M
ay this year marks the 10th anniversary of Peninsula Yoga becoming “Gnostic” but my yoga journey goes back much further than that. It’s been a journey of evolution, self-discovery, recovery, adulation and interspersed with great highs and lows. Becoming a full- time yoga teacher and the first yoga studio owner on the Peninsula was something I could never have imagined. I originally worked in an occupation completely alien to the world of yoga, I was a Sergeant in the NSW Police Force, I served 25 years of which I am extremely proud. My service as a Police Officer certainly gave me first-hand experience in the plight of first responders and the trauma that occurs by simply doing your job. Shift work ruins sleep patterns, it leads to poor eating habits and routine doesn’t exist. The saying goes that you don’t join a job, you take on a lifestyle. You experience the first worst of humanity, resulting in all the psychological damage that goes with constant bombardment. That experience has made me a much more empathetic yoga teacher and I’ve been fortunate enough to run classes specifically designed for front-line workers. I attended my first ever yoga class on the recommendation of my Chiropractor who happened to be a very good yoga teacher. I was being treated for a severe back injury and yoga movement was suggested as one method of treatment. Carlo introduced me to yoga and was the catalyst for my journey into yoga teaching, basically he ignited the spark through practice, education and inspiration. I soon came to realise that the psychological effects of a physical injury can be much worse than the injury itself. You start to identify with the injury and the pain, it becomes all-encompassing and takes your focus G
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away from every aspect of your life. I learnt that the body and mind are not separate entities, the reality being that the functioning of one affects the other. Whatever happens in the mind will be reflected in the body, whatever happens in body will be reflected in the mind. I received great benefits, from yoga from those early classes, I lost weight, I became more mobile, gained perspective and developed healthy sleep patterns. I was given the opportunity to teach classes very early in my yoga journey, I saw the benefit people were receiving and how much my own condition improved, I knew that yoga was my purpose in life, my Dharma. I undertook formal yoga teaching training, became an apprentice teacher (which doesn’t seem to happen anymore) and intensified my practices. I had a few setbacks along the way with injuries and trying to teach yoga while learning all the bureaucratic obstacles of running a business. I persisted, offered free classes, I hired various community halls, worked at gyms from Hornsby to Wyong and eventually developed clientele. The first studio I opened was in Woy Woy where I spent 5 years, eventually, starting at Gnostic 10 years ago. The move to Gnostic corner was a game changer for showcasing local yoga, the gnostic group of like-minded businesses and people all are committed to wellness and selfgrowth. You can see from journey that Yoga is both transforming and life changing. The world of yoga has completely changed while I’ve been involved. There has been an incredible amount of interest and a massive influx of practitioners as the healing and wellness benefits of yoga become known. It was once considered the domain of mystics in the east and hippies to the west, yoga has now become a legitimate mainstream form of healing across the world. The internet and social media has helped spread the good “yoga” message but unfortunately has also created a false image with an emphasis on physical contortion rather than all the overall aspects of yoga as a healing science, some of the images on Instagram couldn’t be more un-yoga. You don’t have to be a physical gymnast or be able to meditate like a Zen Monk or bow before some faux guru to practice and benefit. The success and longevity of Peninsula Yoga is reflective of the quality of yoga offered. I acknowledge the thousands of people who have
