Transcend Yoga Therapy

19/04/2026

Life recently.

I’m now six weeks postpartum since welcoming Iris into the world. The birth didn’t go ‘to plan’ but I still consider it to have been positive and the most empowering experience of my life. I was surrounded by excellent caring staff (all women!) who looked after all three of us exceptionally well. Start to finish, I was in labour for just over 25 hours.

If you consider it took 40 weeks to grow Iris, recovery will take just as long. I am in no rush to ‘bounce back’. Yes, I am in my ‘normal’ jeans again but my body is forever changed: it looks and feels different. I look at my body in awe but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get hang ups over how it looks, too.

We’ve been lucky to have amazing support from family and friends. If you know someone who’s about to give birth, the best thing you can do is cook a meal for them or get them Just Eat vouchers! Or offer to watch the baby whilst mom and dad nap.

Work has been awful: I get emails and messages on a weekly basis that start with “I know you’re on maternity leave but…” followed by a request for a ‘simple’ bit of work.

I never considered myself maternal, but now I cannot imagine being anything but a mother to this little girl. I’m continuously amazed by the other women who show up regularly to check in on us, support us, share their stories. It truly does take a village.

I’m excited about how our lives are unfolding and evolving. My yoga practice is different - I am truly starting again. Grateful that I can practice online with and to support this part of my life!

I do feel like I’m in a baby bubble so please feel free to message me with bits of news of your own ❤️

08/03/2026

Iris is here 🥰

03/03/2026

The illusion of control

I used to think that if I prepared enough, planned enough, strengthened enough…I could control how things would unfold.

Pregnancy has gently — and sometimes not so gently — shown me otherwise. My body has changed in ways I didn’t choose, and that has honestly freaked me out.

Most days I haven’t been able to move the way I’m used to - I stopped running in the autumn, and my yoga practice has dramatically changed too.

Some days I haven’t recognised myself in the mirror, and some days I’ve been too scared to look at myself in a full length mirror.

And as birth approaches, I’m realising how much of this journey asks for something deeper than control.
It asks for trust.

In yoga philosophy, we speak about Ishvara Pranidhana — surrender to something greater than the ego’s plans. Not passive resignation…but active trust.

But sometimes it’s just fear trying to manage the unknown. Right now, my practice isn’t about perfect preparation.

It’s about softening my grip.
Listening inward.
Letting my body lead.
This body knows how to grow life.
It knows how to birth.
It knows how to become.
And maybe the real strength isn’t in controlling the outcome…
but in trusting the process.

If you’re navigating something that feels uncertain right now — where are you being invited to loosen your grip? Can you sit with the uncertainty, the change, and trust?

Epic photo by - thank you for making me feel beautiful.

18/01/2026

Meditation looks different in every season.

Pregnancy has changed the way I move, rest, and practice.

Getting onto the floor isn’t always comfortable these days — so I’m learning to let my practice meet me where I am, rather than where I think I should be.
Yoga philosophy teaches us Ahimsa — non-harming.
And sometimes the most loving thing we can do is stop forcing, stop striving, and simply soften.

Meditation isn’t about the shape of the body.
It’s about the willingness to be present.
To breathe.
To listen.
To begin again in each moment.

This January, I’m choosing practices that feel kind, supportive, and real — and I’m inviting you to do the same.
🤍

Where can you soften your practice this week?

04/01/2026

Happy new year!

Last year wasn’t an easy one for me.
There was grief, exhaustion, uncertainty — moments where simply getting through the day felt like enough.
And now, January arrives quietly.
The forest outside is blanketed in snow — softened, hushed, stripped back to its essence.
Everything covered. Everything still. Everything beginning again.
Yoga doesn’t ask us to pretend things were fine when they weren’t.
It invites us to pause, to acknowledge what has been, and then — gently — to choose how we step forward.
In this white, spacious landscape, I’m reminded that starting afresh doesn’t require erasing the past.
It simply asks us to lay things down.
To rest.
To listen.
To set intentions that come from the heart, not from pressure.
This January, my practice is simple:
✨ move slowly
✨ stay rooted
✨ begin again — with honesty and care

May this new year meet you softly, too🤍

What are you carrying forward, and what are you ready to leave behind?

24/12/2025

Hello, I’m still here 😅it’s difficult to come up with a photo for a post when I’m in full on hibernation mode!

Lately, my body has been asking me to slow down in ways I can’t ignore.

Pregnancy has brought with it a kind of tiredness — and insomnia — that no amount of “doing more yoga” can fix.

And so I’m practicing something different.
✨ Rest as yoga.
✨ Listening as discipline.
✨ Softening as strength.

Yoga philosophy reminds us of Santosha — contentment with what is — and Ishvara Pranidhana — surrendering control and trusting the unfolding.

Some days, my practice looks like movement.

Other days, it looks like lying down, breathing, and letting myself be held.

In a world that keeps telling us to push, December feels like an invitation to pause.

To honour the body.
To trust its wisdom.
To remember that rest is not a failure — it’s a form of devotion.
🤍

How is your body asking you to slow down right now?

15/12/2025

✨ 🌙 The Power of Slowing Down — A Personal Reflection

Pregnancy has been teaching me something I didn’t realise I needed to learn so deeply:

slow down… even more.

