Hi, I'm Ania & here is a little about me....
I have been practicing yoga for over 20 years & teaching since 2013. I have trained in a variety of yoga styles & practices including vinyasa, hatha, yin, restorative, functional movement, meditation, pranayama & other breathwork techniques.
I first came to yoga over 20 years ago as a stressed out university student. After many years of study followed by a stressful and demanding corporate career, I was left burnout with chronic fatigue syndrome. During this time, conventional medicine could not give me any answers or offer any help beyond anti-depressants. Desperate to find answers, I turned to alternative therapies such as naturopathy and slowly I began to eventually recover. I eased back into corporate work life but not long after came motherhood with 2 children and the challenges of juggling work and home life. During this time, I had to re-assess my work and family life and decided to transition out of my corporate job.
When my second child was 3, I was ready to do something more and so completed my first yoga teacher training in 2013. Since then I have taught yoga classes in my local area & ran a successful home yoga studio for several years offering small group & private classes.
Having experienced the effects of stress and burnout firsthand, I am particularly passionate about sharing practices to help regulate the nervous system through more restful yoga such as yin & restorative yoga and calming breathwork/pranayama.
Due to years of chronic back pain I also have a keen interest in anatomy, mobility and restoring functional movement. As a result, my active yoga classes often incorporate other movement modalities such as pilates, physio exercises and other functional movements. I also enjoy using props in classes such as blocks, bolsters, pilates balls, resistance bands etc.
Everything I have learnt & taught, I have also embraced and applied to my own life, helping me to find more balance, manage my stress more effectively, maintain my energy (& prevent burnout), manage chronic back pain, deal with life's challenges, balance my emotions & develop compassion for myself. In a nutshell, I believe theses practices have helped me to stay well, physically, mentally and emotionally.
I am a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance International (E-RYT 200) & I have completed over 700hrs in training. My qualifications include:
2013 - Hatha Vinyasa teacher training at Botannix Yoga Studio - 200hrs
2014 - Yoga therapy & applied anatomy with Simon Borg-Olivier - 51 hours
2015 - Diploma in Yoga for back care - International Yoga Teachers Assoc - 150 hours
2016 - Yin yoga with Cora Geroux - 50 hours
2019 - Restorative yoga with Lizzie Lasater - 35 hours
2019 - Meditation with Sunita Patil - 30 hours
2020 - Yoga Detour Method with Cecily Milne - 30 hours
2021 - Mind Coach meditation training with Mark Breadner - 50 hours
2021 - Body Coach training with Ryan Barraclough - 50 hours
2023 - Pranayama training with Yoga Medicine - 14 hours
2023 - Oxygen Advantage Advanced Training with Patrick McKeown
If you're looking for a holistic way to manage your health & wellbeing, I'd love to hear from you to see how we can work together!
Samantha, Malabar
Sejil, Little Bay
"One of the best things I did was join Ania’s yoga for back care classes. I had back issues for years and the classes have helped in strengthening my core, working on my glutes and pelvic floor strength. I can honestly say that I no longer have back pain and this class helps me maintain my back muscles and core strength. Ania is one of the best yoga teachers I have had the pleasure of learning from."
Cathy, Little Bay
"Since coming to weekly yoga classes with Ania I have gained/enhanced both physical & emotional skills. I feel like I have a stronger body & a calmer mind. Ania's smaller class sizes allow for individual support if required....I really appreciated this when I started with an existing sport injury & had lost a bit of confidence. Yoga has helped me gain my physical confidence again & promotes positive well being! Ania is a great yoga teacher."
Jess, Brighton Le Sands
"Ania is a fantastic yoga teacher! Her knowledge of anatomy and her methods in applying it, make her classes throughly enjoyable and you feel like you learn something new about your body in nearly every session! I have definitely noticed an improvement in my mobility and I especially enjoy the Sunday morning slow flow class."
"I have been doing Ania’s back care classes for a year now after recovering from a spinal fusion operation. It has really helped me regain strength and flexibility in my back, core and legs as well as offering a wonderful calming space to escape from my hectic home. I feel rejuvenated physically and mentally after every class ! I love the small groups and caring nurturing approach."
FAQ
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I'm a beginner and not fit or flexible, are your classes suitable for me?I cater to all levels and abilities, including those who have never practiced yoga before. I particularly enjoy teaching beginners and am passionate about offering different options so that the practice meets you where you are at. For complete beginners, I recommend starting with a gentler yoga style such as gentle flow, yin or restorative, attending a beginner's course or investing in some private yoga sessions.
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Do I need to be flexible?No, you do not! This is one of the biggest misconceptions about yoga. Most yoga styles aim to develop both strength and flexibility in order to find balance in the body. Some people are already very flexible and in this case bringing more stability is beneficial rather than more flexibilty. Other people have the strength but lack mobility in which case working on flexibility is beneficial. Most of us fall somewhere in between, needing to develop varying degrees of strength and flexibility. Real yoga goes beyond just being flexible or attaining impressive postures. "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self." The Bhagavad Gita
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Do you teach online classes?Currently all classes are held in-person. I have a collection of on-demand videos you can access here if you would like to practice online.
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What is yoga?Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice or discipline which originated in ancient India several thousand years ago. Yoga can mean different things to different people and the reasons for practicing are wide and varied. Some people just practice yoga for it's physical benefits such as a stronger and more mobile body. Others are drawn to the mental and emotional benefits such as a calmer and more focused mind, increased self awareness and better emotional regulation. For others, yoga is a spiritual practice of connecting to a higher consciousness (Universe, Divine or God). For a more complete definition of yoga we can look at the meaning of the word 'yoga'. Yoga means to 'yoke' or unite the different parts of ourselves (body, mind & spirit) with a higher consciousness (Universe, Divine or God). Another definition can be found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, an ancient spiritual text which outlines yoga as a system of 8 steps or limbs. The physical practice of yoga known as asana is the third limb of yoga and there are seven others. According to Patanjali's definition of yoga, yoga happens when we find absolute calmness of the mind ie yoga is a state of meditation. "Yoga happens when we still the fluctuations on the mind" Patanjali.