My journey with yoga began in the nineties, to help me manage anxiety and back pain. Almost immediately, I fundamentally benefited from all that yoga had to offer me; physically, emotionally and spiritually. Teaching yoga quickly became a natural progression for me, and I completed my British Wheel of Yoga Diploma over the next three years, where I was fortunate to have incredible teachers in both the Iyengar and Viniyoga traditions. I began teaching my first yoga classes shortly after my teacher training began in 1999. During this period, I also received my Reiki 1 and 2 attunements.

In 2003, I became pregnant with my first child. Further training and specialising in Yoga for Pregnancy flowed organically from here, using my own experiences to enhance my offerings. My pregnancy classes were an instant success, promoted wholeheartedly by the Essex midwifery team, many of whom became clients themselves. I gave couples birthing workshops and was guest speaker for the NHS Birthing Festival. After having my son, I went on to train further in postnatal yoga with Birthlight. My training continued to evolve alongside motherhood and having my second child, gaining qualifications in Toddler Yoga, Yoga for Children and finally, Yoga for Children with Developmental Challenges.

With my children now grown up and my pregnancy teaching days behind me, women’s health remains today at the forefront of my yoga journey. Yoga is for all seasons and cycles of a woman’s life, and I support this passionately in my teachings. By offering exclusively women-only classes, I seek to cultivate a peaceful inner empowerment through which to navigate life’s transitions, expanding in both strength and softness, symbolising healthy ageing in both mind and body, and embracing our divine feminine.

Rachel Griffin

Credit: Jon Wills Photography