Alchemist Yoga

What are you feeding with your attention? 💭

You pick up your phone to check one message…

Twenty minutes later, you’re still scrolling.

You sit down to rest… and your mind starts running through everything you still need to do.

Sound familiar?

We live in a world constantly asking for our attention.

Notifications.
News.
Emails.
Social media.
Comparison.

And sometimes, without realising it, we give our energy to whatever shouts the loudest 🗣️

In yoga philosophy, Dharana is the practice of consciously placing our attention somewhere — and gently returning when the mind wanders.

Not perfect concentration.

Simply choosing where we return.

I like to think of attention like sunlight ☀️

Whatever we keep shining it on receives more of our energy.

So perhaps ask yourself:

Where is your attention going?

Worry?
Comparison?
Things I can’t control?

Or…

My breath.
My health.
Someone I love.
Something that brings me joy.
The life happening right in front of me.

🙏🏼 This week, pause and ask:

Where is my attention right now?

And if it isn’t somewhere you want it to be…
gently bring it back.

Because the mind will wander.

The practice is noticing… and choosing where we come back to.

💬 What deserves more of your attention this week?

Until next Sunday…

Be gentle with your mind 🧠

Photo.. Post Yoga Retreat Glow 💫
Counting the days until our next one… 🇪🇸

Today’s spokesperson for the Lion’s Gate Portal… 🦁

Don’t roll your eyes… but today might be worth paying attention to.

Every year on 8th August, social media fills with posts about the Lion’s Gate Portal.

Some people think it’s magical.
Some think it’s nonsense.

But here’s the interesting bit…

The story actually begins thousands of years ago.

🌞 The Sun is currently moving through Leo, a sign often associated with courage, confidence and leading from the heart.

⭐ Around this time of year, Sirius (the brightest star in our night sky) becomes visible before sunrise. Ancient Egyptians saw this as the beginning of a new cycle because it coincided with the flooding of the Nile, bringing life back to the land.

♾️ Add in the symbolism of the number 8, often representing resilience, abundance and infinite possibility, and today’s date has become known as the Lion’s Gate.

Now…

Do I think one date can magically change your life?

No.

But I do believe we all need moments that invite us to pause and reflect.

So perhaps today is simply an invitation to ask yourself…

🌱 What am I ready to let go of?

🦁 Where am I holding myself back?

💖 What gifts am I ready to share with the world?

💫 How can I move through life with both strength and compassion?

Because whether it’s called the Lion’s Gate, New Year’s Day, or simply the 8th of August…

Nothing changes unless we do.

So perhaps the real magic isn’t in the date…

It’s in the decision to begin 🦁✨

💙 I’d love to hear your thoughts. Had you heard of the Lion’s Gate before today?

I think I’ve always loved self-care… 🤍

Long before yoga.

Long before meditation.

Long before I became a pharmacist.

I was the little girl who could barely see over my dad’s pharmacy counter… fascinated by all the skincare testers 😂

Whilst other children were looking at sweets, I was trying hand creams, smelling lotions and asking questions about all the different products.

Some things never change!

As I’ve got older, I’ve realised self-care isn’t really just about skincare.

It’s about giving ourselves permission to pause.

To slow down.

To nourish ourselves.

Whether that’s through yoga, meditation, a walk in nature, a beautiful skincare ritual… or simply spending an afternoon with women who leave you feeling lighter than when you arrived.

I’ve always believed that how we spend our time, and who we spend it with, matters.

The spaces we create.

The rituals we practise.

The conversations we have.

And the people we choose to surround ourselves with.

Your vibe attracts your tribe 💯

Looking around at the wonderful women I’ve met through yoga, wellbeing and now x, I know that’s true.

That’s why I’m so looking forward to hosting my Pamper & Prosecco afternoon on Sunday 16th August.

Not because it’s about skincare…

But because it’s about bringing together like-minded women for a few hours of laughter, relaxation, connection and a little luxury.

The Tropic products are simply the excuse to gather 🥂✨

If that sounds like your kind of Sunday afternoon, I’d absolutely love you to join us.

📅 Sunday 16th August | 3–5pm

DM me “PAMPER” and I’ll send you all the details🤍

I can’t do this….

Those were the stories she was telling herself before walking into my Strength Development class.

“Everyone else will be better than me.”

“I’ve never done this before.”

“I don’t belong here.”

But she walked through the door anyway.

An hour later, we were both in tears.

Not because she couldn’t do it…

Because she HAD 🤍

Watching someone realise they’re stronger than they ever believed — not just physically, but mentally — is one of the greatest privileges of what I do.

It also made me reflect on something…

Sometimes the heaviest thing we’re carrying isn’t the weight in our hands.

It’s the story in our head.

The truth is…

Confidence doesn’t usually come first.

It grows because we were brave enough to take the first step.

So today, ask yourself:

What story are you telling yourself that’s keeping you small?

And what might happen if you chose not to believe it? 🌱

If you’ve been thinking about trying one of my classes but have been letting those stories hold you back, I’d love to welcome you. You don’t have to arrive confident… you just have to arrive 🙏🏼💙

A little alchemy has been happening behind the scenes… 🏡✨

I’ve been a little quieter on here lately… but definitely not sitting still!

Our beautiful Victorian renovation has been keeping us VERY busy.

There’s been dust.
Decisions.
Painting.
More painting.
And the panelling that may actually become my entire personality at this point😂

But slowly, the vision we had when we first walked through the door is beginning to appear.

And I LOVE it 🤍

There’s something rather special about taking something with history and character and giving it a new chapter — without losing what made it beautiful in the first place.

Maybe that’s why I’m enjoying it so much…

Transformation without losing who you are.

Very Alchemist, really!

Swipe for a little peek at what’s been happening behind the scenes… ➡️

Still plenty to do. Still plenty to paint. But I’m trying to enjoy the becoming rather than rush towards the finished version.

Turns out my latest yoga practice really is patience 🧘‍♀️🥹

And very soon, this house is going to be filled with Prosecco, pampering and some rather gorgeous women… 🥂✨

More on that tomorrow 👀

What if the story you keep telling yourself… isn’t actually true? 💬

Sometimes we repeat the same stories about ourselves for so long that they stop feeling like thoughts…

and start feeling like facts.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes the Kleshas — patterns that can cloud the way we see ourselves, others and the world around us.

I like to think of them as a lens.

Imagine wearing the same pair of glasses for years. Eventually, you forget you’re wearing them and assume that what you see is simply the way things are.

Our beliefs can be like that too — shaped by past experiences, expectations, comparison and fear.

Yoga invites us to notice the lens.

Not judge it.
Not fight it.
Simply become aware of it.

Because once we notice the story, we create space for something different.

“I should be further ahead” might become:
“My life doesn’t have to follow somebody else’s timeline.”

“I’ve always been like this” might become:
“This has been my pattern, but it doesn’t have to define me.”

And “I can’t” might simply become…

“I can’t… yet.”

💫 This week, when an old story appears, pause and ask:

What is actually true right now?

I am learning.
I am growing.
I am allowed to change.
I am open to what is possible.

We’ll be exploring this in class this week — taking ancient wisdom off the page, onto the mat and into everyday life 🧘🏻‍♀️

Because your past may have shaped you…

but it doesn’t have to write your next chapter.

💬 What story are you ready to rewrite?

Until next Sunday…
Be gentle with your mind 🙏🏼💙