http://www.bodyintuition.co.uk/about/about-joanna/, https://www.joannagilbert.yoga/

Joanna Gilbert Yoga, Borehamwood (2026)

04/02/2026

January 2026 - you were delightfully gentle with plenty of cuddles in bed to stay warm and cosy and delicious hot soups and homemade bread.

Grateful for such a slow and tender start to the year, truly not rushing and allowing a deep wintering.

Excited for sprouting new beginnings in spring!

21/01/2026

Today was a big day, I took a step forwards on the path of working as a doula, supporting and accompanying women on the path of motherhood.

The thing I find interesting is how many people presume that doula work is only for late stages of pregnancy and birth. What I am experiencing and learning is that there is a whole stage of motherhood which is taboo and often ignored. It is the stage of motherhood where women are often the most alone and in the dark about what is coming next.

The phase of motherhood is conception and fertility. Is this yet motherhood?! YES ! Motherhood begins the moment we decide we want to be a mother. The moment our consciousness begins to call in the soul of the being we are longing to mother. Motherhood does not just begin a moment in time when a baby is born, it is not defined by simply ‘being’ a mother. It is a unique, magical, sometimes painful and heart breaking journey.

This is where I am currently feeling called to support women, accompanying through these initial steps, when we don’t know what the future holds, when we are waiting those excruciating two weeks to do a test and find out more, when our heart aches from only one line, when we don’t know where to turn because it’s not the easiest conversation.

I want to celebrate together if pregnancy arrives, and also hold space for the paradox of joy and overwhelm. These previous first weeks where everything internally is different but externally you seem the same. Who do we speak to then? Who answers the questions and holds space for the in between, before the first doctors appointments, before the world knows, instead of just turning to chatGPT, in these tender first moments I want to be there to honour the wild ride of motherhood and to hold space for all that comes.

My heart longs that every woman feels this held, this support, this loved through each and every single moment of motherhood.

23/12/2025

Grateful for this incredible women as she grows through the pains, steps into the fire, shows up more authentically time after time and continues on this wild ride of life.

I’m often critical, seeing what else can be done and how I could improve things, and yet, as I look at this photo I see her bravery, I see her strength, I see the vulnerability behind the smile and the tenderness. I remember this moment of being photographed and the discomfort I still face of being fully seen. Yet she continues to step forward and rise.

Her story wants to be told. She knows it can support others to share more of herself, and the moment is coming to share more, to step up and allow more to flow from and through and to her.

We are the medicine. We hold the keys. We have the responsibility to show up and allow ourselves to be ourselves. Allow life to be fully lived. Allow healing, growth and expansion to be welcomed even if we aren’t sure we deserve it or we’re ready for it. We are here to follow our truth, our dharma, and to place our unique mark on this world.

17/12/2025

The breaktaking space between land and sky, sea and clouds, heaven and earth.

Sailing between worlds in a tin box in the sky.

Today I felt the magic of flying on my way home when two little kids next to me on the aeroplane were flying for the first time. Watching their amazement at taking off into the air for the first time. They shouted, screamed, were somewhere between fear and total joy! They said ‘we’re closer to heaven - we can wave at uncle John from here’

I touched me. The beautiful innocence of a child. We have so much to learn from their wonder at the world.

Message for the day - allow your inner child to be amazed again. See the magic in flying, see the wonder in the mundane.

04/12/2025

Can you feel it?

The love being shared.
The hearts open.
The space shared beyond words.

Can you notice the truth in the eyes, the smiles from the hearts, the softness in the bodies?

This is the beauty of authentically showing up, of allowing your whole self to be seen and loved.

This isn’t easy. It’s the work of a lifetime. It can be painful as the heart cracks open and feels all the things it’s hidden for as protection. But underneath there’s the gold. That’s where the magic sits.

Because what do we all crave most? Deep meaningful heart connection. To be seen. To be loved. To be at ease in our bodies and be able to express our truths.

