So I folded science into the mix, becoming an Exercise and Sport Scientist in 2019 and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist in 2020.

As my knowledge expanded, my yoga teaching morphed to include clinical concepts to explain the why and how. My classes were framed, structured and delivered with this vein running throughout.

I first started teaching in Sydney and my six classes per week needed to be propped up by a ‘real job’. By the time I threw my first science hat on, I had relocated to Brisbane and opened a purpose built studio. Within six months of opening the doors, my 39 classes per week were at 100% capacity. The marriage between yoga and science worked. This was now my real job.

I’m still at uni, working toward registration as a clinical psychologist. If this seems a little random, I’d like to throw to the cohort that originally started me on the quest for science.

Veterans.

They are bl*ody hard nuts to crack. They are layered with nuances and complexities that require inquiry and treatment from every angle. For some, pharmaceuticals provide a component of relief but alone, can’t deliver a fuller picture of recovery. For some, talk therapy stimulates a cognitive level of understanding that translates into more steadiness.

Neither of these address the container that stores the blueprint of trauma, stress and pain; the body. Not only storing but also communicating these states back to the brain, perpetuating a loop. Without addressing the body, recovery plateaus at a level far below what aligns with a good quality of life.

I’m also a veteran.