Ayesha laughs. She is wearing a white dress

Hello, dear One

Welcome to she who lives, a whole-istic wellness space bringing together transformative practices that have changed my life and that I hope will change yours too!

My name is Ayesha, which translates as she who lives, feminine, or womanly. It's taken me almost 40 years to understand why I was given this name and to start to hold, share and embody this energy. My great wish for us all is to learn how to fully express the highest aspects of who we are, to live life fully, and to share our unique gifts with the world.

Scroll down for an overview of what I offer, or go here to read more about my own spiritual journey.

𓆸 I want to flourish 𓆸

Offerings

Through more than 20 years on the spiritual path, I now have the great privilege to share the practices that have had biggest impact on my own life. I am dedicated to empowering others who want to live happy, healthy, embodied lives.

Ayesha does navasana (boat pose) outside

Yoga

Yoga is not just exercise, but a way of life that connects the body, mind and soul. Whether you come for a group class or a one-to-one session, I aim to introduce you to the transformative power of traditional lineage-based yoga and to support you on your own journey of Self-discovery.

Vedic Astrology

Understanding my birth chart changed my life. The position of the planets at the time of our birth provides insights into the mysteries of our life's purpose and where we might face challenges. If you are ready to go beyond your sun sign and gain a deeper understanding of your karmic blueprint, this one is for you!

Bodywork

Massage is magic! It can promote relaxation and support the body's natural healing process. It can also help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and reduce inflamation. Choose from Thai Yoga Massage or Holistic Massage and leave feeling refreshed and revitalised.

Moon circles

Take your seat with other local women walking the spiritual path at one of my moon circles in Banbury or Oxford. These ritual circles include teachings on the astrological symbolism associated with each moon as well as carefully chosen practices to support the energetic shifts taking place at that time.

Energy medicine

Feeling a little rundown? Going through big life changes? Energy work can help support the natural flow of prana (life energy) when we need it most. My unique approach integrates reiki and seichim with crystals and sound to create a truly holistic healing experience.

Spiritual Mentoring

Accountability can support our growth and personal transformation. If you have reached a plateau with your practice or are feeling unsettled or uneasy in your life, a coach or mentor can help you re-connect with your purpose and foster a deeper connection with your Self.

I would love to support you.

Join the community

𓋹 Sign up to the newsletter 𓋹

Eva Kalogiannaki

"Ayesha knows the physical body very well, and she understands the holistic needs of her clients. The personal care and attention left me totally restored and invigorated, and the fragrant oils and candles add to the whole experience. I would highly recommend Ayesha as a massage therapist"

Becca Ryder

"Ayesha's yoga classes are the perfect mix of physical movement, breathwork and mantra. With her support my physical practice has deepened and I always leave feeling a sense of clarity and space for myself. I feel very lucky to have such an amazing teacher."

Marie Foster

"The vedic astrology reading that I received from Ayesha was incredibly accurate and insightful. It gave me a new perspective on my life and how to navigate the challenges that I was facing. Thank you!"

Follow me on instagram

@ayeshaaliyoga

✨️Connection✨️

🔮Magic happens when women sit together. We can laugh, cry, hold space for one another, and support one another through this journey we call life.

It doesn't matter what where we come from, what we believe or what we do for work. We re-learn how to meet one another as the radient expressions of divine consciousness that we are. We can abandon jealousy, spitefulness and competitiveness with other women and embrace one another with love and support. And, when we meet others this way, we eventually learn to meet ourselves in this way too ❤️

Join us @templeofyogastudio for a twice monthly women's circle to mark the full and new moon 🌚

Tonight is a particularly special ritual as we mark the solar eclipse with six planets all coming together in dreamy, spiritual Pisces ♓️. We are turning the page to begin a new chapter, perhaps even a new book for some of us! 📖

Your seat awaits you, sister! See you in the circle 🔵

Link to book in bio or DM for more info.
#BanburyYoga #banbury #banburyshire #banburywellbeing #womenscircle #womensupportingwomen #banburywomen #spirituality

🎥 Reformer Pilates & Yoga: The Perfect Duo 🧘‍♀️🤸‍♀️

🌟 “Balance isn’t about doing just one thing—it’s about finding harmony in many.” 🌟

As a yoga teacher, I’ve always loved the flow, mindfulness, and deep connection yoga brings. But when I stepped onto the reformer, I discovered a whole new way to support and enhance my practice. Here’s why Reformer Pilates makes the perfect complementary movement practice to yoga:

✨ Core Strength, Reimagined
Reformer Pilates takes core activation to a new level. The controlled, precise movements build a rock-solid foundation that translates into stronger arm balances, steadier standing poses, and better posture on and off the mat.

✨ Mindful Movement Meets Resistance
The reformer’s springs offer resistance that challenges muscles differently than yoga does. It builds strength and endurance without bulk—perfect for transitions and maintaining alignment in your flow.

✨ Joint-Friendly & Restorative
With its low-impact nature, Pilates is a fantastic way to stay active on recovery days or when your body craves something gentler. It supports injury prevention and recovery too, so you can keep showing up for your practice.

✨ Awareness in Action
Just like yoga, reformer Pilates emphasises breath and alignment. By honing your body awareness in Pilates, you’ll find yourself moving with more intention and grace on the mat.

💡 We now have a small reformer studio in Banbury with just two reformers, offering a personalised and intimate experience. Contact @lisa.thevitalitycoach to find out more!

