Yoga teacher in Bath

Looking back, I realise yoga has always been my passion

My parents introduced me to meditation when I was seven, a ‘walking’ practice for a child to do for a few minutes each day. As a teenager I volunteered on silent retreats in the Black Forest, and in my late teens I travelled to India, where more intensive study began.

At the same time my life was a journey into movement: community dance as a child, then a career as a professional contemporary dancer. My yoga practice deepened through the Ashtanga tradition with Paul Dallaghan at Samahita, and through pranayama in the lineage of Sri O.P. Tiwari of Kaivalyadhama.

My teaching has been shaped by teachers who work from the inside out: John Stirk’s exploration of what lies beneath the pose, Tias Little’s work with the subtle body, Judith Hanson Lasater’s restorative yoga, Uma Dinsmore-Tuli’s pregnancy yoga, Richard Miller’s iRest Yoga Nidra and Michael Stone’s mindfulness teaching.

I have helped create and taught on teacher trainings in London, Manchester, Derby and now Bath. My work is to help people feel embodied, and ready to be in the world with courage and warmth.

Somatics

‘Soma’ means body. Somatic practices recognise how our life experiences are stored in the body and nervous system, and help us create new possibilities for how we live, move and feel.

Old patterns, new choices

The ways we learned to cope with stress become embodied habits. Somatic work gently brings awareness to them, so they no longer run on autopilot.

Body first, mind follows

Subtle sensations shape our emotional state before the mind tells a story. Slowing down lets us hear the body’s wisdom.

What makes movement somatic

Yoga, dance, walking or swimming can all be somatic. It is not what we do, but how: slowly, with attention to muscles, fascia and nerves.

Why we need it

Modern life pulls us away from our bodies. Somatics helps us reconnect, honour our emotions, restore trust and rediscover playfulness and joy.

Words from my students

  • “Holly exudes warmth and vitality. Her classes are mindful, fun and inclusive.”

  • “Through encouragement and praise, she celebrates each individual that steps onto the mat in front of her. She expertly deconstructs each student’s existing yoga knowledge and rebuilds it, layer by layer, with new levels of sophistication and understanding.”

  • “Holly isn’t your average yoga teacher. She takes you far deeper into the practice than stretching and poses, and guides you to a place of both progression and restoration.”

  • “Holly’s free-thinking and non-dogmatic approach continues to inspire me to explore and develop my own teaching and practice.”

  • “Holly’s classes have beautiful depth, intimacy and resonance. Holly guides and encourages her students with kindness and humility. I particularly relish and connect with the meditations.”

Training & experience

My love of learning keeps refining my teaching and practice. Here is some of my training and experience.

  • 500 hours Further Education Certification

  • 400 hours Further Education – Paul Dallaghan, Samahita

  • 200 hours Foundation Ashtanga – Paul Dallaghan, Samahita

  • Yoga Alliance 200 hours Teacher Training

  • 100 hours Rocket Vinyasa – The Yoga People

  • What Lies Beneath – John Stirk

  • Exploring Subtle Body – Tias Little

  • Relax & Renew – Judith Hanson Lasater

  • Pregnancy Yoga – Uma Dinsmore-Tuli

  • Mindfulness Meditation Facilitation – Michael Stone

  • iRest Yoga Nidra – Richard Miller

  • NLP Coach Practitioner

  • Yoga for the Special Child

  • Art of Living Foundation Facilitator

  • Postgraduate Diploma – London School of Contemporary Dance

  • BA Performing Arts – Northern School of Contemporary Dance