YOGA PEOPLE
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august/september 2015yogajournal.com.auWhen did you begin practicing yoga?
I went to my fi rst yoga class with my
mother at the local surf club, when I was 16
years old. During my fi rst savasana, I
experienced an amazing feeling of
connection and knew, from then, that I
wanted to share that feeling of deep love
and unity with others.When did you become a yoga teacher?
My fi rst yoga teacher training was with
Yoga Arts in Ubud, Bali, 10 years ago. I had
already opened Essence of Living and was
qualifi ed as a personal trainer and Pilates
instructor. I initially had a limiting belief
that I could not be a yoga teacher, because
of my lack of fl exibility. However, I knew
deep in my heart that I wanted to share the
feeling that yoga gives, not just the
movements.Who was your teacher?
I have travelled far and wide in pursuit of
wisdom from great gurus who have
dedicated their lives to the practice. I have
completed yoga teacher trainings in India
with Brahmani Yoga, New York with
Jivamukti, Mexico with Paul Grilley, Byron
Bay with Dena Kingsberg; each course
giving me an even deeper understandingMichelle Merrifi eld
Our cover model and
founder of studio
Essence of Living talks
about her life, yoga
and learning to let go.and providing a different perspective on
teachings. Now that I have been practicing
yoga for half of my life, I look for different
things from teachers than I used to, and
am thirstier for practical philosophy and
traditional teachings.Who has been the most influencial
yoga teacher in your life?
The most infl uential teacher I have had is
Alanna Kaivalya, as I did my
apprenticeship in NYC under her loving
direction and daily inspiration. I base a lot
of my teaching on her wisdom, however,
my students and the practice itself, have
also taught me so much. Every day I learn
something new, and let go a little bit more.What did they teach you?
Alanna is a master at adjustments and she
also helped me lay the foundations upon
the biomechanical sequencing formula I
created, and now teach to all of my teacher
training students. Being naturally stiff,
with a limited joint range, actually turned
out to be a blessing in disguise, as I really
understand the limitations that a lot of
other people feel. I now know how to
navigate around both the body and mind,
in order to overcome those obstacles.What is the most important life lesson
you have learnt?
Nothing lasts forever, both good and bad,
so enjoy the sweetness when life is fruitful
and breathe deeply when life is
challenging. Our internal and external
worlds are constantly shifting, changing
and rearranging, so I’ve learned to loosenPHOTOS: TODD COLE