#ReformerPilates #YogaAndPilates #MindfulMovement #CoreStrength #YogaTeacherJourney #yogabanbury #banburyshire #banbury

I am officially teaching our first class in the studio this morning. We suddenly found out that we could open on Friday this week so I've not promoted it beyond the usual crew so it will be a small but perfectly formed group. I will share more about the New timetable later today🩷

✨ Diwali, Lakshmi, and the New Moon in Libra ✨

As millions around the world gathered to celebrate Diwali, we find ourselves in alignment with the new moon in Libra, a time that encourages balance, harmony, and relationships. Just as we illuminate our surroundings with lights, this celestial moment invites us to turn inward and reflect on our connections with others and ourselves.

Goddess Lakshmi embodies abundance and prosperity, reminding us that true wealth comes from harmony in our lives. Under the new moon’s influence, let’s set intentions that focus on nurturing relationships, fostering peace, and inviting balance into our lives.

My prayer this year, may we clear the darkness within and around us, creating space for new beginnings and the beauty of connection. Let’s embrace the light of compassion, forging paths that bring us closer together in unity and understanding.

If you're in pr around Oxford, join me to explore these themes tomorrow through a two hour Dharma class 1pm-3pm and a women's moon circle 3.30pm-4.45pm tomorrow @vishuddhayogaoxford

Wishing you all a Diwali filled with love, insight, and the blessings of the new moon!

#Diwali #GoddessLakshmi #NewMoonInLibra #Balance #Harmony #Intentions #Unity

🌿✨ magic ✨🌿

For many years, headstand, or Sirsasana, seemed impossible. I told myself that there was a biomechanical reason why I couldn't do it and whenever headstand was offered, I (a) talked it down in my head, 'this isn't what yoga is about' etc. And (b) opted out.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with opting out of something, anything, because your body says NO! If you are in pain, if you are exhausted, if you feel like it just won't serve you today, please please please opt out. AND, we need to learn to recognise when we are opting out, and when we are really running away.

Working with the poses we find most challenging, whatever they are, provides the opportunity to do just this.

Just like all things, at first, balancing upside down can feel impossible. You wobble, fall, and maybe question whether you'll ever find your footing—or, in this case, your head! But mastery comes from dedication, effort, and learning be with our own discomfort. 🙏

✨ Benefits of Headstands: ✨

✨️Improves circulation: Inverting the body encourages fresh blood flow to the brain and organs.

✨️Boosts focus & mental clarity: Increased blood flow to the brain sharpens concentration and memory.

✨️Strengthens core & upper body: Engages the muscles of the core, shoulders, and arms for better strength and stability.

✨️Improves balance: Trains your body and mind to find stillness in challenging situations.

✨️Relieves stress: Calms the mind and body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

✨️Rejuvenates the body: Inversion has a refreshing, energizing effect, leaving you feeling more alive and awake.

Everyone's body is different. For some, headstands may come easily; for others, it might take years to build the strength and balance needed. And that’s OK! We don’t have to perfect it in the first lesson—or even the hundredth. In fact, that's the point. Put in the time and effort, embrace the process, and don't give up just because you can't do it on the first try.

Magic 🪄 happens when we step outside our comfort zone. Trust the process, honor your journey, and keep showing up for yourself. 🙌💪

ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏꜱᴇ ᴄᴏɴꜱɪꜱᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴘᴇᴛᴀʟꜱ ʜᴇʟᴅ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, ꜱᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴛᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴꜰᴏʟᴅᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏᴜʟ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ Qᴜᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ.

🌹When symbols show up all around us, it is time to take note.

🌹The rose has been growing in my consciousness over the past few years, but these past few months, she has taken on her own life. I took this photo earlier this week outside our new studio space. Three beautiful pink roses - the only flowers still in bloom anywhere in sight.

🌹This summer, I attended a workshop with the luminous Mara Freeman, where she introduced us to two key archetypes she works with - the grail and the rose. The rose, just like the lotus, grows out of the mud. She also has thorns to contend with. When her petals open and she comes to bloom, she entreats all those around her to vibrant colour, rich velvety petals, and that gorgeous smell.

🌹The rose is a symbol of flourishing, blossoming, or of fulfilling our spiritual destiny. Just like the lotus. She is our indigenous equivalent.

ɪɴ ꜱᴘɪʀɪᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴀʟᴄʜᴇᴍʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴘᴇᴛᴀʟꜱ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴇ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴄɪᴏᴜꜱɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ʀᴏꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.

🌹The symbolism of the white and red roses also mirrors that of the divine masculine and feminine we find in yoga and tantra, the union between them being one way to understand 'liberation' or moksha.

🌹Lady rose has brought me into a world of magic and myth that exists on the land under our feet. Our islands are full of rich mystery traditions that are complex and deep rooted. I'm feeling called to incorporate more into my studies and teachings. Let's see what comes through 🌸❤️🌿🌹

#rosemysteries
#rose
#whiterose
#redrose
#myth
#rosesymbolism
#yogastudent

☀️Have you been struggling to find the energy to drive projects forward? ☀️

If you have any Leo ascendant people in your life, you will know that just to stand in the light of their radiance is a great blessing. It's like receiving the warmth of the sun. It's energising and makes us feel better about all things in life!

🦁 Whilst in Tropical astrology (western astrology) Leo season began almost a month ago, in the sidereal system used in vedic astrology, the sun moved into Leo only this weekend! Cancer season, which came before, is a more introspective time, with our attention focused on the home and family. Now, our attention is drawn more to the Self, and to its outward expression in the world around us. We are being invited to consider how we can shine our own warm, radiant glow out into the world and onto those around us.

