Lenora Kilshaw

To heal a stubborn case of "the blues" and reduce the stress of high school teaching, I began practising Yoga in 1999 with Margo Hutchison, an IYTA trained, magnificent teacher. After getting over the discomfort of breathing deeply for the first time in my life during my first class, I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. By the end of my second class I was convinced that I would one day be teaching Yoga.

Marrying and creating a family took me from Brisbane to Caboolture and occupied me for over a decade. In 2013, I had the opportunity to study Level 1 Yoga Rhythms Teacher Training with Jo Moore and with this realised a long time dream of being a Yoga Teacher.

Since then, I have taught a couple of general yoga classes a week, fitting them in around teaching high school, raising children and supporting ageing parents. 2019 saw the culmination of my high school teaching career and the opportunity to devote more time to my family and Yoga Teaching. 

I have discovered the joy of teaching Yoga to the Wise, with a number of students in their 80s and 90s, and also a Centenarian! Also, to students with Challenges that make it difficult for them to participate in a regular Yoga Class. This is through Chair Yoga, a seated and standing practice that uses a chair for support; and through small classes, co-created by class participants and kind to body styles like Gentle Joint Release and kind to mind influences like LifeForce and Trauma Sensitive Yoga.

I have studied Yoga for Depression with Amy Weintraub, Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Chair Yoga with IYTA and will complete Meditation Teacher Training with Zama Institute by end of April 2020, which I'm really excited about. I love learning in the structured course environment, but I really must credit my Teachers as my most significant influences. Margo, Jo, Eileen Hartley, my dear friend and wonderful mentor, and Adriana Silva, who developed a chair yoga teaching methodology to support her students more than a decade ago and was kind enough to share her considerable knowledge, wisdom and experience with me.

My approach is about kindness to the body, mind and spirit - Breathe, Move, Ease - knowing my students and guiding them through practices that will benefit them; accepting and valuing their individuality and needs. And Laughing. A lot!