Yoga & Restful Retreats with Emma Polette

15/01/2026

Yay! I did it. And the class went really well. I think everyone had fun.

It’s interesting that as we age we still feel so nervous about trying new things. Maybe we should focus on the fact we’ve tried lots of new things in our lives and always survived.

Plus, moving the body feels good!!

Boxing is sold out this term but yoga starts in 2 weeks. Link to book in my bio.

15/01/2026

Boxing is the thing that literally changed my life. Back in the day (when I was deep in my disordered eating, thin at all costs phase), I started boxing for weight loss and stayed for the stress relief benefits.

That led to me quitting my corporate job, leaving Sunday, moving to Albany and becoming a personal trainer. Which lead to yoga teaching, retreats and so much more.

It feels good to go back to where it all started. But it doesn’t stop the nerves 😬

I’ll report back.

05/01/2026

The last New Year’s resolution I made was in January 2021. I finally became sober.

For a very long time I’d been a fairly heavy drinker. But everyone in Australia is right? (They’re not, but when you’re in the depths of a drinking habit you can convince yourself of that - at least I did!)

Looking back at it now, I started the habit because I was masking how exhausted I was, how “switched on” I always felt, and to numb sadness or stress.

In 2017 I had given up for 9 months and had truly never felt better so on 4 Jan 2021 I had my last drink (oh Aperol spritz, I loved you!) and I’ve never looked back - well hardly ever.

Yes, I feel my emotions more now and sometimes that’s uncomfortable, but tbh I think sobriety has led me to this softer way of living.

I know now that I’m a sensitive soul who needs a lot of rest, so being slower, gentler and sober suits me!

Happy 5 years sober to me ☺️

P.S. if for any reason you are interested in a softer start this January, come and join my free 5-day reset. We start on Friday. Sobriety is not required! (Link to join is in the comments)

30/12/2025

Have you signed up for Soft Start yet?

Soft Start is a January reset — but not the kind you’ve tried before.

It’s not about changing your body.
It’s not about fixing your habits.
It’s not about optimisation or becoming a “better” version of yourself.

Because, fundamentally, I don’t believe you need fixing. And let’s be honest, you’re not perfect either… you’re somewhere in between.

You work really hard. You’re always looking after everyone else. You’ve tried the “New Year, new you” thing more times than you can count.

What you actually need isn’t another plan.

You need some softness.
Some relief.
Somewhere to land.

So for 5 days in January, I’ll gently guide you through simple practices to help you soften, rest, and reset — so 2026 can begin with a little more kindness, gentleness and support.

If that sounds like what you need, you can join Soft Start by adding your email here - https://www.emmapolette.com/the-soft-start

I’ll send your first email on January 9 🩷

29/12/2025

The moments that defined my 2025

2025 wasn’t shaped by one big event. It was shaped by a series of moments — some beautiful, some devastating — all deeply rooted in love.

Barney was my comfort, my rock, my everything. Losing him was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. Three weeks after he died, on the anniversary of his adoption, a car pulled in front of me a little too closely. The number plate said Barney. I knew he was still looking out for me.

Around the same time, Tiny Chef’s TV show was cancelled. His video sharing his grief went viral and helped me more than I can explain. Since then, his presence has brought unexpected joy — and some beautiful bonding time with my niece and nephews.

A tear in my MCL took five months to heal. Grief, stress, and pushing through didn’t help. But the injury taught me something important: my ageing body needs care, patience, and tenderness — not force.

I was incredibly lucky to be able to stay with my mum when I was homeless for a while this year. Having a safe place to cry, grieve, and occasionally let someone else cook dinner made more difference than I can say.

I cancelled more yoga classes than I would have liked this year — grief, injury, and a lost voice all got in the way. But teaching still brought me back to myself. Almost every time I showed up, I felt better afterwards. My students have been endlessly kind and supportive, and I’m so grateful for them.

A wonderful yoga student offered me her rental property, and for the first time in years all my belongings were in one place. Many had been in storage for five years. As I unpacked, I realised I’m not the same person who packed those boxes. Grief has changed me — but I also feel more me than ever.

This was also the year I discovered I’m a crier. Letting the tears come has been an important part of my healing. I like being a crier.

Everything I experienced this year has been wrapped in love — the grief, the support, the tenderness. I even found unexpected inspiration in Heated Rivalry. The softness, hope, and authenticity in that story is something I want to carry with me into 2026.

If you feel like sharing, what were the moments that shaped your 2025?