🦁 There's actually a lot of energy in Leo right now with both Mercury in retrograde and Venus sitting together with the sun in Leo. These planets are not always easy friends, but from a yogic perspective, there is the opportunity to reveal and shine light on our patterns and tendencies relating to how we think and how we love. Understanding has the power to bring transformation.

🦁 We have the power, the fortitude, and the passion and dynamism of the Leoline energy behind us in our endeavors right now.

🦁 If you have unfinished projects in your life or have been waiting for the right moment to move things forward, now could be a great time.

🦁 Take a look at your chart and see which domain of your life is governed by Leo. Projects and activities related to this domain will likely be particularly successful 💚

#vedicastrology
#yogicastrology
#yoga
#yogastudent
#astrology
#leo
#suninleo
#suninleo♌
#astrologer
#vedicastrologer
#jyotish

Gu-ru
.dispeller of darkness
.
Guru Brahmā
Guru Viṣṇu
Guru devo
Maheśvaraḥ
Guruḥ sākṣāt
Paraṁ Brahma
Tasmai śrī
Gurave namaḥ
.
Our creation is that guru (Brahma-the force of creation)
The duration of our lives is that guru (Vishnu-the force of preservation)
Our trials, tribulations, illnesses, calamities, and the death of the body is that guru (devo Maheshwara-the force of destruction or transformation)
There is a guru nearby (Guru Sakshat)
and a guru that is beyond the beyond (param Brahma)
I make my offering (tasmai) to the beautiful (shri) Remover of my darkness, my ignorance; (Guru) it is to you I bow and lay down my life.
.
I hear a lot about post-lineage yoga and going it alone now adays on the yoga scene. I went to my first yoga class in 2000, and a lot has changed since then! The Spice Girls were still together, no one was wearing £120 yoga leggings, and social media had'nt been invented yet! Today, teachers are changed as often as t-shirts and Guru has been replaced with superstar online teachers. As yoga has become more popular, something really fundamental has been lost. The relationship with the teacher.

There is a difference between teacher and Guru in the Indian tradition. A Guru is traditionally an enlightened master. One who is Self-realised and can share the way with others. Yogananda said 'the blind cannot lead the blind'. When we are fumbling in the dark, how can we shine a light for others? Or, indeed, for ourselves? As a teacher who is definitely not Self-realised this is something I challenge myself on often. And, I think it is healthy to do so. How can I live the values of yoga more fully? Where am I struggling? Where do I need support from a teacher or mentor?

A true Guru holds the mirror up for you to see yourself. He sees you completely, and in that seeing, you are given the grace to see yourself.

For all those who have in some way shone a light into the darkness on my path, I am eternally grateful.

To my dear dear Guru Dharmaji, thank you for showing the way. Always with kindness, a smile and deep love and understanding for us all ✨️

Jai

#gurupurnima #yogateacher #yogastudent

On purpose 💚

Definition from the psychological literature: A purpose in life represents a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once personally meaningful and at the same time leads to productive engagement with some aspect of the world beyond the self (Damon, Menon, & Bronk, 2003).
.....

From The Yoga Sutras:

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds.

Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world (Patanjali).
.....

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
.....

Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself—be it a meaning to fulfil or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to
love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself (Victor Frankl).
.....

Purpose has been identified as one of the core contributors to human flourishing. But what is it? It seems as though we intuitively know that a sense of purpose will benefit us, but in Western cultures, we have mistakenly replaced purpose with goal setting and to do lists. I think one of the reasons why so many of us fill our time with so many things is that we don't have a clear sense of purpose. When our lives are filled with actions that align with our purpose, we are more likely to feel a sense of completeness when we finish them. However, when we take on goals that are divorced from any sense of direction, it's like eating empty calories. We are hungry again an hour later.

Yoga provides tools to quieten the mind and expand the heart. When we are able to listen, to really listen, we are able to hear the whispers of our own heart guiding us on our path.

This Sunday, join me for a Dharma Yoga workshop where we will explore the concept of emergent purpose. Expect mantra, asana and meditation. Read more and book via the link in my bio 💚

The solstice sun has brought so much exciting energy with him this week ✨️

Do you feel it?

The Sun is still in the airy sign of Gemini and will stay there until 16 July when he moves into Cancer.

Gemini is the synthesiser of the star gang and brings a playful and curious energy into our lives. Whilst sometimes Gemini can be seen as unpredictable (it is an air sign after all) or two-faced, I prefer to think of it more as an energy that brings the ability to turn our hand ✋️ to anything. Think, those people in your life who seem to have a million strings to their bow and can get along with anyone!

In vedic astrology, we work with a more specific position of each planet to give us a more nuanced understanding of the energy of the moment. These placements are called nakshatras. On the solstice, the sun was in the nakshatra of Arda, which is ruled by Rudra, the most fierce and destructive form of Lord Shiva. In one story about him from the Vishnu Purana, he appears in the form of Ardhanari (half male and half female, shiva-shakti in one body, like the Gemini twins). The male part splits himself into eleven Rudras, some are fierce and some benign. The female part does the same, creating eleven shaktis to match the eleven Rudras. Like Gemini, there is a sense that the whole is made of many parts, all different in character, with different faces and different qualities. The transformation that fierce deities like Rudra offer comes through realising and integrating our shadows as part of the whole. Through this synthesising of self we achieve yoga or union.

We are being invited to expand our repertoire in life, to explore new things, and to lean into our relationships. Through new experiences and standing in the mirror of the other, we can shine light onto those parts of ourselves that have been left in darkness.

