Thanks for dropping by 😊
Hello (*stands up) I’m Paula, aka Yogi Bird and yoga has truly changed my life!
I’m a North London gal living in the Midlands since 2001 and share my life with my (very patient) husband and many rescue furry and feathery babies. And here I am sharing with you a little about my own yoga journey.
As a child and teenager, I was extremely sporty and an accomplished gymnast, representing my school and county. But gymnastics was where my passion lay and maybe that’s what drew me to yoga as I got older – I somewhat viewed it as gymnastics for grownups. It was over 20 years ago I visited my first class but that was where my yoga would start and finish – on the mat. I enjoyed my ‘workout’ and stretching myself into ‘shapes’ but it has only been in more recent years that I have come to realise, yoga is so much more than just exercise and reaches way beyond the mat. In 2013 I left my sales and marketing career and studied for a more challenging and rewarding one in teaching. A few years later I had what I can only describe as a calling and took steps towards gaining my yoga teacher qualification and completed my diploma in 2017. Nothing could quite prepare me for how my training would change my life and I soon realised this was literally just the start of a whole new chapter. This led me to study and train in more specific areas of yoga, such as Yin, Menopause and Nidra – I am a self-confessed course addict! I love to learn and am continually updating and expanding my yoga and teaching knowledge and love sharing this with my students.
So why do I love yoga so much? Well, as someone who has ‘burnt out’ and experienced injury and illness, as well as long standing issues with my weight, I know first-hand the physical and psychological affects this can have on an individual. I totally understand how difficult it can be to love yourself and find the courage to go to a class for the first time – Especially when you are carrying extra weight or harbouring old injuries and negative self-belief. I believe yoga is for everyone and every body. I love creating a safe non-judgemental space where people can come and practice yoga. An environment we can all benefit from. So, whether it be working towards a fitter, stronger more flexible you. Or taking some ‘me time’, reducing anxiety or learning to relax. It’s all there within reach via yoga. I like to call it ‘yoga magic’.
I celebrated my 50th birthday a couple of years ago and think, feel, breathe, and move better than I have ever done. But like most I am definitely a work in progress and my age comes with many new challenges and the biggest being the menopause. Quite honestly, I don’t know how I’d survive without my yoga. It has changed my life and literally gives me superpowers! Therefore, it is my intention to help you find ‘your yoga’ and your superpowers. So, I invite you to join me on the mat… Bat cape and tights are optional 😉