My Teaching
About
Hello, and welcome! I’m an author, yoga teacher, and somatic movement educator with a curiosity for exploring how movement and consciousness meet, and how fluidity fosters resilience, and embodiment nurtures well-being.
I discovered yoga whilst training as a dancer, and what started as a sideline soon became a devotional lifelong practice. Over the years, yoga, movement, meditation and mindfulness have supported me through life’s ups and downs, guiding my growth both personally and professionally.
At the heart of my teaching is an invitation to listen to the body’s inner wisdom, to feel its innate strength, resilience, and intelligence, whilst connecting to the breath as the source of movement and the earth as a place of support.
My classes weave together asana (postures) with somatic movement principles, to create space for embodied presence. Through this practice, we may explore what lies beyond perceived limitations and discover a fuller relationship with our unique, authentic, and courageous self.
“There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity.” - Jalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī
‘Jean, I have to say thank you and thank you again for your class this afternoon. I often do, within the space you hold for us, find a strength and also peacefulness within. I, all at once, feel content to rest in my gentleness and, like a new child - eager to learn the feeling of the movements.’
Michelle Erkiert
Qualifications
I originally qualified as an Iyengar yoga teacher in 1995, and since then I have continued to study different forms of yoga, movement and spiritual practices with many great teachers from diverse backgrounds. Of particular influence are the teachings of Pema Chödrön, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Peter Levine
Collaboration has also been central to my growth, particularly working with fellow teachers and artists such as Aki Omori, Anna Ashby, Liz Lark, Mimi Kuo Deemer and Karen Yeomans. Their creativity and insight has deeply enriched my own journey and understanding.
Alongside authoring several yoga books, I also teach open classes in London and a co-founded both Daoist Flow Yoga Level 1 and triyoga’s Advanced Teacher Training. I also offer one to one tuition, workshops and retreats in the UK and abroad, sharing practices that support people in reconnecting with presence vitality and balance.
Certifications
MMTCP: Meditation and Mindfulness Teaching Certification
Yoga Alliance Professionals (UK) – SYT: Senior Yoga Teacher
Yoga Alliance (US) E-RYT-500: Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher
MA in Performing Arts
‘I spent countless hours in this bookstore near Embankment – and I found your beautiful book “Astanga” and would pour over it for hours. Finally one day I just shelled out the money to buy it and it has become one of the most sacred and precious belongings of mine. Six years later and I am now teaching in Canada and now on Maui. Back when I was in London, it never even occurred to me to find you in London and study with you but your book and teachings provided much insight and yogic companionship on my journey and for that I am eternally grateful.’
Pia Lo
yoga
The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj," which means "to yoke" or "to unite," and relates to the inter-relation and union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness.
The essence of yoga unfolds through practice, using the body as a vehicle to deepen our understanding of natural truths. There are many diverse practices of yoga, each opening a door to the awareness of our felt wholeness and inherent interconnectedness to everything around us.
Yoga originated in ancient India and is intrinsically intertwined in its philosophical, spiritual, and cultural traditions. Its beginnings date back over 5,000 years, with its earliest mentions found in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. The practice has evolved over centuries and is sited in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Yoga classes and sessions may include:
Breath Awareness
Physical postures (asanas)
Movement flow (Vinyasa)
Pranayama (breathing practices)
Meditation
Relaxation
Ethical principles
‘What I find amazing about your teaching method is that by taking students into an asana a certain way, by preparing the body and taking attention to seemingly small angles, muscles, alignment, we find ourselves in asanas we thought we couldn’t achieve. It’s quite an experience!’
Petra Coveney
SomaTICS
Somatic movement is a body-centred approach that brings kind awareness to our inner world of sensing and mind-body connection, rather than focusing on external expectations or aesthetics. It brings us to connect with movement in a way that reveals insight and meaning, and after that insight, much in our life is enriched.
The term "somatic" comes from the Greek word soma, meaning "body," and it validates our felt experience of the body, so we may discover and learn through our own lived experience, and embodied awareness.
Somatic work paves the way for ongoing enquiry and invites more authentic and creative ways to approach work and life. It supports a ‘being with’ what is present, instead of a ‘pushing away’, so we may open to new understanding and perspective and, unlock new possibilities of being.
Somatic Movement Sessions may include:
Awareness of sensation by listening and sensing inwards.
Slowing down to sense ease and support within that helps foster a deeper connection between body and mind.
Mindfulness of bodily sensations, experience, quality of movement and breath.
Connecting to resource practices to create safety, inner trust, and regulation of the nervous system.Mind-Body integration to bring balance between physical movement and mental states.
Gentle, intentional and exploratory movements to allow for discovery, understanding, repatterning, and regulation.
Healing and restorative practices to help recover from pain, injury, or trauma by retraining movement patterns and releasing tension.
‘What I really liked about your class is that you care about your students. The care, the engagement, the love of your craft stands out.’
Tim Mygind
Mindfulness & Meditation
Mindfulness encourages an open and accepting mind toward thoughts, feelings, and experiences, fostering kindness, self-awareness, and emotional balance. By observing without criticism, mindfulness can help us better understand ourself and the world around us, and respond thoughtfully to life’s challenges.
Originating from Buddhist traditions, particularly meditation practices, mindfulness is part of a spiritual path that helps to alleviate suffering. Over time, it has also been included and adapted into secular practices like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It is now widely used in education, healthcare, and workplaces to help manage and reduce stress, improve focus, regulate emotions, and nurture overall well-being and health.
Mindfulness and Meditation Sessions may include:
Mindfulness of breath
Mindfulness of body
Mindfulness of sensation and feeling
Mindfulness of thoughts
Mindfulness of dharma (underlying truths)
Mindful movement
Shared reflections
‘What beautiful yoga, what fun and I feel I’ve learnt so much and have carried so much away and back into my life! Thank you also for being so generous with your time, and all the ideas you brought into our practice and generous adjustions which are still very much reverberating strongly!’
Emily Bruni
Publications
BREATHE
Simple techniques for a calmer, happier life
Quadrille Publishing
Astanga Yoga & Meditation
A Practical Guide to Yoga Postures
Abbeydale Press
Astanga Yoga
A In-depth Guide to the Primary Series
Anness Books
Everyone triyoga
Everyone triyoga
In association with Triyoga
‘For several years I begin each day rotating to one of your three yoga sequences, Back Alignment, Activating Energy, or Tension Release and practicing the asanas. Each time feels like a fresh, new experience. Your book, YOGA, a practical step by step guide, Abbeydale Press, 2003 has changed my life for the better. I am writing to thank you.’