Solstice brings this expression of energy into our lives until at least the winter solstice when a new cycle begins again 💫

Prepare for change! In the end, we are all dancing to the beat of Rudras drum 🥁

☼Solstice magick abound this weekend ☼
....Sound on
....link in bio
@the_barn_studio_northants
#northamptonshire
#banburyyoga
#yogabanbury
#yogaoxfordshire
#banburyshire

The magick of your ancestral roots ☥

I am sitting in the garden under a sunny new moon sky, reflecting on a week of diving deep into my paternal ancestral lands.

On the full moon in Scorpio 2024, my sister and I were handed our Egyptian ID cards after a year-long journey of toing and froing with solicitors, notaries, the Egyptian consulate, the Egyptian Government and the UK Government. This wasn't a one form deal. It took a concerted effort, and many people asked me why I was bothering. Honestly, when I started, I didn't know. I just knew I needed to do it.

This was my first visit back since I spent two years living in Egypt in my early 20s. I knew then that there was a need to connect with these genetically coded roots. But I struggled. Culturally, I was an outsider. I was British, not Egyptian. So, I left age 24 a little defeated, exhausted, and not knowing when I would return.

Identity is a fascinating subject and one I am now pursuing for my PhD. How we perceive ourselves and how we show up in the world shapes our reality. I grew up in '80s and '90s in a time when no-one could pronounce my name, the only girls who got picked to play angels in the nativity play at school were white and blonde and we sang neo-Christian songs about God in our morning assemblies. This was not a time to stand out as an immigrant and my Mum and Dad simply wanted us to do well at school and get jobs that would mean we didn't have to worry about ethnicity or background. My Egyptianness was not instilled as part of my identity.

So, I grew up British. Proud of British multiculturalism, proud of our democracy, and of our liberal values. So much so that I drank the cool aid and believed that our way of doing things was optimal, and that ideally, other cultures should adapt to do things the way that we do.

Fast forward to Ayesha, age 22, in Egypt, and you can understand why I was confronted. These people were my kinsmen and women. And yet their way of being was entirely different to mine. I wanted to feel connected, but I felt frustrated, alien and other. I was looking for a place where I fitted and I hadn't found it.

Read more in comments....

A weekend of blessings ✨️

A lot has changed since the last time our wonderful teacher Dharmaji came to London five years ago!

I have travelled to New York more times than I can count to be in the same room as him. We had a global pandemic which brings him into my home virtually every week. I have developed friendships with many of the beautiful Dharma Yoga family who came to London this time around, and I am sharing yoga in Sri Dharma's footsteps in and around Banbury and Oxford.

I was super proud that this time around I was accompanied by my husband Eddie who has also taken advanced training with Sri Dharma in recent years, and three wonderful ladies who I have had the honour of sharing Dharma Yoga with for a little while now. It was lovely to witness them have this magical transmission that I still experience every time I have the opportunity to be in person with Dharmaji.

The end of a weekend with the Dharma Yoga tribe is always bittersweet. There's nowhere else I'd rather be, and yet it inevitably always has to come to an end.

Even in these goodbyes, Sri Dharma is teaching us. I am reminded of the most fundamental yogic teachings. We are all One and, therefore, never really apart. And, all material things must eventually come to an end. The end is also the beginning 💫🪷

Thank you @dharmayoganyc @indabayoga for making this weekend possible. It really was a beautiful experience that will stay with me always ❤️

#yogastudent #dharmayoga #yogateacher

Home and filled with the joys of beautiful Beltane celebrations yesterday in Glastonbury.

I have been chanting Sita Ram the past few weeks in my practice. It feels like the perfect mantra for these soft spring days 🌸💐

I'm looking forward to sharing this mantra with yogis in Oxford this weekend @vishuddhayogaoxford as part of my Dharma Yoga class and in my women's circle. There's still space to join if youre feeling the call. DM me for all the info 🌸♥️

#bhakti
#yogastudent
#yogateacher
#sitaram
#yogaoxfordshire

....

Hail to the Divine couple, Goddess Sita and Lord Ram, who dwell in the entire universe and all of creation; eternally luminous and shining as celestial moonlight. We humbly bow with folded palms at Your lotus feet."  ~ Jai Uttal

"I offer my reverence to Rama's beloved Sita, the source of the world's creation, maintenance and destruction, the remover of all miseries and the bringer of all auspiciousness."  ~ Ramayana (Tulsi Das)

"Sita's devotion to her husband Rama exemplifies the perfect attitude of the soul toward the Supreme."  ~ Krishna Dharma

Thanks to Bhakti breakfast club for these beautiful illuminating quotes ✨️

ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕆𝕩𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 🔵

I've been running my Banbury moon circles for a little while now, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to bring these transformational sessions to women in and around Oxford @vishuddhayogaoxford.

What is a women's circle, and why are they so wonderful?
In societies across the world, women have traditionally gathered together for many reasons. As women, we share the female body life stage experience of menstruation, motherhood for some, and menopause for all.

We also share the experience of being women in a patriarchal society. Many of us, sadly, will be exposed to sexualisation, sexual violence, and/or sexism in our lifetime. A women-only space can provide a safe container in which we can experience and express ourselves fully without the male gaze.

Through these women's circles we will have the opportunity to meet like-minded women, to hold space for one another, to sing, to chant and to learn about the movement of the moon, how it relates to our inner world, and to attune to the natural rhythms and cycles of our bodies too.

