Australian Yoga Journal — November 2017

PHOTO: WWW.CHRISPRESTIDGE.COM

“What inspires you? What makes you

feel good? If it’s yoga then do that. If it’s

pilates then do that. If it’s meditation

then do that. But do it at least five times

a week. My yoga practice now feels as

essential to my wellbeing as breathing,”

Mandy Scotney muses with enthusiasm.

MANDY SCOTNEY, 48,is not your typical

Insta-famous yoga-lebrity. In fact, she

didn’t discover yoga until her late 30s.

Exercise was about as appealing as a trip

to the dentist, and she “much preferred

sitting with my head in a book”. You

wouldn’t know it now though, as Mandy

is completely immersed in the yoga

world, both teaching at and managing

one of Australia’s most well-known

yoga businesses, BodyMindLife.

Overcoming limiting beliefs

So, why did Mandy discover her now

biggest passion a little later in life?

“I was a busy single mum — working

full-time and raising my daughter —

and so luxuries like group classes were

impossible until Shannon got a bit

older.”

Eventually, after attending an

intensive yoga retreat, Mandy made a

commitment to herself to indulge in a

year of yoga. But it wasn’t easy. “I have

to say I was very intimidated. I would go

to early morning classes, which were

quiet and the room was often dark. It

took about six months before I was

brave enough to practice an evening

class! BodyMindLife was (and continues

to be) a very busy studio. I was 40 years

old, not particularly bendy and felt very

conscious of my body. And I felt totally

intimidated to step into a room full of

bendy, beautiful young things! Of

course, that was all in my head. When

I finally did it, I didn’t feel out of place

at all. For me, this practice has been

a continual triumph over my own

self-limiting beliefs.”

It’s not all about Insta-fame
and perfect postures
These self-limiting beliefs were only
exacerbated by the plethora of yoga-
lebrities in the yoga media. “Many of the
asanas will never be available to me and,
in a world of Insta-famous yogis, that
can really play with my head.” But the
voice to continue on her yoga journey
was louder, and whenever thenot good
enoughthoughts entered her mind,
Mandy would remind herself, “Yoga
isn’t about handstands, arm balances
and Instagram. For me, yoga is about
using the body to go within, to quieten
the mind, to connect with others, to
accept and experience both my
limitations and expand my capabilities.”
And the rest is history. “The biggest
triumph for me is breaking through all
of that ‘not good enough’ stuff and to
begin teaching at BodyMindLife,
alongside some of Australia’s best
teachers. I still pinch myself ... and get
butterflies before stepping into the
room! I can’t do a freestanding
handstand, my wheel is nothing to write
home about, and I’m not going to be
Insta-famous any time soon. But I
love the practice and I love teaching
24 (especially people new to yoga!).

november/december 2017

yogajournal.com.au

Jessica Humphries talks to BodyMindLife’s general

manager and teacher, Mandy Scotney, about how

she transformed herself from full-time CEO to full-time

yogini at one of Australia’s biggest yoga studios.

lifelong

affirmations

FROM LIMITATIONS TO