I’ve always been driven to get to the very essence of things, to look below the surface and try to understand the driving principles of life. I was lucky enough to meet my first teacher Prem Rawat at the tender age of eighteen and I was initiated into a profound Meditation practice that I still use to this very day. Spirituality swiftly became the cornerstone of my life and helped me to get to grips with life’s ups and downs.
After many years of meditation practice and some time abroad, I started practising Classical Yoga at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in London. I gained a broad foundation in all the main doctrines of Yoga, including Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha, Karma Yoga, philosophy and Mantra. I took this foundation to the next stage of my journey and went on to explore Asana more deeply with Iyengar Yoga teachers. At this time in my life, I was so inspired by this approach that I trained to become a teacher at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in London but pulled out after almost 2 years because in my heart I knew that Iyengar wasn’t the right path for me because I missed the spiritual tenets of my earlier training. I spent a lot of time soul searching and teaching in Ashrams in India and America and eventually returned to the integral model of Yoga teaching which I have largely maintained to this day. I decided to become a British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) teacher to gain a national recognised qualification and provide me with the space to use a variety of techniques that I had learned over the years. I have stayed with the BWY ever since.
At about the same time as Yoga, I also started to learn Astrology. I always sensed that there was a cosmic intelligence behind life events and Astrology brought me one step closer to understanding life’s secret machinery. Astrology is like the algebra of life in the sense that it teaches us about the symbolic nature of reality. I remain awe-inspired by its profound outlook to this day.
I trained to become an Astrologer and gained a Diploma from the Faculty of Astrological Studies in 1995. I’ll never forget the day I received my Diploma from Dr Liz Greene, a famous astrological psychotherapist, after a 4 year slog! I went on to learn Advanced Astrology with the awesome Dennis Elwell for another 3 years. Thereafter, I started teaching and practising the art.
You may have worked out by now that I am very mercurial. I have a love of learning and teaching about health and spirituality and this has very much been the main signature of my life. As a preparation for a future career in healthcare, in 1990, I trained in Massage Therapy (ITEC) then went on to study Aromatherapy for a year at the Institute of Traditional Herbalism and Aromatherapy in 1995. This provided me with the necessary foundations as a healthcare practitioner.
A question I could never resolve in myself was how to best integrate all the skill and knowledge I’d acquired over the years to serve people and spirit. I seemed to be living in many different bubbles and needed a common theme. Ayurveda integrates the spirituality of Yoga in its philosophy, the wisdom of Astrology in its diagnosis and the healing power of herbs and physical therapies in its techniques. It seemed to be the ideal vehicle for me to practice in. It is a coherent and powerful system of healing that dates back 5000 years.
Ayurveda means “science of life” and is the ancient healing system of India. The opportunity to do the first degree of its kind came up in London in 2000 and I simply couldn’t resist. I qualified in 2003 and have been offering consultations, workshops and courses ever since.
| Year | Qualification | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Diploma in Aromatherapy | Aromatherapy 1 year training at Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy. |
| 1996 | Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Kerala | Intensive training in Sivananda tradition which includes all main doctrines of Yoga |
| 1996-98 | Iyengar Yoga Institute, London | Two year training in Hatha Yoga as taught by BKS Iyengar |
| 1998-2001 | British Wheel of Yoga Teacher’s Diploma | Qualified and insured with the governing body of Yoga |
| 2000-2003 | BA Hons Ayurveda | 3 year full time degree from Thames Valley University followed by 6 months clinical training in India. |
| 2005 | Certificate in Thai Yoga Massage | 4 month intensive in Traditional Thai Yoga Massage Southern style at City Lit, London. |
| 2012 | Wat Po Traditional Medical School | Certificate in Traditional Thai Massage |
| 2017 | Body Harmonics, Cheltenham Maria Mercati | Diploma in Acupuncture |
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