28/12/2025

I attended my first boxing class in 2011 and was instantly hooked (get the boxing pun?).

Back then I was horribly stressed and unhappy and boxing became the highlight of my week.

So much so, that I quit my corporate career in Sydney and moved to Albany and became a personal trainer so I could teach boxing myself!

I haven’t taught in a few years, but my classes have always been accessible and fun. The first thing I deleted from class was warming up with 2 laps around the oval. Less running, more punching!

I’m teaching a 4 week mini term starting Thursday 15th Jan at 5.15pm at Lange Park in Bayonet Head.

There’s only 3 spots left so book in quickly if you’re keen!

Link in the comments.

26/12/2025

If the idea of New Year New You makes you want to hide under a blanket, you’re not alone.

As an antidote to all the guilting you'll start seeing online at this time of the year, I’ve created Soft Start — a slower, more compassionate way to begin the year. No fixing. No optimisation. No pressure to reinvent yourself.

Just permission to arrive as you are.

Join the free 5-day reset starting on Friday 9 January. Click below to get it sent to your inbox. 💛

https://www.emmapolette.com/the-soft-start

24/12/2025

Come and join for a gentle start to the new year ❤️

Great Southern women in business are invited to a Soft Start Coworking Day with Yoga & Restful Retreats with Emma Polette on Friday 30 January 2026

The co-working space is open 9am to 5pm, but if you can only stay a while… be here for a a lovely lunch and mini-workshop at 12pm.

✨Soft Start Mini Workshop✨
Join us for a gentle beginning to the year. For women who want more ease, more spaciousness, and less pressure.

Start 2026 in the softest way possible – not with resolutions, hustle, or reinvention, but with presence, clarity and kindness. This co-working day is for business owners looking for a grounded way to enter the year ahead.

Join Emma Polette, local yoga teacher and retreat leader, for a mini-workshop over lunch at 12pm to 1pm.
Together we will:
✨ Settle the nervous system with a guided Soft Start meditation
✨ Spend time co-working on whatever you want to begin the year feeling on top of
✨ Rest, sip, stretch, and take big breaths
✨ Do a mini-workshop on making self-care doable and realistic in real life
✨ Leave with a simple self-care calendar for the first quarter of 2026
There is no pressure.
No expectations.
No “shoulds.”

Just a quiet room full of women softening into the year together.

You are most welcome to join for part of the day, or the full shebang:
• 9am-5pm Co-working space available
• 12pm-1pm Lunch and Soft Start mini-workshop with Emma Polette

To register, email admin@albanybusinesscentre.com.au or message us on our social media pages. Please advise if you have special dietary requirements.

Learn more about how coworking works and Emma Polette's classes and retreats at https://albanybusinesscentre.com.au/events/women-in-business-emma-polette

23/12/2025

January fitness doesn’t have to be about punishing your body or trying to become a “new” version of yourself.

After a break of a few years, I’m bringing my boxing fitness classes back — not to change you, fix you, or whip you into shape, but to offer 50 minutes of movement that feels good.

Expect:
• a solid cardio workout
• strength-building without pressure
• stress release you can feel
• and a lot of laughs along the way

These classes are about showing up as you are, moving your body, and leaving feeling lighter — not smaller, not “better”, just more energised and grounded.

If you’re curious, I’d love to have you.

DM me and I'll send you the link

21/12/2025

I used to buy into New Year New You. I even advertised in the paper about it once.

These days, I see it very differently.

The idea that January is about fixing yourself or becoming someone new feels exhausting — especially if you’ve lived a bit of life, navigated change, grief, pain, or simply learnt to listen to your body more closely.

I’ve written a blog post about why New Year New You doesn’t really hold up once life gets real — and what a gentler way to begin the year might look like instead.

If you’re craving a softer start, you can read or listen here:
👉 https://www.emmapolette.com/blog/problem-with-new-year-new-you

16/12/2025

December doesn’t need more effort from women. It needs more permission to be gentle.

Here are a few things I’m choosing not to do this December:

• Buy lots of Christmas decorations
• Go to every party I’m invited to
• Plan out 2026
• Pretend I’m not sad as the one-year anniversary of my friend’s death approaches
• Push through pain or fatigue to prove I’m coping
• Force cheerfulness when tenderness is what I need
• Treat rest like something I have to earn

Not because I can’t do these things. But because I’m listening.

If you’re feeling wrung out, sad, tender, or just done — you’re not alone.