Instructor Spotlight: Harriett
Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m Harriett, I’m an actress, yogi and body work enthusiast. I have a long standing fascination with people and the human experience. It's my lifelong passion to explore what it is to be human and how we can make the experience a little bit easier!
I have a very special skill, I am VERY GOOD at making kidney stones. From the age of 11 I have cultivated this talent. At first it was thought of as a bizarre fluke. However when I was 24 they came back with a vengeance and after being dismissed several times from assorted GPs, 3 months later I ended up with sepsis in my right kidney and a downstream effect of complications. After a lot of morphine and an operation later I emerged from my post op haze and heard a little voice telling me to do my yoga teacher training … so off I went and set out on a quest to heal myself. Alas … I'm still a work in progress and I'm still VERY good at making kidney stones. But with more knowledge and compassion towards myself, this talent is getting easier to deal with
How has your experience with kidney illness informed your yoga practice, and your relationship with your body?
At first I felt completely let down by body. I had always been a ‘healthy eater’, I did all of the things that I was ‘supposed to do’, so I felt completely let down and confused. It took me a very long time to feel safe in my body as the thought of being back in hospital again was very frightening to me. The little voice that told me to do my yoga training was clearly wise, and for me, showing up to yoga classes was the way that I was able to rebuild my relationship back to my body. I learnt how to slow down, to listen to and respect my body.
Tell us how you got into Traditional Chinese Medicine & how it's helped you.
I have always been fascinated by ancient medicine – the fact that it's still going shows that they had a pretty good idea of what they were doing! I began by training as a reflexologist, and once I started to hear about acupressure points, and used them to great success, I kept searching for more info. Around the same time, a dodgy shoulder led me to a little clinic in Colliers Wood. I had the most unbelievable treatment from a man called John Tindall and a few months later I began training with him. For me the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy of treating the body with both the mind and the spirit makes so much more sense, and I think there is a real beauty in that.
What inspired you to start teaching others?
I want to share what I've learnt to empower others to take ownership of their healing journey. So often we lose trust in our body or our intuition when healing – but that is the relationship we need to care for the most.
My favourite thing about teaching and treating people, is seeing them have a great time, gain confidence and respect for themselves and their bodies.
What specific practices do you find most helpful?
Being quiet. Carving out time in our days to really be with ourselves. Whether that’s walking, cooking, reading or even sitting, gazing out the window. Giving yourself a chance to simply BE is an incredibly powerful thing.
Find Harriett on social media - Instagram
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