Yoga with Vicky
Connection - Flow - Breath - Nature - Love
About Me
If you hadn't guessed already, my name's Vicky. I am a yoga and dance enthusiast from sunny Suffolk, on the rural east coast of England. Movement has been an important part of my life since I was very small. I was an extremely shy and sensitive child, constantly unsure of the world around me, but dance and performance gave me confidence. I studied for and achieved a Drama degree and intended to chase a career in performance and theatre, but life had another path set out for me...
At the age of 20, I fell in love with a man from New Zealand and spent the next three years following him around the world. It was a turbulent time in my life that took me far away from the world of dance and theatre that I knew and loved. I discovered a new part of myself and began to cultivate a love of travel and adventure that has never since left me. When my relationship abruptly ended, I found myself living on the other side of the world, as far away as I could get from my friends, family and support network. I felt desolate and alone, struggling to find a sense of purpose and hopefulness. It was deep in the depths of this post-relationship depression that I found yoga.
"Yoga does not just change the way we see things,
it transforms the person who sees."
~ B. K. S. Iyengar
Initially, I went to a class because I thought it would help me keep up my flexibility, as I hadn't found any dance classes where I was living and had begun to deeply miss movement as a part of my life. I started to attend classes taught by Kotte Aguilar; a Brazilian yoga goddess, based in central Christchurch, NZ. I was blown away by the spirituality of Kotte's classes. I had never realised that yoga had the potential to produce an emotional release during particular poses, or how it could help me to grow strong not just in body, but in mind too. I also loved the feeling of being part of a wider community of people caring for themselves and others that was present as she taught.
Today, Kotte's yoga community still deeply inspires me and I am hugely grateful for the beautiful friend who took me along to that very first class. Yoga quickly became a weekly staple of my life in Christchurch, serving as my therapy and forming the biggest part of my eventual healing from heartbreak and overcoming the depths of low mental health.
When I eventually returned to the UK, I knew that I needed to keep up my new yoga obsession. I began searching for a teacher in Suffolk who taught the spiritual flow style of class that I had grown to love. It was a big task! There are as many different styles of yoga (and types of teacher!) as there are types of vegetable, and if you don't know what you're looking for, it's very easy to stumble into the wrong class and be thoroughly put off. Thankfully, I knew exactly what I was looking for: something therapeutic, spiritual and powerful, with an individual teacher I could personally relate to. Most of the classes I tried initially were lacking something - too gym/fitness-focussed, without the inner soul healing that I knew I needed. I wanted to find a teacher who moved and taught from the soul. So I kept on searching...
Just as I was giving up hope, I saw a poster for a class being run in my local park and decided to give it a go. Something about the picture on the poster caught my eye. As soon as I arrived, I knew I'd found the right teacher. Something about the way she spoke and moved was so in tune with the parts of me that make me who I am, I just knew that by going to her classes and following her teaching, I would find my way to who I was meant to be.
"Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious
about who you are."
~ Jason Crandell
I had found my perfect teacher and also a spiritual guide. Over the next few years, I became a regular attendee of Meg's classes, growing in confidence and learning about the history and depth of the art of yoga. It was Meg who eventually inspired me to take the next step in my yoga journey and sign up for my Yoga Teacher Training course. I asked her for recommendations about training, she told me where she had trained and eventually I made the decision to follow directly in her footsteps.
When I signed up for my YTT at the Yoga Life Studio, I had never been to Eastbourne (where the studio is based), nor met either Wenche Beard or Eva Kristlova, who were running the course. It was the most spontaneous, soul-trusting and terrifying decision I have ever made, but it is also the best thing I've ever done for myself. I knew that Meg's guidance would lead me to exactly where I needed to be and the course was completely life-changing for me. I am so grateful every day that I took the leap into the unknown and trusted my inner knowing.
"Courage starts with showing up
and letting ourselves be seen."
~ Brené Brown
That's a small snapshot of a much bigger story; one that is still being written. If you'd like to know more, perhaps you'd like to follow me on Instagram/Facebook or subscribe to my blog,. I'm laying my story out here for you to read because my practice and the style of yoga that I teach is a direct product of all my life experiences so far. It is a celebration of me, of my passions and a true expression of myself.
Yoga is both my anchor and my compass;
it guides me through life, leading me towards the right decisions and away from the wrong ones, as well as helping me to connect more deeply with my inner feelings. Being rooted in my values and connected to myself in love and respect, I am able to show up as the truest version of myself.
Teaching and practicing yoga brings me deep joy, grounding and contentment. I thank myself every day for making the choice to follow my heart and step off the pre-assigned path, in search of something more fulfilling, truthful and beautiful. I look forward to spending my life travelling the world, connecting with beautiful people in warm communities and sharing this practice with others.
The gallery below gives you a visual look at my journey towards becoming a yoga teacher, as well as a glimpse into who I am off the mat.
For more information on my current classes and other yoga offerings, take a look at the 'My Practice' tab above.