These monthly circles will be themed around the astronomical placement of the moon and other planets with interpretation from vedic astrology. In India, vedic astrology goes hand in hand with yoga and ayurveda. They say that vedic astrology is the science of light. Light and sound being the two great forms of energy in our solar system. ✨️

To make these sessions as affordable and inclusive as possible they are part of the regular class passes @vishuddhayogaoxford which means if you already practice at the studio you can book a spot as part of your regular package of classes. If you don't already practice at the studio, this is a great excuse to start!

It's one of the most beautiful studios I've ever been to - and I've practised in some pretty gorgeous spaces around the world! We are very lucky to have such a beautiful space in Oxford. We will be having tea, coffee, and treats before the circle so please do come a little early to say hello 👋

Link to book via my bio ♥️
DM with and questions

#oxfordshire #oxfordyoga #oxford #oxfordwoman #oxfordwomen #womenscircle #astrology

“Each day is a secret story woven around the radiant heart of wonder. The sacred duty of being an individual is to gradually learn how to live so as to awaken the eternal within you.”
~John O'Donohue

♡ Duty. It's not a very trendy word. Is it?

It's one that has been coming up a lot for me. Duty to my-Self, duty to my family, to my community. What does this mean for practice?

I've been contemplating, reading, and listening to teachings around the role of the individual vs. the collective in spiritual practice. It's fascinating how spiritual life in the yoga world in the West is so individual-centric. The obsession with our bodies, our feelings, and our thought processes has, for the most part, overridden the importance of 'Thou', the other, or God.

The psychologisation of yoga (bringing Western psychological concepts and theories into yoga) has meant that for many of us, we see and experience our practice as being solely about us. Our experience, our transformation, and our liberation. But can we ever really be free if we are so self obsessed?

Freedom comes from awakening to the reality that consciousness is part of us, but that we are also part of consciousness. The drop of water from the ocean is still the ocean, is it not? It is through our relationships with others and direct engagement with the world that we come to experience ourselves as part of the whole 💚

Video x3.5 speed
Random snip of practice in Tenerife last week

#yogabanbury #yogaoxfordshire #yogaoxford

🌑 Solar eclipse in Pisces ✨️🪷

According to astronomical placement, this solar eclipse is taking place in Pisces. Whilst it is a total eclipse in the US, in most of the rest of the world, it is a partial eclipse peaking in the evening in the UK and Europe. This is the last new moon of the astrological calendar in the vedic system, and therefore, tomorrow begins the new year proper as the moon moves into Aries ♈️.

Not only is this the last moon of the current cycle, it is taking place in the very last nakshatra🌙 of Revati, which is ruled over by Pushan, the Cosmic Shepherd who guides souls to their final destination from earthly to heavenly realms.

This really is the theme of this eclipse, bridging between the earthly 🌎- the physical, and the heavenly- the spiritual. Pisces ♓️ is the sign of the mystical, the unseen, and the non-physical, whilst Virgo ♍️ , the other part of the 6-12 axis, is associated with the body, the physical and the known.

At this time, when the intuitive has been cast aside for scientific explanation and analysis, and body health is pursued in isolation from whole-istic perspectives, we are being invited to consider and heal our relationship with the unseen.

Many of us, especially women, have suppressed our womb wisdom, our intution, our gut feel🔻. We have exchanged embodied wisdom for intellect, artistic expression for analytical endeavours, and the mystical with the analytical.

As always, healing requires balance and integration. It's not about casting out the mind or the intellect altogether, but rather harnessing it and uniting it once again with the power of intuition and spirit 🪷

It's said that any practice you do during an eclipse is multiplied by 1,000 times. Why not take this time to connect with the spirit of Pisces. The dreamy intuitive who is connected with guru wisdom, divine consciousness itself. You can dance, sing, chant mantras, meditate, or allow your body to move spontaneously. Anything you feel brings you closer to your intuitive soul self ✨️

As we move into the new astrological year, how will you bring spirit into your life? How will you honour the divine spark that dwells within?

✨️✨️✨️

🪷On the light within 🪷

Going deeper requires us to go deeper!
As Ram Das said, "You don't stand at the temple door, you go into the temple".

The body is the temple, but we have to go beyond the surface level. Beyond the flesh and bones, the fancy leggings, the asana on tropical beaches. Beyond the conditioning and the ego, the expectation, the suffering, and the ecstasy.

Asana will take us so far, but the greatest transformation requires the inclusion of more subtle practice, and a more nuanced relationtionship with our bodies. Service, prayer, breath, concentration, devotion, and mantra, these practices speak to the light within us. They're like a deep clean for the temple space, making way for the most beautiful energies to set up home within.

The reality is that these energies are always there within us. But, when the temple space has been left untended, they're much more difficult to connect with.

Our culture is one that is uncomfortable with the unseen. As a result spirituality is often separated from yoga asana. But, yoga is inherently a spiritual practice, and we are inherently spiritual beings. Human flourishing requires a spiritual heart. It is part of who we are. To deny it is to deny part of ourselves.

---

In my soul
There is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church
Where I kneel.
Prayer should bring us to an altar
Where no walls or names exist.

Is there not a region of love
Where the sovereignty is
Illumined,
Where ecstasy gets poured into itself
And becomes lost,
Where the wing is fully alive
But has no mind or body?

In my soul
There is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church
That dissolve,
That dissolve in God.

