I walked into my first yoga class in 1988 and was instantly captivated – I’d found a way to become more connected with my body and self that I hadn’t experienced before and it fascinated me. I was studying to be a photographer at the time and I soon discovered that yoga taught me how to look within as well as looking out. From the start, I began a daily practice and I never looked back. I read as much as I could find on yoga and yoga philosophy and I soon discovered the many benefits that yoga brings. When I came across a copy of Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar, my practice took on a new dimension.
I attended a regular Iyengar yoga class in London but then moved to Hong Kong and lived there for most of the 1990s. There were no resident Iyengar yoga teachers teaching there at the time (with very few yoga teachers at all), so I explored a variety of yoga styles; I studied under my regular teacher who had a background in Ashtanga yoga, amongst other methods, and I attended many workshops by visiting teachers, but I was constantly drawn to the senior Iyengar teachers who came from the US and the UK to teach workshops. Travelling around South East Asia and the rest of the world gave me a real insight into various yoga and meditation practices but when I returned to London in 1999 I knew that the Iyengar way was the path I had to stay on.
I trained as an Iyengar yoga teacher with Sheila Haswell who amazes and inspires me with her vast knowledge, dedication and boundless energy. Through Sheila, I was lucky enough to find my other teacher, Julie Hodges, whose passion and insight taught me to constantly question and explore. I gained my Introductory Level teaching certificate in 2006 and my Intermediate Junior Level 3 certificate in 2012. Under the classifications of certification introduced in 2019, this is a Level 3.
I continue to study and learn from some of the most senior Iyengar yoga teachers, both in the UK and worldwide (most recently with BKS Iyengar’s daughter Geeta Iyengar in Pune, India in 2014, 2015 and 2018 and his son Prashant and granddaughter Abhijata in 2019), and am constantly furthering my knowledge both in this way and through my own practice. I have been taught by many of BKS Iyengar’s senior students.
I have completed all six modules of Stephanie Quirk‘s Iyengar yoga remedial training programme and the Vidya Institute‘s four module Patanjali Yoga Sutras course. I have also achieved the Advanced Patanjali course with Gitte Bechsgaard of the Vidya Institute.
Yoga has been and always will be an enormous part of my life. I can’t imagine living without it as it enhances my life on a daily basis.
Through yoga I developed a keen interest in health and well-being. After a fruitful career in photography and television, I changed direction and in 2002 qualified as a massage therapist and reflexologist, enabling me to help others to improve and maintain their own health and well-being.
Living in Hong Kong was a life-changing experience — I was immersed in a culture that honours and lives by the wisdom of Chinese medicine. Those years deepened my appreciation for balance, connection, and holistic health, and planted the seeds for my own healing journey.
That inspiration stayed with me, and I went on to graduate from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Acupuncture. Now, I combine my personal experience and professional training to support others in finding their own sense of harmony and well-being.
I’ve always been drawn to carving my own path — making my own decisions, creating something meaningful, and building a livelihood around the work I love.
If you would like to discuss whether acupuncture could help you, or enquire about yoga classes or one-to-one yoga sessions, please contact me.
I teach in Ealing (West London, W5 and W13), Barnes (SW14) and Putney (SW15). A full list of my yoga classes can be found here. My acupuncture clinics are in Ealing, W7 and W13.
BSc (Hons), MBAcC, Lic Ac, CIYT, ITEC (dip), Reiki Master
I am an integrated TCM/5 Element acupuncturist, Level 3 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and a fully-qualified massage therapist, Traditional Thai massage therapist, reflexologist and Reiki Master Teacher.
