“I joined the Royal Air Force back in England at the age of 23. I was an air electronics operator and the first ever female radar operator on Nimrods, a type of plane used to gather electronic intelligence.
It was the Air Force that paid for my training to become a yoga teacher.
My first class actually took place in Iraq – I was teaching the boys out on the gravel!
They wanted to try yoga and obviously there are no studio- type places there, so there we were, outside on our mats.
We would hear military aircraft flying overhead, but we would still do our relaxation poses. Funnily enough, I never wanted to be a yoga teacher.
I thought I’d be in the Air Force forever. But I just fell in love with the discipline and teaching it really meant something to me.
That came in useful when, upon emigrating to New Zealand in 2006, I started to struggle. I was missing my home and my friends, and I started to fall into a depression.
I left the Air Force and tried my hand at acting, planning to teach yoga on the side.
I worked a few stints as an extra on Shortland Street, but acting wasn’t really paying the bills. As for the yoga, I decided to study further and did yoga sports science in 2013. I’m actually the first official yoga sports coach in New Zealand, so I’m trained to work with athletes. I specialise in rugby players, but the discipline also helps people with injuries, so I mainly teach private classes.
One day, I saw an interview with someone who ran a cat café. I love cats, so I looked up the idea and came across The Cat Lounge in Auckland – it was even offering cat yoga!
I knew I had to give the class a go. I enjoyed it so much that afterwards I spoke to the owners and said if they ever needed a yoga teacher, I would be there for them. Funnily enough, a teaching spot opened up there soon after and the rest is history. Let me tell you, it’s the best job ever.
I teach a maximum of eight in my class – people that is! There are many more cats. It’s mayhem at the beginning.
The cats often hijack the mats, snuggle up to people and run around. But they gradually quieten down and by the time we get to shavasana – the relaxation part of the class – the cats are in their baskets, often asleep, and everyone is relaxed and having a rest. It’s beautiful!
No yoga mats here! The yogi leading some of her Air Force friends in Iraq.
Cats do bring that loving quality to yoga. It’s the whole interaction – their soft touch and gentle nature. I think it helps with calming people down and relaxing them.
But at the same time, it’s fun and there’s always a lot of laughter. The first time I came here, I arrived early, set up my stuff and put my sweatshirt in the corner. Suddenly, I caught one of the cats peeing on it!
So that was a lesson learned. From then on, we put our belongings on a wooden table in the middle of the room where it’s safe, while the cats have their litter trays in a separate room out of sight.
Generally, though, they’re all very well behaved. The cats were all chosen especially for their temperaments and adopted from the Lonely Miaow Association. There’s a few cats I’ve come to know well and I have a few favourites.
During class, my main concern is for people’s safety, so I’m always watching to make sure that if the cats sneak onto their mats, they are aware of that and don’t accidentally step back. I have to be very alert.
And if I’m being honest, it can be hard to stay focused on teaching with all those gorgeous cats around! So I say at the beginning of each class, ‘It’s more about the cats than the yoga.’ If you want come out of your pose to interact with them, then do. Yoga is all about enjoying being in the moment and going with the flow!”
My favourite animal is…
Cats! I love all species of cat.
My favourite way to unwind…
Is sitting by the sea. Tindalls Beach in Whangaparaoa is my fave.
The most unique place I have done yoga…
Is on a beach in Bora Bora. The water, the sand… It was unbelievable!
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