? And what is my next step?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes life does that? Stops you suddenly and invites you to go deeper?

One thing this experience taught me is how profoundly grateful I am for my yoga practice. I can hand on heart thank my younger self for walking into that very first yoga class… and then choosing to go back again, and again until it became a daily habit.

It has been the greatest gift, and it is honestly a privilege to still be sharing it with others after more than 20 years.

Questions for You (and your own visibility):

✨ When life has stopped you in your tracks, what truth did it invite you to see more clearly?

✨ Where in your life are you still feeling “young inside” while navigating a body or season that’s changing?

✨ What daily practices (however small) do you want to thank your younger self for beginning?

✨ And perhaps most importantly…
Who are you becoming now?
What is the very next loving step in that direction?

P.s: Did you know that my online Yoga Membership is now open, and for $45.00 NZ per month, you can join me live online nine times a week? There's a library of prerecorded classes you have access to and a wonderful group of women who are all creating the lives of their dreams in bodies they love. You are most welcome to join us. Claim your space below, just Yes! It's time.

PIC: of my future self back on top of one of the mountains I love to climb

04/12/2025

I Used to Hide This -

Hi Lovely,  This month inside Yoga Circle we’re exploring visibility, not just the kind where we show up on camera or turn up to class… but the kind that takes real courage:

03/12/2025

The moment that shaped the woman I am today (and it’s probably not what you think)

I grew up in a Christian home where certain things were very clear:

Universities were “risky.”
Yoga was “evil.”
Incense meant trouble.
And questioning any of it? Not encouraged.

But even as a little girl, I had two firm thoughts:

1️⃣ I’m going to university.
2️⃣ And I’m going to move far, far away — to the Middle East.

(It felt like the furthest place from my little town… and also, in my young mind, “that’s where Jesus came from,” so of course it made sense!)

Those intentions carried me through so much.
They were my quiet rebellion.
My inner compass.

And eventually… my world expanded.

I left.
I went to university. I was the first in my family.
And in my very first year, I did the unthinkable:

✨ I went to a yoga class. ✨

Freezing old hall.
Om sign.
Incense.
My childhood conditioning whispered, “This is VERY naughty”

I felt scared, thrilled, and deliciously deviant.

Then someone farted — loudly.
I laughed so hard the teacher nearly kicked me out.
(There was NO farting in my house… ever. 😅)

But I stayed.
And after savasana, I remember thinking:

“That was incredible. I’m going to do this every day.”

I didn’t. Not for ten more years.

I returned to yoga as an adult, while living in the Middle East and teaching at a university…
the exact place little-me dreamed of going.

And this time?
I never left my mat again.

For 20+ years, yoga has been my anchor through motherhood, divorce, injury, overwhelm, caring for others, grief, reinvention — all of it.

It’s the place I meet myself.
The place I return to.
The place that holds me steady.

And now I help other women create that same home within themselves — through a simple, at-home yoga practice that strengthens your body, softens your mind, and reconnects you to the woman beneath all the roles.

If you’re craving a return to yourself…

✨ Yoga Circle is where we do that together. ✨

Comment YOGA or message me and I’ll send you the details. 💛

03/12/2025

The moment that shaped the woman I am today (and it’s probably not what you think)

I grew up in a Christian home where certain things were talked about in very particular ways.

Universities were risky.
Yoga was “evil.”
Incense definitely meant trouble.
And questioning any of it? Absolutely not encouraged.

But even as a little girl, I had two very clear thoughts:

1. I will to go to university.
2. And I will move far, far away, to the Middle East in fact.

(The middle east felt like the furthest place from my little town… and also, in my young mind, “that’s where Jesus came from,” so surely it made sense!)

Those two intentions carried me through so many difficult seasons.

They were my quiet rebellion.
My inner compass.

Even as a child, there was a part of me that knew life would expand.

And expand it did.

I left.
I went to university.
I was first in my family to go and in doing so
I made my world bigger.

During my very first year of study, I did the unthinkable…

I went to a yoga class.

