Hailey, yoga teacher in South Yarra

What is your hometown?
Lucky to call the Yarra Valley, Vic my hometown.

Where did you complete your teacher training?
I trained at Power Living under Cassie Lee & Chris Wilson

What are three words that describe your teaching style?
Strong, SLOW & supportive.

What is the #1 thing you love about yoga?
The freedom and the community it’s shown me to.
It took years before I realised that it wasn’t just about the asana, I’ve learned that I’m apart of something bigger & that there’s a definite interconnectedness we all share. When I came to realise that it was like I fell in love with the practice on a different level because a weight had been lifted, there was nothing to prove. That is what I love about this practice that it’s so much bigger than nailing a posture, it’s a way for you to come home to yourself.

If you had to pick, what’s your favourite pose and why?!
I would have to say Dancers pose. I was a Bikram yogi for many years and this was one of those postures that I really struggled with. I couldn’t maintain balance nor did I have the strength to “kick & reach”. It was infuriating. Then there was this one day where I approached the posture with less aggression & less “let’s get this done” & it was there. It had always been there I just had to be a nicer to myself & Slow. It. Down…

Who are you inspired by?
So many people! My partner, the students I teach & the courage they have, my teacher Cassie Lee. Also a big one who stands out lately is Taylor Hunt. Taylor is an incredible Ashtanga Yogi who has recently opened up about his struggles in his early years. The vulnerability to stand up and say “this is me” is incredibly inspiring as I feel like there’s such pressure from ourselves to be a certain way in order to feel worthy. It’s a beautiful reminder that there’s no such thing as perfect & that our experiences don’t make us less worthy of love or belonging.

Favourite line from a movie?
Ha! This is a hard one, can I give you a quote from a book?
“Wilbur didn’t want food, he wanted love”
-E.B White from Charlottes Web. This book has stuck with me since I was a little girl & catapulted me into a different way of thinking about our barn yard friends.

How do you like to “treat yo self?”
If I was to go all out it would be hanging with my partner at Bunnings after a massage with a carrot cake in hand… 🙂