I always knew I wanted to teach. It started when I was in Primary school and my dad set me up a classroom in our garage, complete with desks and a blackboard. I would spend all my spare time in there “playing school”; talking, teaching, marking books, reading aloud.
On leaving school, I studied a Bachelor of Education (Primary). After a couple of years of teaching, I left on a big adventure to have working holiday in the UK. I had a wonderful time and gained invaluable experience working as a teacher in a relief capacity. It also provided me with the money I need to travel to and from London, seeing the best parts of Europe and America while I was there.
I continued to teach full time on my returnto Australia, however I found teaching difficult. The pressure to reach and teach each individual child was intense. I felt overwhelmed a lot of the time and had many moments where I questioned whether this was what I wanted to be doing.
I decided to take on more study and gained qualifications to work with children with Special Needs in schools. I loved this new role. It allowed me to specialise, which is what I had been looking for.
Around this time I was struggling a lot, on a personal level. My husband and I were trying to fall pregnant and we were not having any luck. This was a very stressful and emotional time in my life. I rarely opened up about it to anyone. I was exhausted with pretending things were ok, when really I was falling apart.
My biggest personal struggles around this time centered around, "Who am I?" If not a mum, then what? These feelings ran very deep. I have never known a time in my life when I have ever felt so lost.
It was at this time, Yoga came into my life. A naturopath I was seeing told me that my stress levels were so high, I needed to find something to help me 'switch off'. Deciding not to begin in a studio, I downloaded some Yoga apps and locked myself in the study with my iPad and a yoga mat. And that was that. This is where you would find me every day, sometimes twice a day, doing Yoga.
Yoga is the single thing that allowed me to start accepting my body was something wonderful, instead of a disappointment. It had such a profound effect on me, I embarked on my Yoga Teacher Training to learn more.
Our struggles really do shape who we are. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I would have this life.
My biggest lesson? TRUST. The bigger plan will always unfold. You don't need to hold on so tightly.
“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela