Biography
Sophie started practising yoga in Edinburgh whilst at university as an antidote to stressful deadlines. She couldn't afford a full body massage to relieve her aching shoulders, but a tenner or so a week for her local studio was affordable! Following the birth of her son in 2014, she decided to retrain doing something she believed passionately in: supporting pregnant mums through yoga. She had a tough pregnancy but wonderful birthing experience at home, surrounded by family. She seeks to call on all her experiences of pregnancy and mothering - good and bad - to empower others to have the experience they want, and can be proud of, wherever and however that might take place.
Mothering is a succession of polar opposites: the most stressful, the most rewarding, the most exhausting, the most uplifting, the most frightening, the most exciting time... together we can support each other through asana (poses) pranayama (breath work) and nidra (relaxation) and, most importantly, tea and biscuits! Sophie is a qualified NCT Breastfeeding peer Supporter, and trained in supporting women following traumatic birth. She is also an active participant in NCT, Maternity Voices and published author in the Association for the Improvement of Maternity Services journal.
What do you do when you’re not teaching or practising yoga?
I draw! My degree was in architecture, and I work as a designer drawing everything from little tweaks to full overhaul of domestic and small retail. When I’ve got spare time at home my hands are often in the soil, in fact I’ve been forbidden by my eldest from buying too many plants at the market. I also love cycling; before I had the boys I did a lot of long-distance cycling in the UK and across Europe, and last year took the children (1.5 and 6 years) on their first tour across the Netherlands and down the Rhine. Hopefully we’ll get back to start the Danube cycle route this summer... fingers crossed!
Favourite posture?
Marichyasana/one-legged seated spinal twist. I love twists and backbends and still feel a lot of tension in my back. Like many women I’m more mobile in the lower back, so it feels fantastic to twist or extend the upper spine.
What’s on your bucket list?
The bike I have in the shed was originally built to ride to Japan, so I'd like to do that. A lot of Afghanistan has land mines in it, so I'd have to go south via Iran and across from there. We've started with travelling east across Europe, first the Rhine and next the Danube, so we'll get to the Far East but it might take some time!
