Instructors

I am 37 years old and I live in Tweed Heads on the border of NSW and Queensland. I have a 15 year old daughter named Tayla. I was born in London. My father a classical musician was accepted by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra when I was 18 months old so off we went to Wellington, NZ where I spent my childhood up to my early 20's. In 1992 I went to Lincoln University near Christchurch, New Zealand where I studied Parks & Recreation Management. From here I had a landscaping business, worked in the native forests of NZ building tracks, bridges and boardwalks, amongst other things. I eventually went back to riding horses professionally. I specialised in young horse training with horses from all areas of the horse world. I worked in Japan for 2 years and eventually came to Australia intending to stay for one week and never left!

After breaking my left kneecap (ouch) and a couple of years later having a severe concussion I ended up deciding I had ridden long enough and I wanted to change my focus so I turned to sales and marketing. Eventually I become Assistant Sales Manager at Mercedes-Benz on the Gold Coast. I really enjoyed the challenge but again I become dissatisfied with working 60 hours per week and the pressures of corporate life. In 2007 I also began surfing in earnest for fitness and stress relief. I surfed every single day that I could. Even when I started at 8am I would be out on the water in summer at 430am. Surfing saved me in that it enabled me to cope with the pressures of my job. Surfing still is a huge part of my life and if I am not teaching yoga you will find me driving around the coast somewhere searching for an uncrowded wave.

So how did I find Bikram Yoga? I was getting a stiff neck and back from surfing so much and I would get tension headaches that would last all day from tightness in my neck and no doubt also tension at work. I also had bad pain from my knee injury from the accident a few years ago. I had heard vaguely about Bikram Yoga so I went and tried it. I really enjoyed it and have been doing it ever since. Bikram Yoga has and still is healing my body and has completely changed my life. I never really felt happiness in my life until I started teaching and practicing yoga. What is amazing for me is to look at all of you around the room and know that all your lives are being changed. It is so nice when someone comes up and says, 'I touched my forehead to the floor today', or 'Today, for the first time, I kicked my leg out parallel to the floor.'

I want to try and keep my life as interesting as I can. I have had lots of adventures along the way and will continue to do so. I love it here in Perth - you are all so friendly and nice! See you in the hot room.

Joe