And the big secret?

It’s not that hard. It’s simple. But it takes devotion and dedication. Showing up daily. Listening in to ourselves with honesty and following that inner pulse, the spark that ignites your passion. Follow it.

And so, I take my own advice and take time to listen in. To allow Her to guide me with the close of the year. To download some wisdom and vision for the next year to come. To do that I need a little less background noise, less distractions and comparisons.

This means an Instagram break or simply time to refocus and nurture Joanna a little more.

There’s a highlight called ‘end of year’ and here you can find the end of year offerings as I take a bit of space.

See you soon 🧡

26/11/2025

Sisterhood wasn’t always easy for me.

And to be honest it still brings up core wounds, fears, comparisons and self doubts.

But there has also been nothing more powerful for me than sitting in circles with women who help me rewrite the sister wound.

That remind me we aren’t in competition, we aren’t out to bring each other down, fight for the attention (or man), or to prove anything to anyone.

It’s the moment when you listen to the words of another woman and they ring true deep in your soul. The moment when you see the eyes looking back at you with love as you share your heart. It’s when there is that depth of understanding in our bodies beyond words that I’ve felt seen and understand and simply accepted as I am in all of my shades and colours.

This is why I hold women’s space. For us to continue to feel more comfortable to show up as we are and be loved even more for our wounds, scars and cracks.

The next circle will be themed around the winter cycle of the year and is to ‘Nest and Nourish’ ourselves with a warm cup of cacao and some beautiful meditative rituals to connect to and share from our hearts.

Book through the link in my bio 🔗 🧡

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📷 .vandecraen during the Initiatress training in Portugal 2025 🧡

25/11/2025

The path of being witnessed is not easy.

The journey of showing up more and more as myself and in my vulnerability, in my raw, unedited self, is sometimes heartachingly painful.

I remember the days I began teaching yoga and needing to stand up in front of a group of people and teach. I felt like I was on a stage, performing, with all eyes on me. I couldn’t hide. I did have my yoga persona with the yoga voice and yoga clothes, and I showed what I thought the world wanted to see from a yoga teacher.

But this wasn’t sustainable. It wasn’t an authentic version of me with all the multifaceted truths of being a human being. What about the day I found out about a betrayal from a partner and yet I still showed up to teach with a smile, or the days I was emotionally and physically empty but I stood there and preached yoga.

The last 10 years have been a journey back to authenticity. A journey towards deeper and deeper self acceptance and love, and trusting I will still be loved when I show up fully as me. A journey towards trusting myself to stay as embodied as can be to know I am expressing my truth.

This first photo was the closing circle of the Initiatress training a few months back. A circle of around 90 people, men and women, all who had been through deep process through the week. I felt my heart beating, my body moving me, and I knew it was my moment to step in and be seen.

The words I shared were bigger than me and were flowing from impulse and body rather than mind and calculated planned sentences. My heart spoke and my body moved and every word was true.

I am grateful to be here. Grateful to myself for this journey of life I’m on towards deeper truth and honesty with myself. It’s not always easy, but as it cracks me open I feel more light shine in. It inspires me to continue to break the mould and rewrite the stories of the future to hold more connection, truth and depth of aliveness.

I’m curious how you feel sharing in groups? Do you feel when there words come from body over head? Are you comfortable being truly seen?

📷 .vandecraen Intiatress 2025 with the incredible teachers 🙏🏻 💫 👑

11/11/2025

Piltriquitrón - Patagonia - 2025

This was probably the hardest walk of my life. I was with two mountain boys (or goats!) who had much more experience of the mountains than me. Whilst this makes me feel safe, it also clouds their judgement of how challenging it can be and how long it can take.

I was told, ‘it’s just 3 hours…’ ‘the first part is tough and then is flattens out’, ‘only the last part is challenging’.

‘Yeah right’ - I’m thinking on a 90% incline scrambling up towards the peak.

