The journey to here...
I believe movement is key to happiness. Besides the obvious physical benefits it provides other rewards including stress reduction, mental clarity and increased optimism, to name a few. I’ve noticed a strong connection between physical and mental strength – Feeling physically fit and healthy enables me to aim higher and perform better at work and as a mother. Establishing and maintaining the connection between body and mind is my primary focus in my teaching and my work with clients.
Our relationship with our bodies and exercise evolves throughout our lives. Having danced from an early age and then taught group fitness classes through university, I entered the corporate world and began a career in advertising. Long hours in the office and many late nights meant my physical fitness was compromised. I stopped exercising regularly for the first time in my life and I lost the connection to my body that I’d previously taken for granted. I then had two children and a colourful array of physical and emotional changes ensued! At work I didn’t like who I’d become – Constantly stressed, physically lacklustre and struggling with confidence and inspiration for the future.
During my second maternity leave I made a commitment to rebuild my physical strength and fitness in the hope this would shift my outlook and give me some new ideas. I’d discovered Vinyasa yoga five years earlier and was immediately hooked, squeezing it in as/when work allowed. I dreamt of teaching but couldn’t imagine a time that I’d able to make it happen. Then my husband’s job provided the opportunity to move to San Francisco for a year. This was the moment. In that year I rolled my mat out as often as possible, took a variety of workshops and trainings and qualified as a Hatha Vinyasa yoga teacher. I re-imagined my corporate career and I’m teaching yoga, I’ve re-trained as an NLP Practitioner and I’m completing professional coaching qualifications in order to help other people create the space in their lives to envision and enact change.
Kaliko means ‘beautiful bud,’ which reflects the sense of possibility and promise borne out of a deeper connection to our selves.