Maria Wilson

I have always been a teacher. My early twenties were spent teaching windsurfing and dinghy sailing for adults on holiday resorts and kids on camp in Greece, France and the UK. I then qualified and worked as a Primary School teacher in London. All of my adult life, I have also taught Speech and Drama to children of all ages.

In my twenties, I dipped in and out of a regular yoga practice - favouring the more physically demanding astanga and vinyasa flow styles. However, it wasn't until I was lucky enough to fall pregnant with my daughter in 2014 that I understood the power in the pranayama (control of breathing) and meditation aspects of yoga. After the skills I learnt on my yoga mat saw me through labour, I knew I wanted to train to be a teacher.  

In my late twenties, when my daughter was a toddler, I finally joined my first ever yoga studio in London. In return for some hours on front desk - I was able to sample many styles of yoga: Kundalini, Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Yin/Yang, Rocket, Reiki Meditation, Aroma Yoga and more! 

The daily physical practice kept my body strong, my spirit rejuvenated and my mind calm during those first few years of parenthood. 

In 2019, my husband, my three-year old daughter and I packed up our London lived to live on the other side of the world for a bit - Auckland N.Z. We all love to travel and had a stop off in Kuala Lumpar en-route! When we reached N.Z. I cultivated a strong at home yoga practice as well as embracing the kiwi habit of kicking off shoes and socks and practicing grounding or earthing by doing my asanas on their beautiful beaches!

We had intended to stay in N.Z. only a year but then...Covid! 

So, in 2021,6 years after deciding I wanted to teach yoga, I took the plunge and completed my 200hr YTT with Sandey and Kylie at Inspire Yoga Teacher Training NZ. This course is non-dogmatic and reflected my love of both the strengthening of the body - through vinyasa flow yoga and hatha - as well as how to lead more introspective yin yoga sessions. I have a particular interest in how yoga can support women through the 'three p's' of puberty, pregnancy and peri-menopause and so I have also completed further education in Women's Health with Tiffany Cruikshank at Yoga Medicine®. 

Today, I offer one-to-one yoga lessons as well as larger community yoga classes both via zoom until we can come out of lockdown!

Whether you already have a regular yoga practice, are returning to it or are a complete beginner, my classes are for you.