Transcend Yoga Therapy

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…

06/06/2025

Latest newsletter just went out to subscribers 🙌 check it out here!

And after the beautiful highs of 2024, I have been experiencing the lowest lows in the first half of 2025: another bout of Covid, losing my beautiful Bali-bun at the grand age of 10 years, and my parents becoming quite ill. Not to mention significant job stress.

05/06/2025

Your body listens to what you say

One of the things I’m enjoying on my sound practitioner training is having the opportunity to do some music theory again (fun fact: I’m a qualified music teacher). I love that included this study from Masaru Emoto, who looked at what happened to water when exposed to certain words and then frozen.

And our bodies are 60-70% water - what do your water crystals look like? Do they look like they’re told “I love you” or perhaps something more negative?

Now, I know I’m the first to admit that perhaps I could be kinder to myself. It’s hard, I know. Over the last few weeks we’ve been working through the yamas, and we can easily practice ahimsa by watching our thoughts and practicing kindness to ourselves. You can even ask yourself: is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If you answer ‘no’ to any of those questions, dismiss that thought immediately!

Classes resume on Sunday with yoga flow and yin , and hopefully soon I’ll be looking forward some willing recipients for me to practice sound healing 🤗

12/05/2025

Healing

A few days ago I mentioned in my stories that I was suffering from burnout. I wouldn’t say it’s solely due to my job, but that is a factor. Other factors include life just generally being a bit tough this year.

I’m taking this week off to try and reset. I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful place, and pledging to do a bit of movement each day: yoga, walking, maybe a bit of boogying around the house.

I’m really looking forward to starting my training in sound healing soon as well! Keep your eyes peeled as I will be seeking some willing volunteers to test out healing sessions in the near future 🙏🏻

31/12/2024

It’s New Year’s Eve! We can still harness the power of yesterdays new moon to set our intentions for 2025. Once you’ve done yesterdays journaling and meditation practice, settle on to your mat for this āsāna, mudra and tapping practice.

Missed the class live? That’s ok! It’s on my Patreon channel or you can DM me for the recording - donation/pay what you want.

10/11/2024

No filter needed! Enjoying a few weeks in Australia working and then honeymooning ❤️

Isn’t it amazing how we are (mostly) such predictable creatures who love routine? Here we are, the other side of the world, yet I still want/need my morning cup of tea before I do anything else!

But predictability supports our nervous system regulation - think of it like a comfort blanket. We like routine because there are no sudden surprises (nice or otherwise).

Something I’ve noticed whilst I’m away is that I will always return to the set Ashtanga primary sequence. It’s comforting to me to do the same āsāna in the same sequence.

As a teacher we can feel pressured to create brand new creative sequences for each class. When planning an hour long class, complete with playlist, this amounts to a lot of work. This time and intention into creating a class for students is not wasted - you’re creating something beautiful to share.

But actually I’ve noticed students like a bit of consistency in classes - they like the predictability and also seeing how they are growing in their practice, which they notice if returning to the same āsāna. It also creates a safe container that regulates their nervous systems. This can be super powerful when you’re on a healing journey!

So, my suggestion for you today on this Mindful Monday - whether you’re a practitioner or teacher - is to play around with consistency and repeatability this week. It might be a good surprise ☺️

09/06/2024

A note on achievements

What does achieving look like for you?

I read something recently that said a lot of women suffer from Imposter Syndrome, and they go from course to course, gaining certificate after certificate, in a bid to overcome this feeling of being an imposter and getting ‘found out’.

I probably identify as having a bit of imposter syndrome myself, and certainly have a perfectionist streak. I’d tried my hand at so many hobbies, and whilst I enjoy them I definitely felt the pressure to be perfect at them, which obviously sucks the joy out of it. I’ve even felt this with my yoga practice over the years.

It wasn’t until a few years ago when I went surfing with that I realised I could enjoy something and not need the certificate or ‘achieve’; I could be happily s**t at something 🤣

Then last year I decided I needed to up my cardio game; I’m not getting any younger, and 90-year old Jo would probably be grateful for nearly 40-year old Jo having done some flipping exercise. So I approached as a complete n00b and asked her to help me enjoy running. No desire to ‘achieve’ anything. Just run.

That was a year ago! And today I ran a 5km. Over the past year I’ve clocked up quite a few kms, ran a few races along the way. And I never aim to achieve first place or ‘win’. I didn’t get a PB today but I got a nice medal and I saw a part of the Netherlands I probably wouldn’t normally see. Isn’t that enough?

Since starting running my relationship with yoga, my body and food has changed. I eat to fuel (and enjoy); I’m amazed at what my body is capable of; my yoga practice complements the running and vice versa. I’m no longer bothered about whether I can do the fancy poses, I’m just happy I get to practice.

It’s almost like….I’m ‘being’ and not ‘doing’.

How cool is that? 🤓

02/06/2024

This time last year I wasn’t allowed to have my legs out in the sun at all, as I was undergoing a cosmetic procedure lasting 12 months. If I got even a smidgen of a tan then I wouldn’t be able to have treatment for a few months because the pigment would interfere.

How glorious it is to be able to get my legs out for the first time in two years!

And how ironic it is that I’ve just started reading this book by Tracee Stanley, with the first few chapters centering on the feeling of shame 🤣🙈

It was shame that led me to have the procedure, a feeling that I wasn’t ’normal’, and a lack of confidence. Being unable to meet my true Self and tell her I love her just as I am.

Whilst I feel great having finished treatment, I know it’s only skin deep (literally) and the true healing happens underneath.

I don’t have a profound answer for you today 🙈other than ‘watch this space’

14/05/2024

If you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll have to make time for your illness.

How often have we heard this quote and nodded wisely and agreement, but perhaps not taken it truly to heart and actually changed our current behaviour?

I am totally guilty of telling others they should take it easy, slow down, go do some yoga, rest up. Especially when they’re ill! But I myself ignore the signs and push on.

“Oh, just a few more days and then I can relax”
“Just need to get this project done then I can slow down a bit”

Sound familiar? Of course, the slowing down doesn’t happen when you want or need it ti.

I’m writing this from my sofa, after having a very clear signal from my body to slow down today (I’m not actually doing yoga - this pic is from yesterday!). I’m asking myself how can I introduce a boundary (or more than one) into my life to guarantee periods of rest?

And for that matter, how can you do the same?

08/05/2024

Latest mailing list was just sent out to subscribers - including a bed yoga sequence, info on the LAST day yoga retreat of the year (!) and an online Ashtanga workshop 🙌

It’s been a busy time for me again, travelling for work and fulfilling a big dream of mine of seeing the redwoods in California. This was a big deal for me as I was solo travelling, so not only a thing on my bucket list ticked off but also a personal accomplishment. I now feel a lot more confident...

06/05/2024

Yesterday on Instagram I mentioned that I'd posed an important question at the end of yesterday's online class.

Would you be interested in an online (90mins ish) Ashtanga primary series workshop, with a bit of discussion on the history of this style, comments on alignment?

Let me know!