It was held in a freezing, old hall.
There was an Om sign.
There was incense.
My childhood conditioning was telling, “This is very naughty!”

I felt scared.
Thrilled.
A little deviant.
And very much like I was breaking all the rules.

Then, someone farted.

Loudly.

I laughed so hard the teacher asked me to be quiet or leave.
(There was no farting in our house — it was a VERY strict upbringing — so you can imagine the shock.)

I got myself under control and stayed.

And after savasana, that quiet moment of guided rest at the end, I remember thinking:

“That was incredible. I’m going to do this every day.”

But I didn’t.
Not for ten more years.

I returned to my yoga mat when I was adult. I living in the Middle East teaching at a university. The very place I dreamed of going when I was a little girl.

I never left my yoga practice ever again. I show up everyday.

Just like I promised myself in my 20s.

For over 20 years, yoga has been my anchor, my reset button, my home base.
It held me through career changes, motherhood, divorce, injury, overwhelm, caring for others, grief and loss, reinvention, all of it.
It became the place where I met myself again and again.

And now…
I help other women build that same relationship with themselves by establishing an at home yoga practice that strengthens the body, softens the mind, and reconnects you to the woman beneath all the roles.

If you’ve been craving a place to come back to yourself…
a practice that supports you through the shifts of midlife…
a community that cheers for your return to you…

Yoga Circle is where we do that together.

If you’d like details, comment YOGA or send me a message — I’ll send you everything you need to join us.

03/12/2025

The truth behind my fear of being seen as a yoga teacher

For a long time, I was scared of being seen in my yoga teaching.

Not just “visible” but truly seen for who I was as a woman (in all her roles), an academic, and a yoga teacher finding her way.

In the beginning, my fears sounded like this:

I don’t know enough.
What if I make mistakes?
What if people judge me?
What if I am not good enough?

And because I was lecturing at a university at the time, there was a part of me that believed teaching yoga might affect my credibility.

That people would judge me.
That they’d think I wasn’t “academic enough.”
That somehow I was “less than” because I practiced yoga.

That false belief kept me hiding longer than I’d like to admit.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

Every single one of us has visibility fears.

These fears are normal, and they are designed to keep us safe. They stop us from stepping outside what feels familiar and comfortable and in doing so, they also keep us small.

What if I told you, being seen doesn’t start with how others see us, it starts with how we see ourselves.
Our self-belief.
Our identity.

The quiet stories we whisper after those two powerful words: I AM…

Yoga has been my greatest teacher in this.

Every time I step onto the mat, I’m reminded that:

I AM ENOUGH.

I know that when I stand in this truth, the rest follows.

The more I allowed myself to see myself as a woman who is simply practicing and sharing yoga, the safer visibility began to feel.

Slowly, the old fears loosened their grip.

In yoga, there is a phrase that says, “Practice, and all is coming.”
And it is true.

When we practice self-acceptance and stop rejecting parts of ourselves, the world stops feeling like it’s waiting to reject us too.

And here is where the shift moves to you:

When you choose to see yourself fully, honestly, compassionately, everything changes.

Life will always meet you where you are at.

What if you joined me in choosing to see yourself as enough, exactly as you are? How would life rise up to meet you there?

03/12/2025

The truth behind my fear of being seen as a yoga teacher

For a long time, I was scared of being seen in my yoga teaching.

Not just “visible” but truly seen for who I was as a woman (in all her roles), an academic, and a yoga teacher finding her way.

In the beginning, my fears sounded like this:

I don’t know enough.
What if I make mistakes?
What if people judge me?
What if I am not good enough?

And because I was lecturing at a university at the time, there was a part of me that believed teaching yoga might affect my credibility.

That people would judge me.
That they’d think I wasn’t “academic enough.”
That somehow I was “less than” because I practiced yoga.

That false belief kept me hiding longer than I’d like to admit.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

Every single one of us has visibility fears.

These fears are normal, and they are designed to keep us safe. They stop us from stepping outside what feels familiar and comfortable and in doing so, they also keep us small.

