Julie has lived in Berkshire since the 1980s, moving from her native Herefordshire, where she began practising Yoga in her teens, to help manage the ups and downs of teenage hormonal life.  She enjoyed the movement and control that Yoga offered, and found the breathwork a great way of calming anxiety; and she continued to practise Yoga whenever work and family commitments allowed her time to do so.

For Julie, Yoga was especially beneficial during the Menopause. Attending regular Yoga classes, and practising Yoga daily helped her to establish some control over the symptoms she experienced (insomnia, in particular), and to find the energy to function through this period in her life. Keen to build on, and to share the benefits that Yoga has brought to her, she decided to train as a Yoga teacher with the Traditional Yoga Association, qualifying in 2015.

Julie teaches Yoga in the Earley area of Reading, to students of mixed age and ability.  Her classes typically include relaxation and focus; some targeted warm-up exercises, asana and more flowing movement (vinyasa); breathwork (pranayama) and simple meditation techniques. Julie also offers one-to-one sessions for students who prefer individual tuition.

“I love teaching – and learning from my students. I teach Yoga that is gentle, but can be challenging (if that suits my students) and I try to make my classes as welcoming and inclusive as possible. The emphasis is on awareness – of your breath, your body, and of what is occupying your mind at the time, and I encourage students to work within their own individual ‘comfort zones’, and to explore how Yoga works for them.”  

“Yoga is a deeply personal experience, both for student and teacher. We are all unique. We each have our own personality, lifestyle, commitments and responsibilities. One of the most important things that I believe, as a Yoga teacher, is encompassed in the Sanskrit word, ‘Sattva’, meaning ‘balance (equilibrium, homeostasis)’.  Today, when our lives are often lived at breakneck speed, leaving us struggling to find the energy to function on a daily basis, Yoga can provide a very special means of balancing our lives – encouraging a state of equilibrium, where we can be calm and focussed at the same time.”

“Yoga has a special place in my heart, and I am happy, and honoured, to be able to use my teaching to repay Yoga, and my Yoga teachers, in some small way, for the many gifts that I have received from this great discipline.”