I walked, remembering the mantra from years ago hiking Everest, as long as I can put one foot in front of the other I can continue. And walked. And walked. And felt like I was walking towards a cactus in the desert, watching the peak seeming to get further away.

My legs could moved but my mind was fighting me. Questioning how far there was to go and how on earth I would make it down the gravelly inclined path.

And there I was (in the first photo) feet wobbly, legs tired, ground moving beneath me, and I just stood there allowing the fears to be there and the tears to come.

And yet… I continued. I had a moment of realisation that I couldn’t stop there so I had to keep going forwards. With a bit of help and moral support from Diego I continued up to the snowy mountain top. From there I enjoyed a warm mate 🧉 and let the boys continue to tap the peak. I respected my limit and I’m proud of my accomplishment!!

Wow. What a lesson the mountains can be that we are stronger than our mind allows us to believe. That we can lean on others for support when we need and there’s no shame in being afraid. But it’s how we face our fears, how we don’t allow them to hold us back and limit our experiences of life. And at the end of the day to have no shame in stopping when enough is enough.

Having said all of that, I was happy to get home safe and sound and have a warm hot shower 😂

Gracias Patagonia… until next time… !

10/11/2025

Amor es todo. Todo es amor.

Gracias mi amor for this life we are living, for these adventures we are experiencing together.

Gracias for taking me to your magical mountain world and for guiding me up mountains into the sky.

Gracias for being there and for being you.

Gracias a la Vida 🙏🏻

06/11/2025

Join our next women’s circle in Badalona.
Friday 12th December
18h-20h
studio

Each circle is themed to connect us to the cycle of the year. This circle in December is called ‘Nest & Nourish’, and will feel like a big warm hug as we approach the end of the year.

Is a moment to nourish yourself before the Christmas and new year season fully starts, before the travel or the family time, to refuel and resource yourself!

There will be space for sharing, journaling, and reflection. I will guide some embodied movement and then we flow into stillness together to deeply rest and nourish our systems together.

There are limited spaces available - book through the link in my bio or write to me privately with questions 🙏🏻

11/10/2025

Womens circles gave me a voice.

I remember soothing in some of my first women’s circles in hridaya Mazunte, and I’m waiting for my turn to speak, my heart pounding in my chest. I’m rehearsing my lines in my head so I’m prepared with what to say. The stick lands in my hands and my throat contracts, my palms sweat, seconds feel like minutes as I allow the silence to linger for what feels like forever.

And in that moment I remember for maybe the first time, the feeling that my head emptied and my heart spoke. Words came out my mouth flowing effortlessly. I surrendered to what she needed to say, and my eyes cried as my body softened.

I even remember what touched my heart so deeply. I was realising the beauty of acknowledging truly where I was at, giving up the pretence of being ‘more’ or ‘further’ that I really was. I remember what a relief it felt to acknowledge what I didn’t know and where I sat on my own unique path.

I remember the feeling of speaking so deeply authentically as other women sat and gave me that space.

This is just one moment from many of the women’s circles I’ve sat in. At this point I’ve been honour to sit with hundreds of sisters by my side in circle, and every circle had gifted me with such unique teachings, reflections and revelations.

Women’s circles gave me a voice, they invited me to share without anyone needing to fix me and solve my problems.

They gave me safe spaces to show more of myself, and to feel loved and held exactly as I am.

Women’s circles have nurtured me into the woman I am today. For this I am grateful. For this I choose to share the sisterhood and continue these sacred spaces of connection.

Empowering women’s circles are a run with cyclical themes and varying different practices are brought to invite a deepening of reflections and connections.

Have you been to a women’s circle? How was your experience?

Joanna Gilbert Yoga

04/02/2026

21/01/2026

23/12/2025

17/12/2025

04/12/2025

26/11/2025

25/11/2025

11/11/2025

10/11/2025

06/11/2025

11/10/2025

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