A Little Bit About Me

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I started my yoga journey at the age of 10 in 1974.  I found a book about yoga in the local health food shop and that was the beginning.

In my senior school years, I attended Sunny Hill ( Bruton School for Girls ), where I gained solid foundations for the next phase of my life, which was to be travelling and working through several countries in Europe, picking up experiences and languages along the way.

In the 90's I qualified in Holistic Massage Therapy, Anatomy and Physiology and went straight back to Portugal where I became the resident massage therapist, at the Algarve's beautiful Yoga Center, 'Quinta da Calma'.  It was here that I trained to be a yoga teacher and was given my yoga name, 'Mahi' by Sri Swami Satchidananda.

For many years I practised massage and yoga therapies at Quinta da Calma, where I was the personal therapist to many local dignitaries including a Princess and media celebrities.

After returning to England to have my children I furthered my training, developing my skills as a therapist and yoga teacher.

In 2010, a serious accident left me disabled and confined to a wheelchair for 9 months.  

Fortunately for me, it was a temporary situation; and during my long, slow recovery I developed my own gentle yoga routines that I could do from my bed, in my wheelchair and in any other setting I felt comfortable in.  

I can truly say 'I have walked in those Moccasins' and have had first-hand experience with some of the difficulties that many disabled people encounter on a daily basis.

I also put on quite a lot of weight during that time after the accident.  When I had recovered enough to get back to teaching, and being still overweight, this prompted me to create a 'Plus Size Yoga' programme.    

The accident was the gift that set me on the path to specialising in gentle yoga for people with limitations, disabilities, mental health issues and special needs, including those with sensory impairment (deafness and blindness). 

From 2012, I concentrated mainly on teaching disabled students and then furthered my training at the famous ‘The Special Yoga Centre’ in London where ‘Special yoga for the Special Child', is an adaptive yoga programme designed to enhance the natural development of children with special needs. 

In 2020 my mum's health deteriorated rapidly and I became her primary carer. Whilst nursing her at home, I decided to use the time she was sleeping to study online and gain my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification.  

In October 2022, I had the opportunity to attend a Mental Health First Aider course, which I felt was an invaluable addition to my skill set generally; especially as people's mental health has been greatly impacted by Covid and the lockdowns.

I am one of the few yoga teachers in the South West of England who is specifically qualified to teach yoga to babies and children with special needs.

I am now also working with Somerset and Devon County Councils, providing Yoga intervention therapy for SEND and adopted children. 

I am fully insured and hold an enhanced DBS with Somerset County Council, which certifies me to teach children and vulnerable adults.