What if I told you, being seen doesn’t start with how others see us, it starts with how we see ourselves.
Our self-belief.
Our identity.

The quiet stories we whisper after those two powerful words: I AM…

Yoga has been my greatest teacher in this.

Every time I step onto the mat, I’m reminded that:

I AM ENOUGH.

I know that when I stand in this truth, the rest follows.

The more I allowed myself to see myself as a woman who is simply practicing and sharing yoga, the safer visibility began to feel.

Slowly, the old fears loosened their grip.

In yoga, there is a phrase that says, “Practice, and all is coming.”
And it is true.

When we practice self-acceptance and stop rejecting parts of ourselves, the world stops feeling like it’s waiting to reject us too.

And here is where the shift moves to you:

When you choose to see yourself fully, honestly, compassionately, everything changes.

Life will always meet you where you are at.

What if you joined me in choosing to see yourself as enough, exactly as you are? How would life rise up to meet you there?

19/11/2025

Have you practiced yoga this week?

If not yet... then when will you make it happen?

18/11/2025

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Yoga Circle has an amazing online yoga membership designed especially for women 40+ who want to feel stronger, more flexible, and more grounded — all from the comfort of home.

It’s for you if…

• You want a simple, consistent way to take care of your body

• You love the idea of practising yoga from home without the rush

• You know you should add more movement... but don't know how

• You’re ready to build strength, flexibility, and balance

• You want accountability and to be part of wonderful, supportive community

• You want a sustainable way to create time and space just for you- even in your busy life.

Then let's chat!!

Yoga Circle Membership gives you access to supportive, live Zoom classes throughout the week:

Mon, Wed & Fri – 7:00am

Tues & Thurs – 9:30am

Mon & Wed – 4:30pm

Sun – 10:00am NZT

You get access to library of replays, monthly wellbeing themes, and a private Facebook community where you can stay connected, encouraged, and inspired.

It’s simple, sustainable, and designed to fit easily into a busy life. All for $45 NZD per month.

If you'd love to experience it for yourself, DM me or comment below for a FREE no-strings-attached trial.

I’d love to welcome you in.

p.s Want to know more? I am happy to have a chat and see if it is a match.

Drop a comment and I will be in touch
tx

17/11/2025

Last night I listened to Dr Melissa Gilbert speak about menopause,
One of my key take aways was about how....

“Menopause invites the pause.”

She spoke about how the symptoms we often resist,
the slowing down,
the fatigue,
the fog,
the shifts in energy
the hot flushes
the weight gain
aren’t here to punish us.

They’re here to pull us inward.
To make us stop long enough to ask and really consider...
✨ What is next for me?
✨ What kind of body do I want to live in?
✨ What kind of life am I ready to create?

It was such a powerful reminder that this chapter isn’t a decline… it’s an invitation to create the next version of yourselves.

When we pause… and actually listen to our own inner wisdom then it is totally possible for us to create our next chapter with intention.

She also spoke about the importance of having a daily ritual/habit just for yourself.
Hers are ...
journaling (snap)
yoga (snap)
Meditation (snap)

It inspired me to remind people about the benefits of yoga and setting up your own home practice.

You don't need to do it alone I am here to help.

I've been practicing yoga everyday since 2001 and I love sharing it with others.

Yoga has sustained alongside my career, my family roles and changing health. It is a key part of my success.

I would LOVE to help you experience the same benefits.

DM me or comment below if you would like a FREE (no strings attached) trial or would like to make a time to chat specifically about your needs.

Here's to life with vitality, strength, flexibility and balance!

It's time for you to create the life of your dreams in a body you love

And I am here to help
tx

13/10/2025

If you were to say "YES" to yourself today

Yes to movement
Yes to loving yourself exactly as you are
Yes to your dreams
And YES to your future

What would your very next step be?

What would your very next step be?

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Did you know you can book a FREE 30-Minute Discovery Call with me?

It’s a no strings attached way to explore how yoga can support your physical and emotional wellbeing and how having a monthly one-on-one call can help you stay focused, consistent, and aligned with your goals.

Say tell me more in the comments or DM for the details.