✨️Poem: Rabia Basri
📸 @juliannelreynolds
At #khamakyatemple
With @shaktitemplearts
🎵 me with insta announcer effect

#yoga #ishwarapranidhana #spiritualjourney
#sufism #poetry #yogabanbury #yogaoxfordshire #yoganorthamptonshire

First day of spring musings 🪷

And here we are. Since midwinter, the days have been getting lighter minute-by-minute. Today, we awakened to the first day of more light than darkness since autumn. The light from the sun is an energy that brings vitality, a more outward orientation, and a natural yearning to create and connect. It's my birthday in a few days, and in many ways, this is my season! But, there is part of me that is sad to let go of the snuggly comfort blanket winter I've just emerged from.

This winter has nourished me. It has been filled with writing, spiritual practice, sleep, food, and family time. Today, I feel thrust into the light, like a mole emerging from underground. Eyes sensitive, blind and a little scared. A new chapter is looming. Next month, I begin my studies towards a PhD! I've had to start clearing the ground for new shoots that are about to break through the earth.

In many ways, it feels like all my experiences in life have led me to this spring. The spring in the year of 8. The spring in the year of manifesting and making real one's destiny. Of leading the way in making change happen and breaking some new ground. Of reaping what has been sown. But, as one cycle ends another is just beginning. I'm planting new seeds that will need much tending and nourishment over the coming years, the fruits of which I cannot yet fully comprehend.

Today, was the first day of spring 2024, but it also felt like the first day of a very significant page turn. The start sets the tone. So, I did the things that best reflect the core values I would like to reflect in everything I touch. I served. I taught, I held space, and had the great privilege of working on clients' bodies. I took Coco for a walk and made time to stop and throw her ball for her for longer than usual. I talked to her, and she wagged her tail like a cutie.

As the days get lighter and brighter, we are given the great gift of time and energy. This energy is a sort of currency. We can choose how to spend it and how we spend it will shape us, and those around us. The seeds we sow now will grow. In this year of 8, what are you bringing above ground? What are you sharing?

Do you feel the call, dear one?
Are you yearning to lean into your intuitive wisdom?
Would you like to journey with a group of local sisters also on a spiritual path?
Are you interested in astrology and spiritual practices related to awakening and transformation?

Two seats have opened up in our Banbury moon circle for women. The circle takes place ahead of or on each new and full moon. Each circle provides an opportunity to sit in circle, to share, to sing, to undertake spiritual practice, and to tune into the astrological energies of the moment.

At each circle, I share a download on the position of the moon in relation to other planets, what it means for us, and practices we can undertake to connect and go deep with these astrological frequencies. Practices are undertaken in circle (these are not physical yoga practices) and are suitable for anyone who is ready to commit to their own spiritual development in a supportive woman-centred environment.

The circles take place at my home in the centre of Banbury, and it's my great pleasure to share my personal practice space with the women who join us.

If you are thinking about taking up the invitation, reach out and say hi, or book via the link in my bio ❤️🙏

Exchange: £66 for 6 circles over three months 🔵

Yummy green 💚 smoothies made with love and infused with springtime mantras this morning for our workshop

#cleaneating #greensmoothie #plantpowered #vegan #nutrition #alkaline #lowsugar #yogabanbury #ostara #ostarablessings #spring #yogaoxfordshire #yoganorthamptonshire

Love ❤️ and energy poured in as I made these for our spring equinox workshop tomorrow.

#cleaneating #vegan #plantpowered #plantpower #yogabanbury #yogaoxfordshire #yoganorthamptonshire

Musings on being uncomfortable.

On Sunday, I spent the day at the very beautiful @vishuddhayogaoxford studio in Oxford for an abdominal massage course.

I love massage, I love giving and receiving touch, and I love abdominal massage. But, it wasn't always this way. I remember how difficult it was to receive touch when I started on my spiritual journey. How difficult it was to be vulnerable, to allow someone access to my body, and to trust that they wouldn't hurt me.

Abdominal massage, in particular, is so beautiful because it is so intimate. Our tummys can be places that are never touched, that we hide, that we are ashamed of, and where we feel pain. For many reasons, touch here can be uncomfortable.

Yet, the antidote to this discomfort seems clear. Positive experiences of touch have completely changed the way I relate to my body and to my belly. Abdominal massage has been healing for me. Being with my discomfort and experiencing it fully has transformed it.

The modern yoga room reflects societal narratives around discomfort: that it is to be edited out of our lives and replaced with pleasure and enjoyment. But, this is something quite different to transforming it. I'm certainly not advocating for a practice that is unsafe or indeed painful. But, it seems to me that in our hope of creating safe spaces, we are inadvertantly saving our students from the opportunity to experience and engage with discomfort.

In traditional practice, we experience discomfort in challenge. That can be the physical challenge of attempting practice that pushes our edges and expands our movement repertoire. As well as the challenge of being confronted with practice that might not be immediately within our reach.

For most of us, growth, expansion, and transformation require us to identify and challenge the habits, patterns, and behaviours that have become comfortable. This is necessarily an uncomfortable process. It requires us to break down the walls that have protected us, but that also separate us. As Ram Das used to say, everyone talks about becoming someone, when really the trick is to become no-one. When we are able to become no-one we are fully united with the divine.

What is Dharma Yoga and why do we love it? ❤️

My journey with Dharma Yoga started almost ten years ago when I was in the throws of my ashtanga practice. I had started to seek out different approaches to Yoga as I kept injuring myself. So, I chose an 'advanced' class on a studio timetable (my ego was massive back then 😆)and rocked up to find students 'warming up' with inversions and deep stretches. My ego was challenged. Big time. Needless to say, I was not ready for this particular advanced class (I later found out that not all Dharma classes are like this one!) and I gave Dharma a wide birth for a few years.

