The Woman

“The tiny seed knew that in order to grow, it needed to be dropped in the dirt, covered in darkness, struggle to reach the light.”   -Sandra Kring

 

People may see me now, strong , compassionate, beautiful, confident, and full of love, and think that I was born this way. It is easy for us to believe that successful people have clean easy paths paved from the start.  But much like the lotus flower that grows big and beautiful out of muddy waters, it is our hardships and how we overcome them that make us who we truly are.

I came from a single parent family in a very rough area of Blackpool, UK. My mum suffered from mental health issues and I started working at 11 years old. At the age of 15 my mother asked me to leave. We hadn’t been getting along so I left, feeling truly unsupported.

I was drawn to the entertainment industry, a passion of mine, but also wanting to fill this emptiness with acceptance and applause. I learned my trade on the go, luckily with the loving support of my grandmother who was also in showbusiness. I got my first professional gig at the age of 19 and by 21 was traveling the world working on cruise ships.

Boys have been another big part of my life, another means of trying to fill a void in my heart. I was in continuous unhealthy relationships from the age of 15. During the 5 years I spent on the cruise ships I did end up with a boyfriend who was into spirituality. My senses were awoken but I still wasn’t ready. We had a relationship for a few years that ended in a really rough way and left me in one of the darkest periods of my life. I ended my contract and was back in the UK. Not long after this I sang at a talent show that ended in me getting booed off stage. This was my “rock bottom”.

I spent a few days crying, as you do… but I was far from finished! These are the times when we have the most potential for growth. Starting from the bottom. I collaborated with a musician friend of mine named Rob Bee and after a few months we landed a gig at the ITC Sheraton in Mumbai, India. There I was able to perfect my craft singing 4 x 45min sets a night. It was also a wonderful place to heal my heart. It was by chance that there was a yoga school not far away from the hotel. I dove in head first. It was only then that my world and my mental head space started to change. I certified, as a yoga teacher, a few months later and never felt so good. I went on living and working in India. I spent my days volunteering at a local orphanage and working along side a very expert yoga teacher named Chandu. In the evenings I was singing at the hotel. I practiced a very yogic lifestyle with a lot of solitude.

In 2013 my grandma became ill and I returned to the UK. Here I started my yoga business. I had just come out of my last toxic relationship, which he ended via text message and a few days later I found out I was pregnant.  I used yoga guidelines for my strength. The pregnancy was ectopic. My focus was so set on helping others that I remember teaching the same day.

I knew then as I know now, I have truly found my path. I have been equipped with the experience to make me strong, to make me compassionate, and I have so much to give. I want to help people. People that feel like I have felt in the past. My mission is to spread the message of breath and yoga in a fun way, to tell stories and share smiles, to help people not feel so alone in their lives. I have a passion for teaching people from all backgrounds, experience of guiding people through recovery, and the tools to prescribe the limbs of yoga in a therapeutic way. I love writing books and songs for the younger generations and I am devoted to helping children that are lost, like I was growing up. To send them the message that they are loved and that they are enough.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” – Franklin D Roosevelt