Every journey is unique…
I first officially tried yoga during my final year at university in 2001 in the hope that it would clear my busy head and was amazed at how effective it was. After that, finding a decent yoga class became a priority wherever I lived. However, it was when I moved to Warwick in 2006 that yoga grew to become a much bigger part of my life. Here I discovered ashtanga yoga, under the instruction of Ervin Menyhart, and immediately fell in love with the dynamic style and its tradition of regular, steady practice to heal the body and calm the mind. As well as continuing to train with Ervin, along with other local teachers including Digby Platt and Ben Beswick, I began a daily self-practice and eventually trained to teach ashtanga yoga with Ervin between 2007-2008 and then with David Swenson in 2008, and I have always taught since then.
Although I was a dedicated follower of the ashtanga system for many years, I have always enjoyed experiencing different types of yoga and have always brought elements of these into my teaching. With this in mind, in 2012 I completed a Yoga Alliance 200 hour accredited teacher training with Mark Freeth of the Freestyle Yoga Project, which focuses on dynamic vinyasa flow sequencing.
These days my approach to my yoga and teaching has become more fluid and intuitive. I now mostly teach hatha and vinyasa flow classes interspersed with gentler classes, including restorative ‘yin-style’ classes. I particularly love the creativity of putting together masterclasses, workshops and retreats to explore and weave together different aspects of yoga philosophy and to work at a much deeper level with individuals on their uniquely personal yoga and healing journeys. I also teach in tune with nature’s cycles where possible, to foster deep nature connection, offering retreats and workshops at key dates in nature’s calendar, and working with the moon.
Over the years I have attended intensive yoga workshops and additional teacher trainings with a diverse array of inspiring teachers (contact me if you wish to see a list of teachers and courses attended) and spent much time in India, tapping into the source of yoga, notably Mysore, the birthplace of ashtanga and vinyasa-based yoga styles. I have led numerous retreats and workshops around the world, including specialist yoga retreats for surfers in Morocco and snowboarders and skiiers in France, and yoga, bodywork and shamanism retreats in Mexico. I am passionate about tailoring my teaching to meet the needs of different students, and truly believe that yoga can help and heal everyone, whether you’re a premium athlete or are trying yoga for the first time on your 80th birthday!
I am passionate about human potential and upliftment of consciousness through embodied healing and trauma release, and have also been on an intense journey into my own personal healing and self-awareness over the last decade, spanning all manner of modalities and traditions. I therefore incorporate many different techniques and influences into my own holistic healing and well-being work, but always in a very grounded and down-to-earth, practical way.
In 2021-2022, whilst pregnant, I embarked upon a Prenatal and Postnatal teacher training with Bliss Baby, a women-centred yoga centre, with extension modules on pelvic floor health. Sadly I lost the baby but decided to complete the training nevertheless. This journey has been profound and life-changing for me and, as a result, now in my forties, I am opening up to offering women-centred yoga, in support of mothers-to-be, mothers and non-mothers alike. Supporting the healing of old wounds and traumas, the cultivation of the divine feminine energy and the rebalancing of masculine and feminine energy within all of us, women and men, feels very important to me at this time. In addition, offering grounding and centering embodiment practices that foster deep inner connection feels like a meaningful service during these turbulent times we live in.
If you wish to see my CV of courses/workshops attended and influential teachers please get in touch.
When not on the mat, I can often be found communing with wildlife (I have worked as a professional ecologist alongside yoga for many years, although this side of my work is transforming into something more aligned to deep nature connection currently) or travelling the globe to explore this crazy beautiful planet whenever I get the chance. I also love writing, dancing, making music in community and singing. Bodywork, embodiment and the healing power of touch feel very important to me and I am a qualified Thai yoga masseuse and initiated in the Usui Shiki Ryoho form of reiki healing. I also put on occasional conscious dance events for the local community.
I live in the remote mountains of central Portugal in a mostly off-grid valley full of different projects, which all share the common aim of living sustainably and wisely with mother Earth and each other in collaborative meta-community.
frond yoga with Rebecca May 