Around 5 years later, I was in NYC for my sister's birthday and I made the decision to visit two studios that had established new approaches to Yoga and were based in the city- Jivamukti and Dharma. I went to Jivamukti and enjoyed the class, but it felt like any other good vinyasa class I'd taken. Then I went to meet Sri Dharma, and I fell in love.

I had travelled to India many times, hoping to find a teacher, someone who embodied the core teachings of yoga, and who I could learn more than asana from. I was not expecting to find him in NYC! From the moment I walked into the studio, I knew I was home. The students were peaceful, friendly, and kind. The receptionist Joann knew everybody (hundreds of students!) by name. The practice itself was challenging but slow and steady. Sri Dharma was in his late 70s at the time but was still playful and sharp. There was a sense of connection with tradition through Sri Dharma's teacher, Yogi Gupta, who was a contemporary of Sivananda and a well respected Guru in India and overseas.

It wasn't faddy, and Sri Dharma did not make it about himself. I found myself in the presence of someone who was in touch with his own consciousness and whose ego was on board and in check.

It's been 6 years now, practising with Sri Dharma consistently and teaching using his approach. He has changed me in ways that are difficult to explain. My practice is deeper and more subtle. The big postures don't feel big anymore, and I practice in a more mindful way with more meditation, breath focus and concentration. Continued in comments...

✨️ Being women ✨️

I've just completed the most gorgeous week of massage training with these beauties🌹

Every woman brought something different. Different backgrounds, different experiences, different fears, different senses of humour, different touch, different dreams 💫

As a young woman, I always felt that I was in competition with the women around me. Fighting to be the smartest, the most beautiful, and most skilled in everything I touched. It was exhausting! And, it made it hard to connect with other women. Our culture, which prioritises profit over people, often pits us against each other, making us competitors rather than collaborators in life.

My biggest work as a seeker has been to unpack this sense of division. To explore how I connect with others and why I feel disconnected from other women. Working with women in the office, on the mat and in trainings has enabled me to explore my own fears and barriers to being vulnerable and to being myself. How does the saying go, its never really about anyone else but you.

Understanding that our own behaviour shapes our relationships in the same way it shapes everything else in our lives is really a core teaching of yoga in my opinion. If I can learn how to stand on my head through practice, dedication, and commitment, I can really change just about anything else that's going on in my life. Yoga in combination with talking therapy, body therapy and studies in psychology has expanded my perspective on myself and therefore on others.

The practice of yoga invites us to understand ourselves and therefore others as divine. Over time, I have come to experience Her in all beings. When I see you in a class or hold space for you in a massage or circle, I believe that I'm holding space for God(dess). As my kriya teacher said, you are the living God. The divine is not dwelling somewhere beyond us. She is here. In the beautiful, in the ugly, in the sublime, in the mundane. We only have to look beyond our differences to see her in all her resplendent beauty, shining through and bowing Namaste back to us with a playful glint in her eye and a sway in her hips 🪷

Jai Ma🔻

#yogabanbury #womenscircle #banbury #oxfordshire

I do not cease swimming in the seas of love,
Rising with the wave, then descending;
Now the wave sustains me, and then i sink beneath it;
Love bears me away where there is no longer any shore🌹
Al Hallaj

योग
Yoga
To attach, join or yoke.

What is yoga? What are we joining or yoking to? How can our practice contribute to this joining or yoking?

I've had a wonderful week walking, eating, sleeping, and practising in beautiful Marrakech. This is a city filled with love. The months of work that go into every carpet, the care sellers in the souk take sweeping out their little part of the medina and the attention to detail of the food sellers in cutting and displaying fruit, juice and pastries is second to none.

The city is alive with beauty. It floats in the air as frankincense and as the ecstatic beats of drums and oud. Beauty winks at you in every smile, in every glint in the eye, in every in'shaallah and in every rose water delight.

This is my second time here, and this time around, I have been struck by the sweetness of the people. The Berber culture is one of artists, storytellers, and performers. Everyone is hustling to make a living, but when you connect with a smile, there's a softness and a kindness that shines through. There's a recognition of God in all people, and in the flow of things. From whether you will return to buy that cup tomorrow to whether you will meet again.

20 years in, I'm convinced this is what yoga is all about. Taking part in the great play. Connecting to everything that is. Being fully present, yet also not clinging to what unfolds. Surrendering to what the day brings and yet also collaborating to be the channel through which great beauty pours forth.

I don't know what God or the divine or consciousness is. What I do know is that love and beauty are Her language. When we become artists we co-create with the divine and find Her wherever we look ✨️

Classes start back on Tuesday next week with a new Wednesday night class with Eddie. The theme for this block will be artist-muse where we will explore beauty, artistry and divine play on and off the mat ❤️

#marrakech
#sufism
#divine
#yoga
#yogabanbury

Happy Friday and Happy New Moon in Capricorn
🌚 🐐

Capricorn is a sign of hard work, pragmatism, earthy realism, and taking action. But, whilst this feminine sea goat is a hard worker, she is also a mystical creature that straddles both land and sea.

Legend has it that when Capricorn is fully awakened she becomes a Unicorn! (pretty cool right!?).

Capricorn energy teaches us that with hard work, we can become something magical, but that transformation can not take place without discipline and commitment. In our culture of instant gratification, this is a lesson that we need to keep returning to again and again.

