Meet your teacher ...

1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING YOGA FOR?

I’ve been guiding yoga for 3 years, offering classes alongside my creative business Ruby Sparrow. I established Flowstate.Cic earlier this year where I combined my love of yoga with my passion for creativity to improve the physical & mental health of others

2. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A YOGA TEACHER? I was practicing yoga on and off for a few years & I had a strong practice & loved a challenging flow. I loved the strength & power it gave me & how it got me out of my head and into my body. I then got sick & was left with Fibromyalgia, a chronic fatigue illness meaning I was tired & in pain …. All.the.time My yoga practice totally changed & it became more about healing my body rather than pushing it. It was like going back to the start of my journey & it guided me toward wanting to share yoga for healing. My practice became more embodied & restorative & I wanted to share it with those suffering from injury, illness or lack of confidence & help guide them through their yoga journeys I will be forever a yoga student <3

3. WHERE DID YOU COMPLETE YOUR TRAINING?

I completed my 200 hour training in an amazing school called @greenyogainternational - it was an Indian school, but in Spain! It was important to me to go somewhere with a focus on yoga philosophy & not just fitness so this school was the perfect place for me. It was multi style which fitted both my interests & my teaching style as I like to incorporate lots of different styles in my classes. I also completed my Yin teacher training studying with @debbieredcliffe & offer shake the dust classes - which is a style of somatic release movement mixed with Pilates & dance (that’s a wild one and i love it!) created by @satutumoelo - it's like Yoga meets HIIT, meets somatic journeying 4. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TEACHING STYLE? I would call it embodied dynamic slow flow. I like to include breathwork & meditation in my classes alongside asana. It’s very much based on traditional yoga & yogic philosophy & I’m quite alignment focussed … BUT …that being said, I like it to be informal, playful & experamentative! I guide with an embodied approach to look into the pose and not AT the pose

5. WHAT IS IT YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT TEACHING YOGA?

I like being able to guide people into exploring their bodies & the space around them. I like to move away from yoga for fitness, and more for yoga to FEEL! How does my body FEEL? How do 'I' FEEL in this body? I love incorporating music in my classes as I feel like it's so beautiful to connect movement to music & how music can influence our emotions & I love creating playlists to guide us through the practice. I still get nervous EVERY time I teach! Guiding yoga puts you in a vulnerable position! Everyone is looking at you, I don't know my left from right, what if they hate the class, what if they hate YOU? ... I have to remind myself yoga is subjective, & each person will have a different experience each class, each day etc I remind myself I'm passionate & I've a lot to offer & i love to share what I've learnt. You’re not going to resonate with every teacher every class - and that’s ok!

6. WHAT IS YOUR TOP TIP FOR PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT STARTING TO PRACTISE YOGA?

Saying you’re not flexible enough to do yoga is like saying you’re too dirty to take a bath :p Get on the mat, get out of your head! We’re all crap at the beginning, no one cares what you look like, everyone else is just trying to get through it too! Have fun with it, explore what comes up and ENJOY it!

7. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE POSTURE?

Honestly this changes from day to day haha! I love pigeon tbh! There's something it does to my body where I feel so much resistance - but when I'm move through it & surrender & sink into it, its euphoric!

8. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR OTHER INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF YOGA?

I have too many hobbies! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a full time creative, I run a bohemian jewellery and clothing company selling handmade jewellery & sustainable clothing created using recycled materials, I also teach cyclical living & menstrual cycle awareness, practice reiki & run creative workshops across charities in the city. I love to travel, do henna, make jewellery & I've usually got a million projects on the go! I'm not sure if the sun is an interest… but i live for sunshine!

9. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF PRACTISING YOGA IS?

It helps us to get out of our own way! Yoga guides us to listen, to step away from the busyness of the outer world & into our inner knowing. It helps to align us to our souls purpose & removes obstacles for us living too much in the external and tune into the internal.

10. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE COMING TO ONE OF YOUR CLASSES FOR THE FIRST TIME?

Take it easy, yoga isn’t about what pose you can do or how far you can go. When i started I couldn’t touch my toes. Stay with the breath, don‘t get too caught up in your head about what other people are doing, go slow & enjoy the flow!