Why I practice yoga. (And why I teach it.)

When people ask me why I teach yoga, they often expect the answer to be about movement.

But if I'm honest, the greatest gift yoga has given me has very little to do with what happens on a mat. It changed the way I see the world.

For many years I lived in London, building a career I was proud of. I loved the pace, the challenge and the opportunities that came with it. But somewhere along the way, life became about the next thing. The next deadline, the next promotion, the next achievement. Like so many of us, I became very good at keeping all the plates spinning.

Then life changed. Motherhood, and everything that came with it, invited me to slow down in ways I hadn't expected. It wasn't easy, in fact it was really bloody hard, and made me look deep inside myself and ask WHY I was doing what I was doing. Perhaps for the first time ever. And over time, and through a lot of highs, lows and false starts, it began to evolve into a different way of living.

Yoga gave me the insight, perspective and tools to allow myself to finally slow down (a little!) To notice my breath. To drop into my body. Over time, something else happened too. I started noticing the world around me in a way I never had before.

The changing seasons.

The tide coming in and out.

The birds that greet the day with song.

The first snowdrops pushing through the earth after winter.

The warmth of the evening sun on my face.

It reminded me that I'm not separate from nature. I'm part of it.

And just like every other living thing, I move with the cycles and rhythms of the earth and the universe too.

That understanding, that deep feeling, that knowing and belonging, has quietly shaped the way I teach.

My classes aren't about trying to become a different version of yourself. They're about creating space to listen. To notice how you're feeling today, not how you think you should be feeling and what you should be doing. To gently question thoughts, behaviours and limiting beliefs, not with judgement but with kindness and compassion. To turn my gaze inward and take responsibility for my own feelings, reactions and words. To gradually recognise what it is that I really need… and notice hjow that ebbs and flows with the cycles of the day, the moon, the months and the seasons.

Some days that might mean flowing with energy.

Other days it might mean finding a space to rest.

For me this is yoga.

One of the things I love about Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, is that it reminds us the changing seasons aren't just happening around us. They're happening within us too. When we begin to work with those natural rhythms, rather than constantly pushing against them, life often feels a little lighter, a little easier.

Never perfect. But perhaps a little more balanced.

When I first came to yoga, I thought I was learning how to move my body.

But now I realise I was learning something much bigger. This learning will never end. It is a constantly evolving, often confronting, but ultimately infinitely rewarding process of self discovery, self compassion, acceptance and love.

How to slow down without feeling guilty. How to pause and notice rather than rush. How to work with myself instead of against myself.

How to trust that there are seasons for growing, seasons for resting, and all are valuable and necessary.

Most of all, yoga has taught me that balance isn't something we strive to achieve. It's something we cultivate by listening more closely. To our bodies. To our breath. To our heart. To the season we're in. To the world around us. And as we do, perhaps we start to notice that we were never meant to move through life at the same pace all the time. We were always meant to ebb and flow.

This journal, this blog, is my invitation to explore that together.

Each month I'll be sharing reflections inspired by the seasons, yoga, Ayurveda and the little lessons I'm learning along the way. Not because I've mastered any of it, but because I believe we're all finding our own rhythm, one season at a time.

And if you'd like to experience that beyond these words, I'd love to welcome you to a class, a workshop, a retreat.

Whether you're completely new to yoga or you've been practising for years, you don't need to be more flexible, calmer or "better" before you arrive. You simply need to come as you are.

Together, we'll create space to breathe, to move, to listen and perhaps discover that balance isn't something we have to chase.

It's something we can create by working with ourselves, rather than against ourselves.

I'd love you to join me. Laura x