In Vedic astrology, Capricorn is associated with the tenth house, which rules Dharma in action. Today, the moon joins the Sun, Mercury and Mars in this sign and with all this Capricorn energy the focus is not only on taking action in general, but on taking action in ways in-keeping with our unique gifts. As the new moon energy is already one of introspection and inner journeying, this is the perfect time to reconnect with your core values, re-establish how you wish to show up in the world, and to make it happen.

With so much energy in Capricorn, one potential challenge could be to maintain balance between our work and home lives. Capricorn aspects Cancer reminding us to keep an eye on how we are nurturing ourselves and our relationships. This could also be the perfect time to establish rituals and practices that require our effort and dedication, but that serve our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

If you're feeling inspired to set wheels in motion, I still have a few spots left on my core values workshop tomorrow afternoon. We will work through introspective practices to uncover what we hold most dear, which can serve as a compass and blueprint for our everyday.

Tonights Womens' circle is full, but join the waitlist if you'd like to hear about the next quarter of circles, which starts in April.

You can read more about the New Moon in Capricorn on my blog and read more and book onto tomorrow's workshop on my booking site. Links are in my bio ✨️

#vedicastrology
#yogicastrology
#newmoon
#yogaoxfordshire
#yogabanbury
#mooncircle

Seasonal rituals to soothe the soul ✨️🌞🍂❄️

In yoga, the practice of yoking or joining, we often speak about dissolving or integrating polarities. Shiva-shakti, black-white, shadow-light, masculine-feminine, and sun-moon.

It's an absolute joy to offer women's circles aligned with the full and new moons. The lunar energy certainly carries a powerful current that has been amazing to witness and reflect on as I sit with a group of wonderful women each fortnight. But what about the sun?

As I set out at the beginning of 2024, my intention was to serve our little community in feeling more connected as individuals and as a collective. And so, I am delighted to offer four seasonal solar rituals to connect with the moving sun and the British seasons to complete the lunar-solar picture 🌞.

I have heard from many in our community that winter has been particularly difficult. If you find yourself struggling, I whole-heartedly recommend attuning to the seasons to help understand and metabolise the symbology and the natural energetic shifts and changes that are taking place both externally and internally. As a self-confessed sun worshipper and light lover, I found myself embracing winter in a completely different way this year after a few years of consistent work and conscious effort to live in a more seasonal way.

Each ritual circle will be carefully curated to reflect the energy of the season and will take place on the Sunday ahead of planetary events. A handout will be provided so you can continue to work with the rituals throughout each season if you would like to.

You are encouraged to also join for the Dharma yoga class in the morning. The class will follow the same theme and there will be an hour between the yoga class and the ritual circle to eat together in community. Please bring your own lunch. A hot drink and a vegan, gluten free snack will be provided.

If you have any questions, please reach out. Otherwise, you can read more and book via the link in my bio ✨️🙏

Practice postcards from Imbolc🔥

The fire of transformation invites us to surrender what we no longer need and to forge something new in the flames✨️

Have you felt the change? The sky has been ablaze with the rising and setting sun. The red light has bathed us in its warm glow, inviting the anticipation of longer days to come and gently rousing the sleeping animals and seeds. The first of the flowers, the snowdrops and the crocuses have pushed their sleepy heads above the ground and are now offering the first colour on the ground after months of only mulchy leaves and soggy grass.

I emerge from three days of contemplation and practice enveloped in the energies of Imbolc. Last night, I was fortunate to meet with other women under the stars to dance, drum, and sing around the fire as women on this land would have done hundreds of years ago. Imbolc is the first fire festival of the year and marks the midway point between midwinter or Yule and the spring equinox or Ostara. This Imbolc energy will be with us through to Ostara when springtime officially begins. Now is the perfect time to envision the next steps on your path.

Brigid is a maiden goddess associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, and smithing. She protects the sacred fire of transformation and invites us to turn inwards to nourish our inner flame, and to contemplate what we will forge in the fire. What will we burn away and leave behind? How will we heal? What will we feed? And, what will we create?

As I write this, the moon is waning in the sign of Scorpio (a constellation strongly associated with transformation and change) adding emphasis to the invitation to consider what it's time to shed and leave behind. By the time we reach the new moon on the 9th February, the sun, moon, mars and mercury will all be sitting together in Capricorn. This is the sign that it's time to start sowing the seeds of something new.

With all this energy on our side, I've decided to run a workshop next Saturday afternoon to support us to identify the core values that will guide us as we set sail on our 2024 journeys. Link in bio to read more and book your spot ❤️💫

#yogabanbury #yogaoxfordshire #banbury

✨️Healing Touch✨️

Touch me. I am the vessel, the temple, the home in which life unfolds.

I am nothing and everything. All that is. And all that will cease to be.

I have felt it all. The greatest of joy, love and bliss. And, the deepest of grief, sadness and loss.

Every thought, every sensation. Every impluse and whim. That which you chose, and that which you didn't. All that matters greatly, and that which barely matters at all.

Here, where the sun and moon meet. Where the unknown becomes known. And, where the many become One, I await you, Dear One. I await you.

....

For bodywork appointments, please drop me a message.

#healing
#healingjourney
#massagebanbury #healingbanbury #yogabanbury
#banburyyoga #yogaoxfordshire #yoganorthamptonshire

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she who lives

practices for life + liberation

Hello, dear One

Offerings

Yoga

Vedic Astrology

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Join the community

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She who lives

practices for life + liberation

Hello, dear One

Offerings

Join the community

Follow me on instagram

​