Between the insomnia, the early-morning wakeups, and the strange pockets of energy that come and go, I’m discovering a new rhythm — one that’s less about productivity and more about presence.

In yoga philosophy, two teachings keep whispering through my days:

Santosha — the practice of contentment.

Finding enoughness in the imperfect, sleepy, tender parts of life. Allowing myself to be exactly where I am, even when that looks softer or slower than I’m used to.
Ishvara Pranidhana — surrender.

Letting go of the timeline, the pressure, the “shoulds.”

Trusting that life is unfolding in perfect timing, even when it wakes me up at 3am for no reason at all.
Slowing down isn’t just a choice right now…

It’s a gift.
A recalibration.
A reminder to listen inward and soften into this incredible transition.

Sometimes the most powerful practice isn’t the pose — it’s the pause.
The breath.
The willingness to rest.

Here I am, joined my by newest yoga gurus Potato and Wafel as they tell me I wasn’t doing my Janu Sirasana *quite* right!

✨ How are you slowing down this week?

23/11/2025

It can be an overwhelming time of year for people, with Christmas just over four weeks away, cold weather, and lots of illness.

For me personally I have a lot of reasons to feel overwhelmed at the moment. My ‘normal’ daily practices have had to be changed to accommodate pregnancy and other challenges.

What am I doing to help?

1. Grounding in the mornings. Taking 3-5 deep breaths with my feet on the ground. Sure, it would be great if I were somewhere warm, but I practice gratitude for a good nights sleep or a warm house.

2. Intention coffee/tea ritual. I seem to have gone off coffee again, so I’m drinking mostly tea but this works for any hot drink. I walk to my nearest coffee place in the morning, which is incidentally near dad, and set my intention for the day and then really notice each and every sip!

3. Nighttime energy release. A good nights sleep is a bit rare at the moment. I try to mitigate this by beforehand placing one hand in my heart and one on my belly and exhale to release lingering stress. Sleep sounds are also crucial!

Do you have any little daily rituals, or want to try any?

29/10/2025

Ever feel like life is pulling you in a hundred directions?
Grounding practices bring us back to the stability and safety of the present moment.

Three ways I feel more grounded:
1. Connect to my body - this might be a walk (no more running for now 😭), a strength session or yoga! Your body is your anchor — come home to it.

2. Connect to nature - Step outside. Notice the air, the sky, the soil. Even a few minutes with your bare feet on the ground can reset your nervous system. this is a great time of year to notice nature, with all the leaves changing colour.

3. Connect to gratitude - I’ll admit that my journalling practice fell away when I found out I was pregnant and navigating a lot of emotions. I’m pleased to come back to it, especially my gratitude practice. When you feel scattered, pause and name three things you’re thankful for — big or small. Gratitude shifts your focus from chaos to calm.

Grounding isn’t about escaping the world — it’s about remembering that you belong to it.

Which of these grounding practices will you try today?

04/10/2025

How my practice has changed during pregnancy

Yes, my friends - I am pregnant. Part of the reason I’ve been quiet posting on here is because of monumental upheavals, including pregnancy, and also I just haven’t felt like it. It came as a huge surprise after a lot of issues and quite frankly, giving up, and to be honest, I did grieve my life that I’d built up.

I haven’t felt much like anything. Including practicing yoga. That’s the first way my practice has changed!

The first trimester was rough, and I had hoped I’d get that energy surge in the second, but I haven’t. I also haven’t felt more flexible in my body, and overall I just don’t feel ✨magical ✨

But when I do practice, how has it changed?

Well, I’m certainly not doing a full primary. I’m skipping chaturangas and upward facing dog and doing cat/cow instead.

I’m keeping my feet placement wide in standing postures - and instead of a warrior 1 I’m doing a wide stance high lunge.

Seated postures are mainly focused on the hip openers. Janu A is like a wide legged version, and I’m not even contemplating Janu B and C!

Ultimately my practice has changed because I’m no longer feeling guilty about what I’m not doing, and instead celebrating on the days I want to do something. I’m meditating a lot more, my non-negotiable is in bed by 9:30pm and sleeping an extra hour.

I do wish I could do a full primary or even just a 60 min class but I know now is not the time. If you are pregnant or have been pregnant and have guilty about the things you haven’t been doing I give you permission to stop right now! If you haven’t felt ✨magical ✨I’m here to tell you I’m right there with you and know how you feel.

Your experience is yours and you do not have to do and feel what someone else expects of you.

You can take this journey in whichever way is best for you.

26/06/2025

Do you believe in signs?

I like to go for a walk or a run around the park and forest at the back of my house, and these past few times I’ve been lucky enough to be accompanied by a song thrush. These birds are supposed to be signs from the universe about speaking your truth and transformation. They represent a call to express yourself authentically.

We have just recently celebrated midsummer, which is a time for celebration and gratitude but also reflection. We now move closer towards winter (sorry!).

Can you reflect on the last six months and see where in your life you can be more authentic?

If you need a helping hand, there’s still spots available for our next gathering at the Haddon Acre yurt next Thursday (3rd July) 🤗 details and how to book in my story!

20/06/2025

What is your peanut?

This is a really nice expansion on the monkey and the peanut story mentioned in the previous post:

Value: Contentment Sub-Value: Right conduct The podcast of the story on Saiprem podcast at: This is a story about how a monkey catcher trapped a monkey in his trick and caught him. Once a monkey ca…