Karly’s Approach

I have been teaching yoga and body based therapies for over 13 years. I am insured and registered as a Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals. I mainly work with groups in a class or workshop setting  as well as with privates clients from my home studio.

My one to one yoga sessions can help you to develop a personal practice that works more deeply than if you were to join a class. I structure it specifically for your personal needs. I get to closely recognise, talk to and understand the anatomy, movement and postural habits and patterns of each individual.  I work relationally, experientially, holistically, creatively and Intuitively to begin the process of unravelling and resetting old pattern with-in the body, especially focusing on the ones that aren’t serving my client well.   

My work is a blend of body processing and talking therapy. I tailor each session to the needs of my client. I work from a humanistic and holistic approach. I have worked with a broad range of people including people suffering with physical ailments such as; physical tension, pain, general wear and tear, injury and mis-alignment, as well as working alongside clients suffering with mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, insomnia, depression, trauma… I have also worked with Parkingson’s, MS & Motor Neurone Disease, as well as alongside individuals who have suffered sexual, emotional, physical abuse. My therapeutic approach integrates many tools and resources which help aid the healing process for both the mind (Cognitive) & body (Somatic) in a profound way. 

Many people carry traumatic experiences in their body which can have a detrimental effect on their quality of life and wellbeing.  Trauma has many characteristics; anxiety, stress, anger, physical pain, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and other physical and mental depilating illnesses.  I teach the art of embodiment and Interoceptive awareness to help create a new map, a new experience for my clients. A reset – releasing old patterns that may be getting in the way of them having a “better life”. Think of it as a ‘new life map’. I support my clients to connect into who they were truly meant to be in this world. 

I am a trained Integrative Psychotherapist. I did my post graduate training with Pesso Boyden UK and my Integrative Counselling with Heartwoods College in Totnes.

About Me

I started practicing yoga when I was around 19 years old, so many moons ago! I first came to the practice after spending several months, whilst living in Holland, unable to walk unassisted due to what was eventually diagnosed as Reactive Arthritis. I was told at this tender young age there was a chance I’d never walk without assistance again. Which was a very difficult pill to swallow.  

Luckily this wasn’t to be the case for me. After several months recovering I was able to walk on my own two feet again which lead me to, enthusiastically, head off on my adventures exploring the world.  It was during these times that I found yoga really useful for helping me re-build my physical and mental strength.  

 I spent the next few years dipping in and out of, mainly, Iyengar classes. It was Iyengar that I was primarily drawn to for many years. I loved the precision and time spent on figuring out where my body was in space – proprioception. The use of all the props was like learning a totally new body-language. I recall is feeling REALLY good, and it still does!  

After years attending and practicing the Iyengar method, with so many amazingly talented teachers, I stumbled upon an Ashtanga yoga weekly class at my local gym. My curious mind got the better of me so off I went to try it out. I fell madly in love with the flow, pace, dance, togetherness and ujjayi breath of the ashtanga method. which led me to head down that road of yogic exploration for a while. Once again, I had the good fortune of practicing and learning from some of the best ashtanga teachers during this period.   

 I loved, and still love, so much about the two very different approaches to yoga, I couldn’t choose one over the other to study so instead decided to do a teacher training where I wouldn’t have to make that difficult decision. 

My first teacher training was with the British Wheel of Yoga in 2008, where I completed a foundation training before then deciding to do my full 500hr diploma with ‘The Devon School of Yoga’. Here I was encouraged to continue my practices of Iyengar and Ashtanga whilst also honouring the schools own ethos of yoga as a holistic practice.  

It was a wonderful journey of self exploration and integration, an experience that paved the way for the rich learnings and teachings that followed. I have been teaching, and studying yoga full time for over 10 years now. I have completed several yoga teacher trainings as well as many continual professional development courses over the years. I’m committed to continual learning as a way of keeping my work fresh and safe .  

I am also a qualified Pesso Boyden Psychotherapist & Integrative Counsellor.

Bessel Van Der Kolk talks highly of the PB psychotherapy method in his wonderful book ‘The Body Keeps The Score’. It’s a talking therapy that very much includes the body as part of the healing process. It’s a fantastic modality which I often weave into more and more of my therapy work with clients.  

Each karliyoga group class offers a variety of:

• Breath Awareness – As well as encouraging healthy respiration, a calmer mind and a steadier nervous system. Mindfulness of breath is what brings our life alive and connects us to our true sense of self. Without the breath there isn’t much else, so it’s always a great place to begin.
• Mindful Meditation – Checking in to that all important ‘inner environment’ switching off from the outer chaos for a moment. Let’s call it  ‘Switching Off Whilst Switching On’.
• Postural Awareness with a little flow – Vinyasa is a contemporary approach to the ancient discipline of yoga. With continual emphasis and respect for the breath quality, bodily alignment and physical differences, the focus is on synchronized movement and breath, which encourages a smooth flow of postures (a moving meditation). In my vinyasa sessions expect to occasionally stop and start to check our all important physical organisation of alignment as well as where our mental focus is at. These yoga postures are not a flowing dance, and if we continue to flow from one to the next without truly allowing time within a posture much of the magic and wisdom can get lost and buried.
• Each private session starts with an initial 1.5 hour assessment process.